There are few topics other than a woman’s weight or age that can gnaw at the nerve of any one person as much as race. It is not merely an ugly step child, but it is the aborted fetus that continues to live despite our best efforts to extinguish its existence. I suspect that the reason why race is such an emotionally violent subject is because it is a conversation that cannot be discussed honestly because that would be as pleasant as opening up the kimono of a sumo wrestler. A discussion about race, specifically an honest discussion cannot be had without transparency on both sides of the fence and that means admitting that some racial generalities are in fact true and the shortcomings of the race being discussed should and can be addressed.
But nobody really wants that.
What black person do you know outright admits that as a race we’re not as ardent on the more important things in life like education. Our children think the basketball court is a classroom and the classroom a detention hall. Our celebration of fuckery is legendary. We wear our pants below our asses yet blame the white man as to why we can’t get hired for work. We make fun of a person for speaking white yet we consistently lacerate the Kings English with our Ebonics. What other race celebrates and rallies in and about stupidity as much as African Americans? We call each other niggas trying to convince people much smarter than ourselves that we’re actually de-powering the word by using it as a term of affection. The only person who would believe that is a person who would rather go to the basketball court instead of a classroom to learn something. I have many Jewish friends and I’ve never not once heard one of them call each other a kike.
Before I go on, let’s understand that we are speaking on the very mathematical intelligence of generalities. What we’ve said and what we’re going to say doesn’t apply to every biker of color but it applies to too many and that’s not debatable.
Having said that…
The issues in the African American, and to a lesser degree the Hispanic biker community, are really a reflection of the ills both cultures suffer as minorities in this country. We are aware of the deficiencies of our situations politically, culturally and economically yet we champion and encourage behaviors that accelerate our commoditization within this global humanity. For example, despite the fact hundreds and thousands of our ancestors died for us to have the right to vote, many of us are too lazy to register to vote. Too many of us adopt the rationale that “our vote doesn’t matter” yet we vote online as to whether or not B.I.G. or Tupac Shakur are better rappers. In 1804 the slaves of Haiti rebelled and became the first free black republic in the Western Hemisphere. Today with the aid of too many white faces, instead of being a major cultural point of travel, commerce and pride for blacks globally, Haiti is the poorest nation on that side of the planet.
In less articulate but equally effective words, we fuck ourselves.
Bikers of color have unfortunately mirrored the societal handicap we as people of color have largely inflicted onto ourselves and as a result, the black side of the MC tracks pales in comparison (pun intended) to the white side where for the most part the following of protocol and adhering to traditions is violently protected and respected. Black people have the Sean Diddy Combs problem where we feel the need, the obsession to remix what doesn’t need to be remixed and put our stamp on something that’s already been mailed out and delivered to the intended person. We cannot simply follow the rules because our attitude of not knowing the rules, not having the drive to know those rules stands on the spirit of us refusing to respect the culture and traditions of where those rules came from.
Years ago when I contemplated forming my own MC one of the earliest conversations I had with my founding members was, “Who wants to go with me to meet up with the OMC to present ourselves to them?” I noted that the black and Hispanic members all said, “Fuck them. No one’s going to tell me what to do” while the white members had a collective attitude of, “Well, why do we need to meet up? What will we get out of it? Is it something that could help us out?” That is a remarkable difference and one that I believe is deeply rooted in race.
Black men are disenfranchised. From slaves, to share croppers, to second class citizens to long stay residents at jails that get built faster than schools in most states, black men in this country have been targeted by institutionalized genocide by the powers that be. Yes, the powers that be can and will deny this because what they don’t realize is that their racism has become a part of them as natural as it is for them to breathe. Seeing a black man as a criminal is natural for them. Seeing a black man in handcuffs is what they expect to see on the news. The output of that expectation unfortunately is that black men have to come see and expect the same things so our drive to better ourselves has been chased by our own low expectations of our ourselves.
And we act on them.
A fellow biker pointed out something to me recently when discussing this topic and it speaks to how we as African Americans refuse to acknowledge and respect traditions and cultures because we like to think the rules don’t apply to us.
“We all know what happened when Biker Boyz came out. Every gotdamn homeboy went out and bought a bike and formed a club. Mind you, they didn’t get sanctioned or blessed in like that scene in the movie but hey. The thing is, white boys after seeing Sons of Anarchy wanted to be in MC’s too but instead of running out there and forming these bullshit pop up clubs, for the most part they did their research and joined a club that was already around. They understood they were new to this shit and they just couldn’t form a club. Not our people though. You can’t tell them shit. You want a club, so you form a club but what they don’t realize is, that ain’t no club. It’s bullshit. No respect for history, rules or nothin’”
We have so little in this country including so little self respect that when we get the opportunity to have anything, we grab it not realizing at times what we’re grabbing or how to take care of it. Too many MC Presidents are ill equipped mentally to have their positions. They have no knowledge of the history of the MC, the culture and too many of its protocols and yet they’ve placed themselves in position to lead men just as blind and ignorant as themselves. What happens is that those MC’s are exposed to true MC’s (both black and white) who do in fact love this MC life and respect it as they should and the outcome of such an encounter can be disastrous. When the Sucka MC (an MC whose members are ghost riders: ghost riders being an ignorant collection of men (or women) who know nothing about MC culture and history) doesn’t understand why wearing a three piece patch if you’re not an outlaw club is a spiritual offense to an outlaw club who has gone through the blood, sweat and tears to wear their three piece patch that is a deeply embedded cultural issue. Black men have so little in this country and when we think we have something, we will not allow anyone, including our own brother, to tell us otherwise.
The problem in that thinking is it goes against a major pillar of MC-ing. Brotherhood is not something bikers claim because we like New Jack City. Brotherhood is the bind that chains us to each other as bikers in one subset community and that subset was never meant to be governed by outsiders but rather by the authority of the community and in our case that is the local OMC. Everything, including the world of the anarchist has structure. Within that structure is a hierarchy and in the MC the top of that hierarchy is the OMC. They are the club who lives by the MC code and will or should enforce that code to anyone and every club who wants to enter this life. There are rules to every society one enters and as visitors we respect those rules and adhere to them and if we choose not to, we must suffer the consequences.That’s very logical to white bikers I know but for some reason, to too many black bikers that is an assault on their right to remix the culture.
Why don’t more black women bikers know the name Bessie Stringfield? Is it because she doesn’t have anything to do with Basketball Wives? Is it because she’s not a real housewife? Or maybe it’s because she’s not a marginally talented, self loathing pop singer who returns back to a man who embarrassed her nationally by beating the shit out of her? White bikers regard Sonny Barger as the ideal of what the American ethic and attitude. How many black bikers regard Tobie Genie Livingston that way despite the fact he is an MC pioneer when it comes to this side of the tracks. I find it personally disgusting that I know more white Outlaws who can speak on the East Bay Dragons then black bikers in the 99% MC community.
If we do not understand nor refuse to understand how many times Tobie and the Dragons had to draw their guns and earn their respect so that black bikers today could get that nod from our counterparts then why should black bikers today be held to such high regard and expected to move with the class and dignity that is bestowed upon an educated person? If you do not understand nor appreciate how many times Bessie Stringfield traveled across this segregated country on her Harley then why should women today be expected to ride as hard and as long as their male counterparts. When women put “looking cute” over their true grit in being seen and engaged as a biker by men I always wonder, “What would Bessie say?”
This is a race issue.
White female bikers have published books where they’ve discussed their role in the male dominated society. I have a book written by white Property in which she’s instructing women on how to be good property. Both books have authors who demonstrate an incredible passion and love for the history of women in the MC culture. Both books display an intense wisdom to learn and apply that learning and again, I generalize, but I have not come across that same intense wisdom on this side of the tracks outside of a very small handful of people. The history is seen as a nuisance or too stifling. It’s not sexy enough for too many of us. Perhaps if education of the MC culture came with trophy parties or bikini washes more of our people would be inspired to learn but without the fuckery of today’s MC collective, these sort of traditional learning’s and applications are too far advanced.
For example…
ABATE seminars and round panel discussions could easily pass as Tea Party locker rooms because despite the fact the group famously fights for biker’s rights, black faces are amazingly absent. We like to ride to violate the laws but given the chance to change the laws that affect us directly, we’d rather be playing basketball, video games or watching a Tyler Perry movie. Motorcycle laws do not discriminate yet we take it upon ourselves to segregate ourselves from the important events that will determine our freedoms as riders.
That’s black stupid.
We are the only people who after failing an exam will find blame with the text book as opposed to looking in the mirror and calling ourselves to task. Sucka Free MC is by no means a perfect vehicle but I take great pride in bringing to the MC masses a wealth of knowledge I’ve accumulated by my years in the community and more importantly, what I’ve been exposed to by our MC elders. The staff of Sucka Free MC and in particular myself routinely find ourselves dismissed by the people who we are discussing in this blog and regularly on our page. By dismissed I mean, “Who the fuck are they to tell us what to do?” or “He’s got sucka’s who wear the shirt so that whole Sucka Free MC thing is a fad”. At Sucka Free MC we go to great strides to research MC protocol and history and to provide an environment where people can learn, ask questions and take that knowledge back to their respective MC’s. We are a classroom and we are open enrollment. I am still stunned to hear that whenever we challenge what is currently popular in our community the staff and the Sucka Free MC movement is attacked as being a fad, or a One Percenter vehicle.
First and foremost Sucka Free MC is NOT a One Percenter vehicle. We are NOT paid or supported by any OMC to teach and enlighten the masses to MC protocol. We do recognize and respect the OMC’S as having bikers within their club who have been in the community for years and their knowledge and experience is invaluable and one that we try to share in small, edited doses to the rest of the 99% who have demonstrated an incredible ineptitude in approaching an outlaw for themselves.
Secondly how can one consider tradition a fad? That notion alone is contradictory. We do not create new rules or protocol. We champion the ones that have always been there. We do not remix the culture; instead we celebrate it, both good and bad aspects of it and where we find fault, we ask questions but never question it. We will continue to challenge contemporary behaviors that we believe are in complete contradiction with the respect and love we have for MC culture, traditions and history. Trophy parties are a time honored tradition in the MC community but when collecting trophies trumps the joy of riding we will continue to call people out for that. My white MC friends have no idea what a trophy party is. I think that alone is telling. When MC’s reward MC’s who show up in cars for “the most repped”, Sucka Free MC will NOT support that sort of fuckery and we do consider it our personal and professional mission to call it out. When the 99% refuse to understand the lessons of the MC are not to be found on Facebook or even a blog like this but in actually going out there and riding their scoots, engaging their OMC and elders in the community Sucka Free MC will continue to champion true MC values and spite the MC’s who are the specs of defecation that stain the porcelain toilets of the dirty club houses they’d rather be in as opposed to riding their motorcycles.
Instead of attacking a pure intentioned biker movement I wonder why “these so called real bikers” aren’t supporting Sucka Free MC. Let’s think about this. You won’t support Sucka Free MC ‘cause you say it’s a fad supported by sucka’s but you’re willing to give these sucka’s money by going to their trophy parties and/or whatever fuckery event they’re hosting. You won’t support Sucka Free MC ‘cause you don’t want to wear the same shirt as a person who you consider a sucka but you’re too scared to approach that person with the opportunity to enlighten them as to what real MC is all about. It almost makes me wonder who the real sucka is. (Actually I’m not wondering; I know who it is (wink & smile)
It’s not to say everything on the black side of things is wrong and everything on the other side is right. By no means am I even suggesting that but I am clear in stating I am not interested in the problems of the other side since I am not on that side of the tracks. The black side also has several things that are good and need to be celebrated. There are black OMC’s who have clung to the “old ways” with a vice like grip that would make some white outlaws cringe with respect. There have been plenty of community activated initiatives on the 99% side that have come to aid the plight of the less fortunate, most recently in the case of Hurricane Sandy. The efforts of these collective clubs were shared by OMC’s, Mom N’ Pop, mixed and gender specific clubs of color and they are to be applauded for their efforts.
The applause while deafening is exclusive for a very select few.
I’d be incomplete not to state what I think are some of the issues plaguing black MC’s are without touching on what I believe some of the solutions are. Nothing can change the cultural DNA of what makes us who and what we are and to a degree, that’s also what the problem is. I do however believe that change can happen if that person is sincerely interested in representing themselves and their club as sincere bikers.
Change in the black biker community will come through and from concentrating on three things:
History-none of us alive today or yesterday created ANYTHING. There are people before us who put it down so we can ride it up and we need to acknowledge their efforts and their actions. If we understand and respect what happened yesterday, we should take that respect in today in how we ride and present ourselves as a collective MC community.
Protocol-I’m convinced that some of you guys refuse to follow protocol because you feel it’s as if someone telling you what to do. So, let’s use a new word. ROUTINE. A routine is something you do because it’s repeated and it works for you. Try to follow the routine when it comes to practicing the values and traditions of real bikers and clubs who came before you. Try it and see the respect you get from it.
OMC-I know what you’re thinking: “Why do I need to go to my local OMC?” Again, let’s bring logic into it. The first few days at a new job don’t you find and follow direction by someone who’s been there longer so they can tell you what to do and what not to do to help you at your new job? Yes, you do and that’s a smart thing to do so, why wouldn’t you continue to be that smart in your MC life? The OMC is an organization that has been doing and living this life right. They should be able to direct you correctly. It’s that simple. Be right. Do right. Period.
Black people are not at a point in our Diaspora where we can celebrate fuckery and the black and Hispanic MC community should make note of the same. We have too many clubs who MC purists find offensive whether it’s because of their lack of respect for MC protocol or because their rags are bedazzled with gems. We have too many clubs who are being led by woefully ignorant Presidents and as a result their members are ambassadors to their fuckery. We have too many clubs who are more interested in trophy parties and collecting those trophies when they don’t realize that the ultimate trophy are the men or women who share your rags and whom you call brother or sister.
This country has a black President and it’s a shame that black MC’s, black MC presidents especially, have shown ineptitude in following the humility, grace and power of a Mr. Obama. If anything, our President has shown us that anything is possible so I will hold out in believing that we, as a black MC nation will fix ourselves and eventually come to do this MC life correctly.
Preach
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