Faith in Action

Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary, author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Enduring Legacy of Injury and Healing, addresses the residual impacts of trauma on African Descendants in the Americas. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome lays the groundwork for understanding how the past has influenced the present, and opens up the discussion of how we can use the strengths we have gained to heal.

The book has been praised by Randall Robinson, Bill Cosby, Al Sharpton, and many more. Susan Taylor, Editorial Director of Essence Magazine says that “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is a master work…Her book is the balm we need to heal ourselves and our relationships. It is the gift of wholeness.” Adelaide Sanford, Vice Chancellor of the Board of Regents for the State of New York states that “Dr. Joy Leary’s mesmerizing, riveting book is vital reading for our time…With Dr. Leary’s potent words we can and will heal.”

WHEN: Wednesday, May 7, 2008
TIME: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Clarence Mitchell School of Engineering Building
Morgan State University
1700 East Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore MD 21251
ADMISSION: FREE and Open to the Public
For Further Information: Charlotte St. Pierre at 443.885.3006 or Ray Winbush at 443.722.0783

A good friend and brother of mine learned a couple of months ago that his wife has cancer. The exact name of it escapes me at the moment, but just the word “cancer” has such a certain negative connotation to it that to many it doesn’t matter what type it is…it’s just bad news.

Well, today - in fact in a few moments - his wife will undergo surgery in an attempt to remove the cancer from her body. The good news is that it is not a form of cancer that spreads to other parts of the body so if the doctors can get all of it out, there is a good chance - with additional medical treatment - that it won’t return.

I just prayed for her, him, and their family, but I also wanted to record my supplication here as well. I believe deeply in the power of prayer. I believe that something happens when we diligently seek to connect with The Almighty through the vehicle of communication known as prayer. Even as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my recent experiences have emboldened my conviction that prayer is the best thing that family, friends, and loved ones can do in times of sickness, trouble, or chaos.

I record this prayer as a testament to the miraculous power of Almighty God:

Most gracious God, I come before you with great sincerity lifting to you my dear brother, his wife, and family. As you know Lord, she is about to undergo surgery for cancer as I type these words. My prayer Lord is that you intervene in this situation. You know her. You created her. You formed and fashioned her as a gift to her husband, family, and this community. Now Lord, I pray that you heal her body. Heal her body, Lord. Be with the surgeons as they prepare to be used as instruments of divine healing. Clear their minds, steady their hands, calm their souls, and focus their attention on my sister. Strenghten my brother who is now sitting in the waiting area. Prop him up on every leaning side and embolden his faith so that he rests assured that you are well able to do anything, but fail. Be with their children as they have understandable concern for their mother. Show yourself strong to them so that they’ll grow in their ability to rely on you even under troubling circumstances. Have your way, Lord. I’m praying for a good report. I’ll be ever so mindful to give you all the praise, glory, and honor for this and the many other signs of your blessings to your people. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN.

SOURCE: PRISON RADIO

SYMBOLS VS. SUBSTANCE
(Click here to listen to Mumia Abu-Jamal recite this powerful essay himself.)
[col. writ 4/12/08] (c) ‘08 Mumia Abu-Jamal

Our national politics is largely the stuff of illusion.

It is the stuff of spin. It is the manipulation of images to pluck the heartstrings, or to stoke the furnaces of emotion.

Any emotion will do: love, hate, fear, all are but instruments upon which politicians will play to move people to the polls, to get them either to vote for them, or against their opponents.

What all of this really means in the day-to-day lives of many of the voters, is actually quite minimal, for politicians don’t really care about what voters want; they care about those who can afford them — those who pay them well for their services.

In essence, politics is a business, and voters are merely bare necessities.

We see this in the vast, obscene amounts of money raised for virtually all political offices.

At bottom, politics is the elevation of symbol over substance, for it seeks to create the illusion of change, while leaving unchanged the essential power relations at the lower levels of society.

Politics is great for changing forms, but it stumbles at changing essentials.

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Warning: This video has some language that some may find offensive.