Professor Locs

Professor Locs: Talks about Amendment 1 on The Satisfied Life

Hey guys I got a message on Face book from my girl Ramona Holloway that she wanted me to come on the show The Satisfied Life and give my opinion on North Carolina's voting on amendment 1. 

She had read my article on Q City Metro, "Thoughts from a Gay man of Faith."

I am late posting this to my blog but better late than never.  As usual I had a great time hanging out with the crew Ramona, Pam and Bandy of The Satisfied Life and always enjoy when they invite me to share and discuss!

May 6, 2012 The Satisfied Life

ReleasedMay 06, 2012

3 Things You Can Do To Stand Out At A Job Interview; What A Gay Man Of Faith Thinks About Amendment One; The Skills That Kids Are Losing Because They're Using Computers 

Donna Summer Dead

Diva Down! Diva Down! Donna Summer legendary disco Diva of song was reported by TMZ to have died this morning at the age of 63. 

According to TMZ, "Sources close to Summer tell us ... the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago ... who says she didn't seem too bad.

In fact, we're told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on."

This has been a very difficult few years in that we have lost so many songbirds and Divas.

Donna Summer was a 5 time Grammy Award winning singer with classic hits like "Let's Dance"   "Bad Girls"and my personal kareoke favorite "MacArthur Park"!

Donna Summer was more than the Queen of the Disco era. Donna Summer was not just a singer but a true Diva of song that has contributed to the rich soundtrack of our lives.  She will be missed but she will live on through her music.  RIP Diva! 

 

Professor Locs' NPR segment on Gay Marriage and Presidents' response

I was asked to comment  on a subject I had written about earlier regarding NC's amendment 1, the church, the African-American community, gay rights, religion and President Obama's recent statement.  

The story "Black Voters Weigh Obama, Support For Marriage Ban" was written by NPR reporter Tanner Latham.   (To hear podcast click here)

I have copied my contribution from the transcript.

CHARLES EASLEY: My first reaction was like, really? Could you not have said this, like, two days before?

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

LATHAM: Easley is a professor at The Art Institute of Charlotte, and he's been in an openly gay relationship for 18 years. He thinks the president could have influenced the debate before the vote.

EASLEY: That really could have swayed some people because he has been very forthcoming in terms of that he is a Christian, he is a man of faith, but he is also this pinnacle of pride and success for the community.    

Happy Mothers Day

This is a tribute for my mother Robby in her memory and honor.    I miss you and love you dearly! 

A Family Intervention: Honor Your Mother

Mothers Day is just around the corner, so I thought I would share a moment I had recently with my sister and nephews.

My sister called me a few weeks ago and she was very upset with my nephews and their attitudes lately. She wanted me to speak with them, so I agreed, being the good uncle that I am. Since both our parents are gone, I have become the elder in our family. We picked an evening and set a date for a family intervention.

I decided to write them a letter to address all of my concerns and observations, especially the points of respecting their mother. I prefaced the meeting by saying that if I saw one eye roll or hear any sucking of the teeth, “Operation Jump in Yo Chest” would be immediately implemented.

Below is a sample of what I shared with my nephews. Some sections have been removed, and the names have been changed to protect the trifling…lol.

Nephews,

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~ Abraham Lincoln

I want to give you a brief history lesson. Our grandparents were both farmers and not formally educated. We grew up in the inner city of Houston, but from an early age, due to our mother’s and family’s support and expectations, we knew that we could and eventually achieved so much more than society expected for black children growing up in an “under resourced” environment.

It is also because of this strong dedication to education and achievement that I must say I have been most disturbed by your lack of commitment to what has always been part of our family values.

The other more pressing concern, and the one that most brings out my inner city ire, is how I have observed the increasingly disrespectful manner in which you treat your mother. Your uncle is a creature of habit, and I have lived my life being fiercely protective of the women in my life.

I will not mince words. Your mother is my sister and one of the most important and treasured people in my life. It is my DUTY as her brother to be a support system and, yes, protector. But hear me clearly, nephews: If it is my duty as her brother, then know that as her sons it should be your HONOR to cherish and protect the woman who has been nothing but a constant source of love and support.

There is nothing within my spirit that would allow me to disrespect my mother in the way I have witnessed you both do to your mom.

You are a guest in her home. Until you are grown enough to pay your own bills and have your own space, the expectation is that you follow her rules and protect her home, property and wishes, again as honorable sons.

I will give you this stern warning that you are causing your mother undue stress. If any harm comes to her because of these ongoing conditions, I would not have it in my heart to see you both in the same way. My unwavering support and protection for your mother as her brother is something she should feel daily from her sons, her protectors.

I want the world for you both, but until you change your attitudes and dispense with your entitlement issues, you unfortunately will have a very hard journey before you.

Nephew 1: You will never enter your mother’s space and as a semi-grown man who is capable of working and contributing to the household fix your lips to demand anything from anyone.

Nephew 2: You will stop acting like you know everything and speak and interact with your mother with the appropriate tone and reverence.

I share these edicts not to chastise you but to hopefully make you understand that it is a basic rule of the universe and faith that how you honor your mother will have much bearing on subsequent areas of your lives.

Believe me; I know this from experience. The day I said goodbye and held my mother’s hand when she took her last breath I could say with great clarity that I had done all I could to honor, love, respect and protect her as her son.

Nephews, if you theoretically had to put yourself in a similar and unthinkable position with your mom today, could you in all honestly say the same?

I want you both to fly and soar. Accept the help and support that surrounds you and claim a path of greatness, abundance and love and, above all else, cherish your Mother.

Respectfully,

Uncle Charles

We ended the meeting hugging it out and a warning that if I heard of another incident from either of them, then “Operation Jump In Yo Chest” would be reinstated…smile.

A Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful mothers in our lives.
 

Thoughts from A Gay Man of Faith

I struggled with whether I had the energy to address recent news reports, including one here on Qcitymetro.com, that discussed the black church and its response to Amendment One, which would impose a constitutional ban on gay marriage in North Carolina. I struggled with whether I, yet again, should open myself to rejection and criticism.

Then I remembered an Audre Lorde quote I read as an undergraduate: “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”

So, in that spirit, let me share some thoughts.

My grandfather was a minister and both my parents were raised in the church. Although neither was fanatical, I grew up in a strong, faith-based environment.

I always knew that something about me was different, and I finally embraced my sexuality in college. I experienced a sense of liberation, validation and wholeness that had been absent from my life. This was short lived, though, because I immediately begin to experience the “Brother Outsider” syndrome.

My sexuality put me at odds with many in my community and even some in my family. Because I was an African-American gay man, all of a sudden certain aspects of my life were suspect -- my manhood, my blackness and, yes, even my faith.

The reality is that gay folks have always existed in the black church, as long as there has been a black church. Like many gay or progressive straight folks who grew up in the church, I find it frustrating that many in the black community cannot see similarities between the oppression used to subjugate gays and the oppression used to subjugate other minority groups.

I have heard it said that the gay rights movement is not like the Civil Rights Movement: “People don’t know you are gay, but they do know that I am black,” or so the argument goes.

Yes, the two movements are different. But should we not have empathy when any community is oppressed? I don’t need breasts to empathize with women in their fight for economic and social equality, and not just empathize but advocate and support their struggle, because it is the right thing to do.

I get that folks want to honor their religious beliefs. But I also know that in a democratic, pluralistic society, we must not use our own religious dogma to deny others their basic civil liberties. The gay and lesbians communities are not demanding the right to "marriage" so much as the right to have some form of legal recognition of our unions.

Hello, is anyone else feeling a sense of déjà vu here? These same anti-gay-marriage tactics used to whip religious conservatives, including some black Christians, into a frenzy to help get former President George W. Bush re-elected.

Aside from restricting gay marriage (which is already prohibited under North Carolina law), Amendment One also would take away legal protection for civil unions or domestic partnerships. And by the way, folks, those don’t apply only to gay people.

I would like for the African American community, especially it’s spiritual leaders, to be a lot more discerning about who is courting them to support this amendment. When the dust clears, will it make our communities stronger? No, we'll still have high unemployment, rising health care costs, a repressed economy, another season of Basketball Wives and mounting international conflicts.

Exactly what is the black church protecting? Divorce rates are higher than ever, even among African Americans. We have a significant number of African American women raising children alone. And we have created a culture that trivializes the so-called sanctity of marriage with reality television. (How you doing, Kim Kardashian?)

Let’s bring this discussion closer to home. What if your child, sister, brother, mother or best friend were in love and told you they were the happiest they had ever been? Imagine that you had an opportunity to not engage them in a religious discussion but to support them in the most basic way to ensure that they, their loved ones, family and property received the same legal protections that all other Americans enjoy.

Ask yourself: If it hit that close to home, could you with all the Christian love in your heart still vote for something that would deny them basic civil liberties?

Win Some, Lose Some

I am not a betting man, but I do like to play the occasional slot machine when I visit a casino. It’s hard for me to part with my hard-earned money on the chance that I might hit big. But like so many folks last week, I got caught up in the frenzy of the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot.

The week had been unusually brutal for me, and by the time I got home one day, the television was ablaze with people across the country caught up in the fever fantasy of winning the big jackpot.

I sat there shaking my head. “What fools!” I thought.

I was just settling into my righteous indignation when something caught my attention. The reporter was showing a montage of people from all over the country delivering the same message: You can’t win if you don’t play.

The message was repeated from every imaginable city, small town and corner store. There were people representing every race, class and gender, smiling gleefully while holding what they knew would be the winning ticket. Something in me snapped! What if I did not play and missed my chance for instant economic autonomy?

I got up and mumbled halfway out loud and mostly to myself in a Yoda-inspired statement, “Tickets must buy now.”

I threw on some shorts and got into my car, focused on my mission to purchase what would be my deliverance from corporate America. I had sat with co-workers earlier that day, pondering what we’d do with our hypothetical winnings. We laughed, pledging to set each other up with paid condos or big wads of cash…lol.

I gripped the steering wheel, cursing at drivers who in my mind had already purchased their tickets, which was why they were driving at a snail’s pace. I begin to panic as I recalled from the news images of long lines of would-be lottery winners suspended in some form of jackpot purgatory.

I finally reached my destination and was pleasantly surprised to find no line. Had I stumbled upon a secret location? With great stealth, I approached the counter and in an almost whisper asked for five tickets, as I did not want to start a stampede. The clerk looked at me and said, “We no longer sale lottery tickets.”

What did he just say? I had barely processed the information before I was back in my car and down the street to another convenience store. I whipped into a parking space and rushed inside, taking my place in a line of about six people.

I observed that there was a strange language and ritual to this process. Some people had cards already filled out and others barked out lottery lyrics like, “Give me ten dollars of pick three and ten on Mega Millions.” It was like some weird lottery Starbucks order.

My time finally came and, like a scene from Seinfeld’s “The Soup Nazi,” I stepped to the counter and asked for five lottery tickets. The clerk asked if I wanted Pick Three or Pick Four? I started sweating because I did not want to seem like a novice, so I just blurted out, “I want five tickets for the big jackpot.” She handed me my five tickets and gave me a pitiful look like, “Here, you simpleton; try not to lose these tickets as you drag your knuckles across the parking lot back to your cave.”

I did not watch the drawing that night but got up early Saturday to attend an open house where I work. I arrived at school extra early, like I usually do, to get set up -- but something was different this morning. This could be the last time I would ever have to work.

Everything was ready, so I laid out my five tickets and looked up the lottery website online. I begin to fantasize how I would make my very dramatic exit into a luxurious exile. Maybe I would leave a post that simply said, “Won the lottery.” Or maybe I would offer a scholarship to the most enthusiastic visitor that morning. I was in the studio and had time on my side. Maybe I could videotape my resignation and have it looping when everyone arrived?

Back on the lottery website, I clicked on a video to reveal the winning numbers. As I simultaneously scanned my tickets and watched each ball drop, my dreams of a Puerto Rican beach house slowly slipped away.

I sat there silent for a while, resigned to my fate. I adjusted a few chairs and buttoned my suit jacket just as the first visitors arrived for open house.

“Good Morning, everyone,” I said. “My name is Charles Easley, and I am chair of the program. Who wants to work in the industry?...”

(Please share your fantasy exit from the working class?)

Happy Easter!

Young Justice | Watch cartoons online, Watch anime online, English dub anime

Guys I stumbled across a new cartoon channel and a new animated series treaure. 

Join me in a big old comic book geek squeal for Young Justice.  The series chronicles the events of all the side kicks (side note they hate that reference) from members of the Justice League. 

You have Kid Flash, Aqua Lad, Super Boy, Robin, The Martian's niece, a girl Green Arrow and many more interesting characters. 

My guilty pleasure is coming home and watching an episode online to catch up with the more than 20 episodes I have not seen.

If you are a comic book fan like I am you will definitely love the series! 


Young Justice | Watch cartoons online, Watch anime online, English dub anime.

Churches as Tourist Attractions, Really?

New York City has always been a worldwide tourist destination. It offers many must-see attractions and landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Central Park. Well, recently there has been an unusual addition to that list of attractions: Harlem churches.

Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (they must spend a fortune on embroidery for choir robes) is one of the oldest black churches in New York State; it’s also one of the many Harlem churches experiencing an increasing number of tourists from all over the world who want to listen to gospel music at a black church.

Don’t they have You Tube in other countries? I’m just saying.

“They want to see what they’ve seen on television,” said Larcelia Kebe, president of Harlem Your Way Tours Unlimited. “They want to see what they’ve seen in the movies.”

Many historical churches are struggling financially and without the influx of tourist income many would not be able to keep up with expenses. “Our building is in need of repair,” church member Paul Henderson said after the service. “We need assistance. They’re helping to sustain us.”

According to an article by the Associated Press, pastors and church members are sometimes conflicted with trying to conduct service while simultaneously accommodating the tourist groups. The reality of the situation is that the tourists are filling pews that ordinarily would be empty.

This is cultural co-option at its best people. Harlem Spirituals, one of the oldest and largest tour operators on a busy Sunday may run up to 15 full buses with ticket prices costing up to $55 per tourist, said Erika Elisabeth, a company vice president.

The tourists are having such an adverse effect that many churches now have rules posted to curb tourist “bad behavior.” Remember when usher’s only had to monitor gum chewers during service? Now the rules include: No photography, no flip-flops, no exiting during the sermon. Ushers have been turned into security agents because they have to constantly patrol for people filming during services and other disrespectful behavior.

Imagine, there you are trying to get your Sunday praise on when some loud tour group comes through peering at you like you are some wild cheetah at Lion Country Safari. I am sure it goes something like this:

Tour Guide: Welcome to Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church where you will see authentic African-American Christians in their natural habitat. To preserve the natural environment we ask that you refrain from any flash photography as it could provoke one of the ushers to ram the vehicle.

Tourist: Which ones are the ushers?

Tour Guide: You will be able to identify an usher by their erect stance, solemn facial expression and distinct all-white markings.

Tourist: When will the singing begin?

Tour Guide: Typically the choir will sing after church announcements and acknowledgement of visitors. You may be approached and hugged by some of the native members during the visitors welcome. Do not be alarmed or confuse this with the ritual of “laying of hands” outlined in your tour guide on page 15.

Tourist: Can we use our travel coupons in the collection plate?

Tour Guide: Your ticket price already includes a donation although many guest feel compelled to offer another donation after the choir sings to help with the ongoing building fund.

Tourist: What do we do if we see someone shouting?

Tour Guide: Do not be alarmed. Remain calm do not attempt to subdue them. If you have a shouter near you, please use the church fans with the black praying hands included in your tour kit until an usher can reach you.

Tourist: Do you think we will see anyone speaking in tongues?

Tour Guide: We cannot guarantee an actual speaking-in-tongues experience, but if we do witness one, you can purchase headphones for an extra $10 for an interpreted live translation.

Is church tourism another way of sharing the gospel — or are folks just pimping the pulpit?