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Books by Marvin X
Love and War: Poems /
In the Crazy House Called America /
Woman: Man's Best Friend /
Beyond Religion Toward Spirituality
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On Dr M’s Movement to Recover from the
Addiction to White Supremacy
By Dr. M (Marvin X
)
On Friday, October
12, 7pm, Dr. M and his troops will gather at Oakland's
Eastside Arts Center to initiate the first session of
his Pan African Mental Health Peer Group to recover from
the addiction to white supremacy, based on his book by
the same name. He is known for putting on extravaganzas,
such as the 12 hour Melvin Black Forum to stop the
Oakland police from killing black men, 1979, the Black
Men's Conference, 1980, the Kings and Queens of Black
Consciousness, 2001, and the Black Radical Book Fair,
2004.
After appearing on
a panel at Harlem's Schomberg library in honor of
Malcolm X's birthday, Dr. M was inspired by the audience
response to his proposed book. "When a Harlem audience
responds in the affirmative, you better know you are on
the right track because Harlemites are the most critical
people in Pan Africa. They were especially excited when
I told them I was writing a book that included detoxing
from white supremacy as well as recovery and discovery,
the added 13th step in the traditional 12 step program
of AA, NA and CA.
Now this idea was
suggested by my elder Dr. Nathan Hare, so I am
attempting to make it a reality, even though I myself
did not use the 12 step approach to recover from my 12
years of addiction to Crack cocaine, or my 45 years of
addiction to alcohol, but what didn't help me may help
you, therefore I am transcending myself and my ego for
the greater good. Because it didn't help me doesn't mean
it won't help you! And I am proceeding with this idea
because I saw grass roots people using the 12 step model
to process their addiction to drugs, and I was inspired
by their determination and sincerity, so I am convinced
the 12 Step Model can work to help us recover from the
addiction to white supremacy, simply because we are
drunk on the addiction to white supremacy as if it were
alcohol, heroin, meth, crack, ecstasy and marijuana
combined.
And we are in grand denial, which prevents us
from entering the detox which precedes recovery, to say
nothing of reaching the final step of discovery wherein
we realize our purpose and life mission, after all it is
not enough to recover from white supremacy but what is
our personal and collective mission? For those who don't
know: Pan African liberation and the realization of our
spirituality or divine consciousness.
Dr. Nathan Hare, in
his foreword to my book How to Recover from the
Addiction to White Supremacy, suggests that there are
two levels of addiction to white supremacy: level 1 is
the oppressor’s addiction and level 2 is the addiction
of the oppressed. Now level 1 has a high level of
denial, probably the result of the Iago complex (block
man) and the enjoyment of white privilege. White people
enjoy exercising white power—wouldn’t you enjoy black
power if you were in power and were able to dominate and
exploit the planet earth.
Be real, all men
enjoy the fact that they are able to dominate women—even
when there is no need to do so we will exercise such
power because we are addicted to doing so, if for no
other reason. The woman may be so good to us that there
is no need to dominate, yet we will do so because we are
addicted. Those who have been a part of the dope culture
will know what I am talking about. But know too that in
the dope culture the one who dominates is the one who
controls the dope—usually the male but sometimes the
female, who then calls the shots and the male submits.
With respect to my
book, few white people have purchased it or bothered to
pick it up. Usually they stop at my table when I am at
my outdoor classroom downtown Oakland and rush along, as
if to say, “The nerve of this nigger, to suggest that
black people need to recover from us! There’s nothing
wrong with us oppressing people around the world. This
is our duty as the saviors of civilization. We need to
exploit you people to save you, now why in the world do
you need to recover from us?”
And sadly, this is
the attitude of right wing whites and left wing whites
for they both enjoy white privilege and have no desire
to give it up—and as per revolution and radical change,
this is fine as long as whites lead the struggle and
control the agenda, for non-white people must be led by
the master race, even the master race radicals—“and
whatever you niggers do to recover from us, don’t
mention Israel because we are undercover Zionists and
you cannot say one word against the Zionist
entity—haven’t you noticed that not one of our
negroes/niggers say one word against Zionism, especially
our niggers in the congress or in the church, so you
other niggers better fall in line with our white
supremacy agenda.”
Dr. M’s agenda will
include music therapy in the healing process. Musicians
will perform on Friday at Eastside Arts, including
Elliott Bey, Phavia Khujichagulia, Jeremiah, and Angela
Wellman.
Keyboard master
Elliott Bey appears on Marvin X’s DVD Live in Philly
at Warm Daddies, also featuring Sun Ra’s master
musicians Marshall Allen and Danny Thompson, along with
the late bagpipe master Rufus Harley. Phavia is a
legendary poet, trumpet and coronet player. Dr. M’s
loves her poetic line, “If you think I’m just a physical
thing, wait til you see the spiritual power I bring.”
Jeremiah is a vocalist with a tune about black men
killing black men and Angela Wellman is a trombonist who
is director of the Oakland Conservatory of Music.
The Eastside Arts Center is located at 2277
International Blvd, Oakland. Call 510-355-6339 for more
information. Admission: must purchase book at door,
$19.95. If you have the book, show it, but a donation is
requested. The book is available from Black Bird Press,
POB 1317 Paradise CA 95967. It can be obtained downtown
Oakland at De Lauer’s News, 1310 Broadway at 14th.
For booking Dr. M, call 510-355-6339.
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posted 31 July 2008 |
