HOMEMAKING FOR THE BLACKWOMAN JOURNAL – SPECIAL GRADUATION 2023 ISSUE!!! REVISED – CONGRATULATIONS!!!! – Homemaking For The Black Muslim Woman Journal ™

BISMILLAHI RAHMANI RAHIM

السلام علايكم و رحمة الله و بركة

PLEASE CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER BELOW

Chapter 23
Get Knowledge to Benefit Self

1 I am for the acquiring of knowledge or the accumulating of knowledge – as we now call it; education. First,
my people must be taught the knowledge of self. Then and only then will they be able to understand others
and that which surrounds them. Anyone who does not have a knowledge of self is considered a victim of
either amnesia or unconsciousness and is not very competent. The lack of knowledge of self is a prevailing
condition among my people here in America. Gaining the knowledge of self makes us unite into a great
unity. Knowledge of self makes you take on the great virtue of learning.
2 Many people have attempted to belittle or degrade my followers by referring to them as unlettered and
unschooled. They do this to imply that the believers in Islam are ignorant. If such a claim were so, then all
the more credit should be given for our striving for self-elevation with so little. But truth represents itself
and stands by itself. No followers, nor any other people are more zealous about the acquiring of knowledge
than my followers. Throughout the Holy Qur’an, the duty of a Muslim to acquire knowledge is spelled out.
3 My people should get an education which will benefit their own people and not an education adding to the
“storehouse” of their teacher. We need education, but an education which removes us from the shackles of
slavery and servitude. Get an education, but not an education which leaves us in an inferior position and
without a future. Get an education, but not an education that leaves us looking to the slave-master for a job.
4 Education for my people should be where our children are off to themselves for the first 15 or 16 years in
classes separated by sex. Then they could and should seek higher education without the danger of losing
respect for self or seeking to lose their identity. No people strive to lose themselves among other people
except the so-called American Negroes. This they do because of their lack of knowledge of self.
5 We should acquire an education where our people will become better students than their teachers. Get an
education which will make our people produce jobs for self and will make our people willing and able to go
and do for self. Is this not the goal and aim of the many foreign students who are studying in this country?

Will not their students return to their own nations and give their people the benefit of their learning? Did
not Nkrumah return to Ghana to lead his people to independence with the benefit of learning he acquired
here in America and elsewhere? Did not Dr. Hastings Banda return to give the benefit of his education to his
people who are striving toward freedom and independence in Nyasaland? Did not Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria
give the benefit of his education to the upliftment and independence of his people. Does not America offer
exchange scholarships to smaller, weaker and dependent foreign governments so their students will acquire
knowledge to aid the people of those countries? Then why shouldn’t the goal in education be the same for
you and me? Why is scorn and abuse directed toward my followers and myself when we say our people should
get an education which will aid, benefit and uplift our people? Any other people would consider it a lasting
insult, of the worst type, to ask them to refrain from helping their people to be independent by contributing
the benefit of their knowledge.
6 Get an education, but one which will instill the ideas and desire to get something of your own, a country of
your own and jobs of your own.
7 I recall, in 1922 or 1923, when a debate was taking place in Congress concerning appropriation of funds
for Howard University, a school set aside to train my people, in the nation’s capital. A senator said this, and
it is in the records to be examined in effect: What would be the need of the government appropriating money
to educate Negroes? He said that they would not teach our people the science of modern warfare (defense),
birth control or chemistry. He knew these were the things free people must know in order to protect, preserve
and advance themselves. We have not been able to protect, preserve and advance ourselves. This shows the
slave-master has been very successful in dominating us with an education beneficial to him. There is a saying
among us, “Mother may have, father may have, but God blesses the child who has it’s own.” It is time we had
our own.
8 I want an education for my people that will let them exercise the right of freedom. We are 100 years up
from slavery. We are constantly told that we are free. Why can’t we take advantage of that freedom? I want
an education for my people that will elevate them. Why should we always be lying at the gate begging for
bread, shelter, clothing and jobs if we are free and educated? Do not get an education just to set it up as
some useless, symbolic monument to the black man in the Western Hemisphere. We need an education that
eliminates division among us. Acquire an education that creates unity and makes us desire to be with our
own.
9 The acquiring of knowledge for our children and ourselves must not be limited to the three R’s ‘ – ‘reading,
‘riting and ‘rithmetic. It should instead include the history of the black nation, the knowledge of civilization
of man and the universe and all the sciences. It will make us a greater people of tomorrow.
10 We must instill within our people the desire to learn and then use that learning for self. We must be
obsessed with getting the type of education we may use toward the elevation and benefit of our people – when
we have such people among us, we must make it possible for them to acquire this wealth which will be
beneficial and useful to us.
11 One of the attributes of Allah, The All-Wise God, Who is the Supreme Being, is knowledge. Knowledge
is the result of learning and is a force or energy that makes it’s bearer accomplish or overcome obstacles,
barriers and resistance. In fact, God means possessor or power and force. The education my people need is
that knowledge, the attribute of God, which creates power to accomplish and make progress in the good
things or the righteous things. We have tried other means and ways and we have failed. Why not try Islam?
It is our only salvation. It is the religion of Allah, His prophets and our forefathers.

Billie wrote these…

As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum!

June is fast-approaching and here, where many graduates holiday, the pre-season is in Full Bloom! 🙂

Photographers, party planners, caterers, media and other announcement venues are courting graduates and their supporters in preparations for festive graduation ceremonies and celebrations.

I reminisce on my own graduation ceremony experiences with much fondness.

The first, Louis Pasteur Juniour High School, where I was in the class of 1985, Baby!

Also, graduating with me were either Larenz or his brother Lahmard who both went on to become actors.

Their Brother looks familiar but I don’t remember him like Larenz and Lahmard, who used to like my cousin.

I told her she should talk to Larenz because he was cuter, IMO, but now that I’m older, I would never give anyone that shallow advice.

GO WITH THE ONE WHO LIKES Y.O.U.!!!

Oliver and his Brother, Lance, also went to our school.
You remember Oliver from Madonna’s VOGUE thing.

Him and Kenny (Pasteur, C/O 1984?)

Here’s his Brother, Lance

Another Sister, Delphia was in a few videos and Boyz in The Hood,

It’s funny because I’ve participated in three graduation ceremonies, but this first was by far the most emotional.

My school fed into two seniour High Schools, and being “bussed in” I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to go to. I had friends going to Both Hamilton and Fairfax (rivals).

I found out later, the Jacksons attended Fairfax and Hamilton also has a music magnet. I am so into music It’s like me.

This is LIVE!!! WHERE ARE THE HORNS?!?!?!?!!!! SEE, that’s what I be talmbout…

Jackie needs his tambo and you can tell Mikey wants to start locking but they probly discouraged him…
HIP-HOP FIFTY YEARS – 11 AUGUST, 2023, BABY!!!!

I ended up going to neither.

But my New Edition friends (we wrote a novel together about our lives as their wives) were expecting Ricky, Ronnie, Bobby and Mike after graduation, but as usual I couldn’t go.

They used to call me on the phone. I talked to Mike, but his Bah-stan accent was annoying.

Bob wanted to talk to me but they wouldn’t let us. I wanted to talk to him too.

We both are the youngest of our crew and they were being jerks.

I guess. Allah knows best.

College was SuperFun. I went to SMC and then transferred to CSULB, taking courses at LBC and Cerritos as well.

I got an A.A. from LBCC but didn’t walk in the Graduation Ceremony.

I made up for it tho, by participating in both the BSU graduation ceremony and the General Graduation at CSULB. Mulder from X-Files was the Keynote Speaker. Creepy, right?

There were four Black girls and one Brother, in the School of Journalism graduating that year. 1996.

Long Beach was the bomb back then.

Snoopy had just dropped his first album and other LBC artists like Domino, were hot at the time.

Step shows. All kinds of on-campus concerts.

My beat for the school newspaper was politics and entertainment, so I got to cover everything.

Our student body president was BLACK. Shout out to Carl. I LBC ya!

He arranged for Khalid Abdul Muhammad to speak on campus and the whole Senate was in an uproar. I interviewed him and it was just dope.

I was president of the student branch of the AAPRP and got to introduce KWAME TURE, when he spoke at our school.

I am so shakurah to Allah, for having had the opportunity to attend college. I highly recommend it, even if you don’t graduate. Get the education and put it to work for self.

The extra-curriculars, periodt!

We had a bbq joint on campus where all the Black Students hungout and I met a Q, who took me to Fifth Street Dick’s in Leimert.
I have never been the same.

Richard Fulton of Fifth Street Dick’s

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Lpncfm2tbm8

Congratulations to all the graduates!

And, those who attempted. Don’t trip. The system is not designed for you.

America is an oligarchy. Run by BIG BUSINESS CAPITALIST SWINE. In case you didn’t know.

A college education in America is not about the acquisition of knowledge/education.

It’s about #1 money and #2 producing slaves who will fit well into corporate America’s box with its other squares rather, slaves.

You can get As in every course and learn every bit of information for your major, minor and more,
but if you take classes outside your major, miss a deadline or skip some unnecessary meeting, ALL UNRELATED TO YOUR EDUCATION AND FUTURE IN YOUR CHOSEN CAREER FIELD

YOU WILL NOT BE GRADUATING!!!

AFTER FOUR YEARS OF SCHOOL, YOU WILL NOT HAVE EARNED YOUR DEGREE!!!

JUST BECAUSE YOU MISSED THE DEADLINE TO FILE YOU GRADUATION DOCUMENTS!!!

NO DIPLOMA!!! NO COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY FOR YOU!!!

YOU MISSED THE DEADLINE!!! NO PARTY!! NO CARDS, FLOWERS, BALLOONS, TRIP TO HAWAII!!!

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE HELD THE CAP AND GOWN ORIENTATION???

SORRY, NOT SORRY! LOSER! GOOD LUCK PAYING BACK YOUR STUDENT LOANS…

I used to tell people the only thing I learned in Broadcast Journalism Class was how to roll a camera cord.

I REPEAT, Getting a college degree is not about the acquisition of knowledge. I can’t even write “earning” a college degree. It makes me feel like a COON SELLOUT.

It is to continue molding you into someone adept at maneuvering around red tape. LOL
Just smile and nod… Slave.
You can pick your check up off the ground after I stop preaching.
It’s under the rug.

I guess you get it. But that’s what it’s really like. So be prepared.

You have to learn how to sing “HOW HIGH” in every key or write some lyrics, before you are awarded that Diploma, Just so you know.

Here’s the TRACK.

To give you an idea of what college is like for MOST BLACK STUDENTS IN AMERICA. Mef and Red did the honours….PARENTAL GUIDANCE RECOMMENDED FOR PROFANITY AND A POSSIBLE DETERRENT TO COLLEGE, BUT REAL FA SHO.

No matter what your major is in, if you graduate from college you have earned a PhD in B.S.

So, if you couldn’t stomach all the je ne se qua… and dropped out. So did Yeezy and Kobe didn’t even bother.

(OMG I just tried to find a photo of ye’s first album. I bought it and there was a picture of a lifesize teddy bear wearing a louis vuitton backpack. STG I cannot find that photo for nothing. Stupid robot computers deleting stuff…)

To all the DROPOUTS, Congratulations on your initiative and drive, your ambition, AND MOST IMPORTANT, YOUR INDIVIDUALITY!

The fact that you DIDN’T graduate attests to your strongwill and ability to get the education but retain your ORIGINALITY, and not succumb to the status quo which is set on RELIEVING YOU OF ALL YOUR CREATIVITY AND squeezing you into their mold of “SLAVE.”

You have to have an iron will to emerge UNROBOTIC.