By Frank James IV

There is a saying, “One step forward, three back.”  It seems as if the African American community is about to do this very thing.  The bizarre part about African Americans doing this is that they have done it before over the same issue.  The issue is the movie Super Fly.  In the early 70’s African Americans were still angry from the 1960’s and were poised to do something about their plight in the USA.  Hollywood released Super Fly and everything changed.  After the powerful African American response to Black Panther Hollywood is attempting to do the same in 2018.  The question is, “Will the African American community fall for the foolishness?”

The original Sig Shore production of Super Fly was a masterpiece.  Critics will bash the impact on the community but Super Fly was just plain cool.  Ron O’Neal’s portrayal of Priest in the movie was a masterpiece of acting.  The sound score done by Curtis Mayfield was brilliant.  The acting, writing and music are what made Super Fly so devastating to the African American community.  I once heard a man say, “Black men went into the movie theaters to see Super Fly with Afros and came out with perms.”  This statement sums up the impact of the movie on the African American community. 

I have listened to the Super Fly soundtrack.  The song No Thing On Me is a powerful attack on drug use.  The lyrics tell people to enjoy a natural high so you can see things as they are.  No Thing on Me should be an anthem used today to get people of all races to kick drug habits.  There are good points about the original Super Fly but they are outweighed by the negative cultural impact.  Super Fly made the hustling and drug scene look wonderful.  In the words of Christian motivational speaker Ruby Wray, a woman who lived during the release of the original Super Fly, “Almost every black man I knew wanted to be like Priest. Even those who didn’t look like him, Ron O’Neal, tried to be him.” The after effects of Super Fly on the African American community were and are obvious.  Progress on a social level stopped and it took almost a decade to shake off the cultural impact of Super Fly.

Are African Americans going to fall for the Okie Doke again? Black Panther had African Americans on call.  Many people started wearing African clothes again.  Some African American females let go of hair weave and are growing their hair natural.  It seems as if the African American community may be waking up.  Will this shaking off of sleep be disrupted by a knockoff of an original, almost fatal blow?  Will the African American community allow Hollywood to send them back to sleep, possibly for the final time?

The 2018 Super Fly screenplay was written by Alex Tse and directed by Director X.  Tse is Chinese and X was born and raised in Canada.  Why would these two people have the African American communities best interest in mind?  How can these two people know what it is to be African American or know how African Americans think? Yes X looks black and has directed music videos.  Whoopee.  If you look at any modern music video there is a high chance that it reeks of crass materialism.  Materialism is what has driven the African American community insane.  How can a Chinese man know how black people feel or think?  It would be like me trying to write a movie about the Chinese Triads.  This has me asking, “Why now, and why at all?”  The previous questions are ones all African Americans should be asking.

There is a chance that African Americans will go see the 2018 Super Fly and come out conscious about the society they live in.  There is a greater chance African Americans will go into the theater and be enthralled into oblivion by the cars, women and black men chasing the mythical “Big Score.”  I will go on record stating: If the African American community goes back to sleep it will be for good.

By Frank James IV

It has been 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. Was gunned down.  Fifty long years since King was blasted from life on a balcony outside of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.  The years have gone by in a blur for many.  Forgetfulness has made King and the Civil Rights Movement a small blurb in history.  One has to wonder if the African American community has not wasted King’s sacrifice?

King went to Memphis to help the sanitation workers in their quest for better conditions on the job.  This was one of the many times King became the focal point to bring light to an issue.  Sadly it was to be the last time King would walk the planet breathing.  On April 4, 1968 King was assassinated and in many cases the dream he had died with him.  Since that day African Americans have become more confused than any previous time in the USA since slavery.

When King died the masses of African American people went back to sleep.  King’s death became a beacon/ warning to African Americans to follow the status quo while waiting for change.  Many people stepped in to take charge of the leadership void King’s death left.  From Jessie Jackson to Al Sharpton men tried to fill the shoes King left vacated.  To see the results one only has to look at the news or go into the African American community to realize the level of failure.

In 2018 the African American community is still facing the same problems it faced in 1968.  The biggest difference is without a King like leader people don’t have the leadership to get things changed.  This is why you see the same time-worn strategies being used in 2018 from 1968.  When King and others marched it was the final use for marches as a method of change.  The culmination of the march was the big march on Washington where King electrified the world with his oratory.  Every march since then has been in futility.  Yet whenever there is a problem African Americans hold a march.

King was a master orator.  People listen to his speeches in 2018 and get tears in their eyes.  Every leader since has attempted to use his words to motivate the African American masses.  All these King impersonators have done is create a ball of confusion in the African American community.  The divide created from differing viewpoints has kept the chasm of disunity in the African American community growing.  Oddly enough these so-called African American leaders have more fame than King could ever imagine.  Al Sharpton is a fixture on television and Jessie Jackson ran for president.  Yet the African American people still suffer.

King was the standard for ministers in the African American community.  In 2018 many African American people still look to the minister to speak for them.  All this has created is mega churches with very wealthy ministers.  Three years ago Creflo Dollar was worth a cool 27 million.  We’ll let that sink in.  Do you think someone who is making this kind of money wants things to change in the USA? Is it possible that it is time for African Americans to look elsewhere for leadership than the pulpit?

King may have his detractors but he died for what he believed in.  Was his non-violence concept foolish?  Who knows?  One thing is for certain; African Americans did not utilize the sacrifice King made to the maximum extent.  The schools are filled with African American students who refuse to learn.  African American people push drugs and kill one another at an alarming rate.  African Americans are still begging for crumbs at every other races table.

There have been celebrations marking the 50^th Anniversary of King’s Death.  People of all cultures celebrate King’s death.  Sadly the African American community continues to dishonor King’s life.  I wonder how King would feel about the way the African American community has honored his sacrifice?

By David Jordan Jr

As the year 2017 comes to a close, we at ESHE Magazine would like to pay homage to the late Dick Gregory. Dick Gregory passed away on August 17, 2017 but the words and ideals which he left the world remain forever. A legacy created by being a pioneer laid the blueprint for those seeking righteousness in all aspects of the world. Dick Gregory broke ground in the world of comedy essentially demanding equality for himself on the stages which he performed and the television shows which he appeared on.  The time period of the 1960s was a time where racial inequality, social injustices and poverty deeply affected the landscape of Black America. Gregory literally put his life on the line in many marches and protests across the south; marching on the front lines with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Harry Belafonte to combat racism, Gregory was jailed counteless times.  In addition to fighting for racial equality, Gregory was an activist for peace during wars (Vietnam being the first) that took place during his life by not only speaking against these wars but also by going on hunger strikes in efforts to not only bring attention to these problems but to bring forth a resolution. Gregory has been side by side with many of the great black men of the last century; Muhammad Ali, Dr. King, Malcolm X and Bob Marley to name a select few.

The one thing these men all had in common was the heart for fairness, the heart for justice. The words of wisdom given by Gregory and his infinite knowledge that he shared with the world is what will allow his legacy to live on forever. In the words of Mr. Gregory, “information is power” and the information is available for all who seek it. Thank you for your life, thank you for your contributions and most importantly thank you for your warrior spirit Mr. Gregory.