SimplyComplexJen

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In  1963 Nina Simone  wrote a song called "Mississippi Goddamn".  Even today, it's an in-your-face political and social statement on the sad, pathetic state of affairs in the South.  Racism.

She was tired of it, and let you know.  The (partial) lyrics below do not even begin to describe the depth and strength of her song.  In my opinion, it is well worth your time to catch it on YouTube.  It's powerful and you can't help but feel her pain.  Go watch it, then come back here and finish this post ;)

Unfortunately, the racial divide remains in the South.  Ignorance and hate is still alive and well.  This time though, the focus is on a High School Senior, Constance McMillen.  

Constance wanted to take another female to the prom.   The school canceled the prom, and a group of parents put on a private prom.  Supposedly, Constance was sent an invite, but when she showed up, there were less than 10 kids there.  They had sent her to a fake prom. Here are pictures from the actual prom.  No Constance.

What is the Itawamba County School District and the parents of the Seniors trying to teach their kids?

What do they have to fear from this couple attending?

What is there to gain by ostracizing these girls?

How will these kids feel in 10 years for their part in Hate Prom 2010?




   It makes me sick.  This has NOTHING to do with a left or right agenda, or trying to shove anyone's beliefs down their throats.  It is simply about equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation. 


Like Nina said, "You don't have to live next to me/Just give me my equality."

Mississippi Goddamn indeed.




Lryics of Mississippi Goddamn by Nina Simone (1963).



The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam
And I mean every word of it

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Can't you see it
Can't you feel it
It's all in the air
I can't stand the pressure much longer
Somebody say a prayer

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

This is a show tune
But the show hasn't been written for it, yet

Hound dogs on my trail
School children sitting in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day's gonna be my last

Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We all gonna get it in due time
I don't belong here
I don't belong there
I've even stopped believing in prayer

Don't tell me
I tell you
Me and my people just about due
I've been there so I know
They keep on saying "Go slow!"

But that's just the trouble
"do it slow"
Washing the windows
"do it slow"
Picking the cotton
"do it slow"
You're just plain rotten
"do it slow"
You're too damn lazy
"do it slow"
The thinking's crazy
"do it slow"
Where am I going
What am I doing
I don't know
I don't know

Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
For everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam
I made you thought I was kiddin' didn't we

Picket lines
School boycotts
They try to say it's a communist plot
All I want is equality
for my sister my brother my people and me

Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you'd stop calling me Sister Sadie

Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You're all gonna die and die like flies
I don't trust you any more
You keep on saying "Go slow!"
"Go slow!"

But that's just the trouble
"do it slow"
Desegregation
"do it slow"
Mass participation
"do it slow"
Reunification
"do it slow"
Do things gradually
"do it slow"
But bring more tragedy
"do it slow"
Why don't you see it
Why don't you feel it
I don't know
I don't know

You don't have to live next to me
Just give me my equality
Everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

I think Larry and Carol Barkan say it best in this NYTimes letter.

To the Editor:

Bob Herbert’s Jan. 30 column about Howard Zinn, “A Radical Treasure,” is a wonderful tribute to a great man. We never met Mr. Zinn except through his books and films. Yet his death left us with a profound sadness.

There aren’t many people who speak truth to power and do so with as much grace, intelligence and compassion as Mr. Zinn. His “People’s History of the United States” should be read by all Americans. It’s our failure to understand and take responsibility for our arrogance that has led us into so many military mistakes and economic calamities.

Thank you, Bob Herbert, for reminding us of what this world lost when this great man died.

Larry Barkan

Carol Barkan

Tempe, Ariz., Jan. 30, 2010

It saddens me that Zinn was considered a radical, for being what I considered a true patriot.  It is our duties as citizens to question everything, and to trust but verify, and to help those struggling below us.

Howard Zinn was truly a great American.

Also, along the lines of : if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear the sound, does it make a noise?

Suicide 99.9% of the time is an act of mental illness, not a political statement (one exception is the Buddhist Monk who lit himself on fire in 1963 to protest the Vietnam War).

Earlier this month, a Chicago man, Malachi Ritscher, also tried to make an anti-war statement by burning himself alive on a busy Chicago highway.

No one stopped.

It was not immediately apparent why.

People were more annoyed with the traffic-delay than the reality of the man burning alive by the road.

None of the mainstream media outlets carried the story.

His family has not been on Larry King or Bill O'Reily.

In case you hadn't seen this story, you can check it out:
The Baltimore Sun ran an article.
The Chicago Sun Times called his death as a "waste".
I prefer Yahoo's slightly different take on the incident.

I may not agree with his choice of how he decided to protest the war, but I think that the fact that it went unnoticed in the media is an indication of a bigger problem in our society.

More people vote for American Idol than the American President.

I wonder if there are more subscribers to People Magazine than the NYTimes (or name your fav national newspaper).

More people watched the finale of Dancing with the Stars than voted in the November elections.

Ritscher's suicide is one of only nine reported incidents of self-immolation performed as an act of protest in American history.

He video-taped himself, but since it was not "network worthy", is it really news? I mean, after all, TomKat might be pregnant again, Madonna wants another baby, and Brad and Angelina might also be showing "the bump". Fantasy football stats need to be updated. Dancing with the Stars was still running and Jerry Springer still in the running. Also, let's not also forget, Kid Rock and Pam Anderson are getting divorced.

With all of that going on..... we really don't have time for a story such a Rischer's, do we?

Malachi Ritscher wanted to make a statement. But what good is a statement, if no one stops to listen?

originally posted on myspace.com on June 2, 2006

Myrna is a sunday school teacher at my church. Maybe you've seen her story in the news? Here it is in brief:

She came to the United States from Mexico with her family when she was 9, entering the US on a medical visa. Myrna is 31 today. After her visa expired her family remained in the U.S. illegally and she grew up in this country. She returned to Mexico in her early twenties to attend her grandmother's funeral. To re-enter the U.S. - to come back to what was her home, she sold everything she had and paid a "coyote" to help her and 37 of her fellow villagers to come to the U.S. illegally. This country was the only home she had known from the age of 9 on - she wanted to come back HOME.

She is among the 11 million immigrants who live in our country illegally. She is married to Brady, who is an engineer with Sprint, and they have an 18-month-old child. Myrna has been a member of our church for the last four or five years, and has served as a Sunday School teacher, a nursery worker, and volunteered in other areas. It was said she falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen (she denies that she ever claimed this). Falsely claiming citizenship is a crime requiring deportation with no possibility of re-entering the U.S. in the future.

You would think that there is a better use of INS resources than this case. I'm just passing this on, think of it what you will.

Seemingly, the controversy in the news is just about illegals crossing the border. It's not. it is also affecting those who have lived here for the last 20 years (many brought here as minors by their parents), assimilated, and are productive & important members of our society. I'm all for immigration reform. Don't get me wrong, I do not promote illegal entry here (but do promote immigration) but in this instance, I am for Myrna to stay here, continue living as a citizen, raising her American child on American soil and living with her American husband. Sending her back to Mexico and forciably separating her from her family is almost the most un-American thing I've heard in a long time.

They are seeking to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Second, if you would like to know more about their story, or would like to register support for her, Myrna's friends have set up a website for her in the hope of helping her stay here with her family. At the website you can find a sample e-mail you can send to your congressman as well as a listing of how to contact congress or the President. There are numerous articles on the site from the Star and Ingram's magazine. Click on this link to visit Myrna's site.

If you got this far , thanks for listening :)

Here is some related news stories:

"She sees a fraction of hope in a proposal sponsored by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. The draft bill could allow some illegal immigrants who are married to Americans and have children born in the U.S. to remain in this country."
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/politics/9279140/detail.html

"the family's case is attracting the attention of prominent legislators who say it symbolizes the contradictions of the broken U.S. immigration system."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20060416-0919-motherawaitsdeportation.html