As a lay mental health street worker, I was inundated today at my Academy of da Corner, Berkeley flea market. I was scheduled to attend the Bay Area Book Fair in Berkeley, but the Holy Spirit told me to go to the Ashby Flea Market. The Spirit told me to forget the money I possibly would have made at the Book Fair and set up shop at the Flea Market. After all, the last two days at my Academy of da Corner Lakeshore, my Angel had blessed all those who stopped by and wanted to purchase my latest book but didn't have money. Due to gentrification, the Berkeley Flea Market is bleak these days so when I arrived there were many vacant stalls. No matter, I set up shop, more so because I was very upset with white people for their banning of my friend from Facebook, Minister Farrakhan, as many North American Africans are as I write. My day began with a young man who had been given my books by a 93 year old Professor emeritus, Dr. Stillman, in Sacramento. The young man was honored and humbled to be in my presence. He had come to the Flea market on another mission but was overwhelmed to meet me. As we talked, a black conscious white boy arrived that I call John Brown. I believe he was once a white supremacist but had somehow been converted to a essentially a "black supremacist" in a positive way. He has studied Black culture and philosophy and was sincerely trying to recover from racist white supremacist notions of history and reality. He shared his knowledge with the younger and less informed black brother. He even purchased one of Drs. Nathan and Julia Hare's books for the young man. His acts of kindness deflated my anger at White people. No matter how angry I was, he showed me there is hope for white people. He departed when a sister arrived with mental health issues herself and a severely mentally ill son suffering from situational disorders as Fanon, Hare and others have noted. The mother bemoaned that her son was not the son she knew and she felt helpless. A short time later another sister arrived and when I asked about her mother's health, proceeded to tell me about the mental state of her sister and niece suffering manic-depression. She noted their situation was complicated by homelessness partly the result of gentrification. Enough. I departed the Flea Market but not before purchasing three pies from the Nation of Islam brothers, and I don't eat very many sweets, but I wanted to support the NOI.
--Marvin X
5/4/19![]()
