Friday, May 25, 2012

When Whites realized they were Black ! Hell has frozen over !

 
"It's sometimes embarrassing to see the lengths your ancestors went to hide their African heritage, but look at the consequences" said Wayne Winkler, past president of the Melungeon Heritage Association. "They suffered anyway because of the suspicion."
The DNA study is ongoing as researchers continue to locate additional Melungeon descendants.

DNA study seeks origin of Appalachia's Melungeons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — For years, varied and sometimes wild claims have been made about the origins of a group of dark-skinned Appalachian residents once known derisively as the Melungeons. Some speculated they were descended from Portuguese explorers, or perhaps from Turkish slaves or Gypsies.
Now a new DNA study in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy attempts to separate truth from oral tradition and wishful thinking. The study found the truth to be somewhat less exotic: Genetic evidence shows that the families historically called Melungeons are the offspring of sub-Saharan African men and white women of northern or central European origin.
And that report, which was published in April in the peer-reviewed journal, doesn't sit comfortably with some people who claim Melungeon ancestry.
"There were a whole lot of people upset by this study," lead researcher Roberta Estes said. "They just knew they were Portuguese, or Native American."
Beginning in the early 1800s, or possibly before, the term Melungeon (meh-LUN'-jun) was applied as a slur to a group of about 40 families along the Tennessee-Virginia border. But it has since become a catch-all phrase for a number of groups of mysterious mixed-race ancestry.
In recent decades, interest in the origin of the Melungeons has risen dramatically with advances both in DNA research and in the advent of Internet resources that allow individuals to trace their ancestry without digging through dusty archives.
G. Reginald Daniel, a sociologist at the University of California-Santa Barbara who's spent more than 30 years examining multiracial people in the U.S. and wasn't part of this research, said the study is more evidence that race-mixing in the U.S. isn't a new phenomenon.
"All of us are multiracial," he said. "It is recapturing a more authentic U.S. history."
Estes and her fellow researchers theorize that the various Melungeon lines may have sprung from the unions of black and white indentured servants living in Virginia in the mid-1600s, before slavery.
They conclude that as laws were put in place to penalize the mixing of races, the various family groups could only intermarry with each other, even migrating together from Virginia through the Carolinas before settling primarily in the mountains of East Tennessee.
Claims of Portuguese ancestry likely were a ruse they used in order to remain free and retain other privileges that came with being considered white, according to the study's authors.
The study quotes from an 1874 court case in Tennessee in which a Melungeon woman's inheritance was challenged. If Martha Simmerman were found to have African blood, she would lose the inheritance.
Her attorney, Lewis Shepherd, argued successfully that the Simmerman's family was descended from ancient Phoenicians who eventually migrated to Portugal and then to North America.
Writing about his argument in a memoir published years later, Shepherd stated, "Our Southern high-bred people will never tolerate on equal terms any person who is even remotely tainted with negro blood, but they do not make the same objection to other brown or dark-skinned people, like the Spanish, the Cubans, the Italians, etc."
In another lawsuit in 1855, Jacob Perkins, who is described as "an East Tennessean of a Melungeon family," sued a man who had accused him of having "negro blood."
In a note to his attorney, Perkins wrote why he felt the accusation was damaging. Writing in the era of slavery ahead of the Civil War, Perkins noted the racial discrimination of the age: "1st the words imply that we are liable to be indicted (equals) liable to be whipped (equals) liable to be fined ... "
Later generations came to believe some of the tales their ancestors wove out of necessity.
Jack Goins, who has researched Melungeon history for about 40 years and was the driving force behind the DNA study, said his distant relatives were listed as Portuguese on an 1880 census. Yet he was taken aback when he first had his DNA tested around 2000. Swabs taken from his cheeks collected the genetic material from saliva or skin cells and the sample was sent to a laboratory for identification.
"It surprised me so much when mine came up African that I had it done again," he said. "I had to have a second opinion. But it came back the same way. I had three done. They were all the same."
In order to conduct the larger DNA study, Goins and his fellow researchers — who are genealogists but not academics — had to define who was a Melungeon.
In recent years, it has become a catchall term for people of mixed-race ancestry and has been applied to about 200 communities in the eastern U.S. — from New York to Louisiana.
Among them were the Montauks, the Mantinecocks, Van Guilders, the Clappers, the Shinnecocks and others in New York. Pennsylvania had the Pools; North Carolina the Lumbees, Waccamaws and Haliwas and South Carolina the Redbones, Buckheads, Yellowhammers, Creels and others. In Louisiana, which somewhat resembled a Latin American nation with its racial mixing, there were Creoles of the Cane River region and the Redbones of western Louisiana, among others.
The latest DNA study limited participants to those whose families were called Melungeon in the historical records of the 1800s and early 1900s in and around Tennessee's Hawkins and Hancock Counties, on the Virginia border some 200 miles northeast of Nashville.
The study does not rule out the possibility of other races or ethnicities forming part of the Melungeon heritage, but none were detected among the 69 male lines and 8 female lines that were tested. Also, the study did not look for later racial mixing that might have occurred, for instance with Native Americans.
 
Goins estimates there must be several thousand descendants of the historical Melungeons alive today, but the study only examined unbroken male and female lines.
 
The origin of the word Melungeon is unknown, but there is no doubt it was considered a slur by white residents in Appalachia who suspected the families of being mixed race.
 
"It's sometimes embarrassing to see the lengths your ancestors went to hide their African heritage, but look at the consequences" said Wayne Winkler, past president of the Melungeon Heritage Association. "They suffered anyway because of the suspicion."
The DNA study is ongoing as researchers continue to locate additional Melungeon descendants.
___
Associated Press Writer Cain Burdeau contributed to this story from New Orleans, La.

Marketing thugs & investing in prisons.........Gangsta Rap of the 1990s

The Rap Music Conspiracy

Anonymous  |  Hip Hop Is Read via O'Finioan's Blog 11,987 views
May 15, 2012
After more than 20 years, I've finally decided to tell the world what I witnessed in 1991, which I believe was one of the biggest turning point in popular music, and ultimately American society.
 
 
I have struggled for a long time weighing the pros and cons of making this story public as I was reluctant to implicate the individuals who were present that day. So I've simply decided to leave out names and all the details that may risk my personal well being and that of those who were, like me, dragged into something they weren't ready for.
 
Between the late 80′s and early 90's, I was what you may call a "decision maker" with one of the more established company in the music industry. I came from Europe in the early 80's and quickly established myself in the business.
 
The industry was different back then. Since technology and media weren't accessible to people like they are today, the industry had more control over the public and had the means to influence them anyway it wanted. This may explain why, in early 1991, I was invited to attend a closed door meeting with a small group of music business insiders to discuss rap music's new direction. Little did I know that we would be asked to participate in one of the most unethical and destructive business practice I've ever seen.
 
The meeting was held at a private residence on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I remember about 25 to 30 people being there, most of them familiar faces. Speaking to those I knew, we joked about the theme of the meeting as many of us did not care for rap music and failed to see the purpose of being invited to a private gathering to discuss its future.
 
Among the attendees was a small group of unfamiliar faces who stayed to themselves and made no attempt to socialize beyond their circle. Based on their behavior and formal appearances, they didn't seem to be in our industry.
 
Our casual chatter was interrupted when we were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement preventing us from publicly discussing the information presented during the meeting. Needless to say, this intrigued and in some cases disturbed many of us.
 
The agreement was only a page long but very clear on the matter and consequences which stated that violating the terms would result in job termination. We asked several people what this meeting was about and the reason for such secrecy but couldn't find anyone who had answers for us. A few people refused to sign and walked out. No one stopped them. I was tempted to follow but curiosity got the best of me. A man who was part of the "unfamiliar" group collected the agreements from us.
 
Quickly after the meeting began, one of my industry colleagues (who shall remain nameless like everyone else) thanked us for attending. He then gave the floor to a man who only introduced himself by first name and gave no further details about his personal background. I think he was the owner of the residence but it was never confirmed.
 
He briefly praised all of us for the success we had achieved in our industry and congratulated us for being selected as part of this small group of "decision makers". At this point I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable at the strangeness of this gathering.
The subject quickly changed as the speaker went on to tell us that the respective companies we represented had invested in a very profitable industry which could become even more rewarding with our active involvement. He explained that the companies we work for had invested millions into the building of privately owned prisons and that our positions of influence in the music industry would actually impact the profitability of these investments.
 
I remember many of us in the group immediately looking at each other in confusion. At the time, I didn't know what a private prison was but I wasn't the only one. Sure enough, someone asked what these prisons were and what any of this had to do with us. We were told that these prisons were built by privately owned companies who received funding from the government based on the number of inmates. The more inmates, the more money the government would pay these prisons.
 
It was also made clear to us that since these prisons are privately owned, as they become publicly traded, we'd be able to buy shares. Most of us were taken back by this. Again, a couple of people asked what this had to do with us. At this point, my industry colleague who had first opened the meeting took the floor again and answered our questions.
 
He told us that since our employers had become silent investors in this prison business, it was now in their interest to make sure that these prisons remained filled. Our job would be to help make this happen by marketing music which promotes criminal behavior, rap being the music of choice.
 
He assured us that this would be a great situation for us because rap music was becoming an increasingly profitable market for our companies, and as employee, we'd also be able to buy personal stocks in these prisons.
Immediately, silence came over the room. You could have heard a pin drop. I remember looking around to make sure I wasn't dreaming and saw half of the people with dropped jaws. My daze was interrupted when someone shouted, "Is this a f****** joke?" At this point things became chaotic.
 
Two of the men who were part of the "unfamiliar" group grabbed the man who shouted out and attempted to remove him from the house. A few of us, myself included, tried to intervene. One of them pulled out a gun and we all backed off. They separated us from the crowd and all four of us were escorted outside.
 
My industry colleague who had opened the meeting earlier hurried out to meet us and reminded us that we had signed agreement and would suffer the consequences of speaking about this publicly or even with those who attended the meeting. I asked him why he was involved with something this corrupt and he replied that it was bigger than the music business and nothing we'd want to challenge without risking consequences.
 
We all protested and as he walked back into the house I remember word for word the last thing he said, "It's out of my hands now. Remember you signed an agreement." He then closed the door behind him. The men rushed us to our cars and actually watched until we drove off.
 
A million things were going through my mind as I drove away and I eventually decided to pull over and park on a side street in order to collect my thoughts. I replayed everything in my mind repeatedly and it all seemed very surreal to me.
 
I was angry with myself for not having taken a more active role in questioning what had been presented to us. I'd like to believe the shock of it all is what suspended my better nature. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to calm myself enough to make it home. I didn't talk or call anyone that night.
The next day back at the office, I was visibly out of it but blamed it on being under the weather. No one else in my department had been invited to the meeting and I felt a sense of guilt for not being able to share what I had witnessed. I thought about contacting the three others who wear kicked out of the house but I didn't remember their names and thought that tracking them down would probably bring unwanted attention.
 
I considered speaking out publicly at the risk of losing my job but I realized I'd probably be jeopardizing more than my job and I wasn't willing to risk anything happening to my family. I thought about those men with guns and wondered who they were.
 
I had been told that this was bigger than the music business and all I could do was let my imagination run free. There were no answers and no one to talk to. I tried to do a little bit of research on private prisons but didn't uncover anything about the music business' involvement. However, the information I did find confirmed how dangerous this prison business really was.
 
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Eventually, it was as if the meeting had never taken place. It all seemed surreal. I became more reclusive and stopped going to any industry events unless professionally obligated to do so. On two occasions, I found myself attending the same function as my former colleague. Both times, our eyes met but nothing more was exchanged.
 
As the months passed, rap music had definitely changed direction. I was never a fan of it but even I could tell the difference. Rap acts that talked about politics or harmless fun were quickly fading away as gangster rap started dominating the airwaves.
 
Only a few months had passed since the meeting but I suspect that the ideas presented that day had been successfully implemented. It was as if the order has been given to all major label executives. The music was climbing the charts and most companies were more than happy to capitalize on it. Each one was churning out their very own gangster rap acts on an assembly line.
 
Everyone bought into it, consumers included. Violence and drug use became a central theme in most rap music. I spoke to a few of my peers in the industry to get their opinions on the new trend but was told repeatedly that it was all about supply and demand. Sadly many of them even expressed that the music reinforced their prejudice of minorities.
 
I officially quit the music business in 1993, but my heart had already left months before. I broke ties with the majority of my peers and removed myself from this thing I had once loved. I took some time off, returned to Europe for a few years, settled out of state, and lived a "quiet" life away from the world of entertainment.
 
As the years passed, I managed to keep my secret, fearful of sharing it with the wrong person but also a little ashamed of not having had the balls to blow the whistle. But as rap got worse, my guilt grew. Fortunately, in the late 90's, having the internet as a resource which wasn't at my disposal in the early days made it easier for me to investigate what is now labeled the prison industrial complex.
Now that I have a greater understanding of how private prisons operate, things make much more sense than they ever have. I see how the criminalization of rap music played a big part in promoting racial stereotypes and misguided so many impressionable young minds into adopting these glorified criminal behaviors which often lead to incarceration.
 
Twenty years of guilt is a heavy load to carry but the least I can do now is to share my story, hoping that fans of rap music realize how they've been used for the past two decades. Although I plan on remaining anonymous for obvious reasons, my goal now is to get this information out to as many people as possible.
 
Please help me spread the word. Hopefully, others who attended the meeting back in 1991 will be inspired by this and tell their own stories. Most importantly, if only one life has been touched by my story, I pray it makes the weight of my guilt a little more tolerable.

The Libation Walk - Father's Day Ancestral Ritual

The Libation Walk
Following traditions from the motherland, on Father's day you are invited to honor our ancestors (Forefathers/Foreparents) who have graduated from earthly life. Following the beat of a drummer we will walk silently around the lake trail of Mount Trashmore (Virginia Beach, Virginia) in remembrance to our beloved familial, personal, national, and Diaspora ancestors. Carry memorabilia, pour walking libations, carry spiritual/religious materials, pray, honor, recognize, and the like as one walks the lake trail. End the silent walk with a drumming circle and social fun. Approximately a 30 minute walk. 8:00 - 9:00 AM. Cultural attire is encouraged. Open to the public.
Title:   The libation walk (Honoring our ancestors)
 
Date:   Father's Day Sunday
Time:   8:00 am - 9:00 am
Repeats:   This event repeats annually on Father's Day.
Location:   Mt. Trashmore, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Street:   310 Edwin Drive
City State Zip:   Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23462

Title:   The libation walk (Honoring our ancestors)
 
Date:   Father's Day Sunday
Time:   8:00 am - 9:00 am
Repeats:   This event repeats annually on Father's Day.
Location:   Mt. Trashmore, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Street:   310 Edwin Drive
City State Zip:   Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23462
Peace & prosperity,
DJ Seko & Wifey Rhonda VArner
Family, Fun, Financial Freedom !
Cell/Office: 757-248-3820 Fax: 866-400-0201
http://www.happilyeverafter.be

Art is our weapon Teens With a Purpose Attacks Bullying with Spoken Word Poetry- FREE EVENT - May 25, 2012 Sandler Center

This a free community event, sponsored by Teens With a Purpose in partnership with VBCPS,

VB Parks & Recreation, Norfolk Parks & Recreation and the Sandler Center.

 

Youth (ages 13- 18) can sign up to perform at the designated numbers on the flyer. 

 

Please pass the word on to interested students. It will be a truly inspiring event.

Thank you for your continued support. 

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peace & prosperity,
DJ Seko & Wifey Rhonda VArner
Fun, Family, Financial Freedom !
Cell/Office: 757-248-3820 Fax: 866-400-0201
http://www.happilyeverafter.be

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Girls ages 11 to 17 for 4 week Summer Camp Teaching Natural Hair Care



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Dreadz N Headz <Ohnappy1@gmail.com>
To: imanifoundation@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 6:04 PM
Subject: Seeking Teen Girls ages 11 to 17 for 4 week Summer Camp Teaching Natural Hair Care
  Share Embed Email Share Email Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Post a tab on Facebook Like on Facebook
From the desk of ..... 

 
We are looking to equip your teenage daughter with a skill...
We are now accepting applications for Teens Summer Camp.....  ages 11 to 17
After taking this course during the summer you child will be able to open thier own salon ...
Special payment arrangements are negotiable.
Please see flyer below 
 We are empowering the next generation with marketable skills.
Empowering Entreprenuirship 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

V - Foundation Mothers Day Event (757 Virginia)

CHANGING YOUR BEHAVIOR BY REPROGRAMMING YOUR SPIRIT




AUSAR AUSET SOCIETY
HAMPTON ROADS, VIRIGINIA

Invites You to a Personal Development Workshop

CHANGING YOUR BEHAVIOR
REPROGRAMMING YOUR SPIRIT

The storage unit and means of manifesting thoughts, images, emotions, and behaviors is your Spirit. Reprogramming it entails impressing the mind with right knowledge (Divine Laws) and developing a reasoning process rooted in a Divine Self Image. This interactive workshop provides insight into the Laws, Script Writing Technique, and Meditation Process to support correct thought and action in all life’s challenges, and therefore enhances the potential for success in all your endeavors.

Conducted by
Heq Shemsu Heru Mehab Neter
Chief and Priest of Ausar Auset Society

Saturday, May 12, 2012
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Donation: $5

Location
Christian Church Uniting 6049 Indian River Rd., Va. Beach VA 23464
Spiritual Consultations Available

For more information call 757-724-0800

Click on the link for the Flyer: 
http://db.tt/VT8t4V4T

Umoja (Unity) Festival - P-Town, VA (Memorial Day Weekend)

Again … a For Us By Us event. If we don’t show up then why should anyone else. They will have live music Friday – Sunday so bring your folding chairs and go out and enjoy the sounds.

UMOJA (UNITY)

Please pass along.

Hetepu (Peace and Blessings),
Asar Maa Ra Gray


Subject: Umoja Festival - P-Town, VA (Memorial Day Weekend)

Come out for the 22nd Annual Umoja Festival and Concert, Memorial Weekend in downtown Portsmouth.

Enjoy a FREE festival all weekend long! PERFORMING LIVE on Saturday, May 26 at the NTelos Pavilion

Read more: http://www.kissfmvirginia.com/pages/umoja.html#ixzz1uBVVFOMA