By Kevin Powell and April Silver (2004)
Kevin Powell and I have been friends and collaborators since our
college years in the late 80's. In 2004, we became business associates.
That year, he organized the critically acclaimed State of Black
Men Townhall Meeting National Tour. AKILA WORKSONGS handled the
PR and that year we became the exclusive PR company for the writer/activist.
In one of our many trips together across the country for the tour,
Kevin and I had one of our age-old discussions about how do we,
as organizers, practically help improve our community. What are
some of the simplest things that we can do, individually and collectively,
to bring positive change into our lives and justice in our communities. What
is the best way to respond to people who reach out to us for advise
and insight on how to do this?
Here is what came from that discussion in the sky. We pass this
out at events and programs and the positive feedback has been tremendous.
1. Read, Read, Read. Seek out
reading lists, ask trusted people for book suggestions. Read at least
one daily paper and one weekly "alternative" newspaper regularly.
You must see reading as a commitment to learning. This will help broaden
your worldview and sharpen your critical thinking skills. With this
in mind, minimize television watching, or at least, balance television
viewing with reading, as constant reading will help you to interpret
all media (including television) in a broader and healthier way.
2. Strive to
be of good character, learn to be compassionate
toward the plight of others. Struggle
for consistency between your public and
private lives. Always be conscious of what
you say, think before you speak, and ask
yourself "Am I about bridge building
or destroying bridges?" Or, "Do
I know how to love myself, and others?"
3. Be proactive
with your life and in your community. For
example, educate yourself about the history
of voting in America, register to vote,
and vote in each and every election. Voting
does make a difference on the local and
state levels, as evidenced by who gets
to control our school systems, land usage,
and monetary allotments to our communities.
Finally, join an organization that is in
support of everyday people. Develop a high
threshold for the difficulties that are
naturally associated with organization
building and dynamic personalities. If
one organization disappoints you, seek
others. If necessary, make it a point to
learn how to build an organization yourself
by studying various groups and movements,
then start one with like-minded folks.
4. Debate ideas
and learn to formulate your own opinions. Debate
in a healthy manner: always come with facts,
not emotions. Make sure you are listening
as opposed to waiting for your turn to
speak. In other words, use your intellect,
not your ego when discussing ideas.
5. Avoid frivolous
spending at all costs. Purchase
what you need, not what you desire. Strive
to own something in your life.be it a home,
a business, or land. In our community,
we are used to being the renters or the
employees, not the owners. Ownership, however,
is a strategic way to seize power!
6. Make a commitment
to holistic living: eat healthy,
exercise regularly, pray or meditate at
least once every day. Seek counseling in
one form or another if you have ANY minor
or major emotional issues. Living a balance
life sometimes calls for you to be self-centered.
With the right intent, being selfish is
a good thing..
7. Be creative. Strive
to be a talented artist. Discover what
your creative expression is (e.g., writing,
dancing, acting, sewing, cooking, playing
music, drawing/painting, styling hair,
etc.). Learn the political and cultural
history of your people, your group, and
other groups, so that you can incorporate
a global vision as you create your art.
8. Be bold,
be fearless. We should never
be afraid of living our lives.honestly.
And, we must be comfortable with resisting
and protesting whenever necessary.
9. Seek God. When
we embrace the essence and power of God
in our beings, in our natural environment,
we are embracing the highest and most profound
level of knowledge and creativity. Simultaneously,
we must respect the presence and contributions
of those who've come before us. One of
the greatest thank you's we could give
to the God force in our lives and to our
ancestors is to elevate our personal and
collective selves (our thoughts, our words,
our deeds).
Feel free to share your thoughts:
April R. Silver
frontdesk@akilaworksongs.com
718.756.8501
Kevin Powell
kevin@kevinpowell.net
718.399.8149
