BLACK MEN NEED MARTIAL ARTS
“I frankly believe every Negro in America should learn karate and judo.”-Malcolm X
As the country continues to convulse in peroxisomes of white nationalistic fervor, it is only a matter of time before this perverse culture will seek to vent its' frustrations through the time honored practice of massive blood letting. That means violence against people of color in general, but Black Men in particular.
Black men are the easiest targets of white violence because quite simply, they are the weakest political strata in American society. Thus, they reside in the unenviable position of enjoying a predator-prey relationship with the society. As such, white violence against black men is accepted as normal no matter how unreasonable or unlawful. White men will concoct the most whimsical excuses for violence against those blacks who they perceive as venturing outside of accepted white cultural norms of docility.
During a 2016 interview with Roland Martin, white nationalist Richard Spencer was exposed as an ignorant misinformed buffoon. Martin showed Spencer for what he was: a man that lives in a bubble of revisionist white history and distorted facts designed to support an illusory victim-hood. Spencer knew nothing about politics and even less about history or anything else that matters. For some 30 minutes, he gave Spencer an intellectual drubbing behind the woodshed. The interview concluded when Martin gave a warning of sorts by telling Spencer that if they (white nationalists) believed that they were going to simply dispose of African-Americans in the global race for prosperity, he’d “have a fight on his hands.”
At this point in the interview, if you observed his body language, one can clearly see that Spencer perked up. It was as though the possibility of a fight had totally erased from memory his pitiful display of chronic ignorance on national television. It was a response that said" bring it on!" I asked myself what would happen if Spencer reached over that desk and popped Martin a good one in his face? What would he do?
Admittedly, it would have been a public relations nightmare for the alt right conservatives. But, it would’ve also shown the world black male vulnerability at the hands of white male violence. The debate would not have really meant anything because we all would be concentrating on the sensational display of white savage aggression against cultured black intellect. That interview however comedic, if not down right pathetic, solidified to me one very simple truth-----NO AMOUNT OF COLLEGIATE EDUCATION WILL EVER DETER TRIBAL BARBARISM!!!!
Whether its the New Alt Right, or the Old Neo-Nazi, its the same willful ignorance and the same blind obedience to plutocratic authority. In short, the same white rage. No facts will dissuade their animosity. To white nationalists, none of that matters. It’s emotion that moves them, not facts or logic.
In America, the ability to protect one’s life and family is the consummate badge of masculinity. This is why martial arts is an indispensable tool for black men now more than ever. Small sectors of our community have always understood this basic truth. Thus, from its’ inception, groups like the Nation of Islam integrated martial arts as a key tenant of men's training. They were practicing judo and karate long before most white people knew what it was.
Historically, people of African descent have always been involved in some form of martial arts. From the depictions of throws, kicks and chops on pyramid walls in Egypt, all the way to Capoeira in Brazil. Black have always played a prominent role in the fighting arts. A Black man even shows up in 16th century Japan as a samurai for the shogun.
In the 20th century, a Panamanian born martial artist in New York City would give the western world its’ first look at shinobi-no-jutsu (the art of the Ninja). Known as the Father of American Ninjutsu, Professor Ronald Duncan was a marine deployed in the pacific during the 1950’s. Learning classical Japanese martial arts from masters of various disciplines, in 1967, he gave a demonstration of his martial skill at the Manhattan Center in New York, and years later in Madison Square Garden. He founded his first martial arts school called the Bushido School of Martial Arts where he taught his students how to survive in wilds of urban America.
Master Duncan created the Way of the Winds System in New York City. Innovating the art, he taught weapons of various kinds including handguns. He also taught weapon disarming techniques. His students were intelligence agents, police officers, lawyers and people from all walks of life. While many white martial artists questioned his authenticity, the Japanese themselves have validated Master Duncan’s pedigree. The man recognized as Japan’s last living ninja master, Jinichi Kawakami, referred to Master Duncan as “The Great One.” A year before his death in 2012, Black Belt Magazine would finally give him his due as the first to teach the art in the western hemisphere.
Master Duncan’s legacy continues through his son Hanshi Gregory Duncan who owns and operates Duncan Martial Arts in Union, NJ. He teaches basic realistic martial arts techniques that incorporates the spontaneous nature of street combat. In the tradition of his father, the students endure rigorous training that equip them with the tools to prevail in almost any situation. The training criss-crosses many different traditions to give the students a well rounded curriculum. Additionally, they also emphasize a holistic spiritual basis for the art and not simply punches and kicks.
There was another black martial artist that went to his grave largely unrecognized. Dr. Moses Powell was a martial arts prodigy. The student of Filipino Martial Artist Florendo Visitacion, Dr. Powell would design his own system to deal with hardcore reality of street combat called Sanuces Ryu Jiujitsu. His resume reads like a real life Sho’nuff. Dr. Powell was the first martial artist invited to perform a demonstration in front of the United Nations. He instructed the DEA, FBI, and the Secret Service in martial arts. He was featured at the 1965 World’s Fair. Dr. Powell was also a member of the NOI. He taught the FOI martial arts for many years. So it should come as no surprise that some of the most lethal martial artists are within the ranks of the Nation.
Today, his students continue his legacy. Grandmaster Anthony Muhammad teaches urban combat in Chicago. Soke Little John Davis teaches in Sarasota, FL. And Grandmaster George Logan teaches the art of Sanuces in Connecticut.
To say that we need self-defense in the Black Community is a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, our community has always been vulnerable to the worst forms of violence due in part to the dope game and a myriad of other causes. According to studies cited in Economist magazine, Blacks represent 13% of America’s population, yet in 2015 they represented 52% of the murder victims. Between 1980 and 2013, 262,000 black men were murdered in America. Although the crime rate is dropping in the country, the crime rate in the black community remains disproportionate to its population.
Working class black men will inevitably be sandwiched between the scourge of black on black crime and the violence of angry white nationalists. As economic times grow more intense, both groups will inevitably become more aggressive and violent. It’s a deplorable state of affairs for the lives of black men to swing (literally and figuratively), with the winds of the American economy. Being a catharsis for white anxiety is not my idea of a fruitful existence. When questioned about the use of violence in the cause of self-defense, Malcolm X answered that: "I don't call it violence, I call it intelligence."
Hopefully, we will be smart enough to heed his admonitions. Black Americans should not only be educated in the forms of close quarter combat, we should also be engaged in the responsible use of firearms, prepping, and survivalism in case of natural and un-natural disasters.
Whenever white America has felt threatened by the mood in Black America due in part to some racial incident, they channel the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, as though they were racial ghost whisperers performing some kind of political seance to invoke black passivity in the face of naked aggression. They are forever contrasting King's soothing theme of non-violence with Malcolm X's bombastic call for self defense; without ever stopping to consider the continuity of the two positions. Violence may not be the answer. But it sure will keep you alive long enough to keep asking the question. TILL NEXT TIME, I'LL HOLLA!
TONY MACEO is a senior blogger at the Negromanosphere and the Chief Blogger @ Powerandstrategy.com. Like, Share and Subscribe to the website. Become a Patron @powerofstrategies or support by paypal at wayofstrategy44@gmail.com. Feel free to also check out our online shop and Chess Store.
