Shootin Ya Shot.., As A Five Percenter

Customarily, when a brother within the Five Percent was interested in knowing the status of a sister he would simply ask, "Do you have a God?" This is appropriately done in a shared environment of Five Percenters such as a Rally, Parliament, Family Day, Show & Prove or other environments where we get together. This is done face to face. Nowadays with the growth of the Digital Age, particularly with SNSs [Social Network Sites], customs such as these become more difficult to express. Because of the nature of SNSs as a platform, appropriation of the English vocabulary and introduction of social media slang, a "Do you have a God?" Facebook inbox or Instagram DM can easily be filed under the folder of thirsty or jumping/sliding in somebody's DMs. Regardless who this brother or sister may be in real life, that brother or sister may not know how to appropriately engage one another using this platform, and social media vocabulary, from a Five Percenter perspective. Much can get lost in that translation. I've seen brothers naively poking brothers without knowing what the Facebook "poke" function implies or the digital reputation they're creating. I've also experienced one of my sisters "❤" a photo of me and another woman assume she was my Queen. It's a dilemma, like with some of our other customs of engaging one another, that have become challenging to express under these virtual conditions of technology often veiled as progress. I say "veiled" because many of us, especially Millennial social media natives who don't know of a world without the internet, are becoming more and more detached from certain customs that maintained our relationships.

Many Moons ago I had one of my first online experiences of a woman being interested in me who was once connected to a brother I didn't know but heard of. He was also a Five Percenter so I took the liberty of reaching out to him to find out the status of him and this sister. This is something we customarily do, yet the medium of the internet complicated it. He told me they were working on it, she said it was done and I found myself in the midst of an unresolved issue that I actually strived to investigate before getting involved in. The brother tried to accuse me of trying to get at God's Earths and if it wasn't for the printed screen copies of our online correspondences showing people the truth, people may have believed him. In this regard the internet saved my reputation but at the same time I could see how some of our customs began to be lost. A new technological language and social media etiquette was evolving and many of us were simply unprepared for what was on the horizon. Many of us are still unprepared and we find ourselves falling a victim to this every day.

The Online Dating Sites of the mid 90's were the morning star of the SNSs movement. At one point people frowned upon folks using dating sites because of their -social- awkwardness of meeting people. Nowadays maaaaaany people connect using social media, which are like dating sites on steroids. Even if they meet people in real-time, they still may defer to deal with them in a social media context. What we began to lose in the 90's when folks chose to use dating sites instead of meeting real people, is the same thing we're losing with people who choose to exist in a virtual reality today; human contact, intimacy, social etiquette, reading body language and the overall ability to effectively communicate. In fact, studies have show that only 7% of all communication is written or verbal while 93% is based on nonverbal body language. As I've shared, even as a Five Percenter, many of us aren't exempt from this either. 

So the logical question is, "What can we do about?" The first step is recognizing that our method of communication, and the etiquette that goes along with it, has changed. Twitter now allows people to use 140 characters text + image or gif or video or quote. Some of those characters can substituted with emojis; such as the secret emoji language many youth use. The good thing I've learned about using 140 characters to convey a thought is that it challenges you to be more concise and truncate our ideas. As a writer and public speaker this can help in the area of creating effective soundbites that Spin Doctors have a hard time remixing. On the other hand it does truncate our ideas and can have a negative impact on a person's attention span [because of excessive stimuli], ability to communicate, write, read and ultimately relate to others. As Author Paul L. Guthrie remarked about this technological paradigm shift in our Table Talks Interview, "Since the rise of the internet, literacy has been in decline. And even literacy itself, is changing. Reading words printed on paper (in books) is a different process than reading online. When I first began to read online I had to almost re-learn the kind of thought processes used while reading from books. It took me several months to re-learn how to mentally process online information. Computers throw the information at you at a different speed and with a different flavor. It's not the same; it comes at you from a different angle. I promote that people use paper printed books (while they’re still available), and maybe supplement their reading with online sources." 

Cultural Catfishing

Realizing that this poses some serious psychological and social issues, especially for our youth, the next step is making sure we reinvest in real-time connections with one another as opposed to using the internet, particularly social media, as mental and emotional retreats from everyday society. Keep in mind that there is nothing inherently bad about using SNSs. When people primarily rely on them to "virtually" socialize instead of actually socialize, that's a problem, for humanity and the environment. In regards to Five Percenters specifically, this article highlights a larger ongoing discussion on SNSs protocols and cultural rules of engagement we need to have within our respective ciphers. Five Percenters need to learn appropriate ways to DM a potential Queen or Earth outside of the context of thirsty or jumping/sliding in her DMs. Sisters and Brothers need to learn appropriate standards to engage each other publicly and privately on social media that upholds the level of integrity we see in actual ciphers. Our Parliaments are a legislative body of Five Percenters that come together by consensus to enact and modify rules that help regulate our collective cipher. For example, any issues or activities going on in my region of Western New York and Southern Ontario that impact us and our communities, positively or negatively, is addressed at our Parliament. Even though a virtual Parliament model has not been established, I have been a part of closed, secret and open Facebook Groups that have been able and unable to serve a very limited parliamentary purpose -based upon the integrity and protocols of those maintaining these internet ciphers [Administrators]. These and many other customs we express offline, such as verifying a person's identity, length of study, lineage and cultural understanding, have been challenging to ascertain using SNSs as a platform. "Building" in person allows us to gather much more information about each other as opposed to corresponding in Messenger or replying to questions on a Facebook thread. In these and other instances it's hard to verify or even validate if people are who they say they are, especially if we've never met them in real life. In real life if I asked a person to quote a lesson or share their understanding of something I can see their response in real-time. If I inboxed that to someone or asked them on a social media post it's easy for them to copy and paste an answer, or get someone to respond for them, to appear genuine. Cultural Catfishing is much harder to pull off in real life. What many of us are growing to understand is that some of our customs are nontransferable, meaning, there are limits to what we can actually express using SNSs as a platform. The limit is the platform itself, not us as the Five Percent. People reach out to me from around the world all of the time that are interested in learning the culture of the Five Percent. Many ask for books, documents or even a desire to speak on the phone. In most instances it doesn't occur to them that they're asking to learn an entire "way of life"; everyday living that doesn't have a page count, that isn't a bunch of documents and is not something you just email or talk about over the phone. This misconception of culture and assumption [and presumption] of access is the direct result of SNSs and the shift into a Digital Age. Like I've said on many occasions, all of the services I share using the internet [articles, books, radio shows, music, videos and etc.] are routing devices to everyday reality. What I share online is virtual evidence of what I do offline.

As Five Percenters we're in a state of transition where learning to repurpose some of our customs in a virtual reality can successfully or unsuccessfully alter our cultural life expectancy, change our real-time sex ratios and set a socioemotional and economic trajectory for our future generations. It is not beneficial to entirely denounce the Digital Age as many of our Baby Boomers have, or be totally immersed in it as many Generation X and Millennials are; both are too extreme. We must strike a healthy balance. A balance that empowers us to engage each other with technology to continue building brick and mortar institutions, concrete relationships and solid communities where our families thrive.

Peace,
Saladin

#BlackPanther Review feat. Life Justice

In Episode 55 of Atlantis Build Talk Radio I feature an exclusive build with my Enlightener's Enlightener Life Justice on the new Black Panther film. In this episode he discusses the pros and cons of the film, the psychology of some of its characters, cultural context and its impact in shaping the narrative of black people in America and throughout the Diaspora. 

Peace,
Saladin

9 Reaches To Decode Black Panther

**SPOILERS ALERT**

   After seeing the Black Panther film I knew I had to pen a think piece to share what I saw. Not to debate the pros or cons of seeing it but to share with those who did see it some deeper insight into the symbolism, folklore and science throughout the film. Even though Black Panther is a 1966 comic developed by a couple of Jewish guys, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, when Christopher Priest, a black man, began writing the Black Panther comic in 1998, this character served as the inspiration behind the Marvel Studios film Black Panther. The story is about T'Challa, heir to a mythical NE African throne in the land of Wakanda; an isolated society comprised of 18 tribes who for centuries has possessed an alien element called vibranium that they acquired from a fallen meteor. Nearly indestructible and one of the most powerful substances on the planet, vibranium is used to create wealth and the highest technological advances known to humans. It is also the element that was used to forge Captain America's shield. Wisely hidden away from the outside world, the Black Panther and his council of tribal of elders known as the Taifa Ngao, have primarily kept Wakanda safe and free from outside influence for the majority of their existence. Like the Five Percent as in Wakandan culture, education or knowledge is viewed as a fundamental building block of its nation. As all things change, Wakandan culture is eventually discovered and the 10% [world’s powers] plot to pillage their vibranium. T’Challa’s father T'Chaka, the current Black Panther and King of Wakanda, is assassinated at the UN thus forcing T’Challa to step up and lead his people as the next Black Panther. The film covers his transition into that role and the challenges, literally, that come along with it. 

Before I get into the symbolism, folklore and science throughout the film, I think I need to give some context into why Black Panther Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit. First and foremost he is wealthier than any superhero in the DC or Marvel Universes. In other words, he's got more paper than Bruce Wayne, Tony Starks and Floyd Mayweather combined, and he has actual superpowers. Black Panther has super strength, psychic abilities, invisibility, super stamina, clairvoyance, healing factors, necromancy, he's a master acrobat and he has other powers. If you, and especially the youth around you, have never really checked out the Black Panther comic I would encourage you to. If it's not you, what other fictional or nonfictional images of power are youth exposed to? If you cannot think of any, don't complain; either create them or support those who are creating them.

Alright, here are some things I peeped in the Black Panther film that I think are worthy of sharing with you:

1. For my Yonians, central to the Wakandan culture was the worship of the Neteru Bast. Bast, in her ancient Kemetic zoomorphic form, is the symbol of the cat; what some people, particularly men, call a p*ssy. Partly symbolizing a protectress, Bast is the reasoning behind the powerful woman-led Dora Milaje warriors. This is also why present day f*ckboys seek to shack up with Bast women and take advantage of her Okoye loyalty. The heart-shaped sacred herb, a symbol of Bast's transferred power that enhances a person's strength, mobility, stamina, endurance and instincts, resembled a yoni and was cultivated in the subterranean regions of Wakanda... 

2. A 'Monger' is a dealer or trader. 'Erik' is a Norse or Proto-Germanic name which means eternal ruler. Thus Erik Killmonger means "an eternal ruler who deals death." As a sexual innuendo of his toxic masculinity, his notches  for "bodies" [body counts] went well beyond his belt and covered his entire upper body. He clearly had no love for women as shown by the non-relationship with his mother, shooting his Bonnie & Clyde companion in the head, choking out a elder caretaker of the heart-shaped herb and demanding that she burn its sacred garden, slitting the throat of one of the Dora Milaje, slicing Nakia across her leg and almost murdering Shuri. This is what he did, yet many women have still shown sympathy for Killmonger's actions. "I understand what he was trying to do" I've heard many women say, "to fight for oppressed people" -even though there was no tangible evidence of him working with oppressed people, which includes women. This helped me better understand why some women, not all women, rationalize staying in abusive relationships, keep dudes around because the sex is Killmonger and follow conscious community miscreants; Stockholm syndrome. Some of us love words and potential yet fail to acknowledge what folks are actually doing. I've seen the argument that Killmonger is the result of being left in America, disconnected from his people, and it's not his fault. I agree that abandonment was not his fault and Killmonger's feelings about that family dysfunction were understandable; many black people in the wilderness of North America can relate and feel the same way. Yet his resolve with those feelings, as an eternal ruler who deals death, was not wise nor did it make him a hero. From his own mouth he prided himself on his assimilation into "the white man's" society, via his military experience, and he brought those colonialist ways to Wakanda. King T'Chaka was wrong for abandoning Killmonger as a child in America and Killmonger was wrong for how he handled that disappointment, as an adult, with his family and people. We need warriors with the aggression and passion of a Killmonger, especially as a Border tribesman, but not sitting on no throne. His inconsideration for other men and insensitivity to women, children and the society at large were qualities of a self appointed tyrant who rules by fear, not the qualities of a just and true King. Killmonger's "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, cause they knew death was better than bondage" quote and other revolutionary words were noble but I didn't see one act that demonstrated his capacity to be a loving Husband [King], a Father raising children [successors to the throne] with integrity and a Man of his people wisely working with his counsel of elders.

3. The burial ritual to connect with Wakandan ancestors and inherit the Bastian power of the Black Panther is similar to the Recapitulation technique some warriors in indigenous tribes use to also connect with their ancestral past and gain clarity of their life purpose. In Freemasonic lore it's also symbolic to the shallow grave the Master Architect Hiram Abiff was buried in before he was raised with a lion's paw grip. After you select an appropriate burial spot, usually among trees and in an isolated area beyond human disruption, a shallow grave is dug East [head] to West [feet] about 2 feet deep that's a little longer and wider than ones body. Next layer the bottom with a blanket. After that search the area for sticks and large leaves to cover the tomb that stops the soil from filtering through. You start covering the grave from the bottom to the top and once it's almost complete you climb in and finish covering it as you lay inside leaving a small hole for air. Fasting is important before you do it and the length of time you remain varies. I've done it for 24 hours and the best time to leave the grave is sunrise or sunset. The whole idea is to meditate on our demise as a form of detachment from the world. An earthen self-deprivation chamber, this is literally a place to reflect upon the past and present life and what they can do in the future. 

4. M'Baku, King of the Jabari Tribe, in the comic he is the leader of the White Gorilla Cult because he gained his superhuman powers by killing a white gorilla, bathing in its blood, eating its flesh, and then he took on the name Man-Ape. The M'Baku line, "If you say one more word, I'll feed you to my children! I'm kidding. We're vegetarians" in the film was a play on that comic book backstory. Although the mountain ranges M'Baku and his tribe inhabit is nowhere near the Caucasus Mountains, I found it interesting that pre-Farrakhanian Nation of Islam members under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad [THEM] openly taught that white people [devils] that were exiled from our homeland and living in the caves tried to graft themselves back into the original black man. In the process some became [white] gorillas. In fact, he taught that the entire monkey family are from the 2,000 year history of the white race living in the Caucasus Mountains. Although M'Baku carried a shillelagh, THEM also taught that the guards of these mountain boarders kept weapons [flaming swords] to stop these humanoids from coming back among the original people. The above image is from the first page of the 1998 Black Panther comic by Christopher Priest where Agent Ross remarks that, "ZURI was into his THIRD re-telling of how the great god T’Chaka ran the evil white devils out from their ancient homeland." Naw I don't think Stan Lee, Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole drew these parallels and wrote that. Christopher Priest obviously had knowledge of this and I could see the parallels.

5. After Get Out Chris Washington got WOKE, changed his gubment name to W'Kabi and started a rhinoceros farm on the fringes of Wakanda as leader of the Boarder tribe. After Rose 'Beckyed' him it's obvious he ain't been right since.   

6. Tobias Whale is Killmonger's uncle; Killmonger's mother's brother. Whale developed a hatred for Black Lightning because N'Jobu reminded him of the Wakandans and the metahuman Black Panther who exiled albinos to the lands where they were hunted, killed and their bones ground up as a power potion, as Lady Eve reminded him. Green Light is a synthetic form of vibranium and when Quentin caught wind of what Killmonger was doing he came back to the Chi to re-stake his claim as a Frank Lucas-like vibranium plug for the 100. Lastly, Kevin was around at the end of the film asking T'Challa questions about his ship because he was with his family in Cali who happened to stay in the hood Killmonger grew up in. Kevin was out there laying low after shooting Ronnie. 

7. When it comes to even just conceptualizing a Wakandian society, one of the downfalls of many men is trying to f*ck the Nakia's, Okoye's, Ayo's, Shuri's and Xoliswa's on their team instead of working with them. One of the downfalls of many women is allowing them to. 

8. I loved seeing all of the Wakanda inspired regalia at the Black Panther movie premieres around the country. I haven't seen it since Kwanzaa and I look forward to seeing it again during Juneteenth.

9. Black Panther had the fifth biggest opening of all time and broke box office records during its opening weekend. It's the largest opening for a black Director, the second biggest opening for a Marvel Studios film and currently the #1 RATED FILM OF ALL TIME via Rotten Tomatoes. Not only does this demonstrate the earning potential of films told from our perspective but this, along with Get Out, is reshaping the false narrative that black themed films not doing box office numbers domestically and internationally. While some may see this as production houses and film companies becoming more open to our pitched ideas and potential larger pay dates, I see it as a watershed moment of self reliance and cooperative economics. Many of us already know our buying power as a black community, but willfully this galvanizes us to do more, culturally and artistically. Some felt as though nothing could top the response of Get Out, but here we have it, and this film won't be the last. 

Peace,

Saladin

Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, with Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis. 

The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole wrote the screenplay.

Genius In You (GIY) Youthfund!!

Planning has already begun for our 2018 Educational Show and Prove in Mecca [Harlem, NY] we're looking forward to a memorable weekend of events June 8th - June 10th, 2018!!We have several teams structured to carry out individual tasks and we're looking forward to a memorable weekend of events!!

Our Genius In You Youth Team is proud to announce our 1st Annual "Genius In You" Youthfund; a fund established to award/finance youth for their Academic or Creative Excellence! We are seeking submissions from youth around the world in the following age groups 5-8, 9-12 and 13-16.

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL: theshowandprove@gmail.com

Peace,

Saladin

Five Percenter Table Talks Featuring: Justice Hakim Allah

   

   In Episode 54 of Atlantis Build Talk Radio I feature an exclusive build with my Enlightener's Enlightener's Enlightener's Enlightener Justice Hakim Allah! I am of the fifth generation from him teaching this science of life for 46 years and I am proud to share some of his legacy with all of you. In this episode he discusses his journey of gaining KOS [Knowledge Of Self], some Nation chronology, he expounds upon our cultural perspectives, shares his views on religion, The NOI, Freemasonry, leadership and other topics. Check it out below!

  

Peace,
Saladin 

Cryptocurrency 101; What You Need To Know!

In Episode 53 of Atlantis Build Talk Radio I feature an exclusive build with one of my God Brothers True Wise on the science of cryptocurrency, its evolution, various currencies, how to invest and what to look for in this era where everyone appears to be an expert in cryptocurrency. True Wise is a Community Educator who also works in the tech industry as a Design Psychologist who has successfully invested in cryptocurrencies years before they became a trending topic. So grab a notepad a pen, or use your phone to take some notes because this is invaluable information! Take a listen below:

Peace,
Saladin

Dr Umar Johnson: In Defense of Credentials or Character?

"P.O.P.A Comic & Action Figure Psychologist By Day,
Protecting the Black Community By Night,
Sidestepping Haters..." -Dr. Umar Johnson
(Twitter: July 1, 2015)

   One of the perspectives I love most about my culture [of the Five Percent] is that we have NO LEADERS. We teach leadership, collectively, and that people should only follow to the extent of learning to lead. This perspective has enabled us to successfully avoid the religious trappings of being easily led or becoming cogs in a hierarchical machine. So waaaaaaaay before the inception of a so-called "conscious community", many of us were already immunized against the manipulative bulls*it we see today. 

   When it comes to the so-called "conscious community", there's not one figure head within that community who hasn't been exposed for having clay feet. From Natural Tehuti to General Seti, to Brother Polight and most recently Dr. Umar Johnson, it has shown me that people in general are still looking for someone to lead, not learn to lead themselves. Some people have argued and still argue that clay feet proves that we are all human and none of us are beyond reproach. I understand reproach because there is always going to be someone who will express disapproval or disappointment in us, even if that disappointment is because we got them the wrong Starbucks coffee. So yes, none of us are beyond reproach and that's just a part of life. I don't agree that we are all human. Some of us are Egomaniacs; text book Narcissists striving to make a living off of people's overtime. One important thing some don't understand about my background is having an Ole Earth that was a Social Psychologist gave me a unique analytical lens to view things. I grew up in a household with a DSM-IV where psychological and sociological terms like transference, OCD, self mutilation [self-injury] the Hawthorne effect and etc. were common language my family used to communicate in. My Ole Dad was sharp too and taught us about African cultures and he collected African artifacts. Both were a part of the Black Panthers and I realized once I got to college that one of the family games we often played was really THIS psychoanalytic book. I mention this for the purpose of pointing out where my perspective is coming from. It doesn't mean that I'm the smartest rat in the barn or that my assessment is the only authentic one. What it does mean is that this perspective isn't emotionally charged, topical or on some hater sh*t. Check it out:

1. When Dr. Umar was publicly exposed for having a secret relationship with the blonde weave-wearing "Conscious Stripper" Khym Ringgold, instead of taking responsibility for his actions he called her "a maggot in life" and blamed her for causing him to lose a million-dollar donation for his boys academy from some unnamed NBA player. Not only that, it's hypocritical to do this on the low while publicly condemning black women in lectures about their sexual behaviors and wearing unnatural hair. How he approached and responded to this situation taught me volumes about his character. If he would have been humble, upfront and responsible for what he chose to do I think many people would have looked at him differently. This and various other incidents show that he doesn't have a record of taking responsibility for his actions, it's always somebody else's fault, and he is somehow the victim. I'd bet my right arm, which includes my writing hand, that you cannot find one tweet, Facebook or Instagram post or Youtube video where Dr. Umar Johnson specifically apologizes for something that he did WITHOUT mentioning the names or actions of someone else. 

2. Where is any evidence of the school he is supposedly building? Even though this has been an initiative he has promoted and received upfront donations for over the last three to four years, he has not shown one single thread of evidence to prove its development. When questioned about those donations he has publicly berated people for even asking about it and to this day has not produced any financial records to prove what he's done, if anything, with those donations. Again, this lack of transparency and how he approached and responded to this situation taught me volumes about his character. 

3. He lied about not being informed upfront about being included in the Hidden Colors documentaries. Dr. Umar publicly stated that Tariq Nasheed didn't tell him the name of the documentary and only found out that he was in it after receiving a phone call from a brother who was watching its screening in New York. Nasheed published the actual email correspondences via his Instagram page to prove otherwise.

4. When I saw Dr. Umar lecture in Buffalo, NY he not only gave out his personal phone number to the entire audience but he personally accepted donations and told people to write down their personal information of a sheet of paper so he knew who the donation was from. He was handling the money personally, he had no one assisting him and there was no receipt book for those who donated. Some people he actually told them to write their name and address on a piece of scrap paper. This was not only unprofessional but an oversight disaster waiting to happen. Even people running for unpaid school board seats know that it's inappropriate to handle campaign finances personally; they run the risk of commingling funds or potential fraud. In any campaign, someone must be a designated Treasurer and all donations must be digitally tracked/recorded to insure complete transparency. For those campaigning for public office, these records become Financial Disclosure Reports that anyone in the world can access online. In fact, when I ran for County Legislator in 2013, here are a record of mine: Saladin Financial Disclosure Reports. Although Dr. Umar isn't running for public office, the standard of disclosure, oversight and professionalism is the same regardless of the domain. The fact that he wasn't professionally operating like that then, and even today, confirmed a few things for me: He wasn't/isn't listening to financial or campaign professionals or he didn't/doesn't have any financial or campaign professionals on his team. 

5. Speaking of Umar not having a team, it was also clear to me that he didn't have a Think Tank; a serious issue many of us often overlook. For some years now I've been consulting other public figures behind the scenes on how to best engage the public and respond to situations. For example, I advised someone on strength-based approaches with their team such as using the word "appraisal" as opposed to "evaluation" when it came to assessing their work. Many of us don't seriously consider or invest in this kind of professional support. If we do consult with folks it's usually just our family, friends or other people who, although they may be much appreciated and well meaning, do not do this professionally. We need that support and professional Think Tanks. When Umar was asked why doesn't he have a team at the lecture I attended he shared that this was one of the many downfalls of some of our organizations such as the UNIA, "the more people you have involved it increases the opportunities to have government agents in your organization." Although I agree that this has occurred and still occurs today, I also agree that the Self-Made Man and Self-Made Woman is a myth that keeps people collectively impotent. From the problematic results of his philosophy on not having a team I will that he now considers the importance of having the genuine support in areas he is not professionally skilled in. 

6. The last thing I want to speak on are this URL Battle Rap-like beefs. One thing I noticed is whenever there's some kind of beef inside or outside of the conscious community, the lower men go to insult each other those insults always reference the degradation of women such as b*tch, b*tch *ss n*gga, p*ssy, batty boy, homo, letting dudes play with your booty hole, hoe *ss n*gga, moist, f*ggot *ss, swirling and etc. Most recently its been Dr. Umar and Tariq Nasheed insulting each other like this. I find this interesting because these are oftentimes the same black men who claim to exalt black women. I think this behavior speaks to a deeper often overlooked psychological issue many of us are still dealing with that bubbles to surface when conflicts like this occur. It suggests that in our anger and impassioned defense of what we believe to be true, what we find most insulting, weak, abhorrent and contemptible about each other as men has everything to do with women. That is worth considering.

With all of this being said, I think that Dr. Umar is skilled in his area of expertise and is passionate about what he speaks. His skills are necessary! When it comes to professionalism, the proper handling of people, leadership in regards to management and delegating responsibilities, financial literacy and self assessment, he needs a lot of work in those areas. Whether the school he plans to build is private or not, professionalism, the proper handling of people, leadership in regards to management and delegating responsibilities, financial literacy and self assessment are all vital attributes that an Educator/Administrator should have. These attributes are what enable us to not only build and maintain institutions but also build the trustworthy relationships and confidence parents and communities need in us to genuinely work with the children. Many of the things Dr. Umar has done and continues to do betrays that trust or makes parents and communities not confident in his ability to lead. Not because they're coons or scared of the white man, it's just hard for some parents to see their son walking through the doors of a future school and being safe with someone like Dr. Umar at its helm. As an educator myself there are times I would like to say a lot of things publicly yet it's not in the best interest of my students, families or community as a whole. In the Five Percent we call that power of decorum "refinement."

For me it's never been about credentials, it's always been about character with Dr. Umar. That character includes being transparent, professional and making his word his bond about what he says he's doing. When you're accepting advance money or other resources from people simply based upon an idea you have, you owe it to them to be transparent and it make's it that much more important to be professional and a person of your word. I've known authors who have accepted advance money from people for a future book who now have a bad business reputation because they either sent the book months after its release date or had poor customer service or shipping issues. I never wanted to be in a position like that so I always vowed to not accept anything upfront that people would not get an immediate return on. This talk about character is not an individual standard I exclusively have for Dr. Umar, it's a cultural norm I live by as a Five Percenter and the lens I view myself and anyone else through. All of us have work to do in regards to intrapersonal development. Yet that intrapersonal development is ultimately for interpersonal development. It is our critique of each other in this developmental process, not criticism, that helps empower our growth. 

Peace,
Saladin