Mind Made Up?

My grandmama taught me that prayin’ is good for the soul

Prayin’ ain’t nothin’ but sayin’ what’s in your heart

Some folks say faith can move mountains

I guess so if they know so

Other folks say that you can heal bones

But not a truly broken heart

What I believe is people need hope

They need to believe that love conquers all

And that if rain don’t wash away the dirt

A good glass of whiskey and Keb Mo might

People been chattin’ about meditation

Substitute for keeping your mouth closed

Paying attention to where you’re standin’

‘Cause If you ridin’ a wild buckin’ horse

You can’t be thinkin’ about Christmas

Sweet potato pie- and black-eyed peas

You gotta hold on to the reigns

You gotta focus on where you’re headed

My granddaddy could fix almost anything

Except the broken wings of his children

When his wife passed from having too many

Leavin’ their farmyard full of dandelion weeds

You know pruning is easy once you pick up a rake

I can’t put too much credit in people’s talk

Sometimes it sounds like coyotes howlin’

Hungry bellies can’t think too straight

While some animals will eat almost anything

If it’s lookin’ pretty and smellin’ sweet

My sister used to beg me to love her

Like she needed my feelings to have a name

She got fat with self-pity and faded dusty

My brother wanted to be a local marvel hero

Got himself a badge and a legal 45

Got his butt horse whipped with it by a junkie

But he survived chasin’ loose bad gals

My aunt who grew up in that barren yard

Got a bad case of religion in her mature years

Now she’s fanning her lonesome self away

With other sanctified found themselves again

On a hard wooden baptist church bench

A lot of people claim to know who God is

Seen him sitting at them famous crossroads

Picking her teeth with a tree branch

Others say they felt them on the last full moon

Some claim to know him her it personally

Because they read a good book

Lot of folks think they know it all

All I know is that if faith is our number one game

Then hope is our main pawn in it

If we lose that

Then we lose everything

Camille Elaine Thomas

January 02, 2022

Copyrights @ All rights reserved

Chatting with Jazz on Spotify here.

Nov. 15th - 21st 2021 the Global Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus (AAPI) and the Global Black Caucus (GBC) are teaming up to take over each other's social media accounts to raise awareness of mutual issues.

First thing we want people to know is that solidarity is there. It's been there. We can trace the historical roots of Asian-Black solidarity back to 1955 with the Bandung Conference, where representatives of people from the Asian continent and folks on the African continent came together to talk about what decolonization was going to look like for both of us. Fast forward to things like the relationship between Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. King, and then all the way to the fight against the Klan in New Orleans in the '80s with Vietnamese fishermen.

In the United States, issues of race can often be cast along the lines of Black and White — and, especially at a moment when the world is being forced to confront the ways systemic racism is built into the nation’s history, the reasons for that focus are clear. 

The AAPI caucus & the GBC are teaming up to dismantle mutual prejudices from within their own communities and are highlighting their common issues. By moving forward and securing Democratic wins during elections, our communities become stronger together. 

During the Caucus Crossover Week, Nov. 15th - 21st 2021, both caucuses will be highlighting issues such as: 

• Asian & African American Votes Matter
• Environmental Racism Climate Change
• Unconscious Bias
• Reparations
• Human Trafficking
• Immigration
• LGBTIQ+

We will finish with a Caucus Crossover Panel Discussion between the AAPI & Global Black Caucuses on Sunday, November 21st 11am CET on Zoom.

Please RSVP here to get the Zoom link and to let us know you are interested!  Be part of the discussion and follow the AAPI & Global Black Caucuses social media channels.

We all can learn so much from each other!

The Trust Mantra

I believe that rainbows appear after the storm

That in times of test loved ones are still the best

That being natural is staying close to nature

That standing up is not a solution for the cowardly

That trust is better than distrust

That love can conquer all

That living with joy is more appealing than the blues

That willpower checkmates all hindrances

That faith can move mountains

That compassion performs miracles

That justice will dismantle inequalities

That patience during trials is recommendable

That believing in yourself is paramount to survival

That black people will one day be truly free

That children should be lovingly cherished

That women should be held up not held back

That men should be honored as admirable equals

That knowledge is better than ignorance

That dancing is good for the spirit

That you are what you constantly think

That kindred souls are preferable to adversaries

That the company you keep defines you

That laws should be constructed to protect citizens

That being kind is kind of great

That loving yourself first is paramount

That giving to the needy protects from selfishness

That being resilient keeps you going strong

That staying grounded helps sustain humility

That laughter is good for the soul

That destiny is what you make it

And you?

Camille Elaine Thomas

October 21, 2021

Copyrights @ All rights reserved

A Half a Tale

She knew she had a story to tell

The words seemed to evade her

Like a song about a harvest for the world

Lyrics and melody in commotion

The pandemic had left her tapped out

All she had was in her large pocketbook

Last week she had sold her old Ford

The living quarters for the three of them

Mary jane is not my name

Double dutch a childhood game

For a quarter and a nickel

You can get a sour pickle

There had been a time long past

When laughter was a daily remedy

Chasing away the daily grievances

Rent money, school fees, insurance

She felt the defenseless pressure

Leaving her senses desolate

Home is where the heart is

But the roof has to be kept

Step on the line

Your mama gets a fine

Take your money back

Fry the spinach black

She waited nervously in line

With her information filled-in form

All she wanted was another chance

A narration to nourish her yearning

There was a highly inebriated man

Yelling in the adjacent line

About what he would do

If he could do what he wanted

Jump up and down

Then do the turn-around

If you ain’t got it

Then it’s time to quit

A baby in a carriage bawling

Children jostling each other

Vying for attention

Which is all anyone wants

Sit in grandma’s rocking chair

Step on a crack if you dare

If you don’t like my baby

Then don’t you say maybe

It was finally her turn

She raised her wrinkled application

Which was greeted by a sullen frown

The testy refusal just a second away

But this time it was different

She was told to go and stand

In an even longer line

She took her request form

Pulled on her heavy handbag strap

And walked quickly to the adjoining line

Her doleful story just had to wait

For another day.

Two for the money

Three for the show

If your mama don’t like it

Then it’s time for your butt to go!

Camille Elaine Thomas

October 20, 2021

[email protected] All rights reserved

During these meetings we CONNECT, LISTEN, SUPPORT & EMPOWER each other, exchange thoughts and ideas, plan possible co-sponsored events and ultimately strengthen our community. The Global Black Caucus is hosting an open roundtable discussion once every three months for DA leaders and volunteers, and you are invited to be a vital part of the collective advocating on issues of African-Americans not just in the U.S. but all around the world.

The meetings will be of duration of 90 mins and be held on Zoom.

Please RSVP here to get the Zoom link and to let us know you are interested! 

The first Global Black Caucus Global Meeting will take place on November 30th, 7 AM EST Zoom (next meeting dates: 2022 -Jan. 30th, Mar. 31st, May 31st…)

Check the Global Black Caucus Wiki-Page or the Global Universal Calendar to find further dates for these meetings.

We are looking forward to having great conversations with you all.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a message: [email protected]

Love and Light

Leedonal (Jazz) Moore

Have you ever made a successful change in your life? Perhaps you wanted to exercise more, eat less, or change jobs? Think about the time and attention you dedicated to the process. A lot, right? Change is hard. Creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy, and leadership is like any lifestyle change. Setting our intentions and adjusting what we spend our time doing is essential. It’s all about building new habits. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. The good news is, there’s an abundance of resources just waiting to empower you to be a more effective player in the quest for equity and justice.

About the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge 

• For 21 days, do one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity 
• This plan includes suggestions for readings, podcasts, videos, observations, and ways to form and deepen community connections. Suggestions are in the following categories:

• Choose one activity per day to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity.
• Diversify your habits by doing some of each.
• Use the tracking chart provided here to stay on course. You can download the editable spreadsheet or a PDF for printing.
• We think understanding white privilege and white supremacy is a powerful lens into the complexities of doing social justice work, so we’ve focused our resources on that specific issue.