Story Archives 2008

by Leroy Moore

Krip-Hop: Hello Kathleen, we met online then later in New York. You’re a journalist and a filmmaker. Tell us about your work and this documentary.

Kathleen Kiley:I’ve been a journalist for 17 years and when I started this project in graduate school several years ago, I was interested in telling a story using a visual medium. One of the courses I had taken at New York University was digital filmmaking. As a writer and print journalist, it wasn’t easy for me to learn how to tell a story in pictures, but the experience has been very fulfilling. I had no prior documentary film experience.

KH This documentary started out as a project for your graduate degree. How did it evolve to what it is today?

KK:

KH: When you saw Soulja on the street in his wheelchair for the first time what did you think?

KK: Not knowing Soulja as I do now, it was hard to look at him – because he was so different looking – and because I assumed he had a hard life. I wondered what would happen to him. My feelings weren’t of pity, but I found it incredible, and still do, that in the United States -- one of the wealthiest countries in the world -- we have people like Soulja struggling to make ends meet by panhandling – he calls it “work.” That’s a tough way to make a living, no matter what you call it.

KH: Describe Soulja, his work, his passion and why his story is good for the big screen.

KK:Soulja gets up early in the morning and is often on the corner of 60th and Madison, in mid-town Manhattan, by 6 a.m. He hates traffic. When he isn’t driving, he commutes by bus and train – about a 2-hour commute each way – that’s if there are no delays on mass transit and the subway elevators are working in New York. If one elevator is broken down, a person in a wheelchair has to get back on the subway and go to another stop, way out of his or her way.

What drives Soulja is a desire for a better life and the vehicle he’s chosen is music. He comes from a line of musicians and artists. His father was a gospel signer and his grandmother taught piano to many gospel singers throughout her life. On his mother’s side are teachers, which I think is where he gets his interest in speaking to children and motivating them to achieve their dreams.

Why do I think this is a good story for the “big screen?” Good question. I think his story has all the elements of a good story: a passionate desire to achieve on a road beset with obstacles. He’s a contemporary hero that the audience will end up cheering for as he overcomes obstacles, many of which are imposed by society and the system. I think many people can relate to him.

KH: Was this your first time working with a person with a disability?

KK: Yes.

KH: As an older, White, non-disabled woman, how did you connect with Soulja, Hip-Hop and his disability?

KK: I think in the beginning – from the outside – it probably looked like an odd relationship. I use that term because you do develop a relationship with your characters, hopefully a good one and trusting one. I look back and laugh because Soulja would mention rappers, such as DMX and 50 Cent, and I would say, “Who?”

And he would say, “You don’t know them?” -- as if to say, what planet was I living on? Now I know about many of the rappers and what’s going on in the industry. (But I’m pretty old school; I’m a fan of Grandmaster Flash. Great lyrics and social commentary.) So although I didn’t know Soulja’s world in the beginning and I’m a white, non-disabled woman, I did connect with him. When I first met him he said, “Until you open the book and read the first chapter, you be you and I be I.”

We make judgments based on a book cover or image. And this story is about breaking perceptions and being visible. Often visibility is based on what those in power see at the time, whether it’s political, financial or cultural power. Soulja’s story is about shattering the rules of visibility.

I don’t know if I connected with Soulja’s disability. I can never image what it’s like to be born without all the features that make an “able-bodied person” able or that allow us to function in a world designed for “able-bodied people.”

I don’t know if I’m oversimplifying a complex subject, but I relate to Soulja as I would any person I like. He’s charming, he has a lot of drive and he is curious about the world.

Looking back, perhaps I was more comfortable with Soulja than some people might have been. I grew up with a grandmother who was deaf and her son, who lived with her, was in a wheelchair all his life. Deaf and disabled was not how I perceived them – they were simply people I loved and enjoyed spending time with.

KH: This documentary has been in the making for seven years. How did you keep it going and do you think it is a good time to release it?

KK: I’ve financed the project to date. Last year, Nancy Abraham, president of the Alexander Abraham Foundation, provided me with an injection of funds. It was good timing because I needed the funds to finance shooting the end of the film. Also, Michael Patrick Kelly, the producer on the film, come on board about 2 years ago, and he’s put in considerable time without pay. In addition, Barbara Morris, a co-producer along with myself, ran around with me in the beginning to film some of the early portions. Barbara also gave me funding last year and helps me with marketing.

We’re at a good point to put together a work-in-progress so we can show it to the likes of HBO or a film distributor. HBO has expressed interest in the film so we’re putting together something and getting ready for the IFP market in September, an invitation-only event that brings together filmmakers and producers.

KH: Do you think your film will break new ground in the area of the film and music industries?

KK: Well, look at what you’re doing with your Krip-Hop work. I think that is groundbreaking work, bringing together singers and musicians who are disabled. In the same way, I think this film will shatter misconceptions about people who are disabled and the abundance of talent that isn’t heard because the barriers to entry are high – I’m talking about national distribution.

KH: Tell us what is Soulja’s biggest goal right now?

KK: Getting his music ready to present to Quincy Jones. When he went to Georgia in 2006 to go to a Tony Robbins event, he was brought up on stage and one of the things Tony promised him was a meeting with Jones. So this could be a career maker for Soulja and his artists.

KH: When is the movie coming out?

KK: End of this year, given that we get distribution.

KH: If you can say in one sentence the theme of the movie what would it be?

KK:“Born with a design to fail, we prevail.” – Soulja
I think Soulja summed it up for me recently with his quote.

KH: What have you learned from doing this documentary?

KK: I’ve learned so much from filmmaking and I still have a long way to go. And I’ve also begun to understand the issues surrounding people with disabilities. And I’ve just scratched the surface on this subject as well.

KH: Did you run into any negativity in your suggestion of having a person with a real disability being the star of the movie?

KK: None yet. We’re just starting to see people with real disabilities play roles in movies, rather than have an actor “fake it.” And because this is a documentary, these are real people with disabilities in this film.

KH: After the film is out there, will you keep in contact with Soulja?

KK: Absolutely. We’ve become friends over the years.

KH: Who’s the target audience and how are you going to reach them?

KK: I’d like to say it has universal appeal to all age groups and demographics, but I know industry executives will hammer me for a core group. I think the HBO crowd and urban theatergoers, as well as younger people who are interested in new music. I would like to get a major distributor behind this film, which will help with visibility. We’ve been lucky with getting press without asking and I’m not pushing for it until we’re close to completion.

KH: What do you think about the representation of people with disabilities in the movies and Hip-Hop industry?

KK: Leroy, you seem to be working to change people’s perception in the Hip-Hop industry of disabled musicians. Kudos.

In the film industry there is some interest in positively or, shall I say wholly, representing people with disabilities, especially in documentaries like “Murderball” and “The Collector of Bedford Street.” The first is about athletes in wheelchairs and the second about mental disability. But, by and large, we have a long way to go in that area, especially in understanding the disabled as whole people, or fully-rounded characters, with all the virtues and flaws of others, not just as symbols of inspiration for able-bodied people to use to feel better.

The word “disability” covers a lot of ground. There’s a good web site with listings of all kinds of films with disabled characters: www.disabilityfilms.co.uk.

KH: How many characters are in this movie?

KK:There are many, because Soulja knows so many people, but the story centers around four main characters, including Soulja. When I first met Soulja, he wanted to bring together the Urban Casualties, three rappers who are handicapped. They all met in Washington, D.C. and when Soulja moved to New York to create a better life and work in the music industry, two of the Casualties remained in D.C. Wild and Cookie, have had their share of troubles, and so it’s taken this long to get everyone on the same page. Soulja was the motivating force behind it: He knew if he didn’t push for it, despite all the difficulties going on in their lives, it might never happen. So he rented a van and drove down to DC to bring them up to New York, where they recorded five songs in a professional studio this past October.

KH: Will there be a soundtrack?

KK: Yes. There are so many wonderful singers and musicians who don’t know how to break into the industry. I think this film will highlight some new and up-coming talent.

KH: Tell us one of the highs and lows of shooting this documentary.

KK: One of the highs was seeing Soulja bring together the Casualties. It was dramatic because it was a great reunion and it gave them such hope to keep going. There’s a song they sing -- “Tomorrow Ain’t Promised to Ya” -- and in their world, they have a sense of that. They’ve seen so many of their peers die young, mostly from violence, and so they know tomorrow is but a dream.

I think one of my low points was when I got sick in December of 2006 – I’m better now – I knew we were filming the end of the film in 2007 and I wondered how long it would take for me to get better and whether I would have the energy to follow through. Glad to report I did.

KH: How much input did Soulja have in the direction of the movie?

KK: We gave Soulja a camera to record his point of view. He has a good eye and it’s interesting to see what he shoots and how he sees the world. So this will influence how we edit the film, which we’re now in the process of doing.

KH: How did assemble your film crew? And how did they react to Soulja?

KK: We never had a problem getting people interested in this film. When we’ve put out a query for shooters and editors, we’re often swamped with replies. We pay them, but it’s not a lot of money.

KH: What kind of support did you receive and by who?

KK: I’ve been lucky in getting a producer, Michael Kelly, who wouldn’t take any pay. And again, I’ve had some good filmmakers, such as Michel Negroponte, shoot some segments, at rock bottom rates, or they didn’t charge at all. I have to add that working in the documentary community has been a wonderful experience – very supportive.

KH: Are you going to do another documentary and is there going to be a part two?

KK: I don’t know about another one. I hear the first one is easy because you’re so naïve about the process. I like filmmaking. If this one were successful, I would think about another one, especially if another good story comes my way.

Krip-Hop News: Any last words?

Kathleen Kiley: Thank you for your interest in this film and I love how this film has connected me to people I would have never met, such as yourself.

A Krip-Hop book featuring this interview and more will be out in November 2008.

by Leroy Moore

BOOK SUMMARY:

Krip-Hop: Hip-Hop Artists with Disabilities Drop Knowledge will be a book of interviews Leroy has conducted with Hip-Hop artists all over the world with pictures of the artists. It will also contain a collection of essays on the topic of Hip-Hop industry and artists with disabilities that have appeared on websites and in Black newspapers. At the end of the book there will be resource pages of different merchandise, websites and contacts of disabled Hip-Hop artists. Krip-Hop will be one hundred and fifty pages and will be completed by the Winter of 2008. Krip-Hop will be the first of its kind and will bring a voice that has been left out from the hip-hop arena and the publishing world. Krip-Hop will also add to the growing industry of Hip-Hop Journalism Krip-Hop will have 5 chapters: The Birth of Krip-Hop, Krip-Hop Goes International, Krip-Hop Trivia, Krip-Hop Journalism and Krip-Hop resources.

OVERVIEW:

Krip-Hop: Hip-Hop Artists with Disabilities Drop Knowledge will be the first of its kind! It will bring the words, rhythm, voice and politics of disabled Hip-Hop artists from around the world into one book. This book is the continuation of Krip-Hop Mixtape Series that started in 2006 and has put out two mixtapes so far. Leroy Moore has spent more then ten years researching music history when it comes to musicians with disabilities from blind Blues singers of the Blues era to Hip-Hop artists with disabilities from the US all the way to Africa. In the new age of technology and the internet, Leroy has used this technology to connect with disabled musicians from all over the world, collected CDs, DVDs, books and other merchandize from disabled musicians that many times can’t be found in book or record stores yet. All the artists have a common story of being rejected from the music and publishing world. Leroy lets the artists flow in his interviews that he started to do over the internet in 2006. These collections of interviews and essays shows that Krip-Hop is a movement that has always been there but not recognized by mainstream Hip-Hop industry but has been spreading fast through the underground.

Krip-Hop Projects from Mixtape Series, Krip-Hop Newsletter, and Krip-Hop Radio show to this new book venture is trying to educate the music industry and our general public that musicians with disabilities have been around and are making history. This book also breaks the common myth in the music industry that musicians with disabilities are not marketable. Krip-Hop: Hip-Hop Artists with Disabilities Drop Knowledge can and should be used as an educational tool for the music industry, journalism and the disabled community.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leroy Moore is a disabled journalist who started Krip-Hop Mixtape series. He has lectured on race and disability in the US, UK, Holland and Canada and has a column on Poor Magazine and Hip-Hop Journalism Association websites. His media works includes radio shows on San Francisco progressive stations KPFA 94.1 FM KPOO 89.5 FM and Bayview Village Voice 104 FM programs. Leroy has created Black Blind Blues Krip-Hop workshops for youth and adults and has a library of rare CDs and DVDs from disabled musicians from all over the world.

For more info go to www.leroymoore.com drop me a line at sfdamo@yahoo.com Look out for Krip-Hop.com website and our short documentary.

by Dee Allen

My first name:

Torn from the memory of my

Oldest sister’s paternal grandmother.

She once dated a young man

The previous bearer of my name

At age 18.

Something she passed into my mother’s

Ear when Mommy was too unimaginative

Or uncreative to devise a

Male name of her own.

Mommy never wanted me.

Mommy never wanted children.

But she had me

And 3 others.

My middle name:

Same story. Sounds French. Sounds better.

My last name:

Inherited from my maternal grandmother’s

First husband.

North Carolina-born,

New York City-dwelling.

Another Black migrant in the Deep North,

The sought-after urban Shangri-La

That was an African’s ticket out of

The racist Deep South,

The great house that

Slavery, sharecropping, leased convict labour,

Black Codes & segregation built.

Grandma wedded her groom at high school age,
15.

Jumping that proverbial broom was

The building block that started the usage of

My family name.

My shortened name:

Grew from the voices of various cousins,

Older & younger.

That’s what they would call me.

Codified, shortened language

I consider a blessing----no, a gift.

“Blessing” sounds too happy-go-Protestant.

My elders caught on

Later on,

Because referring to me as

“Don”, “Don Juan”, “Donny”

Won’t cut it with me----

So much history behind

Four simple words, four shreds of language

That gave me my identity.

I am

Donnell Lamont Allen,

But I answer better

To Dee.

W: 1.5.08

For Tony Robles & Florence Mayberry.

by Dee Allen

Quick ecology lesson:

A species of animal or plant

From one ecosystem will transport

Themselves to another, thereby

Introducing themselves to it.

Upon entering their new habitat,

The introduced species will crowd out

Native inhabitants, in a competiton over

Available resources, usually land.

Soon after the introduced species will

Extend their reach into other areas

And repeat the process, which

Places native species at risk.

In addition, the numbers of invaders

Multiply over time;

Then they become a permanent part of the ecosystem.

This lesson applies

To the inner city.

Invaders

From suburban tracts visit its

Concrete canyons, valleys of steel & glass,

Its avenues, its barrios,

Epicentres of non-White culture;

Then flood them with their amassing numbers.

The working class & poverty class are

Driven out, homes emptied.

Cityslaves & bulldozers do the rest.

Arising from out of nowhere.

Shining new boxy Bauhaus rendition buildings,

Affluence, soullessness & non-culture

Cover every street corner.

Monuments to smug, self-indulgent,

Mock-European classiness.

The urban habitat is now a

City of the walking dead, for its true

Heart has already been impaled,

Exsanguinated the moment the

Invasive species gained their collective foothold.

Meanwhile, streets are cleaner, walkable,

Safer, as well-fed, well-dressed

Newcomers sip their wine, eat brie & wheat crackers,

Making themselves at home.

W: 6.15.07

by Mari Villaluna/Indigenous Peoples Media Project

I remember his stories. I remember her stories. I remember my matriarchal stories. I remember my ancestors' stories. I remember the story about Lumang Simbahan (Old Church) in Nasugbu, Batangas. One of my female ancestors forgot her rosary to bring to the Spanish Catholic church that they forced upon my ancestors, and walked back with all her relatives to retrieve the rosary. When they returned to the church, the Spanish burned down more than half of the population inside. A Spanish census said that only 1,000 Tagalogs lived there. Less than 500 Tagalogs survived this attack on their existence. Still to this day, every Friday, people go and light candles and pray upon this sacred site to always remember our ancestors. One of my names is rosary to always remember how my ancestors survived no matter what the colonizers did. I carry this and many other stories with me.

In remembering these stories about my Iroquois and Tagalog ancestors, I have made a decision to walk on the Longest Walk 2. Many reasons have to do with helping, organizing, and doing media for the walk. The main reason is for my descendants. My ancestors were motivated to spark revolution with their oppressors, to make treaties, or to continue their traditional ways because of their descendants. They faced many forced walks. They were removed from their land. They knew they had to figure out and organize better ways for their future generations. I must learn the lessons my ancestors taught so that seven generations from now these stories will continue to be passed down.

The Longest Walk 2 is the 30 year anniversary of a Native American Rights march that happened thirty years ago in 1978. The walk starts in San Francisco, CA and will end on July 11, 2008 in Washington D.C. This walk will call attention to the issues of environmental protection of Mother Earth, and sacred sites.

From February 9-12, 2008 in the San Francisco Bay Area and at D-Q University there will be events surrounding the Longest Walk 2. D-Q University is the home of the Longest Walk, and is the only off-reservation tribal college in the nation. On Monday, February 11, 2008 the Longest Walk will be holding a sunrise ceremony at Alcatraz Island which will be the start of the Longest Walk 2.

In remembering all these stories, I will pass on these new stories that are being created. From when I was little I was told by my father an Iroquois belief, which is always to consider about the impact of the decisions you make on the next seven generations. In seven generations from now, I hope the same stories are being passed down, and that my descendants can say "My ancestors walked on the Longest Walk 2."

by Leroy Moore/PNN

Krip-Hop: Give us some of your background.

Anthony Muraya: My name is Anthony Muraya, born and brought up in the Central province of Kenya. I'm the founder and Patron of the Destiny Talented Generation (DTG) Kenya (which deals with identifying, nurturing and promoting talents among young people in remote areas of Kenya.), and owner of the FORTY TWO TRIBES ONE NATION, blog. Also work as a missionary and youth speaker. Newly Married to Lisa Muraya and currently settling in Stockholm Sweden where I plan to pursue my education.

KH: Hello Anthony, I've been tracking Mighty King Kong career by the internet for almost five years and always wanted to contact him. I was shocked to find out about his death! Tell us how did you know Mighty King Kong and the controversy around his sudden illness?

AM: Well, I first heard King Kong through his first album Ladies choice. Mighty King Kong's real name is Paul Otieno Imbaya. Just like many young people in Kenya, the hit song became my favorite. I came to like him even more when I heard about his background- that he was once a street boy and also battling with polio that disabled him. And when I watched him perform, I got even more interested with his life.

Well there are claims that King Kong's death is a result of poisoning. The death is a big loss to the country and especially the disabled and poor people whom he has aggressively fought for and campaigned for their well being.

KH: Mighty King Kong's life was incredible from poverty to musician and before his death he was looking to get into politics. Please give us a window into Mighty King Kong's life from childhood to now.

AM: A good part of his childhood was spent on the streets where he had found his home after the death of his dad (he was only 6 when his dad died) which forced him to drop out of school. Unlike many street children, King Kong knew that the streets were not his real home or destiny. When he realized his talent and how influential it was, he decided to pursue it whole heartedly. As a former street boy, it would take him a lot of courage and determination since it is always tempting for such to go back to their former life. Street "bosses" also keep threatening a "rebel" who chooses transformation to normal life.

When a woman who owned a night club and a disco offered him accommodation, King Kong grabbed the opportunity that would change his life. With time, he practiced his talent at the discotheque, first as a dance performer.

A tender and kind King Kong, he believed that many disabled people would have better lives if they were well represented politically. This faith was the motive behind his ambition and dreams. He also tried so much to uplift the lives of the disabled by encouraging and introducing them to small scale business. He could even spend his money to assist the needy.

KH: I read that he was respected as a street person among the youth. Can you give us some highlights during that time when Mighty King Kong was living on the streets?

AM: Life on the streets is not always so easy but King Kong's entertainment gift and music talent always made the way for him. He would always make people around him feel good. Another reason is that he never despised himself; he was always alert and charming and active. He also found favor with decent-living people because unlike other street children, he never involved himself with stealing or pickpocketting. That’s also one of the reasons a woman who owned a night club trusted him and offered to accommodate him.

KH: What kind of music did Mighty King Kong sang?

AM: He sang reggae.

KH: A couple of years ago many articles reported that Mighty King Kong was in contract deals with a record label that took advantage of him. How did he get out of the contract?

AM: To King Kong, that was the worst mistake that he ever made in his life and because he had already signed the contract, there was nothing much he could do but to wait the contract expiry which lasted seven years. The contract threatened to cripple his music career but he never gave up.

KH: Mighty King Kong was going to represent people with disabilities in the government. When and why did he get into politics?

AM: It is hard to tell when but the fact that his talent opened doors and many chances to meet and interact with politicians might have opened his mind to know that he was best positioned to represent the marginalized community of disabled people in the parliament.

KH: Have things change for people with disabilities in Mighty King Kong's home since his birth?

AM: Any body, even the physically fit, that followed his example would benefit from King Kong's life. He was always enthusiastic in demonstrating practical lessons of success and his positive influence will live on after him. I personally have learnt a lot through his life and I also believe that he wanted to reach a wider audience through politics.

KH: Mighty King Kong's songs are really political. If you can pick out one song that sums up his politics, what will it be? Can you share some lyrics?

Note: (Stay tune for the answer to this question in Part two of this interview)

KH: Did Mighty King Kong face discrimination in the music industry because of his disability?

AM: No. Not because of his disability. To some point, the disability was his uniqueness and was always admired since not many people in his situation pursue their destiny with such determination as his. Piracy, corrupt music managers, producers and show organizers are the only thing that hurts many musicians' work in Kenya.

KH: I read that Mighty King Kong protest about how musicians were treated by producers, radio stations and the whole entertainment industry. Please give us the story behind this protest.

AM: Well, many producers take advantage of musicians especially if the musician is not well established and rich. Nearly 90% of musicians' work fruits go to producers. King Kong was among other musicians who believed in changing the whole music industry.

KH: How will his life, politics and music live on in Africa and beyond?

AM: I think there is a great need for his work to be collected and put together in for theaters.

KH: Mighty King Kong was a supporter of Raila Odinga's ODM political movement. What is this movement about and why was he attracted to it?

AM: The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) movement was started to fight for a new constitution that the government of the day had promised to deliver within its first 100 days in office. The movement attracted many Kenyans and won the referendum against the government. Mighty King Kong must have been attracted to the movement because much of the constitutional changes that Kenyans demanded in those areas where the common man feels oppressed. Some chapters were also in favor of disabled people. Hon. Raila Odinga is the leader of ODM.

KH: What kind of work did Mighty King Kong do for or with people with disabilities and people living in poverty?

AM:Mighty King Kong has been in the front line fighting for the well being and recognition of disabled people in the nation. He has also involved himself in talent promotion programs and projects.

KH: As a Black disabled music historian, I was looking for Mighty King Kong's CDs here in the USA but had no luck. How can other people buy his CDs?

AM: There is a big need to promote such music to the international market. Many musicians are not financially well to promote themselves internationally. A possible way is being figured out on how to have the music available and reachable for King Kong's world wide fans.

KH: Is there any other disabled musician that is following in Mighty King Kong's footsteps?

AM: Reuben Kigame, a blind gospel music composer and singer was already in music industry before King Kong. Despite being blind He is impressive and sings very good playing the keyboard for himself. He is an influencer, maybe King Kong got inspired of him.

KH: The story of Mighty King Kong is made for a book and movie screne. Has anybody thought about putting this story as a book or movie?

AM: Not as far as I know. Such a move is highly commendable.

KH: How can people help to keep Mighty King Kong's life, music and politics alive?

AM:Keeping his dreams alive would make him most greatful wherever he is. He always believed in talent promotion and encouraging people with disability to believe in themselves and realize their potential.

Sponsoring disabled people to higher education and the political arena would also keep his dreams alive. There are smart disabled people who would do a great job in the parliament.

Fighting piracy was another of his main goals. Piracy has crippled many musicians.

KH: Any last words?

AM:I really would thank people who have a heart for the disabled and the poor and those who love the street children as their own younger brothers and sisters. Many efforts have been made to form a strong force that would voice their needs but lack of resources and trust is slowing down the initiative. The needy know exactly what they need and they would be the best candidates for such works should they be equipped.

Leroy's note: Please tell the family of Mighty King Kong that my heart goes out to them

by Staff Writer

March 6-7, 2008

Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice Institute for the Study of Social Change

Co-Sponsored by POOR Magazine/PoorNewsNetwork, East Bay Community Law Center, and the Center on Culture, Immigration, and Youth Violence

Sleeping outside or in a vehicle, soliciting employment, convening in a public space and/or suffering in public from a mental illness are citable offenses in the United States. This criminalization of poverty results in more and more poor families, youth, elders, and adults in this country facing police harassment, abuse, and even incarceration for living in poverty. By bringing together an innovative and powerful mix of voices from poverty and race scholars, alternative/activist policy makers, poverty and civil rights attorneys, legal advocates, media producers, activists, artists, and community leaders, the symposium will provide a forum to explore short and long-term legislative and community based solutions to the problem and launch an in-depth look at the harmful impacts of this dangerous trend on poor people and on U.S. society as a whole.

Speakers include:

2008 Robert D. and Leslie Kay Raven Lecture on Access to Justice: Dorothy Roberts, Professor of Law, Northwestern University School of Law Symposium:

Michelle Alexander, Professor of Law, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University

Rebecca Alexander, UC Berkeley Institute for the Study of Social Change

Gary Blasi, Professor of Law, Acting Director, UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations

Paul Boden, Executive Director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project

Mary Louise Frampton, Director, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice

James Garrett, Division Dean, Peralta Community College District

Lisa Gray-Garcia, Executive Director, POOR Magazine

Joe Hermer, Professor, Sociology and Criminology, University of Toronto

Juan Herrera, UC Berkeley Institute for the Study of Social Change

Gary Linker, Executive Director, New Beginnings Counseling Center (Santa Barbara)

Carlos Mares, Founder,National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network (NDLON-LA)

Leroy Moore, Columnist, POOR Magazine

Monique Morris, Director of Research, Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice

Steven Pitts, Labor Policy Specialist, UC Berkeley Labor Center

Martin Reynolds, Managing Editor, Oakland Tribune

Victoria Robinson, Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Study of American Cultures, UC Berkeley

Jeff Selbin, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law

Olis Simmons, Executive Director, Youth UpRising (Oakland)

Nicol U, UC Berkeley Institute for the Study of Social Change

Mari Villaluna, Legal and Policy Associate, D.C. Employment Justice Center

Lucie White, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

Please note:
There is no charge for this event.
The Symposium is wheelchair accessible. For disability-related accommodations please contact csj@law.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-6969.

For details and free registration, visit http://www.law.berkeley.edu/centers/csj/symposia

by Staff Writer

Po' poets and spoken word artists, heavy weights and light weights, undefeated champs and first time performers alike all entered the ring this Valentines Day at POOR Magazine's first annual Poetry Battle of (All) the Sexes. The event, which took place at the Beat Museum in North Beach, was filled with amazing flowetry, spoken word art and poetry.

Thanks to all those who made it a huge success, including ring announcer Jack Hirschman, judges Al Robles, Genny Lim, Paris Alexander and Ananda Esteva, Tony Robles, the Beat Museum, POORPresschefs Amanda Smiles and Joanna Letz, Ace Robles for the beautiful belts and many, many more! As well thanks to all those who attended and helped a very poor POOR Magazine raise some much needed funds!!!

The BIG winners of the night were!

Champion: Queenanndi

2nd place: Leroy Moore

3rd place: Monk

Each winner was awarded a cash prize, handmade champion’s belt and will have a piece published in the Bay Guardian, as well as on POOR Magazine.

Please stay tuned for more revolutionary art and poetry events from POOR Magazine. And, read on for the winner's pieces and more.

Love and hate

by Queenanndi

Love & Hate

I’m about to commentate

Hate is comin’ to tha ring, weighing in at an unknown amount of pounds

Ready to bring on destruction and pain

Puttin’ the little kids out of their homes

Creating victims out of the elderly, addicted to bein’ insane

Oooh, and hate starts frivolous wars

Our childrens’ blood is shedded

While hate’s kids become pampered and spoiled

The hate record looks undefeated, but lovez comin’ to tha ring

Look, now hate done ran and retreated

Love got hate on tha ropes- Bam! Bow! Bam! Bing!

Love IS comin’ wit body blows, and hate can’t block a thing

Now love comes wit an uppercut- Bam!

Put the families back in their homes

Boom! Enough criticizing and criminalizing the poor

Bow! Return tha souljahs and end the war

Now! It’s justice for all- Bam! Boom! Pow!

Cuz hate just got knocked out!

Dreamin’ (of a king)

I would take all the stars out the sky for you

There’s nothin’ in this world that I wouldn’t do…

Yo’ my heart, baby our bond is strong

I know you ain’t gone leave me here to rule alone

Many journeys have been traveled and conquered

But when I feel yo’ Kingman hands that’s my energys’ comfort

I’m digging you man our hearts are on the same level

Make me go to hell and come back wit the head of tha devil

Fo’ so long I’ve felt ya- sorry that I strayed from your powers

Attuned our minds soul connects last longer than flowers

The World Is Ours

Maybe not in ways but in spirit

Go to the other end of earth-now shout!

You know I’m gone hear it

My Baby, sweet as Billy Shears, wiped away my tears n’ fears

For you I’m goin’ five Phantoms down

And comin’ right back up wit yo’ crown- on a platinum dish

If I had one wish

You’d be in tha crowd, feeling and hearing my heart pounding loud

Step to me daddy

I want that kiss from tha king-

But soon as our lips touched- Damn! I woke up from tha dream

QUEENNANDI 08

I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

by Leroy Moore

I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

Look at me, look at me

Hear this, hear this

I’ve learned from Heyward’s Porgy

Play on your pity

Just to get that money

I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

You’ll do me like you did bang, bang Margarett L. Mitchell

I’m an open swore in the BLACK community

Cup in hand

Leaning against the wall

Passersby don’t want to understand

I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

Gave my body to the US Army

Got shot by the LAPD

But you can’t get red of me

Mainstream think I’m too angry

My own people don’t even notice me

I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

My spoken word, you can’t handle

You think I’m too radical

Black sisters don’t know what they are missing

My BLACK CRIPPLE body is always erect

Mind masturbation but she can’t deal with the situation

Educated and motivated

Now people are intimidated

I’m the incarcerated BLACK CRIPPLE

Lock down

Lock out

Walking on death row

The State has lost my file

SSI, SSDI and GA

In my pocket is Uncle Sam’s dirty hands

I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

Rocking your cradle

Yeah, I know what I want but you’re too goddam fickle

Hell yeah, I’m the BLACK CRIPPLE

No, no, no

I’m the PROUD BLACK CRIPPLE

No, no, no

I’m the LOUD PROUD BLACK CRIPPLE

No, no, no

I’m the ANGRY LOUD PROUD BLACK CRIPPLE

No, no, no

I’m the SEXY ANGRY LOUD PROUD BLACK CRIPPLE

Yeah! Yeah! Hell Yeah!

More love poems spit at the battle

Aint got no love for the State

by tiny

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Will I ever

be free

Can I get a
D-I-V-O-R-C-E

So he’ll stop

abusing me

You see My man is the state

And It all started when we went out on a date

Naw, it actually began many years ago when I was homeless chyle

It was like incest and the abuse was steady and full of lies

But the state was pimping me and I couldn’t get free

criminalizing po folks like me with impunity

but hey I tried to relate

looking beyond all the hate

that’s why me and the state went out on a date

but it went from good to bad fast

when it came to the check

I tried to pay with food stamps , my ebt card and an ssi check

He called me a cheap whore said I was just playing him for a sucker

I said
he was a just an abusive lover

As I reflect I know he was never looking for a soul mate

In fact, i was just another poor mama he could incarcerate

He never tried to see my culture , my spirit , my soul..

But rather he was only on the take

Coming at me with labels of greed, food stamp fraud , child abuse and lies about my fate

He could never relate

He never accepted responsibility for 500 hundred years of repression, colonization, sterilization and hate

So I wrote him a letter- asking for
Some alimony, reparations
and if nothing else

A rebate

He didn’t respond

So I am asking for a

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

We’re through

–no mo

I’ll make my own estate

My own land free from hate

With love and language and culture,no incarceration and manufactured hate

D-I-V=O=R=C=E –

its over

I am finally free

CALLOUS CUSTODY CORRUPTION

(For all single moms that lose their children to court corruption)

BY MARLON CRUMP

I told you, your honor, you devil in a pitch black gown, that I had no time to prepare for this hearing, but you're not hearing me. What I say to you goes out one ear, and quickly out the other:

What kind of a monster are you to callously decide my child's fate, because you say your rule is great?! You just can't give my son to animals like you, by separating him from his sister, or my daughter from her brother!:

You just can't keep ripping my life or their lives away, because your everyday life is the cold color grey. Am I responsible for your refusal to have, and love children of your own?:

That must be your plan, isn't it? You want to rely on Child Protective Services, asshole attorneys, faulty foster care homes, or the police to fulfill your needs, from the time my seed is hatched from my body, until their old enough to be institutionalized by the system, when they're fully grown:

But I got a big plan for you, oh yes indeed, lord, yes I do, indeed. You see, I can only be a one-man Rambo-like soldier equipped with a keen mind, pen and paper, and a bleeding heart, to be valiantly fighting your own demon squad, of this fight so long:
While you keep doing what you're doing to me to other single mothers, everyday, then go home to enjoy a hearty meal, and enjoying Satan's song; I will make you sing to a different tune when we march into your court, in a massive crowd, reminding you how you did us so horribly wrong, then send you back to the bottomless black pit where you truly belong:

A LAWYER TOO HEATED FOR A DEGREE

BY MARLON CRUMP

The word "lawyer" rhymes with liar, every law has a flaw, and it's illusion is a poor person's mental confusion:

I'm not having it, though, for I know myself, my life, and love for my Gifted by God abilities. The power of my mind, my courage, my pen, and my heart equals you into a mortal contusion:

I can cross-examine you, into the abyss of your glorified lies, and represent myself in the court of flaws, by not even uttering a sound from my very own lips. I can dance with you from dusk till dawn, with the truth of argument(s) in front of the judge and jury:

You see, your clients that wear blue that ever so often slew, foolishly assumed that after their warrantless entry into my world, that this was the end of that movie, but I followed up as a motion-pictured, rated R sequel young black man, with a feature film presentation of impossible intelligence, and indestructible fury:

I educated you on how quickly I can obtain knowledge, in just a few short weary years of little resource, to clash with you, while you spent light years of tax payer's hard earned dollars to create weak lies, but not fully prepared of what I can do:

You was certain that the ball was in your court, thinking we would battle at the state level, but I jumped up in the air and stuck my tongue out at you like Jordan, then told you, "No, we're going federal." Your jaws dropped like a whore to her knees, but I made you kneel:

I hope you are lame enough believe that it is all over with, due to mere technicalities. When that mail carrier comes, I want you to open that big brown sealed envelope, and take out that thick wad of white papers, titled: COURT OF APPEAL:

by Valerie Harvey/PNN

I no longer believe in romantic love. Of course it all sounds nice in the beginning when you first begin dating someone and you're both putting your best foot forward. After three marriages and a few relationships, I have a "bah humbug" attitude toward love at best.

I remember once when a man that I was seeing asked me to make reservations at a very nice restaurant for Sunday brunch. I made the reservations right away. We talked about it a lot and I looked forward to the delicious food and the unbelievable ambiance. My date stood me up! He didn't bother to call me and cancel. I was so angry and upset. I called him two days later and he gave me a very lame excuse. "I had an emergency," was all that he would say.

Needless to say, he was too cheap to pay for the nice restaurant. At least that was my conclusion. But why on earth did he tell me to make the reservations in the first place? He probably wanted to impress me. I guess that he didn't think that I would really make the reservations. Maybe I was wrong about his reasons for not showing up. I felt very discouraged and insulted. He didn't think enough of me to call and cancel, I had to call him. I never heard from him again. Just another example of a man who is trying to show off and has no intention of following through with whatever he has promised.

I also remember a man who wanted to begin a relationship with me. Unfortunately he didn't want to go out in public. I figured that he had to be married or living with someone. He denied it over and over. In fact, he never did admit that he was married or cohabitating. Why else would he be against going out? He wanted to have a date on which he would pick up some takeout food and just come over to my house. I imagine that he didn't want anyone who knew his wife or girlfriend to see us out together, in public.

I believe that both men behaved the way they did due to low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence. African American writer James Baldwin writes, "One can only face in others what one can face in oneself." They couldn't see my beauty as a black woman goddess, because they were unable to see the beauty and the divinity in themselves.

Since Valentine's Day is this month and I am an African-American woman, I would be remiss if I didn't discuss the dating scene for African-American women. It is very bleak from where I sit. Can I even refer to it as a dating scene? I refer to it very loosely, in fact.

Most single black women are not dating. They are either lamenting the fact that they are not dating or they are on the lookout for a suitable dating partner. The pickings are quite slim. Due to the very real shortage of African-American men, there are not enough black men to go around for all black women.

Falling in love is a very lofty goal for women in general and black women in particular. There is a tendency to want to be in love, maybe to be in love with love itself, rather than to be in love with a man. Many black women dream about a "Prince Charming" type of man who will come along and solve their problems. This man does not exist, but that doesn't keep quite a few men from pretending that they are Prince Charming, in order to make themselves seem more attractive.

The difficulty that black women have finding love ties in well with Black History Month. . The lack of self-love within the black community is possibly responsible for the mangled relationships between African-American men and women. Negro History Week was started in order to help African-Americans to recognize our achievements and to love ourselves. Black History Month started as an expansion of Negro History Week, which Carter G. Woodson began in 1926. He was the director of the then-known Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson chose this week because it included the birthday of Abraham Lincoln and the fraternity Omega Psi Phi ‘s celebration of Frederick Douglass' birthday on February 14. This coincided with "Negro Achievement Week" in 1924. In 1976, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, changed the weeklong Black History celebration to Black History Month, because of the American bicentennial.

In 2008, Black History Month has evolved. In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, there are countless celebrations occurring all month. There is a cooking class at the Elmhurst Library in Oakland on February 25, 2008. It celebrates the food of our culture and keeping ourselves healthy and well fed in a soulful way. There is also an African film festival on February 28, 2008 at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. It showcases our African heritage.

Iawanza Kunjufu, an equal rights advocate, "Remember, our number one problem is not drugs or crime, but self hatred. Study your history and learn to love yourself." If we in the black community would embrace our blackness and love ourselves, it could lead to successful relationships between black men and women.

Be sure to check out Valerie's first book, Love Lights the Way, a compilation of poems on the subject of love at www.poormagazine.org. To order a copy call 415.863.6306

by Theodora Mays/PNN

As my blurred eyes opened, my head feeling woozy from the anesthesia, I focused on a red-faced doctor whose eyes were filled with tears. He started talking to me, something about the baby's heart rate dropping and a machine for 3 hours. My thoughts slowly started coming back to me and I remembered being rushed into a room and a big plastic object being placed over my nose. The tragic loss of my baby on that night, so many years ago, rushed back to me as I heard about the possible loss of St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco.

For the last 130 years St. Luke's Hospital, located in SOMA, has provided medical care to poor people and people of color. The hospital's closure is part of the recent string of attacks on poor communities from rich investors, where corporations move services from poor, underserved communities, to richer white areas of the city.

The California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) plans on "replacing" St Luke's with a series of ambulatory care centers in the south of Market area. These centers would be in Stonestown, Potrero Hill and the Excelsior districts and will not eliminate the need for an impatient hospital nor will they be directly accessible to St. Luke's most needy patients. St. Luke's is the only private hospital South of Market and the only other accessible hospital is San Francisco General Hospital, which is already overburdened.

If St. Luke's closes one half of San Francisco will be left with only one hospital, San Francisco General. It is not easy to get from South of Market to North of Market. Can you imagine having a heart attack in Bayview/ Hunters’s Point or the Excelsior District and trying to get across town in rush hour traffic, especially if San Francisco General is not accepting ambulances?

Last year, St. Luke's emergency room served 28,000 people and 7,000 of these visits were critical. San Francisco General Hospital cannot handle this number of additional visits

"You cannot have an emergency room without intensive care facilities or an operating room. All that is there is a shell intended to deceive the public into believing that an Emergency Room remains," said Bonnie Castillo, RN, and Director of the California Nurses Association, Sutter Division. Sutter, whose headquarters are in Sacramento, is the umbrella corporation that runs all the big hospitals in San Francisco, as well as the rest of the state.

Bonnie Castillo further proclaimed, "We will challenge Sutter with every means we can to preserve this critically needed hospital and Emergency Care Services at St. Luke's."

Hearing about the challenge to save St. Luke's, my mind kept wandering back to that night. To the blurred faces of my doctor and husband and the sounds of their muffled voices that seemed to keep saying something about "3 hours on a machine." I struggled to mumble to my husband for him to call our Bishop, thinking we had 3 hours to reach out to him for prayer. Then I was jarred with the realization that the 3 hours had already passed and our baby was dead.

Had there not been a hospital accessible to me when I went into labor the end could have been far more tragic, both my baby and I could be dead. I kept thinking about this when I heard of the mothers and children leading a Candlelight Vigil marking the closure of the key pediatric unit at St. Luke's Hospital on February 13th. Many families and women with high-risk pregnancies will be deeply affected by this closure.

Jane Sandoval, an RN at St. Luke's agrees, “Sutter is degrading patient care by closing unit after unit at St. Luke's. Do they expect women with high-risk pregnancies to take a cross-town bus? They are abandoning the families who depend on this hospital."

During the past two years, the CPMC has already closed or is "about to close" several services including the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Occupational and Physical Therapy, the Workers Compensation Unit and the Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatric Floor.

Imagining the crowds of women gathering at Valencia and Cesar Chavez with burning candles and remembering my own experience of losing a child, I know that we have to save these hospitals. We must keep St. Luke's alive.