BUSINESS AND BUILDING

Peace to all! I build all is well within everyone's respective ciphers. First a Happy Born Day shout out...to me! Happy Born Day to Me! Happy Born Day to Me! Happy Born Day to Me! Happy Born Day to Me! On this month of Now Cipher Victory on the knowledge day (November 1), I turned wisdom build or destroy in my physical degree (28 years old). Whew! It's been a long and fruitful journey and I'm still traveling, spinning, and rotating. On that day, and subsequent days after, I focused on the history that is written on my planet, and the history I would like to write on my planet. Now is the time to use whatever I am saying and doing to build and add on to something that will be greater after I touch it, and destroy all the extra things I don't need anymore, nor serve my best interests. It's time to clean house, take inventory, throw away the extra and keep what's valuable. Sometimes we can be packrats in our homes and in our lives, wanting to hold onto things that you think you need or may need one day. But all it does is clutter your time and space and keep what you should clearly be doing out of focus.

Time is something that you never get back, and the way you spend your time indicates the priority said activities have in your life. If I spend most of my time building with children, that's a priority to me. If I spend most of my time watching television, then that is a priority. If I spend most of my time working on ways to make money, then that is a priority. So I have to make sure that my activities bear fruit and that I become stronger, more knowledgeable, and more experienced in what is important to me so that I can take all that I know and add a cipher (person, place or thing)by sharing with others. No more doing something just to be doing something!

This leads me to my topic...the Business and Building Weekend hosted by Blackelectorate.com. Myself and a few of the gods traveled to Divine Cee (Washington D.C.)to build with other people who were interested in getting our business together and building with eachother so that we can all maximize and share resources with folks across the country. I would personally like to thank Cedric Muhammad and the Blackelectorate staff for hosting a truly progressive event, and showing the Gods and Earths a lot of love. It is not easy to coordinate a national event, and I give a lot of respect to folks who take care of logistics (being a coordinator myself). It is often a behind the scenes position that often goes unrecognized. The relatively small group provided an intimate and productive setting where everyone had an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, or share ideas if they chose to. Sometimes, it is the quality, not the quantity of the people in the room that matters (too often, an overabundance of voices muddles progress and blurs the objective...I've been to many meetings).

We came armed with business cards, products to sell, and ideas to share in order to build with like-minded folks. First up was the mixer,at the Frederick Douglass Museum. Scheduled to speak were Ras Baraka (Deputy Mayor of Newark, NJ), Rosa Clemente (Hip Hop Activist), Armstrong Williams (controversial Black Conservative), Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Reuven Brenner (international economist), and Dr. Steve Hanke (economist who battled the IMF Bank). Unfortunately, we arrived late due to traveling in from out of town and missed most of the speakers. However, I will say that the vision to include "experts" with such diversity was refreshing. So many times at conferences, meetings, etc., there is either no one knowledeable enough to advise anyone on a topic in the room, or those scheduled to speak push a similar line. This lineup showed me how important it is to expose people to information on many fronts, and let folks choose their own leanings. How many times have you been at an event talking about business, where they had had actual economists in the room? Not many. What a resource!

After we lived it up downtown (folks were in their Halloween regalia as we just walked by in awe...sheer pandemonium!) we rose early Sunday morning for the "Coffee Talk" Meeting (peace to my brotha Divine Culture(www.divinecultureallah.blogspot.com) for letting us rest at your rest :-). This was the space where we formulated initiatives, built about them, wrote them out, and saw who's in the room by sharing our views. Throughout this process, every one had a chance to exchange best practices, information, and share their vision for economics and community development within the black community.

All in all, it was a fruitful weekend, and the cost was well worth it. Some may take issue with having to pay a registration fee for entrance, however, if we are really talking about building, sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is and support an event or initiative that you see as valuable. And that is what our communities need...tangible resources...clearly seen additions that people benefit from that address peoples' ability to serve their own needs (food, clothing, shelter, education). If you say you love the babies, then you may have to put your money where your mouth is. A child cannot hear you if they are hungry and cold, so instead of first shoving a flyer in their face or trying to recruit them to your mission in your first interaction, you may have to give them $10 for food, get to know them, buy them a warm coat, and then sit down and build. If you support young black entrepreneurs and you think the concept is good, you may have have to support an economic endeavor (not necessarily bankrolling, but buy a White T shirt or a CD they may be selling for instance). Black folks have been known to be great speakers and talkers throughout history, and everyone plays different roles. However, we must talk the talk and walk the walk not only with good intentions, but with our wallets when we can. Anything else is just lip service.


Taking Care of Business and Building

PEACE!

I Medina Peaceful Earth