Omri C. - Independent Researcher

It is difficult sometimes to understand why Black students who are naturally gifted and off to a great academic start later find themselves a far way off the beaten path into uncertain territory.

Perhaps this article about my own experiences in education will help to shed some light on how easily this can occur and what it will take for aspiring Black changemakers to alter that trend for the next generation.

The Crisis of the Black Prodigy - Why Black Teachers and Professors Matter The crisis of the Black prodigy is that they are at a high risk of losing their truest genius in search of external validation of all kinds....

I was leaving the NSU library the other night and guess what I spied on the top of the first bookcase?

None other than Joseph McGill's book Sleeping With the Ancestors: Following in the Footprints of Slavery.

I first learned about this elder and his work through The Slave Dwelling Project some time around 2016 and I have been following him since.

I don't know of any project similar to his project that honors the ancestors in a way that is consistent, engaging, immersive, and socially transformative all at the same time. This is a brother with passion and purpose.

Take notes! ☝🏿

I have read his book and I highly recommend it - especially now in a time when political "leaders" are denying the true legacy of slavery in these United States of America.

Educate yourself.
(Get it now before they do!!)

My current jam is Organise, an Afrobeats song by Nigerian music artist Asake. I find this song inspirational in many ways.

First of all, it calls us to organize ourselves of course and not to think of organization as a one time process. How often are you grounding with your people? Are you making any time at all?

Throughout the song, you can hear the Yoruba word "Ogbon" meaning wisdom. He tells us to be smart and street-wise. In other words, find ways to apply your smarts for the everyday folks.

So the message is this...

Make your research practical. Don't think you are too wise that you actually become stupid to others. Be strategic in your research and be consistent with your research strategy.

Finally, remember you are human and humans need rest. It is not every single day I organise but "every other day I organise."

Asake - Organise (Official Visualizer) Listen to the album “Mr. Money with the Vibe". Out Now!Stream: https://music.empi.re/mmwtv Visualizer by Asake -...

All tabs open.

Here are two books that address the subjects of prejudicial childrearing among White Americans and survivalist parenting among Black Americans in U.S. history during and after slavery.

Raising Racists: The Socialization of White Children in the Jim Crow South (2018) by Kristina DuRocher and Growing Up Jim Crow: How Black and White Children Learned Race (2006) by Jennifer Ritterhouse

These, along with the upcoming book How to Raise an Antiracist (2022) by Ibram X. Kendi, are essentials for understanding race relations in the present day.

Here are two books that address the subject of homosexuality in ancient African societies.

I have already read the chapter on homosexuality in the book In Bed With the Ancient Egyptians (2018) by Charlotte Booth. I am currently reading the top book Unspoken Facts: A History of Homosexualities in Africa (2008), which was compiled and edited by G**s and Le****ns of Zimbabwe (GALZ).

Don't sleep on thrift stores. 😱

A woman bought a sculpture at Goodwill for $34.99. It actually was a missing ancient Roman bust. No one knows how a priceless first century B.C. to early first century A.D. Roman bust got from Germany amid World War II to a Texas Goodwill store.

Here's a book I started reading today.

On this day, which is observed as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S., let us not forget those who paved the way for King's dream, which is still unfolding and unraveling in our time.