Manifest Destiny

No.....I'm not going to blog about the concept or history of Manifest Destiny. This blog/journal entry is actually very personal as I've been actively increasing the archives under the "Preaching To The Choir Boy" section of my blog. This section basically details parables about my life, and I have a few on my mind right now that are extremely important that I absolutely had to write about. So, this summer I've been working for this program called College Summit. While the program's main objective is to assist rising high school seniors complete their college application in a four day workshop, the program also seeks to help returning alumni, like myself, with personal growth and development. One exercise that we did that I really appreciated was an activity that entailed for an individual to envision where they wanted to be 35 years from now. We had to write that down. Next, we were supposed to think about an award that we would receive at that particular time for something we had done during or through the course of our lives. Upon figuring out what that was, we were asked to take some time and prepare the speech that would introduce us as the awardee. We had to also state who was presenting the award to us, where it would be presented, and who would be in attendance. So we did it and I was very moved by some of the thoughts of my fellow staff members. One of my supervisors had actually envisioned himself receiving a bunch of plant seeds and a 'thank you' card from a third grade class that he bought a camera for. One my other fellow staff members envisioned herself winning the Pulitzer Prize for a heralded novel she had written, while another wrote that she had won the Nobel Peace Prize. Another one of my fellow staff members pictured herself being presented with an award by a homeless man, which I found moving. I thought this exercise put my aspirations in perspective for me. So I figured I'd share it on my blog and if and when I get to where I want to be, I can look back, read this, and see if I accomplished what I had envisaged for myself.

So, I wrote that I would be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Omaha Community Playhouse Theater located in Omaha, Nebraska. The award would be presented by one of my best, if not my best, friend Garret Smith; a prominent independent filmmaker. In attendance would be family, friends and colleagues. The speech orated by Garret would go as follows:

"Good evening ladies and gentleman. I'd like to welcome you here at the Omaha Community Playhouse Theater for the 41st annual, Lifetime Achievement Award Banquet. We are here to celebrate and honor an extraordinary man. I have been in the presence of this person for so many years, that I wouldn't know where to begin as I attempt to acknowledge him this evening. But I guess I'll just have to start by acknowledging the breadth of his art and the body of work that he has championed, created, authored, produced, and filmed throughout his life. If I were going to talk about his work, I would have to start by mentioning one of his pinnacles. This man provided an over-flowing amount of inspiration to aspiring independent filmmakers of color when he was chosen by some of the most critical cinephiles in this world as the first African American director to win the Grand Prize at the annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. Being the first to do something means a heck of a lot in a world where its arduous to even come in fifth place in anything art-related. That accomplishment serves as a testament to his transcendent body of work in cinema. Although passionate and always bursting with ideas, he was able to open his mind and create films that were appealing to all demographics. He exemplified this in many works. Whether it was the sundry political and philosophical ideas given to us in the tear-inducing, poetry and controversy laden film, The S-Word, or the profound nexus created between the brutal past of our African ancestors and the self-destructive themes of contemporary Afro-American culture through a science-fiction thespian-like story in Outta Time, or whether is was the scintillating story that combined the fierce competition of basketball and the melo-dramatic story of two kindred twin brothers turned adversaries by their rival universities, paternal abandonment, drugs, personal strife, and ever-fading relatoinship in Get Live; this man gave us art.

But that same art that he blessed us with was supplemented with a bevy of culture. He distinguished himself as a premiere film auteur when he juxtaposed different genres of music and incorporated them into his films such as combining the likes of Terence Blanchard, Digable Planets, Loreena McKennit, Antonín Dvořák, The Five Heartbeats, and Diplo all in one film. He filmed in many different parts of the world including Cairo, Sao Paulo, Okinawa, and Dubai. He casted an eclectic group of actors, whether they were distinguished by race, gender, orientation or their indigenousness with every film that he was a part of, which only attests that he was committed to giving us culture. He aimed to use his medium of film to not only entertain, but to teach and enlighten with a genuine concern for the minds of his audience. While writing 9, producing 21, and directing over 30 films, this man has now entered into the pantheon of cinematic immortality. He has been the author of a New York Times bestseller five times and is one of the few and rare world-renowned writers who primary occupation is filmmaking. He embodies what it truly means to be an artist. And even if he had not been accruing the amount of money he did over the course of his film career, I am infinitely confident that he would continue creating his art because the sincerity of his passion for film is second to none. But this celebration of his life does not begin and end with what he called his job and what we called a blessing.

We are also here to celebrate one of the most giving human beings that has ever inhabited this Earth. Not only has his endless philanthropic efforts to help support the many decadent and destitute people in this world, but his genuine passion for service to those less fortunate or simply in need is unprecedented. This young black brother who understood his humble beginnings in the socio-economic taxing area of Brooklyn, New York has grown into a man that cannot seem to comprehend selfishness. His valiant efforts to help those who cannot help themselves has been documented for the past 45 years. However, his service to society is not only defined by his generous financial contributions. He has also committed himself to uplifting and raising the consciousness of those around him in an effort to achieve human solidarity. Undoubtedly, he deserves this honorary award because he has not only given his money and thoughts, but he has also offered and given himself.

Since this award is donned, the 'Lifetime Achievement Award', I'd also like to commend him for achieving something that couldn't fall short of amazing. All his life, he had promised that he would do this and he has. I'd like to commend this man for helping to open the Winston Stewart School of Film, Television and Radio at his alma mater, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whom he named after his late grandfather, Winston Stewart the first. And I must say, this man is truly Tar Heel Bred. Seldom will you see him without that Carolina Blue. (laughs) I would also like to celebrate this man as he has moved into the next stage of his life as a loving father and husband raising his two fraternal twin children, Annaya and Kuamel Jr. I have the utmost confidence that because of his personhood, congeniality, sensitive, and sincere nature that he will not only continue to succeed in marriage, but he will excel in parenthood. I wish you and your family nothing but blessings. And without further ado, I'd like to bring to the stage the honorary awardee of this Lifetime Achievement Award, yours and my friend, Mr. Kuamel Stewart...


Parting Thoughts:
So, I said in the preface of this blog entry that I had undergone a lot of personal growth this summer and there's one that I would like to expound upon right now. I stated that my envisioned 'Lifetime Achievement Award' would be presented by a man named Garret Smith. I have to acknowledge this brother. I just met him actually about a week ago at my College Summit workshop. He's a like-minded individual who is also passionate about film and shares similar aspirations with myself. I swear we're of the same ilk. While kickin' it with him over the week, bouncing film ideas back and forth and even indulging in some philosophical debate, we had sat down and had a conversation that might of changed my life. I've been harping about this "make a difference" thing for the past few months and never did I ever really think and consider what it was actually doing to me. In all my passion and self-confidence, I actually humbled myself to the words of Garret and he was able to give me some of the most critical feedback that I've ever heard.

Speaking to him made me realize that the person I was becoming, in all my investment in raising my own cognition about the world, I was becoming more socially inept than socially conscious. While that I had thought the plethora of information I was learning was making me more layered, it was actually making me more shallow. Last year, I condemned any and everyone who I saw did not have the same passion and investment in certain things that I had. And that completely made me a monolithic person. While I thought reading all these books and listening to different music was distinguishing me from others my age or part of this generation, it was only contributing the myopic view I had of people. I was so concerned with becoming this fountain of knowledge and consciousness that I didn't respect the ideas and perspectives of other people. If I didn't see the same passion in them that I had in myself, I would dismiss them completely. But just because someone doesn't show the same amount of interest in the things that I passionately care about should not disqualify them from my thoughts, company and conversation. Who am I to say they aren't worth my time because I was judging them because they didn't deeply care about what I cared about? I may have missed an opportunity of creating some great friendships because I was too immersed in an agenda that was leaving me all alone. When I was in high school, I was really humorous and I never had a problem with being overly-facetious. But when I got to college, I became so serious that I nearly lost that part of my personality and I never really realized that.

Consciousness and pabulum isn't all there is in the world, and it shouldn't be all there is to me. People who are solely esoteric get caught up in a world that strips them of their ability to connect with people who aren't as versed. And I was very judgmental last year. I maligned everyone for being ignorant, asinine, and part of the mythical problems that I rambled about redundantly. Garret helped me realize that being that kind of person is exhausting and that if I continued down that path, I would never be the kind of understanding and gregarious human being that I am seeking out to be. So I'm aiming to be more grounded this year and to have more fun. I think that if I can seek to hone my mind into a creative, philosophical, political, and theoretical machine, then I should also be able to hone my character into a sociable, affable and understanding one that is able to interact with everyone. After all, those are the people who are truly loved and embraced by everybody. I want to acknowledge the Oakland native, my brother Garret for helping me realize that. Never would I have thought someone my own age would give me such important words of wisdom that may have profoundly changed me. Thank You.

Parting Thoughts Part 2:
Sometimes eating some humble pie is vital to your personal growth.
I'm leaving for Indiana in about 2 hours.
I'll be spending my birthday in the Hoosier State.
I really should be sleeping right now.
If you've read this blog, wish me a safe flight.
Maybe I'll finish Invisible Man on the plane.
After all, I am going to Chicago first to connect to another flight.
Ugh.

Oh Yeah,
Time Warner, NewsCorp, and The Walt Disney Company runs the United States.
Check it out for yourself.
Peace.