When I was in 4th grade, the town I lived in built a new elementary school. It was named after Ella C. Pittman. I, as a soon-to-be 5th grader, was not happy. It seems that the school "powers" decided that the mascot for Pittman Elementary would be the Pandas.
I was not happy.
Pandas seemed like a pretty childish mascot. Why not, Panthers or some other cool mascot? I couldn't find any pro teams in any sport that were Pandas. I was pissed and offended.
So I did what any 4th grader would do when the world wasn't going right. I complained to my mom.
My mom, on the other hand, did something amazing. She took me to K&B and purchased me a notebook and 2 pens.
She said if my friends and I had a problem with Pandas, we should collect the signatures of all those who agreed with us and give them to the principal. Maybe they would change their minds.
I still remember sitting in the principal office, with my over-weight white friend Brian Hicks, as I laid out my issues and handed her our notebook of signatures. I remember her being very nice as she took my notebook and said that she and the others would think about changing the mascot.
Needless to say, 40 years later, the mascot is still the Pandas, and as I looked over the school website, they now even have the kids wearing uniforms. Fortunately, I was gone by the time they added that. My 4th-grade brain would have exploded.
Of course, the lesson here is obvious. The Pittman principal then, like Ron DeSantis now, doesn't really care what kids think. They have their own agenda and their minds are made up.
Brian and I should have burned the school down.
But some good things are going on.
My friend Michel Moore is about to film her first movie. They are making her 2008 book Sloppy Seconds into a made-for-TV movie on Tubi. I actually helped with the ending when she was writing the script a few weeks ago. I didn't do enough for a SAG card so I'm not on strike. She also has her annual Hustle and Grind event going on next month. It's one of the largest Black literary conventions in the country. Myself and some friends of mine are talking about going but uber-talented people aren't good for my ego!
Speaking of talent, my son-in-law, has an Etsy store where he sells a bunch of crazy-looking AI art he has created. You can check it out.
Shecue and I are looking at buying some businesses. We bought an Instagram account earlier this year so I guess we are now hooked on owning some of these small new media companies. You would be surprised by what people are doing with these social media accounts. Shecue, of course, is looking at real estate but that seems a bit pedestrian to me. So if you know someone selling something interesting, let me know.
Travis is sticking chips into $600 coats and putting them on the blockchain. And no, I don't understand any of it.
What I do know is that it's probably better to be anti-racist, not give a fuck who people have sex with, allow people to read what they want, and stay away from the fascists-lite agenda. Yeah, Biden is too old, but if Florida is the future we should consider treating it like an elementary school.
I'm done.
Hang in.
More next month.
Prince
