BLACK COMMUNITY QUOTES

Brian K. Rice: A friend of mine shared a picture with us of young boys sagging and in his comments he said, "For real STOP IT". This bothered me. I am have to get past the thought of telling our young men what is right. We have to get past talking about the problems in our community. We can't keep saying "stop" from a distance. We have to go where they are. We have to go to the schools, go to the neighborhoods, we have to establish relationships and we can't do that from a distance. Become a difference maker in your community. Inspire our young women with your example, inspire our young men with your example.

Brian K. Rice: This week I was one of 21 young professionals who spoke to over 2000 students about various careers and the importance of education. I spoke at one high school and one elementary school. Over the week, the Houston Chapter for the Organization of Black Airline Pilots coordinated 6 pilots and 15 various business professionals to speak to 15 separate schools. (We all can help in some way. You can help in some way. If you don't have flexible hours during the week, then find a program in the evening or on the weekend. There are organizations in every city that need more of you. This is what my latest book is about, "Black Americans, We Need You" www.briankrice.com It is about giving back and not pointing fingers.)

Today at church I saw the largest choir of men I have ever seen and it moved me. As church let out at 12, I saw the largest game of pickup ball I had seen only a mile away. I immediately turned around, parked my car, changed my shirt so I could fit in. The basketball boys were tatted up with crosses & praying hands, playing dice, smoking weed and shooting the breeze. How do we bridge the gap of the cross tatted men & boys?

Yesterday, I went to volunteer in what most would call the hood and yesterday evening I had a chance to make it to the last few hours of a day party. At one end, I see black poverty and people struggling to better themselves and at the other end I see the successful black young professionals living it up. Internally, I could not enjoy the moment. How can we motivate the 2nd group to be mentors for the 1st group?

Jawanza Kunjufu: "Our youth are chameleons and they will become whatever we want them to become" (Brian K. Rice: Simon says, put your right foot out... Simon says put your left foot out and shake it all about. What is Simon telling our kids? Who is Simon? YOU!)

Brian K. Rice: "It's perfectly okay to name your child any easily identifiable black name you choose. For years we have been trying to fit the mold of others. There are many Asian-Americans, India (n), Middle Eastern names that most of can't spell let along pronounce. What is important is that you raise your child up with high self esteem, morals, ethics, eagerness to be successful, confidence & self-accountability."

What if cancer had a cure but its 16 yr old founder lie in a box after he was shot by another 16 yr old who gives his life away in another death? When we do not attempt to correct negative behavior we become victims of it. Our misguided rappers are lifting up our youth with the hope that pulled them out and you can't be mad at them & the many educated are sitting back & are not providing any educated hope.

Brian K. Rice: "I am no longer mad at people who remain in the dark & repeat the cycle of ignorance, poverty, welfare, drugs, criminal activity, dropping out, kids having kids, 'adult-kids' raising kids. I am mad at the people who was given more gifts, given more insights & chooses to complain about the present situations but will not step in & provide help & shine their light into the darkness of those minds."

Brian K. Rice "What if you reached the idea of success that the majority expected out of you & you were the best? You dropped out of school, your were the best at selling drugs, you were the most notorious of thugs to get your ranks, you slept with as many people as you could, you never left your poverty, you got your rims & you never picked up a book. Change ONE Mind If You Can"

Jesse Jackson: "Your children need your presence more than your presents." (Brian K. Rice: It is amazing how many parents allow video games to babysit their children. For many years, me & my 3 siblings grew up being involved in various year round activities & the only time a parent did not make it to an event, was when they could not be in two important places at one time. Be there or let kids raise your kids)

Good fathers quote by Will Smith: "There's so much negative imagery of black fatherhood. I've got tons of friends that are doing the right thing by their kids, & doing the right thing as a father & how come that's not as newsworthy" (my thoughts: Thank God I had a great example of fatherhood & I can't wait until it’s my turn. If you are a true friend to a bad father & you are not saying anything, something is wrong)

Zora Neale Hurston: "There is something about poverty that smells like death. Dead dreams dropping off the heart like leaves in a dry season and rotting around the feet; The soul lives in sickly air." (there are many who have never seen anything but poverty and their responses to life are summed up by what they have seen, their hopes are been shattered daily because they never had the right training or resources. ~by Brian K. Rice)

Fannie Lou Hamer: "But you see now baby, whether you have a PhD, D.D. or no d, we're in this bag together. And whether you are from Morehouse or Nohouse, we're still in this bag together." (This economy has forced the pride out of a lot of well educated people to accept the jobs of those who went to NOHOUSE and the economy has forced a lot of people to get on their knees for prayer. ~by Brian K. Rice)

Ralph Abernathy: "I'm sick and tired of people of good intent giving aspirin to a society that is dying of a cancerous disease." (There are so many needs out there but it seems that there are not enough people with a big enough vision & a big enough plan to address the need appropriately. It is time to think bigger. Last thing, there are not enough compassionate people out there either. ~by Brian K. Rice)

Michael Baisden paraphrased: Even though your kid may be an honor roll student, the kid next door may not be and that kid may the one who may ruin your kid. To make a long story short, you can't just focus on your kid when you see other kids that need help as well because they can affect the outcome of yours.

Inspired by Candice Merritt: "no money plus no love for one another creates turmoil" (Brian K. Rice: violence is running rampant, selfishness is out of control, no love for your own children allows society to do whatever it pleases with them, no love for your neighbors ruins YOUR neighborhood too. Selfishness will only affect your tiny circle, BECOME SELFLESS & enlarge your circle. Don't forget we are all connected.)

Brian K Rice: "I have come to realize that people all too often are products of their environment. If you take in junk, junk will come out. If you learn to filter out that junk, junk will be filtered out. We need to be filters for those who don't realize what they are putting into their minds." (This especially goes for kids & adults who continue to repeat the cycles of ignorance, poverty & low self worth.)

Brian K. Rice: According to the Congress of National Black Churches, we have over 50,000 black churches in America. One article stated we have approximately 65,000 black churches. You can look at this in one way and say, this is a good thing but if you look at it the way I see it, this is the sad state of little unity. How sad is this? Are we that dis-unified? Many communities have churches on many corners. (written March 2011)

Brian K. Rice: Why is the little boy & girl walking in ignorance? When I was little, I thought my father knew everything. I would always ask him "What's that? What's this?" Well, we have a lot kids looking for the mothers & fathers & mentors to do the same, but many are not there to answer their questions. Our kids are hungry for guidance. Many underprivileged adults are hungry for guidance.

Jawanza Kunjufu: "The streets constitute an institution in the same way the church, school, and families are conceived as institutions And it is on the streets where many black children receive their basic orientation of life. The streets become the primary reference because other institutions have failed to provide the essential skills to survive in the Ghetto-Colony or the Asphalt-Jungle"

Robert Williams: "What is the color of bananas? Many would say yellow, but by the time they make it to my community, the ghetto, they are brown with yellow spots. Again I was penalized for the culture I lived in for not saying yellow." (Brian K. Rice: We can't judge every one with the same metrics. What's true in middle class America is not true for the working poor. We all see America through a different lens.)

Self Destruction 1989 Lyrics: "If we want to develop and grow to another level. We can't be guinea pigs for the devil... Yo Heavy D, deep in the heart of the matter. The self-destruction is served on a platter...They got greedy so they fell for the bait" (Brian K. Rice: We have to show our youth which platter of life to eat off of. Talented 10th, Pull someone else out

Professor Lani Guinier; "We have to be prepared to lead a fight for 'justice' and not 'just us'. In several states we are paying more for prisons than we are paying for higher education"

Mailk Yoba: "My commitment has been to responsible fatherhood. I believe that fathers are an emerging market. And I believe that we can be sold the value of responsible fatherhood through music, through television, through writing..." (Brian K. Rice: With collective effort we can encourage parents to be actively involved, this goes beyond just fatherhood but to motherhood and guardianship as well)

Cornel West: "These days freedom is much more about PERSONAL security, MATERIAL prosperity, and trying to "get over". That's not freedom. That might be one aspect of freedom, but if that's all that the foremothers and forefathers fought for-- just for some black folks at the top to get over-- then they struggled in vain. And they did not struggle in vain"

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu: "Peer pressure doesn't have to be negative. We have to encourage our youth to study together. It's amazing how schools have these big trophies for the basketball and football players and then these little buttons for debate team and the spelling bee teams."

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu: "It makes no sense to work forty hours for somebody else and can't find two to five hours to volunteer and work in your own community"

Earl Graves: "We cannot afford to take the attitude "I've got mine and I'm not rocking the boat." (Brian K. Rice: It is sad but too many have reached a little bit of success and choose to be quiet and selfish after they arrive. What happen to uplift? There are just too many people living scared and will not do what is right. There are many qualified and capable people, young and old, that are being left out)

Stanley Crouch “We now have younger black people, regardless of class, who have been misled into believing high grades, command of the English language, punctuality, being reliable, and setting aside the interest of developing sophistication are all signs of “selling,” of “trying to be white”

Stanley Crouch: “By rejecting supposed “white values” and “white standards” in pursuit of keeping it real,” far too many kids are not asserting the Black tradition of excellence as the antidote to stereotypes and best defense against life’s unfairness”]

Cathy Hughes: "We, African Americans have demonstrated that we are very good at making short distance runs. In the Olympics & in life we have mastered the 100 yard dash. Unfortunately, life is not a short dash...Therefore we need to construct the plan that we shall deliver to the next several generations." "Each of the other immigrant groups solved their problems by creating a multigenerational plan"

Cathy Hughes: Too often we overlook the fact that we are the linchpin Topic inspired by Cathy Hughes in the book titled “How To Make Black America Better”. The linchpin is the component that connects one train to the next train.

Cathy Hughes, “Many of our youths, have no concept of a future seeking message. As adults, we must guide and support our young people. We must provide the skills that will help them fashion a positive message. We must help our youth transform

Cathy Hughes: "We can begin empowering our community by reclaiming the responsibility for defining our cultural focus. As a people we must say what images can and cannot be tolerated. Our definition of ourselves must be clear and consistent."

Cathy Hughes: "We for the most part have been fooled to settle for simple access. Somehow we were convinced that freedom equaled having access to someone else’s dream or to being a walk on in someone else’s Broadway play" (Brian K. Rice: Access was the first step, now we have to own up to our own personal advances. The door is open but too many sit there and wait for people to pull them in.)

Cathy Hughes: What can be done to wipeout public housing dependency? I was just talking to one of my friends and he was furious describing a situation in his city where the public housing group is seeking a federal grant for 80 millions dollars to beautify the exterior of public housing units also known as “The Projects”.

Susan Taylor said our past struggles have sapped the energy of African Americans.

Tavis Smiley: "Is it any wonder that our children don't believe school is important?" (What are you injecting into the next generation? We have to be accountable & we have to inspire others to become accountable, we are losing the next generation every day & we have lossed too many in the adult generation already. (go to my profile page & jump in on the discussion)

‎Tavis Smiley: "worse, we have not yet been able to convince every brother and sister to share in the burden by shouldering his or her own load. The fact is, we don't have an African American to waste."

Brian K. Rice: "Too often the person with the positive message does not have the outlet of the celebrity song writers with the negative message, BUT a thousand voices together can speak louder than a microphone. (In the 60's during the civil rights movement, the majority of the marches were led by blacks under the age of 25 and many in high school. If you want to change something, step up & group up)"

Chief of Police, Charlotte, NC Rodney Monroe: "Since I have been Chief of Police in multiple cities, I go to every homicide location I can go to because I truly believe there is value in everyone’s life." (Brian K. Rice: The chief stressed the value of us stepping up and mentoring any kid you can. So, step up if you can.)

Marian Wright Edelman: "Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation." (Brian K. Rice: the struggles we see in the inner city, in our youth, in our government will take committed fleas biting strategically to transform. If there is anything within you that is overly concerned with anything in particular, step up & be that flea.)

MLK, Jr: "I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." (Moses saw the Promised Land but was not allowed to go because of his lack of obedience & faith by striking the rock twice. How many of us are striking the rock twice? ~by Brian K. Rice)

MLK: "If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive." (Is there anything in life that you feel so strong about that you are willing to die for it? For some this may be their kids, significant other, but very few are willing to die for a cause that reaches beyond their most loved ones ~by Brian K. Rice)
"In 1960, only 20% percent of the black population finished high school. African Americans had little to no access to higher education and only 3% graduated from college."

"We have segregated ourselves again from those who have not and those who think they have." (If half of the people, who think they have escaped, stopped talking about the problems in our black communities, actually stepped up and became a mentor to one individual instead of sitting back in their rocking chair, we could actually make a difference. Step up an give back, volunteer, change one life) ~by Brian K. Rice

Martin Luther King: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." (Be more than a warm body and step up, act out, speak out, and vote to change something that matters to you. I know there is something in your neighborhood, city, town, or church that bothers you and you are just sitting back complaining or ignoring what you can change. Be the change maker ~by Brian K. Rice )

Greek Life: "I love my frat/sorority but I am not active with any chapter, HOW?" (If more of the non active members stepped up, the black Greek organizations could be the change makers in the communities like the founders designed it. Be more than a t-shirt wearer and become active after college. Be a leader.)

Fraternity/Sorority Gods: "be careful not to put your organization on a pedestal" (many people are not aware that their letters have become idols to them. They have a closet full of shirts & accessories, they are ready to fight and beat you over their letters, and they have tags on the front and back of their car. They chant very compromising chants. Be mindful of your idols.

Greek Life: "It is time to be you, don't try to fit every stereotype" (it disappoints me to see people who are not aware that they are identified by their organization and not their character. You do not need a t-shirt to identify you. Step up, be different, be a positive example) by Brian K. Rice

"RESIST THE BLACK STEREOTYPE, resist being late, resist being lazy, resist using racism as a crutch for everything, resist throwing your money away, resist crime, resist bad attitudes, resist being religious just one day of the week, resist having kids out of wedlock, resist segregation among each other" (it is time set the example for greatness, for character, for wisdom, for loyalty, for unity) by Brian K. Rice

"one of the greatest tragedies of struggle for blacks is that there is not enough people speaking to the growing problem of young black people in our self made ghettos" (It's time to reach back & do your part by helping to change the thinking of someone you can reach. Just imagine the internal reward. It is time to volunteer & give back. There are tons of programs to choose from) by Brian K. Rice

"You get that education; all those hardships will just make you stronger, better able to compete. Yes we can." Pres. Barack Obama NAACP 100th Anniversary (To me this statement means that we shall keep learning regardless of degrees, keep striving, and stop making excuses for where you come from and what you look like and go compete with the best of them)

'A Colonized Mind' lyrics by Prince: ...The one in power makes law. Under which the colonized fall... Download, their form of fascism. Nothing really ever changes. You never had a voice...Upload, a child with no father. Download, no respect for authority. Upload, a child with no mother. Download, a hard time showing love... (Many of us are colonized and are living an illusion of who is really in control.)

Michael Jackson: "I'm a black American, I'm proud of my race. I'm proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity." (Brian K. Rice: My thoughts, as a black American, I love to study black history. I figure if I didn't get it in school I would have to take the liberty upon myself to learn about it and because of this I realize if they could handle their struggles, I can reflect on them as encouragement for my struggles.)