ONE VOICE / ONE SOUND

As I sat trying to figure out how I would begin writing this, the memory came to mind of an African-American Wisconsin Magazine Publisher whom I was referred to and became intrigued by (simply because I got the impression that she was in the business of promoting U.N.I.T.Y. among our people through her magazine.  (Trust that I “must” tell this story to get my point across, and I thank you for your indulgence!)

Upon contacting this woman and assuring her that I was willing to do whatever it took to get our fight for the lives of our children covered in her magazine (Lord knows my statement was so close to the “truth” that I could “taste” it),  I was told by her to send  a copy of my Biography, Book, and Current Photo, and that she would cover me in her next issue - which meant that we would have been in print on January 2007, plain and simple.

I followed her orders to the letter, and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  January’s issue came to my associate, (even though we had never subscribed to the Magazine).  February’s did too, and the March issued followed.  When I finally decided that it “mattered”, I called and caught this Magazine Publisher in her “office” one afternoon.   Here's what followed:

After approximately 35 minutes of listening over the phone while she and her one employee rampaged through her basement “room” looking for the Priority/Confirmation Delivery Envelope that I had sent the material in via the United States Postal Service, she cleared her throat and declared that she had not contacted me because did not like the photo that I had sent her (which is the one that you see at the beginning of this Website).   I flipped my handset around from my ear to my eyes and looked at it, trying to ascertain that the words that I heard “did” come out of the receiver, all in “total” disbelief – for the “problem” that she had conjured up with our coverage in her magazine could have been solved with a simple phone call to me.   When I stated such, she then added the line, “…  And you don’t live anywhere near me.”  I then demanded that she return the materials to me in the order which I sent them to her (which she did at lighting speed,  just to quell the situation).   From that day on me left her “magazines” in the mailroom waste can whenever they came, as opposed to bringing them into my office.   After all, I didn’t need her "Aura".

I get a lot of this type of thing from the local Newspaper/Magazine publishers in Washington D.C., who claim that either our work is too “lengthy” to cover for a cost, their "media" is not ready for this type of material, or either they “pop-lock” around some other excuse for not assisting us in putting the word out about our work.

One  female, African American publisher in Baltimore, Maryland stated to me on her way to Church one morning that she had “not” received the materials that she had requested to review  (yet, she called me on a phone number that I had "only" placed in those materials that she requested), to tell me that she had not received it.  Another African American female whose “family” owned the publication she now operates simply “never” returned my phone call after she got the materials.  When I contacted her and asked her why she had not done so after almost a year, she had no suitable explanation.

I have done all that I possibly can to dispel the statements that those who are involved in the "media" at any level are in fact in an elite “club” amongst themselves, who will take you as close to the point of “death” as humanly possible before even listening to you just for “fun”, and then “kick you to the curb” without an afterthought.  I have nothing left to do “but” believe this now, with it being no fault of my own, since they all seem to cover what they want to cover, which seems to be anyone whom they can “benefit” from somehow - like their friends in higher places, their family members who will get them "paid" or  have  gotten then a "hook-up" of some sort, have surrendered “blood”, or they will cover their Churches' activities that will definitely serve (or so they think) to get them a closer seat to Gods’ “Good side”.

Trust that while I am content to let the media have their own, I am still blown away by my other “Sisters and Brothers” who will not only concern themselves with how much I am “Getting’ Paid,  Makin’ Paper, Ballin’, Rollin' or Bling-Blinging” behind this effort to save the lives of our Children, but will fake interest in my work long enough to try to get their hands on a copy of my Autobiography that is for sale here on the website,  and photocopy it, and share the book with hundreds of others, which takes the proceeds from the book away from the Children.  I reckon that the “Brotherly Love” that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King preached about so reverently only comes into play when someone sees a chance to benefit financially through our work (which is a waste of time trying,  if you are planning to hang out around here).

 Come to understand that here at One Voice/One Sound, we are NOT “All about the Benjamins”, People.   Therefore:

1.      If you send a payment for the book – “I … And When (A Disposable Child) to us in any other form than requested here in our Website for starters, your “form” of payment will be returned to you.    Understand that it's not about your money.  Your money would “never” pay for what we are trying to do here, so trying to “get around” ensuring “payment” for something from us is not going to get it for you (as a few have attempted).  (We were born one week - not “last” week!)

2.    If I have personally laid "eyes” on you over the years, and I know for a fact that you have received notification about our cause in your mail but chose to ignore it simply “because you don’t know me personally”, it will not be sent again by us - so I ask that you “save” the “Interest Façade” when you see someone else who is genuinely confronting us about our work in public, and at that moment you decide that you need to make yourself look good by pretending to care; because you "will" be called on it.

3.    If you are sent notification in the form of an email about our work and the “best” response that you can give to us for wanting to teach you the Detection and Prevention of Child Abuse by inviting you to our website and asking you to sign the Guestbook in return, is return a message to us with the question, “Who are you?” -  You will be blocked from contacting us via the internet and any other method.  (Like your time "should" be, “Our” time is valuable.)

4.    If you receive notification of our work via Fax or Postal Mail to your home or place of business and you are not the least bit interested, do us all a favor and simply “sure-shot” that piece of paper into the nearest trash can.  Don’t waste the energy calling us trying to “vent” about receiving that one piece of paper.  We know we sent it, and now we know “you” received it.  (This action from you can work many different ways -and you’d want to leave us with a “respectable” memory of you, wouldn’t you?  After all, we are working for the lives of Children here.)

5.     When reviewing our website, you “might” notice right away that it consists mostly of “African-American” content.  I am an African- American.  My constituents are African-American.  This website is about our African-American Children.  With that being said, please reserve your messages inquiring as to “why” I have not placed the faces of “Caucasians” or any other race on my website.  

We are "well-aware" that Child Abuse Prevention is supposed to be about the lives of Children of all races, but the "Powers that be" with the races of those that are “not” showcased on our website will “not” let that be, as they “constantly” broadcast repeatedly any information they have on their race, and “not” ours.   We reserve the "right" to choose our content.  (Do you hear me "knocking"?)  Our people deserve the same about of media coverage as the races that are not named on our website – and since we can’t seem to get a “membership” into that “elite” Club of the Broadcasted, we will do it our way – so step away from that topic with us and this.  It’s an argument that I can personally “promise” you that you’ll lose, and “definitely” not one to take up with us, on "or" off the Website.

6.  We do make appearances at Book Signings, Schools, and more for our cause.   If you are “really” interested is having us visit your facility and speak on the subject of our work, please make sure that you “actually” have a facility, are in charge of it, can actually schedule us, will actually have people there,  and that your invitation is not an invite into some “Outer Limits – Cold Case – Stephen King” based fantasy that you have going on in your head or in some dark, dank corner if the basement of some abandoned place that is due to be torn down shortly, or in your  "extremely" secluded home (where no resides except you and your dog).  (We've been there and done that "virtually” and can share with you some stories that would "permanently" straighten your hair!)

Silence can be “Golden” all day long, People.  You all know where I have come from with this message, and where it could go.  We have been through some stuff that we could share with you – but I am going to short cut this, because I would like for you to get through the remainder of our website, enjoy the music and get to the Guestbook, which is the next-to-the-last tab on our site.

May the Lord who “Truly” knows your heart keep you, your little ones and those little one that are around you safe.  They may need our help one day, and we intend to be here for them.  I and the children who manage to survive this Epidemic thank you for your Support.

And now, the rest of this website awaits you.