Last Turn in Albuquerque - Chris 'Preach' Smith

This past Sunday night, we said goodnight to the bad
guy that captivated our television screens for five heady
seasons on AMC as ‘Breaking Bad’ reached its end. The 
fact that the finale has left many buzzing may just be
the key testament to the show’s success as well as a
look into our own psyche in terms of pop culture these
days and what we expect of it.

Let’s tackle the elephant in the room right away. This
finale deserves its accolades as one of the best to end
off a TV series in quite some time. It’s not perfect by
any means, but damn near. When you take into account
that fans of ‘Dexter’, Showtime’s long-running series
that ended the week before were outraged at that
final episode’s slackness and even those who loved HBO’s
‘The Sopranos’ felt this outshone that series’ own
cryptic small-town diner conclusion, you know it was
good. But if anything what has to be seen with ‘Felina’
is this: Vince Gilligan and crew did what any good team
of innovators would do. Learn from successes, but do
capitalize on misses. And keep an ear to the ground. There
are those who felt that Walter White got off scott-free,
that his tying up of loose ends was too neat. That in
that way, he bacame a hero. As some critics would say,
‘the white man’s Scarface’. My rebuttal to that is a
two-pronged response. One, that title is best conferred
on Ronald Reagan and second, what this represented was
a break away from such ‘villain-as-hero’ archetypes. It
particularly struck a cord with those who love the HBO
series ‘The Wire’ (myself inculded). ‘Breaking Bad’ has
navigated those racial complexities to some degree, with
Walt even shaving his head to be more like the Latino
dealers he encounters early on. Even the ‘Negro Y Azul’
episode with the narcocorrido done by Los Cuates De
Sinaloa speaks to this. (More on that later though.)The
way Bryan Cranston depicted Walt in ‘Felina’ and the
previous episode, ‘Granite State’ was eloquent in the
fact that what you got was a man left with only echoes.
And those echoes reminded him of his mortallity and
the ultimate futility he refused to face up until he was
at that bar in New Hampshire. Some say he died then.
But I think it’s more the fact that he ACCEPTED death,
but also chose to amend things knowing that nothing 
would be right or could be ever since he approached 
Jesse Pinkman so long ago.


Walter White wasn’t going out a total hero; he 
had gotten money set up to give to Skyler, Walter Jr. 
and Holly sure, but in the process he got reminded of 
his own hubris and had to accept it. He had to accept 
what all O.G.s had to. Few ever get out without paying
a heavy cost. Sometimes a final one. The baddies got
their just desserts(with Lydia ensuring that Stevia will
see their stock prices drop with her demise)and Walt
dies, surrounded by police. What Walter White did leading
up to his demise at the very end ties in well with Gilligan’s
assertion that the series was a Western in many ways. Walt’s
own death was reminiscent of Alan Ladd at the end of Shane,
where the gunslinger rides off into the sunset past a cemetery
full of grave markers. While Shane’s end has been a big
point of speculation because you don’t know his ultimate
fate in the movie or the book that inspired it, it can be 
and has been construed as a symbolic death. In ‘Felina’,
you don’t get that ambiguity only because of Walt’s 
cancer and that image of him alone, drawing back his
jacket to see he’s been wounded after the machine gun
barrage that took out most of Uncle Jack’s Neo-Nazi gang.
Gilligan might also have drawn influence from another
film that has Western elements mixed with noir, that 
film being Bad Day At Black Rock. There’s one similarity 
between Spencer Tracy’s Macreedy in that film and 
Cranston’s Walter White in that both men are met with
life altering infirmities(Macreedy in the film is a one-armed
man, suffering the injury in World War II). But there is
a stark divergence in their responses as Macreedy seeks
to right a wrong and is given courage to do so. Walt 
starts out with a pure intention but it is marred because
it is an intention that gives him license to ‘break bad’.
Another bit of influence that I’m sure isn’t lost on a few
fans of ‘Breaking Bad’ is that of hip-hop. It reared up
again as Walt had his final conversation with Gretchen
and Elliott, infra-red dots trained on their chests courtesy
of Badger and Skinny Pete. That whole scene reminded
me of the end skit from The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Warning’
off of Ready To Die. You can even argue that ‘Felina’ gave
a nod of the hat to Blaxploitation classic The Mack as
Jesse got his revenge on Todd for killing Andrea and in
effect, enslaving him to cook meth after the shoot-out
with Hank Schrader & Gomez. Look at the finale of that
movie where Goldie’s brother, played by Roger E.Mosely,
chokes the life out of the dirty cop and look at Aaron Paul’s
Jesse. You’ll see the shared anguish, the angst.

 
Ah yes, Jesse Pinkman. The one part of the finale that 
everyone can agree on is being glad that he’s alive. It 
would’ve been the height of cruelty to have him snuffed
out. And in a story where life bonds have been violated 
every which way, it was a fitting end to the dynamic 
between Walt and Jesse. Some would say love story, and
it’s hard to dispute when looking at it through the prism
of student and teacher. And ultimately, father and son.
The moment where Jesse picks up the gun and aims it 
at Walt who begs him to ‘end it’, and Jesse walks away?
Tremendous. It’s that moment that gripped me to the 
core watching it because Jesse in that moment, made 
his freedom final. It was a fitting way to cut the strings
of the puppetmaster once and for all. That final head nod
they gave each other said volumes, just as that final
scream Jesse lets out as he sped off into the night. 

Were there other flaws in ‘Felina’? Yes there were. As
Emily Nussbaum pointed out in her piece in the New
Yorker, the fact that Walt slipped into town with a
shadowy, mythical air nearly hinged on the melodramatic.
We also were left without knowing what really was 
the impetus for Walt leaving Gray Matter outside and
in turn, his relationship with Gretchen(left untouched
after their Santa Fe dinner table tete-a-tete). One
thing for me was also Skyler’s smoking resurgence. It
leads one to ask if she was a serious smoker and the
resulting second hand smoke was a trigger for Walt’s
lung cancer? But given those instances, most of the 
loose ends were tied up to satisfaction. I won’t go into
doing full comparisons of shows’ runs based off their 
finales because it’s not fair. I’ve seen discussions where
‘Breaking Bad’ is compared to ‘The Wire’ as to who’s
better, with the racial aspects a prime focus. I would
argue that ‘Breaking Bad’ can be mentioned in the 
same ether as ‘The Wire’ because it has been a prime
example of great drama. Could it be argued that it may
be a fantasy vehicle for some white viewers as opposed
to not wanting to deal with the scope and reality of ‘The
Wire’, the latter show being based on testimony from the
streets of Baltimore through both the criminals’ eyes and
the police? Sure. ‘Breaking Bad’ did exhibit a commentary
on racial politics early through Walt’s immersion in the
drug game and more importantly in Hank’s character.
Hank, who went from being an overly mouthy DEA agent
to having his eyes opened by a cartel attack early in the
series while re-assigned to an office where HE was the
odd gringo in the group.


But again, this kind of discussion only proves one thing:
the finale did ‘Breaking Bad’ justice whether you liked it
or not. The last turn for this series is artful, and the thing
about good art is, it can leave you both satisfied and
a bit unsettled. In a time where the understated is 
tossed aside for the flashy, it’s refreshing to have yet
another series bring that lesson back to the forefront. 

5 Pointz' Last Stand? - Chris "Preach" Smith

They say that change is inevitable. That it should be welcomed
with no real opposiion. But as some can tell you, these days 
change comes at a great cost and sometimes that cost is forced
unto others. New York City has dealt with this situation for
close to twenty years now, under two mayors. In that time,
buildings have been renovated and rebuilt anew, venerable
businesses have closed and neighborhoods have changed
dramatically. ‘Gentrification’ is a curse word used in excess
here, but no one would dispute why. And the latest victim
resides in Long Island City, the famed 5 Pointz aka ‘The 
Institute of Higher Burnin’.

For many New Yorkers, 5 Pointz is not so much a colorful
sight seen from the heights of the 7 train roaring up from
out of the tunnel from Manhattan coming into Queens. It
is an accepted part of the LIC landscape. And to a degree,
it has become the world’s foremost graffiti mecca. It also is
a vibrant reminder of a New York City that crackled with an
organic, funky energy. A New York City that possessed grit,
and a character envied the world over. The former group
of warehouses belonging to the Neptune Meter Company,
closed since 1972 was first taken over by the Phun Phactory,
a group created for the sole purpose of getting those getting 
up all over the city to showcase their work in a gallery setting.
This also was a way to curb vandalism outside of police 
catching taggers and writing them up - and in some cases
running them for their train passes if they were of high 
school age, then letting them go. From then, art studios 
took up residence in the building. To date, the Space Womb
Gallery operates adjacent to 5 Pointz, and Local Project, a
well known arts group also calls the building complex home.
5 Pointz, however has gotten some flak from the city, and
deals with some disrepair since an incident in 2009. But 
it never got any real scrutiny until last year when owner
David Wolkoff decided to go ahead with plans to raze the
whole block and create a luxury rental tower complex. 
Only one or two walls would reportedly be devoted to murals.
In an interview with Curbed NY, Wolkoff makes this remark
about this turn of events: “That’s the United States, right?
The whole country is not as blue collar.”
 
 
And in that statement lies the biggest threat to 5 Pointz bar
none. For 5 Pointz stands in the way of a bigger expansion
of what has overtaken New York City in the past decade. 
This expansion serves as a major factor in the growing class
divide festering in this city like an untreated ulcer on the 
skin. There used to be a time where not many people would
want to go to Long Island City. It was just a place to pass 
through to go to Astoria, or other areas of eastern Queens.
The revamping of the waterfront attracted quite a few folks
who couldn’t afford their slice of the city within the city. 
Then Citibank built their tower not too far from 5 Pointz.
But the death knell began to sound more when P.S.1 was
taken over by MoMA and rebuilt as an attraction. Right 
across the street from…5 Pointz. The causal eye might 
see this as no big deal, but when you consider that P.S.1’s
biggest draw is their summer ‘Warm Up’ series with a few
DJ’s spinning outside, something 5 Pointz has done for 
years, you have to know what’s really at play here. (Also,
let’s not forget that MoMA had operated out of a building
at the cusp of Sunnyside years before. I remember because
there were one or two people complaining about having 
to go to Queens as if it was Pettitcoat Junction.) 5 Pointz
represents a New York that most NYC natives grew up 
with and recognize. It’s not for the elitist, nose-in-the-air,
gadget-obsessed culture trolls and hipster bigot transplants.
In short, gentrifiers. The site is going to be demolished 
because the owner wants in on the LIC building boom 
and care less about ‘blue collar culture’. Never mind the 
undisputed fact that blue collar culture built this damned
city in the first place, along with America. But that doesn’t
get translated easy in developer’s language. Wolkoff wants
to cash in big. No one you may know will get into those 
towers unless they’ve got major cash. And his offer of 
mixed space including art studios? Why would people go
for it if they can possibly find cheaper space elsewhere?
5 Pointz, in the eyes of developers and cultural elitists, 
isn’t welcomed anymore. It’s too much of a reminder of
the NYC before 9-11. An NYC too colorful for some people’s
taste.

The Institute of Higher Burnin’ deserves better than the
fate bestowed upon it. A recent City Council vote has all
but declared it to be demolished, but Meres, the current 
curator has been nothing short of valiant in efforts to save
it. Recently, it was the home of the park jam commemorating
40 years of the hip-hop culture with none other than DJ
Kool Herc and Marley Marl holding court before hundreds
of b-boys and b-girls. I was in attendance, and the sheer
magnetic energy could be felt the moment you started 
walking down Davis Street towards 5 Pointz. 5 Pointz is 
a vital and still viable part of hip-hop, as well as New York
City. How can something so vibrant be considered a waste?
Think of all the artists that have gotten up on those walls.
You would think that MoMA or another museum group 
would try to take over the site as an actual centerpiece of
graf culture. In other countries, while graffiti is not totally
embraced, it has found itself as an accepted part of the 
cityscape. Look at Brazil and Norway as two prime examples.
Lastly, for those critics who oppose 5 Pointz’s plan to get
a historical landmark designation, why shouldn’t they? 
There’s already a historic district a few scant blocks away.
It’s high time that New York City stopped mistreating the
culture of hip-hop and its by-products. If Keith Haring’s 
artwork can be preserved throughout the city and it has
hip-hop as a major influence, why does that same respect
not apply to 5 Pointz?

5 Pointz is in some respects, a last stand in the fight against
those who’d make New York City an antiseptic playground 
for people who wish to operate in self-absorbed bubbles
not unlike some blocks found in the Upper East Side. It
deserves a lot more love and appreciation than it has 
received. Most importantly, it deserves attention for these
last hours of the fight. There’s been far too many iconic
places that we’ve lost with barely a whimper; the Lenox
Lounge being one. Let’s not let 5 Pointz be in that same
vein. 

———

If you want to help, check out and sign the petition below
and spread the word!

http://www.save5ptz.com/how-to-help.html

'93 Til Infinity' And Longevity - Chris "Preach" Smith

‘This is how we chill from ‘93 Til…’

September 28, 1993 will mark twenty years to the day that 
93 Til Infinity by Souls Of Mischief out of Oakland, California
dropped. And it will mark how one group delivered arguably
one of the best hip-hop albums of the decade, as well as 
setting in stone one crew’s entire sound for years to come.
But Souls Of Mischief don’t factor into a lot of discussions in
terms of great hip-hop album releases and it verges on the
criminal in terms of neglect. Why? For that we need to not
only examine the album, but the time and the group’s 
influence on a whole among other topics.

For me, 93 Til Infinity was a clarion call. I had actually heard
about A-Plus, Opio, Tajai and Phesto the year before thanks
to a white-label LP single I heard from being up in Hot Waxx
on the Ave. That single? ‘Cab Fare’. It grabbed you because
of the dope flip of the theme song from ‘Taxi’ and also Tajai’s
first verse describing in short dodging would-be jackers 
after being left behind by friends. Each verse after was a 
succinct perspective on the struggles brothers have had with
cabbies for YEARS. You also got a sense of each MC’s style
and personality. It was all the more trippy when I found out
they were still in high school. This was the time frame where
deals for young talent were apparent in the rap game, but
that window would soon be shutting quickly as labels got 
to focusing more on who was going to garner sales quicker
out of the gate. Hell, labels were just realizing how hip-hop
could earn stratospheric profits from diverse groups. From
that point, I was checking for Souls. Another selling point 
was the fact that they were part of the Hieroglyphics crew.
The world had gotten hip to the Imperium thanks to the 
second album by veteran underground MC Del The Funkee
Homosapien, No Need For Alarm. That album showacased
Del in a more freer vibe musically, and Souls of Mischief
featured prominently with other Hiero crew members who’d
go on to have solid careers. Domino would also become 
more prominent for his production, and this would be huge
with 93 Til Infinity and later releases.



93 Til Infinity drops a year after I hear ‘Cab Fare’. Their first single 
winds up being ‘That’s When Ya Lost’. The snarling bassline, those 
blaring horns? If you weren’t amped hearing that for anything, you
had the pulse of a slug. Del’s production was battle-rhyme perfect
on that track. Quiet as it’s kept, I knew of one crew who had this 
track on as a precursor to going out and wilding. If you remember
the video, when it dropped there had to been at least one cat who
watched and said, ‘YO.’ Because the video was pretty much like 
seeing cats brawling afterschool due to rivalries in one fashion or
another. But what really caught everyone’s ear by that time, was
the title track. ‘93 Til Infinity’ never fails to make me feel good 
everytime I hear it. I’ll make you a bet right now. Put that song
on, wherever you are. If you don’t feel your mood lighten up in
the first MINUTE of the track, I will listen to your favorite cornball
rapper for a week straight. The song is one of those rare musical
moments where everything just gels. From the dulcet tones that
sit behind Tajai’s opening speech to Opio’s spitfire opening verse,
to A-Plus’ sharp verse, and Phesto’s verse on the end? WHAT? I
remember getting the cassette single and playing this over and 
over again. The production was flawless courtesy of A-Plus himself.
When you stop to realize that every MC in the group spits at 
least TIMES on this track? That was almost unheard of in hip-hop.
You can’t discuss this track, let alone the album without paying
homage to the heavy jazz and soul influence in every beat. In
addition, they also had one of the more memorable videos of 
the time thanks to the late Michael Lucero who created a great
visual collage of Souls out in Yosemite, and at home in The Bay
for this title track. This got them high visibility across the nation
and helped them get Billboard status.

The entire album is tight throughout, and still holds up to any 
classic years later that you’d want to throw up in discussion.
The track playlist gave you a well-rounded look at Souls Of 
Mischief. There was no one side to them. And for the time, it
was welcome. Listen to ‘Tell Me Who Profits’, an introspective
examination of trying to find one’s own path with all of the 
struggles going on in the ‘hood and beyond. Every MC’s verse
layered with a retort in the hook made this track a look into
the internal dialogue every person had with themselves, if 
they were honest. You got their girl-chasing persona in full
effect with the dreamy, Del-produced ‘A Name I Call Myself’.
The Freddie Hubbard sample along with the steady, but not
imposing bassline was the perfect backdrop for the group’s
verses on women. You got the cautionary tale in ‘What A Way
To Go Out’, bluesy and foreboding. Close your eyes and it 
could’ve been older heads in front of your local store instead
of teenagers dropping knowledge when you listen to it. 
‘Never No More’ was a favorite for quite a few people; I still
remember the days my man Kyle would spin this on his 
turntables with another homie, Mike Banks. And that ‘76 Seville
remix? SMOOTH. For fans of the raw battle raps, you got your fix 
with ‘Batting Practice’. The insistent beat felt like you could
go toe to toe for hours. When you also consider that you 
got to hear every MC come through in their own distinct way,
that was rare. Because to some degree, just by natural group
dynamics, you would feel one would have less shine. Not so
with Souls Of Mischief. And to a greater degree, Hieroglyphics.
Not many other crews can boast MC’s who can DJ and produce
on a high level for so long. They speak to all four pillars of the
culture. Something that is lacking when you look at what 
passes for hip-hop these days according to publications and 
music video networks. For example, Casual, who’d feature
on the album both as MC and producer would go on to have
his own notable career to this day. That was the essence of 
hip-hop going back to its inception. And more remarkable 
given that MC Hammer was the biggest thing out of Oaktown
at that point, although The Coup was getting a lot of folks
listening and Too Short had been doing his thing since the 
late 1980’s. 


93 Til Infinity is truthfully, a coming-of-age album in many 
respects. For me, this was the soundtrack for the last two
years of high-school. Here you had four cats who were 
conveying a range in their music that could be appreciated
more in a time period where Pete Rock & C.L.Smooth had
broken through with ‘Mecca And The Soul Brother’. You had
Common begin to fortify his soulfulness along with No I.D.
out of Chicago. The Dungeon Family would soon be on the
scene thanks to Outkast. This album came out at a time 
when hip-hop was sorting out its emotions far past the 
party and the overt gangster/pimp influences seen from 
the West Coast more and more at that time. 93 Til Infinity
helped me and many others define and depict the soul that
was beginning to take shape inside them. It also gave more
fuel to hip-hop music that took its cue from jazz, soul and 
rock greats throughout their samples. I got introduced to
Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson and Ramsey Lewis 
thanks to this album. (And got to build more with Pops 
about jazz which was major at that time.) Souls of Mischief
also proved that their style of hip-hop was growing in
popularity and made way for a slew of great talent out of
Oakland from their crew and outside of it. 93 Til Infinity
has been labeled ‘a backpacker’s album’, ‘underground’
and those monikers may be valid. But there is one that
should be used more frequently. And that is, ‘integral’.
93 Til Infinity shows how great hip-hop can build its own
longevity. And that’s a lesson that bears repeating and
revering.  

EPMD: Strictly Business, 25 Years Later - Chris "Preach" Smith

It’s almost hard to believe that Strictly Business, the debut
album by EPMD straight out of Strong Island - that is, Long
Island, New York is twenty-five years old today. And almost
unbelievable that it’s not getting heavy mention across the
hip-hop world considering its relevance and impact. For me
and others, Strictly Business served to raise the bar and to
open some minds up.

Let’s take into account the year of 1988. Hip-hop at that 
time was enjoying its rise to prominence as an art form.
That year alone saw a slew of classic releases before the
summer even ENDED. For east coast hip-hop, you had clear
representation out of New York City, mainly the Bronx,
Brooklyn and Queens. Some people I knew back then 
looked at Long Island as an alternative world. Soft. Mostly
white. Suburban. Living right on the border between the
city and Nassau County, you could see the clashing of
worlds often. You saw it whenever you hit up Green Acres
Mall or Sunrise Cinemas next door. Hip-hop struck a lot of
that conflict down to a degree. While The Beastie Boys got
a lot of attention when they dropped, Public Enemy and
their first album, Yo! Bumrush The Show in 1987 let cats
know that there was a lot of talent germinating out in L.I.

EPMD stepped right into that zone in 1988 as two young,
bold MCs with a different sound and approach to hip-hop.
Their entry onto the rap scene proved to be the same,
being signed to Sleeping Bag Records to drop Strictly Business.
Sleeping Bag Records was, in truth a dance music label. 
Their biggest artist to date at that time? Mantronix. We 
also have to consider that they were both in their late
teens, but handled ALL of the writing and production on
the album save for some scratches by DJ K La Boss. With
regards to the production, Strictly Business was big due
to the use of funk & rock hits for samples. The first single,
‘It’s My Thing’ with the Marva Whitney vocal chop along
with Syl Johnson and a snippet from Pink Floyd was and
is SO damn influential. Think about how many times this
track has been sampled. This single, which actually was
released the year before is a perfect complement to the
title track which utilized a sample from Eric Clapton’s ‘I
Shot The Sheriff’ to rhythmic perfection. Those two tracks
made everyone flip out over EPMD. I mean everyone; I
remember seeing EPMD posters slapped up on the walls
outside the old Mays on Jamaica Avenue. They’d release
four singles, and ‘Strictly Business’ along with ‘You Gots
To Chill’ would fully entrench them as legends. The album
became certified gold after four months. Not bad for a 
debut out of nowhere.



Another thing to consider is EPMD’s rhyming ability. Cool,
concise and free-flowing, they were all about letting any
suckers know they could never be fresh as them. The
give and go between Erick and Parrish is arguably one of
the greatest in hip-hop and on this album they pushed
the envelope on how rap duos perform. They were a natural
fit for the next phase of hip-hop visibility, music videos.
Consider the video for ‘Strictly Business.’ You’ve got a clown
figure who calls himself MC Sheriff getting onstage in a club
and getting shown up - and run out of town by - EPMD. At
this point, they were pretty much down with Priority Records,
a result of Sleeping Bag’s financial troubles. In a side note,
they’d also be joined by Nice and Smooth. They had their signature
fisherman’s bucket hats on, and you even had a nod to the
conscious collective with the backup singers/dancers in kente
cloth dresses and locks as opposed to MC Sheriff’s ladies in 
white Lycra and perms. ‘You Gots To Chill’, with EPMD posted
up in an ice factory as they dropped a funky track made even
more so with that Zapp & Roger sample? Brilliant. (They’d 
join Troutman on his last solo album in 1991 in a sign of 
mutual musical respect.)

Strictly Business has now been regarded as one of the greatest
hip-hop albums of all time. EPMD would go on to still possess
a great career despite two break-ups into today. They’d be
responsible for The Hit Squad, their extended family of MC’s
that included fellow Strong Island natives K-Solo (who rose
to fame in 1990 with solid hits) and Keith Murray along with
Redman and Das EFX as well as Hurricane G and Knuckleheadz.
It would also be a spark for others to rise, most notably De La
Soul. The production on Strictly Business would become an industry
staple, influencing the likes of Prince Paul and Easy Mo Bee
among others. I was recently out at Resorts World Casino and they
put on the ‘Strictly Business’ video. You may not believe it, but at
least 20 people stopped whatever they were doing and got their 
dance on. That is how you recognize longevity when you see it. 
Erick & Parrish Making Differences. 

Marching 50 Years Later - Chris 'Preach' Smith

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular,
but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
- Dr.Martin Luther King 

“We need in every bay and community a group of angelic troublemakers.”   
- Bayard Rustin.  


Today, thousands upon thousands have made their way or are on the
way to Washington, D.C. for the 50th Anniversary of the historic March
on Washington For Jobs and Freedom that took place on August 28th,
1963.(Being that the actual date is on a weekday, major celebrations
are being held on the weekend and President Obama is set to speak on
the actual day in conjunction with other events.) This anniversary is a
day to honor all of those who gathered to fight for basic human rights 
denied to African Americans and others in a dramatic mass protest. The
speeches, most notable Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech
would resonate not just throughout America but the world. The March
led to the eventual passing of the Civil Rights Act a year later, and the
Voting Rights Act two years later. Fifty years later however, it is more 
than apparent that not only are we still fighting the same agents of
oppression, we are doing so under duress.

Consider these facts if you will: as of now, there are more Black men
in the United States prison population than there have ever been when
slavery was the law of the land. Parts of the Voting Rights Act have 
been dismantled by the judgement of the Supreme Court, enabling
extreme Republican state governments to further hinder people from
voting and having a say. Nowhere is this more stark than in North
Carolina, a ground zero of sorts for the fight to restore voting for all.
These same extremists within Congress have gerrymandered voting
districts in various states in addition to waging war on the poor and
working class in other ways. Despite having a Black president in his
second term, America has turned over and exposed a distorted and
rancid underbelly of racism in full force. Hate crimes are returning to
the front pages. The main tool of racism, systematic inequality, has
been more exaggerated in states like Florida, the Carolinas and in
Mississippi to name a few. Police brutality and racial profiling has 
risen, NYC’s own ‘Stop And Frisk’ the most noted example. Cities are
dying like Detroit, Michigan and Stockton, California. Immigrants are
painted as a scourge on society. We’ve had Trayvon Martin, Jordan
Davis and others murdered solely on the basis of what they looked
like. Proof positive that we have a long way to go towards that more
perfect union.


One would look at the events of today and be totally discouraged. 
Discouraged at the fact that despite some progress, there seems
to be an armada of the ignorant and ill-informed that do not want
change. Add to that the cynical and pessimistic mass of people 
that flaunt those attitudes as their out for not working towards 
change and things seem dire indeed. But one has to only look at
the March in 1963 in totality to see how despite those problems,
people came together and made change HAPPEN. Look at the 
fact that the March was not embraced by everyone in the civil 
rights struggle, with Malcolm X being the most verbally opposed.
The organizers had issues determining the aims of the protest,
and it took some time and effort to get points about economic
inequality in because they didn’t want to be seen as Communist.
Bayard Rustin, a key figure not only in organizing the March as
one of the Big Six but in Dr.King’s further acceptance and belief
in non-violence was diminished greatly because he was a former
Communist as well as a gay man. James Baldwin was dropped
from the program for fears of being too incendiary. Women were 
also excluded, outside of musical performers from speaking on the
dais, a horrendous mistake.  Dr. King was even discouraged from
giving his classic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech at the outset because
organizers found it corny. We also have to consider that D.C. was
on a tense guard, believing that there would be mass rioting then
and indulging stereotypical fears that fueled decisions for courts to
be open around the clock and a city shutdown with extra National
Guard troops flown in. Despite all of this, the March went on to be
the dynamic event we know and revere today.

The issues of intersectionality, having a unified front despite certain
differences, defying all obstacles - these struggles are major issues
today as they were back in 1963. We have to be even more mindful
of that now. And there are many who are rising to the challenge of
fighting and marching just as the 300,000 did on that day fifty years
ago. From those who take part in Moral Mondays in North Carolina
to those fighting Stop And Frisk in NYC to the Dream Defenders in
Florida to Latino Rebels and many others, that dream of America
truly being a land of freedom for all still lives. It lives in sweat, tired
bones, tears and most importantly, hope and faith. Today you’ll see
a more diverse group down there in D.C. People sick and tired of the
old illnesses of this nation coming back, but not so tired that they
will remain silent. Today and for days to come after, folks will still
be on a move until the mountaintop bids them to come home. D.C.
50 years later is just another step for all of us.