this is… The Neighborhood
the Story within the Story
‘A LITTLE MORE JESUS’: GOSPEL MUSIC AND ATHEISTS CONNECT IN SONG
“I love Gospel Music. What I hear in it, is the
beauty of humans yearning so deeply
for something beautiful.” – Aragon the Atheist
A LITTLE MORE JESUS
Gospel Music and Atheists Connect in Song
by Kendall F. Person
We often think of Gospel Music as a genre, that can only be felt by religious zealots, enjoyed by persons of faith or absolute worshipers of a Higher Power. But Erica Campbell’s ‘A Little More Jesus’, along with a directed response by Aragon the Atheist to a question in an online community discussion: Atheists Who Love Gospel Music dispels the notion of a contradiction. In our personal search for peace, the rich, hope-filled music dives into the consciousness of the non-believers, connecting on parallel to the devout. It appears, at our most humbled, we accept moments of inner sanctity, however they are given to us, rather than be without.
I got to mad and I said to much
Went too far and I almost cussed
No my mama didn’t raise me that way
Lord I need a little help today
Rather we study a specific religion, surrender to the word of God; or even if we are steadfast in science – that all of mankind derived from a single atom, when the big bang went off – gospel music inspires. It delivers strength, courage and bonds humanity to a single concept; that we are – in equal parts – enduring the same struggle and reveling in a joint celebration called life.
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from 2013,
A Little More Jesus by Erica Campbell
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A Little More Jesus by Erica Campbell is not simply a divine right set to song, it is human emotion, set atop an energizing, fast moving, hand clapping melody, that connects believers and non, discovering one less reason to divide. In Gospel Music, we find internal voices; one speaks to Jesus and the other speaks for peace, but both make us feel good about being alive.
— a song & music review courtesy of The Neighborhood
It is difficult to say out loud, but we must keep the conversation going. We cannot let the young men and women of Parkland Florida down, like we have everyone else before them. Written for Las Vegas, but dedicated to the American casualties before and since, victims of gun violence and mass murder. The Neighborhood has nothing but love for the survivors.
Where Do The Butterflies Go?
dedicated to Parkland, Florida.
VANTAGE POINT
from the archives:
Every now and then, when we take the time to think,
we make the correct call and we are not so divided after all.
As Baltimore Maryland passes the baton to McKinney Texas, and as cruel as the now infamous seven minute video was to watch, the families, McKinney and our nation is fortunate of no resulting deaths, affording the rare opportunity to examine the chain of events, without the catastrophic weight of a mother burying her child. The hundreds year old soundtrack of race plays on, but take a deep breathe, then look and listen from the varying vantage points.
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Big & Rich with Look At You
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“Everyone who was getting on the
ground was Black, Mexican, Arabic
[The cop] didn’t even look at me.
It was kind of like I was invisible.”
– Grace Stone [14, white, untouched]
VANTAGE POINT
by Kendall F. Person
VP 1
The reaction of Grace Stone demonstrates that racial incidents affect everyone. She did not feel as if she were fortunate or special, for not being treated in the same manner as her peers of color, but rather her words appear as if she felt victimized. They were her friends and at 14, color be damn. The effects of racism, meant to humiliate the race one hates, destroys everyone – even Grace.
VP 2
I do not know the Officer at the center of the storm, and I comprehend the concept of momentum, but even if we strip away race and police brutality, the vision of an adult man with both knees on a 14 year old female in a bikini was so disturbing, I am not quite sure how he could continue his role as a public servant. But as the story unfolds, we learn how the situation, that led to his explosive and bating behavior, was set into motion…
VP 3
…by an earlier pair of adult women, who reveled in their racist views, as if it were a badge to be cherished and held close to the heart. When they unleashed a barrage of racist epithets and stereotypes, then escalated with violence – it was there – that belies the problem, and the exact beginning of another explosive American moment.
VP 4
The teenager humiliated and abused, while it will not stop her from achieving her dreams or make her believe all officers are bad, but if you have never been in a moment akin to hers, I understand if you disagree with my assessment, but she will never forget that moment in her life and that is so unfair.
VP 5
I spent a few years working for a nonprofit and established close relationships with many police officers – one of the nonprofits closest partners – although my heart breaks during scenes such as Ferguson and McKinney, never for a moment do I believe it is us against all of them. Two officers maintained composure, and with such quiet professionalism and dignity, they forced the officer to put away a wielding gun. It is vital they receive mention to keep an ugly narrative from being just ugly.
VP 6
VP 3 serves as a cruel reminder, how deeply the human race can hate, so the echoes we hear of “those black kids were thugs” pale in comparison to the swift reaction of the McKinney Police Force, the Mayor and the people of all colors, who felt deeply the horror of a young girl screaming for her mother.
I do believe there are common denominators in Trayvon, Ferguson and Baltimore, but this scenario is different. Excusing no one from the role they accepted and carried out, but there hangs a sense of sorrow, as they served as puppets for hate (VP 3).
As I often state, The Neighborhood is an all-inclusive forum, and everyone feels welcomed here. I have no memory of ever thinking any other way, but I have never felt more or less about any race, but I am an African American, so the tanks in Ferguson and the 14 year old girl in McKinney affect me to my soul. But I also feel deeply about the narrative The Neighborhood puts forward: the good deserve the spotlight as well, so please watch the 60 second video and end this show with a smile. – this is…. The Neighborhood
VP 7
For the Love of Erika Parker
Republished in support of #metoo
cover photography Abuse by Christine Obscene FYS
prologue: Why do people stay in abusive relationships? Love
What is love? Academia has struggled with presenting a single definition of love. Biologists believe it is a basic instinct, that nature inputs into the DNA of all animals certain primal qualities, that exist with or without the loving hands of nurture. Psychology seems to suggest, that love begins and ends in the mind, and that each person can control love, with the same intensity and chance, that love can control them.
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I Can’t Make You Love Me
by the legendary Bonnie Raitt
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For the Love of Erika Parker
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
The first punch caught Erika off guard. She absorbed the blow with the intentional self-destruction of a heavyweight boxer. The pain would come later, that was a foregone conclusion. The pain always came later. But as the second and third strikes landed, and the blood began to spill, all she could think about was what had she done this time.
Love became biological for Erika. She needed it, and thought it needed her for elementary survival. It overpowered all else in her body, which was becoming less able to recover from his relentless bouts of aggression. Still dizzy, and only an hour removed from the epic beating, she believed would take her life, she lay comforted in her abusers arms. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear, while wiping the blood from her battered face. Although the pain had now attacked her, wreaking havoc, where it may, the expression of love, was all that she could feel.
Erika Parker (not her real name) was born into a family of love and raised in a traditional home. Her father held firm on to the teachings of the Old Testament, truly believing sparing the rod would spoil the child. His punishments were swift, but left no lasting effects. The trial revealed a happy home, and a normal, if not unremarkable life. She earned a degree, started a career, made her own money, and was very proud to be in complete control of her life. She would meet her husband two years later, knowing before they married, there would be problems with his unparalleled need to control.
But something more powerful than reason and far stronger than her faith, compelled her to move forward and become her husband’s mate. Love He moved her into the mountains, taught her how to hunt, treated her ever so beautifully, forcing her to fall deeper into his charms, then initiating his game of breaking her tender heart.
Erika, had for some time, knew this day would come. Several days and sometimes weeks of bliss, would cushion the rounds of abuse. But, this time was different. Still catching her breath from the love they just made, he grabbed her by the throat, drug her out of bed, and from somewhere behind his back, he produced a gun, which he shoved against her head. There was no more fight left in her, in trying to hide love. There were words coming from her abusers mouth, but she heard none of them, she would later tell the judge. She could remember staring at her husband, and thinking to herself, she would always love him, but she would learn to love herself.
She had long ago stop pretending that she did not know the reason why she stayed. For her, it was the intense power of love’s draw, that made her endure hell, day after day. And while the pleadings of her parents, the rounds of therapy recommended by friends, could not change the way she felt about him, it did change the way she felt about herself.
Unbeknown to her husband, however, she had come to love herself far more, than she could ever love him. He did not shoot her, but she was convinced that one day he would. He pulled the gun away from her head, laughed, before arrogantly casting her and the gun aside. He then mistakenly turned his back and casually walked away.
epilogue: Why did she do it? For the love of Erika Parker
The Neighborhood supports #metoo
The National Domestic Abuse Hotline
RUN JUMP FALL EVOLVE FLY
“Run, jump, fall, evolve, fly.
Repeat each step as needed.” – KP
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Sleep by Makaih Beats
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RUN JUMP FALL EVOLVE FLY
(Metamorphosis)
by Kendall F. Person
I know how the day feels. The kind that was so full of challenges and perceived setbacks that when it finally came to an end, you were so numb and frustrated, that you could not even cry yourself to sleep. You had so many plans, meticulously made and not one materialized or even somewhat went your way. The sunny skies that were predicted were cloudy and gray and the big promotion that you deserved went to someone else, and your disappointment could not be hidden even though you knew, the benefactor was deserving too. And you were angry with your best friend because when you called them to vent, they were preoccupied with their own problems and had little time to listen.
You are still mad at your Dad for something he did even though you cannot remember exactly what that something was, but bitterness has a hold on you so you dive into your bed and wrap the blankets around you. But absorbed in so much grief, that the sandman takes a pass. So you lie there and think of how life has gotten away from you and without knowing or intentions, you plant the seeds for tomorrow, that it will be the same way too. But the moon breaks free of the cloudy cover and your eyes focus on a creature outside your window, and for a brief moment, your thoughts are diverted toward the butterfly and the beauty of the life it has.
Butterflies are not born beautiful nor are they born with wings to fly. In their early stage, they spend nearly every waking hour in search of food to not simply stay alive, but to complete their life cycle. To develop wings, to radiate color, and over great distances, to pollinate plants and flowers, giving the bees some much needed help. But before the butterfly can provide beauty to the world, they must first survive as a caterpillar and stare down all of the challenges, that each day in the life of does bring.
At first we fight, like a newborn child, so tired of screaming, but unwilling to give up. We drag our days problems into our protective shell, causing nightmares in our dreams, and aches and pains as we toss and turn. But there are ways to relax our minds, to shut our brains down, and allow the metamorphosis we need to rejuvenate; to welcome in peace and serenity, giving us the strength, the courage and the fortitude to not only face tomorrow, but to treat it with the respect and dignity that each new day deserves.
If the caterpillar has been resourceful and has found enough food, and if it has been smart and outwitted the multitude of predators hell bent on finding food too, and if it has been strong and maneuvered around or over or through the unforeseen obstacles, that appeared at every turn, and if it has allowed nothing to halt its vision nor its dreams or ambitions, then it evolves into a chrysalis, and anchors to a sturdy foundation, then wraps itself in its own cocoon.
But what makes the butterfly so special, is that even though it knows that when its metamorphosis is through, and as a caterpillar it has dodged every bullet – reaching the pinnacle – emerging with beautiful color and sturdy wings, there will be new challenges ahead, new bridges to cross, but it is ready for the new day, because while wrapped in its peaceful cocoon, new dreams have emerged from the old ones not reached or did not consume it.
Sketch Butterfly by Annie Spratt
Try as we might to assure all goes right, there are bad days on the horizon. But too many bad days can lead to stagnation or worse yet, depression, and both work against our happiness and our feelings of self-worth. So at the end of each day, especially the bad, find a place in your heart, or re-imagine the future, or kiss your kids goodnight, or think of my butterfly and grab hold of that moment, providing comfort for your mind as you enter the nightly metamorphosis. When you awaken, greet the sunrise and then be ready to run or jump or fall or evolve…. then fly.
this is… The Neighborhood
cover: unsplash collection of photographers
ballerina: Precious Adams
On April 1st, there is no April fools
THE SHOWSTOPPERS series
“A leader without followers
is simply a guy taking a walk.”
– The Economist
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THE SHOWSTOPPERS
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Music
I had not watched the Grammys for years. Not in a toothless boycott or any such nonsense like that. It was simply due to early on, The Neighborhood had made the decision that we would support the underground, truly believing we could produce our own star. Why I tuned in this year, was not for anything profound – or perhaps it was – the President, the lies, the protests, and lack of cohesion had begun to take its toll. All I wanted to do was get away from the Trump tweets and the constant outrage for one night only, so I turned to the entertainers, but somehow they forgot the golden rule. 
It is unconscionable to have a platform and not put it before our own interest. But there is a fine line that should also be respected As performers, sometimes the greatest contribution we can give is to entertain. I enjoyed every moment of the 3 1/2 live broadcast of the Grammys, but with seemingly every cause claiming the stage, I felt bad for my fellow music lovers, who disagreed with the politics (but now that is over). But for a few moments, Donald Glover as Childish Gambino no more, allowed us to fall deeply inside the music, by turning Madison Square Garden into an inferno, thus delivering the show stopping moment.
Childish Gambino w/ Terrified
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THE SHOWSTOPPERS
by Kendall F. Person
No gaffe or slight, that the Mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico – the Honorable Carmen Yulin Cruz – is the only woman to appear. With so many men falling from grace, either deservedly so or by misunderstanding, I thought the good guys should be celebrated all on the same stage.
Year of the Woman
For many Americans, there is no need to imagine. Natural disasters have visited across the land so often, it seems like a plague. But imagine death and destruction all around, and days have passed and your country – the richest on earth – has forgotten all about you. Now imagine you were in charged of a city in peril. Sleeping on a cot, no fresh water to drink, so death begins to mount. Most would crack than break. Say what you will about Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, but days after Maria brought hell to San Juan, everytime we saw her, she was leading them back from the brink, while fending off attacks from Presidential tweets.
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The GOP
I understand if you think that No. 2 Jeff Sessions is hard to swallow. The laws he is implementing may be more than draconian and his past views on race are documented. But with so many politicians bowing down like Devin Nunes or eating whatever is served like Paul Ryan, it is some saving grace that the U.S. Attorney General follows the rule of law (whatever it may be). Even as his boss bullies him, so far he is airtight, while others run for dear life.
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Academia
In 1982, the United States of America crowned Palo Alto High the first National Champion of The Academic Decathlon. It has never really been a seesaw battle, as only a handful of schools have ever scored the highest and been crowned the absolute brightest. In fact, in the past 10 years, only three schools have touched the holy grail. It begins on the local level, county by county where each High School (in theory) fields a team of 6 (2-A students, 2-B students and 2-C students). Preparation is grueling and last for months and is considered one of the most coveted titles in academia. With pressure on the young, it can certainly lead to unexpected breakdowns, but is known for delivering the show stopping moments.
In 1984, my alma mater fielded its one and only squad in 36 years. Only 2 days before a true blue civics teacher by the name of Mr. Fallon, scurried around our campus – star-studded if you played football – and cobbled together a ragtag army, allowing us to discover, that we had intellectuals too.
Sacramento’s Grant High – nationally recognized as a Football power – without any preparation whatsoever, the 1984 team walked out of the moment as winners of an unexpected seven medals. It also produced one gold, which was not only my show stopping moment, but it stands as the lone gold medal from my alma mater in 36 years (I say with equal parts pride and chagrin).
While I have resigned as a volunteer judge in a boycott that neither the Principle nor Director even voiced a “Why?” And maybe it is a fool’s dream, but if any student or parent or teacher or alumni can hear me from Grant High, demand they field a team. It matters that our young intellectuals know who they are, for they are even on the football team.
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Comedy
10 Items Or Less (improvised scene)
So much is made about how genius is accomplished within the arts & sciences. But until we actually meet a master of their craft, their speeches at award shows or carefully crafted interviews, seems more dramatic than real. Enter improvisational comedian John Lehr whose approachable demeanor allowed for a personal connection in The Neighborhood. TAG VOL II An Anthology ED. VI ‘You Mean I’m in Charge?’ added depth and star power to a randomly popular, but still underground blog, giving a Hollywood director and actor a show stopping moment.
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Allen!
Community Leadership
Sacramento Councilmember Allen Wayne Warren
Volunteerism in all of its forms – philanthropy included – I once believed was the most giving thing a person could do in support of their community, closely followed by teaching and earning the right to become an elected official. But time strips the gloss off of everything, forcing a discovery of what is inside. Debunked nonprofits, extreme partisanship and unprepared mentors have not by any means disgraced their industries, but rather it has revealed Leadership as more important than any title ever could be. Leaders inspire, not provoke. Leaders motivate through their actions not jibes and leaders teach us we can win, through the showstopping moments of their lives.
Thank you Allen for your leadership.
— this is… The Neighborhood
Next Edition….
Jay Z
Warren Buffett
Doug Jones
Charles Barkley
By Feb 4th, choose a flag or become an interloper
The Strawman and The Crow
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Season VI requires it
It says Kendall F. Person, but we know it’s The Neighborhood. By April 1, we have to hit our mark. Make a donation and/or play a part and allow us to reach the peak in original social media-blog spun activism & entertainment.
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