It's time to hoot and holler!!!

Mychal Bell has been FREED on bail!!! What a joyous day today is! And, if I may say......he looked damn good as he set foot out of that courthouse. I cried some good tears, I'll tell ya that.

But, I must ask....why must ONE fool try and destroy something good? In case you haven't heard by now, the district attorney said the following: "The only way _ let me stress that _ the only way that I believe that me or this community has been able to endure the trauma that has been thrust upon us is through the prayers of the Christian people who have sent them up in this community." Seriously, what kind of ignorance is that? To make it worse, he was terribly serious in what he was saying.

I don't want this blog to focus on the negative. I want to focus on the positive....MYCHAL BELL IS A FREE MAN................for now. We shall see what happens when this case is taken to juevenile court.

Sidenote: I know I've been lax on my postings. There's just so much to write about in such little time. But beware, when I do get caught up on my postings, you will have a lot to read.

I look forward to your comments. Be blessed and be safe people.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/09/27/774477.html&cvqh=itn_jena

~Traycee~

Solidarity

I must say, it really warmed my heart to see so many of my brothers & sisters dressed in their best black outfits today. This was such an important day in our history books, and I was just proud. Whenever I saw someone dressed in black we gave each other a look in the eyes, a smile, and we continued our walk to destinations only known to each of us.

I saw races other than blacks wearing their black clothing as well. I do have a confession to make: while at lunch with a coworker, we both wondered aloud if those who weren't of African American decent and were wearing black were wearing it for the same reason that we were. Now, I know that this thought should not have crossed my mind, but I honestly couldn't help it. Actually, neither of us could help it. While we sat in the window of the fast food place eating our lunch, we talked about people as they walked by and we contemplated their reasoning for wearing black. It seems like we automatically knew of the reason for Black folks wearing black, but what were other people's reasons?

Were they taking a stand against the racial inequality going down in Jena? Or, was it the last of their clean suits in their closets and they simply had nothing else to wear?

Whatever their reason, whatever ANYONE'S reason...I was still happy! I was on the verge of tears a few times. Even my fellow bloggers who are as far away as Texas and the Bahamas were wearing black today. I just felt so damn proud!
Our family decended upon Jena, La. today and made a HUGE statement! In a peaceful, NON-VIOLENT protest, they made a statement. As I'm sitting here listening to The Michael Baisden show, Mychal Bell's father just finished talking and he said there's a strong possibility that Mychal will be out of jail tomorrow by noon, CST. I cried. While our fight is no where near over, WE ARE BEING HEARD!!! WE ARE BEING HEARD!!! WE ARE BEING HEARD!!!!!!!!!!!

I've always been PROUD of being a black woman! But I'll be damned if I'm not ECSTATIC today. If you could just feel the joy in my heart..........MY GOD!!!

~Traycee~

Support the Jena 6

If you are aware of the racial injustice that is happening down in Jena, La. and would like to show your support for these young men, do not forget to join in on the silent protest by wearing ALL BLACK tomorrow. If someone asks you who died, simply tell them it was the justice system.

For those of you who are unaware of the Jena Six situation, please visit the following sites to get some background information on it.

http://www.jenasix.org/
http://traycee-jackson.blogspot.com/2007/07/jena-six.html
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtml
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/10/1413220
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080302098.html

You can also do a Google search on "jena 6" and a ton of results will come back. Click on any of those links for information.

~Traycee~

Jena Six Update - Correction

Mychal Bell has not been freed. He is in fact still in jail. His lawyers are trying their best to get him out of jail while the prosecutors ponder on whether to bring new charges against him in a juvenile court.

I will keep you all updated!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/14/jena.six/index.html

~Traycee~

Jena Six Update - Our Voices HAVE Been Heard

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20779755/

Mychal Bell has been freed and ALL charges have been dropped for which he was convicted. The state Circuit Court of Appeals stated that he should have NEVER been tried in adult court for a juevinile trial. So, even though the charges have been dropped in adult court, prosecutors are now looking to charge him in juevenile court.

MYCHAL BELL IS A FREE MAN!!!!!! I tell you, I cannot be any happier right now. I had to force myself not to cry on my drive home from work. That was the BEST news I could have heard all day!

BUT, for those of you who think that our fight is over…….you couldn’t be anymore wrong. The protest that Michael Baisden has generated for September 20th still needs to go on. We need to let the court system and this country know that we will stand together for what is right. We need to let these people know that they cannot just throw our children in jail and think that they are going to get away with it.

For those of you who had plans to protest on the 20th, do not change your plans. You still need to be there! For those of you who cannot make it to the protest down in Jena, Louisiana, remember to wear ALL BLACK on the 20th to show your silent protest. We have been heard, but our fight is NOT over!!!

FREE THE JENA 6!!!

~Traycee

6 years later

Today is a stark reminder of the tragedy that struck our country 6 years ago and claimed the lives of more than 3,000 innocent people. Today, we are reminded that we are at war to prevent this from ever happening again.

Today is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Tell your family and friends that you love them. Tomorrow is not promised. The only thing that is certain in this life is death. Cherish every moment that you have with your loved ones. If you're mad at someone, look somewhere deep down within your soul and find that place to forgive them. You will definitely feel a lot better for it.

Say a prayer for those who have perished. Say a prayer for those they left behind. Say a prayer for those who survived. Say a prayer for our soldiers who are fighting to keep us all safe. Say a prayer for our president (even if you don't like him) so that God may lead him in the right direction during these trying times.

Peace, blessings, and nothing but LOVE!

~Traycee~

Wear BLACK on Sept. 20th

In case you haven't heard, Michael Baisden (radio personality extraordinaire) is asking that WE ALL wear black on Sept. 20th to join in the silent protest down in Jena, La. Michael Bell's sentencing is on that day, and we are hoping that the charges are dropped altogether. BUT, if that won't happen, we will gladly take his sentence as being time served and he's let out of jail immediately.

I will post more information later on when I can gather my thoughts. But, as a quick reference, go visit http://www.michaelbaisden.com/Article.asp?id=470156 and http://www.minglecity.com/forum/ to read up on how our community is coming together and supporting the Jena Six. On the second link, click on the topics regarding the Jena Six.

Take care all!

~Traycee~