Black Love At Its Finest...

A Family That Plays 2gether...well u know the rest!

*my brother emailed this video...AWESOME!*

Come See What's Poppin'at Bria's Own Words, my OTHER blog!

From The Files of Brian Clay...

SEAN TAYLOR'S SONG!

source, Brian's blog

Hello World!

The tragic death of Washington Redskin star, Sean Taylor has me deeply troubled for several reasons. There is the obvious loss of a young black man that has the entire world in front of him. The unreal loss the Taylor family must feel losing a loved one over a senseless crime, the painful reality that crime is unarguably Black America's greatest health crisis, is just a few issues that live with this tragedy. Yet what disturbs me most is how Sean Taylor was demonized in the media!

Now the reality is Sean Taylor did have some issues in life. He made mistakes , yet his mistakes were magnified because of his celebrity status. Yes, Sean Taylor was from Miami , a city known for its crime and its dark culture. Yes Sean Taylor wore braids, was a vicious player in the NFL , and was was suspended for his play on the field at times, yet is that an excuse for society to take an open season on his character and play judge on how he lived his life?

What is most disturbing is African- American sports writers , specifically Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star Newspaper, writing a disturbing article associating the murder of Sean Taylor to the "Black KKK".

First, to allow a vile, racist, and disgusting organization to be associated in any article is irresponsible and flat out stupid. Even though he is making an attempt to associate the Taylor tragedy with the reality of "Black on Black crime", the pain and terror that the KKK spread in America, specifically toward African-Americans , is scar that may never be healed.

Second, Whitlock , a African-American, should be more aware that "Black on Black " crime is a byproduct of the poverty and the destitute state that many African-Americans that live in large metropolitan areas are faced with . What are communities need are more persons that are concerned about the crime issue and take action in solving the problem. African-Americans, who have attained a certain status in life, have a responsibility to lend themselves to their community in some mentoring roles. Be it literacy programs, apprenticeships, or peer to peer counseling, I truly believe we can put a dent in the crime problem that lives in so many of our neighborhoods. W.E.B. DuBois, stated that it will be the "Talented Tenth", that will help the masses. Now similar to Plato's "Republic" , which identifies the "Philosopher King"as the leaders of the cities, its our duty to get into the fight and help, not sit back and judge others as they make mistakes!

Third, these were isolated thugs who committed this crime, not the entire African-American community. Whitlock, wants to throw the entire African-American community under one umbrella and make it seem like all that Black people do is listen to Young Jeezy, watch girls shake their a--, and kill each other! Whitlock also made the assertion, that because of where Taylor lived and because of his past issues, was the reason he was killed. Now, I am not sure if Whitlock is aware, but Black people are not monolithic! We are different , with different life experiences that are as diverse as the United Nations. We do share the common experience of ancestry, which makes it just stupid that he would talk about KKK and Black people in the same breath.

The bottom line, the life of Sean Taylor should be celebrated! He was a father, a son, a man soon to be married, a leader in his family! Whitlock, a obvious self-hating Negro, wants to prostitute all whats wrong in our communities and state their is basically no hope. I don't know about you, but the only judge I know is our heavenly father! God knows all the dirt I have done in life I am not in a position to judge anyone, but I cannot stand anyone who wants to point fingers at someone else and say they are less than because of their circumstance!

As a people, we must lend ourselves to persons who have found it difficult to live in today's complex society. If God has the ability to forgive and show us "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE", what makes it so difficult for us to do the same? Are we like Jason Whitlock, so insecure in who we are that we find a perverse delight in the tragedy in others? I refuse to be negative! I will love my people ....HARD, no matter what society says! Now we are not foolish, and we won't ever purposely be naive to what lives in society, yet I will not fear my people!

I don't care where a person comes from, I believe all people desire to be good and productive. We must be solutions to our communities issues, we must warriors, ...... GOD BLESS YOU SEAN! WE LOVE YOU!

Check Your Blood Pressure, Before It Checks YOU!

(image courtesy of Google images)

Recently, someone close to me revealed his fight with Hypertension. In light of recent media reports regarding deadly Staph Infections and other maladies, it's easy to forget about Hypertension. But we shouldn't forget it, as it predominantly affects the black community in an adverse way.

Brian has had this "1000lb gorilla"(as he refers to Hypertension) riding his back, for over 10 years now.
Today, you or someone you know is fighting this same fight. I have at least 3 people in my family, and the youngest was diagnosed in her early 20's.

Please take the time to scroll down and read Brian's story below (look at the statistics!) and offer words of encouragement to him on his blog Brian's blog.
He's one of us, and I'm sure he'd appreciate the love & edification.

MY PRIVATE BATTLE!

Hello World!

Instead of writing about the "going on's" of my life, I decided to touch on an illness that I suffer with that is known as the "silent killer", High Blood Pressure.

I equate having High Blood Pressure with having a 1000 pound gorilla riding your back. For me it zaps me of energy, causes me tremendous headaches, and at times makes me physically ill. I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure while I was running for State Representative in Tennessee back in 1996. Because of my physical build , I never thought I would be stricken with High Blood Pressure. I always assumed it was a condition "fat " people suffered from.Because I was a high school and college athlete, I have always been in great condition. Yet I failed to take in account that because of a family history of High Blood Pressure, I was a prime candidate to fall prey to this sometimes crippling sickness.


When I was in law school in Birmingham, my condition of High Blood Pressure seem to worsen causing me to go to the hospital on several occasions. There were even times when I would collapse due to elevated pressure, only awakening in the emergency room.

I am on medications now that control my blood pressure, yet I have to be focused on making sure that I take the medicine properly.

This week , I ask all of the readers of the Files of Brian Clay,to monitor your blood pressure. For your family's sake ....They Need you!.... I want you around! STAY HEALTHY!

Statistics

African Americans and people of African descent in the United Kingdom have among the highest rates of hypertension of any race or ethnic type in the world.¹

• 35% of African Americans have hypertension, which accounts for 20% of the African American deaths in the United States - twice the percentage of deaths among whites from hypertension.¹
• Compared with whites, hypertension develops earlier in life and average blood pressures are much higher in African Americans.²
• African Americans with high blood pressure have an 80% higher chance of dying from a stroke than in the general population.²
• African Americans with high blood pressure have a 20% higher chance of developing heart disease than in the general population.²
• African Americans with high blood pressure have a 4 times greater risk of developing hypertension related end stage kidney disease than the general population.²