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Akbar Pray Foundation For Change

WE ARE THE SOLUTION TO OUR OWN PROBLEMS
Issue 6 December 6 2012 December 5,
APFFC Officers
Executive Director Akbar Pray Director of Operations Milagros Harris
Qasim S. Abdul Karim

ELEVATING FORM OVER SUBSTANCE

It is a true but unfortunate fact of life that we as a people tend to be more concerned with appearance than with substance. For that reason we seem to spend most of our time blindly pursuing the appearance of wealth rather than its substance. For most of us appearance and floss is everything, while substance runs a distant second. The word substance can generally be defined as the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to its form or appearance. Form can be defined as how a thing appears to be though, not necessary is. Most of us have a childlike obsession with appearance. This obsession leads us to the misguided decision to constantly elevate form over substance. For example when we are more attracted to a phat Porsche, as opposed to a fat financial portfolio, we have elevated form over substance. When we care more about platinum in our mouths, instead of platinum cards in our wallets, we have elevated form over substance. When we would rather own a Bentley than an apartment building, we have again elevated form over substance. Most of us make very little if any distinction between investing money and simply spending money, praying that somehow our careless spending will somehow transform it's self into prudent investments. Continued on page 2

Director of Finance Director of Public Relations Toni Johnson

Director of Human Resources Rahman Muhammad

IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN? IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?

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Issue 6

December 6issue, date , 2012

Elevating Form Over Substance

I encourage men and woman to whole-heartedly pursue their prudent goals and dreams.
Continued from page 1
Lest you get it twisted, a car (with the exception of the purchase of an antique or a classic) is not an investment. It is a rapidly depreciating mode of transportation. Although some of us tend to think that there is a connection between what kind of car a person drives and their financial status, real wealth is not judged by what kind and how many cars a person does or does not drive. That is only a gauge of wealth to the adolescent mind. You also cannot judge wealth by how much gold or platinum a person sports on their hands or in their mouths. That ghetto fabulous mentality only makes sense in the ghetto. Our fascination with trinkets and appearances keep most of us trapped in the spin cycle of consumerism, pursuing video images as opposed to substantive wealth. Most of us have become so fixated on attempting to tailor our lives to parallel the videos or TV that we act as if we believe life should imitate art, as opposed to art imitating life. More simply stated, we seem to believe that our lives should be that of an endless video flooded, with rivers of Cristal and racks on racks of dime pieces. Before going further, let me make this abundantly clear, I do not by any stretch disdain the Good Life. In fact I encourage men and women to whole-heartedly pursue their prudent goals and dreams. However, what I do

That ghetto fabulous mentality only makes sense in the ghetto.

disdain is our concentration on attempting to give the appearance of wealth, while all the while ignoring the financial discipline needed to acquire true wealth. It is this juvenile mindset that allows those of us with children to neglect establishing college funds, while we headfirst continue to pursue big fun. It is for these reasons and many others that it is intellectually dishonest and makes no sense for us to continue to sit and complain of the incursion into our neighborhoods of other ethnic groups who put their money into businesses, while we continue to put our money on our wrist and in our mouths. Your Brother, Akbar Pray

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Issue 6

December 6issue, date , 2012

By Rudy Williams
My topic for today is energy, so can we get some serious energy up in here? Why energy? Because energy is life Death is the complete absence of energy. But we know from ancient and modern physics that energy cannot be created or destroyed, therefore death is impossible. Even your body will never completely die because cloning can take place through the DNA energy that is encoded in the cells of your body. So if you arent meant to live forever, why all that redundancy? You were designed to live forever! No matter where you are, you are a winner. When you were born in the world, you won the survival game against 300 million other contestants to get here. To get here was bigger and more important than winning the Super Bowl, the World Series and the NBA Finalscombined! Love is energy. Unconditional love is healing energy. Energy is power and power can heal or kill. In the beginning there was the word, and the word was with God and God was the word. So then, what is a word? Energy! Energy is the power to get things done. Without power nothing can happen. The narrative of physics tells us that in the beginning there was a Big Bang, which created the Universe and everything as we know it within our current limitation. I say current because our limitations are only temporary. Now we can argue and debate about what to call this energy, but one thing is certain: we are all talking about the same thingcreative power and energy. God, Allah, Jehovah, the Lord, or whomever; dont get confused and fight over the labels. We all come from the same creative force; the same source; the same energy. This makes us energy. Energy is the image and likeness of the Creator, our Father who is in heaven. We are heaven; a state of mind, a thought and a word: Energypositive energy. So he is in us.

Why ENERGY? Because ENERGY Is Everything. Everything is ENERGY. Life is ENERGY And ENERGY is Life!
energy, you will know how to produce happiness within yourself and others, regardless of your circumstances. Stop blaming others for your unhappiness. You are giving away your power. You are responsible for your own happiness, not your homeboys, your husband, wife or significant other- YOU ARE! Learn to cultivate your positive energy and it will work for you every time. It will uplift you. Every time. Finally, Energy is light. Energy is spirit. Energy is matter. Energy is EMotion-the E-Motion that puts everything that is, that was and that ever will be, into Motion. We may all call it by a different name, but lets call it what it is: LOVE. _____________________________ Rudy Williams is a regular contributor to the apffc newsletter and the author of the soon to be released POWER MOVES

Once you know how to control the up and down fluctuations of energy, you will know how to produce happiness within yourself and others, regardless of your circumstances.
Energy fluctuates. One moment you are up, an hour later, down. Today, you are happy, tomorrow sad. Why? Because energy constantly fluctuates and radiates outward and like the flu, it is very contagious. Who has not been uplifted by a smile and depressed or even angered by a frown? Who has not wished to be upbeat, happy and healthy all the time? Im here to tell you, it can be done. You already have the ability to mold, shape and control energy with words. Strong words produce strong results. Weak words produce weak results. It is just that simple. Once you know how to control the up and down fluctuations of

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My name is Omifalade I am a priest of the Yoruba faith, a Reverend of the Universal Church, a Medium by birth with empathic abilities. I write these horoscopes to guide you in a positive direction. Keep in mind that in every single religion there are mystics, all used to help direct and define your path.

issue, date

As a Spiritualist, I have many forms of communication with my Spirit Guides through the grace of God, my Ancestors, and my lineage. Through their guidance and by having the ability to channel them directly, I would like to share with you a gift that was also passed down. A few years ago I was given the gift of prophecy, seeing each sign of the zodiac. I hope that in sharing this with you, it will bring you as much comfort as it has me. May they too guide you in your lifes quests as they have guided me for so many years.

December 2012-January 2013

8/23 - 9/22 Virgo, this month will be filled with very interesting ideas. Although you are a driving force for many, try to be a driving force for yourself. At times you may be little to forward and guess what? People just do not get it! Try a little reverse psychology for this month and ride the wave a little see were that will get you. Your goal this month: allow things to resolve themselves by stepping back. Situations just get worse if you are always in the way. 10/23-11/21

Horoscopes by Omifalade
9/23-10/22 Libra, the powers that be have made it clear that you are the sign of balance and gracefulness. So lets try to be so this month. Arrogance is not becoming, but intelligence is. This is the year of the number 8. It is all about balance. Learn to use the scale of life, so that it may guide your future. Be kind, loyal, and very focused for this month you will finally see who is in your corner. Your goal this month is to learn how to revamp your attitude. Learn to be in your surroundings but not of it. Learning how to balance anger and sadness will be your biggest challenge. 11/22-12/21 Sagittarius, the time has come to receive your prize. I heard it once said that he, who is patient would reap the gifts from heaven, I see Sag that this month will be the beginning of many good things to come. Lessons for this month learn from your past mistakes so that you may not repeat them again, It is often said karma is a bitch but in your case you are the one who sometimes creates this karma.

Scorpio, the obstacles and hurdles you have been through have been anything but easy. It still seems that you are trying too hard, or maybe what you are creating is an illusion to make it appear as if it is hard. Either way, the lessons have apparently not sunken in. You have yet to understand that while trying to fool other people, you only fool yourself. Honesty is not always the best policy but it is the safest. Remember Scorpio, it is easier to hurt someone with the truth than mislead them with a lie.
12/22 -1/19
Capricorn your positive personality and your compassion to live, is what draws people to you, it is time to put that positive energy into your work and compile a new way to let it work for you. Love is in the air this month, take advantage and allow yourself to embrace the beauty of it all.

1/20 2/18
Aquarius, this month is about ancestors, calling family you havent spoken to in a while, reaching out to Mother, Father, siblings and even old friends you have lost touch with. Because of your giving nature it is important for you to keep grounded by reaching to the people you love.

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Issue 6 3/21 4/19

December 6issue, date , 2012

Pisces, you always happen be at the right place, at the right time, yet it seems that things do not go your way. This is a month to speak up. Do not be in the shadows. Let yourself be seen and heard. You have a great deal to say, and a great deal you bring to the table, so stop wasting time and make yourself heard. Patience is, and always will be your driving force.

Aries there will be a person or persons coming into your life that will seem to be charming and yet silly. Beware Aries! You have a tendency to be a little too generous with your time as well as your money. Although you are good with your finances, learn to hold on to your money as long as you can.

4/20 5/20
Taurus it seems like things have been a little rough for you these past few months. You may feel a little overwhelmed and tense. Make this month about you, make time to get away get you hair done, buy new clothes, travel, get massages, etc. Think about you Taurus and you will see how this months outcomes will help you grow. 6/22 7/22 Cancer although you are feeling good about this New Year, do not be so optimistic about the choices you make, especially with money. Remember Cancer, this may be a new month, one of many in this New Year but you still need to learn how to conserve. In the past you were able to say I live in the now, but times have changed. Do not just live for today live for tomorrow as well. Learn how to save for a rainy day.

5/21 -6/21
Gemini this month will be a little tricky. There seems to be people around you that may need or want your help. Take your time before you decide to help anyone. Analyze the situation then proceed with caution. Remember Gemini some elses bad planning should never be your emergency.

7/23 -8/22 Leo, this month you need to make sure you are paying close attention to you friends and family. There seem to be little signals that are being given and you are missing them. Focus Leo, for this month brings easy lessons. The lesson for you this month is to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Once you have learned how to do this, every other test will seem like a walk in the park.

Rudys Got Jokes An L.A. organ bank was burglarized. The police were called out. When Detective Sherlock Holmes arrived at the crime scene, the banks director met him. Whats missing? he asked. Just the ears, the director replied. Ahhah, Detective Holmes plucked his fingers. I know who did it. The director was astonished. How can you know who did it? You just got here! Because only three people could have done it: One is dead. One is in prison, and the other one is at large. Whos dead? Jeffrey Dalmer Whos in prison? Charles Manson. Whos at large? The one who did it. Who did it? Mike Tyson.

Spirit Says

The Inner Universe: A Guide to Meditation

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Issue 6

December 6issue, date , 2012

White male domination is exploitative. As a result, Blacks, Hispanics, indigenous people and the poor remain disenfranchised. Because of continued exposure to the unnatural European way of functioning, Black people have allowed themselves to be programmed for self-destruction. This is why we are eating ourselves sick, resulting in our early earthly demise. If you are of Afrikan lineage and live in the western world, you are more likely to die earlier of a major disease than any other ethnic group. By an alarming margin, Afrikans living in Amerika lead in the mortality rate from the nation's killer diseases: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory diseases and of course, homicide. These health issues exist largely because Afrikans living in Amerika have been programmed, conditioned and miseducated to self-hate and eat poorly. Black folk scattered throughout the Diaspora who are in pain, diseased, drugged and unconsciously disconnected, will not be healed until we collectively come to an Innerstanding that we as an Afrikan people Ourstorically and Kulturally are in possession of our own way of functioning that has been successful for millennia. The illusion of an altered reality created by white male domination has been scientifically researched as the cause of our malaise. As an Original people, we must recognize our inherent ability and talent to continually create our own life affirming systems of Kulture and civilization. We must acknowledge our Divinity through Afrikan Kulture and Spirituality and develop a recovery program that re-Afrikanizes and reconnects the whole Afrikan family within the contextual reality. Otherwise, the Afrikan centered Worldview, will continue to remain outside the matrix of white male domination. If, we do not internalize the Inderstanding and knowledge of our wise fore-parents to aid and assist us in furthering our goals and objectives, then we are doomed and thereby powerless over this drug of domination and dysfunction that is destroying the whole planet like a cancer. Imhotep me Ra Jet (I come in Peace like ra forever) M.M. ANKH "HERU" mA'AT.

WHOSE WORLD VIEW DO YOU SEE THROUGH?

We must acknowledge our Divinity through Afrikan Kulture and Spirituality and develop a recovery program that re-Afrikanizes and re-connects the whole Afrikan family within the contextual reality.
Black folk in Amerika are sick out of their Afrikan minds and desperately in need of a healing. Theyve been exposed to a deadly disease: white male domination. Many of us are hooked on this deadly dis-ease that is destroying the whole of mankind and the earth. This condition called white male domination is the Euro-peon-Amerikan World View, which perpetuates a Eurocentric political and economic system of aggression, exploitation and destruction (*ESFET). Like drugs, it controls our desires, ambitions and minds, creating an illusionary selfdestructive reality that alters the way Black people would function, if we were in our right and exact minds. Afrikan people need a healing in the realms of human functioning and a new worldview that has our best interest at heart. Afrikans have become Kulturally retarded in growth and development, in addition to suffering severe health and mental handicaps because our ability to function as whole beings has been altered. Functioning within someone else's paradigm is unhealthy and this exhibits itself in our actions. The system of white male domination has mis-educated and abused Black people into hating and denying that which is Afrikan.,the images that are Afrikan, the Kulture that is Afrikan, and what we think we know of Afrikan ways.

Dea rom the A th o uthor f the of Gam e

The next great read by AKBAR PRAY COMING SOON!

LAST OF A DYING BREED

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Issue 6

December 6issue, date , 2012

went to college. However, there is clearly a correlation between economics and the number of books in the home. The study was conducted over 20 years, in 27 countries, and surveyed more than 70,000 people. Researchers found that children who grew up in a home with more than 500 books spent 3 years longer in school than children whose parents had only a few books. Also, a child whose parents have lots of books is nearly 20-percent more likely to finish college. I took an informal poll, asking my students how many of them had hardcover books in their households. The result was startling; only two students, in a class of twenty-seven owned books. It seems that the answer to the original question is simple ands cost effective. Read to your child, with your child and around your child. Let your child read to you. You dont have to buy books if you cant afford them. Use the local libraries. Help keep them opened. On many a day the library provided a comfortable place to spend time with my children. There is something for everyone there. If your reading skills arent all they could be, its not a problem. Start with simple childrens books and learn together. Your children wont be judgmental. If anything they will be thrilled at the opportunity to teach you something. Instill the love of learning early. Early relationships with reading will not only enhance your childrens learning potential; they will strengthen your bond with your childrena priceless

Investing In a Childs Future

By Milagros Milan Harris

What is the key ingredient to insure that your child gets a quality education? Well, if the statistics are correct, it isnt money.
According to an article by Blaire Briody in The Fiscal Times, entitled School Budgets: The Worst Education Money Can Buy, the city that bears the distinction of spending the most money per student in the US, also bears the distinction of being the most dangerous city in the nation: Camden, New Jersey. According to the new federally mandated method of calculating the high school graduation rate, Camden students entering the 9th grade, have a 21.6% chance of graduating from high school, while the statewide graduation rate is 83%. Newark can boast of a 32.2% graduation rate for the $21,896 it spends per students. Although New Jersey has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the nation, 90% of students who go on to Community College students, and a third of students who attend Rutgers the states best known university, have to take remedial courses before they can take college level courses. Obviously, spending in education does not help us to understand Why Rasheed Cant Read. (See Why Rasheed Cant Read: A Culture of Disengagement, Issue 3, June 14, 2012) http://www.apffc.org/archive.html So where is this money going, and why arent our children being prepared for a future of viable employment and economic stability? A mountain of data is collected from the endless barrage of high stakes and high priced test our children are forced to endure. Hundreds of checks are written to consultants hired to analyze the data generated by those test. Yet every day, teachers are attacked and blamed for the failures of our schools, while forced to dig deeper into their pockets for the supplies they must purchase from their ever shrinking paychecks, to provide for students who bring nothing but a set of

headphones and an iPhone to school. Yet, as the blame game is played out in the districts and the news, has anyone ever bothered to notice that one of the biggest problems facing urban education is simply the fact that our children cant and wont read? One of the greatest challenges I have encountered while teaching in an urban high school is the question of how to clarify content for students with limited reading skills. Early exposure to words, both written and oral, is central to early development of language. Students who enter elementary school without the prereading skills that come with exposure to the rich language of literature, come in behind and stay behind.

Read to your child, with your child and around your child. Let your child read to you.
The students I teach come from the same city as I, but the world they live in is a galaxy apart from world I grew up in. Just days into my novice year of teaching, I realized that my honor students were mystified by the articles I had carefully selected and edited for use in the classroom. It didnt take too long to figure out that attempting to analyze primary documents or examine multiple perspectives on current affairs would be futile without demystifying vocabulary. More often than not, a page of reading could generate thirty to forty words, which we would then define as a group using context clues, guesses, and ultimately a dictionary as our last resort. According to 2010 study published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, the availability of books in the home has a more positive influence on a childs academic achievement than social class, or even whether the parents

investment.
___________________________ Milagros Milan Harris is an educator, former business owner, author and Director of Operations for the Akbar Pray Foundation for Change

Read the first three chapters free at www.undergrounddivalounge.com

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ISSUE 6

DECEMBER 6, 2012

MISSION STATEMENT
The Akbar Pray Foundation For Change (APFC) is a not for profit grassroots organization, dedicated to redirecting the lives of our urban at risk youth. It has been and remains our organizations mantra that " we are the solution to our own problems." It is our core belief that there are those within our communities, if so engaged, who can help turn the tide of crime, delinquency and recidivism which grips the lives of so many our inner city youth. Operating from the premise that to effectively attack or address any problem you must start at its root, we have begun a program in some of our citys schools and group homes, where we supply speakers, mentors, CDs and written material from the organizations founder, which cuts to the heart of the problem experienced by many of these youths. Some times working with former gang members, inner city icons and others that have what is referred to as street cred, we have been able to achieve remarkable results. Expanding on our mission, we continuously recruit individuals from various work disciplines to aid in educating young men and woman with marketable skills. To those ends we have engaged people both inside and outside our community to come to our classes and or workshops to share and discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs of a wide range of work disciplines and careers. Never favoring one career path over any other, we have invited professors, urban fiction writers, successful members of the hip hop industry, general construction contractors and a Superior Court Judge to these open discussions and Socratic Circle seminars. Again, it is our core belief that "we are the solution, to our own problems." In closing. We invite your participation in this noble undertaking.

IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO? IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

A petition for a Presidential Commutation on behalf of Wayne Akbar Pray has been submitted to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. It is a request that his non-parolable life-sentence be commuted, making him eligible for parole in the near future. His success depends on the efforts and the voice of his community. Below you can find the numbers and addresses of those who are in possession of the Commutation Package. A call to any or all of them on behalf of Wayne Pray could make the difference whether he is returned to his family and community or spends the rest of his years in prison. Please make the call!
Correspondence to the Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney, may be sent to: Ronald L. Rogers Office of the Pardon Attorney 1425 New York Avenue, N.W. Suite 11000 Washington, D.C. 20530 By Email USPardon.Attorney@usdoj.gov (no attachments) By Phone (202) 616-6070 Congressman John Conyers Washington Office: 202-225-5126 Detroit Office: 313-961-5670 Trenton / Downriver Office: 734-675-4084 You can also visit me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CongressmanConyers. Attorney General Eric Holder Correspondence to the Department, including the Attorney General, may be sent to: U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 By Phone Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000 Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line - 202353-1555 By E-Mail E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General, may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. E-mails will be forwarded to the responsible Department of Justice component for appropriate handling. Congresswoman Maxine Waters Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters 10124 S. Broadway, Suite 1 Los Angeles, CA 90003 Phone: (323) 757-8900 Fax: (323) 757-9506 Washington, DC

Why? Because it is your right!