They live in a world with no love.
They hang out with friends who will hang them.
They have no one else.
They watch television, but really see nothing.
They listen to music more than a single parent, teacher or preacher.
They pick up a ball, but never a book.
They dress in clothes they can’t afford to be wearing.
They stand on the corner of guns and drugs.
They slip into cars taking them to prison or graveyards.
They don’t know where they come from or where they’re going.
They are lost. But won’t ask for directions.
They need us like never before.

R. Lee Gordon

Did you know John Hanson was the first President of The United States and that he was black?

Do you know what year President Lyndon B. Johnson signed The Civil Rights Act?

Blacks invented peanut butter, the pencil sharpener and the refrigerator.

Blacks also invented the clothes dryer, the traffic light and the elevator!

Do you know how the Buffalo Soldiers got their name?

Who was the first black player to play in a major league baseball game?

Did you know James Derham was the first black physician at age 16 in 1783?

Did you know the first black directed film was Gordon Parks' film "The Learning Tree"?

These are things we all need to know.

If we know where we've been, there's no telling how far we can go!

Terry Williams
Editor
Center Stage Magazine

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"Blackness"

Bold/ Beautiful/ As defined by me, myself, and I./ Dirty/ Wicked/ If taken from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary./ So you look at me and question/ what I am./ You see my light brown skin/ with freckles a shade or two/ darker/ You examine my hair that/ can be worn straight or/ in a coiled fro./ You are mesmerized by/ my slanted eyes and/ continue to question/ what I am./ You mock my style/ but choose not to speak to me./ You talk to me as if I'm/ a child/ when I'm in fact nearing thirty/ You judge me based on my looks/ and/ seem to have a hard time deciding/ if you want to love me or hate me./ All the while/ Questioning/ what I am/ You assume that I'm mixed/ But, aren't we all?/ You determine through your own/ ideology that/ I'm not black/ Is it because/ I articulate my words/ or because/ I'm cultured?/ Is it my refined taste/ or/ my respectability?/ Is it because of my positive attitude/ or simply that my/ skin is not darker than/ yours?/ Could it be that my Blackness/ outshines yours?/ Through my understanding of my/ History/ Which gives me a certain appreciation/ for my past./ Through my admiration for/ those who have contributed to my/ present in so many different ways/ Through my diligence in my effort/ to become better for generations/ to benefit from me/ in the future./ So you still want to ask/ what I am/ I am bold/ I am beautiful/ I am Black

Jennifer Moorer aka RIZE

there was a time
in my lifetime
and many of our lifetimes
when red, black and green
was everywhere
and beautiful was the world.

even when we had to fight
for things everyone else had
but didn’t have to fight for
we rose as one and won
and the world was beautiful.

and we bathed in pride
wore purpose
and our power was there
everywhere
for the world to see
in beautiful colors.

then struck storms
taking our best away
to darken my days
as skies poured pain.

and i lost my way.

in what was once
a beautiful world.

R. Lee Gordon

.

"The tree of black unity is growing everyday. 
Let us now bear fruit so that all our children flourish."




R. Lee Gordon is president of UniTee Design, Inc. He also develops concepts and companies through his work with a global entrepreneur, and their mutual goal is to make Detroit (and the world) a better place to live, work and play.  Gordon has provided marketing and growth solutions for more than 200 business owners between New York City and Chicago