STRUGGLE THRU GRACE (stg) GRACE THRU STRUGGLE (gts)

Shout out to my brother Anthony Rose (strugglestg@gmail.com). You can check out his website: https://www.stggts.com/

July 3, 2021

"You're lookin very dark skinned today." That is how Big Rose and I greet each other. The reply, "Thank you." Our exchange was an affirmation of self love and understanding that in order to love my brother I must love myself. He is not my brother just because our mothers know each other, not simply because we are black, and not solely because we were in bondage together. Our bond of brotherhood exists on a plane of Blackness I hope all of our people learn to love. While behind these walls, Anthony plotted with many others on how to repatriate ourselves and resurrect the black community and when you pray and plan, the universe conspires to present you with the opportunity to prove.

Then the doors opened.

The thing about opened doors is that they are both an exit and an entrance. We are often anxious to be free from a situation, to exit, to leave but rarely do we understand that our exit is an entrance. In prison we fantasize about opened doors (and just because you ain't in prison don't mean you ain't doing time). Many of us in prison are forgotten but when certain people walk through those doors, I know I am not left behind. My brother is one of those people.

When you hear him speak, it is out of love for his people. When you see the brother he is not only accompanied by the ancestors, he carries with him the spirit of those with whom he was in bondage. He carries dreams, struggle, and the love of Black men waiting to serve the people. To some that would be a burden but to a King it is a blessing, it is a divine power. Powerful enough to change our world. Currently,I am not physically able to be there but because of that power, I am able to See...

"You're looking very dark skinned today." #NEXTUP