Monday, December 10, 2007

You are invited to a Pan African Mental Health Peer Group
Saturday, December 15, 4pm,
Black Repertory Group Theatre
3201 Adeline Street, Berkeley


You are cordially invited to attend the next session of the Pan African Mental Health Peer Group to recover from the addiction to white supremacy, based on the 12 step model. Why be depressed during the holidays? Come talk with people who want to heal from the stress of white supremacy culture. Let's discuss why you want to beat your mate, or why you sleep with someone you hate, or why you are taking your mother to court over her property.
Why do you want to kill your brother because he looks at you the wrong way? Why do you hate your children, or why do your children hate you? Let's work out some of these issues

These are times of great stress. We don't know what will happen minute to minute. Can you go to the Mall safely, can you go to church or the mosque, can you walk safely to the grocery store?

We recently took a mother to the mental hospital to visit her son. We were shocked to see young people so stressed out they had to be committed. We must heal ourselves because there are not enough mental health workers to go around. This is why we are calling for the establishment of peer groups where we can begin the healing process, as prescribed by Dr. Nathan Hare, our esteemed clinical psychologist and sociologist.

The peer group session is Saturday, December 15, 4pm at the Black Repertory Group Theatre, 3201 Adeline Street, Berkeley, one block south of the Ashby BART. Call 510-355-6339.

"Who knows but it may be that Dr. M's movement of recovery from addiction to and from white supremacy is offering us a final and effective chance to begin to "sit down together," to get together and get our heads together.
--Dr. Nathan Hare, author, the Black Ango-Saxons,
father of Black Studies

Thanks to Dr. M, we now have a universal approach with the Pan African 13 Steps, so we can begin to learn to love, encourage others to love and finally end the vicious cycle of self hate.
--Ptah Allah El (Tracy Mitchell)


Marvin X wrote:
The Black Bird—A Fable
By Marvin X

The cage door was always open, but the little bird wouldn't come out. He loved the cage, he had been in it so long. Other birds would fly into the white house and beg the little bird to come out, but he wouldn't. Sad, the other birds would fly away home to paradise, their hearts white with anger and sorrow for their lost brother who loved the cage. "He is so hard-headed, "the other birds said on their way home, "but we will get him out, we will get him out...." He was a smart bird. Nobody could tell him anything—except his master.
He could sing too. When the master sang, the little bird sang. He knew all of the master's songs by heart. He didn't like to sing bird songs. From all around, people came to see him do tricks. The little bird knew a lot of tricks the master had trained him to do when visitors came to the white house. He was a good house pet. The little bird was so good his master always left his cage door open; he knew the little bird had forgotten what freedom was. "Come, fly away to freedom with us," the other birds would say. But the little bird didn't want to go for self! "I like being in a cage," he said. "You birds are the crazy ones—get away from me!!!"

For days and days, the black bird would sit in the cage looking at himself in the mirror. "He is such a beautiful black bird," all the visitors said. "Yes," the master said, "I have a good bird." To himself, the master said, "This little black fool has made me rich doing tricks and he's too dumb to fly away to freedom—what a stupid bird!"
The master would feed the bird crumbs from his table. The little bird loved the crumbs so much he wouldn't eat anything else, not even when the other birds sneaked into the master's house and offered the little bird some righteous soulfood.
One day the master's house caught on fire. Nobody knew how the fire started, not even the little black bird. The master fought hard to put the fire out, but there were too many flames, so he ran outside, leaving the little black bird behind. The flames grew bigger and bigger, but the little black bird just sat in his cage. Maybe he was waiting for his master to return....
Then, suddenly, a friendly bird flew into the burning white house, "Black bird!" he yelled, "don't you know the house is on fire??? Hurry—come fly away with me!" "But I love my cage," the black bird cried, "I want to stay!"
"You want to burn," said the friendly bird. The friendly bird went into the cage, grabbed the black bird and flew away from the burning house. "Bye, master," the black bird yelled as he passed his master who was crying in the yard. "Bye, master," the little bird called out again—he was on his way home.
(c)1968, 2007
The Black Bird is Marvin X's classic fable written in 1968. Many children were taught this story by conscious parents, including journalist Wanda Sabir of the San Francisco Bayview newspaper.
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Order his latest book HOW TO RECOVER FROM THE ADDICTION TO WHITE SUPREMACY, BLACK BIRD PRESS, $19.95. POB 1317, PARADISE CA 95967. Foreword by Dr. Nathan Hare, Afterword by Ptah Allah El. Marvin X is available for speaking and readings: 510-355-6339

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I…welcome reading the work of a “grassroots guerilla publicist” who is concerned with the psychological/intellectual freedom of his people.
I think of Walter Rodney as the “guerilla intellectual” who was organically connected to the grassroots. Key book here would be The Groundings With My Brothers [and sisters]. Or Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like. I think though that Dr. M. is closely affiliated with Frances Cress Welsing’s Isis Papers: Keys to the Colors (along with Bobby Wright’s thesis….) Of course we need to also consult Dr. Nathan Hare’s The Black Anglo Saxons, and Frazier’s Black Bourgeoisie. What I am most impressed with is Dr. M’s Pan-Africanist perspective.
--Dr. Mark Christian

"He's the new Malcolm X! Nobody's going to talk about his book out loud, but they'll hush hush about it. It's very straight and plain. They talked about the things I wrote in my book, but wait til you read Marvin's!
--Mother Jerri Lange, Bay Area Black Media Legend

For more sharings by Marvin X, go to www.marvinxwrites.blogspot.com, www.nathanielturner.com, www.youtube.com.

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