If you’ve noticed rarely do I post comments on my writings on THOUGHT PROVOKING PERSPECTIVES. This blog is designed as a potent source of empowering knowledge to broaden the information base with those who share my passion for the written word.
I am, and proudly, a firm believer that education is the single most important ingredient necessary to neutralize those forces that breed poverty and despair. My goal is to produce thought because most people were like me in the sense that when we attended public school, just like our children today, there was/is virtually no knowledge provided on or about Black History. Except for thirty-days where a few are remembered. for the most part His-Story based upon the victory’s view of his conquest.
We MUST know history and our history because most of what we have been taught as history is skewed at best. Even His-Story tell us that African Americans have been conditioned to be slaves both physically and mentally. Actually, it was not until about 1920 when there was even any of our history recorded positively. More to the point, most “Colored’s” never received an actual birth certificate until about that time. As chattel they were viewed as property.
Most African Americans were taught the only history was that people of Africa ran around the jungle as savages with spears. You remember Tarzan! The truth is Africa is the birthplace of man, created the first civilization, and produced amazing cultures that have been adapted by every other culture in the world. It was there that the first known colleges were established, advanced medical knowledge and surgery. Moreover, the Africans built megalithic structures that can’t be built or duplicated today. I know you have seen the pyramid – right.
So, to those who suggest Thought Provoking Perspectives is about “playing the Race Card” - ITS NOT! To you I say, “I am positive you take great pride in your culture and teach it to your children. So why is it unreasonable to think people of any other culture should continue to be denied the benefit of history untold; particularly, as it relates to the African American Diaspora.” And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
Malcolm X was no doubt one of the most profoundly significant, famous, and controversial African American leaders of our time. I cannot recall any other MAN, except maybe Dr. King, whose impact was so overwhelmingly felt by so many. Minister Malcolm’s prophetic words spoken over forty-five years ago resonate as relevant today as the day they were spoken evoking the same emotions of truth.
February 21st is the anniversary, for lack of a better word, of Minister Malcolm X’s assassination at the Audubon Ballroom that has yet to be fully resolved in the minds of most of us. What I can say is that we lost a champion unlike any I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. Therefore, it would be blasphemy to dedicate an entire month to the ghost of the greats and not include the most articulate orator of our time.
I could go deeper into the making of this man but so many people, agencies, institutions and organizations have covered this great man’s brief life on earth in much more detail than I can. As you know, there is a vast sea of in-depth analyses, books, movies, and biographies on his life and philosophies. I will not try to rewrite history rather simply pay homage to the legacy of this great man as brief as I can, honoring him for his contributions to the African American Diaspora.
There are facts (known & unknown), suspicions and of course theories surrounding the assassination of Malcolm X, the impact it has had on our culture and the world. Like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X also had a dream. It began bathed in the tenets of anger and hatred, fostering economic independence on the shoulders of retaliatory separatism that ended with the swelling acceptance of a unified brotherhood and the replacement of hatred with peace and with the nagging thirst for international equality for all mankind.
As the story goes, early in Malcolm’s life a white teacher asked him what he would like to be and his answer was “a lawyer”. The teacher, who had encouraged his white students on their career choices, told Malcolm, “That’s no realistic goal for a nigger”. This statement discouraged a bright student to not seek his full potential leading to a life of crime. After being caught and arrested for carrying a concealed weapon he was sentenced to prison. While serving more than six years he began educating himself, converted to the Islamic faith and became a Black Muslim in the Nation of Islam (NOI).
After his release in 1952, Malcolm Little, now known as Malcolm X, went to Detroit and began to actively preach to the frustrated African American population about what Islam had to offer. It made no difference where he conducted his sermons and teachings, whether on the streets or in a temple. He spread the word to anyone who would listen.
It was not long before Malcolm became a favorite of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. He was made a minister and began to travel from city to city, preaching the message, founding new temples and converting thousands of people to the faith. Two years later, Malcolm X became minister of the famed Temple Number Seven in Harlem, New York.
In April of 1964, Malcolm X made a pilgrimage to Mecca which led to his second conversion. He met brothers of the faith who were from many nations and of many races, black, brown, white, and all the sons of Allah. The reality dawned on him that advocating racial cooperation and brotherhood would help resolve the racial problems in America and, hopefully, lead to a peaceful coexistence throughout the world. Malcolm X’s transformed ideas and dreams reached full fruition and were ready for implementation. He changed his name, this time to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and found himself going against the system.
It did not take long for the reactionaries to strike out at Malcolm X. Members of the NOI resented what they thought were his attempts to supplant Elijah Muhammad. Government entities feared his involving the NOI in international issues, as well as his starting to lean too far to the left, while law enforcement officials looked upon him and his actions as radical, criminal and detrimental to society.
Early on the morning of February 14, 1965, Malcolm and his family were peacefully asleep in their home in Elmhurst, New York. They were suddenly awakened by the sounds of shattering glass and explosions. Several Molotov cocktails had been thrown through their living room window, engulfing the house in roaring flames. Malcolm and his wife, Betty, quickly gathered their children and rushed out of the burning house. Once safe, they stood outside in the cold air, watching as their home and possessions burned. It was never determined who had tried to kill them, though Malcolm did tell authorities he thought it may have been the NOI.
Just one week later at a scheduled appearance at the Audubon Ballroom, which was almost full on a cold February day with over 400 followers of Islam anxiously awaiting Brother Malcolm X. No uniformed police were visible inside the Audubon, but two were stationed outside the entrance although it was common knowledge that an attempt on Malcolm’s life was a real possibility. Inside the Audubon Ballroom, several dark-suited NOI guards were positioned near the stage and towards the rear of the room. As soldiers of the NOI, the militancy of the neatly dressed men was evident in their demeanor, as they surveyed the room, quietly watching the seating of late arrivals.
Malcolm X, his pregnant wife and their four children waited as a tense and nervous Malcolm X ordered two of his guards to take his family out into the hall to their seats in a box near the front of the stage. Seemingly irritated and exhausted, Malcolm X mentioned to his aides that he had reservations about speaking. Malcolm’s misgivings were reflected in his taut features as his restless eyes darted around the room as he listened to Brother Benjamin Goodman making his opening speech.
At approximately 3:08 pm, Brother Benjamin ended his speech and introduced Malcolm X, who walked out onto the stage to a lengthy ovation. Malcolm stepped up to a wooden podium and looked out at the audience. When the applause finally settled down, he offered the audience the Muslim greeting and smiled when they responded in-kind. Just as he began to speak again, a commotion broke out near the rear of the ballroom.
Two men jumped up, knocking wooden folding-chairs to the floor, as one of the men yelled, “Get your hand out of my pocket!” As Malcolm responded with cool it there brothers, a loud explosion suddenly erupted in the back of the room, which began to fill with smoke.
Malcolm’s bodyguards and aides hardly had time to react as the well coordinated ruses effectively diverted their attention from him, allowing unopposed gunmen to begin their attack. A man rose from the front row and pulled out a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun from under his coat and fired twice at Malcolm. Simultaneously, as Malcolm was falling backwards and clutching his bloody chest, two more men jumped up and fired pistols at him as they rushed the stage. Although Malcolm was down, the two men repeatedly fired bullets into his body before turning and running to flee the premises. More shots were fired as they ran.
Upon learning of the assassination of Malcolm X, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. remarked that “One has to conquer the fear of death if he is going to do anything constructive in life and take a stand against evil”. We may never know all of the facts about who was behind the assassination or who ordered his death. But we do know that these assassins denied him the chance to act upon his newly formed convictions.
Today, the man and the name, Malcolm X, are known in America and throughout the world. He was a celebrated freedom fighter and motivating force to those whose future he had the vision to see, the will to stand up and fight for. Postage stamps and posters now bear his image out of recognition and honor for his final crusade.
The eulogy that actor Ossie Davis delivered at his funeral profoundly impresses upon us that, “However we may have differed with him, or with each other about him and his value as a man, let his going from us serve only to bring us together, now. Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man but a seed which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us. And we will know him then for what he was and is a Prince, our own black shining Prince! Who didn’t hesitate to die, because he loved us so.”
Malcolm X was a man who fulfilled his place in history and stayed true to his words: “It is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood.“ And That’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
I came from a time when there was a woman named “Big Mama” and not the clown character in the Martin Lawrence movie. She was the matriarch of the black family. A woman of wisdom, strength, and courage; moreover, a proud woman who understood her roll which was to guide, direct, and give love. Her roll also included leadership used to teach young girls to be ladies and woman. Oh, do we miss Big Mama today!
I won’t try to teach or tell anyone how to be a woman but I do have a perspective from a man’s point of view. Just like a woman cannot make a boy a man – I won’t try to tell you how to be a woman. However, I am suggesting for the sake of your daughters that you try to recall the lessons taught by Big Mama. For those who read my writing, you know, I like to use examples in order to make a point.
I once gave a speech and took out a $20.00 bill and to the audience I asked, “Who would like to have this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. Nearly everyone! Then I said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” I crumpled up the $20 dollar bill and asked, “Who still wants it now…?” Still nearly all hands were raised. Ok, great! “What if I do this?” I dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with the bottom of my shoe. Then I picked it up the now crumpled dirty bill. “Who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions you make with regard to how you appear. The moral of this exercise was a very valuable lesson. The way you appear causes people (men) to want “IT”, but like the money it does not mean they want “You”. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who you are and that comes from your presentation.
I have another profound message Muhammad Ali’s once gave to his daughters. An incident transpired when Muhammad Ali’s daughters arrived at his home wearing clothes that were quite revealing.
Here is the story as told by one of his daughters:
“When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father’s suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day.
My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to.
Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell.
Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You’ve got to work hard to get to them.”
He looked at me with serious eyes. “Your body is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.”
It is not my intent to offend anyone, but you see what I see and if you knew Big Mama – you know better. I believe, if Black America is to redeem it greater glory – ladies it starts with you. And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
I’ll start by saying “Here we go again”. We seem to continue to witness the fall of people held in high regard with titles like, and for the purpose of this post, use the word pastor loosely. You know those Mega-Church Pastor’s who adorn the grace of the pulpit who has fallen short of the long arm of the law, at least morally. Let’s see there has been the flashy televangelist Eddie Wrong and Creflo “The Dollar Man” known for preaching that prosperity is good.
Now we have Pastor, and I use this loosely also, Jamal Bryant’s fall from grace that began with an extramarital affair that tore up his congregation and destroyed his marriage. This guy was the leader of a mega church, the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, Maryland, whose affair ended his marriage, disrupted his congregation, and almost destroyed his ministry. It is alleged that he had a child by a member of the congregation as a preacher.
Although this is not as bad as the Bishop, and I use that loosely, Eddie Long’s situation – somehow in my mind it begs the question – WTF? First of all, if Jesus where to come back today I am pretty sure he would do just as he did in the temple with the money changes. In my opinion, these leaders of huge flocks cannot effectively serve the community when they have the huge financial responsibility of such monstrosities. Frankly, it’s just business! Just sayin!
There is a very popular radio host who does a show from time to time called “Pimps in the Pulpit”. Let me be clear, I am not calling either of these Sheppard’s pimps but when you take from the needy to benefit the greedy. Well, we have to find a word that more accurately describes the mission other than pastor. The larger question is who are the followers of these guys? Are they just sheep lead blindly?
Let’s recap! Last year there was a Mega-Church preacher from Florida who was found dead in New York (allegedly) of a drug overdose with drugs found on his person (allegedly). Both Long and Dollar were among six televangelists investigated by Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley from 2007 to 2010, following questions about personal use of church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards by mega church pastors and their families. I won’t even touch the Catholic Church and their problems.
I don’t believe these are isolated instances and I am not saying that every church falls into this kind of negative category. But I would suggest that if there tax status changed some of these issues would be remedied. I also want to say I am not just picking on African American pastors. There are just as many whites and others who are just as foul in their devotion to the all mighty dollar and enjoy the sins of the flesh. Like the Catholic Priests!
I am not going to spend too many words on the frailties of faith leaders. Nor am I challenging anyone’s faith – but believers we are or should be believers in the word of God and the teachings of Jesus! Not some jokers with private jets or a huge worship palaces that you are paying for. If I can use a popular phrase that says “Game Knows Game” or you should.
Lastly, it might be a good idea to not be so blindlydevoted to hustlers, con artist, or maybe I should say, pimps in the pulpit and you know who they are. Let me close by suggesting that maybe it is time to believe in yourself and know that you might find power in your soul. So, let’s get back to family, which is your strength! And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
Easter is the most important day Christian observe the world over because it is a celebration of deliverance, with Easter Week providing powerful imagery of faith. I have always been moved by this presentation of Jesus from a Catholic Eucharistic prayer: “To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners, freedom, and to those in sorrow, joy.”
Holy Thursday and the Last Supper have an ominous feel because they are in preparation of Good Friday and the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. Yet two days later, the tale ends in triumph and resurrection. Whatever questions Christians may have about the meaning of that empty tomb, most of us have experienced a sense of joy when the words “He is risen!” The basis of Christianity is inextricably linked too and rooted in the idea of liberation.
I have long seen the Exodus and Easter as twin narratives involving a release from oppression and the victory of freedom. These promises have left a permanent mark on the culture outside the traditions from which they sprang. Yet even in the Easter season, it’s hard not to notice that most people of faith, like it has been with Christmas, have lost much of its message. What I mean is that it has been hijacked by man in the commercial sense and Christianity’s, many, do not project the true meaning of this day or present their faith in the best light.
For example, with the assassination of Trayvon Martin, and other criminal acts, mankind seems to have lost the understanding of the symbolic subordination of a rich tradition of social justice. What is more concerning is that popular Christianity often seems to denigrate rather than celebrate intellectual life or critical inquiry into injustices within our society. What I would like to suggest, as with the civil rights movement, is that the church or at least Christians must not be disengaged from politics. In fact, the early Christian movement was born in politics. If you can recall, Jesus died in opposition of injustice for the least of Thee.
I know there is great debate over how to understand the relationship between Jesus’ spirituality and his approach to politics, but his preaching clearly challenged the powers-that-be. He was, after all, crucified. Now, if we truly claim the life of Jesus Christ is true, then we should be among the most active, most serious and most-open minded advocates for justice. So if Easter is about liberation, this liberation must include intellectual freedom and the right to fair and equal justice.
The Great Migration was the movement of millions of African American’s out of the rural south to the Northeast, Midwest, and West for most of the 20th century. It has come to be known as a migration but it was more likely a “Defection”.
Some historians differentiate between the first Great Migration (1910–1930), numbering about 1.6 million migrants who left mostly rural areas to migrate to northern and Midwestern industrial cities, and, after a lull during the Great Depression, a Second Great Migration (1940 to 1970), in which 5 million or more people moved, including many to California and other western cities.
Between 1910 and 1970, blacks moved from 14 states of the South, especially Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, to the other three cultural (and census-designated) regions of the United States. More townspeople with urban skills moved during the second migration. By the end of the Second Great Migration, African Americans had become an urbanized population. More than 80 percent lived in cities. A majority of 53 percent remained in the South, while 40 percent lived in the North and 7 percent in the West.
A reverse migration had gathered strength since 1965, dubbed the New Great Migration, the term for demographic changes from 1965 to the present in which many blacks have returned to the South, generally to states and cities where economic opportunities are the best. Since 1965, economic difficulties of cities in the Northeastern and Midwestern and Midwestern United States, growth of jobs in the New South with lower costs of living, family and kinship ties, and improving racial relations have all acted to attract African Americans to the Southern United States in substantial numbers.
Please watch this video and never forget our great history. And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
The book is a 40 day devotional. It’s a great book for men and women. This book is designed to help those who are struggling with a consistent prayer life. It’s easy to read and very fruitful.
Guest Post
Over the years, I have come to understand the significance of the number 40. Scientifically speaking, 40 weeks is the length of time it takes for a mother to carry an unborn child from conception to delivery. Biblically speaking, 40 is the number associated with a period of testing before a breakthrough.
The number 40 is an indication that God is ready to birth something new out of pain or challenge. According to the Bible, Noah was in the rain for 40 days and nights before God brought a refreshing promise for His people.
When the Children of Israel were ready to cross over into their promise, the spies who preceded them took 40 days to scout out the land. However, because of disobedience, their 40 days turned into 40 years before they entered into the land of promise.
Goliath, who was killed by David, challenged the Children of Israel for 40 days prior to their victory over the Philistine army.
Before He began His ministry, Jesus, while being tempted by satan, fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness.
I have experienced my own personal 40 days of trials and tribulations. However, because I did not lose my confidence in God, I was able to realize the significance of the number 40 and receive God’s blessings for me after my test. These truths concerning the number 40 inspired me to write this devotional.
In modern times, 30 days is used to complete various programs or to create a new habit. At the beginning of the year, Magazine cover stories often read, Thirty Days to a New You. For the purpose of this devotional the true number for the manifestation of a renewed life is the number 40.
Therefore, this devotional will afford you an opportunity to develop a more intimate relationship with the Lord and transform your life. As you read this devotional, it will give you hope and renew your strength. On those days when doubt and disbelief abound, I encourage you to remain consistent with your 40 day cycle of reading Kingdom Principles for Everyday Living: 40 Practical Principals for a Fruitful Life.
I challenge you to apply yourself and expect a breakthrough by the time you have complete this devotional. I encourage you to not only read through the devotions in this book, but to read the related scriptures and commit them to memory. This process will increase your knowledge of God, and strengthen your faith towards Him.
God’s will for us is to increase in every area of our lives by being doers of His Word. I pray that this devotional draw you closer to God and give you the incredible power to break into your promise.
About The Author
Minister. Father. Servant. Evangelist. Author. Stewart Bernard Perrilliat is a gifted individual who has a passion to see broken lives restored and renewed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. A native of Oakland, California, Stewart grew up in a community that was plagued with a number of challenging institutional socio-economic ills. Nevertheless, Stewart escaped the lures of the streets and became a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corp before becoming the Founder and CEO of Perrilliat Enterprises, a general contracting and engineering firm based in Northern California.
Stewart began his ministry call as a Street Evangelist in 1995, and since that time he has been used by the Lord to win countless souls into the Kingdom of God. He attributes his success as a Street Evangelist to his ability to present the gospel in a manner that meets people at the place of their need. His call has become the central focus of his life and ministry.
Though Stewart is a gifted entrepreneur, he is first and foremost a service-driven person who is passionate about seeing people live their life now through having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Stewart’s teaching gift empowers people to apply Biblical principles to improve and enhance their lives. His approach is known for being encouraging, practical, and inspirational. He is also known for motivating others to reach their highest potential.
Huey P. Newton was born in Monroe, Louisiana, on February 17, 1942. You may find this surprising but he was named after former Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long. Brother Huey’s legacy began in 1966 with co-founder Bobby Seale when they founded the left-wing Black Panther Party for Self Defense.
The organization was central to the Black Power Movement, making headlines with its inflammatory rhetoric and militaristic style, becoming a leading figure in the black power movement of the 1960s in Oakland, California.
The Black Panthers wanted to improve life in black communities and established social programs to help those in need. They also fought against police brutality in black neighborhoods by mostly white cops. Members of the group would go to arrests in progress and watch for abuse. Newton himself was arrested in 1967 for allegedly killing an Oakland police officer during a traffic stop.
The case was eventually dismissed after two retrials ended with hung juries. He was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison. But public pressure – “Free Huey” became a popular slogan of the day – helped Newton’s cause.
Although he graduated high school in 1959, Newton barely knew how to read. He became his own teacher, learning to read by himself. In the mid-1960s Newton decided to pursue his education at Merritt College where he met Bobby Seale. The two were briefly involved with political groups at the school before they set out to create one of their own.
The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was founded in 1966. Unlike many of the other social and political organizers of the time, they took a militant stance, advocating the ownership of guns by African Americans, and were often seen brandishing weapons. A famous photograph shows Newton – the group’s Minister of Defense – holding a gun in one hand and a spear in the other.
The group believed that violence – or the threat of violence – might be needed to bring about social change. They set forth their political goals in a document called the Ten-Point Program, which included better housing, jobs, and education for African Americans.
It also called for an end to economic exploitation of black communities. Still the organization itself was not afraid to punctuate its message with a show of force. For example, to protest a gun bill in 1967, Newton and other members of the Panthers entered the California Legislature fully armed. The action was a shocking one that made news across the country.
The Panthers became in disarray mainly because of efforts by the FBI and their initiatives like COINTELPRO. Most don’t know that what we now know as HeadStart was developed by the party. FBI Director Hoover said, “The biggest internal threat to the countries internal security was the Panthers program to feed the children of the black community”.
During the Party’s existence, members of the group clashed with police several times. The party’s treasurer, Bobby Hutton, was even killed during of these conflicts in 1968. In the 1970s, the Black Panthers began to fall apart. Key members left, and Newton faced more criminal charges. To avoid prosecution, he fled to Cuba in 1971, but he returned three years later.
Despite his legal run-ins, Newton began to take his education seriously. He returned to school, earning a Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1980. In his final years, however, it is believed that he suffered from a drug problem. The once popular revolutionary died on August 22, 1989, in Oakland, California, after being shot on the street.
Huey Newton was a man of profound stature and in my opinion had the courage or made the selfless sacrifice to the benefit of a people at a time when the community needed it most. He once said, “You can jail a Revolutionary, but you can’t jail the Revolution. If you stop struggling, then you stop life. Black Power is giving power to people who have not had power to determine their destiny.”
I happened upon this PBS video about a revolution lead by Toussaint Louverture and the only place on earth where slaves created a nation. It was the only successful slave insurrection in history. It grasped the full meaning of French revolutionary ideas — liberté, eqalité, fraternité — and used them to create the world’s first Black republic. This revolution in Haiti made it possible for America to obtain half of its nation [The Louisiana Purchase]. This revolution by a slave frightened the white power structure to the point of making the word Haiti synonymous with HELL!!!
You will not be taught this history. Watch and learn and that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
It's been said that there are no words that have not been spoken and no stories that have never been told but there are some that you cannot forget! "Legacy - A New Season" is the perfect complement to that statement.
It is the sequel and the continuation of "Just a Season" and a stand-alone story rich in history on a subject rarely explained to children of this generation concerning the African American struggle.
Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss, journeys back in time to reexamine all the important people, circumstances, and intellectual fervor that contributed to the richness of his life...
“Knowledge is power and power produces an understanding that education is the single most important ingredient necessary to neutralize those forces that breed poverty and despair.” — John T. Wills
If you’ve noticed rarely do I post comments on my writings on THOUGHT PROVOKING PERSPECTIVES. This blog is designed as a potent source of empowering knowledge to broaden the information base with those who share my passion for the written word. 
Thought Provoking Perspectives
