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JAB'S Frisbie Middle School Keynote Speech |
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As part of the Summer Accelerated Math Academy Program at Frisbie Middle School in Rialto, California, 30 Bright Black Boys were given a 3 week course (July, 2006) in algebra (and manhood). My contributions included eight articles entitled: "Mathematicsâ€"An African History and Contribution to The Planet" (jablifeskills.com). At the closing ceremony on July 28, 2006, I expressed my sincere appreciation to these Legacy Scholar Boys and to the Legacy Roundtable Collaborative (LRC) program for selecting me to be their keynote speaker. The speech itself was less involved than is presented in the articles to follow. Before the speech began we paused to honor out ancestors, particularly those of Ancient Africa, for teaching us how to think and live (as discussed in my book Echoes of Ancient African Values and Common Sense Inside African Tradition). I informed the boys that any problems they had could be solved through the system of common sense established by Ancient Africans. Next, we paused to honor our African American Slave ancestors who showed us how to endure through the worst of earthly hell.
Speech theme: Mathematics is an absolutely essential tool for every stepping stone along the way to successfully reaching one's destination in life. Explanations: smart people, with respect to a two-sided balance scale, think outside the box by exploring seven different worlds of math. First, Math of the Equal Sign (i.e. regular math) concerns the various counting methods invented by Primitive (the first) Africans as well as the abstract math (e.g. fractions) devised by Ancient Africans. Here, a two-sided scale is balanced by things of like kind (apples and apples). Second is Math of Complementary Opposites. Yin/Yang symbolizes the two forces of Ch'iâ€"the vital forces of energy and matterâ€"of which humans and all phenomena are formed. The Yin/Yang (homeostatic) balance stays the same by using contrasting pairs to illustrate the universal flux inside all cosmic "beings" (Bailey, Afrocentric English and Critical Thinking pii). Third is Math of Complementary Equalsâ€"e.g. your left and right hands; or applying your right brain and left brain activities to "right" decision making and problem solving. Fourth is Math of Un-like Planes of Existence. Though both were necessary, Ancient Africans placed more weight on things of worth (e.g. love in action) than on things of value (e.g. material possessions).
Fifth, Math of Man-Made Choices are present on each side of the balance scale. They pertain to one's philosophy of lifeâ€"those concerning good or bad consequences to oneself and/or others. Good Earthly examples: being fair and honorable to all involved; discovering, developing, and finding a niche for your secret dream and talent; doing "Win-Win"â€"climbing to your destination in life while lifting others; making family and career excellence routine; working hard and playing hard; and spreading love, harmony, and peace. An African Spiritual example: On Judgment Day, if the heart of the deceased balanced Ma'at's feather of Truth, the deceased could make the choice to go through the Amenta-- the domain of the intermediate life of the soul. To get passed all the journey obstacles the Book of Life was custom-designed to instruct the deceased to say and do the proper things in its journey through to the field of reedsâ€"the eternal life. If the scale was unbalanced by "too much or too little" then the deceased heart (life) would be eaten by Am-Mut, the monster devourer of the dead. Such African mythology, says African Tradition, is not a tale or story but rather a revelation to the African sages.
Sixth, Math of the Natural Unequal Sign is represented by each individual's unique birth gifts and by geographical parts of nature. For example, when Africans began human life of at least 160,000 years ago, it was during the Ice Age. But because Africa was crossed by the equator, the sun fashioned a paradise African climate and an abundance ("much") of food. Thus, they could cultivate expert social, intellectual, spiritual, and technological skills. By contrast, the Ice Age for northern Europeans generated a life of scarcity ("too little"). Personal experience with the "much"/ "little" natural law of living is that I must "do a mile of hard work to make an inch of progress"â€"and do this every day in order to reach my destination. Seventh, Math of the Unfair, Unequal Sign will be discussed separately (also see Bailey, Anger In Black Americans).
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