Be-Side

Poem written for Albuquerque Poet Laureate Program Interview Segment

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:01:16 -0700

“Glory is not a conceit. It is not a decoration for valor.

Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself

To a cause, to your principles

To the people on whom you rely

And who rely on you in return.”

-Senator John McCain

Hero (for Poet Laureate of Albuquerque)

I’ve heard of God

Washing feet

But never writing poems

Even the Bible

Was written by man

God?

Was more of a performance poet

More about people

Than paper

More about practice

Than pens

And though God gets angry

And sometimes screams

She’s no slam poet

Not so big on ego

So in love

with nature

(And it’s androgynous qualities)

That Apollo found laurel’s sacred

And fashioned them into crowns

To king the meek

Poets & Heroes

Laureate means glory

We be the dispatches

That announce the victory

We be beyond

The Parliamentary Poet Laureate

Of Canada

With alternating terms in two languages

We before

We be

Four

Officially recognized languages

English, Spanish

AND Spanglish

Plus we speak

Sheet music

Written for the

Conquistadores’ trumpet

Before the conquest

Conjure constructs

As though our words

Carry the DNA

Of La Raza Cosmica

Our tongues

Should tie people together

Like the rope

Of Pope

Cause the revolution’s

Inside of us

But most of all

We have to meet two requirements

To be servants

And to be continually inspired

The people will admire

Us finding it

And in refinding it

And refinding it

And we’ll feel like a hero

Every time we write it

But it is us

Not the writing

That we should be striving

For them to admire

But alas

Every laureate will strive

To satisfy

The Roman Philosopher

Inside of us

As Pliny the Elder said

True glory

Consists in doing

What deserves to be written

In writing what deserves to be read

Hakim Bellamy February 22, 2012

The Albuquerque Poet Laureate Program is sponsored by Escuela del Sol Montessori,
a 501(c)(3) organization in Albuquerque, NM.

Your donation is tax deductable.
All Donors of $50 or over in 2011 will be listed as a Founding Sponsor/Collaborator.

GIVE THANKS to Ronica Innergy Reign Brooks for being a bad arse...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:50:20 -0700

GIVE THANKS to Ronica Innergy Reign Brooks for being a bad arse vocalist, “well-tasted” journalist (if I do say so myself ;) and “fashionista” diva. Her positive energy is contagious, so she writes this block to share her light with the world. I am humbled to be one of the people she finds inspiring. I ALSO hope she works with me on a track soon. Introducing Roots Revival Musical alum and new family member, Ronica Innergy Reign Brooks and her “baby” Vizion 9 Enterprise “The GET SOME Movement.” Support positive artmakers of color by reading and sharing Vizion 9 (Click on the photo above to be shapeshifted to the blogosphere) Thank you!

Photo

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:23:05 -0700

Photo

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:20:00 -0700

Jamesetta - by hakim bellamyThe day you diedGodStopped...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:36:29 -0700

Jamesetta - by hakim bellamy

The day you died
God
Stopped questioning
His son’s
Sexuality

33 year old
Nazarene
With no kids
At a time when
Men fathered at 19
And grandfathered at 38

No Mary Magdalene
No Mary Kate and Ashley
No Mary
Jane

Yes,
There were questions
In heaven
Bigger than
Does it exist?

And it does.

There was living proof
Every time you opened your mouth, Etta

Like a Black Sabbath
You had a voice that would…
That would make God
Rest on the seventh day

Just LIKE
God
Patting himself
On the back
At the sound of you
We admire

Stare at you
Like our own

Like our own reflections
Spidered in the mirror
Hungover
Because our Sunday Kinda Love
Didn’t make it past Saturday night

Fractured
Leaving us with questions

Questions like
“Why can’t I sing like that!?”

Questions like
“I thought she was in recovery?”

Questions like
“Why does it seem like
The most broken lives
Give us the most solid voices?”

The most complete
Most whole
Most holy voices

Jamesetta Hawkins
A name only a teenage mother could love
And she did

You and Jesus
Had more in common
Than single mothers
And invisible fathers

Called your mom
The Mystery Lady
And imagine
They pro’lly thought
The same thing
About virgin
De Guadalupe
And her kid
With the immaculate childhood

A different kind of prodigy

Had you
Turned around
And split
Like your name

Etta James
Is who you was
After you went blonde

After you were told
To take advantage
Of your light complexion

After you agreed
To dye everything
Except your eyebrows
Cause you wanted to
Look like a “bad girl”

You bad girl!
Bad enough to
Make B.B. King
Sweet on you
At 16

In addiction recovery by 21

Gone 5 days
Before your 74th
Dementia
But still telling
Anyone who cares to listen
That you remember

That when you
Were still a child
People used to travel miles
Just hear you sing

Perform your own kind of miracles
In temples
With money changers and prostitutes
A prodigy too

With a voice
As milk and honey
As the heaven you’re from

No wonder
We’re still addicted to what you sung

Because it comes from
The heroin in ya lungs

Going thru withdrawals
Since you’ve been gone

Now,
I’m the one with the weight problem
Waiting for your next album
Fiending without you
Cause we can’t hear you sing anymore

Celestial body
Long before Hollywood’s
Walk of Fame
Gave you a star

We weren’t prepared
For your hour-glass frame
To break
And leave Sugar All Over our floors

Said you…

“Sang the songs that people needed to hear”

And Jesus?
Was half “people”

And God was…
Disturbed
That his son kept a dairy

However,
God was
Damn happy
That his very good looking
But VERY single son
Wrote this
About you, Etta
In his diary

“You sang
You sang
Oh and then the spell was cast
And here we are…
Now in heaven
for you are mine…
At last.”

And that
Was the day
The angels
Got their voice back

Copyright Hakim Bellamy 2012

Premiered at Jazzbah Presents JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends. 1st Tuesday of Every Month. Watch the livestream from ANYWHERE at www.jazzbahabq.com (Next Show March 6th, 2012 7pm & 9pm MST)

Last Night at Jazzbah Presents JazzBars with Hakim Be &...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:10:26 -0700

Last Night at Jazzbah Presents JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends…circa 1920 (The Roaring Twenties meets the Golden Age of Hip-Hop). We hope to see you next month! March 6th Jazzbars.

“Old Knowledge, New School. We teach you how to do the math.” - Jazzbars

Special Thanks to the 2bers, Leah Black, Darbstar, Artha Meadors, Zack Freeman and the crew and staff at the Jazzbah!

*Don’t forget the 2bers CD Release at the El Rey Theater on April 7th, D.I.G. I’ll be your humble host that evening.

JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends is coming up this Tuesday...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:06:23 -0700

JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends is coming up this Tuesday (February 7th) at Jazzbah. This month’s features “friends” will be Eph’sharpe and BlesInfinite of The 2bers! In advance of this month’s show (& Etta James Tribute), you can get a FREE DOWNLOAD of a collaborative track by Hakim Be and BlesInfinite. CLICK ON THE PHOTO ABOVE to get the track at Facebook. Share with your friends and then come see it performed live at the Jazzbah on Tuesday, February 7th! Can’t wait to see you there.

Also checkout the upcoming Jazzbars press release at www.immastar.com

The Roots Revival Musical team was on KASA/FOX2 on Monday...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:26:00 -0700

The Roots Revival Musical team was on KASA/FOX2 on Monday promoting this weekend’s three show run of Roots Revival. Find out more about Roots Revival (originally written, scored and cast in Albuquerque for Black History Month) and other Black History Month events at the NM Black History Month Committee website. For the price of admission the show also includes the art exhibit, FOUR + 1. The FOUR + 1 Art Exhibition curated by Ben Hazard and Tom Lark equals five professional visual artists – FOUR African Americans who live, work and show in New Mexico and 1 African artist who lives in Ghana and shows exclusively in Albuquerque. All three nights of the Roots Revival run (February 3rd-5th) will include the FOUR + 1 and be catered for the $20 entry fee.

Friday, February 3, 2012 8pm Show – Hosted by the Links Albuquerque Chapter

JAMBO CAFÉ
www.jambocafe.net‎

The exotic locale of Lamu Island, off the coast of Kenya, with its Swahili fusion of European, Arabic and Indian influences, is at the heart of owner-chef Ahmed Obo’s spirited cuisine. It was there, in his mother’s aromatic kitchen, that Ahmed mastered his homeland’s unique gastronomic delights, beginning a culinary adventure that would ultimately lead him to Santa Fe, New Mexico where, in August, 2009, he fulfilled his life’s dream by opening Jambo Café.

Saturday, February 4, 2012 8pm Show – Hosted by the Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Club Albuquerque Chapter

ZEA Rotisserie & Grill
www.zearestaurantabq.com

Zea Rotisserie & Grill is a lively neighborhood restaurant serving locals & visitors alike a variety of tasty, innovative dishes in a fun & casual atmosphere. The menu at the Zea Rotisserie & Grill features rotisserie meats that have been spice-rubbed and roasted in the French rotisserie oven. Zea proudly serves quality foods with a Southern flair.

Sunday, February 5, 2012 2pm Show – Hosted by the Order of the Eastern Stars, Albuquerque Chapter

Mr. Powdrell’s BBQ House
www.mrpowdrellsbbq.com

Good Barbeque doesn’t just happen by accident – it takes time. And our family owned restaurants have been serving the best barbeque in New Mexico for over 4 decades. We pride ourselves not only on our delicious, finger-licking food, but also on our excellent service. Our restaurants provide a down home experience from our family to yours.

AN ASSORTMENT OF HOMEMADE DESSERTS EVERY NIGHT BY RAVEN RUTHERFORD, BLACKBIRD PIES

Blackbird Pies
Raven Rutherford, Owner

DOC - by hakim bellamy Written for & Delivered to the...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:43:39 -0700

DOC - by hakim bellamy

Written for & Delivered to the students of Amy Biehl High School on January 16th, 2012 in honor of their service during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

DOC:

I first saw Mr. Ray
As my patient
In Los Angeles
January 1968

He’d seen a scientologist
A hypnotist
And now he was in my chair

Had a family history of mental patients
Son of a prostitute
And a father who had been in and out of jail

Grocery stores,
Pay check stores,
Taxi cabs and office buildings
Ray was a robber, stick-up artist

Learned to shoot
In the Army
But didn’t learn much else
Discharged for ineptness and lack of ability
His military record said
He chafed at authority
Was drunk, AWOL
Didn’t follow orders very well

I suspect he suffered from a learning disorder
His school records
Reveal him as an outcast amongst his peers
The teachers actually wrote
That they found him “repulsive”
And “aggressive”

Mr. Ray failed the 1st grade
Now, I certainly would not say this in earshot of my client
But he certainly was not the brightest bulb in the bunch
No one would call him brilliant
But It’d be a mistake to call him dumb

There was evidence of a dissociative disorder
His family mythology was detached
From the reality of his social surroundings

The Rays were so poor
James and his two brothers
(Who grew up to be petty criminals as well)
Could not even afford the nickel for lunch

But to hear him tell it
HE
Was the smart one
The ambitious one
The one who would do great things

Unusual for a loner

Sure,
The investigation paints him as a racist
He worked for the George C. Wallace campaign
Wrote “Martin Luther Koon”
On the back of the hotel room TV
Last time both he and King
Were in LA
Miles from each other

But being from “Little Dixie” Missouri
The poorest of the poor whites
In a period of economic decline
King was talking about solving poverty
Wallace was talking about blaming somebody

Ray had pride in his race
Because that is the only thing he had
To take pride in

Assassins are usually in their early twenties
22, 23
Lee Harvey Oswald was 24
That age where the world is right and wrong
Never in between
And they are on fire
With the idea that they can change the world
With a gun and a bullet

Seldom are they Ray’s age
By 40, the world is more gray
In my professional opinion
He suffered from textbook narcissism
Pre-occupied with being wanted

I knew he was a fugitive
First time he walked into my office
But unlike most fugitives
He didn’t want to be anonymous
He wanted notoriety

And four days ago
He was the most wanted man in America

Criminal, yes.
Sociopath, absolutely.
Killer?

Three days ago
My patient pleaded guilty
To the murder of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
And today
He says he didn’t do it.

RAY:

They still didn’t think I could do it.
But I showed them
I mean no one had ever done that before, huh

No one has ever escaped Missouri State Penitentiary
But I did

Reported to work at the bakery that morning
Got into this loading dock box with a fake bottom
They put the bread on top
Closed up the box
Put me on the truck and rode on out of there

It’s NOT an easy place to get away from
Maximum security

And still didn’t make the FBI’s most wanted list
I know
I listened everyday
Escaped with my Channel Master Transistor Radio

Always news
I love news
Always this King feller

I love my people
Learned how to use fake names
From my parents
Skippin’ out on bills and mortgages
We moved around a lot
The Law didn’t like the Ray family too much
Nobody did, really
But we had each other

I remember the winter
We had to break pieces off of our house
For firewood

I talk about memories like these
And the time I was doing in Jeff City
With Jerry and John Ray
My brothers, in Chicago
I tell’em about my escape
And conversations with the Klan
And the brotherhood
And Raul
Inside

They talk about kidnapping
Pornography,
small change

Inside?
The word was
$100K for the head of Dr. Martin Luther King

It wasn’t about race
It was about money

Black people needing white jobs
Poor white people needed relief too
My family!
Needed me
To provide
An answer

I was in Canada for a month
Before I went to Birmingham, Alabama
Bought a Mustang
I saw Wallace
I watched King
I went Puerto Vallarta

I went to L.A.
Saw a few Doctors
Took dance lessons
Became a locksmith
And graduated from bartender school

Whole time I stayed in hotels
And ate pretty well for a convict
Ya know, when you break out of prison
You don’t exactly have the time
To stop and get all your personal effects

But I had money coming in
I knew people
People that helped me get what I needed
At least until I figured out how to help my family

And then one day
This King I always see on the TV and the radio
Gives me an idea

And the next day,
I forward all my mail
General delivery to Atlanta, Georgia
King’s hometown

My people are alright about it
So I leave the Wallace campaign and head east
Nothing but road, engine and radio
Nothing but King
And his Poor People’s March
Occupying the National Mall with tents?!

Who ever heard of such a thing ;)
And angry whites
With no jobs and no money
And angry blacks
With no money and no rights
“Redistribution of wealth”
Said the newsman on the radio

Edgar Hoover was on the radio
Head of the FBI
Calling King a big fat liar, front page
And this whole time
I thought he was a minister?

And I get to Atlanta
Buy a map and circle King’s life
His church
His house
His work
And as I headed back
To wait
I hear him on the radio:

“I admire the good Samaritan, but I don’t want to be one. I don’t want to spend my time picking up people by the side of the road, after they’ve been robbed and beaten up. I want to change the Jericho road.”
I knew then
I’d have to meet him in Memphis

See,
He didn’t come home
Because of 1000 colored sanitation workers
That were on strike in Memphis
Wanting higher pay
And Union recognition

A detour
News reports said
His staff objected,
Wanted to focus on Washington
But he said “he must”
“Because he promised them”
Said he could not ignore the call of his striking brothers

White people were striking too

I loved the news
I arrived in Memphis the same day as King
TV said
That morning
They had to disembark King’s plane
Of all passengers
Pilot said they had to check
For explosives
Because King was on board

Everybody knew he was coming
They knew what plane
They knew what hotel
They even knew what room number
It was in the news

48 hours later
I WAS the news
I made the news for
Buying a gun

I made the news for
Buying binoculars

I was in the news for
Being alone

I don’t know where my people went
I didn’t come to Memphis by myself
I came to be part of something
Something more powerful than
The stroke of a pen
Something more powerful than
A bullet

All I wanted
Was to see him for myself
See if he was real

He was

And then he was gone

And then they all pointed at me

I don’t know how an ex-felon
Gets from Memphis
To Detroit
To London

How I don’t get caught
‘Til they decide to catch me

I must’ve had help
From God or whoever
Percy Foreman, my attorney
Advised me to just take a plea
America is hungry for a hanging
And the Justice Dept. is looking for something to serve

At least
My story will be worth a fortune
And my family will be taken care of

King was a great man
And my name will forever be mentioned
Alongside
In the same breath as his

Hadn’t seen my news radio
Since I fled that rooming house in Memphis
Until it was presented to me by the FBI
In the pristine bundle
Of all the things they said were mine
As pristine as they found it

But I heard
Even in England
That I had finally

Finally…
Made the Most Wanted list.

HOOVER:

Also Known As Eric Eschol,
AKA Eric Gault
AKA Harvey Lowmeyer
AKA Ramone Snead
Born James Earl Ray

Was successfully apprehended
For the killing of Doctor
Martin Luther King

Now, I know
My disagreement with King’s philosophy
Was made public
But I can assure you

We made King our number one priority
Put him at the top of our list

We had FBI agents
On the ground
The very next day

Pulled every Passport issued
After the killing
Until we found a match
To Ray’s bartending school photograph

We checked Ray’s prints
Against 53,000 fingerprint cards
Of known felons
And we got lucky
On number 700

Immediately
Upon his capture
In the middle of the night
We flew Ray from London
To Memphis
Interrogated him the entire flight
About ties
To an international conspiracy
Or a revolutionary faction
To insure
That he’d be the end of it

But some
Will still insinuate
That I had some
Mad 10 year obsession
With King
That I
Used the power of this office
To destroy his life

Nothing
Could be further from the truth

We spent
More man hours on the King Manhunt
Than an other in history
And in the end
We got our man

I mean,
I can appreciate your concern
Doctor Ruffin
…but I don’t see
What this line of questioning
Has anything to do
With our visit today?

Poem Commissioned for the 2nd Annual Anti-Racism Day at the New...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:31:59 -0700

Poem Commissioned for the 2nd Annual Anti-Racism Day at the New Mexico State Legislature.

The Pits - by hakim bellamy

The unique thing about lies is
They only go backwards in time
A fabrication about the past
Can be corroborated
But when you make up
Your future
They call it a dream

So would I be lying
If I told you
The Constitution
Was cut from
The same cherry tree
George Washington forgot
To lie about?

Or would I be sleeping,
And only call the Constitution
A liar
If I were awake?

But we’re going to
Talk about
Dreams today

We’re going to pretend
That the day you lose
Your faith in people
Doesn’t feel like a broken heart

A bad day
Waiting to happen
So inevitable
I’ve marked it on my calendar
Already made time
To nurse my son’s soul
And eat gallons of salt

His first day of school
The first time someone calls him a…

We’re going to dream
That martyrs
Don’t die for nothing
That people don’t go
To jail
For the crime
Of their skin
That the sound
Of a prison door
And a heart
Unlocking
Sound the same

We’re going to visualize
The luxury sedan
Apple Pie man
Three-piece suit
On the outside of the vehicle
License and registration in hand

Being asked
“How did you make your money?”
“Who did you hurt to get this?”
K-9 sniffing his car
For privilege

We’re going to
Picture profiling different
Picture profiling non-existent

We’re going to imagine
A blood money economy
Not founded on the backs
Of cotton-pickin’
Native, African, Mexican
Hyphen
Any American

We’re going to imagine
We’re gonna John Lennon

We are going to invent
Words that don’t exist
Like “Race”
And erase racism
Until we don’t have to be
“Anti” anything

We want words like
Love-ism
In it’s place

Because I’ve never seen
People love each other apart
They’re usually
Loving each other back
Together again

We’re going to fantasize
The color of my son’s skin

Pretend it was a nightmare
That states had laws
On the books
That made it illegal
For two people
To make a miracle
The complexion of Jesus

As brown-olive as Muhammad

We used to think down
But now?
We’re gonna think up
A world that would never
Dream up legislation
That would stop us
From making love

Though we live in one that still does

We gonna masquerade
In our great-grandmother’s star-spangled gown
Dress up as the country
We said we’d be
Instead of what we were
Because a country that lives in black and white
Will never be able to dream in color

We’re gonna fake it
Like the Cherry tree
That birthed
The parchment
That bore the Declaration of Independence
That born our country

We’re gonna pretend
That THAT tree
Did not bear strange fruit too
Like the Bill of Rights
Does not have blood
On
It’s
Roots

We’re going to pretend
Our founding fathers would be crying
At the revelation
That what they wrote in 1776
Was fiction
Not fact

That the Constitution
Is being used
As a short story
And not a contract

We’re going to dream today
That all men are created equal
And we’re gonna pretend
That we hold these truths

To be self-evident.

Copyright Hakim Bellamy January 25th, 2012

Delivered at the New Mexico State Legislature Roundhouse Rotunda, Commissioned for Anti-Racism Day

Keynote address by Hakim Bellamy for the Santa Fe NAACP in honor...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:55:55 -0700

Keynote address by Hakim Bellamy for the Santa Fe NAACP in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2012 at the New Mexico State Capitol Rotunda January 16th, 2012.

Walking in the Light of Creative Altruism:
Committing Ourselves to Community Service

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Hundreds of thousands of people have decided that they will not be closed today. That they will not be off today, that they will serve. They have decided that the best way to honor a great servant, is by engaging in great service. And to those folks, we aught to clap today.

See, there is a slight difference between celebrating and following, Dr. King. I mean, we honor by donating our time, donating our attention, to Dr. King today. We celebrate, commemorate and honor him. And that’s good. He’s worth ALL that. At least that. But following him means Service. Coming here at 11 am and setting up these chairs, volunteer? Service. Taking his life away from Coretta, Yolanda, Dexter, Bernice and Martin the III to give to us, the recipients of his sacrifice, service. What over 300 students at Amy Biehl High School in Albuquerque did this morning…when they reported to school…not for class…but for day-long community service projects…Service. I was there this morning, sharing my poetry with them as a pep-rally of sorts, to inspire them as they begin their day of serving the community…in memory of Dr. King.

As a creative…they ask me to use my art to interpret Dr. King’s legacy for the student body. To determine, artistically, what Dr. King means, to me? What lessons can I share? Speak from the heart…like King did. It’s an honor I’ve upheld for, now, four years running. That’s a whole lot of Dr. King…poetry, research, immersion, philosophy, etc….fortunately, there is a whole lot of Dr. King to go around. There is a lot of YOU to go around. More than you think. I know time is a commodity in everyone’s life. We are all patiently waiting on the day of some global accord where the rulers of the world and NASA get together and decide to add that 25th hour to the day, that 8th day to the week. We wait. Wait until we have more money, to give. Wait, until we have more education, to lead. Wait until things get worse, to help. Wait until we have more time, to volunteer. We don’t always GET more time. In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King expressed his disappointment with “moderates” who would tell us to “WAIT” for a more convenient season. Dr. King only had 38 short years and he did a lot with a little ya’ll, the time to serve is now.

Dr. King said “We must use time creatively.” He said, “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” He was consumed by and convinced, that this idea of creative altruism was the way to go. That creativity is good, and service is great, but the simultaneous application of the two, together is the answer. “The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it,” said King. “Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.” He said that ain’t revolutionary. People been rioting for years, with limited effectiveness. People had picketed and protested for years, but a lunch counter sit-in, a bus boycott, a march on the National Mall, an OCCUPATION of the National Mall. Yes, the Poor People’s Campaign was the first Occupy. Dr. King said “Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” When you have no other available options, you have to make something up. So we serve…

We sacrifice. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…” said Dr. King. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” We talked about creativity, now we’re talking about altruism. What made King successful, was his creativity. But what he is famous for, is his altruism. He is famous for the ultimate sacrifice, in the line of duty, serving his country and his vision.

Now King wasn’t the only one to talk about service and sacrifice. A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves,” says Mother Theresa. “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.” She said, “When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.” She said, “Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service” Dr. King is in good company, but what Mother Theresa is saying we don’t have to give our life, like Dr. King did…to be committed. We just need to give our time.

We can’t ignore the needs we have in our community, that won’t fix it. King said, He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. He said, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” He said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

We can’t simply throw money at the needs of our community either. Not if we truly want to see it changed as opposed to just saying, that we did something or we did our part. He said, “Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” He said, “Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul.”

He’s never been more right, than he is today. And as we honor his Dream today, we must acknowledge that he was no bet hedger. No incremental dreamer, like our history books like to make him out to be. He wanted the whole pie, not just a piece. His methods were gradual, but his vision was grandiose. He said, ““I admire the good Samaritan, but I don’t want to be one. I don’t want to spend my time picking up people by the side of the road, after they’ve been robbed and beaten up. I want to change the Jericho road.”

So we might give clothes to the Salvation Army and we might send food to the food bank…but we aught to be challenging ourselves to creatively find a way to end homelessness, to end hunger. And it may take us to places we couldn’t have foreseen. Places we hadn’t planned on going. That sanitation workers strike in Memphis took Dr. King to his date with destiny.

You know the story. One day two garbage men jumped into the truck to get out of the cold and the rain. In a freak accident, the compression apparatus in the truck that compacts the trash, crushed the men to death. On $.80 an hour their families could not afford the funeral. This precipitated a strike for the almost entirely black sanitation workforce in Memphis. The said there was no way they should be working 40-50 hours a week and still need food stamps to live. They wore signs, that simply said “I AM A MAN.”

King’s staff did not want to make the stop in Memphis. They told King that they were behind in their primary objective, the Poor People’s Campaign on the National Mall. King said he could not ignore the call of his striking brothers. He said, he can’t say no to these garbage workers. And after the first sanitation march ended in violence. King went back a week later, and when his staff asked “Why?” He said it was because he promised them.

In his Mountaintop speech, the last one he preached on April 3rd, 1968…he famously said, “The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ The question is, ‘IF I DO NOT STOP to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them? That’s the question.’” We should be asking ourselves the same question, what would happen if I do not commit myself to service, to altruism. Love…is not enough, Dr. King said.“Power without love, is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.”

So as we commit ourselves to community service (not just today, but everyday)…we must acknowledge our power. We already got the Love, don’t we?! Love for each other, love for our families, love for our community and love for our country. But whether you know it or not, you have the power too. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO ACT. As Dr. King said, Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” And here, in such a marvelous building as our State Capitol, I thank you for not being destructive. And as evidenced by your presence here today, for not being selfish. Thank you.

Delivered at Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the New Mexico State Capitol Rotunda January 16th, 2012. Keynote Address for the Santa Fe Branch of the NAACP.

I give thanks with humility to Barb’s life partner, Mary...

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:21:58 -0700

I give thanks with humility to Barb’s life partner, Mary Ellen Broderick, for allowing me to be a part of Barb’s “Celebration of Life.” Barb’s baby, the Democracy for New Mexico blog, is still up and running thanks to Mary Ellen and is still the biggest platform for progressive political commentary and analysis in New Mexico.

Champion for Barbara Rose Wold - by hakim bellamy

I’m not going to start off
By calling her a “Champion”

Not because she wouldn’t like it
Though she probably wouldn’t
But because it would in accurate

She was
The person
Who put the winners
In check

I don’t know
If they yet have a word for that
Person

So from here on out
That person will forever more
Be referred to as
“Barb”

Barb?
Movements don’t need Champions
Until it’s over

What they need
Are fighters
For when shit is on

The need lighters
For when it’s dark
Because the places
Where those who would do us harm
Like to do business
Could use a little sunshine

Like we do
When it’s raining percentage points
From the Dow
The Sun of Sam
And We the People
Are the sacrifice they make
To the only god they know

But Barb?
You tried to tell them
That they were following the wrong Tao
That we’ve never seen money worship people
Only the other way around

You tried to tell us, Barb?
That we can’t fix this Great Depression
Lying down
Even though it’s STILL raining Euros in London
Cats and dogs in Albuquerque
Bears and bulls on Wall Street
And asses and pachyderms in D.C.
Puddling
Pooling money

Like water for Elephants

You tried, Barb.
Tried to remind us to write poems like this
Cover stories that matter
And write blogs like fists

In the airwaves

Like a champ
Like we can be our own
Like we know

That it IS
The election, itself
That separates the people from their candidate
That they will promise us the world
If we deliver them the state
That the campaign is like the first date
And the middle of the second term
Like our 20th anniversary
You reminded us
That one day
Our winners will call us whiners

From the school of
“You must doing SOMETHING right
If the Right Wing extremist don’t like you!?”
And you shared that me on more than one occasion
So I guess that makes me the pupil
Cause I’m just like you

And they’ll ask
Why am I talking to you
NOW, Barb?

Because.

To take on the responsibility
Of giving this many people
Voice
You had to be
One hell of a listener

And at times
It seemed like
The only thing bigger
Than your heart
(And the slightly larger sleeve
That you ironed it onto)
Was your ear

And even
From where your body rests now
I’m certain you can hear us
Better than some of the people we live with
The incumbents we get stuck with
The people WE picked

The uncontested and the untrusted
That get to run unopposed
Cause WE ain’t running
You’re ears worked better
Than every last one of’em

From City Hall to Santa Fe
From Washington, D.C. to
Santa Fe

And they can’t believe the shit we live with

As New Mexican
Workers
Labor
Natives
Asians
Brown, Black
And differently-abled

As poor whites
And Occupationists
Who’ve made Occupying our Occupation

As children
Immigrants
Women
Veterans
Lesbian
Bi, Transgender
Queer, straight and Gay men.
AMEN!

And you lived it.

Can’t speak to us anymore
From that side of the finished line
But you can still
Make us feel
Like someone is listening to us

Barb!
I won’t
Call you a champion
But I’ll call you
Soon.

(c) Hakim Bellamy January 12th, 2012

In loving memory of Barbara Rose Wold (May 5, 1948 - December 18, 2011)
First performed publicly at “A Celebration of Barbara Rose Wold’s Life at the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Hall on January 12, 2012.

JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends By Justin De La Rosa...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:45:11 -0700

JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends

By Justin De La Rosa (Published in the Local-iQ on Wednesday, December 21st 2011)

The music industry is in a bit of a funk, and has been for years now. This is leading musicians and artists to take things into their own hands for a little DIY movement that is becoming unique to each community. Verse by verse, Hakim Bellamy (AKA Hakim Be) and friends are putting together a throwback to the jazz era with a monthly poetry and hip hop night at downtown’s only jazz bar.

This won’t just be nights of people in a dark room, snapping their fingers along to a walking bass line while some guy with a goatee and beret makes incomprehensible analogies. It will be nights of soulful selections by some of the Duke City’s best poets and hip hop artists who know their foundations are in ’50s jazz.

Bellamy is not only a hip hop emcee, but also a published poet. He has organized this night not only to spice things up at an already swanky bar, but to shed a little light on the significance of jazz in the future of hip hop music.

“We don’t bridge the gap between hip hop and jazz, we eliminate it,” Bellamy said.

JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends

7 and 9p, Tue., Jan. 3

Jazzbah
119 Gold SW, 505.243.5299
$12 (2 shows)
jazzbahabq.com

Hakim Bellamy is a two-time Poetry Slam National Champion, and...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:36:37 -0700

Hakim Bellamy is a two-time Poetry Slam National Champion, and has been named “Best Poet” by both the Local iQ (Smart List 2010 & 2011) and the Alibi (Best of Burque 2010 & 2011). As an educator and performer, he is interested not only in the poetry lessons he teaches his students, but the lessons which Poetry has taught him.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

First Tuesday's in Albquuerque...

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:00:25 -0700

Performance poetry + live jazz = a pre-hip hop flavor in an upscale setting
Award-winning M.C. and award-winning mixology at Albuquerque’s newest jazz club

JAZZBAHABQ.COM - Downtown Albuquerque has not seen a jazz club since the 50s. That’s when Albuquerque High School alum Chester and his wife, Pert, owned Chet and Pert’s Flamingo Lounge. Downtown has changed since then. Jazz, the only pure blooded American, musical offspring of this mutt country has changed too. In fact, it had a child and her name is Hip Hop.

On the first Tuesday of every month at Downtown Albuquerque’s newest jazz club, hip hop’s genetic precursor and future is on display. Jazzbah Presents: JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends is a throwback to the era of jazz poetry from which hip hop emerged. Flirted with by the likes of T.S. Eliot and E.E. Cummings; conceived by Black poets in the 20s; and maintained by Beat generation poets in the 50s, jazz poetry has been said to be reborn in hip hop music and at poetry slams.

Hakim Bellamy (AKA Hakim Be) is a two-time national champion in the poetry slam community and acts as the musical curator of the monthly series. A published poet and hip hop emcee, Bellamy also sees the future of hip hop in its jazzy origins. “Groups like The Roots, The Coup and J. Davis Trio apply improvisation to live instrumentation and lyricism,” says Bellamy. “As a result you get the ‘once in a lifetime’ jam band feeling that would come from a Grateful Dead or a Bob Marley show, but with the poetics and danceability of hip hop.”

According to the JazzBars Facebook event page, “A bar is a measure of music…Whether the it be the bars on the sheet music of a jazz musician or the hot 16 of an MC, every generation measures itself in song. Every month at Jazzbah, a few musicians and a poet or two will give you another moment to remember…We don’t bridge the gap between Hip-Hop and Jazz, we eliminate it.”

Along with Jazzbah’s standard fare of white tablecloth cuisine, black tie service, wine menu by wine steward (and owner) Don Putz and mixology by internationally renowned drink chemist Daniel Gonzales; JazzBars puts a younger, hipper, hopper face on the establishment. Students 18 and up get into the 7pm and 9pm JazzBar shows free with student ID. The general public can see both or either show for a $12 cover.

This month, Hakim Be has invited vocal percussionist and break beat looping magician Zack Freeman to join him along with “keys junkie” Romeo Alonzo on piano. Rumor has it that Romeo will also bring his horn, so if you are a brass fan, come see a gumbo of electronic and acoustic music with some lyrical roux. “It’s like having dinner while hanging out in the studio with us,” says Bellamy. “While Executive Chef Robert Pacheco whips up culinary chemistry in the back, we experiment with beautiful music out front. Welcome to our laboratory.”

Jazzbah Presents: JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends
@ Jazzbah 119 Gold Street SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Tuesday December 6th 7pm & 9pm sets
$12/2 shows
www.jazzbahabq.com

Jazzbah: Designed to evoke the taste, touch, and feel of the urban jazz club vibe, Jazzbah is the southwest’s premier destination for lovers of fine wine and dining, and true bar mixology.

The second time I put words, thoughts and heart to paper...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:40:36 -0700

The second time I put words, thoughts and heart to paper regarding the #Occupy movement. It is difficult to fashion words about something so current and intensely felt without separation and time to collect thoughts…but this is how I feel today. Thank you to everyone occupying when I can’t and sharing the occupation when I can. We are in the right, remember that. -hb

“First they ignore you,

Then they laugh at you,

Then they fight you,

Then you win.”

-Ghandi

So you missed Urban Verbs: Remixed and Reimagined. Here it...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:23:06 -0700

So you missed Urban Verbs: Remixed and Reimagined. Here it is… (Click through the photo of the new Jazz Venue in Burque that LiveStreams it’s favorite acts…here for your viewing pleasure. Check Me out there every 1st Tuesday with Jazzbars feat. Hakim Be & Friends).

UNM Afro-American Studies Program Celebrates 40 years in...

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:09:28 -0700

UNM Afro-American Studies Program Celebrates 40 years in Documentary

Premier escreening at UNM Student Union Building Theater with founders as panelist

Albuquerque, Nm – 40 years agothis academic year, the University of New Mexico (UNM) was dealing with thesame turmoil the rest of the country was regarding race in America. Thedocumentary that the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs willpremiere at UNM on Wednesday, November 9th artfully presentsAlbuquerque’s place in the Civil Rights Movement.

Not solely thepurview of the southeastern United States, the struggle for full inclusion andfull representation was alive and well on the campus of the University of NewMexico in 1968. The documentary tells the history of the founding of Afro-AmericanStudies (Now two separate entities presently called Africana Studies and AfricanAmerican Student Services) at UNM from the perspective of the two studentswho initiated it (Barbara Brown-Simmons, J.D. and Sam W.D. Johnson, J.D.), UNM’sfirst African American Homecoming Queen (Ms. Mary Sue Gaines), UNM’s firstAfrican American Dean of Students, and the first two directors of theAfro-Studies Program (Dr. Charles Becknell Sr. and Dr. Harold Bailey.)

Dr. Harold Baileyis now the Executive Director of the New Mexico Office of African American Affairswhich acts Executive Producer on this documentary. “During the 1970’s there wasa student movement at the University of New Mexico that influenced change, andpromoted diversity and inclusion,” says Bailey. ”The documentary providesinformation about the Black Experience at UNM during that time and reflects thededication and commitment of those students responsible for the foundation oftoday’s program.”

Thefeature length documentary premiere will begin at noon in the Student UnionBuilding Theater. Admission is free and the event is co-sponsored by UNM BlackStudent Union and UNM African American Student Services. There will be a paneldiscussion after the screening with the student founders, first director andfirst associate dean of students. For more information visit www.oaaa.state.nm.us or call505.222.9405.

40th Anniversary of Afro-American Studies

Run time: 60minutes

Executive Producer: Dr. Harold Bailey, New Mexico Office of AfricanAmerican Affairs

Director: HakimBellamy

Cinematographer:Darryl DeLoach

Premiere Screening: Wed. Nov. 9th @ 12pm UNM Student Union Building Theater

The Black Family Pledge: written by Dr. Maya Angelou and read by...

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:56:00 -0700

The Black Family Pledge: written by Dr. Maya Angelou and read by Hakim Bellamy. Followed by The Black Family Pledge Response: written & performed by Hakim Bellamy. Footage from Black Faces-Tribute 2 the First Earths and music by Hero “Spirits in Transit.” On the occasion of the 22nd Annual Judith R. Harris Sickle Cell Council of New Mexico Gala, November 5th, 2011.

(Un)Occupy Albuquerque in the Daily Kos "Where We Be"

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:11:13 -0600

(Un)Occupy Albuquerque in the Daily Kos "Where We Be" :

I want to personally thank folks for the fantastic work they are doing as organizers within the (Un)Occupy Albuquerque movement. Folks like Desi Brown (@ UNM Peace Studies), Almarosa, Sayrah, Sebastian Pais and his hunger strike, Hershey and many more that I don’t know, but love. You are all holding me, us, UNM and the world accountable and we must continue to keep this fire burning. Thanks to Daily Kos for giving us a national platform routinely. Let’s keep persisting…we are winning. We MUST win.