Happy Birthday, Malcolm X

"I've had enough of someone else's propaganda. I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I am for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole."

He was called by Ossie Davis ' our shining Black prince' and was a tireless advocate and spokesperson in our struggle against oppression and for human rights who was violently taken away from us and his family far too soon in 1965.

Today is the birthday of El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz, better known to the world as Malcolm X, and yes he's a Taurus born in North Omaha, NE on this date in 1925.   

James Cone said something about Malcolm X in the 1991 book Malcolm and Martin and America that resonates loudly with me as I ponder the man, his words and their relevance in our 21st century human rights struggles.

"Blacks today who are proud to affirm their African heritage should thank Malcolm.  More than anyone else he created a space for them to affirm their blackness.  More than anyone else he taught Blacks that there can be no freedom in the United States without self-esteem, a high regard for themselves as Black people."

That is true of African-American trans people as well.  Until we have love, self-esteem and high regard for ourselves as trans people of African descent, we will continue to fall short of our desire to have human rights coverage for ourselves and the love and respect of our community that we demand and deserve.

"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to be is an intelligent human being" Malcolm X,  December 20, 1964

Happy birthday, Malcolm.   Your thought provoking words still continue to inspire our people and all who seek human rights and social justice.

What Do You Mean I'm Not A Taurus?

When you ask people what's their sign, it's a nice icebreaker and conversation starter that can lead to friendships, relationships and sometimes marriage in some cases.

But in the wake of a recent Minneapolis Star-Ledger article that claimed that many of our signs had changed because of the wobble of the Earth's axis over two millennia, there were other conversations started this week based on the assertion that the 2000 year old zodiac was not only off by a month, but now included a 13th sign.

I say this as a proud Taurus, bull feces!

The current 12 sign zodiac that Western astrology is based on hasn't changed.   It's based on the seasonal equinoxes and wasn't oriented to the constellations.  

That's good to know because I know deep down I fit every characteristic assigned to Taurean personalities and I just didn't see Aries in my future.

No offense to those of you who are proud Aries and have Ram jewelry, t-shirts and tattoos to prove it, but I am a Bull and proud of it.   One of the reasons I like Battlestar Galactica and Caprica so much is that my peeps from the BSG home planet of Tauron and their culture got featured on the show.

Admiral Helena Cain was from the home planet and as we have discovered thanks to the Caprica prequel, Admiral William 'Bill' Adama's family was from Tauron as well.

So whatever your sign was before that article popped up, you are still that sign today.

And that's no bull

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It's Janet's Birthday

Janet Jackson that is. Happy birthday to the Grammy winning baby sister of the Jackson clan. She was born on this date in Gary, IN.









Here's hoping that Janet's next album is produced by Jam and Lewis.