"Nothing (No thing)" Happens in a Vacuum

     Let me start by saying that nothing happens in a vacuum. We live in a world where all things are connected. Nothing also happens in our little corner of social media where our images, posts, comments and "likes" are somehow disconnected from keyword internet searches or Google alerts. All internet activity is connected and is a part of a larger digital footprint. Fifty years from now, if the internet still exists..., people will be able to find these articles and thousands of other literary, audio, and visual content that is directly connected to me. Some people believe that this kind of global visibility only matters if you are a public figure, and that is not true. You can post something right now that will win you a personal visit from men in black, a pair of shiny steel bracelets, and a first-class trip to your local FBI office. Nothing happens in a vacuum, especially content that garners a lot of visibility and engagement, be it positive or negative.

     Speaking of internet activity that is a part of a larger digital footprint, recently there was a modified Five Percenter Universal Flag with a gun in the center being circulating online via a Queens Hip Hop artist who goes by the stage name "Criminal God." It was in August of 2024 that I first became aware of this artist because he performed on the premises of the Allah School in Mecca at a City of Gods Concert. That City of Gods Concert was widely promoted, hosted by former Source Magazine writer Edward Sunez Rodriguez, and publicly broadcast on the Allah School in Mecca YouTube Channel. While I respect artistic freedom, there are certain expressions of art that I do not support, platform, or share with others, especially our youth. This is one of those expressions. It must also be clearly understood that any individuals who engage in or promote irresponsible, unlawful, or inflammatory behavior are not representatives of the Five Percenters or the Allah Youth Center in Mecca, Inc. (AKA: The Allah School in Mecca). As the Five Percent, we stand on the principles of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and we reject conduct that undermines community trust or public accountability. Any such actions are personal choices and should never be interpreted as speaking for or acting on behalf of our nation of the Five Percent or Allah Youth Center in Mecca's efforts to lessen neighborhood tensions, combat juvenile delinquency, and foster civic engagement.

Senator Cordell Cleare, sponsor of Senate Bill S8655
~NYSABPRHAL's 55th Legislative Conference~
Albany, NY, February 13-15, 2026.

When I used my social media to share how that modified Five Percenter Universal Flag associated with crime jeopardizes the potential acquisition of our Allah School, I received a variety of responses. While most people were quick to condemn that content, others also communicated their support of an IP [intellectual property] trademark initiative that I put forward in 2021 to legally stop this kind misuse, misappropriation, and monetization of our Universal Flag. Unfortunately, that IP trademark initiative was not widely supported among my Five Percenter community. And as I predicted, that failed support has allowed the continued misuse, misappropriation, and monetization of our Universal Flag in the film and television, toy manufacturing, jewelry, clothing, literary, and music industries. This recent incident was yet another open attack on our cultural identity that we had no legal authority to stop.

Some people have criticized me for using my global platform to raise awareness about issues like this and the solutions that I offer. To them, I am the problem for pointing out the problem and sharing solutions, not the people who are actually creating these problems. Some people believe that if we just ignore situations like this, they will simply go away, fade into folks' daily routines or disappear into some insignificant content abyss on the internet. Again, nothing happens in a vacuum and none of it just vanishes. We have to confront ignorance with intelligence, apathy with action, and positivity with negativity. Consistently. Also, gossiping about me does not address individuals who engage in or promote irresponsible, unlawful, or inflammatory behavior or the continued misuse, misappropriation, and monetization of our Universal Flag.

As a writer, when I share my lived experience, I do it to give people a glimpse into worlds that they often aren't familiar with. My journey, stories, and accomplishments are unique to me. What is also unique to me is that in every world that I step into, I literally come in the name of "Saladin Allah." This is socially equivalent to having a cultural face tattoo. My name is not an alias, attribute, street name, stage name, or nickname that my buddies call me. Whether I am in a classroom teaching students, speaking to State Lawmakers, filming an interview for a documentary, advising United Nation Delegates overseas, or etc., I am Saladin Allah. This is how I show up every. single. day, in every single way, personally and professionally. Many Five Percenters cannot relate to that. They live a somewhat covert life because their actual names are Donnie, Alicia, Christian, Meghan, etc. These folks don't know what it means to walk into every social, economic, educational, religious, and political environment where a central part of your cultural identity is openly visible and always a potential topic of discussion. They don't have a face tattoo. They have a hidden tattoo, and it only becomes a topic of discussion if they choose to show it to somebody. Many Five Percenters can hide in plain sight in a way that I cannot and chose not to. With my name and its cultural significance, I made a bold decision to be seen and heard everywhere and accept the public-facing responsibility that comes along with it. Because of this, I have experiences that others will not. I have conversations in places that others will not have. I also encounter certain societal expectations and public scrutiny that others will never experience or learn to navigate.

So, what does all of that mean? It means that as Five Percenter, I have a vantage point of view that many others do not, based upon my personal and professional experience. In some instances that vantage point of view is better because I am the best knower in a given situation. In other situations, I am not the best knower. Someone else is the best knower, regardless of their age or gender. I respect that, yet I cannot say the same for others who have a bad habit of trying to speak on subjects and professional spaces that they know very little about. It reminds me of a recent online discussion that I had with someone who shared some A.I. laced Islamophobic content about protecting American values from a Muslim invasion. I took some time to educate them by sharing numerous examples and references of Islam's foundational influence on shaping Western Society, including a link to one of my books that is a part of a Curatorial Activism Archive in the British Library. This person, in all of their arrogant American ignorance, still tried to debate me, even though I am clearly an educator, author, and subject matter expert. The audacity. Around the same time, I had another experience dealing with a different kind of audacity. I shared an online application for high school students to apply for an all-expense paid 9-day trip with me to East Africa. Part of that application required students to submit a 300-word or less essay, a 3-minute video, or a 3-minute audio explaining why this trip is important to them. Of the 75 submissions that I received, 73 of them used some form of A.I. to write their essay, produce their video, or dictate their audio responses instead of just sharing their own thoughts and voice. Both of these exchanges represent a small example of a larger more pervasive anti-intellectual groupthink mentality that we are seeing on a national, regional, and local level. It is also happening within my own Five Percent community, and other communities, who have historically valued knowledge, lived experience, and critical thinking. If you really want to take a deeper dive into how A.I. is negatively impacting our cognitive development and creativity, check out this Science Direct article.

We are riding a wave of anti-intellectualism where folks religiously reject expertise, promote mistrust, and are outright hostile towards education and intelligence. This is undermining our ability to grow and develop, individually and as a community. Right before our eyes we are watching the deterioration of American society because of this dysfunctional mentality from the Federal level on down to our local communities. A mentality where irresponsible, unlawful, or inflammatory behavior is celebrated, and so-called leaders, public figures, podcasters, and everyday people sit around and BLOVIATE about people, places, and things without offering any solutions. Sadly, and frustratingly, many of my folks are willing participants in this madness. Yet, in all of this, I still see the potential for positive change. I see it in my own work, my children, other youth, elders, and peers who are still forging paths of possibility through these dense forests of ignorance and apathy. This is also not happening in a vacuum. So I remain encouraged in my work and being connected to others who are also doing the work. Despite the madness, I will that you stay encouraged too.

Peace,

Saladin #AtlantisBuild

Content Harvesting and Gossip Era Groupies

In my 2022 article Intellectual Property: How Protected Are We? I shared that, "This society is drastically changing with the exponential growth of technology. Those changes are not favorable for those of us who have little to no control over any legal assets/intellectual property. As black people, we cannot allow those changes to happen around us." With the expansion of technology, we went from an Internet Era to a Social Media Era. Since publishing that article, society has begun to move through an IP [Intellectual Property] Era and devolve into an Era of Content Harvesting and Gossip Groupies.

  Step back and look at the content being shared online today. Whether it's skits, LIVE videos, reaction videos, music, social commentary, or podcasts, most of that content is based on negatively talking about others. Everyone has something to say, about everybody. As much as some people claim to hate "Lying Donald Trunk" -as my six-year-old calls him, he is generating millions of dollars of content revenue for people talking about everything he does/doesn't do and anyone remotely associated with him. This does not mean that I support him. I am simply pointing out the same contradiction of Northerners running textile companies making a claim that they were against slavery while enriching themselves from the cotton picked by enslaved people and shipped by Southerners. Trump is content gold and his remarks/tweets provide job security for some of his most vocal content-creating critics. It is a sick symbiotic relationship. Knowing this, I strive to step outside of this cycle of abuse by not allowing myself to be used as a content tool. It is not often, but sometimes I have still fallen short of that. More recently, I publicly addressed a male with an obvious man-crush who has consistently trolled me privately and publicly over the last several years. In hindsight, it started after I gave them an interview for YouTube, yet never gave them direct access to me. Over time, I was accused of "thinking I was better" and they became an outright contrarian to whatever they would see me share online, and recruit others who secretly felt the same way. Because they are not in my personal or professional circle, I would receive this information from those who wanted to inform me about some things that were going on in the periphery of my life. Anyway, I humorously responded to some recent low budget content they made that included me. My response was all EGO and ultimately fed the attention seeking behavior that content harvesting gossip groupies like them monetize. As the old saying goes, if someone walks in on a wise person and a fool having a disagreement, they won't be able to tell the difference. In this instance, I was definitely a fool for even entertaining this.

Universal Parliament, P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman Elementary School 
[November 28th, 1982]

Speaking of foolishness, there has recently been a lot of discussion, particularly among members of our Five Percent Nation, about public commentary shared by Golden Era Hip Hop Pioneer and Brand Nubian group member Lord Jamar. Lord Jamar recently appeared on the In Godfrey We Trust Podcast to debate Professor Dave Farina about the Flat Earth; a concept supported by Lord Jamar yet disproved by the scientific community before the 6th Century BC and not advocated by our Five Percent Nation. As a professed member of our Five Percent Nation, Lord Jamar has been publicly and privately criticized for his pro-Flat Earth stance by some Nation members and people within the general public about how he handled this public debate. Many have shared that it was an embarrassing display by Lord Jamar, and he even issued a public apology stating that, "I was not myself." I received many requests from viewers to share my perspective on this and I honored those requests with the below video:

Commentary on Lord Jamar and The Flat Earth Discussion

     As you can see in the above video, my position is clear. Some of us Five Percenters are too fixated on conversations that do not actually impact the larger community. This is also reflective of this Content Harvesting and Era of Gossip Groupies. We should be directing our focus and finances on things that will aid in our growth and development. Some Five Percenters have argued that it is not about Lord Jamar and the Flat Earth. The issue is he is misrepresenting the teachings of our Five Percent Nation to a wide audience. Ironically, two years ago I put forth the unsuccessful effort to guard against incidents like this by trademarking the elements of our Universal Flag and seeking a body of Five Percent Nation members who would manage it. In this instance, they could have easily sent him a cease-and-desist letter for trademark infringement and the unlicensed use of our Universal Flag with his content, including its removal from the cover of his The 5% Album and any related merchandise. If this cease-and-desist warning was ignored, we (the trademark owner) could have escalated the situation by filing a lawsuit against him, leading to legal repercussions like court orders, financial damages for any profits made from the infringement, and attorney fees. It seemed simple enough to me, yet some Five Percenters just didn't get it. This idea was eventually sabotaged by some of the same folks who have criticized Lord Jamar about his public representation of our Nation. In replacement of our trademark, I've seen Five Percenters choose to make long-form videos about Lord Jamar, go on Podcasts and make social media posts talking about him; none of which are an effective call to action to address their so-called issue. Maybe now folks will start to better understand the power of controlling our identity/representation in the public domain by owning our IP [Intellectual Property]. Maybe. If someone is really that concerned about Lord Jamar's public representation, I would encourage them to just be better representations in their communities, municipalities, and online. Unfortunately, that is all you can really do at this point. 

     As this society continues to move through an IP [Intellectual Property] Era and devolve into a Content Harvesting and Gossip Groupie Era, it is important to not lose sight of the tangible everyday work we need to do that positively impacts the lives of others. We also must not minimize or overlook the importance of owning our IP. The folks who are chasing ambulances to have something or someone to talk about, and/or not owning their IP, will not always be around. They have "a said birth record" and will eventually run their course. Think about the big celebrity gossip that you heard last week and if folks are even talking about it today. They are not, unless more information has been leaked in the media that is connected to the original story in order to keep it alive. There is something or someone else being talked about today and people are making a living off of it, like parasites. What we ultimately need to ask ourselves is, are we going to ride these shallow waves or be an ocean of ideas and proactivity? I have always chosen the later, and that is why I am here today. Not because I am a so-called "content creator." It is because I am a creator, who is personally and professionally content, with what I consistently share to inspire, empower, and educate others.

Peace,

Saladin

What are the legalities of our Universal Flag?

     Two years ago, on December 21^st, 2021 I successfully registered the elements of our Universal Flag as a class 41 trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). By law, you cannot trademark a flag, so this trademark was not defined or described as a flag in the USPTO application. This trademark defined, described, and included all of the elemental arrangements of our Universal Flag. This ensured that it could be trademarked not as a flag, while simultaneously protecting our flag in the public domain from any similar elemental arrangements that would infringe upon our registered trademark. In other words, this gave us legal protection/recourse to address any individual/company who was using our federally registered trademark without our licensed permission or any individual/company that wanted to create something similar to our trademark, such as a rainbow-colored emblem like ours with a #6 in the center. Some of our Nation members were/are under the false impression that simply claiming that we have been using the Universal Flag since the 1960s is enough to prove ownership in a court of law against an individual/company that actually owns its elemental arrangements as a federally registered trademark. This is sadly untrue, especially in the face of an individual/company with a financial war chest to legally protect their IP [Intellectual Property]. There is a difference between a common law trademark and a federally registered trademark. Old Xerox copies, Power Papers, and other materials with Universal Flags on them from back in the day are only considered common law. These materials are not federally registered trademarks that secure nationwide legal protection, nor can you use them to file a claim in federal court to sue for damages if someone infringes upon your common use. It is important to understand that common use is almost equivalent to no use at all in a litigious society, especially in federal court. Some Nation members shared with me that I was wrong for not presenting this initiative to them personally, or to the Five Percent Nation collectively, for their input before acquiring this IP. Yes, I considered that yet decided against it in the interest of time and to prompt an immediate plan of action and National response from our members. So, I made the proactive decision to financially secure it for us, and bring it back to our Nation to say, "Here, this is an invaluable asset that I acquired for us to advance our Nation." Some members appreciated the socioeconomic foresight of securing this IP, while others did not. 

Email dated January, 2022 seeking to establish a Universal Flag Board

     Following the successful registration of this trademark I sent the above January 7th, 2022 Universal Flag Board email to various Five Percenters [men and women] in different regions. As stated in this email, “My reasoning for initiating that IP initiative was to put in place ‘legal safeguards’ for us to control our national narrative and maintain our cultural identity. Prior to this, anyone could use our Universal Flag and there was nothing we could legally do about it. Now that our Universal Flag is our registered trademark, no entity [entertainers, businesses, institutions, organizations or media sources, etc.] has the legal right to use it and can/will face legal consequences for misuse and abuse of it.” I emphasize the words “us”, “our”, and “we” in this email because this trademark was never for me. Because I initiated the trademark process, my name originally appeared on the application. As shown in the email, I sought out a diverse group of Five Percenters [men and women] to form a committee that the trademark ownership would be transferred to, and the committee would manage for our Nation. This never happened, and some of those who were contacted publicly/privately shared this correspondence, including the registered trademark that I attached to that email, on social media. What followed was a great deal of misinformation disseminated about me and the process. It should also be noted here that I still have not shared this federally registered trademark document on social media, understanding the intrinsic value of this IP. 

     When I finally had an opportunity to publicly address this initiative via Zoom with all of those who were interested, some Nation members were for it, and some were against it. Ultimately, no one could agree on what to do with this IP or what Nation members were trustworthy enough to manage it. Understandably, this never happened before in the history of our Nation and many people simply did not know what to do about it. The only consensus that I recognized was that there was no consensus among us. Therefore, I shared that I would cancel the trademark, and if Nation members wanted to revisit this at another time, they now know that I could do it for us. That trademark was canceled on July 26th, 2022. 

     With the life experience that I gained, I began to write/speak extensively on this litigious society being in an IP Era and the importance of preserving Allah School, protecting our cultural identity, and controlling our historical narrative in the public domain. Post-COVID, I have also written/spoken about the proliferation of USPTO trademark registrations and the exponential growth of streaming platforms harvesting content [IP] like organ harvesting. In fact, I have a couple of unsigned PBS contracts that were presented to me that I use to educate folks on how to protect their IP. So in addition to having knowledge of self and teaching for twenty-eight years, my professional experience has also given me a unique perspective on the topic of legally protecting our cultural identity in the public domain. I have been a formal educator with a focus on early childhood for twenty years. This led me to found my own early childhood learning center, the Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters, which recently celebrated its 1-year-anniversary. I have authored twenty-three books, five of which are part of a curatorial activism archive in the British Library, and I assisted in the establishment of the first black institution in my city in thirty years where I presently serve as its Director of Community Engagement. I have co-produced and starred in several historical documentaries as a subject matter expert, including three award-winning international documentaries [Enslaved, Secret Agents of the Underground Railroad, and Two Wars: The Road to Integration], and I work in historic preservation; successfully assisting in the renovation of historic sites such as the Prophet Isaiah Second Coming House, and the establishment of historic markers both in my city and in Ontario, Canada. Lastly, I am a member of the United Nations International Civil Society Working Group for the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and I was featured in the United Nations International Day for People of African Descent on August 31st, 2o23. As a Five Percenter working in these diverse spaces of education, literacy, historic preservation, placemaking, and film & television, I am always intentional about representing who we are, literally in the name of Saladin “Allah.”

     I am not sharing some of my experiences to seek acknowledgment or validation. My work as a public figure continues to be globally acknowledged and validated as the single largest digital footprint of any active Five Percenter in our Nation. This is not arrogance, EGO, or self-importance. This is a fact that I don’t take lightly, or for granted. I am sharing some of my experiences to provide some context for those to better understand the lens through which I view the world. This perspective has also come with its challenges. One of those challenges is confronting the narrow-mindedness, apathy, or unwillingness of some Nation members to actually do more than talk or robo-post thoughts on social media.

Email dated January, 2024

     Following the cancellation of our registered trademark, it has been disheartening to see Nation members still struggling to solicit donations over the last two years to support Allah School initiatives while Showtime released the award-winning Supreme Team docuseries with our Universal Flag in it, and months later a San Francisco pop-culture design house produced a custom Rakim figure wearing a Universal Flag jacket. We were in the perfect position to secure licensing agreements for the use of our registered trademark which would have secured revenue for our Nation in perpetuity. These are just two examples, in addition to numerous examples that I shared of other corporations, who were and are still profiting from the IP we owned. 

     This also does not include the examples of media outlets, like the image above, that published images of our Universal Flag alongside disinformation that linked us to crimes. I strived to communicate to our Nation members that in the same way Nike, Burger King, Allstate, etc., could sue media outlets for defamation because those damaging statements harm one's reputation and financial well-being, we had the power to take the same legal course of action to sue media outlets for defamation; instead of reposting articles like this on social media with a complaining caption and comments that only monetizes that media content. 

     At one point during a Zoom presentation, I shared the above image of our Universal Flag being sold for $399.99 at Walmart. While one Nation member said that it didn’t matter because that company was not making much money from selling it, another Nation member suggested that the company owner be located and educated about who we are. The more I began to hear ideas like this, the more I began to realize, and accept, that what I strived to do for us was out of touch with where many of us were/are. It was clear that we had very different ideas about cultural continuity, historic preservation, the legal vulnerabilities of a litigious society in an IP Era, and our capacity to control our narrative in the public domain. 

Building while hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

     Despite some speculation shared about me and how I feel about that experience two years ago, I am doing excellent. I continue to digitally document the global work that I do via the internet so that anyone with a smart device can see it, and I keep my social media profiles public for that purpose. I still build with my brothers and sisters in our Nation whom I have a relationship with, and I continue to teach those who are seeking knowledge of self. What has changed of course is my time, based on the demands of my busy schedule as a public figure and the various things that I am doing. Looking towards 2024, there are already numerous global projects, programs, and initiatives that I am involved in, and I am excited to continue positively representing our Nation in those capacities. As always, for those who would like to contact me, I can be reached via email at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com. #AtlantisBuild

Peace,

Saladin

It is, What it is, Until it isn't...

     Imagine receiving a series of phone calls the first thing in the morning from people around the country asking about a controversial book you allegedly published. When you check online you realize that some unknown company published a book, which includes your writings, and is selling it without your knowledge. Imagine folks reaching out congratulating you about being on different artists' album intros, songs, interludes, and outros that you never knew existed. Imagine U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the LA/LB [Los Angeles/Long Beach] seaport contacting you to examine a shipping container of imported designer sneakers that retail for $405.00. It's a courtesy call from an Import Specialist because they felt that designs on the product resembled Five Percent Nation cultural symbols. Imagine several global media outlets reaching out to you in the middle of your school day for an immediate comment on a story related to the Five Percent that is going to print in a few hours with or without your input. Imagine receiving death threats, hundreds of telephone calls in a day, learning that you are under surveillance, and getting a visit by government agents asking questions about your cultural views. Wild huh? Probably unbelievable to some of you. Well, that is just a glimpse of what goes on in my life. Things that I usually don't share publicly. 

     While I receive a great deal of support from people who genuinely appreciate what I do, a small segment of folks do not. That lack of support is not based upon the actual importance of my work because its value is proven in its results and global reach. Some people just don't like me, for whatever reasons known to them. Some have tried to smart-shame me for going to college, labeled me a goody-toe-shoes for not having a criminal record, or called me egotistic because I don't make myself easily accessible. Some folks have even interpreted the consistent work that I share in the name of the Five Percent as acting like I am better than other people and propping myself up as THE leader. One of the words that have been used to describe me is 'arrogant', which means, "an exaggerated idea about our abilities and sense of importance." To be fair, I don't immediately disregard assessments of me, whether they are negative or positive. I do put some thought into some of those assessments, the folks who share them, and the possible reasons they would think/feel that way. That personal information that I shared above, along with any projects, programs, and initiatives that I share, either accurately describes my ability and the important global work that I do, or it does not. Sharing the news that five of my twenty-three books are in a special archive at the British Library is not arrogance. You can either go to the UK and check them out of their collection or I am exaggerating. 

     Exploring some of these ideas, I have realized something that I have not considered before; my ability, and the important work that I do, may look exaggeratedly different than how I present myself. My persona may throw some folks off because it is not tied to things that they typically associate with success, self-importance, and power. I don't take pictures with folks to look important based upon proximity and place. I rarely if ever wear logo-branded clothes/sneakers, especially in photos and videos. My car is eighteen-years-old and I don't walk into rooms with a need to be seen and heard; I am absolutely fine with saying nothing unless there is something to be said. I live humble, I present humble, yet the things that I share are far from it. 

     Some of my colleagues have bluntly stated that folks who always have something negative to say about me are just "haters." While I won't discredit their perspective, I will say that there is also another way to look at it. Sometimes people are not haters; especially those who don't even know us. It's self-hate that they are projecting and you are their target. Let me explain.

    In Psychology, projection is the act of displacing one's own thoughts and feelings onto a different person, place, or thing. When people project they misrepresent what is going on "inside" of them as coming from the "outside." Why do folks do this? Because they are dissatisfied with what is going on in their life. Some people don't hate us, they hate their own lives and the truth that our life expresses exposes their self-hatred. To them, our life represents a proverbial mirror, and every time they see us they see the opposite. Just like a reversed reflection in a mirror, our right is their left (or wrong)... If we are doing good financially, they see how bad they are doing. If we have accomplishments, they are reminded of their failures. They think about their academic struggles and speech impediment when they hear how educated and articulate we are. Our confidence and security reveal their doubt and insecurity. When some people are exposed to these mirrored truths, they simply feel the need to attack or ridicule the person, place, or thing where these truths are emanating from. 

     Sometimes I think we take for granted where we think people are in life without knowing their journey to get there. We all have an origin story and my story begins with my family dynamics. My parents were down with the Black Panthers; my Ole Earth was a social psychologist, and my Ole Dad was a tradesman who collected African artifacts. My Ole Earth used to intentionally take us people-watching. Yes, she would literally say, "come on let's go people watching." We would jump into the wood-paneled station wagon, drive to a mall, park, or other public space and sit and watch people. She would then ask us questions about the people, environment, and the things we observed. Exercises like this, having a DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] in our library, and learning about black classical/contemporary contributions to civilizations from our Ole Dad helped shape my consciousness. My eldest brother attended Alabama State University, my elder sister attended Morgan State University, my younger brother and I attended Central State University and both of my young Queens attended Howard University. My parents never said to us, "go to an HBCU." We chose that based upon our appreciation for our people and the desire to be amongst and invest in our own. In 1994 I met my Enlightener in that black college environment and formally gained KOS [Knowledge Of Self] when I was nineteen years old. I am forty-seven today and over the years I have been intentional about teaching and positively representing the culture of the Five Percent. Running concurrently with my experience teaching and positively representing the Five Percent is the development of the internet and social media; a digital vehicle that I began to use to amplify our Nation's presence through various projects, programs, and initiatives. Based on the extent of my digital footprint, you cannot discuss pioneering Five Percent content creation without discussing these contributions. I was among the first of us to publish articles online, the first to vlog, the first to start a podcast, the first to teach online classes, and start various other projects, programs, and initiatives that continue to this day. Those statements are not an exaggeration of my abilities and importance. Making those statements... is not arrogant. They are documented actual facts. Now some people would say, "Why do you even gotta say alllllllll a dat? Just let your work speak for itself." Well, it has spoken for itself for years to those who are honest and aware. Some folks still have no clue and may speak out of ignorance because they are unaware. What is the value of knowing facts like this? Folks can have access to predecessors, with a reference library of life experiences, that can help them succeed in their new undertakings. 

   When I started creating content as a Five Percenter more than two decades ago, smartphones didn't exist. Nor did social media. Today there is so much content available, some people are more invested in talking about stuff online than actually doing stuff offline. According to research in the National Library of Medicine, this present technological shift has increased "sedentary lifestyles" to the point where the current generation is the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their predecessors. Now along comes the Metaverse; a virtual reality space where inactive folks can now interact with computer-generated environments and other inactive folks. The irony is that it's not much different than the virtual reality of filtered/deepfake images and videos, fake personas, fake businesses, and fake accomplishments that people already generate and interact with online. Now that we are seeing this increase in the "quantity" of content, that is a prime indication that there is a decrease in quality content. That applies to any industry. Once you start seeing a lot of a product, its quality has been stepped on... sometimes more than once. I have always been aware of this so I never used my online platforms to bombard people with non-quality content. It's never been about how many videos I've posted, it's about the quality of those videos to inspire, empower and educate people around the world. It's not about the length of the hundreds of thousands of words that I have written in articles and books, it's about the weight of those words. 

     Nowadays there are more Five Percenters online than there have ever been before. While some of us are working diligently to positively represent who we are in our respective fields, other individuals are more concerned about jockeying for digital real estate, trolling, and being Five Percenter versions of Saa Neter. As I've shared, technology has fostered an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle that contributes to shortening our lifespan, physically and mentally. Along with that inactivity, some people, including those who consider themselves to be enlightened, are becoming more apathetic, pessimistic, and less hopeful about the real world. Thus this attitude is reflected in the dramatic, violent, gossip-laced content that they create, engage in, and reshare. I don't have any answers for adults who choose to be like this and set such lowly standards for our youth. I strive to protect our youth from being exposed to these negative influences by being an example, and I am thankful to see more responsible adults stepping up to do the same. Yet there is still much work to be done. And until then, it is, what it is, until it isn't. 

Peace,

Saladin