Brown & Blessed

Asians being ignored in racial discussions or even worse, lumped in with whites as if we were essentially the same

The utter lack of education on Asian directed hostility that has been a continued issue in the united states ever since we first started coming here.

People treating all race issues as just Black vs White

The assumption that since Asians have the  stereotypes of being smart, docile, and nonthreatening, that we lack a struggle other minorities have

The hypersexualization of Asian women and the complete desexualization of Asian men

Hills—may I call you Hills?—I think it’s time we had a sit-down. No, not like that weird, SNL-skit of an interview/audition you did with Mary J. I mean a real conversation, with no singing or awkward hand holding. I know you’re a busy woman so I won’t take up too much of your time. I just need to ask you a question. In fact, let’s nix the sit-down and you can just drop your answer in the comments section below. So here goes (and please be honest): Do you think Muslims are super-predators?

(Mary clasps Clinton’s hand as she sings a song about being polite to police so they don’t kill you. Credit: Apple Music, Twitter)

I mean, I already know black young men are, but what about Muslims?  And if they are, then what about black Muslims? Are they, like, super super-predators? Gosh, I hope not. I’ve got two of those living in my house. Hope they don’t attack me. That wouldn’t be good.

But let me stay focused. I ask this question because it seems you have the idea that working with Muslims will get us to all of a sudden give up secret terrorist information we’ve been hiding. I’m not sure how you think that’ll work. Is your plan to give the kids Eid gifts, the women pashminas and the men beard oil? (Because I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ll definitely drop a dime for a new pashmina.) Or do you plan to just befriend us and make us think you like us so you can extract all this valuable data we secretly carry around, like names and numbers of future suicide bombers? If you’re planning on either of those, let me give you a bit of advice: don’t.

I’d hope you want to engage Muslim communities because they are a part of American society, particularly black Muslims, who have been here longer than you have. I’d hope you genuinely want to make relationships and get to know new people. But if all you want to do is use us, we’re not interested. And what type of people do you think we are that you’d actually believe we have such information and wouldn’t give it up? That would make us complicit and accountable. Understand this: Regarding anyone who calls themselves Muslim but engages in terrorism, we don’t claim them, don’t like them, don’t have anything to do with them. They clearly have a disease of the heart and don’t understand Islam. And you clearly don’t understand us if you think we’d aid and abet such individuals.  

So I just heard that someone–a lot of someones–had the nerve to fix their lips to call baby Blue Ivy ugly. This has happened a few different times, unfortunately, but the impetus for this particular uprising of haters was her appearance at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. I didn’t watch the live airing of the show, but my social media timelines were full of beautiful pictures of Blue in her gold high-low tutu. She looked stunning, and that her mother (or stylist) would pair such an extravagant dress with two simple cornrows is just…yaaaaasss! (There really are no other words to describe that.) As far as I was concerned, sweet baby Blue was winning at life and that was that. I mean, the child looked like a uber cute, magical, ethereal, melanated 2016 version of Cinderella’s fairy godmother, and someone still had the nerve to be displeased? Dis tew much!

Blue Ivy and Beyonce at 2016 VMAs.

Kimberly Foster of the website For Harriet did a wonderful video on this topic. (Check that out here.) And since I’m a writer, my first reaction was to pen a heartfelt piece about battling the brainwashing and toxic beauty standards that leave black girls feeling unattractive and unworthy. But you know what I did with that piece? Deleted it. Straight up ctrl-A and backspace. I had to.

I cannot contribute to the tragic black woman narrative. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the worst thing in the world to be is a black female. Because everyone hates us, and everything thinks we’re ugly, and no one wants to marry us, and everyone thinks we’re unprofessional and uncouth. That’s the story that gets retold and recycled. And though misogynoir is realer than Chili’s baby hairs, we still shine. We still walk and stride with the rooh (spirit) Allah (swt) has breathed into us. Remember, we are made in the best of molds. Those are our Creator’s words (95:4), not mine. Let nothing overshadow that fact.  

So, yes, some ignorant, self-hating adults made disrespectful comments about a small child, but for every person calling her ugly, there are two more singing her praises. For every person acting as if it’s a bad thing that she has her daddy’s features, there are many others showing her picture to their daughters saying, “Look, honey, she looks like you.”

The imagery of Blue Ivy, Quvenzhane Wallis, Skai Jackson, Riele Downs, Gabby Douglass, Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, Coco Jones and other unambiguous girls and young women will never be undone. People can say all they want and they can project their insecurities on others all they want–even defenseless four-year-olds–but no number of mean tweets or comments will erase anyone’s beauty or worth. That little girl, like every other little girl, is perfect in every way. THAT is what we must focus on. 

Know this, black woman: The world is full of people of every color and creed who appreciate your existence and are in awe of your beauty. Not in an over-sexualized, fetishized, I’m-gonna-steal-your-look sort of way, but in a I-love-my-brother/sister-as-I-love-myself sort of way. And not that we need anyone’s validation, but the whole world isn’t blind. Sometimes we can be so focused on those who disapprove that we look right past everyone who wants to love on us. 

When Brother Malcolm (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz to put some respek on it) wrote his famous letter to Sister Betty from hajj, he spoke of a spirit of unity and brotherhood he felt with people of all colors. This experience didn’t erase anything that was going on back home. Racism was/is still very real. But in his own words, it “forced me to re-arrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions.” 

Hey Guys! 

We will be releasing a YouTube channel in September on videos with skits related to introversion. For example, introvert problems and scenarios or situations you find yourself in. 

If you’re interested in pre supporting the channel, could you subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFww4cIdUz0J2LtUSv4k02g 

Understand, one thing I’m ALWAYS gon’ do is ride for my sisters and promote those who move and create with a beautiful purpose. I could easily get bogged down in everything that seeks to disqualify and erase the diversity of Muslim women, especially black Muslim women, but that’s not even my style. I’d much rather highlight those who are doing the work. 

Photo: Kamilah (left), Saida (right)

Enter Kamilah Shuaibe and Saida Denise Cotton–the amazing, super-bad sisters behind The Love Project. Simply put, “the purpose of The Love Project is to create & sustain a network of women committed to positive & empowering connections to inspire community building.” I took that directly from their Facebook page, so it’s official. But since I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Kamilah a bit over the last few months, I’ll add a smidgen more (unofficially). To me, The Love Project is about dismantling destructive, misogynistic tropes and replacing them with a nurturing, affirming environment that encourages women to wholeheartedly love themselves and others. It says to women, “Yes, we can get along. Yes, we can support each other. No, we don’t have to compete. Yes, there is enough love for us all.” It’s basically like a big hug from your grandmother, and I know every woman in this society needs a grandmother hug. So many messages tell us to be other than what we naturally are, to perform and stuff ourselves into ill-fitting molds that none of us made. Aint nobody got time for that. We out here shining!

So please connect with these sisters on Facebook and Instagram to see what they’re up to and learn how to join in on their monthly women-only conference calls. 

Also (and this is the real reason I’m writing all this), if you are a fly Muslim sister who lives in or will be in New York City on August 27th, show up and show out at the video shoot for the “Crown” music video. Kamilah and Saida are also recording artists, and they are shooting a video for “Crown,” an empowering song that recognizes the beauty of modesty, of wearing your crown with pride. 

They’re looking for sisters of all ages, sizes and shades, so if you’re full of life and nur, plan to be in the building! Check the link below to RSVP or click here to go directly to the Evite page. 

Wa Alaykum as-Salaam,

May Allah make it easy for you. Here are some general guidelines brother Osama wrote that you should keep in mind:

“Take care of yourself, do what you need to do to protect yourself, that’s first and foremost.

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Munajjid, who is known to be on the more conservative side, gives a few pointers:

1) You can pray while lying down, if you have to

2) You can combine your prayers if you are in fear for your safety, so combine duhr and asr, and maghrib and isha. He even says that if you can’t pray at the proper times, just pray when you can, just be safe.

3) If you cannot perform wudu or ghusl, then dry wudu (tayammum) is acceptable

4) He says you can interrupt your prayer if you are afraid your family members will catch you

5) I want to quote this for the… “energetic” Muslims where the Sheikh writes:

“It is permissible for you to pray in a clean bathroom if you cannot find any other place in which to pray.”

6) Until you can learn Arabic and memorize Surat Al Fatiha, you can just say this: Subhaan Allah wa’l-hamdu Lillah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa Allahu akbar (Glory be to God, and praise be to God, and there is no god but God, and God is Most Great)

7) You can offer Dua (supplications) in any language you want, it does not need to be in Arabic.

8) You do not need to worry about your clothing or hijab during prayer, if you can observe proper hijab while praying, do that, if you cannot, again I’m going to quote him:“If the time for prayer is too short and you cannot put on the Hijab, then pray in whatever clothes you are wearing.”

He then closes by saying:

“But we advise you not to hasten to disclose your Islam or pray openly if you fear that your family may cause you trouble and that you will not be able to bear their annoyance and harm.”

So that’s what I’d suggest, as well. And if anyone wants to give you heat over this, you can point to this (here’s the whole Fatwa http://islamqa.info/en/165426) so they can have fun with that.

I’d suggest that you go to dar-alifta.org for your Islamic questions in the future, but I wanted to underline that even the most conservative scholarship will be on your side, so don’t listen to people on Tumblr, no matter how many a’s they put in their transliterations.

Just be safe, and conceal things to preserve your safety. For The Prophet is reported to have said in Ibn Majah:

“God has forgiven my nation for mistakes and forgetfulness, and what they are forced to do.”

Furthermore, when talking about food, The Qur’an underlines that if you are forced to eat something, like pork for example, God says:

“As for him, however, who is driven [to what is forbidden] by dire necessity and not by an inclination to sinning - behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.” [5:3]Also, please talk to someone who has been through something similar, perhaps there is something that I missed?

Just please, take care of yourself, insha Allah. I and many others will be praying for you.”

I hope this gives you an idea about your question as well.

Please let me know if u have any other questions.

“…When I say the greatest athlete in a generation, I mean the greatest in any sport. Sorry, LeBron. Sorry, Tiger. Sorry, Derek. For fifteen years, over two generations of tennis, Williams has been a spectacular and constant yet oddly uncherished national treasure. She is wealthy and famous, but it seems that she should be more famous, the most famous. Anyone who likes sports should love Williams’s dazzling combination of talent, persistence, style, unpredictability, poise, and outsized, heart-on-her-sleeve flaws. 

But not everyone loves her. Part of this is owing to the duelling -isms of American prejudice, sexism, and racism…. 

…But it’s not enough to say that Williams would be more uniformly adored if she were a white woman, or a man. Instead, the failure to fully appreciate her importance is perhaps evidence of our inability to appreciate the stubbornly unfamiliar narrative arc of her career. Williams is underloved because, at times, she has been unlovable and, in the end, mostly unrepentant about it—something that might be admired as iconoclastic in a male athlete, but rarely endears women to a wide audience…. 

[Recently,] after a disappointing showing in the three previous Grand Slam tournaments, Williams said that she adopted a new way of thinking about the game, to put less pressure on herself by appreciating what she had already accomplished. ‘That’s the beauty of my career,’ she said before the Open. ‘I don’t need to do anything at all. Everything I do from this day forward is a bonus. Actually, from yesterday. It doesn’t matter. Everything for me is just extra.’ This is surely wisdom, but it is also a form of sports sacrilege. I don’t have anything to prove; I have been great—so great, in fact, that at this point winning doesn’t even matter.” 

Excerpted from an article by Ian Crouch for New Yorker Magazine

Photograph by Darron Cummings/AP

Our dear brother Muhammad Ali just passed and already the vultures are circling, waiting to pick apart the biggest and boldest pieces of him—just like they did with King.

They’ll pick his tamest and most palatable quotes to represent his legacy. They’ll say his greatness lies in his “mass appeal,” his ability to “crossover,” his dedication to “humanity” and “diversity.” They’ll act as though he didn’t risk life and limb, didn’t lose money and medals, in the name of his beliefs, his very Muslim and very black beliefs.

Let’s be clear. Muhammad Ali’s artistry was for the world. The beauty and theatrics of his fluttering and shuffling was for every mesmerized eye that dared look upon it. He gladly made public his strength and physical skill, unabashed and free in his performances of excellence. But that heart though, that was as black and Muslim as bean pies and bow ties. So if you want to herald our brother, feel free, but don’t soften or dilute his message. He wasn’t on that watered-down, kumbaya, can’t-we-all-just-get-along tip. He was distinctly and wholly for his people. Remember that.

Ali was for blackness, various shades of hued skin. He was for kinky hair that curves and bends. For big bright smiles on beautiful brown faces. Ali was for Islam. For precious heads pressed to floorboards and knees bent in prayer. His love for all of humanity, which he certainly did have, did not diminish his particular and fervent allegiance to outing, addressing and ending the oppression of colonized people. Every chance he got, he addressed black self-love, racism, white supremacy, the beauty of Islam, and his anti-war politics. He changed his name in recognition of his beliefs and to step away from a label that had been saddled upon his ancestors. He was willingly jailed and stripped of his mighty title because of his refusal to join the draft. In his own words, 

“My conscious won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor, hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. Shoot them for what? They never called me nigger. They never lynched me. They didn’t put no dogs on me. They didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. Shoot them for what?… How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.” This is who he was. Remember that.

Ali never cowered and quaked at the threat of backlash and reprisal. He stood up to those who challenged his views and never softened his tone in response. Full of grace and vigor, beauty and grit, he looked hatred and unwarranted power in the face and laughed. Snatched the crown off its head and placed it back atop his own. Called himself the greatest, and that’s exactly why he was. Why he Is. Our king. Our brother. Our nur upon nur. 

It was his undeniable brilliance, his boundless confidence and magnetic energy that gained him that mass appeal, which he wasn’t even looking for. Ali refused to be contained, refused to shave off any parts of himself that didn’t fit into a pocketable box. Our brother Ali was not here for boxes or confines or anything that imposes limits. He was here for freedom.  Remember that.

So please continue to love on him. But do it right, or don’t do it at all.