by B. White
Holla!
Forty-six thousand, five hundred (46,500) down 198,500 to go, I-Witness touching Black people all over the city of Milwaukee, and the world one event at a time.
Black People are the First Wonders of the World...

"Until the Lion writes his own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter."

--African proverb

FYI--Now Go Run and Tell That

For those of you who are just returning from prison, we have to work now to create some success in your life. These two programs can assist you called Work after Prison. Here they can assist you with temporary jobs and other wrap around service to help you stay out here on the streets but you are going to have to want it. I believe in second chances. The Creator says you take the first step and He will make the rest. You can contact Project Return at 374-8029 or Project New Hope at 267-6020. You know I also believe in miracles and I want you to start believing in them too.

Kids Can Sew
Hey, Moms and Dads I thought this may be a great thing for the children, learning how to sew. Here children will learn to create their own fashion designs. Sewing lessons for ages 6-12, they will learn how to make their own pants, skirts, blouses and much more!

See rest of column below

Everytime I hear a poet spit...

Poetry Unplugged at the Onyx

To: All my readers after reading this, I want you to grab the first young person you see. You do not even have to know them. Tell them they are worthy and that you love them, thank you.

(Top photo (top row) Gaulien "Gee" Smith of Gee’s Clippers, Odessy of 3 Brothas and a Mic, DJ Lavell, I-Witness and Muhibb Dyer (left photo) Moe of 3 Brothas and a Mic and Ms. Jazzi pose for a photo after the festivities. (right photo) Muhibb Dyer and Kwabena Nixon perform during the poetry event. (Right photo) The Diva Autumn Blaze spits fire as she performs a dynamic piece. (photos by Barbara White)

Are you ready for some poetry, say Oh, Oh, Oh. Are you glad that the Creator woke you up this morning, say oh, oh?

Welcome to Poetry at its best featuring your host the People’s Champ, Kwabena Nixon, five times Apollo winner, Comedian Marlin Hill; Milwaukee’s own HBO’s Def Poetry Jam Poets, Dan Vaughn and Dasha Kelly; Milwaukee’s own nationally renowned Queen Poetess, Ms. Jazzi, nationally renowned Maestro of spoken word Muhibb Dyer; Ms. Shelly and the Diva Autumn Blaze. Weighing in from the little suburb of Milwaukee from Chicago, Illinois 3 brothers and a Mic featuring J. Love.

The huge banner over the stage reads "In the hands of irresponsible individuals guns do kill people--buy responsible, sell responsible. Campaign Against Violence"

It was a star-studded event at the Onyx. If you want to know where young people are on Tuesday nights go to the Onyx and get you snap on. Here is where the poets spit words of hope, justice, and love as they the hold the Creator in the highest esteem. Many of the poets are young professionals, teachers and business owners, you name it, they have advanced as that next generation and they are advancing their next generation, I love it!

Poetry Unplugged is one of the largest sets in the nation folks come from all over to see how they have taken spoken word in little old Milwaukee and brought international status to the world of Poetry.

It was a special night and they insisted I-Witness be in the house, y’all know I do not like to work on Tuesday and my Editor dislikes it even more because my column will be late, Holla! Nevertheless, they shared with me that a documentary on poetry was being filmed and they had an All-Star line and I could not resist. Y’all know I love to hear a poet spit, they make me feel like in church sometimes.

Okay y’all when they say standing room only let me correct it, it was not even wall room in the Onyx that night. Upon my arrival I was treated royally, they had given me my own reserved table with my name on it, I loved it!

The Band Cigarette Break was rockin’ the house they are good. As 98.3 radio personality and renowned comedian, Marlin Hill takes to the stage, out the gate Hill had us rollin’ on the floor.

Cigarette Break began rocking the house and Marlin states, "Okay y’all, when I say Kwabena, you say Nixon, Kwabena..." The audience shouted, "Nixon, Oh, Oh, Oh."

The People’s Champ takes to the stage, (Kwabena is one of the best emcees I know) in his sharp threads from Torrance House of Threads. He jams with the band for a minute, then says, "Tonight we have some of the best energy in the land, yes. We come to do poetry, have some fun but we also come here tonight to change lives."

The People’s Champ took us through the road of violence in our community and the death of innocent children who were not a part of a gang, or a drug deal gone badly but becomes the victim of violence.

"It was a little Black girl this high," he said as he pointed midway his chest. Muhibb enters the stage and says, "and she flat lined, from gunshots to the head and neck." The People’s Champ, says, "when I say, time you say, nation. Time...." The audience responded, "Nation!" "Time, Nation."

Kwabena and Muhibb treated us to their monologue of Little Black boys Holla Holla we must rise. Folks began to put their finger in the air as they chatted all we need is love.

The Queen, Ms. Jazzi has taken to the stage to a standing ovation, and she brought it to us, as she spits the blues while Cigarette Break began to sound like B.B. King, they were awesome. Ms. Jazzi gave every woman in the house the blues as she spit out the words of courage. She talked of loving a man who gave her no value yet expected him to love her with all she had until one day she learned to love her! Ms. Jazzi and Cigarette Break, rocked the house, move over Urethra Franklin, I loved it!
The Princess Ms. Shelly spit at us about us as sistas being separated and how we must find ways to unite. The men didn’t hear a word for they were to busy sending out wolf calls to Ms. Shelly, Holla!

If you think Ms. Shelly got wolf calls well Poetess J. Love had the men shouting they loved her boots, others loved her dress, in conclusion, she really did not even have to spit at them, cuz they just loved looking at her, Holla! J. Love spit at the guys with words of love that had their heads spinning and she made them love it! She rocked them.

The Diva, Autumn Blaze dazzled us with her barefooted entrance and her pretty jewelry decorative feet, she does this piece that brings you out your chair of loving a man more than you love yourself, she spit it and it was Hot, Hot, Hot!

Kwabena takes to the stage again, spitting at us about how much he’s grown and matured despite being a young Black boy from the Westside of Chicago.

As he shared his life story, he told us what to do if he died. He says, "I ain’t no dummy, they just wasn’t listening to what I was saying. Love the children. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush have never been held accountable for all the drive-bys they have committed. Love the children." Kwabena had everyone put their hand in the air, of all those who has ever lost anyone to violence, it was too many to count.

Of course, I-Witness was doing what she does writing. I was in thought and I could hear The People’s Champ talking, but I could not hear what he was saying. He continued to talk and for the life of me I could not hear what he was saying, I finished writing my thoughts so that I could hear what he was saying. I then heard him say, she doesn’t know, so I was wondering who didn’t know then he said my name.

I said to myself, huh it sounds like he said my name, Well y’all he was saying my name as he asked me to come up on stage, I want y’all to know I didn’t have a clue why, I was a bit shocked to say the least because I didn’t know what was going on.

Ms. Jazzi joined us on the stage she says, "Ms. Barbara you know we love you." I am standing there saying to myself, "Oh my God" what is going on and then she turns to the audience and talked about the importance of Black Newspapers.

She continued: "her column I-Witness has given our community a positive way to view Black and the good things that we do in this community." I was on the verge of tears y’all. She turns to me and states, "on behalf of Poetry Unplugged we present to you the Ed Bradley Award for Journalism to Barbara White for excellent journalism in the community." Okay y’all I could not move and I think I acted as if one of those people on the "Price is Right." Holla! It was a beautiful plaque. I was also presented a gift card to Perfection by Je’Lamar where I can be pampered for the day.

I was undone, truly humbled. Y’all know I have never been lost for words well I was lost for words. I recouped myself long enough to find the words to thank them. Every move I made it was as if the tears were going to fall. My mind began to chat with me, saying: "All the fears and the bad stories and images that are castled upon our young people through major media and this society as a whole and here on this night were well over 300 young people showing the world that they are decent human beings just loving life like everybody else."

I was asked to say something and I simply shared with them that it is up to us to tell our own stories, paint our pictures and as long as I am allowed I will keep writing the good stories about Black people and the good things we do, Holla! Young people congratulated me all night and again I was humbled.

Then the hottest Neo-Soul band in the city took to the stage Growing Nation and they took us there, they are tearing the roof off the mutha, oh, oh.

The People’s Champ had the house rocking; if you love your life say oh, oh, oh, we are making history. The energy in the house, was more than electrifying, I loved it!

Now for the ambassador of all poets Dasha Kelly, who just resigned a contract to appear on "HBO’s Def Poetry Jam" for another season, took to the stage. Dasha is so good and educational as she spits her words, like the one, "we all love it having an xxxxxx is like catching a fly, you hear it but then you don’t, Good girls don’t do it, but ladies we must teach our daughters to catch more flies." Dasha is so goooood, snap, snap.

Dan Vaughn, who is credited with jump starting poetry in Milwaukee again mentoring and energizing young poets, also ripped the mic. He also has just resigned for another season with "HBO’s Def Poetry Jam."

I love when Vaughn spits at us, he has women fallen, fallen in love as he makes love to all the women in the house because he says he can love one woman and all her many facets and he has us really thinking he is God cause he can part the red sea, Holla! I love it! Snap, snap.

Are you ready for some poetry, now all the way from Chicago Illinois. One of my favorite’s poets, Three Brotha’s and a Mic, I love these guys and if ever you get a chance they are necessary sees. Odyssey and Moe are not afraid to step out the box to spit about awful sins within our family that rapes the souls of our children or the magic of loving some one. As Odyssey spits, he challenges men to be daddies to their little girls, cause what do little girls do when their daddies are out the home and they have no woman role model because their mama knows nothing because she comes from a chain of mothers who don’t know nothing.

The Duo continues to trend the winds, on subjects like, abortions, incest, violence, and gangs. Moe spits his life version of gang life stating that his saving grace was because he had a little of his mom in him, a bit of his dad in him, and oh yes some thug in him but he had the greatest thing in him, he had some God in him. Three Brotha’s and Mic are not afraid to praise God for all to hear. They dedicated their poems to little girls and asked God to rebuke all that has happen to them, so they wrote the poem for you (little girls) and if they get closer to God then he will come out in them. Three Brotha’s and a Mic are fiery, snap, snap. I loved them!

Last but not least the other dynamic Duo, Milwaukee’s own Kwabean and Muhibb both who are degreed educators who go into schools and do workshops with the children and have the children drawn to tears as they spit their words of pain, hope spirituality and love. Both took to the stage and I must say my sistas I have never seen them dressed this well, they were too sharp, in suits mind you from Torrance House of Threads and they were fine too, Holla!

They closed with a tribute to the countless missing children, asking all of us to pray for them. We have not forgotten you Alex Patterson, Dre Henning and Purvis Parker. Parents grab your children, hug them, kiss them, and love them. As Muhibb says they will not break us, they will not break us, we will always find a way back to each other, and they will not break us because we will always find our way back to God...

All the poets were asked to come on stage, where they were all given a standing ovation and you could feel the shooting sparks of love surrounding them, as if the angels were taking snap shots of them not as Christians but the Christ likeness that existed in these young people for our Creator. D.J. L. Boogie starts to do his thing and the party was on, he tore the roof off the mutha!

Wow, hey Kwabena, Ms. Jazzi, Muhibb, Poetry Unplugged and Mi’Le’ Productions, if ever I have been rendered speechless y’all did it. Atten--tion Salute! Y’all took me Black into the future. Thank you for a wonderful evening, one that I will cherish forever.

Let me say, I do what I do because the Creator has set my course and mission. I do not know how to simply say thank you but I want all of you to know the Reserve for Barbara White card on my table that y’all set out for me and I had all of you autograph. I asked the universe for blessings for all of you.

When I got home that night, I noticed the black skies and its twinkling stars and I knew what I had to do. You see I heard all of you as you spit your life stories and all of over comings of adversities, y’all became the Last Poets cause life was dictating to you Deal or Die, Deal or Die but some how in all evilness trying to capture your souls. You began to reach for God and he heard your cries The Creator has told us, you take that first step and He will make the rest. You had Faith and you will receive the Father’s Blessings.

As your elder, yes I did give you permission to speak. I held the card with all your hearts on it upward toward the Black skies reciting all of your names to the heavens. I called on the ancestors, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost to continue fulfilling your spirits with joy, hope and the blessing of a love so powerful that it can love all things Creator made in the universe.

I ask the ancestors to continue to provide you guidance and protection against the demonic stones of hopelessness, trickery and the Dark Vadar mentality of the world. I asked in the name of the Holy Ghost that he continue to provide you the shouts of joy, the feel of pleasure, and to sow and line your paths in life with goal as you seek the role of your existence during your journey in the universe. I asked in the name of the Son that all be forgiven and that He allows you to always know how to forgive to continue your efforts at changing lives and creating second chances filled with miracles.

Last but not least, I must let y’all know I have waited for you a long time, I didn’t know who you were or when you would come but I knew you would. You see y’all have given me the greatest gift ever not the award that I truly appreciate but eternal peace.

You see, now when the time comes for my spirit to do its final rise I can rest in Peace for eternity. For I know y’all will love the little Black children who need love, I know you will fight against human injustices all over this land. I know y’all will love Black people in spite of themselves. And I know you will fight for and defend the life that the Creator has given us all until those under you come forward to give you eternal peace and you in turn will share with them, the greatest love you have ever known. It is the "Rites of Passage" that y’all have so lovingly given me and I thank you.

As my spirit twinkles, freedom at you like the stars in the sky saying, in the words of my little brotha Muhibb: "they will not break us, we will always find our way back to each other, they will not break us, we will always find our way back to God." Moreover, I-Witness says, they will not break me I will never give up on young Black people; I will always guide you to God. I will never give up on you, my immortality, because as Moe says: "I got some God in me." Asante’ Sana! One Love!