explain.

We Must Get Free . . .

Excerpt from the Book of Abe 3:11 By Abe Alphonso McGriff III The masses of Supreme Universal Humans Becoming or African people (who choose to claim Africa) who have grown up in a Colonial

Many of us have been to the Circus. I've never liked any Circus which had live animals. I've always enjoyed the spectacular performances by Humans Becoming, but never the animals. The one animal performance I've always resented was the The Hart Monitor Issue 11 February 2013 Page 1 We Must Get Free Page 4 Shame No More Page 5 A Telephone Call Leaves Me Wondering Page 6 Mass Incarceration Action Team Black Pain :Mental Health Forum Bear, with the cone hat and red shorts, riding a bicycle in a circle. with me. The Bear was removed from its

This seemed very much out of place

environment, America in particular, are still enslaved. This is a fact. Supreme Universal Humans Becoming operating with an enslaved consciousness will never find happiness or peace. The only thing an

natural environment. As a result, the Bear is no longer able to supply its own needs, feed itself, or participate as a natural Bear, living in the forest the way it would normally do. So, the

enslaved consciousness can produce is oppression rooted results, or Expressions of Oppression. Money, Fame, Degrees, and Validation by the Colonists will never

Bear moves from Being Free to Survival Mode. It has to survive because it now has to enter into unfair negotiations with the trainer. The trainer now decides

amount to Freedom. Presently, what might be termed as Modernism and Traditionalism are Colonial realities for Supreme Universal Humans Becoming.

when and how the Bear eats, sleeps, and works. The Bear has to now behave in a way that is unnatural so it can eat. The bear puts on red shorts, a cone hat, and learns how to ride a bicycle in circles. The interesting thing is, when the new born cubs, born into captivity, start growing and acting in their innate natural way, their parents contribute training them to operate in an unnatural way so they will survive in the circus. A Bear born into captivity, trained to wear red shorts, a cone hat, and ride a bicycle in a circle, has no idea what it's like to live in it's natural environment, with it's natural Bear consciousness. Hibernation? Forget about it. The Bear now has an unnatural Circus Bear consciousness.

I need y'all to be patient with me for a moment while I

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What if one day the Bear, born into captivity, was told it

can be Free? It was let go into the forest. Would it survive? The New Natural or first thing the Bear would do is walk back to its trainer (Master). The Bear no longer recognizes itself as a Bear. The Bear no longer cares about being in its natural environment. The Bear has totally rejected the idea of what it means to be a Bear and live in the forest (similar to African Americans rejecting the idea of being Supreme tried, and bring the Bear back to the Circus. Universal Humans Becoming). The trainer would say OK, I

indoctrinated into this Circus. We were being trained on how to better ride the bicycle.

We were left with no other options than to turn around and return to the plantation with the Master. It was against the law for mass majority of us to own land, walk through town without a pass, to not have a job, grow our people do. Now imagine, because the Bear has no knowledge of its Freedom as being equal to the trainer. So, instead of own food, participate in trade, and many other things Free

Conditioning is a serious thing. When one rejects what is supposed to be a natural or innate environment, only to be returned to an unnatural environment, there is a lot to be said about conditioning. The conditioning of a Consciousness cannot be underestimated.

natural self, the Bear returns to the Circus and redefines having a desire to be Free (there is a difference between being Free and being set Free) the Bear makes a demand to wear the same clothes as the trainer. The Bear demands a better mode of transportation, better clothes, and a better

When a high school student is killed in an off campus accident, the very next day, there are all types of counselors, advisors, psychiatrists, expert psychologists, and other people looking out for the best interest of the students and faculty, available and ready to assist them with the trauma of losing a classmate. The question is: What happened to the counselors,

hat. Eventually the Bear demands the right to eat with the trainers, sleep where they sleep, live where they live, and addition to having already accepted the Historical, with most of the demands granted, the Bear is still be educated where the trainers (Masters) are educated, in Cultural, and Spiritual way of life as the trainer. However, unhappy and not at peace. The Bear is still not Free. The Bear will never be happy and at peace while operating out of its natural mind. This is why the animals periodically Lose It! We have read about the well trained elephants, seals,

advisors, psychiatrists, expert psychologists, and others when Supreme Universal Humans Becoming (enslaved Africans) were told, you are Free?

dolphins, whales, lions, tigers, bears, and other animals which have been killed, or had to be put down because no matter how long they have been held in captivity, even if matter how comfortable the trainer tried to make them, no born into captivity, there is an innate place in them which is in conflict with their environment. As a result, they snap and the trainer says I dont know what happened; we loved this animal so much. In much the same way, Colonizers claimed love for their enslaved Supreme Universal Humans Becoming. This is insanity. One cannot claim Love for someone/something while at the same time denying the Freedom of that someone/something.

The period between 1865 and 1877 when there was a Freedmans Bureau doesnt count. This was a period when Supreme Universal Humans Becoming became further

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Today, we have people like Oprah, Bill Cosby, Michael the faces of success for Supreme Universal Humans Becoming.

Jordan, and other athletes, movie stars, entertainers, etc., as

help train and condition young, energetic, and nave youth in this way, are operating like the Bear parents born in captivity. I dont know anything about Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Michael Eric Dyson, or President Obamas personal lives. Nor am I familiar with any other international personalities and feel free with how they are living their lives and that

The reality is they are just bears who have fancier bicycles, shorts, and hats and have been allowed to have what the master has.

They never got off of the bicycle and left the circus. This is not Freedom. The Circus for Supreme Universal Humans has been crafted by the Colonizer, rather than a historical, cultural, and spiritual place. We Supreme Universal Humans Becoming have yet to recover our own, natural consciousness. We are still operating with an unnatural enslaved consciousness unnatural, self destructive behavior and activities. Then we have Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Michael Eric Becoming is America while having a consciousness which consciousness which comes from a natural, innate,

entertainers personally. If they are happy and at peace and works for them, then they are successful and thats good for them; however, they do not represent my definition I have seen publicly. I mention them because they are freedom and success and I openly question this and understanding of freedom, at least not based on what being presented to generations to come as the image of representation of freedom and success. Its nothing behavior of public figures all the time.

personal. They are all public figures and we question the

(circus); as a result, we continue to see, and participate in

Dyson, and other self-proclaimed Black leaders still using 50 year old Civil Rights solutions for 2012 issues. They are all still on the bicycle in the Circus.

This is no criticism for those who are on the bicycle because most of us are, while not being aware of the circus reality.

Our youth are being influenced to be impressed with the Obama Presidency. They are being trained to support the success. How can we allow our success to be defined as circus by admiring the Lead Bear, as the ultimate vision of being elected (selected) as the president of an oppressive environment (circus/America) which has been created by the trainer (Colonizer) who captured (enslaved) us in the first place? Is the next generation supposed to grow up and do the same exact thing the generations did before them to solve present problems? This is because it doesnt matter what rights you receive while in the Circus riding a bicycle. It doesnt make you Free. We can be allowed to live with, eat with, sleep with, be educated with, celebrate holidays with, and laugh with the Colonizer. It wont equal Free. We can go to church, march, protest, demand, shout, fight, vote, boycott, picket, get mad, etc. It wont equal Free. We can get Civil Rights, Human Rights, Voting Rights, and Equal Rights. It wont

equal Free. Marriage, Politics, Relationships, and Life will continue to equal failure for Supreme Universal Humans Becoming if we dont get Free first. Oppression and oppressive results can be the only byproduct of a people

The tragedy is when the youth of today are being

conditioned to accept promoted personalities as success stories while the actual reality is that change does not necessarily equal progress. Parents and other adults who

who have no knowledge of Freedom or their natural self. The Colonizers (the Trainers/Slave Masters) are not going

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to change. The Colonizer (oppressor) will never assist the oppressed with getting free. Supreme Universal Humans Becoming have to change if we want true progress for ourselves. Our Matrix is Colonial America (the Circus). Our freedom is The Universal Consciousness (The forest for the Bear).

streets that lead to the double doors of Saint Joseph's High school -- rarely did I look up to acknowledge anything more the current station stop, or the correct set of change. Bearings caught, my gaze would tip earth-ward, to the figure-eight loops of black Reebok' shoelaces.

Supreme Universal Humans Becoming have to get Free. Life, in its purest form, is supposed to be an infinite expression of Becoming. Supreme Universal Humans Becoming do not need equality. Equality does not equal we are supposed to have and everything we have the Free. Freedom is Infinite. With Freedom comes everything potential to become. This is because we first have our own natural Universal consciousness which resonates from within.

As long as we are functioning with a Colonial (circus trained) consciousness, it doesn't matter what the illusion of progress is, including Obama and the Presidency, we are enslaved. Remember, Freedom is a word that needs only exist in an oppressive environment.

My thoughts, always to the incessant thrum-thrumming in my ear that I wasn't worth much more than the spit in the back of my own mouth. Nearly even day from age 12 to 17, I blindly stumbled from one obligation to the next, fearing that I would have to hold someone's gaze long enough to see myself in the reflection of their eyes. It is no wonder that when I did commit those first few instances of direct self-harm -- beyond the scabs of mosquito bites, picked and repicked --- it was with a long-forgotten

And just because you have colleges and universities doesn't mean you have education. Malcolm X You are either free or not free Malcolm X

rusty razor blade between my toes.

Shame No More
by Michelle Louise Bicking I spent a good part of my early to mid-teens looking down. To the Rockaway Avenue entrance to C line within walking distance of my parents' brownstone in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, throughout the drunken sway of the southbound train and down the oft-crowded downtown Some bad habits die hard. It took at least another decade to both give and take a smile with singles for a $10 bill, ease to the right of a departing passenger's whole body, not just sections of coat or a left leg in boots. To recognize and even welcome someone's efforts to catch my attention

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while passing on the street. To see with new eyes what lasting damage my insecurities had wrought on my physical person, toes and all. It was a slow, restless death and I swear that evil wants to resurrect myself in my present day, damning all the internal battles of self-doubt long-fought but mostly, mostly overcome. Daily affirmations keep me and mine hopes above the horizon; the pleasure of my husband sleeping beside, a wordless validation that I am worthy of love. Some bad habits die hard, yes, but they can die if we purposefully go about slackening the grip that they hold over our lives. Even if its one finger at a time. My God, the view is beautiful from here!

Capitol building and saw mostly white people and wondered where people of color were at to testify for stricter gun controls. Indeed where were all the people of color who live in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and Waterbury that live with shooting or murders, of children and adults, on a daily basis? A telephone call leaves me wondering. Over 300 people sent in copies of their statements in preparation for the hearing, a community stood ready for action. But the community seemed to reflect a certain ethnic group: is there a cadre of non-whites to grieve over children of color killed in drive by shootings? What is it going to take for non-white groups to unite like people did Jan. 28th in Hartford?

A Telephone Call Leaves Me Wondering

By Cornell Lewis

There have been marches about urban violence, sermons preached in black churches about violence, political leaders in urban areas paying lip service etc. But to have a national debate about gun control, where politicians are falling over themselves to be seen on the correct side of this bandwagon issue, is something that has not occurred in urban areas. I was driving to Hartford on January 28, 2013 when the cell phone rang. When I pulled over to the curb outside of the State Capitol and answered the call, a familiar voice said hello. The caller [who, by the way, is a white activist] wanted to know what my thoughts were about the Hartford legislative hearings in progress concerning gun control [the massacre in Newtown was the reason for this hearing]. Then the person said Cornell I passed the State I cannot turn on the television without seeing crying mothers, bereaved fathers, religious leaders, or educators discussing the Newtown tragedy. Children murdered in cold blood: stop gun violence, do something now one politician said on Capitol Hill. Maybe one day non-white people will stop arguing about who is doing the most work concerning anti-violence in urban areas and start a movement about death in their neighborhood; hell, we

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certainly have more than enough bodies from urban violence.

the lives of millions of men, women and children. It will take distinct actions to chisel away at the massive structure mass incarceration now has become. It did not happen overnight and it will not go away overnight. But it also will not go away if it is only being talked about and nothing is being done. You are welcome to join the conversation but more importantly you are invited to take action. Bring your ideas to the table in order to create solutions that can be implemented. The Mass Incarceration Action Team meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of every month at the SAND/Ropkins branch of Hartford Public Library, located at 1750 Main Street, Hartford. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. Hope to see you there!

Mass Incarceration Action Team

By Kai Sanders On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 the second meeting of the Mass Incarceration Round Table was held. It started with 10 participants and ended with a total of 12 passionate individuals desiring to see change in their communities and in their lives. While it was recognized that lasting change is the end goal, temporary short term, achievable goals would be what would make that happen. When discussing the options for how to tackle the problem, Michelle Muhammad suggested a multi-faceted approach to dismantle the system that has been built. The many facets of approach included petitioning the capitol for better legislation, focusing on the children by intervening in the Pipeline to Prison, getting involved with families of the very children at risk, support from and for the teachers and a creating a legal redress committee to help those who are in prison as well as those who are headed there.

Black Pain: Mental Health Forum

By Brother Kevin Muhammad

Thursday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m. at the Downtown Library in Hartford, many were fortunate to be a part of a very heart-felt event. Terrie M. Williams, the nights keynote speaker, set the stage for everyone present to feel safe to not only address the entire Black Communitys Each of these topics can be broken into a task force of committed people united in the cause they are most passionate about. It will take more than brainstorming ideas to change the tide mass incarceration has created in concerns on mental health issues, but to share their own personal stories. The opening part of the program featured a short powerful video segment which included such persons as Susan B. Taylor, former founder and editor of

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Essence magazine, a leader from a notorious gang, comedian MoNique, jazz artist, Miles Davis, songstress Mary J. Blige and many others who suffered from depression themselves. Taylor spoke of her need to run away from herself and of becoming a work-a-holic. She pointed out in the video that she learned running from her mental health problem rather than confronting it was not a good solution and gradually led to a break down. MoNique shared that it was her husband that encouraged her to get help after she spent prolonged periods of time in her room alone between performances. A gang member of a notorious street organization depicted his own personal struggle with health care professionals who were culturally insensitive, leading to him being misdiagnosed as having Bi-Polar disorder. He mentioned that in his heart he knew that there was something else wrong with him. He would later find out that he suffered from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder and so did many other former gangsters. The constant War-like conditions in the streets of urban America caused young Black men to exhibit the same symptoms as soldiers returning home from Vietnam or Afghanistan. This film segment set the stage for the evening. When people can empathize and feel a measure of commiseration for their favorite movie star or singer then maybe they can get a firmer picture of the depths of mental illness.

experience depression more often, African Americans and Caribbean Blacks experience greater severity and persistence. Depression is more disabling for African Americans and takes a greater toll on all aspects of their lives-including their work, relationships, social and overall-than for whites. She also was brutally honest about her own bouts with depression and declared that she sees a therapist twice a week. Ms. Williams, being a social worker by trade at one time thought she would be committing career suicide by announcing her own needs for treatment. However, she experienced the opposite. Her mission and career actually took off when she told others of her perceived frailties. Many people began to support her as she got her message out. Today she runs her own foundation which has treated an array of people such as Eddie Murphy, Miles Davis and many others.

Following Terrie Williams opening message the panelists took their seats and were questioned by Ann-Marie Adams, editor of the Hartford Guardian about issues relating to the state of mental health in the Black Community. Panelists included Senator Toni Harp, Trevor Foster of Tru Books, Naeem Muhammad of the Nation of Islam and Terrie Williams. Topics varied from singleheaded households, to improving mental health services Author Terrie Williams spoke for the first twenty minutes of the program. She gave a brief summary of events in her personal life that led her to write the book Black Pain. In her book she quotes a short statement from the National Study of American Life that says Though whites and counseling for children in poor neighborhoods to effectively dealing with oppression handed down to present generations through the legacy of slavery. A couple of people in the audience stood up much later in

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the program thanking Ms. Williams and the panelists for pointing out that mental health issues affect everyone and all communities and should be something that the Black community should have as a primary concern. Others expressed that the approach to treatment should not be based on traditional counseling from schools of thought stemming from whites such as Sigmund Freud, but should be based on ideologies from black psychologists such as Naim Akbar, Frances Cress-Welsing and others. The night ended with a book signing by Terrie M. Williams, who provided people with books, contact information and oneon-one answers about Depression in the Black Community.

All articles in the Hart Monitor are the opinion of the

writer listed only, not necessarily the Hart Monitor as a whole or of its sponsors. The Hart Monitor is edited by African American Emancipation Challenge (CAAEC). Larry Risby and Joanna Iovino, and sponsored by the CT

March 9, 2013 12:30pm Hartford Public Library Center for Contemporary Culture 500 Main Street

24/7 Hotlines for emergency mental health assistance: Capital Region Mental Health Center: (860) 297-0999 Wheeler Clinic Helpline: (860) 524-1182 Community Health Resources: (877) 884-3571 OR Dial 2-1-1 in a mental health crisis situation

If you are interested in contributing to the Hart Monitor, email info@thehartmonitor.com or call 860-461-2611. Please visit www.thehartmonitor.com

The Hart Monitor Issue 11 February 2013