THE QUEENS' CODE

Peace! Last Sunday, on the day of knowledge god (Sept 17) I reflected on what it means to be a queen (the 17th letter in the alphabet is Q, which stands for Queen in our Supreme Alphabet). We may walk around and say "Peace Queen," to each other, and sure, it's a nice self-esteem builder, and makes you feel good about yourself, but how does a woman really live that out? Today's meathematics is wisdom wisdom all being born to culture, so what are the wise words, ways and actions of a queen? As my God, I Majestic Allah mentioned in one of his posts (www.authorofchange.blogspot.com ), I am very concerned with the practical side of things...how to implement ideas (I am a brown/wisdom soil). So I put together some points on what I cee as the qualities and code of embodying that fabulous letter Q...

-Quality- a queen is unique, being the original woman. Every woman takes the knowledge from her God/ educator/ foundation and applies it in her own way. There is something distinct about her.

-Royalty- she carries herself with dignity and respect. She walks with her head up high, not looking up at the clouds, but straight ahead, so she can see what's coming, but also has a holistic and comprehensive view of all taking place in her periphery and remains grounded

-A queen knows when to stand down, when to negotiate, and when to go to battle and wage war. She picks and chooses her battles wisely. For example, Queen Elizabeth I of England...although not a personal favorite, I recently saw a movie based on her life and did the knowledge to her decision making and demeanor. In most situations, she placed knowledge before wisdom, even when it was extremely painful. She did not allow anyone to jepordize her position or the people of her country, even when having to take unpopular stances.

-A queen walks with honor and integrity and does not allow herself to be dragged into petty bullshit

-A powerful queen is a thinker. She is no puppet and can be a strategic force in accomplishing the goals of the kingdom. She can be a trusted advisor and confidante to the king . She is a builder who adds on to what is taking place. She assists in increasing the quality of life of those around her. She is a teacher and example who is just as committed to the kingdom as the king because she is of and about the people. She is the bearer of the message and law of the king and she upholds it in the presence or absence of the king...knowing how to act at home and abroad (14:14)

-A queen knows the best parts of herself (strengths) and her challenges. She builds on the strengths and acknowledges, takes responsibility for and addresses the challenges. She knows when "all of the above is caused by the Sun of Man," (8:40) and when her level of internal turbulence promotes and maintains "rain, hail, snow and earhtquakes." She can delve deeply within herself and discern the difference betwen the two.

-A queen knows when to show mercy and when to serve justice.

-A queen is loyal to the king and kingdom. She will not betray her king/ kingdom and knows when to keep matters of the house inside the house. Choose your confidantes carefully, because if house matters are leaked and unfavorably becomes public knowledge, it all comes back to you.

PEACE

I Medina Peaceful Earth

IT'S BIGGER THAN HIP HOP...OR IS IT?

I was recently on a list serve and the topic of discussion became Mos Def, and his apparent inconsistencies (Katrina Klap video and him being a "conscious" artist, but he is in court for a lack of child support being paid...he paid $8,000 instead of his agreed upon $10,000 per month for two children). For all those who think that Hip Hop artists, specifically deemed by some consumers as "conscious" (I place it in quotes becuase I don't favor the term, although it is most recognized) should be flawless, here is a little food for thought.

Hip Hop Artists are primarily just that...artists. They don't make movements, they make music. Some may make contributions and grind in the community along with their music and some do not. People do what they can and are willing to do. You aren't going to see you favorite musician as the Executive Director of a community based organization because their primary job, as they have chosen, is to make music, and without that, we wouldn't know they existed. Some live the life that they speak of and some do not. Due to the entertainment value and capital music raises and the commodity it has become, people can put all kinds of messages out there regardless of how they actually live, so why depend on them when artists have been known throughout time to be inconsistent and for some, they do and say what is necessary to make a dolla?

I am not saying not to hold artists accountable, but 1) these inconsistencies are subjective, based on every individuals definition and personal experience of what consistency means; and 2) There are way more influential people to hold accountable who control the distribution of resources. We shouldn't hold them to standards any higher than our local politcians and others in a position of power. They are seen as inconsistent by many as well. We shouldn't hold them accountable to any standards higher than what we set for ourselves.

On the flip, you can look at someone like David Banner. Say what you want about his music but he and his people created a foundation for Katrina survivors (not that that's the end all be all but it's something concrete). Or T.I. who has used some of his money toward housing development for residents in his area. On another note, look at Lil Wayne's song "Georgia Bush" about George Bush and Hurricane Katrina...more people may hear that one drop of "consciousness" because more people (specifically youth) are in to Lil Wayne than Mos Def, and that song may reach the people Mos Def can't reach and expose them to different ideas.Some of these artists may not always have the message "conscious" people want but some are doing something tangible to assist people. Would you rather have the person with the "right" message or someone who's doing the "right " thing? Pick your poison cuz for Hip Hop in 2006, you ain't gonna always get both.

It is something to say for the lack of at least recognized leadership if folks are looking to musicians to spark and maintain change. It is something to say when musicians and people in entertainment are many children's biggest role models. That speaks to a lack of alternatives being brought to their attention due to various reasons and something is wrong with that picture and we are in trouble. Artists like Mos Def add to the diversity (or lack thereof) of music that people have access to on a mass level (cuz there are a lot of "conscious" artists out there that many folks have never heard of). I do not rely on or expect anything out of Mos Def or artists like him or unalike him.

Their music at best provides powerful inspiration for folks to continue to work for change and may provide a certain level of public affirmation for those who think similarly, and may assist some people in changing their minds and their reality. However, he is a musician that projects his thoughts and ideas, according to where he's at at the moment...like many other artists...and that opens the doors for what some may see as inconsistency (a person may be in a different space socially, culturally, mentally today than they were 5 years ago...were you the same as you were 5 or 10 years ago?). Music compliments and may be the heartbeat of a movement, but it is not the movement itself.

Peace

I Medina Peaceful Earth