Photographing Models

5th Street Puerto Rican Community

I found this shot to be an interesting and creative display for women's jeans. On fifth street in the heart of the Hispanic shopping district of Philadelphia.

Identity Crisis

            There was a time in history when we were Negros. I remember it vividly. To be exact we were around 22 millions strong according to the U.S.Census. The 1950's was  an amazing period for Negros.
   While we  were busy creating New Music such as jazz, Rhythm and Blues, breaking barriers in sports, politics, Medicine appearing for the first time on television and opening doors in the field of employment. etc, we were being discriminated against.
    Marcus Garvey created the Universal Negro Improvement Association around 1911. We  were staunchly Negro at that time. After a period of time there were those of the Negro persuasion who preferred to be Called Colored. We became colored for a period of time which seemed to passify many but there were those who said being colored did not identify with any particular group so we returned to being Negroes.
       In the 60's Dr. Martin Luther King stood up and fought for Negroes to be free and make it to the promise land. Around 1968 James Brown wrote the Song, Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm proud, that became the anthem for the Black Power movement during this racially tumultuous period. This was a turning point for the Negro and those remaining Colored Folks. We were now officially Black. It was acceptable  for  Whites to address us as Black folks when earlier that would have been a fighting word.
    Now of course we can't forget the descenters those who identify with the indian nations by virtue of the percentage of indian blood flowing in their ancestral viens. Blackfoot tribe, Cherekee ,Shaktaw etc. anything but Black and Surely Not African. And we can't forget the escapees that passed for white.
       God Bless the Young Black and Various White Historians who researhed and dug up our history to conclude that we had strong black Ancient African History to identify with.
            We became African Americans after being taught our history. We must have drove the Census Bureau crazy in trying to figure out what to call us.  But wait it was'nt over. Enter the Black Jew, Black Muslim or Hebrew Israelite and Muslim.
      Haitians, Dominicans, Jamaicans, Africans and other groups of African decent escape the madness.
 Africa has always been the primary continent for us to identify with, even after the mixing of our blood with other groups.
   If the truth be told the White Man is not exempt from the confusion.  After doing some research I found that approximately 40% percent of the white race has black blood or other ethnisity. Due to Colinization and outright mingling with blacks and other groups Many Whites have secrets they would like to keep. How many of us white or black can truely say who we identify with.
     Oh..... and by the way where have all the negroes gone?..... Have you seen any lately or have you been too busy being African American.

Modern Day Slavery In The United States

       From the cotton fields of the South From the  early sixteen hundreds to 2011 slavery has survived.

In fact it is my belief that slavery never left the U.S.; it just took on  another form. We have been economic slaves for decades. Instead of staying in the Master's Cabin for free, we pay the Master to live there then give him all our money after laboring in his fields, factories, and offices making him rich. Many of us have had to live from pay check to pay check.

                      The growing movement in the United States is the Prison Industrial Complex. Small towns in rural America are hungry for new prisons to to help boost there economy. This almost free labour is a tremendous asset to a struggling community. Jobs money and industrial productivity. If the inmate population is counted with the citizens, this means more state funding based on the total census.

      Pennsylvania cut the budget for Schools by 15% while increasing the budget for new prisons by 20%.

    If our children can't get a good education, they increase their chances for going to prison. These new prisons need more prisoners. Where are they going to get the supply.  Three strikes and your out, drugs, economic crimes, false arrest and even the slightest infraction of the law.  Some politician wants to lock up aggressive beggars as well as some homeless folks. That would certainly increase the supply of needed slaves. The United States has more people in prison per capita then any other nation. This country believes in incarceration as much as it did slavery in the past. With the computer age upon us and Technology running rampant . The industrial jobs of the past no longer exist. The NAFTA deal has given many jobs to people outside the country. So massive unemployment which lends itself to crime is a prime motivator of prison recruits. This is by no means and excuse for crime. Citizens must exercise their responsibility for obeying the law, however it could very well be a reason.  Jail pays its inmates slave wages for their work. The jails have been overcrowded for years and still growing. If there is a massive civil disobedience in this country thousands could got to jail or detention centers. There could literally be in explosion of incarcerated citizens.
  There use to be a saying that crime does not pay, but in the United States crime is big business.
      The judicial system has Judges, Lawyers, court employees, Police, Prison Correctional Staff
etc.  They must be paid. Crime contributes greatly to the economy of the U.S..  If we eliminate crime who would be the first to loose their jobs.
 Of course that won't happen but...can you imagine how many people would be out of work as well as opportunist not being able to line their pockets. The war on drugs was suppose to have a dramatic affect on on the drug traffic. Drugs have not ceased. A few top dogs have been removed from the business but many low level drug pushers as well as users have been incarcerated, increasing the prison population. The burden is placed on the taxpayers to support the cost. The drug trade continues to prosper as the prison population grows an so does slavery.

Take Me Back

  Let us return to those thrilling days of yesteryear when a gallon of gas was under a dollar  A Penney could buy candy and and a hamburger was fifteen cents. Frankie Lyman and the teenagers were the Jackson Five of the Fifties. Chevys , Fords, and Chryslers were the hotrods of the track. Chevy had a 325 cubic inch block that produced 327 horsepower. The Dodge hemi over 400 horsepower The fords were also over 300 horses. Squealing tires was common occurrence on the streets. Speed and power was the law of the highway among speedsters. Angela Davis, H. Rap Brown, Elijah Muhammed and Malcolm X were the voices for the negroes. We were once Negros although some preferred being called colored.
          Father Devine's restaurants served the best fifty cent dinner you could ever eat. Soul food was the way of life in the black community and no-one new anything about cholesterol..... Pigsfeet , Hamhocks, and chitterlings was delicacy plain and simple. Fried chicken was premium.
         John Coltrane , Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Art Blakey were just a few of the Greats you could see in person.
         The Church world was on fire with brimstone preachers like Bishop S.C. Johnson whose church was mixed with white and black. The women in the church were not allowed to wear make-up or press their hair. The wore dresses down to the ankles. Bishop Johnson challenged most of the radio preachers of that day declaring they would all go to hell if their preaching didn't agree with his. He said Jesus Only!!
   A.A.Allen was a Miracle Faith Healer who prayed for the sick and cast out demons. Rev. Shamback was a close associate of Rev. Allen who also believed in signs, wonders and Miracles. Rev. Allen was famous for his tent meetings. He was credited for shrinking a goiter on a woman's throat in clear view for all to see. He also prayed for a woman with a short leg then pulled the short leg until it was the same size of the other. I watched it  on Youtube.
    I will never for get the thrills that Muhammed Ali gave when he beat Sonny Listen, and said' " I Am The Greatest". So many memories. But those were the days.