America's Second-Class Citizens

  For many ex-cons life outside of prison will not be as fulfilling and purposeful as the likes of Alice Marie Johnson and Cyntoia Brown-Long who garnered national attention, came home to book deals and paid speaking engagements because of their time in prison. I'm not knocking them, God Bless them and I wish them well and all the success. 

  However, for the tens of thousands that's coming home from prison, life will not be so welcoming from society other than family and friends. Road block after road block will be waiting the day, they step foot outside those prison walls. Everything from decent employment, housing, voting rights and so much more will not be available because of their existing felony conviction. 

  In December of 2018 Congress passed the "First Step Act" and it was signed into law by President Trump. The law was intended to ease some of these restrictions that ex-cons face after release from prison on the federal level. The problem is that most states have not created similar laws to assist convicted felons on making a transition back into society. Until state legislators craft and sign into law their own criminal justice reform, recidivism rates will continue to go up and a nice size of our society will live as second-class citizens in America.

On February 26 the House passed the “Equality Act”, a bill aimed at protecting the rights and lives of those who are a part of the LGBTQ community. No one should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, rightfully so, this is an important bill, however, my issue with the bill is that it would have been a lot better if ex-cons or convicted felons was included in this bill, since the title of it is called “Equality Act”.

I understand that those who consider themselves LGBTQ face un-normal circumstances in this country, however, there is no one in America that’s more discriminated against then someone with a felony conviction on their record. Here is a list of opportunities that felons have no protections against;

• Voting (in some states)

• Traveling Abroad (varies by country)

• The right to bear arms

• Jury service

• Employment in certain fields

• Public social benefits and housing

The very existence of someone that’s been convicted of a felony is wiped out and this makes it hard for ex-cons and felons to exist in a society that they are rejected from. Things have to change if America wants a better society, and not picking groups of people whom they deem are worthy of living the American Dream and not others.

People in the LGBTQ community, should not only demand equal protection under the law simply for themselves, but also those whom they can identify with when it comes to discrimination and ill-treatment and that’s convicted felons. Once again there is no other person more discriminated against in America then ex-cons and convicted felons, facts.

Touch By An Angel

Lyric Chanel is an angel, that now has her wings. I’ve never meet this young lady, however, I found her on Instagram and immediately I was touched and moved by her will and tenacity to be her regardless of her battle with brain cancer. I followed her store for about a year, and yesterday (3-5-2021) she passed. Once again, I have never meet this young lady, however I wish I had. The strength to make it through unimaginable trials is a lesson we all can learn from.

We are often told to never question God, but our human nature makes us do it from time to time. For myself, I watched an innocent child suffer and live a life unfulfilled, while at the same time I’ve watched some of the most undeserving of life, people live to be old, even though they brought no good to this world. It makes you question God, why allow this child to suffer, and a evil soul live a long and fulfilling life? Maybe it’s just me or does this seem not fair.

As a parent myself, I couldn’t fathom the thought of my daughter suffering like that, I’m not emotional, nor stable enough to have the strength of Lyric’s mother and father and I pray that I’m not tested to see if I am, I’m only going off what I know about myself in my current mental compacity.

I know that there are a lot of children suffering in this world from similar situations and conditions as Lyric, and my heart goes out to them, however, I followed Lyric’s journey and that alone makes me more sad of her life succumbing to this horrible disease called cancer. In the mist of hard trials and struggles she would muster up the spirit to enjoy life and her documented story grabbed my attention and heart.

In order to make sense of her passing, I come to the conclusion that God allowed one of His angels come to this world, struggle, all for humanity to learn a lesson. I believe that it’s subjective, and for those who followed her on Instagram receive a lesson that will make this world a better place. I know what her story did for me, and I pray that you, who know who she is, know what her story did for you. Her grace and love for life removes all the pettiness and unimportant things that we deem of false merit brings a end to all that.

My heart goes out to her family and close friends, and I pray that if you were touched by this angel as I have been, that you make the changes to your life, that her life was intended to bring. I can’t fathom the thoughts of her parents, but what I can understand is their love for their child, and we have that in common. May God comfort you all and I hope that you understand that Lyric touched so many people. Long Live Lyric Chanel.

Is Y'all Finished or Is Y'all Done?

The second impeachment of Donald Trump ended like the first, an acquittal. To no surprise, well at least for me and any sensible right minded person who understands politics. I will say that this one was a little different, 7 republicans joined all 50 democrats to convict Donald Trump for the January 6 insurrection on the Capital Building. The first impeachment voted down party lines with 1 republican joining the democrats to convict.

Now that this dog and pony show is over, can we get back to the business of the American people. I consider myself an independent, however I usually vote for democrats because I just don’t feel welcomed and wanted by the republican party as a black man in America. I know that the democrats have taken the black vote for granted for a very long time, and that’s a conversation for another day and topic. I spoke about this on my podcast “Corrected Felon Podcast”, and briefly on my twitter pin post (@inspiretheblock), however, since I voted for democrats this last election cycle I have to make my voice heard with the democratic party and my dissatisfaction known so far with their duties as an elected official. We don’t work for you, it’s the other way around in case you forgot.

When I voted for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Jon Ossoff, Rev. Warnock and Nikema Williams (I’m a Atlanta resident), I never had impeachment in mind, not once did I think, “dems need to impeach Trump”. The black community was and still is my reason for voting for these people. Also the often repeated theme was “this is the most important election of our lifetime”. Oh how many times have I heard that, every election cycle. You asked for democratic control of Washington, we gave y’all that so that you wouldn’t have a problem pushing your agenda with republican blockage and opposition.

Right now we are still dealing with the pandemic, the closing of schools, unemployment, healthcare, a struggling economy, police brutality and many other issues facing our country. For weeks the democrats have played around with this impeachment and because of it, certain cabinet positions for the Biden administration are still not filled. Because of this wasted time and money of the American people from this stupid impeachment mess, we have a federal government not fully staffed. Did democrats really believe that the overwhelming majority of republicans were going to convict a man who, is pretty much the face and beloved figure of their party? I honesty believe they didn’t think it was possible, but they did this foolishness anyway.

Is ya’ll finished or is y’all done? (rapper Birdman linguistics).

It’s time to govern as the people elected members of congress and the White House to do. No more playing games with the American people. We need Covid relief, and for this pandemic to be over so that we can began to live normal again. Schools need to be reopened, safely, because our children are not advancing under this current structure of learning. We need jobs and criminal justice reform. Troops need to be brought home and vets properly cared for. The country faces a lot of challenges which require a lot of work from the positions that you all signed up for, willingly. Democrats wanted this opportunity to do the job that the last administration failed to do, according to democrats. We have given you this opportunity, now serve the American people by doing the job and work that we sent you to Washington D.C. to do. Save the political shenanigans, we’re over it, now get to work democrats, or face losing the house and senate in the midterms.

Sincerely, a dissatisfied democratic black voter.

Twitter @inspiretheblock

IG @inspiretheblock

Founder of middlepassagemedia.com

email cfraz17@middlepassagemedia.com

Freedom of speech isn’t freedom from consequences

Over the past weekend we have seen a massive purge with big tech companies and followers that used these social media apps, first starting with the President of the United States of America getting banned from pretty much every social media app out today. This all steam from the January 6, “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington D.C. where Trump supporters stormed the US Capital building demanding that congress members not certify the electoral college votes that made Joe Biden President-Elect and Kamala Harris Vice President-Elect.

The purge not only terminated Donald Trump’s social media accounts, but also thousands of Trump supporters accounts. Even the popular conservative social media app “Parler” was banned by Google, Amazon and Apple. This caused many to believe that this was an attack on their 1st amendment right to free speech.

Now I’m not a fan of cancel culture, and I’m in agreement with the hoodie (black owned clothing company @blackwomenslivesmatter, I’m not a paid sponsor by the way) that Charlamagne Tha God posted on IG on January 13 which read; cancel culture, but the cancel was crossed out and on top of it was counsel.

The fact that we live in a society that if we disagree with what someone said or an unproven accusation, can get you kicked off of the planet earth is corny.

However, when it comes to private own companies or speaking to someone in a very offensive manner, the 1st amendment no longer applies. let me explain. First let’s examine the 1st amendment.

In very first word of the 1st amendment is says, “Congress”. Not private own companies or individuals. So what does that mean? Yes every American citizen has the right to freedom of speech against the US government, but not against other citizens of this nation. Which means a person has the right to respond the way they think is necessary if you violate their policies and procedures that they deem harmful to their company. Or if you say something to someone in a derogatory or demeaning manner, they can respond in a manner they deem correct.

So when it comes to the 1st amendment, many like to misinterpret it and think that it applies to all spheres of life when it doesn’t. Like so many of us, including myself, we don’t read the “terms and conditions” of things we apply or sign up for, and when we violate them, we feel someone is infringing upon our 1st amendment right when that’s the furthest from the truth.

God gave all humans a “Will”, this is what separate us from animal and plant life. He also gave us intelligences to guide the will. However if we don’t use it correctly, we have deal with the consequences that follow. As a Blackman in America a racist person has a free will, and maybe a personal right to call me the N-Word, however, he/she has no right to tell me how to respond if I punch them in the mouth.

This is food for thought, now ya’ll do the dishes.

Violence In America is American

On January 6, 2021 the United States Capital building was attacked by an angry mob of domestic white terrorist Trump supporters which caused elected members of congress, men and women running, hiding and scared for their lives. Rightfully so. There is nothing more terrifying then not knowing the unknown.

After there was calm and control from the capital police, with the assistance of other local authorities, congress, alone with Vice President Mike Pence, continued with the certification of of President-Elect Joe Biden and and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice President of the United States of America.

Before they convened with the certification of the electoral college of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, most members of congress expressed their grievances with the attack on the US Capital. Many called what happen as “un-American”. Even President-Elect Joe Biden said, and I quote; “The scenes and chaos at the capital do not reflect a true America, do not represent who we are”.

And all of that had me like, huh? What?….Un-American?

American violence is as American as apple pie, baseball, Uhaul, Budweiser, Ford and General Moters just to name a few.

The very existence and establishment of this country by the founding fathers and early colonizers from England used violence to take control and seize this land to call it their own. The false befriending of the Native people, then killing them and displacement was the motives and actions used to create this nation that we call North America. The very nature of the founding fathers and the early colonizers was that of murder, rape and bloodshed. Native American were slaughtered in the name of ‘Civilization’.

History has a record of this bloodshed and I’ll point out one, and the rest, history speaks for itself. First, in old western movies the natives were portrayed as the bad guys when in reality it was the other way around. Let’s look at the “Sand Creek Massacre”.

On November 29, 1864, a former Methodist minister, John Chivington, led a surprise attack on peaceful Cheyennes and Arapahos on their reservation. His force consisted of 700 men. Chivington and his men boasted that they were going to kill Indians. Chivington declared, “Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians!…I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God’s heavens to kill Indians.” Chivington led his men against 200 Cheyennes and Arapahos. As many as 160 were massacred, mostly women and children.

If we want to get into slavery we can, however for the sake of time and space, you all know to well the plight of black people in America. So I don’t have to really get into that.

What I’m trying to emphasize is that when our elected officials try to convince the American public that what happened at the capital isn’t who we were are as Americans is a flat out lie. Our music and movies is celebrated because of it’s violent content, even social media with the most graphic content gets the most views and likes. We are taught in school of our violent history as a nation. This is who we are.

Until we come to terms with who we are as a nation, we will never atone and become the nation that we have the potential to be. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan gave the nation a blueprint at the “Million Man March” on how to heal as a country and below is that blueprint. Let’s atone as a nation so that we can strive and bring into existence what we really can be, the greatest nation on earth. But first America must ‘Atone.’

A New Perspective

“Happy New Year” with the fireworks screen (if you have a iPhone) popped up on my phone all night as text messages rolled in with friends and family members excited to be able to put 2020 behind us. I can’t lie, I was in the moment too. However, this morning I started thinking, “Is 2020 really over? or will 2021 be a continuation of 2020?”

What makes the changing of a day so different from the next? And how will that produce different results from those last 24 hours that a lot of us just went through?

Keep in mind that the pandemic is still not under control and now there are reports of a New Coronavirus Variant, the country will have a change of power in the next 19 days with a new administration taking charge of the federal government. Unemployment is steady on the rise, violence is becoming ramped I mean things look more bleak then hopeful on the surface if you are following what going on from the past 24 hours.

So what can make this year 2021 different from 2020 with the same problems and new problems following us into the new year?

How you look at it, that’s what can make this year different.

If you only see the problems and there are going to be a lot of them in 2021, then this year will be a continuation of the last. If you change your perspective and belief’s to find the good, then 2021 will be a fresh start to a year that you want to produce.

Here is a new perspective that I believe we all can looked at, If you are reading this blog then that means you woke up into the new year, because somebody else didn’t. Every day that you wake up is a blessing because someone else didn’t and it’s going to come a time that we all don’t make it into another morning. Make life meaningful, enjoyable, and most importantly make life full of love.

Let’s all be in this together, challenges are coming in 2021, but our perspective and beliefs will determine how we transition from 2020 through 2021.

So let’s have a blessed year on purpose.

Abraham Lincoln's Intent

The 16th president of the United States of America is notoriously known for three things, 1. defeating the Confederate States of America, 2. The Emancipation Proclamation and 3. his assassination. Now I don’t want to talk about the defeat of the confederacy or his assassination, but I want to talk about his real intent behind his freeing of the slaves. History has recorded his displeasure of slavery like for example when he said, and I quote;

“If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong” and also in one of his famous quotes said “I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. However, the question of what to do about it and how to end it given that it was so firmly embedded in the nations constitutional framework and in the economy of much of the country was complex and politically challenging.”

President Lincoln may have developed this displeasure because he was married to Mary Todd Lincoln, the daughter of a slaveowner from Kentucky. And visiting in-laws saw the mistreatment of slaves and thought this was wrong. Case closed, Lincoln was totally against slavery right? Absolutely not. Let’s dig a little deeper.

In the early 1850’s Lincoln was accused of being an abolitionist. While many abolitionist hated slavery, Lincoln did not. What Lincoln was really against was the expansion of slavery, giving the confederacy more economic power over the Union. His goal was the preservation of the Union. In 1845 Lincoln wrote a letter to his friend Williamson Durley with regards to the annexation of Texas and Lincoln writes;

“It is possibly true, to some extent, that with annexation, some slaves may be sent to Texas and continued in slavery, that otherwise might have been liberated. To whatever extent this may be true, I think annexation an evil.

At the core of Lincoln’s intent with slavery, it wasn’t slavery it’s self, however, merely the preservation of the Union. Lincoln thought that if he could stop the spread of other states from adopting slavery as a means of economic prowess, then he could save the Union. His words explain it in great detail.

“I hold it to be paramount duty of us in free states, due to the Union of the states, and perhaps to liberty itself (paradox though it may seem) to let the slavery of the other states alone; while, on the other hand, I hold it to be equally clear, that we should never knowingly lend ourselves directly or indirectly, to prevent slavery from dying a natural death—to find new places for it to live in, when it can no longer exist in the old.”

The stop of the expansion of slavery to other states is what Lincoln thought would kill it, curtailing it rather then the abolishment of slavery was Lincoln’s mindset throughout his political career until his election as President in 1860.

On August 22, 1862 Lincoln responded to an editorial by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune, challenging him to use the Second Confiscation Act to issue an emancipation proclamation because it was authorized by it. Lincoln’s responded by saying;

“My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear; I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union.”

Believe what you want to believe, however President Abraham Lincoln didn’t wake up one day and decide to free black slaves, he figured out that freeing the slaves was a great war strategy. One month after writing this letter, Lincoln issued a preliminary “Emancipation Proclamation” beginning in 1863 from his war powers to free all slaves in states in rebellion as they came under Union control. Since slavery was protected under the “Constitution”, the only way he could free the slaves was as a war tactic and not from a humanitarian gesture. This war strategy worked because it freed the saves and cause the demise of the confederacy which brought southern states back into the Union. After the war Lincoln did not think that black slaves were equal to whites, even though he argued the phrase “All men are created equal” he publicly made his position clear. “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and the negro.” He also called for the first time of the “Thirteenth Amendment.” And after repented failures attempts tried colonization of slaves after the war.

So in my conclusion, the next time someone tries to tell you that Lincoln freed the slaves as to make a political point, remind them that he didn’t do because he felt bad for black slaves, but it was for the perseverance of the Union only.

What's Free? How Social Media Controls Content Creators With Speech Restrictions

I start this blog by quoting someone that in essence I’m really reluctant to quote. Not because I don’t like the person, but because of his policies towards the black community in the 1980’s. The person I’m speaking of is none other than Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America. Mr. Reagan once said;

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same”.

Now I will admit, those were and still are very powerful words. The reason why I’m quoting the 40th president of the United States of America is because the term “freedom” in America is a very loose term and only applied to a selective few. If you look at the plight of black people from the time of slavery until now, we know that there has been a constant struggle and fight to call ourselves “free people”. If you throw in this new monster called “cancel culture” then you get the sense that this up hill road to freedom becomes steeper and steeper.

With cancel culture all someone has to do is be offended by your words, you’re content on a social media post or just be accused of something without any merit of guilt and you are done and kicked off the planet earth.

It’s really bad in politics, if you prefer one party over the other then you become an enemy just because you differ with them on how you vote. Just go on twitter or any other social media site, pick a side and you will see the response.

So what’s free? My point for writing this piece is because recently freedom restrictions was placed on me and my brother 50shadesofsolg (twitter handle).

For the past 6 months we had been doing a podcast called “Brown Paper Bag Podcast” and “Purple Pill Politix” (Politix intentionally spelled that way) on Youtube. We finally got to a point where we were monetized and on the verge of producing 2 other podcast to add to our portfolio and expand our brand on Youtube.

The Brown Paper Bag Podcast was a show to have constructive conversations with people from all walks of life about everyday issues that didn’t encompass politics. The Purple Pill Politix was a political podcast, however, we made it a point to not choose side politically, but to call out both side, fair and down the middle.

To put it in a nutshell we were all about positivity and information. We never spoke on things that would offend certain groups. We never put out misinformation. We intentionally produced wholesome content because we wanted our podcasts to be in a space that was different then the rest, we provided content that was refreshing and outside of the normal content that you find on Youtube.

After almost 3k subscribers, hundreds of thousands of views, on December 4 our channel was taken down by YouTube for a reason unbeknown to us other then Youtube saying we “violated their community terms and conditions”.

We were completely dumbfounded as to their reasoning for terminating our channel when we know we never did such a thing. We appealed the decision and lost. So I ask again, What’s Free? Defiantly not two positive black men having constructive conversations and bringing solutions to problems.

Youtube prefers content creators that dumb down the people or entertains young people, not that of intelligent minds that can inspire, educate and mobilize people to higher schools of thought. Understand nothing is free, and even on the appearance of freedom, there is a price to be paid and that price is control. …The Brown Paper Bag Podcast continues.