Yup In My White Tee: Reflection on the Trayvon Martin Incident

Asbury Park, New Jersey.

I was home from college for the summer, and I was bored. Usually I walked around the town if it wasn’t too hot since there wasn’t much to do.

This was also around the time that the white t-shirt fad was going on.  White tees were 5 for $20 at every sneaker store imaginable. I had quite a few. It was the perfect summer outfit.

On this particular day, I decided to wear my white tee, jean shorts, and sneakers. I told my mom that I was leaving and walked out of the door. She told me that that it was really hot outside and I might not want to be out there too long. I knew she was right, but I was tired of being cooped up in the house.

A few minutes after I walked out of the door, another young man walked around the corner on the other side of the street. He was wearing a similar outfit as my own. He was on his cell phone. He walked along gingerly with a smile on his face. Meanwhile, a van trailed him. The van stopped abruptly and several men jumped out. Several men jumped out from other areas, too.  In the hot summer sun I could see the reflection off of what looked to be police badges on some of them. It was a set-up.

I stood and watched from a distance. I wanted to go back into the house, since I was only a couple of homes down from my own. However, I did not want to get too close to the action. I watched and prepared to lay down on the ground to avoid gunfire if I needed to.

I also did not want to get any closer because I realized that I was dressed the same way as the person that was apprehended.

After about five minutes the altercation was over. The man was thrown in the van and it sped off. I decided to just go back into the house. It was very hot outside and I knew that there was the chance for more events if this was a drug related situation. My mother saw me walk in the door and was elated. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

She told me that she saw what happened outside of the window. ”The boy was dressed like you,” she said. “I was nervous. You saw how they just ganged up on him? I was a wreck until I saw you come through the door!”

I have no idea who that young man was that got swarmed by the police. Perhaps he was engaged in illegal activity. But in light of the recent events with Trayvon Martin, I want to connect with the concerns of my mother. She knew that my appearance was a liability.

If you aren’t in situations where you are instantly categorized because of your appearance, then the outrage might not make sense to you. But to every black boy who gets looked at funny when they walk into the “wrong” store (i.e. the store with the expensive items), trailed in a store while others walk around, or a multitude of other situations, this situation should resonate.

I once was Trayvon’s age. I had a hoodie. I like to get candy from the store. Truth is, Trayvon could have been any one of my peers growing up. Trayvon could have been me.

I cringe at the fact that it could also be my son one day. My son will resemble Trayvon at his age, just like I did. Maybe he won't have a hoodie. Perhaps he won't like Skittles. But he'll be someone of obvious African descent.

Some people say that Trayvon's killing was not racial motivated. It is just an unfortunate accident involving a crazy vigilante that should have been off the streets long ago. To that I say, even if this case ultimately is not about race, the reaction points to the larger picture. Race is still very much an issue in this country. It is a hot button because the wounds are still very fresh and raw. To ignore that will be a disappointing and tragic mistake.

My Personal New Year Celebration Part #3: TAT TAT TATTED UP!!!!

The actual day of my birthday was Saturday, September 24^th. It had all the trappings of being a great day. Eazy E was there. Version 4 was there. There was even a cameo appearance by the Grand Patriarch of New Jersey (Roy Dean Johnson, Jr.)!

However, since we didn’t go to sleep until 4am that morning the birthday didn’t really happen until afternoon-ish lol. But when I woke up…I had APPLE JACKS FOR BREAKFAST! this was my response when i woke up to see the box in Eazy E's kitchen...

GIFSoup

That may not excite you, but if anyone knows me they know that eating cereal was one of my body’s involuntary functions. The 3 B's: Breathing, Blinking, and Boxes of Cereal. When I lost a good deal of weight (the first time), I gave up eating cereal so much. Because it was my born day I was allowed to eat whatever I wanted. And even though Apple Jacks have the tendency to tear inside of your mouth to shreds it was worth every bite! (just go ahead and crush a bowl of Apple Jacks, and then gargle with mouthwash. Those little red dots are like gravel!)

Now, while the Apple Jacks were exciting, the real point of the day was to do something that had been on my mind for a while. Didn’t really talk about it too much with people. I honestly didn’t quite understand why I wanted to do it myself. But I decided that it would be something I would do on my birthday.

I decided to get a tattoo.

Eazy E, Version 4, and myself went to U Street in DC. It was a cool place. The dude that did it was a Superman fan, and he put on Superman: The Animated Series for me to watch while he did it.

We had a great conversation. He asked me what the symbols I was getting meant. I explained that I was divinity school student, and I really like the scripture in 1 Corinthians 13 were it says that the greatest of the virtues is love.  Plus, I like Asian culture so I decided to get them in Chinese Characters.

“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t like me,” he said. “I’m an atheist.” He went on to explain why he was an atheist. He didn’t think it was fair for people to use a relationship with God to elevate themselves over other people. Also, in his view, people prayed hoping to control the random outcomes in their lives.

I smiled. “I agree with you,” I said. “If that’s what being a Christian is to you, then I’m not a Christian at all. But I am someone that is doing their best to learn how Jesus lived and follow those lessons.”

We talked about history and religion, all while he was doing the tattoo. I told him how I was discovering that Jesus, God, and all that other stuff is so much more real underneath all the junk we bury it under, and that you don’t have to subscribe to the mess to have a relationship with God.

“Ultimately, I believe in a higher power,” the tattoo artist said. "I really think that the Jesus story is the greatest story ever told. If only people could live like that."

Perhaps I just witnessed a first step towards someone’s relationship with God, all in a place where some folks would decry as unclean. How ironic. 

But, back to the tat. People said that tattoos don’t hurt. THEY DO. Mind you, I’m a little sensitive so that’s why it probably bothered me. I felt all 100,000 pricks individually. Winced a bunch of times. But the dentist’s office hurts MUCH worse. It’s just that with getting a tattoo the annoying, dull pain lasts for like an hour. Now, throw all of this out of the window if you get a tat in a bony area. Bring tissue, because you’ll cry a lot.

The tat was done in about 45 minutes. The artist and me shook hands. I promised him that I would come back and let him read my first comic book, and that I would come back to him when I got another one (yep, I already have plans).

If anything, I was glad that I took a step to do something that I wanted to do, regardless of the negative opinions of myself and others. I wanted this, so I did it. And I think it says something about me. I like.

Faith, Hope, and Love. Love is the greatest.  Thanks to Will for the Chinese Character Spell-Check.

My Personal New Year Celebration part 2: Tennis Time at the Verizon Center and Thoughts on Excellence

Part 2 of my new year celebration kicked off the Friday before my birthday. I had tickets to see Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi play at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. I almost didn’t get tickets for this, but I decided that I wanted to do something nice for my birthday on my own.

 

Pete Sampras is my favorite tennis player. The chance to sit 400 feet away from him and watch him hit tennis balls was an honor. Honestly, I had to stop my heart from jumping out of my chest. I was so upset because the camera on my phone wasn't working! I couldn't take pictures of anyone! That made me want to do this:

http://www.gifsoup.com/view/2800960/throw-phone-outta-the-window.html

( actually if I had that phone I would probably throw it out of a window too. Or use it to start my cell phone museum 0___0 )

The pros played one-set semifinals, with the final being an 8-game pro set. The first match was between Pete Sampras and Michael Chang. What struck me is now normal they seemed. For a while, watching the match was like watching a match on the club courts. Granted, they weren’t playing badly, and the feel of these exhibitions is friendlier than the finals of Wimbledon.  I just expected something more.

As I thought about it some more, I wondered if my perception of the match had something to do with my idea of excellence. They weren’t’ doing anything amazing, but their basics were INCREDIBLE. Perhaps excellence isn’t really about being amazing, but having sound foundations. Perhaps excellence is more work- and commitment- and mindset- based than talent-based. To bring it to basketball terms, what would you rather have in a clinch: a monster dunk over a Honda Civic or a reliable lay-up?

Back to the actual match. This first match between Sampras and Chang was interesting because there were a few wrinkles in it. Any one that knows these two players’ games would know what to expect from them. Sampras would use his big serve and get to the net. Chang would be speedy and retrieve a bunch of balls. While Sampras’ game didn’t change that much, it was Chang that surprised the crowd with hitting more aces than Sampras. He also hit more winners. At one point Chang won a game with three aces and a service winner, which made the crowd gasp in amazement. This crowd was a tennis crowd, and they knew that wasn’t typical Chang.

Chang changed his game. He’s a retired pro, he’s not on the circuit anymore. He’s around the 40-year-old mark.

But yet, he was able to make a change. He still has his speed and consistency, but he was able to add just enough of something different to advance himself.

Encouraging, isn’t it? I guess that means we can do that in our own lives. We don’t have to become drastically different people, but we can expand our horizons enough to enhance our virtues and strengths.

Perhaps our ability to expand our horizons is related to our ability to maintain a vertical perspective.

Anyways, I stayed of most of the match. Sampras ended up losing, and Agassi lost as well (though Courier and Agassi’s match was more entertaining). I left a little early to avoid the gridlock coming out of the garage, and then I was on my way to Eazy E’s (aka Eric Borden’s) spot!

The night was capped off with an IHOP run (I had the most fattening thing possible), a late night appearance by Version 4 and Grand Patriarch (aka Roy Dean Johnson), and me going to sleep at 4am. That day was a good day **Ice Cube voice**

Next: Tat-Tat-Tatted Up!!!!

My Personal New Year Celebration Part #1: Sight Beyond Sight

This past September 24^th was my birthday. I originally wanted to have a big shebang and have a bunch of people out to eat. However, I opted for a smaller series of fun events with people that I love.

The weekend started early when I got my Thundercats Sword of Omens in the mail.

Okay, that sentence might have thrown you a bit. I am 28 years old, and in my possession is a children’s toy that I routinely swing around with the biggest smile on my face. And I. DON’T. CARE.

You should’ve seen my face when the UPS man came to the door. This was my reaction…

I immediately opened the box and began to play with it. See, I’ve wanted a Sword of Omens since I was four years old. That’s 24 years. TWENTY FOUR LONG YEARS. But why should this matter to me now, two and a half decades later?

First, one of the memories that I have with my Dad is cartoons. He introduced me to Thundercats, Silverhawks, He-Man, etc. We watched them together. We bonded over them. Those are some of my best memories with him.

Like most kids, you want the toys from your favorite cartoons. And I wanted this sword bad. My dad looked high and low for it, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. I think that hurt him more than it hurt me.

In looking at my childhood, there were a lot of things that I was looking for that I didn’t find, either. And I guess somewhere along the journey of life I’ve given up on them. There were also a lot of things that were taken from me. My experiences recently have shown that to me. Perhaps me taking the initiative to get the Sword at this point is symbolic of me reclaiming those things that were taken from me and reaching out to claim the things that I really want from life.

Y'know, one of the cool things about the Sword in the cartoon is that Lion-O could use this technique called "Sight Beyond Sight." He could use it to see what was really in his environment, beyond what is obvious. This piece of plastic can't do that...but I believe that ultimately I can, and I must. It's the only way to heal and move beyond.

Whether that's true or not, I still had a blast playing with my new toy. It was a great start to my personal new year celebration.

Next: Tennis at the Verizon Center

Training Quotes That Inspire

often while doing taekwondo, random one-liners and quotes are said. while thinking about them the other day, i realized that they might help someone. following are a few of these quotables. i won't explain them. if they are for you, they'll leap off the page.

"if anything, don't back down. at the end of the day what might count the most in a sparring match is that you stood your ground and tried."

"single kicks don't score. combinations do. each move sets up the next."

"whatever happens, move forward. you are the safest when you are moving forward."

"go through your target. don't stop short. displace it."

"whoever can remain calm and execute while under the most pressure will be the winner."

The Morning Devotional Poster

The morning devotional poster.

we like the morning devotional poster. we really, really do. they do their best to make sure our lives are filled with god's word and instruction every morning.

and we do mean EVERY morning. if the best part of waking up is folgers, then the best part of turning on our computer is the encouraging word we'll get from the poster.

a little bit of history first. the morning devotional poster evolved from the morning devotional email forwarder. this was a very good thing, as most of the world didn't like the morning devotional email forwarder. in a rare act of evolution, this type of poster became one of our most beloved. it's like a venus fly trap that evolved into a cute puppy that doesn't pee on the floor.

like clockwork, the morning devotional poster's facebook, twitter, and google buzz will have an inspirational article posted no later than 9:45am (if they are really savvy they'll use hootsuite to do it all at once). this is perfect, because most people that get to the office at 9 don't really start working until 10. conveintent on SO many levels.

you know how else the morning devotional poster helps us out? they save us money! somehow they've managed to subscribe to 12 devotional services, and after reading them all, they only posted the one that would help us all the most. do you know what that means? i don't have to buy any more copies of oswald chambers...EVER! one of the morning devotional posters will certain post his entire body of work in the span of a year. and you'll probably quote the key theme or sentence in the devotional when you update your status, so we REALLY get the point of it! god's word quick, fast, and in a hurry. we love it.

if you have a number of morning devotional posters that you follow, you may even pick your favorite ones to read. there are many variations of the this type of poster. there's the "everything will be okay" poster, "the love and relationship" poster, and the "gut check" poster. the least favorite variation of the morning devo poster is of the "repent now or else" variety. we like them because they help start our morning off right, reminding us of the severity of god, but they are dangerously close to the doomsday poster (we'll be discussing them later).

are you a morning devotional poster? if you are, just know that we love you!

I found a hill...

last time i went to run a mile, i found a hill.

this is where dreams are born and champions are made...

i was very excited by this hill. i knew that this hill would be helpful in training for the upcoming taekwondo season in a few weeks. i decided that i would tackle the hill next early the following week.

today, i did just that. i ran a mile, and then went to the foot of the hill. it was at the foot of this hill that my excitement was exchanged with fear. there were a few reasons for this:

• the hill was bigger than i thought. i'm not crazy about heights.
• i was tired. i was concerned if i could actually do it without falling over.
• i have trouble picking up my feet sometimes, which makes training like this difficult.

nervous, i prepared myself to go. i chanted to myself, "be afraid, do it anyways." i started up the hill. the first few feet wasn't that bad. then the hill became much more steep than i realized earlier. it was as if i was pulling myself up by my big toes. i had to dig in just to pull myself up.

once i reached the top a new challenge appeared to me. i had to peddle down the hill while controlling myself. i also made yet another discovery about the hill: holes. there were places that were sunken in, or even a little muddy. if my foot caught any of those, i certainly would've tripped and rolled 20 feet to the bottom of the hill.

i did this several times. with each time my legs protested more violently. still deep down inside i knew that this was a challenge i had to endure. this hill represented fear. i was honestly scared. it also represented opportunity. one of my favorite tennis players, andre agassi, took to the hills in las vegas when he was training. it helped him win several majors.

i don't believe that dreams are born when we sleep or daydream. that's like saying that a baby is born just because you'd like to be a parent. i believe dreams are born when you make the effort to create what you've visualized in a tangible way.

similarly, champions aren't born. they are made. plenty of people are willing to win. most of them are willing to prepare. this hill represents the willingness to train, hone, perfect. it's a private battle between myself and i. the most intense battle, actually. no matter how hard i hit him he's always there. and he knows just what to say and do to throw me off my game. people usually don't see this battle, but it's the most important one.

any victory that i've had has been because i managed to subdue myself just enough to so that i be everything that i know is possible.

private victories -----> public displays.