Roll Call..Yates, Jones, Worthing, BTW, Sterling, Madison, Wheatley, Austin, Davis..
Now that the holidays are over, parade season is in full effect. In the fall, there was a rumor that several of the predominantly black high school bands were protesting and not participating in the MLK parades due to lack of unity by both MLK Foundations. I agree that both foundations need to get the chip off their shoulders and unite as one to celebrate the legacy of a man who stood for unity not division.
Is the rumor true? If so, justify the protest.
Your words..be honest
Turner
Replies
Sounds to me that it's really not a protest more than just taking a stand for what the man, Dr. King, stood for!!! UNITY for all people, and truth be told, I think you already justified it in your statement!!! Good for those groups if they really stick to their guns!!!! The holiday SHOULD mean more than just parades, BOTB's and trying to blow each other out!!!! Hell, the parades and BOTB's are just money makers for somebody!!!! To quote a famous line from Dr. King himself...."Is this it??? Is this what I got all those ass-whoopings for??" Boondocks....ROTK.....my $.02
Davis is not going .. nor is Wheatley. The wild Cat band will be in Mississippi ...from what I know... I can not speak for the rest because i dont know for sure.. so yeah.. Davis did not do it last year or the year befor... so when they get they stuff togethere.... we will think about going again..... BUT I LIKE( THE FOUNDATION BUILDERS) COMMENT...LOL...so true....
so this is my $.02 cents.
this started back in 1995 when i was in the band at Worthing...two people from the same foudation had a big fall out about something that was so simple...on decided to go another way and started a new foundation....our band director was getting attention from both sides on who to march for...we damn near didnt march for nobody...he decided to go with the original people...this has been going too long...as far as the protest,,,,idk
I feel why some bands are not participating in some of these events. Especially after what happened last year. Some bands felt like they were cheated...some actually were because of their status and where they come from. I say the old one needs to die off before really, i dont even enjoy that one anymore. All the sponcerships and donations they receive now, the battle is at Butler!??!?! I understand that Delmar is getting new terf this month. but there are way nicer stadiums than that. and as far as judges, prizes for the bands, and how the bands are handed by the officals....no comment.
There is usually true competition though, not going to lie, especially within the medium and small sized bands. Milby, Davis, Westbury, Worthing are among a few that have greatly come up lately.
but something i would like to touch up on. i can tell some bands just flat out do not want to do it at all. What about the kids though? some of them look forward to this event, sometimes just to see the other bands, especially the out of town bands that come in kicking ass. I really hate the idea of taking that away from the students. If you feel like they cant hang with the other bands, maybe you are doing something wrong with your program(not directed towards any director) but i know the kids want the oppurtunity to perform because this is what they love to do. some may not like practice but love to be apart of the program. Show these kids that practice will help them win! 1st,2nd,3rd...it dont matter. if them kids come back and they achomplished something, their confidence level goes up big time...by not taking them....what is that even showing them??? Lost so many years in a row, just give up on the whole annual event? Most people i know on here know that i attended Royal. We have been a show band since summer of 2003. Out of the 15-16 BOTB that we have been in, we have placed in 9 of them as a band, not even including what the DMs, Drummers and the dancers n all of the got. We busted our ass to come up that quick. I cannot vouch for my old band now because i have rarely seen them but hopefully they keep that level of confidence and musicianship going.
my 2 cents....
What you're saying is true!!! I agree that it can be motivating to some kids to do better to get better!!! BUT...there are other venues and events you can compete @ to "Do better to get better!!" This particular event should be able to have everything Dr. King wanted to see if he could see the future....UNITY!!!! United parade, band competition, and everything else...Bottom line, we can march and dance til pigs drive Range Rovers, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!!! You don't have two Thanksgiving, Veteran's, or Christmas Parades....so why on the day that's suppose to celebrate a dream of unity and peace, you have two seperate Martin Luther King Parades???? For real....seriously....To quote a famous line from Dr. King himself.......................
"I had a dream once. It was a dream that little black boys and little black girls would drink from the river of prosperity, freed from the thirst of oppression. But lo and behold, some four decades later, what have I found but a bunch of trifling, shiftless, good-for-nothing niggers? And I know some of you don't want to hear me say that word. It's the ugliest word in the English language, but that's what I see now: niggers. And you don't want to be a nigger, 'cause niggers are living contradictions! Niggers are full of unfulfilled ambitions! Niggers wax and wane, niggers love to complain! Niggers love to hear themselves talk but hate to explain! Niggers love being another man's judge and jury! Niggers procrastinate until it's time to worry! Niggers love to be late, niggers hate to hurry!"
The sad part of this speech is how true it is in every sense of the word!!! Of course it was funny, but once you get past the funny part, look at the true meaning of what's being said!!! In these words is the real reason why there is division in our community!!! You said why take that away from the kids?? I say, our problem is we would rather do all of the playing, and yanking, instead of doing what's right!!!! I say stand for what Dr. King believed in!!!! That's far more important than any parade or BOTB's competition!!! To quote another famous poet...Cee-Lo "You ain't a nigger cuz you black, you're nigger cuz of how you act." My $.83.........
so who goin to which BOTB..........im confused....
man there is two parades and now two BOTB. Next saturday is the Youth Parade, All American MLK BOTB and then the normal BOTB and then the Grand Parade on Monday
BigDawgBatonRouge said:
which BOTB is everyone gonna be at???
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