this is… The Neighborhood
the Story within the Story
OVERWHELMED? THINK ‘ONE’
“Instead of complaining about all the Negative stuff going on in our lives and the World, Today… Let’s send out Positive thoughts and Vibes into the Universe.” – Greg Shine
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from Walk off the Earth
this is… Fire in My Soul
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OVERWHELMED? THINK ‘ONE’
One Life to Life (2015)
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
interpretation by C.J. Leger
One Until we stop, we have no idea how tall we will grow. Until we quit, the sky remains the limit on high we can soar. Until we wake up, how do we know that the world has not stopped. And until we die, we will never know how long we will live.
Chance may be a bettor’s sport, one we wish not to play, but even though we live separate lives, we are all in the same game. A drunken driver may tempt chance, that they are feeling fine, while we are travelling on same road, just excited to get back home. Obeying every traffic rule, clean and sober still, hands on nine and three, safety belt secure. One mile till the off ramp and only four blocks from there, but our game collides with the drunken driver and in an instant, ghosts appear. There are aspects we cannot control.
But we can control our internal vision, the self inside with goals and ambitions, the person who believes in goodness and in salvation, the one who comprehends that all men are created equal. The thinking being that understands, freewill accounts for our differences and respect allows for our understanding. And if we smile in the mirror, the smiling face we see, delivers visual confirmation, that the story of us continues for at least one more day.
We embrace motivational speeches and enjoy the sound of care free quotes and movies with happy endings, but most days are equipped with an agenda: children to raise and bills to pay and obligations that must be met, forcing our external reality to be at odds with our inner self. A tug of war is not an option. We feel the peace of our internal vision, slip back into its slumber, and we cannot chase it to where it is going, because we are already short of time.
Peace turns into disillusion, which morphs into blame, then finds comfort in anger. We falsely believe we have been abandoned, so the external forces begin to bombard us, and we give way to our differences, spending precious moments filled with rage and standing in judgement of one another, and all the while, the clock never stops ticking and chipping away at our one life to live.
The day ends and we have made no progress on our dreams, nor have we given our internal vision a larger role. But until the world stops spinning or the sun falls out of the sky or our Higher Power declares His vengeance or chance is a drunk driver, the morning arrives and our inner vision awakens – and glory – another chance to follow and become the person we are inside. Not perfect nor a blissful euphoric, but one that understands, each day is our life and are lives are connected, and one smile, may transfer and live all day. We are never too old to chase dreams and make new friends, nor turn a blind eye to the soldiers of peace.
We have the wisdom to understand who we are – a small but intricate piece of humanity – and each place we find ourselves, in the pews of our churches or in houses of strangers, we try to make a contribution toward peace. In every precious free moment of this one life we have to live, listen to the internal vision and see beauty in everything.
Overwhelmed? If we take one step each day, in one year we have moved 365 steps closer to where we are going or long to be. – The Neighborhood
‘footprints’ courtesy of Keep Picturing
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY KENDALL F. PERSON an Interview by THEPUBLICBLOGGER
thepublicblogger: Happy 50th Birthday KP. How does a half century feel?
Kendall F. Person: It feels… like Wow. Thank you Jesus. (big smile)
thepublicblogger: Well, do you feel a little crazy, answering questions from your alter ego?
KP: Crazier than what?
tpb: Just crazy.
KP: Nope.
tpb: Well, with that informative response, lets move to the next question. Who is your favorite rapper?
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tpb: Let’s count by 10s.
KP: Let’s do it. Should I start now?
10 years old
The Walker Clan of The Rocky Mountains
I had no way of knowing that my 10th birthday would be my last in the Rocky Mountains. We arrived in Sacramento 1 day before I turned eleven. We left a city full of relatives and familiarity and snow, but my Mother – like her sisters – was a warrior and with six kids in tow, she headed west and 4 decades later, my family has made Sacramento its home.
tpb: What do you miss most about Denver?
KP: My Grandmother. She died quite a few years ago. But now I miss my oldest sister Roshelle and my brother Kevin
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tpb: Formative years?
KP: Grant High School (Class of 84)
4Life
When asked where I’m from, I say Sacramento. When the question is where did you grow up, my answer becomes The Heights. I went to elementary in Colorado, middle school in the parameters, college in Davis where my fraternity brothers and my inner circle would make a huge impact on my life. I will always cherish Davis and will always be grateful that I took the opportunities to live in Providence, Memphis, Los Angeles and Seattle. But for whatever reason, that I stopped questioning long ago, I always knew that I could go home – with a lot or a little – and to me that meant from downtown north to Citrus Heights with the epicenter being Del Paso Heights With open doors from The Ruckers’ in East Heights to Anna Simms in Strawberry Manors and home, the one my mother created for us by and the village too.
20
May 17, 1987 the Line of Kazana would become Brothers of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Theta Eta Chapter UC Davis
the Terrible Turnback
My roommate was Lawrence, who had a girl (now his wife) named Nelly, whose best friend was Suzette, the 3 my inner circle. But while I may have actually spent more time with them, no other voluntary experience even lives in the same universe, then pledging a Black fraternity before hazing was outlawed and banned. The six weeks spent as pledges, was so mind-boggling brutal, so physically exhaustive and economically draining for years we wondered how we made it across those burning sands.
The benefits of brotherhood were not simply social, although they too were stratospheric. From Chico to San Diego State, a made-man from the Theta Eta Chapter of UC Davis was respected throughout the Golden State And the process was the ultimate in I am my brother’s keeper. And a driving force behind a never give up-perseverance, but what it did most memorably, was to connect human emotions at a level so deep, an unbreakable bond between 5 young men was created… on a line called Kazana.
30
Happy to Sad in Record Time
There were bigger lives being lived, I am sure, but it did not matter if others had more, I was living the life of Riley. Trips around the nation and back forth to the Caribbean was common place and when my Bayliner crashed down on the Sacramento River I actually remember thinking “If I die young, what a life I’ve had.” Until I was 31 years old, I had few days that were not happy. I can remember the pain of a first love and the agony of sports defeat, but never unhappy at being me. And happy came with being good to people too.
I have never understood why, but once my humility begin to slip away, in a vacuum, depression swooped in to fill the void left behind. Depression was foreign, as I did not even believe it was real, in retrospect, karma was that you? Then one day, I would lose my way completely. Before my 31st birthday – less than 12 months removed from absolute happy – everything I had was lost and the person that I knew had been wiped out as I chose to combine the depths of depression with the insanity of a drug addiction. And it was nearly curtains to an imaginative life.
40
Capturing Spring and Stephen j. Harris
KP: I had written and published 3 novels and even completed my first nationwide book tour over a decade earlier, although there were 3, it was Capturing Spring that kept my name alive for 15 years. One of my line brothers, Stephen was also a fan. But one day, rather he could no longer watch the slow-moving disaster or he just wanted something to read said “if you’re not going to write another book, than why don’t you blog” .
Self-esteem still battered, skills all tattered, but it was the day I realized that we are controlled by our imagination Unable to write as Kendall F. Person, but enough self-awareness came through the fog, saying if I didn’t act, l would be doomed, so imagined thepublicblogger
tpb: So that’s the day, you begin talking to yourself.
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FAVORITE MOVIE: HUSTLE & FLOW
FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW: MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
FAVORITE SONG: MY HEART by IvySoul Robinson, written by Kendall F. Person
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50
thepublicblogger: 3 memorable moments with lasting effects on you
Kendall F. Person: 1984: A 97 yard touchdown-making run, in a demolition of Bella Vista high, as a running back for the storied Grant Pacers, would be the first time I noticed as I looked into the jammed packed stadium stands, and an explosion of noise overpowered the air, and the sounds of music coming from a band gave it this rock star feel – that they cheered for me.
1990: I picked up my mother from work one day, and with no fanfare whatsoever, I reached into the backseat and pulled out my degree from the University of California. I had left the campus in 89 so when I received the actual degree, it was old news to me. But my mother was so proud. And I kind of chuckled but did not know why she was suddenly crying. A few years later, my youngest brother was shot in the head at point-blank range and died as the rain poured down and the ground beneath turned red. The sound of her voice when she called to say her baby was dead, it was so piercing and her heart was so broken, I nearly missed the epiphany moment: I realized what it meant to dedicate one’s own life to being a mother. We were her victories and her defeats. Not sure how she managed. But she did.
2016: The moment we are in. In a place of my imagination and realizations. An online community of all inclusion that toggles with extraordinary agility and amateurish beauty; between great writing and original imaginative shows. Thank you for sharing my 50th birthday with me and spending time in The Neighborhood with us. 50 is special. Going to absorb every minute of it, but I had to begin here. (big smile) and much love.
COMMUNITY IN WAR WITH PEACE BY & INTRODUCING… YOUNG DEVEREAUX FRAZIER
AUTISM: a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people, and in using language and abstract concepts. However, it is also defined in individuals by their unique strengths and differences.
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from Vancouver BC Canada
Renan Javier w/ Enrutcon
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and from Baltimore Maryland
Young Devereaux Frazier with…
COMMUNITY IN WAR WITH PEACE
I came, I saw
I left the room
gangsters itchy trigger fingers
quicker with bolts than Usain
quit poppin, quit poppin
why do the young ones keep droppin
Hear the cock, everybody drops
so communities stay fearful, always on the watch
no way to raise a family
how do you treat a wife
worse than a roll of dope or ounce of white,
on which you’ve sworn your life
every minute, every second gone
dedicated to serving the zombie throng
of vipers, of thieves
standing over young mothers, watching them bleed
I came, I saw
and I couldn’t leave the room,
crossed into rival gang territory
police won’t find me soon
But not to be, for I took a stand.
Crimson scenes end at my street
sign in my hand, shouting into the night
I’m taking the battle, no more flight
Bullets might rain from above
but hand in hand we march
not just for us, but for the dead
their blood and bones play a part
In our revival, we never retire
fighting for the good, can’t ever get tired
Young boys in the hood, trapped in the mire
Grab em by the hand, and lift them higher!
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Community at War with Peace
written by 18 year old autistic blogger, Devereaux Frazier
produced in The Neighborhood
Our Week of War & Peace continues…
DAY5: friends & family as told by Leroy Lunaj
COMEDIC ACTIVISTS JERRY LEWIS AND DICK GREGORY, KEPT US ALL IN CHECK
“Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant, and this white waitress came up to me and said: ‘We don’t serve colored people here.’ I said: ‘that’s all right, I don’t eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.” – Dick Gregory
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“When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, ‘Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?’ He answered, ‘If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.” – Jerry Lewis
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from 1967, Buffalo Springfield
w/ For What It’s Worth
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COMEDIC ACTIVISTS JERRY LEWIS & DICK GREGORY,
KEPT US ALL IN CHECK
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
Some people, we know why they stay with us all our lives. Connected through blood or by way of the many villages, that we have been a part of, make it easy enough to connect those dots. Some people we remember, because of the enormity of the destruction or a new face of evil they brought. The deeds of Charles Manson, Timothy McVeigh, Jeffrey Dahmer and Jim Jones, for example, have made it impossible to shake them from our consciousness. although there is no affinity between us. But some people, that stay with us we cannot quite figure out. Not that we ever asked ourselves the question, until death do us part.
Three On A Couch remains my all time favorite Jerry Lewis motion picture. It was funny and witty and just good natured, but so were nearly all of his films, due to the whimsical, forever young comedic character he created. But Couch was not groundbreaking nor a sweeping epic, that brought the audience to tears. It neither won nor was nominated for a single award, but none of that mattered, as I would watch it over and over again. So how could this film or man become so endearing to my life, alas I discovered and it makes perfect sense.
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In 1984 or 1985, I was introduced to Dick Gregory, live. I never actually met nor do I even remember where I saw him (Los Angeles, Berkeley or Davis is the best I can narrow down). One of the most beneficial and unsung aspects of living inside the collegiate bubble, is that it offered a front row seat to the world, and even before the internet made life global, there was a continual presence of national and international speakers and entertainers, both world renowned and underground on the college campus. Always a very intimate scene, even when big names like Chaka Khan or Bishop Desmond Tutu came, they spoke on the Quad or performed in the student union, and all of it just became a part of being in school.
But perhaps to the audience members, that knew who he was and what to expect; I am pretty sure he delivered upon their expectations. But going in blank, with nothing at all to draw on, and no Youtube or wiki in existence to quickly catch up, being in the audience of a Dick Gregory presentation raw, was literally a shock to the system in a mind-blowing one man performance. And while I never followed him closely, or looked forward to his reaction following civil turmoil, and although he was very funny, nor did I seek him for comedy relief, but three decades after seeing him one time in a no more than a 2 hour engagement, I remain in awe at how he controlled our emotions and forced us into retracted thought, but he mastered his craft with such brilliance, that he never forgot he was a performer and we were riveted by the show.
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Lewis’ zany characters – like the buck-toothed nutty professor – made us happy. But simultaneously (or maybe the tale end) to his movie career, Jerry Lewis would define celebrity and philanthropy, as his mission to raise funds (over $2 billion dollars during his tenure) and heightened the profile, so children with muscular dystrophy, could be happy too. To Hollywood, he was the sidekick to Dean Martin, and for his work, he was criticised for holding onto the reigns of the nonprofit for so long; but he made no apologies, for he knew, he was making a lasting contribution, that thousands would directly benefit from.
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I remember being in the audience, laughing out loud as Gregory was a very funny comedian. But there was a flipside to the laughter, and even before it could roll to a natural end – out of nowhere – the activist broke out and his words turned from funny to deep and heavy and real and painful. And for the finale, he so eloquently reminded us, that it was now our responsibility to change the world. The entire show or lecture or I was never really sure what it was, but thinking back, it was so powerful and truthful and yes funny, that the idea my education had to benefit more than just me is clearly the part of him that remained with me.
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In 2009, Jerry Lewis was celebrated for his philanthropy and finally it was Hollywood that threw the party, righteously adorning him with the Humanitarian Award (and at last he held an Oscar). In 1988, the major motion picture Mississippi Burning, rather purposeful or unintentionally, was so disrespectful in how it betrayed history, that it became a subject of its own debate. But only Dick Gregory would follow through on his condemnation, by way of confirming he was a Civil Rights activist first. Up for Best Picture of the Year, while Hollywood celebrated and Black America was complacent, Gregory remained true to his convictions, by staging a one man boycott of the Academy Awards… and it was news.
Jerry Lewis and Dick Gregory may be remembered for making us laugh, but the role they played in our lives was much greater than that. They demonstrated, that pursuing and achieving our own success, does not count as our contribution in making society a better place. And that ideology, has kept us in check.
RIP and thank you for the performance of your lives.
Day 3 of Our Week of War & Peace continues with…. an 18 year old autistic blogger, becomes the youngest poet to take The Neighborhood stage.
Photographing Prayer
cover Grant’s Prayer
“Prayer is the vitamin of the soul.”
– A Silent Prayer in honor of ‘Our Week of (War) & Peace
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Lord, I’m Sorry
by Anew(Duo)
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Photographing Prayer
Ethiopia: Innocent Prayers of a Young Child by Steve Evans
Evening prayers at Har-Ki-Pairi Ghat in Haridwar by Dirk Hartung
children’s prayer by rana ossama
CT National Guard prayers for Newton courtesy of US National Guard
Afternoon Prayers by Karl Grenet
In deep prayer by John Ragai
Prayer in Peace for Ukraine
Prayer time… by Rakesh JV
desperate prayer by Mathieu Jarrry
Football Prayer by Ben White
World’s Smallest Lord’s Prayer by Frank DeFreitas
In honor of Peace Week
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