The Manrilla Blog | Life. Art. Religion. Culture.

Thanks for the pictures, Käri. I’m glad that you, Pete and myself had a chance to hang out before I left. I can’t believe that I left, in a way. I also can’t believe that I went back, either. But, anyway, thanks for the pics. I’ll talk to you guys soon. (Damn, I’m tall!…)

I made it down to the masjid on 15th Street and Catharine this evening. I remember when I came here in June of 2002, I was really impressed as to how Islam had penetrated the Black community here. I mean, these folks are really Muslim. And even for those who aren’t Muslim you can see how familiar they are with it. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. So tonight, I sat with a man who works for Kenny Gamble’s Universal Companies. We sat and talked about how Islam has come through the community. He’s originally from New York, Harlem. As a child he saw Malcolm X speaking on a soap box in Harlem. He was there when Father Divine and that whole lot were there. The Nation of Islam. The Dar al-Islam movement. We talked of the many movements that have come and gone through the Black community. It tied together wonderfully with many of the things I’ve been reading in Professor Jackson’s book, Islam and the Blackamerican. I like the down-home feeling that that place has. I look forward to many more evening chats down there.

NPR blows. It’s such bullshit, in my opinion. It’s like some sort of intellectual masterbation. I say this as one who used to broadcast for an NPR affiliate station. I used to have to listen to the news feeds as well as the program feeds on the weekend. Fluff. It’s all fluff. Read more this entry »

Man. What a couple of days. All in all, I racked up 1,200 miles all the way from Madison to Philly. That does include going from Madison to Chicago, back to Madison, back through Chicago and then on to Ann Arbor, where my parents live. I am t-i-r-e-d.

Even though it was brief I did get a chance to see my parents, which was really nice. I also had a chance to have breakfast with Naeem as well as coffee with Abdou. I wish I had more time to see a few other people but maybe I’ll get back there in a month or two.

I just dragged the last of my stuff out of the rental car. I have to return it in a few hours. I think tomorrow will be a nice, chill day of rest and relaxation.