Blacks with Power| Make America Great through Black Power Fr. Jabriel Ballentine

So, I wasn't going to record an episode...I mean, I wanted to. But I didn't want to...







The reality that police are now shooting us in the back of the head and folk are finding ways to rationalize and justify that. Even those who are supposedly supporting the mattering of Black life, want to see the tape of Andrew Brown Jr's execution as if they believe there could be something on the tape that gives them comfort that a bullet to the back of the head was warranted...







I was compelled to record a show. But, I also didn't assert that with Pr. Jimmie. So, we didn't set up in my normal software for recording. So...this will be an Old Skool throw back type show...







It will be just audio.







Yet, we were on fire! I was in a space that I hope I won't be in next week. Yet, I give thanks for what the Spirit placed in our midsts and so I am releasing this as a traditional audio only podcast.







Because we must consider: what is the line that cannot be crossed? What is the deal breaker for this experiment in integration? Do we have a deal breaker? Or have we simply resigned ourselves...reconciled ourselves to taking this ass-whopping until White folk stumble upon a higher level of civility and humanity than which they are presently capable?







We have to have some positions that protect and assert our dignity as human beings. So, in this conversation I present some of those foundational positions we must have and why we must have them if we the Black People are to become anything more than a victim of the American Experiment.







There are some foundational positions we must hold as a people, and we must be willing to disengage from anything that violates our dignity. So, in a sense: this might be the last podcast, because I don't know what point it serves to have this conversation if you all are still ok with remaining a subjugated people.







But if you hear this and are moved to protect and assert your dignity, let us know in the comments and we can continue on this journey together!

We have heard the quote, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over again, while expecting different results.” But we seem to be stuck on this trajectory…







How do we make it stop?!







This conundrum has become a reality for Fr. Jabriel and me. Communally, we see this conundrum of insanity illustrated in how we view ourselves. There are many of us who are not willing to put in the work to explore and evolve who we are and how we view ourselves. Believe it or not, the personal view of ourselves distort our view toward others. This is the center of this conundrum. 







Are we willing to start and continue the work of self-exploration and evolution? Are we willing to continue in this conundrum of insanity?







This is our exploration on this episode of Blacks With Power. After viewing this episode, share your thoughts and comments. How much deeper do you think we need to go in this conversation? What's the single greatest question you have in response?







Your comments will shape the how we approach this moving forward...so, thank you!









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cef40lX9Qs&sub_confirmation=1

The old saying goes, “Laughter is good for the soul.” But it’s also said that, “You have to laugh to keep from crying.”







These sayings expressed the way in which we either find joy through laughter or cope through laughter. And this is the deeper search, because we all need to laugh…







We all have moments when we “need to laugh.” Or maybe not…maybe we’re the only ones…Do you have moments when you just need a good laugh? As you see and endure the Black Experience, do you not experience times where you “just have to laugh?”







But how are we laughing?







Just to cope? Or to enter into the Joy of our True and Only Master?







This is our exploration on this episode of Blacks With Power. After viewing this episode, share your thoughts and comments. How do you engage laughter? Do you find joy through laughter? Do you find yourself coping with laughter? Do you ignore those who simply cannot laugh? We invite you to watch and share.









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ3vEhU_wPU&sub_confirmation=1

The oldest and the most BELOVED institution in the Black community is the Black Church. Tuesday, February 16, 2021, PBS aired a documentary called “The Black Church.” 







One personal take-away of this documentary is that “white acceptance is something that Black people long for.” These words are from my personal tweet, @WWJimmieDo. Fr. Jabriel, @Jah_Bread, responded, “There’s a topic...lol.” 







Any good documentary should provoke an honest conversation. White acceptance is something that is longed for in our BELOVED Black Church. Because of this, we celebrate our tradition while negating the trail that we are blazing for the next generation to come.







What has the Black Church become? Is the Black Church moving our beloved community forward? Or, are we just simply celebrating the traditional heritage of the Black Church? 







This is our exploration on this episode of Blacks With Power. After viewing this episode, share your thoughts and comments. What are your thoughts when it comes to the heritage of the Black Church? We invite you to watch and share.







To ensure a deeper understanding of the Black Church, we offer the following resources:







* Black Church and Black Radicalism by Gayraud S. Wilmore* The Negro Church in America / The Black Church Since Frazier by E. Franklin Frazier and C. Eric Lincoln* David Walker’s Appeal by David Walker







Some additional sources to consider:







* The Black Church in the African American Experience by C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya* The Talking Book: African Americans and The Bible by Allen Dwight Callahan* Slave Religion by Albert J. Raboteau * The Black Church: Relevant or Irrelevant in the 21st Century? by Reginald F. Davis









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1EnpFLHzbk&sub_confirmation=1

Zora Neale Hurston penned, “All your skin folk ain’t your kinfolk.” There are “skin folk” who continue to project whiteness in families, churches, and other institutions that is part of our community. The projection of whiteness dismembers and distorts the memory, vision and mission of the beloved community. 







As we journey through Black History Month, we are constantly reminded of the terror of White Supremacy. From the period of Reconstruction to the Insurrection at the Capital Building, whiteness (White Supremacy) remains at the cultural center of our country, community, and companions (those who consider themselves kinfolk). 







What does it mean for us to remember, return, and reconnect to our being as the beloved community? How do we embark on this journey of reclaiming ourselves and our community?







This is our exploration on this episode of Blacks With Power. We are joined by Rev. Tyree Anderson, D.Min. He is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Ensley, located in Birmingham, Alabama. He also hosts The Cutting Edge Clergy Podcast. After viewing this episode, share your thoughts and comments. What resonates with you as it pertains to reimagining ourselves free from the projection of whiteness?









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF7BxIXLTrE&sub_confirmation=1

What is Black History Month?







What is its purpose? What should be its purpose? What is the best use of Black History, in these times?







What are we remembering? What does it mean to "re-member?"







As we enter Black History Month, in the wake of White Insurrection, it is time to reconsider our approach to our story and its usage. It might not be the best use of Black History as a means to "enrich American History."







Maybe it's better to focus Black History on enriching the devalued and dismembered Black American? Better to use Black History for enriching the devalued and dismembered African people of the world...







This is our exploration in this episode of Blacks with Power. After checking it out, what do you think? What needs to be remembered? Where should we be placing the emphasis of remembering and who should be most invested in this remembering?









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRUXABW8dsQ&sub_confirmation=1