ONE VOICE

The Sound of Freedom! It is time to demolish the prison industrial complex.  Yes let's put an end to mass incarceration in this nation. It's time to take down the institution of racism. It is time to bring down the empire! It is time to usher in a whole New world! Let Freedom reign! WE ARE THE REVOLUTION! IT'S A LOVE REVOLUTION!!! :D

"All of our lives, we have fought this war. Tonight I believe we can end it. Tonight is not an accident. There are no accidents. We have not come here by chance. I do not believe in chance. When I see three objectives, three captains, three ships. I do not see coincidence, I see providence. I see purpose. I believe it our fate to be here. It is our destiny. I believe this night holds for each and every one of us, the very meaning of our lives... This is a war and we are soldiers. Death can come for us at any time, in any place... Now consider the alternative. What if I am right? What if the prophecy is true? What if tomorrow the war could be over? Isn't that worth fighting for? Isn't that worth dying for? "~Morpheus, The Matrix.

Dear UCSB, UC Students, Professors, Activists, Revolutionaries, Believers, Prayer Warriors, Worshippers, Dreamers and Everybody else,

Hey! I'd like to invite you to a very special night... ONE VOICE ~ A Night of Unity this Saturday, May 17th (tonight) at 7pm at the UCSB Storke Plaza. I've made some really bold claims in the introduction of this post, well it's ABOUT TIME! This is year 5774 on the Hebrew calender which coincides with the UC school 2013-2014 year, and do you know what time it is? It's time for BOLD MOVES and BIG IDEAS. It's a year marked by lots of collaboration, lots of activism and lots of CHANGE!

"Today I feel tremors of a volcanic spirit starting to build around the world, to the cry: “Another World is Possible.”...”I wonder, if somewhere between the opposing forces of spirituality and activism, between the inner and the outer, lies a Power that’s waiting to be released...“In that convergence of spiritual people becoming active and active people becoming spiritual that the whole of humanity shall arise.” ~ Fierce Light, When Spirit Meets Action.

This a Call for Greatness 2014!! =D

"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation."~ Mandela.

If it was possible to end the institution of racism this year wouldn't you want to be part of it? Well this is going to be a Great year for those who say Yes! This year is really significant on God's calendar coz it's the year of the open door! God is a God of Love and Justice and is all about changing the world and empowering those who have the same desire. Ok it doesn't matter if you believe that or not but I have the faith and our common struggle unites us. For huge problems such as mass incarceration, a holistic approach is necessary ... we need to work together and use all sorts of weapons to take down the empire... and I have GOOD NEWS! I have a friend in a very high place who wants to help us take down this monster. I'm from Kenya and this year is our year of Jubilee: "This fiftieth year is sacred—it is a time of Freedom and of Celebration when everyone will receive back their original property, and slaves will return home to their families."(Leviticus 25:10) When it comes to racism it's hard to think that it would come to an end coz of the issue of land and wealth allocation... but that's a God- problem... and He wants to even tackle that... but first let's focus on freedom for those in modern day slavery in American prisons... So this is what God wants us to do.... SING PRAISES! Hahaha I'm not joking though...

History Lesson: Real Identity and Midnight Hour

Ok let's back up... why does God want to solve this problem? and why now? So you see, if you've ever read the Bible God does crazy things to free his people the Israelites ... but today when we think 'Jewish' we think religion, tradition and white people. But there are 12 tribes of Israel which were scattered throughout the world and lots of migration and intermarrying... so it's more of a bloodline thing so I won't be surprised if there's Hebrew people within all ethnic groups. I don't know everything but through my experiences at UCSB (my classes and interactions with different people) and in my family, God has revealed to me that there's Hebrew blood within the following communities (I'm not saying everyone but some people) : blacks, whites, latinos (tribe of Judah, Ephraim, Benjamin respectively). Judah means Praise. I don't want to go into all the details coz the point wasn't to lecture you so you can read this post if you're interested: REAL Identity. So anyway during the end times, the dry bones (scattered people of Israel who've lost hope in God) are revived, they unite and form an army in preparation for a whole new world... an army that will break all chains of oppresion. In the end times (end of the age) God brings freedom and restoration to his people... yes even restoration of fortunes. K cool, back to application... 

DESTINATION SB: SPRING INTO DESTINY! SING A NEW SONG!!

Why Cali? Why SB? California is special, it's a pioneer state. California has birthed many movements such as: The Black Panthers, The Hippie movement, and Christian movements such as: The Azusa Street Revival, Kathryn Kulman's healing ministry, The Jesus movement, The Catholic Renewal etc (California Generals website). Let us also zoom into Santa Barbara, "Santa Barbara is crucial for California and California is crucial for the world…"-Lou Engle, spiritual father to the Prayer Movement and founder of The Call (source: SB House of Prayer website) "UCSB is the center for the study of race in the West Coast if not the nation... There's no place better and stronger and more radical in the United States... The very institution that would be at the center of the study of race, the radical interrogation of race would be the place where you have most movements... I don't think its an accident that at the institution center of race you have black students making change. The students are more visionary and radical."- Robin D. G. Kelley (At The Mcc's Final event in the Race Matter Series in Winter 2014) And you probably have heard about the demands that UCSB BSU put forth, well you haven't hear you go BSU Demands Institutional Change,  and over the summer Coalition of Justice SB was formed and they successfully organized a march and other actions on campus, also the Student Worker Coalition also had a great victory this year after lots of organizing, coalition-building and the UC-wide worker's strikes. Here are some videos I made that capture some of this history:

So now to seal the deal, and end the year with a bang another convergence needs to happen... where spirituality meets activism and that's where I come in... So my gift is that I can see the bigger picture -the future, the deeper picture ~there's another level to the struggle... the roots, and roots are spiritual not material... you can't touch stuff like greed and fear... so from my background and understanding of spiritual warfare the weapons you use to fight these is music- praising God (Praise is super-powerful coz the enemy's goal of oppressing us is to keep us from knowing God's love for us and His power over our circumstances, and also who we are in God- royalty! we have authority!), prayer (asking and believing God to do the impossible) and love (forgiving those who have wronged us, also loving people so much that you tell them the truth). Anyway, I am not asking you to do any of these. We all come from different backgrounds and we all have different gifts. What I'm asking from you is simply to come together for one night. You don't have to have the faith, I have enough faith for all of us so let's just get together.

So why is this so urgent? Let's do it for the people, and also for our own freedom as perfect love drives out fear. Things are changing in this world, the darkness is thicker than what we see. The forces of evil has wicked plans for humanity in this hour and the deception and oppression will only increase, but we are not powerless, we can fight back and with God on our side we have the victory! "Believe me when I say we have a difficult time ahead of us. But if we are to be prepared for it, we must first shed our fear of it. I stand here, before you now, truthfully unafraid. Why? Because I believe something you do not? No, I stand here without fear because I remember. I remember that I am here not because of the path that lies before me but because of the path that lies behind me. I remember that for 100 years we have fought these machines. I remember that for 100 years they have sent their armies to destroy us, and after a century of war I remember that which matters most... We are still here! Today, let us send a message to that army. TOnight, let us shake this cave. Tonight, let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone, let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember, THIS IS ZION AND WE ARE NOT AFRAID!" ~Morpheus.

So let's unite and sing a new song! All you have to do is show up. My work is to gather you, God promised me that when you show up (people who are hungry for change) He will show us His glory. I know all this sounds crazy but something similar has happened before here in California (William Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival) -- there were crazy healing miracles like arms growing out to stubborn racist hearts being humbled but this year it will be greater coz the very foundations of the earth will shake to open the prison doors bringing freedom to the captives. "For Moses, I part the waters but for you I will split rock."~The Bible series ~> In Joshua and the battle of Jericho - all they had to do is march around the city, shout and blow trumpets then God made the walls of Jericho fall down. Have you been feeling the many small earthquakes we've had around Spring Break? Around the same time there was a movement going on called "One Love" on different college campuses in California to unite people in worship. Also, it's not a coincidence that black power week fell during passover week (when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt but God sent Moses to call out Pharoah to let them go and he was like No so God sent a series of plagues and at the last plague -the death of the Egyptian firstborn sons the Israelites were to smear lamb's blood on the doors so the angel of death passed over their houses and spared them from the plague. Then the Israelites were to be prepared for their Exodus (freedom from slavery) and it is not also a coincidence that that same week was the blood moon prophesied in Joel 2 as a sign in the heavens before the day of the LORD. And California is now expecting a huge earthquake. So let's shut this thing down shall we? ""Come, come, children, rally around, and maybe together we can make a sound that will shake the trees or rattle the ground,make strong our knees, we’s freedom bound...Reclaim the crown. Hold onto the prize, never put it down. Be firm in the stance, no break, no bow, got to forward on, Mama, make your move now. Forward on, Papa, make your move now. Forward, dear children, ’cuz FREEDOM IS NOW."~Sunni Patterson.

So once again, it's tonight at 7pm. If you can't make it at 7pm you can come at 9pm that's when we'll have food and a concert by Thaddeus Brown and Chris Baylon who are both UCSB alum, here's some of their work: 

 

If you don't come at all. At least you now know why I am here. Just wanna give back before I finally leave this place after this quarter (oh and the other reason was friendship so let's hang out before I leave!) God bless! Peace and love! =)