Haki Kweli Shakur is an advocate of political prisoners and prisoners of war, new Afrikan citizen of the Republic of New Afrika, a new Afrikan Revolutionary Nationalist, and so much more. After listening to the podcast of Haki Kweli Shakur and Co-Host David Shelton, I realized how unaware we are to what we are being taught in schools, social media, friends, family, and other resources that don’t shed the light on all sides of the story. I learned a life lesson some time ago that people will listen, give in, and buy in to what we want to. We will literally look away from “the ugly truth” ,however, the truth needs to be heard no matter how much we don’t want it to be the truth.
There are a couple topics that I connected with that I want to dive deeper into.
First, I want to bring up a point that I never thought of. How powerful is our military? If we didn’t have our military as powerful as it is, would the world be different? Better or worse? Military imperialism is a topic I’ve never heard of before. Taking a step back and looking at our global history, how much has military imperialism have an affect? How much of it was right and just? How much of it was evil and wrong? How much has our military had a presence in military imperialism?
Second, I liked David Shelton’s comment regarding religion. He brought up how the bible can’t be fully relied upon for factual information from all sides. We can pick history facts, however, we cannot fully rely when we are looking back through history. We believe what we want to believe. “We have to do the historical homework.”- Haki Kweli Shakur What Mr. Shelton pointed out we are given a script when we are growing up to read, understand, and believe it. He brought up that when we were kids ,we all knew the “Indians are the bad guys.” “Cowboys versus Indians.” Now coming from me, how and why did we know thew were the “enemy”? They were never the enemy in the first place. Who’s land did we invade? Why did we buy into this when we were young? Why didn’t our parents and or guardians warn us of this and to be carful of what to believe in?
Third, Mr. Shakur brought up a good point of social media. There are so many new movements organizations that alter and twist the true words of leaders from the past. Social media gives everyone a voice. In some ways that’s great and in others, it’s bad. These movements and social media influencers can achieve such a high level of power and popularity that it can get to a point where the message is dark and evil but is perceived and right and socially acceptable. Social media is convenient to use and to share messages which makes it easy for everyone good and bad to make their opinions heard to all people in all ages in (almost) all parts of the world. There is so much of it, how do we decipher what to believe and invest in? How can we tell? What accounts share all sides of the story? Social media can be a wonderful tool in spreading messages and create impact but where it can get tricky is so can twisted inaccurate information with the intent to harm behind it. How do children know what they’re absorbing from these platforms? We’re not getting the clear message that are being shared by people who share the correct and accurate information and often times we grasp onto those who have influence and react to those messages and not responding. I like how Mr. Shelton put into words what Mr. Shakur was talking about, “Social media steals the voice of the people who have been victimized. It allows the voice of the victim to be silenced.”
Fourth, a tid bit of motivation. A friend of Professor Stettler named Delvert Africa shared to Professor Stettler when he was having a difficult time in the hospital with the care staff is regards to his wife and firstborn child. Professor Stettler reached out to Mr. Africa and he responded with this, “What you have to understand is that the people that you’re dealing with right now, their main problem is they think they know the right way and that it’s the only right way to do things, but that’s not true. So stand up for yourself, be assertive, and they may not respond exactly the way, but you’ll get what you need if you stand up for yourself and you’re assertive.” Now, these are the words of Mr. Africa said through Professor Stettler from the podcast. I found that I was inspired from that advice because it’s true! We’ve all heard the saying “There’s million ways to skin a cat.”, there are many ways to achieve and task. My opinion is if you complete the task safely, efficiently, correctly, and achieved the same outcome, then I see no problem. It doesn’t have to get anymore difficult and I find that us humans, for some reason, like to make our lives harder for ourselves and those around us.
The fifth and final part that spoke out to me was the act of listening. The act of listening goes so far in human relations and is a vital part of communication that I feel often times gets blown off and no one takes the time to listen. Listen to understand and not listen to reply/respond. Mr. Shelton talked about someone who was close with him named Mr. Wells. Mr. Wells was a barber who used to cut Mr. Shelton’s hair and would always have an open ear. Mr. Shelton stated something that makes me rethink how I communicate with those around me and that is, “You allowed me to be me.” That’s huge! I desire to be the person who can hold a conversation and allow whomever I’m talking to, to be able to be themselves free of judgement an able to speak their mind. The feeling of being heard gives you energy! Have you ever left a conversation and felt excited and energized? I bet you were heard by the person you were talking to. They allowed you to be yourself and speak you mind without judgement. That is a win. I would hate to talk to someone who is always going to try to find a way to disagree with me or not let me talk, or make me feel less just because of my views. We are social beings! We have to communicate. The better we become at communicating, the more we add value to those around us. Part of becoming a better communicator is knowing when not to talk and knowing that sometimes people just need open ears an no words.
This podcast has opened my eyes to how things really are in the world and to be careful from where I obtain information and has also inspired me to let people be themselves! Why would I get in the way?
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Alex Beaudouin
Hi Ben,
Thank you for sharing your blog with us. It is powerful. I like the quote from Haki Kweli Shakur “My call and wisdom to the youth and our future generations is to self-educate yourself at all times. Read, study and struggle, become self sufficient and self determined to become a idealist”. It resonates with me. I enjoyed watching his videos on Youtube, especially “Afa The Sacred Science of S.E.L.F”. Watching and listening to the podcast “Episode 34 Stories of Revolution: Unveiling the Struggle with Haki Kweli Shakur”, I can see that division is created through religious beliefs, as Christian A Stettler, MSW mentions while talking about Israel and Palestine, that it doesn’t matter if we are Jewish or Palestinian, this is some kind of label we put on the political or religious parties, but at the end, we are all “one” people. Haki talks about genocide and I can relate through my wife, who is from Kosovo, during the 1999 genocide when the Serbian army invaded Kosovo for religious and ethnic reasons. As individuals, it is our responsibility to do our own research, self-educate, and open our minds and hearts about people’s struggles. we need to lend our ears and listen to people before we make any judgments or assumptions. We need to look back at our ancestors’ history before religion came along.
Robi Naranjo
Great episode and great blog thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! I think your question about military imperialism is important because it exposes a value of America that may not align with any of our values whatsoever and in many ways its antithetical to how we perceive ourselves as Americans.
I like how Haki Kweli Shakur brought up the cowboys and Indians story because we are always dealing with propaganda and social conditioning and control through media, press, television and we should be aware of it. Where am I getting my information and whether or not they are worthy to trust , what’s the intent, what is the goal, is this propaganda? What does the propagandist want me to believe or behave like? What is the intent behind this piece?
He also brought up COINTELPRO and how sections of our own government have motives and oaths of secrecy that that don’t align with the wellbeing of anything or anyone but maintaining power and control for itself. JFK talked about secret societies and many others have talked about this and I think were murdered for it, which when he brings up the police force in Philly and how it seems just fully corrupt its hard to not question if most the police forces in some of these places are involved in secret societies where they put the wellbeing of their brotherhoods above the communities they are supposed to be serving and protecting.
Mr. Shakur brought up social media and its massive influence on people especially the young and it is like a warzone of information, most people under 30 have grown up on the www, its full of great information ideas, new, shiny, flashy, attention captivating but something that I think is missing or hard to find there is wisdom and truth. The whole fact that social media does have power to rally and inspire or enrage people makes it a prime propaganda machine.
Sharla Huckabey
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your words. I like how you shared what stuck out to you. I learned a lot from this podcast. Like you, I never really thought about how powerful our military is. Everything he was saying made so much sense, though.
The point of Cowboys vs Indians stuck out to me as well. Although my siblings and cousins played this game often, we never portrayed the Indians as bad. We always went by whoever was best at the game. We also mixed up sides to give all an equal opportunity to win. In my home, my parents never pointed out people like that. We were always taught that we are all equal.
Allowing one to be themselves reminded me of one day at work when the former CEO came into my office for our 1-1. Usually, they took place in his office, but this particular day, he came to mine. We visited, but mainly I listened. When he got up to leave my office, he said, “Thank you for letting me be an employee today.” That really stuck out to me and helped me realize I was a good listener today.
Annalee White
Hey Ben!
Your blog made me think… I have found that in my life some individuals will simply not change their minds no matter what the consequences are, they are simply that stubborn. I have always tried to have an open mind when it comes to just about everything in my life because I always want to be able to adapt and change to situations and be the best version of myself. Sometimes that involves changing how I originally viewed a situation, and while I do not go into situations hating or disliking a person I can understand that some people my not want to get to know me or to change their views. That is their prerogative. But, I will always treat people and situations with kindness. Because that is how I would want to be treated.
John Da Broi
Ben,
I want to respond to your first topic. If the U.S. didn’t have a strong military as we do today the whole world would be different other countries would try to pick/bully us into following them. I am glad that the U.S. is in a position where it does not abuse this power but uses it to help allies in times of need. I think if other countries were the number 1 like the U.S. the whole system of the world would be different.
Sarai Gomez
John,
You’ve raised an interesting point: Would other countries want to pressure the U.S. into complying with their wishes if the U.S. did not maintain such a strong military presence? It’s something that’s often taken for granted. Here’s another angle to consider: Is it not a form of microaggression for the U.S. to make entry difficult for people from other countries and then to express frustration when Mexico contemplates passing legislation to deport U.S. citizens present there ‘illegally’—that is, those who have not obtained a visa, applied for residency, or paid local or federal taxes, and whose presence contributes to gentrification and rising living costs for locals? Is this not similar to the U.S. treating Mexicans who enter the U.S. as second-class citizens?
Moreover, does the U.S. government not deny immigrants at the border basic decency and respect? Does the U.S. not turn a blind eye to the transgressions against humanity being committed by its allies because it benefits them?
I must acknowledge that my views on this subject might be biased. My strong feelings are shaped by my personal experiences and those of my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, which have allowed me to see the other side of the coin—what the U.S. permits and how it subtly pushes around those it deems unworthy.
I also feel that I should add, as strongly as I condemn what the U.S allows and the treatment of those who do the same as what U.S. citizens do, I truly am grateful to have been born and live in this country. I feel we have so much potential to do better.
Jackson Foster
Very good blog and it is very interesting and powerful to read about it. I like how you mentioned how unaware we are to what we are being taught in schools, social media, friends, family, and other resources that don’t shed the light on all sides of the story because everyone does get taught differently like if they are being taught bad then it could mess up the persons life just because of how the way the person is taught effects their life and their mentality but if you want someone to have a good life and mentality then you need to teach them the right way because if you do then that person becomes to be the type of person to be loyal, good decision making when it comes to life choices, and to be happy mentally so reading to this felt so powerful.
Maren Chaffee
Great job, Ben! I agree with what you shared about Mr. Shelton’s reflection on listening deeply resonates with me as well. Providing a space where individuals can freely express themselves without judgment or interruption is powerful and uplifting. I also believe in the value of listening to understand, rather than simply respond, and recognize its transformative impact on communication and relationships. Your reflection serves as a poignant reminder of the energy and validation that comes from feeling genuinely heard and understood and the positive value that empathetic communication adds to the lives of those around us. Thank you for sharing, and great job!
Simone Smith
Hi Ben, thank you for the great blog post! I am so inspired by Haki Kweli Shakur and am so looking forward to learning more about the political prisoners he talks about. The podcast episode was so moving. What’s going on in Palestine is on my mind constantly right now so I was so grateful to hear their perspectives. It is genocide, it is ethnic cleansing and the fact that anyone questions these facts is mind blowing to me. Brother Shakur refers to the Bible as a colonizer’s manual and I agree whole heartedly. Another black activist wrote recently that organized religions desensitize us to mass murder like genocide. We are taught about these great wars that must happen for God’s plan. We are indoctrinated as little children into these incredibly violent belief systems. I’m looking forward to watching the documentaries they suggested in the podcast and googling and reading about the political prisoners they share about. I was fascinated by what Prof Stettler said about the over professionalization of the social work field! I just got a job working as a peers support at an addiction recovery center and I have already questioned if I really want to pursue my degree or just continue working like I am, because I want to be working with people and truly helping them by seeing them for who they are. So, like you, I too loved when Mr. Shelton talked about his social workers being the people in his life that let him be who he was! Anyway, thanks again, I could go on and on about how much I loved the podcast and how inspiring Haki Kweli Shakur is… can’t wait to learn more!
Jillian Bowman
Hi Ben, I have no idea what the world would be like if our military wasn’t as powerful as it was. It’s something I’m not sure I have an opinion on just yet because I really don’t think I know enough yet, but it’s still something I think on frequently. I think social media is a powerful tool that can be used in a way to educate the masses quickly and simply, however its not something my 8 year old will have access to anytime soon. I think “you allowed me to be me” is such a powerful quote and something everyone should strive for. Im glad you got to experience something eye opening while doing your blog!