WAKE UP! 1.0

I'm dating myself here. Remember Dap from Spike Lee's 1988 film School Daze? Played by renown actor Lawrence Fishburne, Dap was a student-activist on the campus of a HBCU named Mission College. Dap was trying his hardest to organize students to play a part in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. You may remember all those Free Mandela signs and t-shirts. At the end of the movie there is a scene where Dap stands in the middle of the campus constantly ringing a bell so as to wake people up. What may be memorable to many is what he screams at the top of his lungs: WAAAAAKE UUUUUUP! 

Waking up to consciousness is as much vital today as it was in the days of School Dayz. By waking up I mean becoming aware of your own power, knowing your history, knowing your culture, having in your heart the wisdom of your ancestors, what is going on in your community and developing the soul muscle to get into action for yourself, your fam and your community. 

Waking up is no easy thing. Especially when there are so many things in our culture to keep us asleep. The reality is this: the forces of destruction are never asleep. Matter of fact it is safe to say that these hypnotic ancient forces have been wide awake and busy in our communities for quite some time. By waking up I am talking about more than just waking up from physical sleep (we need our rest). No. I am talking about the waking up that causes you to talk to the elders to make sure you have the ability to pass down their stories to the younger generations. Or when that curiosity won't let you go and you dive into a good book to learn more about the world you exist in everyday. Or when a Lie is told about our people and you feel the confidence to counter it with Truth. 

Waking up is a process and a journey. I am still waking up to be honest. I want you and your friends to join in me in this effort. WAKE UP! will be a series of blogpost that talks seriously about HOW one wakes up to consciousness in a hypnotic world. Everyday wisdom and rules of thumb to stay on one's spiritual toes. You with me? Let's get it.