Paper Genocide and Afro-Indigeneity

Chickahominy Tribal Members, 1900

    When the first enslaved people arrived in North America, they were excluded from obtaining citizenship or legal protection on this land and were given names to reflect that stateless status as chattel [personal property]. This social death made them "non-persons", stripping them of their human, legal, and social standing in society. Words like slave, negro, n*gger, colored, etc. also do not indicate one's nationality, citizenship, or country of origin. None of these names are derived from geographic locations on a world map, just like there are no countries called Afro America or Africa America. This stateless status of enslaved people was conceived, defined, and systemically reinforced by the ruling class colonialists before and after America's 1776 founding. It was from this inhumane foundation that enslaved people, other people of color, and their descendants have been historically denationalized through legal acts of paper genocide; a systematic erasure of a people by destroying and modifying official documents, excluding them from historical records, and racially reclassifying them. This administrative tool was and is used to make a people, their cultural identity, and their assets, disappear.

    Following Bacon's Rebellion on April 3rd, 1691, ‘An act for suppressing outlying slaves’ was passed by the Virginia General Assembly to address Black people, and persons of color deemed Black [Mulatto, often Indigenous Peoples], who escaped and/or formed independent maroon communities beyond the boundaries of plantations. This was also the first law to legally codify a "white" racial identity as an institutional power dynamic. 

"An act for suppressing outlying slaves", 1691

"And for prevention of that abominable mixture and spurious issue which hereafter may encrease in this dominion, as well by negroes, mulattoes, and Indians intermarrying with English, or other white women, as by their unlawfull accompanying with one another, Be it enacted by the authoritie aforesaid, and it is hereby enacted, that for the time to come, whatsoever English or other white man or woman being free shall intermarry with a negroe, mulatto, or Indian man or woman bond or free shall within three months after such marriage be banished and removed from this dominion forever, and that the justices of each respective countie within this dominion make it their perticular care, that this act be put in effectuall execution." -An act for suppressing outlying slaves, 1691

    Through this 'act for suppressing outlying slaves', the Virginia General Assembly empowered 'white' colonialists with a means to regulate the movement of Black people. This regulation included the establishment of formal law enforcement and informal militias to use lethal force against Black people who were deemed runaways. This law also banned interracial relationships/marriage and determined the fate of children who were born from these unions. Any "white" woman (or man in rare cases) who married a Black person or persons of color [Mulatto, Indigenous Person] were permanently exiled from the Virginia colony within three months. If a "white" woman had a child by a Black person or persons of color [Mulatto, Indigenous Person] out of wedlock, she was fined about $3,750 in today's currency. If she was unable to pay that fine in a year, she was sold into indenture servitude for five years to the church and the child was 'enslaved' [indentured servitude for thirty years]. 

   Prior to this act, the term "white" was used casually. People were legally defined/described based upon their nationality and religion: Englishman, Irishman, Christian, Turks, etc. This was the first time that "white" became a legal identity for 'some' Europeans in America. This anti-miscegenation law was written to regulate the societal relationships beyond the boundaries of plantations. This is because people who were racially grouped/legally categorized as Slaves, Negroes, Moors, Mollattoes (Mulattos), and Indians were intermarrying and/or having children with English, Irish, etc. women. This law was used to now legally reclassify these European women as "white women." The racial grouping/legal categorization of Slaves, Negroes, Moors, Mollattoes (Mulattos), and Indians occurred nine years earlier in 1682 with the passage of two Virginia acts (Act 1 & Act 2). What is important to note here is that the terms Slaves, Negroes, Moors, Mollattoes (Mulattos), and Indians were often used interchangeably to define and describe people of color. In other words, the same person who may be called a Slave or Negroe could also be called a Moor, Mollatto (Mulatto), and Indian. Following the 1691 'act for suppressing outlying slaves', the word "white" -as a socioeconomic construct and cultural/racial descriptor to identify a group of people- set a new legal precedent. It is from this act that other American colonies began to follow suit, using similar language and passing the same color of laws. It is essentially the legal invention of "white people" and power dynamics that began to define America's map of racial geography. 

"Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes," 1819-1833

    A century later in 1793, the Virginia General Assembly passed another law that would also change the America's map of racial genealogy. This law included a requirement that all free people deemed "Black" had to register in local books called Free Negro Registers. These registries remained in use until the end of the Civil War in 1865 and were used to document, surveillance, and control Black people with the use of freedom papers and taxation without representation. It enforced personal taxes, county taxes, delinquency taxes on Black people and severe fines, imprisonment, and enslavement on Black people who did not comply. Any free person of color deemed "Black", which included Mulattoes, were registered in these books. In many instances, Indigenous People were reclassified and registered as Negro and Mulattoe in these books. These actions not only disrupted their tribal sovereignty, but it also added them to the Virginia state and local tax base and legally confiscated their lands. As you can imagine, policies like this also complicated genealogy research for future generations who have strived to locate their family members.

My third-great grandmother Susanna listed in a Virginia County Negro Registry, 1852

     

   My third-great grandmother Susanna was born of the Chickahominy people in the Werewocomoco territory of Virginia. Werewocomoco is about 15 miles Northeast of Jamestown, Virginia; the location where twenty enslaved people arrived in 1619 from Port Comfort on a ship named the White Lion. I do not know when or how Susanna left this territory, but she eventually married my third-great grandfather Allen Dorsey, an enslaved Freedom Seeker born in Maryland, and they settled in Ontario, Canada.  Although she was Indigenous, Susanna was listed as 'Negroe' in a Virginia County Negro Registry in 1852. From 1793 to right before the start of the Civil War, thousands of Indigenous people were listed in these registries as Negroe or Mollattoe (Mulatto).

     This practice of reclassification continued through the 1800s and into the 1900s when racist eugenicist Walter Plecker advocated for the 1924 Racial Integrity Act as Virginia’s first registrar of its Bureau of Vital Statistics. Plecker stated that Virginia Indians were "mixed-blooded Negroes" and used his one-drop of Black blood rule and lists of Indigenous surnames to change the birth, marriage, and death certificates from Indian to Negro. To this very day, these government actions have made it made it difficult for Indigenous/Black People in Virginia to verify genealogy, nationality, and gain state and federal tribal recognition. The first Indigenous Tribe in Virginia to gain federal recognition was the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in 2015. In 2018, six more tribes gained federal recognition. Those tribes are my third-great grandmother Susanna's Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe–Eastern Division, Upper Mattaponi Tribe, Rappahannock Tribe, Inc., Monacan Indian Nation and the Nansemond Indian Nation. 

    The average Black person in America has a story about an ancestor being Indigenous to this land, yet the legal reclassification and denationalization of Indigenous people makes it difficult to trace this genealogy. Even DNA testing can pose an additional problem. Because DNA testing companies have little to no Indigenous reference bases, that ancestry would not show up. For example, image four people participated in a genetic study to include their DNA in a database. Those four people are Irish, Italian, English, and Polish. If you took a DNA test it would be matched against that database and various percentages of those four groups. Other ancestry, such as Chinese, would not show up because it is not in the database. Most companies also do not have extensive DNA samples from specific tribes or nations. The limited Indigenous DNA reference base samples that companies do have is usually placed into large regional categories such as "Indigenous Americas." If you really want to do a deeper dive into discovering Indigenous ancestry in the form of genetic genealogy, the company 23andMe tells us our maternal and paternal haplogroups. Haplogroups are genetic markers that are unbroken, passed on from our mother through her mitochondria DNA [mtDNA] and the Y-chromosome [Y-DNA] from our father. On our mother's ancestral line, direct Indigenous ancestry shows up as A2, B2, C1, D1, and X2a haplogroups. On our father's ancestral line, Indigenous ancestry shows up as Q-M242, Q-M3, Q-L54, C-M130 and C-P39. My maternal mtDNA is L2b which means that my mother's ancestral line goes back to West/Central Africa. My paternal Y-DNA haplogroup is E-U290 which means that my father's ancestral line goes back to West/Sub Sahara Africa. Keep in mind that our maternal mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups only represent a single ancestral line that does not reflect our entire family tree or the thousands of ancestors that make up our genetic profile. For example, my Indigenous third-great grandmother Susanna's DNA would not be shown along my maternal mtDNA haplogroup line because she is an ancestor on my father's side. The same is true regarding male ancestors DNA not showing up in our paternal Y-DNA haplogroup because they are on our mother's side.

     All of us had two parents, whether we know them or get along with them or not, in order to be born. Having two parents means that we had to have four grandparents. Four grandparents means that we had to have eight great-grandparents. This genetic profile continues to grow into 16 second-great grandparents, 32 third-great-grandparents, 64 fourth great-grandparents, 129 fifth great-grandparents, etc. We are literally a composite of thousands of ancestors genealogically and genetically. All of them have stories and their stories are a part of our reference library of life. This has always fascinated me. The decisions that our ancestors made or didn't make, the professions they had, where they lived, what they ate, the hardships they overcame, their successes, their failures, who they had children with, etc. led to our eventual birth. The purpose of paper genocide is to ensure that we cannot look back. Imagine walking through life with zero interest in learning where we came from and how we got here. How much could we really know about ourselves, and our potentiality, without this reference library of life? 

Peace,

Saladin #AtlantisBuild

I Knowledged 120 Thirty-One Years Ago on September 30th, 1995

     Thirty-one years ago on September 30th, 1995, I knowledged 120 lessons at the age of 20. Since that time, I’ve done my best to positively embody the principles and values of the Five Percent. My commitment to that work, sense of integrity, and direct action has enabled me to represent this culture locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. By default, this global visibility has garnered a lot of attention. Attention that I never sought and still don't seek. In the process, I began to understand that for many of us, this territory is an uncharted terrain. So, I’ve also been intentional about showing others how to competently navigate these spaces "coming in the name..." with authenticity, grace, and confidence.   

      With my lived experience, much has changed over the years in regard to how I understand and apply 120. It should! If we are looking at a lesson (degree) today the same way that we looked at it ten, five, and even a year ago, that is mental stagnation. We clearly haven't grown in that area of our lives. If we haven't grown, we also haven't contributed to the growth and development of those around us. 

     I didn't gain Knowledge of Self because Five Percenters looked, dressed, and used cool slang. I didn't seek 120 to be the smartest person in the room, to intellectually bully people, or to boost my low self-esteem. The work of Allah (The Father) around youth advocacy and community outreach is what impressed me the most. Seeing folks use Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet to razzle and dazzle people didn't move me and it still doesn't move me. My question is, "What you actually doing in life?" I am much more interested in how we are using our principles and values to improve our quality of life, the quality of life of others, and make tangible contributions that improve our communities and society as a whole. In the thirty-one years that I've been living this culture I've learned that many of us are not interested in that. At all. As difficult as it is, I'm also learning how to accept that. I do not accept the apathy or indifference towards growth and development, I mean learning to accept not expecting anything beyond where a person is at. If they choose to add-on beyond that, it is their choice. I am just not obligated to stand around and wait for that to happen, which could feel like trillions of years. This is why I specifically used the phrase "direct action" when it comes to representing Five Percent culture or any culture for that matter. Direct action is using our own resources, ability, and influence to reach goals instead of asking others to do it for us. This does not mean that we should not ask for help, be anti-collaborative, or against advocating for a common cause. It means that my formula for successful undertakings is to do it myself and only include those who are seriously committed to doing the work. Too much time has been lost, and continues to be lost, getting together in ciphers to build about people not building, why we need to build, how we used to build, and what we need to build today in order to be builders. All of this happens while nothing gets built, and cycle continues. I think what is central to this is waning competency to acknowledge and practically apply 120.

     My foundation was 120. When I got Knowledge of Self, my Enlightener (Educator) didn't just hand me the History of the Five Percenters, The Enlightener, What We Teach, Twelve Jewels, or even Supreme Mathematics. My studies began in the area of the hard sciences (physics, biology, astronomy, etc.), philosophy, social sciences, archeology, and history. I was then given one lesson at a time to study and memorize in the midst of my studies, which gave me context. It was during this process of getting 120 that I learned the application of Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet in real time. I wasn't given Supreme Math or the Alphabet on a sheet of paper with basic definitions. I eventually saw Xeroxed copies of them at a later date. 120 represents 6 of the 8 points on our Universal Flag; Student Enrollment (1-10), Lesson #1 (1-14), English C Lesson (1-36), Lesson #2 (1-40), Actual Facts, and Solar Facts. As a percentage, 6/8th's is 75% or the majority of the content that we learn about the principles and values of the Five Percent. Supreme Mathematics is only one point on our Universal Flag, 1/8th, or 12.5% of that contact. Supreme Mathematics tell us absolutely nothing about the meaning of civilization or the duty of a civilized person, what is a real devil, believing the 10% on face value, and a number of other things they we learn in 120. In 120 there are approximately 100 characters (Doctor, Little Boy, Musa, Mother, etc.), 60 geographic locations (India, West Asia, Africa, North America, etc.) and 40 objects (Coat, Gold, Steel, Shield, etc.). We learn different dimensions of our planet such as it's 196,940,000 square miles; 57,255,000 sq. miles of land, 139,685,000 sq. miles of water and 790,613,581,824,000,000 sq. inches in total. We also learn that our Earth is one among other planets, in a solar system, and their distances from a central star called the Sun. Learning all of this, and much more throughout the years, I was baffled when I began to hear people make statements like, "My culture is Supreme Mathematics", "120 is muslim (must-learn) lessons", and "We only need Supreme Math." When I received Knowledge of Self, knowledging 120 was the standard. When you met another Five Percenter in the 1990s it was common to ask and be asked, "How do you see today's degree?" Nowadays it's different. In many modern-day ciphers I often never hear someone ask that question. 

     Times are changing. The oversaturation of social media, serial shortened attention spans, and A.I. induced cognitive surrender has created a psychological and socioeconomic landscape unlike anything that we have ever seen before. It's an environment where bookstores are literally closing and short-form videos, text posts, podcasts, and influencers are most people's main source of "education." We now exist in an Attention Economy where folks seek online notoriety but refuse to do the quiet, consistent, offline work that's actually notable. This is the challenging space that our present generation must navigate to acquire 120 and gain Knowledge of Self. Long gone are the days of young people being patient enough to listen to someone sitting on a stoop and then being compelled to go to the public library to find books in a card catalogue to research those topics. I'm sure a variation that this still happens, just not like it happened in the 90's. Even in all of this, people are still finding a way to learn. The daily emails, DMs, and messages that I receive from people around the world seeking enlightenment is part of the proof. Yes, times are changing yet we ultimately determine if that change is for the better, or the worst, regardless of the present-day psychological and socioeconomic landscape. 120 lessons, in addition to Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet, has been my blueprint for last thirty-one years. That has been, and remains, the key to our success.

Peace,

Saladin, #AtlantisBuild

"Crack-Kim Great God Allah" and the Value of Community Partnerships

A.I. generated image of Fat Joe as "Crack-Kim Great God Allah"

     On a recent episode of the Joe and Jada Podcast, Rapper Fat Joe made this bombshell claim, "I come from a projects called Godsville. Right? So also, it was like the Mecca of the Five Percenters. I was the God Crack-Kim Great God Allah. I’m telling you what it is, right. You gotta think…" The reactions from members of the Five Percent ran the spectrum from doubled-over laughter to outright anger. While no one has confirmed the validity of that story, I can see the possibility for a variety of reasons. It's possible that some Five Percenters said it as a joke to play upon the cultural identity politics in that neighborhood. There is some unfortunate history of Boriquas and other Spanish-speaking people being "othered" within the Hip Hop community and among Five Percenters, even to this day. Fat Joe has often talked about being "the fat little Puerto Rican kid" growing up around mostly Black people. It is hard for me to imagine Five Percenters seriously calling Fat Joe by the "righteous name" of Crack-Kim Great God Allah. Because the names that we choose are supposed to be righteous. From my experience, even the most street Five Percenters still hold this culture with some level of sacredness. Also, righteous names don't exist in a vacuum. With a name comes a cultural identity, familial relationships, and active Five Percenter community engagement. Within our culture we are expected to expound upon our chosen righteous name when among other Five Percenters. If our name is Power, we are expected to show and prove the reasoning for choosing that name and what it means, sometimes in an open public forum among a body of Five Percenters. None of these Five Percenter cultural elements or social norms were mentioned by Fat Joe. This leads me to think that it's not as real or serious as he suggests. Now if he goes back on the Pod naming his enlightener, talking about parliaments/rallies that he attended, what degrees that he knows, who he taught, etc., then I think we could take his conversation more seriously. What I do think is serious, and deserves discussion, is the fact that people even associate Five Percenters with criminal behavior. 

     Since our 1960's inception within the streets of New York, Five Percenters have been labeled as a gang and classified as a STG (Security Threat Group) due to incidents of violence and gang-related activity within some correctional facilities across the United States. While there did exist and does exist those who commit crimes and simultaneously claim to be Five Percenters, that is not our cultural way. The labels of being a gang or STG has always been a point of contention by those of us who are upstanding citizens within our communities, the same way that upstanding Muslims, Christians and Jews do not condone terrorism by those who profess to be members of their group. As a globally recognized face of the Five Percenters, I have worked extremely hard to challenge those mischaracterizations by being a positive productive example. Yet in too many cases to mention, there are alleged Five Percenters who continually add credence to these negative claims by not living up to our cultural values of being civilized and teaching civilization. One such example is our recent expulsion from the second primary school within our community that allowed us to utilize their space to hold our monthly Universal Parliaments and events.           

     In an April 24th, 2024 article Anchor Institutions and the Fate of Allah School in Mecca I wrote, "While there are brothers who consistently show up in person/virtually once a week to talk for hours about our culture, there are no professional revenue-generating workshops, classes, or projects being facilitated at Allah School every day. We have no grant-funded youth advocacy/community outreach programs being offered in the neighborhood. We have no collaborative initiatives with area organizations and institutions that are available on-site or virtually. Nothing is being offered by/for women and girls; even though women represent 75% of the professional non-profit workforce in the U.S. and the Allah School is a non-profit. Additionally, according to a recent April 23rd Five Percenter Newspaper Facebook Group Post and my follow-up confirmation with School Officials, we are now in jeopardy of losing P.S. 92 Mary McLeod Bethune as the current location of our Universal Parliaments and the upcoming Show & Prove. A petition is being circulated by the surrounding school community to stop us from utilizing the space due to adult Five Percenters loitering, urinating, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and being noisy on school property." As of June 2025, and confirmed by school officials, we are now banned from utilizing P.S. 92 Mary McLeod Bethune due to alleged Five Percenters loitering and the use of illegal substances near school grounds. The first school in our community that we were banned from prior to this incident is P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman. During the summer months our monthly Universal Parliaments and events are generally held outdoors in Medina (Brooklyn). As we move into the colder months, we will need to find new indoor accommodations to gather. Equally important is putting an effective policy and procedure in place that can stop us from continually losing access to community spaces and sabotaging our relationships with important community partners. That only gives credence to the negative lawless claims that people have about us. While this is definitely unfortunate, it is also an opportunity for us to do better and live up to our cultural values of being civilized and teaching civilization. 

"We don't talk about nobody.  Because religious people fight against one another.  You can’t tell 

me they don’t because they do." -Allah, The Father (November 15, 1967 Interview)

     

     When I began this website twenty years ago, my mission has been to inspire, empower, and educate my readership through my documented work about various sciences of life from "a" Five Percenter perspective, not a perspective of "THE" Five Percenter. Because of my growing digital footprint, global visibility and international work, I was thrust into a domain where I am now viewed as one of the most recognizable figures and foremost authorities on the Five Percent Nation. This has never been something that I have aspired to, yet I have learned to accept being this public figure. It took me a long time to even fully embrace social media because I was averse to the concept of 'having followers'. This so-called "celebrity" as folks call it, has also taken time getting used to. When random people recognize and stop me in airports or different cities to share how my work has positively impacted their lives, I am still caught off guard and reminded of what this really means. To me, I am simply doing my part to add more beauty to this world to help repair what I see is broken. Nothing more and nothing less. What I have struggled with getting used to are the trolls that any celebrity deals with. It's hard to understand the constant fixation people can have on someone else. It's hard to even imagine how disruptive that would be to the work that I do. When I assess my time, I don't see the value in using it to sit around and talk about people. Yes, just like anyone else I could see trolls attacking celebrities, I just never saw myself in a celebrity category so I would rationalize that it is not the same thing when it happens to me. I was clearly in denial. Once I began to honestly acknowledge it, I also began to consult with other celebrities on how they deal with it. What one particular celebrity shared with me was a game changer. They said, "People project their own insecurities on you. Sometimes people try to bait you into responding to some sh*t because your attention validates their importance. In a weird way they're looking for a cosign. They might be jealous or feel like they're less than you! You are an important person who is doing important work. I just keep it moving and don't even respond. They not on your level and don't even exist in your world for a reason, so keep it that way by not inviting them in." 

     Those within our community know that Fat Joe AKA Crack-Kim Great God Allah is not a farfetched concept. There is a reason we have the phrases Jive Percenters & Five Pretenders. I've had knowledge of self for thirty years now and have seen many versions of folks with one foot in the street and the other foot allegedly in Five Percenter culture. I have also seen those who are positive productive examples of what this culture can offer any human being. Like with any community, you have those who are striving to do better and others who are not. I also understand that we can want people to do better, yet nothing will change until they honestly want to do better for themselves. We make knowledge born and they must save themselves. Sometimes the ones who could benefit from our assistance the most are the least likely to openly receive it, for various reasons. All we can do is be there if/when people are ready and put up guardrails to prevent them from injuring us and others when they are not ready. I do not know what new indoor accommodations will be secured for our Universal Parliaments and other Nation events going forward. I also do not know what kind of effective policy and procedure can be put in place that will stop us from continually losing access to community spaces and sabotaging our relationships with important community partners. What I do know is this is an opportunity to do better. And sometimes what we see as a setback is a settlement or agreement to do something much greater! It is up to us to make that happen.

Peace,

Saladin

Three Years Later; Where are the benefits NOT OWNING this trademark?

Official Registered Trademark, December 21, 2021 

     Three years ago on this Winter Solstice date, December 21^st, 2021, I successfully registered the elements of the Universal Flag for our Five Percent Nation as a class 41 licensed trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). As I shared in my article, What are the legalities of our Universal Flag?:

"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." 

To learn more details about that initiative I would encourage you to read the article What are the legalities of our Universal Flag? Today I wanted to take the time to build upon that experience, what has happened since that time, and what I think we can expect to see moving forward.

     When I first announced that initiative it was embraced with a great deal of support and attacked with disdain. Some Nation members shared that I was wrong for not presenting this initiative to them personally, and/or to the larger number of Five Percenters collectively for their input before acquiring this IP. These are things that I considered yet decided against it in the interest of time and to prompt an immediate call to action and National response from our members. So instead of talking about it I made the proactive decision to be about it by investing the time and finances to secure the trademark for us. When I received the official document from the USPTO, it is hard to express the prideful feeling of bringing it to our people to say, "Here, this is an invaluable asset that I acquired for us to advance our Nation!" While some members appreciated the socioeconomic foresight of securing this IP, others did not. 

     Following the successful December 21^st, 2021, 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 across the country. 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 appears on the application. Yet, as shown in the above 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 managed for our Nation. This never happened and what unfortunately followed was mass confusion, misinformation campaigns, and a fumbled bag by Nation members to secure an invaluable national asset and legally protect our cultural identity in the public domain. It was disappointing then and is disappointing now to see the same Nation members unable to publicly defend themselves and secure our financial future. I learned a lot from that experience, especially around organization.

Stymie Beard, Little Rascals Gang

       When striving to organize any group of people around an idea, there usually exists an element that can stymie that group's ability to build. Stymie means "to present an obstacle to" or "stand in the way of'." Sometimes this obstruction is rooted in legitimate concerns for the safety, welfare, and progress of the group -as we often saw demonstrated by the sharp-witted Stymie from the Little Rascals who helped solve his gang's problems. Sometimes folks are not like Stymie and their obstruction is illegitimate, thus undermining the safety, welfare, and progress of the group. Whether legitimate or illegitimate, everyone has a rationalization behind why they choose to support/not support an idea. In presenting our Nation with an actual registered trademark, something tangible and not just an idea, it forced many people to communicate their rationalization(s) and confront their own contributions, role, and responsibilities to our Nation. It was not the fact that what I did for us was inherently wrong; every pioneer and innovation is viewed as wrong by some people who never did it before. For many people, this was the first time that they even thought about what it means to officially register the elements of our Universal Flag as a licensed trademark. Very few people asked me questions to gain an understanding about what we were now in possession of. Most people honestly did not even know what we had or the difference between a trademark, copyright, or a patent. It was obvious when they clumsily used these words interchangeably while trying to present themselves as knowledgeable to explain their stance. Some people unrealistically argued that if Walmart or any company were selling products with our Universal Flag on it, we should find them and teach them. Others protested by saying things like, "we are not under the government", "Universal Shaamgaud didn't do it, do you think you are smarter than him", "It doesn't matter, it [the Universal Flag] is for everybody" and etc. It was evident that the rationalizations people made, to justify why they did not want ownership of this invaluable asset, were not legitimate and clearly motivated by something deeper. 

In order to support this initiative, some folks had to justify in their minds why they and others [including the Universal Flag designer Universal Shaamgaud himself], have never done it before. For some folks it was simple; "We are at a point in our Nation's history where we need to own it." For others, it was not that simple. They had to justify a lot in their minds to accept this gift from me. Some people were simply mad that they didn't do it first, and to accept it was to acknowledge my contribution and give me the credit for doing it, even though it was for all of us. Some people were never going to acknowledge it and give me credit, especially those who always had/have something negative to say about me privately and publicly. Some folks felt like me acquiring this IP was me looking down on them and saying that they didn't have the intelligence or skills to do it on their own until I came along. To them, they would rather starve than eat what was being shared them. All of them experienced some level of cognitive dissonance or the discomfort of holding contradictory thoughts. For many, those contradictory thoughts were 1.) We own our Universal Flag 2.) Proof that we don't legally own the Universal Flag because I got the registered trademark for us. For some, they struggled with additional contradictory thoughts. None of what I am sharing is mind reading or speculation. People actually communicated these kinds of sentiments privately and publicly when this initiative was presented to them. With all of these things going on in some people's minds, some folks came up with a whole bunch of illegitimate reasons why they did not want this for our Nation. These kinds of rationalizations are called "defenses mechanisms" in the world of Psychiatry; strategies that people use to avoid certain thoughts/actions that are unwanted. What was so unwanted? Me, and/or me doing this for us. The only legitimate reason that I heard from a few people is that our collective body of members were not ready for that level of responsibility to represent/protect ourselves in the public domain as legal owners of this IP because they didn't know what we actually had. I anticipated this and that is the reason that I secured it first so that we had it in our possession. It was better to have it, and learn how to use it, than to not have it and watch people keep using it. Some folks accused me of doing things wisdom knowledge, or backwards, which is untrue. I knew all about it, did it, and shared the best part with others; that is knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Others who knew nothing about possessing a registered trademark felt like they were forced to do things wisdom knowledge, which is also untrue. All they needed to do is now invest time to learn more about what was now in their possession to use for the benefit of our Nation; that is also knowledge, wisdom and understanding. They were in a perfect position to learn more about what they now legally owned and how it could be used. Not that day, weeks, or even months later. It could have been a year to that date that folks finally educated themselves enough about owning this invaluable asset and how to actually use it. 

     2021 was a pivotal moment in our Nation's history. It was post-Covid, we were "displaced" from our community as I shared in my article Anchor Institutions and the Fate of Allah School in Mecca, we were poorly represented in the public domain and facing dire socioeconomic circumstances. At the date of this writing, all of things have only gotten worst and no one has come forward with anything tangible that addresses all of these National issues. I think failing to accept ownership of our registered trademark was a missed opportunity for us to use this invaluable asset to legally protect our image/narrative in the public domain, improve our collective quality of life, and create multi-capital for our Nation's growth and development, in perpetuity. I would love for someone, or others, to come along and legitimately prove me otherwise. Not with economic development presentation pitches with no capital investment, crochet crown and lapel pin fundraisers, or livestream/podcast monologues called 'classes'. I commend folks for at least doing something, yet none of those things are really moving the needle forward. If they were, we would see the evidence in actual attendance, participation, financial investment, and viewership. Unfortunately, we don't see that evidence. And no, I don't see myself as our Nation's savior on some high horse with the answer to solve all of our problems. I am just one person, who shared an excellent idea, that would have surely solved some of our problems. Three years later, how have we benefitted from not owning this registered trademark? I honestly cannot think of one example. You might be wondering what ended up happening to the IP huh? Well, let me tell you a story, it's called The Magic Stone

The Magic Stone

     Once upon a time there was a people living in a distance land, struggling from a famine that ravished their entire village. Food was scarce, sickness was common, and people suckled cactuses to get what little water that they had. One of their family members seeking to assist his people set out on a perilous journey beyond the borders of their homelands. After a year of roaming the lands, the family member came upon a quarry of magic stones that possessed limitless power to change one's circumstances. Excited, the family member began to make his way back to his village to share one of the magic stones with his people. When he arrived at his village and announced his discovery, a great disturbance arose among his people. While some of his people were thankful, some verbally attacked and threatened to physically harm him. Some of the more superstitious family members began to share legends as reasons why their wisest elders never had the magic stone, so they shouldn't either, despite the desolate condition they were now living in. Others arrogantly dismissed it, boasting that they could have gotten the magic stone themselves, and he was no better than them. Some family members began to spread lies about him and the magic stone, sowing seeds of doubt to turn people against him and his gift. Some family members secretly suggested that he not allow other family members to have possession of the magic stone, while other family members asked him to allow their council to control it. Some family members outright refused the magic stone, believing that he should have asked them did they want it, even though it was clear that their people needed it. After three days of fasting and consideration, he had an epiphany. The next day he came before the village and announced that because his people could only agree that there was no agreement about what to do with the magic stone, he would destroy it. And he did. 

The End

Peace,

Saladin

Supreme Mathematics AWARDS to be held in Medina (Brooklyn)

 

   It was announced last week by Seven On Demand via social media that on Thursday, June 6th, 2024 the First Annual Supreme Mathematics Awards will be held in Brooklyn, NY (Medina) to honor Five Percent nation members who are doing extraordinary work to nationally/internationally represent and advance our nation. Also shared was a list of nominees whose names were put forward by an event committee for different award categories. While some shared their excitement for this first-time initiative, others did not.

After reading many of the comments shared on the event post, a common theme that I recognized was a criticism of some of the nominees, the questioning of the nomination guidelines, and the reasons why some people should/should not be nominated. Some people even shared why they themselves should have been nominated and the assumption that some people probably nominated themselves. In response to those queries, the event organizer Lord Jamel, shared that these nominations were put forward by an event committee, not himself, and anyone nominating themselves were disqualified. Still, this explanation did not suffice for those who thought that they belonged on this list. The great thing about this initiative is that it is creating conversation and calling into question a criterion for how we are actually using Supreme Mathematics to positively impact our environment. Far too often some of us use the abstract phrase, "I'm building!" to proclaim that we are working, yet there is no real quantifiable evidence to show and prove that, especially nationally and internationally.

So, what are the criteria? Is it being someone who has lived the culture for fifty-plus years? Is it based on how many people you got to memorize 120? Is it being nationally/internationally successful in a certain industry? Is it how many parliaments and rallies we have attended? Based upon the comments shared on the event post, it was clear that people had different ideas of what the criteria should be. To some, I should not be on that list simply because my name is “Saladin” and they believe that this is a Muslim name, not an Arabic word. To others, you cannot even create a list about positive national/international impact without my name on it in multiple categories. Regardless, I think it is a great opportunity to publicly acknowledge and honor one another and learn about what others are successfully doing to advance our nation and culture. Here is why, and I think we can start by asking ourselves these open-ended questions:

*What are some of the benefits and opportunities that can come for our youth seeing and learning more about our nation members being publicly acknowledged for their positive contributions to our nation, the communities that we live in, and society as a whole?

*How are some of our nation members national/international work in the fields of health, education, media, technology, economics, arts, sports and entertainment helping better prepare our nation for a world twenty, fifty, and even one hundred years from now? 

     If we found ourselves struggling to describe more than ten actual benefits and opportunities for our youth seeing and learning about nation members positive national/international contributions, that is problematic. If it was difficult to quantify how more than twenty nation members around the globe are actually helping to better prepare us for our future, that is also problematic. That lacking in recognizing our nation members is part of the reason for such an Award Show. Lacking this information means that we obviously don't have access to benefits and opportunities that connect us to a global network of excellence. We are also less prepared than we could be for a world twenty, fifty, and even one hundred years from now because we don't really know the folks -and the work that they are doing- to help prepare us. This state of lacking is where many of us are, as adults. Now imagine how disconnected and unprepared our youth are because we are unqualified or ill-equipped to share that knowledge and wisdom with them. Some would argue that it doesn't require a Supreme Mathematics Award Show to address this lacking. Well consider this.

    This is bigger than a popularity contest or giving someone an award so that they can feel good and validated. While there are many Five Percenters who are doing great work locally and possibly regionally, every Five Percenter is not nationally/internationally known for their work. This Award Show sets a professional standard of acknowledgement to honor those whose use of Supreme Mathematics has garnered positive national and international acclaim. Without a platform to publicly acknowledge, learn about, and celebrate this, how would you, and the youth, even know? Some would agree that we should acknowledge and learn about nation members doing great national/international work, yet they don't think that an Award Show is the best way to do it. The only way to show and prove differently is to create the format or medium to do that, not just talk about what we should do. Some would argue that people should not be celebrated for what we should be doing, which is understandable. This is not to award people for what they should be doing. It is to acknowledge and honor our nation members who have done and are doing extraordinary work to nationally/internationally advance our nation in ways that has not been done before. Using Supreme Mathematics to expand their intelligence, develop their talents, and produce contributions that positively impact society nationally and internationally is something that our nation members chose to do, that many do not. That work of our nation members should never be minimized, dismissed, or treated as commonly expected because it is not. Besides, instead of waiting until people are no longer here to acknowledge their work, isn't there a clear benefit in recognizing them as a present resource to our nation in the fields of health, education, media, technology, economics, arts, sports and entertainment while they are actually here?

Palais des Nations (United Nations Office)
Geneva, Switzerland 

   In closing, in my experience the best way to critique anything is by providing tangible solutions, not just talk. Talking against something with nothing to actually offer as an alternative only proves that we are not truly invested in the solution that we claim. If we are that committed to some idea that we think is better, then we should have already invested our finances, resources, and sweat equity in that idea and have it to actually offer folks. If we clearly have not done this, then why do we think others should do it? I don't know about you b.u.t. I am skeptical of a car dealer trying to sell me a car that they never had, not confident in a phone store clerk selling me a phone service plan that they never had, and distrustful of a health and wellness coach selling me superfoods that they never used. If some of you think that there is another format or medium for people to acknowledge, learn about and maybe celebrate the national/international contributions of our nation members, then put the money up and create it. Talk is cheap, when there is no substance behind it. 

The Supreme Mathematics Award Show will be held on June 6th, 2024 at the Polygon BK, 299 Vandervoort Ave. Brooklyn, New York 11211. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are $100 General Admission and $150 VIP. Tickets can be purchased online HERE. This in-person Award Show and Gala will be live-streamed/recorded via Seven on Demand to honor some of the best and brightest minds living mathematics and their contributions to our nation and society as a whole.

Peace,

Saladin

9 Ways to MASTER 2023!!

Photo Credit: Alana Adetola Arts Photography

     First and foremost I want to acknowledge those whom we lost this year. This has been and continues to be a tough year for many of us. It is my will that we honor them by walking with the best part that they shared with us. By allowing their knowledge and wisdom to live through us, others can understand who they were and are! Reflecting upon 2022, I just wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts with all of you regarding being successful in our undertakings. Whether we make New Year Resolutions or not, striving to be resolute in all that we say and do is important, regardless of when we choose to make that decision. In part, this is what “word is bond, bond is life and I will give my life before my word shall fail” means to those of us who are Five Percenters. This phrase is not simply something to recite. It is a declaration of being resolute and it highlights the integrity, fortitude, and consistency to follow through with our word. In fact, when our word is truly a bond we will not be broke, or broken...

   Despite the challenges of this year, there were a number of things that I accomplished; from helping coordinate some amazing Niagara Falls National Heritage Area and Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center projects to being featured in a United Nations Short Doc, speaking at the United Nations, and filming two documentaries that will be released in 2023. What I am most proud of is the completion of the renovation project and receiving the official license to open our Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters!! As one of our cultural ambassadors, I take great pride in knowing that positive contributions such as this continue to expand the global footprint of our Five Percent Nation. This means nothing if I am unwilling and unable to show others how to also be successful in their undertakings. There are certain things that I have done, and continue to do without fail, that has allowed me to take my ideals from knowledge to born, from inception to conception. In this article here are 9 Ways to MASTER 2023:

1. Although it is your personal idea, our idea should be something that improves your quality of life with the intent/consideration of making you a greater resource to others and the world that we share. Life is interdependent and there is a constant process of giving and receiving. This intent/consideration ensures that our idea is in tune with the universal order and is something that is sustainable -because we are actively providing a service (and/or products) that others, and the world, need. If all we are thinking about is what we can get (keep), and not what we are able to consistently give, what we get (keep) will eventually run out. If you don't believe this, try it with your breath. Keep it to yourself and see how long it takes for your oxygen to run out... It is all about reciprocity.

2. Make sure your idea is real and obtainable. It is less likely that we are going to change EVERYTHING at once so it is important to work on what we can change, one goal at a time. Also, take things one day at a time. It took a while to create habits/routines and it is going to take time to change them. The smaller goals we accomplish serve as steppingstones; helping us build confidence and gain the tools and experience that are necessary to reach our larger goals. And with any goal, one of the most important steps we need to take, and habits we need to create, is to “get our day underway with a positive, productive attitude.” That attitude sets the stage for our altitude. This is one reason for asking ourselves, and other members of my Nation, “What is Today's Mathematics?” and “What is Today’s Degree?” It orientates us with higher-order thinking and enables us to get our day underway with a positive, productive attitude. Whatever your cultural worldview or religion is, start your day considering the positive principles that your worldview and religion share. Our attitude sets the foundation of our altitude.

3. Make your goals specific. Instead of saying something ambiguous like, “I’m going to read more” say something more specific like, “I am going to read one book every month.” This is called Specificity. Specificity helps you better focus on your goals and encourages you to be more responsible and committed to those goals. If you were to say, “I want to be healthier in 2023” there is no sense of ambition or plan of action to take that idea from knowledge to born. Now if you said, “I am going to only eat baked chicken once a week and go to the gym three times a week for 1 ½ hours after work” that has a sense of ambition and provides part of a plan of action to achieve your goal of being healthier in 2023. If it is not clear, our path will not be cleared. When we learn about being ‘right and exact’, Specificity is what ‘exact’ means.

4. Set a projected time/date for your goals. Setting a time/date creates a sense of urgency, responsibility, and accountability to meet your goals. If you don’t meet your time/date then set another one. Without setting a time/date then we are saying that our goals are not really a priority (important). Why? Because under these circumstances they can happen any time and any day; that is not resolute. If you don't have a time/date, you are creating the possibility that there will never be a time/date. Keep in mind that “one day” or “someday” are not days on a calendar. This is especially important for those Five Percenters who still have not knowledged 120. Apply yourself and make a serious commitment to getting your degrees on cap. Set a reasonable time/date when you want to be complete and don’t procrastinate. We need you, especially our youth!

5. Write down your ideas. I have known people who had challenges with organizing their day, appropriating their time, and focusing on achieving their goals. One of the solutions I shared with them was writing down their goals on index cards or signs and posting them in visible places around their home. Not necessarily for everyone to see, it is for you to see! This helped reinforce and remind them of their goals so they would not allow themselves to get lost in the hustle & bustle of each day. Committing your ideas to paper is the understanding of knowledge and wisdom. How? Because it is outside evidence that allows you to physically see what you thought [knowledge] and spoke [wisdom] about. Understanding is often referred to as the child or the best part. This is one reason that Creatives often refer to their projects, such as their paintings, literature, or music as ‘their baby.’

6. Only share your ideas with those who have shown themselves to be supportive of you fulfilling them. If they are not there to help you, they are only going to hinder you. If they are not an asset, they are a liability. If they are not in your life to build, they will destroy. This also includes the nice folks with pleasant attitudes. Just because they have a happy disposition, it does not mean that they can automatically help. Again, our idea is likened to a baby and a baby must be nurtured, respected, loved, protected, and educated. That baby must build its immunity to repel the bacteria and viruses that could compromise its health, growth, and development. It is unwise to let any and everybody touch your baby. It is equally unwise to expose your idea to any and everybody.

7. Look into networking with people/organizations that will help you fulfill your physical and mental health goals. That is why our social equality is important and the reason some keep us apart from their own social equality. Our network is a prime indicator of our net worth. Take care of yourself and connect with those who are invested in doing the same. There are no ideas when we don't have your health!

8. Speaking of health; strive to maintain a positive outlook! Some days it will be easy to maintain a level of positivity and other days you need fellowship with others who share the same goals and are just as resolute about achieving goals. This means investing the time to build with others and being present to learn as much as you can about the positive principles/values they are sharing with you. 

9. Your idea is not the end all be all. Some people live to have a wedding while others strive to be married in the mind, have a family, and etc.  While the wedding is a place, being married in the mind is a state. So although your ideas may help you arrive at a place, the ultimate goal should be to achieve a state of existence. And this state of existence should set the stage to help you achieve even higher and greater goals! It is all about constant growth and elevation, not stagnation. Life is constantly changing and evolving and so should the living.

PLUS DEGREES: 

"Be a shark, not a peacock" as one of my homegirls would say. When a peacock walks into a room with its feathers fanned out everyone can see it. It is not necessary to be showy and strive to get attention. You also attract predators that way. Sharks move in silence and by the time you see their dorsal fin it is too late. In many cases staying below the radar and not revealing what you're doing until it's actually done is a sure way to be successful in your undertaking. Be a fine mist that the naked eye can hardly detect. When we talk a lot we are also subject to the expectations of others which are usually unrealistic. If you tell people you are writing a book and you know that you don't even have a manuscript yet, people may assume you are going to be publishing a three-hundred-page book next week and expect it. Now when you obviously don't deliver, people begin to look at you like the boy/girl who cried wolf. Always remember that light travels 186,000 miles per second and sound only travels 1,200 feet per second. People will see what you are doing before they can hear what you are saying so your reputation precedes you. So talk less in 2023 and let your work speak for you.

*Just say “NO.” Sometimes we put too much on our plate because we don't know how to tell people “NO” and we feel guilty about it when we do. Here's the thing: if you don't have the time, you don't have to agree to do it. Let time be the reason that you cannot commit to something. It is unreasonable for someone to expect you to create more than twenty-four hours in a day. Just. Say. NO.

   In closing, I will that every one of you and your families have a positive and productive 2023 and that is adds more beauty to our families, community, and environment.

Peace,

Saladin