“I Stand,

    So That You Can Kneel”

By the time I was 39, I had served 22 years, half of my life in the Navy. For 22 years, looking over my shoulder, on the daily, came the possibility of some form of micro-aggression. In high school, it was outright overt racial bullying. Learning early in life through the nurturing love of my mother how to trivialize the many statements of darkness. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you.

My love of reading and knowledge of the Uniform Code of Military Justice allowed me to become a chameleon on the surface while suffering indignation inside. It was a means of survival. A dilemma millions of men of color deal with on a daily. One slip and the welfare of a family could be jeopardized.  Self-publishing an autobiography about my first 39 years as now served many purposes. A book I’ve never promoted in the traditional sense. Giving away copies as to demonstrate motive/intentions were not of a monetary nature.   Individual copies were sent to many elected officials. Requesting its inclusion in public libraries etc. etc., it wasn’t surprising, nor will I ever be critical of the non-responders. The implication, if you will, hedged on critical race theory, a book-banning scenario for sure it was a hot potato.

Nonetheless, one of the highlights of those 39 years was becoming a Racial Awareness Facilitator. The climate of race relations, unbeknown to the American public, had reached mutiny levels during and following the Vietnam War. Creating operational readiness problems. Admiral Zumwalt, the then Chief of Naval Operations supported by the Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, implemented equal opportunity goals, even though there was pushback from a group of reactionary congressmen. Overshadowed by “Watergate,” the programs of racial awareness became funded, garnering a captive audience as described in John Sherwood’s book “Black Sailor White Navy.”

I consider “Guidance Against the Odds” and “Black Sailor, White Navy” messages in a bottle. Which someday will wash ashore in the open minds of a more pure generation. For, “If there’s no enemy within, the enemy outside cannot hurt you.” (African-Proverbs)

“I Stand So That You Can Kneel” by Andrew Freborg

I stand to honor the promise the flag represents.

You kneel because that promise has been broken.

I stand to affirm my belief that all are created equal, and to fight alongside you for that promise.

You kneel because too few stand with you.

I stand because we can be better.

You kneel to remind us to be better.

I stand to honor all that have fought and died so that we may be free.

You kneel because not all of us are.

I stand because I can.

You kneel for those who can’t.

I stand to defend your right to kneel.

You kneel to defend my right to stand.

NBA rookie player Sterling Brown arrest video released by Milwaukee police. A nightmare of intimidation lived over and over by 100’s of 1000’s of Black Men, with some losing their lives’.

Paragraph 4, Chapter 12 of the autobiography “Guidance Against the Odds: the First thirty-nine years,” by Henry Lee Faulkner.

It was after midnight on the morning of August 16, 1981. I was leaving the city of Montgomery, heading north on Interstate 65. My wife at the time had decided that she and the kids would remain behind in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama. She did not want to revisit the housing issues we had suffered years earlier in Jacksonville, Florida. Realizing where I was, driving a late model Chevy Monte Carlo with Maryland tags, I set the cruise control to the posted speed. About three hours into a ten-hour drive, my fears of law enforcement materialized. An officer pulled me over, and I visualized the worst happening. Flashbacks were playing in my mind. Understanding the predicament but hoping it was just a dream, I intuitively handed him my insurance and identification, which included my military ID. I asked, “What’s the problem?” I didn’t give him a chance to speak, which seemed to irritate him. “You know why,” he answered abruptly in a condescending manner. After examining my documents, he inquired, “Where you headed, chief?” “Louisville,” I answered. “Slow it down if you want to get there. I’ll give you a break this time,” Then he handed me my IDs. Feeling like I had just been spit on, but I also wondered how the outcome would have been different if I had not shown him my military ID. He must have been former military assuming he knew the acronym CPO in rank which meant chief petty officer; since he addressed me as Chief.

The incident was disturbing, although the outcome wasn’t disastrous, the awareness of how far I had ventured outside my safety zone hit home. If it were not for the interstate road system, I would have passed through numerous small towns, some of which would have been sundown towns. I had protected my family, but who was protecting me? I had let my guard down, get comfortable within my skin, alone in the middle of nowhere (figuratively speaking), in the heart of the South. It was a full moon, casting eerie shadows off the long-leaf pines, landscaping the reclusive miles of highway in central Alabama. The uncertainty of what Louisville, Kentucky had to offer began to fill my thoughts with apprehension…… for the first time, giving way to serious thoughts of retiring to a reclusive island. Baltimore had given me refuge, but now I had reentered the unknown, the predatory forestry of my own country.

After seven decades and a lifetime of negative experiences, I still capitulate to a mindset of fear rather than safety in the sight of law enforcement.   Now the NFL chooses to fight against those who protest racism, rather than racism itself.

A GOOD READ ……….

Human beings are reactionary, for the most part, the norm, judging from afar rather than being activist in a quest for the communion of souls.    ……. We have become a society increasingly predicated on fear and hatred, with mistrust of thy neighbor depicted in a resentful eye, a dominating factor in our daily lives.

In our cults and tribes, the love may flow with the ease of a setting sun with the power of Niagara Falls.  But the dam of hate, built through political insurrection and dog whistle politics has become cascaded in the walls of our democracy.  The decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire would be the perfect example of where the direction of our country is headed.  The causes and effects are substantially many, with politics leading the charge.  The Roman Empire’s ruling body lost the strength to exercise effective control thru the instability of the economy, the incompetence of the emperor, the religious changes of the period, the inefficiency of the local civil administration, and racism.   Finally, there was an increase in threats from “barbarians” outside.  Sounds familiar?

By not comparing and contrasting the impending and imminent dangers, notwithstanding all the above indicators, we as a nation fail to smell the smoke nor see the irony of Aesop’s fable “The Four Oxen and the Lion” and in the idiom “United we Stand divided we fall.”

   The Teaching of hypocrisy unto – perfidy – unto our younger generations becoming the norm. An example of what can happen is the non-fiction book “When Good Men do Nothing: The Assassination Of Albert Patterson” by Alan Grady. Patterson, who was nominated as Alabama attorney general in 1954, a World War 1 veteran crippled in battle, was shot and killed while leaving his office.

White House aide as he was ill and dying Kelly Sadler reportedly said of Senator John McCain’s opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel: “It doesn’t matter; he’s dying anyway.” Just another display of what trickles down from the personality in powder, as the president calls the ‘leakers’ traitors and cowards. I call them consciousness and human.

The President of the United States’ words, “I like people who weren’t captured,” speaking of John McCain, is a demonstration of the fact. The White House Chief of Staff refusing to apologize, unto this day, for the false attacks leveled against Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) Something he will never do, not even for humanity’s sake, as he feels it’s a sign of weakness.  

There’s a wave of Republicans leaving Congress regardless of their reasons; it’s called abandoning the ship rather than standing up for the sanctity of The Preamble to the Constitution, “We The People.”      Our children are watching.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” Edmund Burke.

Prayer was removed from the nation’s public schools in 1962.  Since 1963, there have been five negative developments.

• Academic achievement has plummeted
• Increased rate of out-of-wedlock births
• Increase in illegal drug use
• Increase in juvenile crime
• Deterioration of school behavior

We must teach our youth the power of Prayer.

In April 2018, two men were arrested for setting and not ordering in a Starbucks.   When I was a teenager, over 60 years ago, I was taught to carry a submissive demeanor if I wanted to be free of the havoc that could be rained upon me if I were to act otherwise.  In the year 1994, Denny’s paid out 54 million in race bias suits. Nothing has changed in my lifetime on the presumption of encroachment on another person’s fears when the color of the skin supersedes a submissive demeanor.  Unfortunately, the only subscribers to this reality are the ones being passive, and we’ve seen many times how the act of flaccidity works out.  The closed mind is the security blanket of the unvarying soul. And now Ahmaud Arbery has been shot to death for merely jogging while black.

“The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing.” Edmund Burke

“I don’t know how to do this, but something inside me does.” This is an affirmation, the result of reading and reading inspires me to write. Therefore I write, in search of intuitive minds ……. to read ……. what I write. The central objective of a writer is to capture the mind’s eye whereby infusing a mental picture. If this cannot be done, the writer may as well be writing to him or herself.
“Gratitude and Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life,” was written by Paul Williams (the singer and songwriter) and Tracy Jackson. The title caught my eye in 2014 at a time were gratitude and trust were in my mind’s eye. Each Spring Break after spending time with the grandsons, I would come away with an internal itch, a daunting concern as to what I was doing or not doing as an influence on their lives. I did not read the book in its entirety at the time, keying in on one of the six affirmations. “I don’t know how to do this, but something inside me does.”

Having no writing experience, the affirmation, coupled with watching my grandsons maturing into a divisive society, inspired the writing of “Guidance Against the Odds.” The “affirmation” added yeast to my faith and inspired the poem:

“God and Me.”
Long ago while at Sea…. There was this hand that reached out to me. It had a glow… bright with Spree…. Then it called me…. Henry Lee. I did not hide nor did I dart…… as it warmed the cockles of my heart. Of a speaking hand, I did not flee, as I knew it was clearly…… God and Me.

While writing “Guidance Against the Odds” and reflecting, on my first thirty-nine years of life, I thereby evolved. I wrote in the Epilogue of my book, and I quote: “From My INITIAL THOUGHT OF WRITING (over two years ago) to this very sentence, my intentions have evolved because I have evolved as we all need to evolve regardless of our principles for the betterment of man. In the melting pot of America, all opinions count. We are not disposable parts sucked up in a vacuum of opinion polls.” I wanted my opinion to count; therefore, I started a website and began to blog on twitter. My first was in August of 2016, titled “Baltimore My Baltimore,” followed by many more: “Our Children are in the Mix,” “Why We Can’t,” “Make America Sick Again,” “A Tweet to the President of the United States,” “A Tweet to the Speaker of the House,” “A Plea to the Chief of Staff” and many in between. However, the two most glaring blogs were like a prelude to “The March for Our Lives” rally, which occurred on March 25, 2018. “Millennials – The AUDACITY of Hope” and “Movements Don’t Start with a Strategy; they Start with a Moment” My voice carries a low octane, but my audacity of hope will not be silenced. We all have a voice, as demonstrated by our youth. If eleven-year-old Naomi Wadler of George Mason Elementary School, can articulate better than some of our politicians, then this is the least I can do. I am so proud of them. If you can not find the words to blog, then share this posting.

Reading inspires me to write. Therefore I write in search of intuitive minds ……. to read ……. what I write. The central objective of a writer is to capture the mind’s eye whereby infusing a mental picture. If this cannot be done, the writer may as well be writing to him or herself. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Metaphors such as this, if not understood, can take a reader into a zone of uncertainty, and a mental picture may never be realized. I love the writings of Plato.
The words behind the Greek myths and metaphors that mystified us as children to the inner sanctum of twisted emperors, the proto-feminists, and political dissenters, as the Greek classics have shown those of us who have chosen to indulge.

Socrates, a classical Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Western philosophy and the ethical tradition of thought, was Plato’s teacher. Plato wrote “The Allegory of the Cave,” a short story in book 7 of his masterwork called “The Republic.” It compared the life of people chained in a darkened cave, where they are deluded by shadows, with that of those released into the dazzling sunlight outside.

Chris Hayes, a commentator on MSNBC, wrote “A Colony in a Nation” after the election of Donald Trump. From his book, I envisioned writing a short story titled “The Allegory of the Colony,” depicting the period from Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619 through the election of the 45th president. The story would compare life in the shallowness of enchainment to the overtones of “Hands up, Don’t Shoot.” From a period of no voice unto a time of a voice not heard. A time when African-Americans realized the need to give their children what was called “The Talk.” The talk in pre-Civil Rights times was ……. “Never run in a white neighborhood,” etc.: The talk post Civil Rights movement became……… “Keep your hands on the steering wheel, don’t make sudden moves, and say “yes” officer and “no” officer” etc., etc. However, the sanctity and support of the police, as viewed on the other side of the spectrum, has become a mindset of, “why didn’t he just do what he/she was told.” The excessive force began long before the video of Rodney King.

We are a reactionary rather than a preventative society ……. a melting pot, boiling over with divisiveness. A society predicated on fear and hatred with mistrust of thy neighbor a multiplying factor. The decline and fall of the Roman Empire would be the perfect example of our country’s direction. The causes are glaringly the same, with money embedded in politics at the top of the list. The Roman Empire lost the strength to exercise effective control in its society. Modern historians mention factors such as the effectiveness of its army, the health of the population, the strength of the economy, the competence of the Emperor, the religious changes, the efficiency of the civil administration, and last but not least, the increasing pressure from “barbarians” outside of Roman. This is a sure indicator of present-day America; high unemployment in the black community, the 45th, police brutality, conservative religious intrusion, and the threat of external and domestic terrorism. With all of the indicators, we fail to see the reality of it all, as in Aesop’s Fable “The Four Oxen and the Lion,” and we are not embracing the idiom “United we Stand, divided we fall” as a nation. I envision a day when party loyalty aided by alternative truths will bring a rude awakening to this nation.

This blog originally posted November 2017  and again March 15, 2018, is in support of our youth around the nation and the March for Our Lives Students.

The expectations of my book “Guidance Against the Odds” and the webpage http://www.bookmystory.net, is entirely motivational. With the core focus on inspiring young minds to read, to study history and to reach out to other youths across the nation, while learning the art of communicating by listening with empathy rather than immediate discord.  With a world measured by speed, data delight, sound bites of negativity, and while politicians with social discourse increasingly becoming common core, there is a need for stability of reasoning. In short, first and foremost, a provocation for those who know and understand the cause and effect from the demagoguery of the pass and a brainwave for the millions who are turned off by the bully mindset that prevails in America today. “The Audacity of the Millennia’s,” a rhetorical statement, meant as a stimulus, to and for a generation (for the most part) who within a decade or so will be moving into the eldership of the most powerful nation on earth. A mental make-up of divisiveness, a non-demonstrative direction of leadership growing deeper in a country which purposively stands for “Liberty and Justice for All,” must be changed, before divisiveness takes us to the point of no return.  The adjective “United” and the noun “States” contrasts’ to the infinity with the present leadership of these United States.

“Tear down this wall!” is a line from a speech made by President Reagan on June 12, 1987, calling for the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin.  In 1961, a wall was built.   For those who know history, it does not matter the political reasons of the time, just that it divided people; feeding on fear and hate as it’s motivation. It took 28 years with America’s involvement before the wall was torn down. In 2017, 28 years later narcissism and the conversation about building walls, feeding ounce again on fears and prejudices as a means for political dominance plagues the freest country in the world.

The Audacity of the Millennia’s, I would hope, is not to follow in the footsteps of generation “X.”  Generation X, parents of Millennia’s, population approximately 41 million are known as the generation having the lowest voting participation rate of any generation. Generation Xers have been quoted by Newsweek as “the generation that dropped out without ever turning on the news or tuning into the social issues around them,” giving suspect to the missing links with constructive communications today.

It would be a misnomer to say that Millennia’s are the same, with the “I” and “Smart” phones at their fingertips breakfast lunch and dinner. The question is, will Millennia’s smell the bacon and seal the yoke or wakeup and change the menu?

The ethos, the characteristic, the spirit of a culture, the era of a community is manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. In the 1960s Dr. King energized the aspirations of the Black culture, “We Shall Over Come,” became the marching song.  Being called colored was rejected, while James Brown’s song “Say it loud” — I’m Black and I’m proud” became unpretentious.

Muhammad Ali’s stance against the Vietnam War transcended not only the boxing ring but also the realms of faith and politics. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who are mostly forgotten, raised a Black Power salute at the 1968 summer Olympics. A half-century later Colin Kaepernick kneeled, and the systematic leveling down continued. Wrath and tweets by the leader of the most influential nation on earth, legitimized the mindset of the underbelly, brining the waters, bringing to the surface the ugliness within our society.

I have a tiny voice, heard mostly only by me, but I shall not be silent as I continue to encourage our youth to read.  Six months ago I recommended “A Colony in a Nation.” My new recommendation is “We Matter: Athletes and Activism” by Etan Thomas, if read simultaneously, the domino effect, the causalities and what’s needed for change can be more realized. Our hope is now in the hands of our youth.  Keep Hope alive… by Reading!

The ethos, the characteristic, the spirit of a culture, and the era are manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. In the 1960s, Dr. King energized the aspirations of the Black culture, and “We Shall Over Come” became the marching song.  Being called colored was rejected, while James Brown’s song “Say it loud” — I’m Black and I’m proud” became unpretentious.

Muhammad Ali’s stance against the Vietnam War transcended the boxing ring and the realms of faith and politics. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who are mostly forgotten, raised a Black Power salute at the 1968 summer Olympics. A half-century later, Colin Kaepernick kneeled, and the systematic leveling down continued. Wrath and tweets by the leader of the most influential nation on earth legitimized the mindset of the underbelly, bringing the waters to the surface of the ugliness within our society.

I have a tiny voice, heard mostly only by me, but I shall not be silent as I continue to encourage our youth to read, and one day I believe my voice will rise to the surface. Six months ago, I recommended “A Colony in a Nation.” My new recommendation is “We Matter: Athletes and Activism” by Etan Thomas; if read simultaneously, the domino effect, the causalities, and what’s needed for change can be more realized. The country’s hopes are now in the hands of our youth. Casting off from the piers of ugliness while anchoring the soul in a river of fresh water.  Keep Hope alive… by Reading! The mind is a terrible thing to waste.