Five Percenter Table Talks Featuring: Courtney Sullivan

   Courtney Sullivan is a follower of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, homeopathy study group leader and student. She is also a Do For Self health coach who encourages people to learn how to use herbs, essential oils and homeopathy to take charge of their life! In this Five Percenter Table Talks interview Courtney discusses her journey as a Caucasian woman ally with oppressed people, her challenges finding and aligning with other Caucasians, her experience farming and passion for homeopathy and how her journey of self-knowledge began when she was exposed to and welcomed to be among some Five Percenters. You can connect with Courtney via Instagram: HERE

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Is Social Media The Digital "Turn on, Tune in, Drop out"?

With the growth of social media and expansion of the Internet many of us are slowly losing our ability to effectively communicate and form meaningful connections with others. Technology is reshaping our brain architecture and how we explore and attend the real world. 

     Many websites today list the average reading time at the top of articles to inform people how much time they can't expect to invest on that site before even reading the article. Prior to development of social media Journalists took more pride in being right and there was a certain degree of integrity that came along with that profession. Nowadays it is about being the first to break a story, regardless if the details are right, in order to monetize web traffic to a website. Even the cycle of news stories have changed. Fifteen years ago National News was a mainstream talking point for at least a week. Nowadays National News has about a 48 hour life unless other information is shared in connection to that information. This is why stories are now shared in segments and you rarely get all of the details when a story breaks. This is not because of lack of information, it is often done in parts to lengthen the life of a story. Sometimes the wrong information is deliberately shared in order to retract it 24-48 hours later, which insures web traffic for another two days. Keep in mind that I am speaking from personal experience, as a writer and as a subject who was catapulted into the spotlight in 2014 when I was cited by as a subject matter expert by the international and national press on Jay-Z's Five Percenter Jewelry.

     Average films today are shorter in runtime, use shorter shots and have more motion and action. That, including the increase in web series on streaming sites and increase commercial time speaks to the changing attention span of audiences. In the early nineties standard Rap songs were comprised of 3 verses and 4 minutes and some seconds long. Now you get maybe two verses for a couple of minutes, as a standard. Dope albums that dropped in the Spring got bumped the entire Summer and into the Autumn. In fact, when we personally declared an album as "Album of the Year" that is because we literally listened to it all year. Nowadays an album may get attention for maybe a week before people begin looking around for the next new release. This is why many Artists today compulsively push out music like it is coming off of a conveyor belt and tour to the point of putting their health at risk; they're trying to keep up with the attention span of their fickle audience. If not, they run the risk of being labeled irrelevant and the next unwilling contestant on the popular game show Cancel Culture. These are just some examples of the changing technological landscape, which has been critical to how we engage one another. 

     All social media formats use a scroll screen model. This enables users to easily scroll through pages without the cumbersome task of reading anything. If reading was not considered cumbersome, social media Apps would not limit the character count to convey a thought. Consider the following character count limits and ideal character count:

Instagram = 2,200 characters max (144 ideal)

Twitter = 280 characters max (71-100, 85 ideal)

Facebook = 63,206 (40-80, 60 ideal)

LinkedIn = 700 (50-100, 75 ideal)

     While some people have learned and are learning to use these limited/ideal character counts to refine concise truncated thought, many others have found themselves becoming less and less equipped to communicate, online and offline. This technological shift coincides with what we are also seeing across the country with the closing and defunding of libraries, the historically low ELA competency levels in primary school students and the moving away from handwriting in exchange for typing. This is vitally important to understand because it affects the social emotional literacy trajectory of our for children and their ability to effectively communicate. In my article 1-36: What is English Lesson No. C1? I discussed why early talking matters and how children in impoverished communities on average hear 30 million fewer words than their privileged counterparts. With the introduction of the Internet and Social Media that is not integrated into our children's daily lives with Apps and Programs to help facilitate social emotional development and literacy, it only widens the disparity between children in impoverished communities from those in privileged communities. I know children in various grade levels who consistently tell me that they just played on a phone, an iPad or laptop when they're asked who when asked, "What did you do this weekend?" 
     In seeing this shift happening over the years I have consistently explored and wrote on this subject. My goal has been and continues to be finding effective ways to use this technology without undermining our ability to function within the real world. This is especially important to me as a Five Percenter who publicly represents our culture. As a Five Percent there are still many of our traditions that are not transferable in this digital domain. For example, in the digital world "all being born to" has been shortened to "abbt" in SMS language or textspeak just like "laugh my ass off" is "LMAO" and "get the f*ck outta here with that bullsh*t" is GTFOHWTB. Abbt does not appropriately convey the concept of drawing things up to their highest nor does textspeak enable us to explain that. Again, while character count limits can be used to develop concise thoughts, I have never been in a cipher where someone used Twitter's 85 ideal character count to build on Today's Mathematics or Today's Degree. The problem is there are folks today who have gotten exposed to KOS [Knowledge of Self] via the Internet and social media who believe that they are actually building with limited characters, comments and SMS language. Even with the LIVE function, social media Apps are not designed to support our traditional form of cultural engagement. As I've consistently mentioned over the years, I utilize these articles, my literature, videos, animation and online classes as routing devices to realtime. Regardless of technology's ability to help facilitate engagement, the best way to build with someone about our culture is to walk with them. The irony is it is "virtually" impossible to learn an entire culture without being actually immersed in it. Ironically, this has become an integral part of American culture and if you were to ask children today what they want to be when they grow up many will say, "A YouTuber!" Their aspirations are not to be a person with a measurable skill set that can contribute to this world, they aspire to be a talking head. It is a digital form of "Turn on, tune in, drop out." 
     There is no way to be a part of this society without interfacing with its technology. So we must explore effective ways to utilize it without it using us. Friday March 6th was National Unplugging Day which is something we need to do more often. This enables us to be more present and better focused on what is happening in realtime. Fasting, Meditation and Mindfulness are also a few techniques that help strengthen our attention span AND minimize attention seeking behavior. Our ability to effectively communicate, and form meaningful connections with others, is ultimately on us. 

Peace,
Saladin

Where Are The Women And Children?

Sausage Party: an event or group in which the majority of participants are male.

     Sex Ratio is the proportion of males to females in a population. If the Sex Ratio were 8:1, this would mean that for every 8 males there is 1 female. While these Sex Ratios have not been formally examined among the Five Percent, when you look at our ciphers around the Nation, our Sex Ratios are grossly disproportionate and imbalanced. It does not matter what the occasion, Five Percenter males far outnumber the presence and participation of Five Percenter females. I've heard people give various reasons why this occurs. Regardless of those reasons I think we can all agree that the absence of women and children undermines our national growth and the growth of any nation. Without the Earth, seeds or soil, there is simply no life. These disproportionate Sex Ratios, combined with the low retention rate of women remaining citizens of our Five Percent Nation, is problematic and must be addressed. There is no silver bullet to address this, yet there are some things that we can do to help change this trajectory of our Nation. Here are a few ideas:

120 Degrees Are For Women Also

     Over the years of being a citizen of this Nation I've heard differing perspectives on if women in our Nation should know 120 Degrees. I've always been an advocate that she should know 120 along with Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet. Why shouldn't she? Some brothers have said that 120 Degrees are FOR MEN ONLY, which is one of the most asinine statements that I have ever heard. Some other brothers think that you should only teach a woman 120 Degrees because she is going to be your woman. Which is also asinine because I am not sure how dudes handle that situation when an underage girl outside of their family is striving to learn or a woman they're not interested in having a relationship with. One of the primary reasons that learning 120 Degrees is important, whether we are a male or female, is because it represents 6/8th's or 75% of our cultural curriculum:

1. Supreme Mathematics
2. Supreme Alphabet
3. 1-10 (Student Enrollment)
4. 1-14
5. 1-36
6 1-40
7. Actual Facts
8. Solar Facts

   When a person only knows the Supreme Mathematics they only have access to 1/8th or 12.5% of what they need to know about our culture. If they only know the Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet they only have access to 2/8th's or 25% of what they need to know about our culture. That is completely unacceptable. You cannot expect a person with 12.5% or 25% knowledge of our culture to have wisdom and understanding. 
     If a man is the only one that possesses 120 and something happens to that man, those Degrees will die with him also; as we have seen with some of our elders and the widows and children they left behind. It is obvious that these Degrees were that important for him to know and use in his daily life to the point of reciting them word for word. Why then are they not as important for a woman, especially upon his physical death? When a woman knows 120 Degrees her children also have direct access to them, regardless to whom or what. This is important to understand because the Woman is naturally the closest teacher of the child during their formative years.  This period of growth and development is the transition from a child's pre-verbal to verbal years and the manifestation of their mother tongue. As I mentioned in my article Semantic Enigma: How To Speak Five Percenter Language 101, learning our language that is comprised of 120 Degrees, Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet "promotes positive cognitive, social, emotional, language and literacy development. Make no mistake about it, a child [or any person] with access to a language that reinforces an identity of power and infinite potentiality has a profound effect on brain architecture and psychological orientation." Whatever a woman knows and understands will be what she will give her children. To deny her access to information, that we as a man deem important enough to live by, is criminal.

     How can a woman knowing 120 Degrees help change the Sex Ratio trajectory and low retention rate of women remaining citizens within our Nation? Women who know 120 Degrees will have an opportunity to be more invested, more empowered and have a greater sense of emplacement within our Nation. This will also serve the purpose of holding women to a higher cultural standard and both of us, men and women, to a fairer degree of accountability concerning our relationships, social norms and resources we provide for our families and communities.  When we are both in the know we have more potential to grow.

Encourage and Support Women Specific Events
     Some brothers are concerned that if women are encouraged or supported to create women specific projects, programs and initiatives that men will be left out. You obviously will be left out if you are not helping out. In all of the numerous projects, programs and initiatives I have organized or been involved in over the years, those Sex Ratios I spoke about earlier are flip flopped; men are in the extreme minority. If it is a guy thing then the guys come out, sometimes in droves. Yet if it is something concerning women and/or children I have never seen the same degree of equal participation. 
     I am not advocating that men abandon projects, programs and initiatives that are specific to our growth and development in order to support women. Naw, that would not be equality. I am saying that we should equally support what we are both doing for the growth and development of our families and communities. Those women who have seen me give all that I have and do all within my power to support them were/are more likely to support what I am doing. I also need to note that there are projects, programs and initiatives some women are advocating that do not have the family and community in mind nor are they working towards a sense of reconciliation or understanding with men. Some of these women are misandrists and I would not encourage men to support them, the same way that I encourage women not to support misogynists. None of them are about family and community; the propagative pillars of our Nation.

City Science, Social Science and the Role of Cultural Capital
City Science and Social Science is the knowledge of inhabited places, its people and their relationships. In considering where we live and how we function as a Nation, there are two unavoidable questions that we must answer for ourselves: 

1.) If what we can offer as a Nation in regards to food, clothing, shelter and other resources is not on par or greater than what the larger society is offering our women and children, why should we expect them to be fully committed to our Nation? 

2.) If we cannot offer women and children protection and security from being abused physically, emotionally, financially and etc., why should we expect them to be fully comfortable within our Nation? 

While these questions do not reflect the status quo within our Nation, they do exist in some places. And like MLK said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
     Without these provisions and protections we are not dependable. When we are not dependable we are not trustworthy. And without trust, there is no way of building solid relationships that establish and maintain families and communities. This requires Cultural Capital; a network of relationships and resources rooted in shared customs, principles and values that mark our way of life. These relationships of reciprocity, trust and the cooperation among citizens of our Nation systematically advances our cultural interests. Cultural Capital is the practical link between City and Social Science. Talk is cheap and the only real value of our culture is its investment in our people and the places where we live. 

     As we continue to embark upon our personal and interpersonal journey of Knowledge of Self, keep in mind that we need each other. No one is better or more important than the other. Culturally speaking, both men and women within our Nation should have equal access and exposure to 120 Degrees, not just our Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet. When we have unequal access and exposure to this cultural map, and its terrain, it undermines our ability to read/interpret that map and navigate that terrain. Men are not the only ones qualified to teach 120 Degrees to others. When a woman has 120 Degrees she is held to a higher cultural standard and is qualified to teach other women and children. She is also qualified to build with a man who has 120 Degrees, or who is learning his Degrees, and can share her wisdom and understanding with him. Every female that a man teaches 120 Degrees is not automatically his woman. That is ridiculous! There are many young girls, some underage, who are striving to learn and it would be wrong, and in some cases outright criminal, to expect a companionship from them. Our goal is to teach and we should simply expect more teaching in return. 

Peace,
Saladin

Gematria: Can You Mix Supreme Mathematics & The Supreme Alphabet?

   
  
   Should the Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet be combined? Some within our culture have learned that they should not be combined. Others were taught that they should be combined.

   When I was learning this culture from my Educator [Enlightener] I was not given Supreme Mathematics or the Supreme Alphabet on a sheet of paper with basic definitions next to them. I learned both the Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet in realtime because I walked with my Educator. For example, I learned that "M" or Master is the 13th letter based upon the knowledge (1) and understanding (3) I gained through experience. I didn't have to be taught to memorize or remember that M is the 13th letter, I learned its context. Although others may have had a different experience, this is what and how I was taught and it was rare that I would come into contact with another Five Percenter, including Elders within our Nation, who  taught that our Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet should not be combined. As I learned each of the Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet I eventually wrote them down on paper, including their combined correspondences. 

Mathematics is the Operating System of the Universe

   I've taught and have written extensively on the subject of the cultural curriculum of the Five Percent and how it is an integrated system. This means that our Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet and 120 degrees are different segments that are combined to work as one unified system. They were not meant to be segregated and here is why. 

   Mathematics is the Operating System of the Universe. Language is a way of communicating the processes [computations, quantification and calculations] of that Operating System. In order to communicate you must first conceptualize those processes and forge them into words. Those words are constructed from letters, and those letters come from an Alphabet; the ordered system of those letters, their place value and basic sounds.

   The Alphabet is an ordered system of 26 letters or sounds. As a sequence, each of those 26 letters have a "numerical value" and correspondence to the Arabic Numerals [1 to 9 and 0]. It does not matter if a person wants to acknowledge that the letter "C" is the third letter or not. Their lack of acknowledgement does not change its sequence in the Alphabet, its numerical value or its correspondence to the Arabic Numerals. If someone were given a sheet of paper with a single letter [symbol/glyph] on it, whether they know it or not, that letter has a numerical value and place within the context of the ordered system [Alphabet] it came from. Decoding and constructing any language requires understanding this. In order to understand Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Sumerian Cuneiform a person must understand the sequential order, "numerical value" and place in the ordered system [Alphabet] its symbols came from. Without that information a person would not be able to understand Hieroglyphs or Cuneiform. The same is true for children in America who are learning English. As an Early Childhood Educator I teach preschoolers their letters, the letter's "numerical value", their sound and sequence in our Alphabet. This information enables them to construct words in order to effectively communicate. I would be undermining my students educational process if I taught them that there is no corresponding relationship between the letters and numbers. In fact, those children who don't grasp this relationship struggle with ELA [English Language Arts] and have difficulty reading, writing, comprehending and communicating. Left unchecked, this sets a trajectory that negatively affects other subjects which require reading, writing, comprehension and communication. This often leads to why some students are labeled with a learning disability or take remedial classes. As an Educator I have also experienced the behavioral issues that come along with students being frustrated because they have difficulty reading, writing, comprehending and communicating. And to paraphrase what my God Brother Jahshamel shared, "The educational challenges some people have had throughout their life do not magically disappear when they start learning the culture of the Five Percent." That is also important to understand.

Gematria

   Gematria is a word that comes from the Aramaic and Greek language, popularized by Jewish Kabbalah, and is related to the English Geometry. Gematria is an alphanumeric code where each letter has a numeric value. For example, A =1, B =2, C =3 and etc. in the English language. Words and Names that are constructed with these letters also have a value. For example, the name Allah would have a numeric value of "7" because A = 1, L =12, L = 12, A = 1, H = 8 = 34 = "7". The concept of Gematria originates among black classical civilization; the origin of Plato's writings and his study of the subject in Khemet/Kemet [Egypt]. The same way that Arabic Numerals [1 to 9 and 0] correspond to letters in the Alphabet, our Supreme Mathematics correspond to the Supreme Alphabet. In our language of the Five Percent when we say, "Understanding [3] is to Cee [C, 3rd letter] things for what they are, not what they appear to be" we are showing that Mathematical and Alphabetical correspondence. When we say, "We make knowledge born [19] yet a person must save themselves [S, the 19th letter, is Self or Savior]" we are showing that Mathematical and Alphabetical correspondence. Those are a just a couple of the numerous examples within our culture that show and prove how these segments, numbers and letters, are combined to work as one unified system. This is not simply about mixing numbers and letters, it is deeper than that. Did Allah, the founder of the Five Percenters, know what the word Gematria was? Did he study Jewish Kabbalah or even read the writings of Plato on the subject? It is possible. It is also possible that he never did. Regardless if he did or didn't, he developed a successful alphanumeric value system known as the Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet that is unique to the Five Percent Nation.  

   Again, Mathematics is the Operating System of the Universe and we deal with equations every day. In Mathematics an equation is a mathematical statement that combines numbers and letters. The letters (a, b, x, y or etc.) in a equation represent an unknown quantity and that unknown quantity is a number that is yet to be solved. For example, if the equation were x + 6 = 10, "x" is a number that you don't know the value of. When you solve for "x" your answer would be x = 4. Now what the does this have to do with our Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet? Our life is full of equations where unknown qualities, not just quantities, must be solved. In these life equations those unknown qualities [numbers] are also letters (a, b, x, y or etc.) that we are striving to find the value of. The Supreme Alphabet is like an answer key for those life equations because every letter has its value. While some are striving to solve for "m", we know that its value in our life equation is master, which is knowledge and understanding [m = 13]. While others are striving to figure out justice, we know that "j" is knowledge cipher [j = 10]. Every letter in our Supreme Alphabet represents a 'quality' the same way that letters in Algebraic equations represent a 'quantity'. This is Living Mathematics!
   As Living Mathematics, this is about our cognitive ability; our capacity to effectively read, write, comprehend and communicate correspondences. It is about our ability to make reasonable connections and draw logical conclusions in life equations. As a Five Percenter, those reasonable connections and logical conclusions hinge upon understanding how our Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet and 120 Degrees work as a unified system. A unified system that improves our quality of life, the quality of life of our families and the quality of life of our communities. 

Peace,
Saladin

9 Ways To Born A Determined Idea

   Reflecting upon how positive and progressive 2019 has been for me and looking towards 2020, I wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts with all of you in regards to being successful in our undertakings. As a Nation we do not advocate Gregorian New Year Resolutions and strive to be resolute in all that we say and do. In part, this is what “word is bond, bond is life and I will give my life before my word shall fail” means in our 11^th degree in the one-to-fourteen. This degree 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 bond we will not be broke, or broken.

   I have accomplished much in 2019; from being my city’s prestigious 2019 Civil Rights Achievement Award Recipient, helping coordinate a Walk To Freedom Public Art Mural Project to releasing my seventeenth book Once Upon A Time In Amerikka and being featured in the soon to be released six-part international docuseries "Enslaved" that is Executive Produced and Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson. 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 Nation. This means nothing if I am unable to show others how to also be successful in our undertakings. There are certain things that I have done, and continue to do without fail, that have allowed me to take my ideals from knowledge to born, from inception to conception. So in this article I would like to share these thoughts as 9 Ways To Born A Determined Idea:

1. Although it is your personal idea, our idea should be something that improves (progresses) you with the intent/consideration of making you a better resource to others and this world we share. Life is interdependent, we all play a role in how the world turns 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, needs. 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... In short, we are not the 10%.

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Peace,
Saladin

Animation Series: What is JUSTICE? (#AtlantisBuild)

Almighty Nation of Original People Changes Name To Universal Nation of Original People

  

   On December 14th, 2019, Born Mastermind, the self-declared Founder and Chief Emperor of the Almighty Nation of Original People [see above] announced that he will no longer move forward with using the unauthorized name and national flag of Allah's Five Percent Nation for his tribal government initiative. This is an initiative that Mastermind unilaterally promoted as a guest on Lord Jamar's Podcast and Saa Neter TV before sharing it with the general body of Allah's Five Percent Nation members at our Universal Parliament to get our input. 

   In a lengthy social media post, which included the new name and flag of his tribal government [see above], Mastermind stated that his small group of supporters have "chosen to design a separate name and flag at the strong suggestion of both those that support, and those that do not." His post went of to state that he had no ill intentions, ulterior motives or hidden agendas with his initiative and "I do not, will not, and  have not ever tried to speak for the 5% as a whole." While I would agree that I did not see his initiative as ill intended or evil, I do not agree that he did not or ever tried to speak for our Nation as a whole. Privately meeting with a handful of supporters to form a tribal government and then publicly declaring the unauthorized use of the name and flag of Allah's Five Percent Nation IS speaking for others. By "others" I mean the general body of Nation members who did not know about Mastermind's initiative, his public appearances and the unauthorized use of our name and flag until after it was promoted. For Mastermind to say that he did not or ever tried to speak for our Nation as a whole is disingenuous; he has been the only identifiable spokesperson of this initiative. According to his active website, Mastermind is the Founder and Chief Emperor of the Almighty Nation of Original People. He then desired to change that name and decided to use the unauthorized name and flag of Allah's Five Percent Nation; which was deemed unacceptable by our general body once this was discovered. It was due to the cultural criticism and social pressure from members of Allah's Five Percent Nation that he then decided to use the separate name and flag of a third entity that he now calls The Universal Nation of Original People. 
   Mastermind concluded his social media post by inviting Five Percent Nation members and any original people who were seeking to exercise their rights to a nationality to join his group.

Robert Walker and Natural Tahuti

   In my last article Should Allah's Five Percent Form a Tribal Government? I shared my assessment of Mastermind's tribal government initiative as not well thought out, grandiose and culturally inconsistent. I still stand by that fair assessment and view his decision to form a separate nation as wise and in the best interest of being successful in his undertakings. I give him credit for finally arriving at that understanding, which is something we can all relate to in some capacity, and learn from. 
   When our Nation formally began in 1964, and over the years, there have always been people among us who grew dissatisfied with our teachings and/or national structure. People such as Robert Walker, Natural Tahuti and others come to mind and they were all given the same sound advice that Born Mastermind was given: go start your own nation. 
     If you would like to learn more, join or donate to his tribal government initiative you can do so at his website Nation Business Builders.

Peace,
Saladin