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WHEW!!! JESUS BE A BOXING REFEREE!!
The all too hot topic of “No Wedding No Womb” has unleashed the beast of twitter, and the beast is BEASTING!!! The alternate name for this piece was “Twitter.com – Angels & Demons”.
The previous post supporting NWNW was primarily an announcement of it's launch [Original Ayce Blog-azine NWNW Post] and a follow up episode featured the views of author/blogger/Political mouthpiece Brandale Randolph * AKA @Brandale 2221 . Views expressed in this installment are those of N. Maurice Williams.
First and foremost, while I still have you reading in a somewhat objective state, I support the BASIC CONCEPTS of NWNW.
First and foremost, while I still have you reading in a somewhat objective state, I support the BASIC CONCEPTS of NWNW.
The CONCEPTS of 1) NWNW is a CONVERSATION moreso than a MOVEMENT. This bit of semantics is very important when anal-izing and scrutinizing this CONVERSATION. One could argue that by definition, "No Wedding No Womb" is a movement, however by the organizer's own definition to me, it is a nationwide conversation.
2) The concept of the IDEAL being – a child has 2 involved parents committed to his/her growth and development. Married, divorced, boyfriend/girlfriend, shackin’ up or whatever other scenario suits your personal beliefs and values. ALL INCLUSIVE. The FOCUS of this conversation being on CHILDREN and not on our personal political, sexual or socio-economic beliefs. CHILD HAS 2 INVOLVED PARENTS…hold on to that concept please.
3) The concept of 100+ bloggers who all may have different views or roadmaps, but all share the same DESTINATION…THE CHILD! (did I mention…)
Complete and full disclosure, I am the father of an OOW child in her late teens. Early on we were extremely close and at some points joined at the hip. This was the light of my life and I literally fought at times to be a part of hers. In later years, for WHATEVER reason(s), I became less involved and unfortunately co-parented a lot less (at some points not at ALL) with her mother. To date, I’m working with my daughter to repair all that’s suffered in our relationship so we can BOTH have more balance and happiness and we’re blessed to have a host of family and friends who’ve been there for us both over the years. This is not the forum for airing all personal matters, I state these facts as a point of reference and insight into the author.
My personal upbringing was one that was also on both sides of the NWNW fence. Parents divorced very early in my life, one re-married and formed a 2 parent household, one did not, and I split time between the two. One household was very strained and not an experience conducive to raising a balanced citizen/Black Man (the single parent one), the other very nurturing, cerebral, positive and balanced (2 parents). Very fortunate for ME, I had an interest in psychology at an early age, even to the point of playing toy box therapist to some of my friends in elementary and junior high school. That blessed me with an objective view of the difference between a single parent household and one with 2 parents – and the effects of both.
Fast forward to Tw-ornado, Tw-urricane, Tw-irestorm (Twitter+Firestorm…get it) “No Wedding No Womb”.
“Organizer” (GOD don’t tell her she’s a leader! GEEZ!) Christelyn Karazin put up a tweet, not sure how I ended up “following” her, but it was asking for a singer to perform a song that was already written and done musically, just needed a voice. I replied with a couple of young ladies I know personally who might be interested and are actively involved in music.
Novel story put in Cliff’s Notes, Christelyn and I had a phone conversation and I introduced her to the person you hear on the “NWNW Theme Song”, writer/vocalist Kyndra and Producer Leland Sharp. Now, very real and open talk, there were a NUM-BER of areas in which Christelyn and I did not and do not agree and have different methodologies. I wont state them point for point, but at the end of the day the CON-CEPT of NWNW and improving the lives of children and the community were/are a common interest we share and with that I offered my support (in my non-committal Sagittarian way) and have since counseled with her during the course of this NWNW conversation.
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Feminist, Pro-Gay Marriage, Pro-Single Mom/Dad or Pro-Raised by a Pack of Wolves, the I-DEAL…
When I was a young yute [sic], there was an anti-drug campaign titled “Just Say No”. Basically, when someone offers you “drugs” (one’s the government doesn’t make tax dollars directly from), JUST SAY NO!
Independent of the birth of the crack epidemic and growth of marijuana use, this was most definitely a large scale smokescreen and publicity stunt.
Such the running joke, that I’ve often heard the slogan “Just Say No” as a joint was getting passed (no admission of guilt!) or during other times of drug indulgence.
What is understandable about this “Just Say No” campaign/conversation/movement is that it is an EXTREME measure being used in order to fight the crack/drug use problem that had grown to epic proportions. It was a simplified way to say “Don’t be a crack addict who steals your family’s VCR, pawns it and uses the money to buy crack or has sex with the dope man to get a hit or walks around begging for money to get $5 dollars together just to get your afternoon high on…” (WHEW! MOUTHFULL!)
“No Wedding No Womb” in TITLE and to some extent in theory, just as many ad campaigns or movements (circa “Nike – Just Do It”) struck me as being similar from the time I heard it. I have my OWN youth related programs and have been involved in child development for some years now, and my focus is at the source of these problems. So although I never openly say or promote the concepts in the NWNW conversation, ultimately that’s a part of what my soon to be nationwide programs are about. The vision of my programs also extend beyond just youth, and incorporate parents/adults in order to have the resources and lessons given to youngsters supported by those closest to them.
Christelyn Karazin is not the first person on planet earth to say “Hey this is a problem” and she’s not a pioneer in putting it on a nationwide jumbotron, but for some reason we’re ALL ENGAGING in not only her NWNW conversation, but a deeper convo of morals, standards and where the bar is in the Black community as compared to others.
“SEX LIES AND TWITTER RANTS”
The angels and demons of Twitter have come together in a “Clash of the Tw-itans” (c) and all of this for the WHOLE WORLD TO SEE!! PEOPLE THE WHOLE WORLD…that’s all I’ll say in that respect, however, I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t point out my personal observations and opinions…PART II of this NWNW piece (because I have a LIFE and have to get BACK TO IT!! LOL) is dedicated to 1) Unfortunately naming some names and exposing some games and 2) Stating my own proposed solutions, as I make it a point to state solutions in any instance that has me pointing out problems/issues – even if it’s with my beloved sports teams!
POST SCRIPT!!!
I will NOT be defending my words or beliefs on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or the corner of Crenshaw and Adams (L.A folks) nor debating in comments, that’s part of the problem. Anything I’m saying publicly is either already on my timeline (@NMaurice) or said in PART 1 + PART II of this piece. Just so we’re 200% clear. I will, however, engage in positive progressive solutions with anyone who's actually in agreement that this is a problem that needs solving as my aim is to get to aiding...the children.
PLEASE RETURN FOR PART II OF “NO WEDDING NO WOMB NO COMMUNICATION"
Great post...
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