The day may come when I misnumber one of these roman numeral titled entries. To some, today’s heading may also signify that the content of this entry will by racy in some way, and they may be disappointed unless they find math or philosophy tantalizing. Today, we officially transferred power to a new President, hopefully turning over a new leaf on the direction we’re heading. But I truly believe that true power lies with the people, but we the people have to recognize the power that we have.

For several minutes there, I was worried that I wasn’t gonna get my writing in today. My computer is running slower and slower these days… it’s a real drag… do you see what I did there?

So everybody is waiting on noon tomorrow, if we’ve learned anything this year, this past week, every single day, it’s that we can’t take anything for granted. We can’t take for granted the people that we have in our life, our health, our job security, time, and of course our very lives. So hopefully we take a new found appreciation for all that we have and make the most of the time we have left.

Something that’s been on my mind lately is the question of, how much am I holding back? If we are honest with ourselves, most of us know that we have an extra 10% of effort that we’re not putting in. If we’re extra honest, the truth is the percentage that we’re not putting in may be way bigger. The effort that I’m referring to is in pursuit of what it is we say we really want, our hopes and dreams. My mantra for the year is “Show Up.”

“A Revolutionary Start” the poem I wrote and was awarded the grand prize for when I was 17 years old, revisited for the first time in years:

I’m not a poet.

But What I say comes from my heart.

It may not be enough, I know,

But I know that it’s a start.

I’m not a poet,

Because I can’t put my heart into words.

Who am I?

I’m Alec Stephens III.

And in case you didn’t know,

Total Freedom are my words.

All this talk about “keep the dream alive?”

Well you better first revive.

Because these are the days that we struggle to survive.

And while King’s Dream dies,

The American Nightmare thrives.

But what is “the dream?”

You seem to know,

Or so you’d like it to seem.

I try to be kind to everybody, because that’s what I do,

But let me ask,

What happens when you see me and my multicultural crew?

What? You don’t remember? You caught that amnesia flu?

Well I have a good memory.

I’ll help, I’ll remind you.

Often times you ignore me,

When five times I greet you.

Do you consider me a threat?

Or just inferior to you?

How would I know?

You never gave me a clue.

Do you think this entertainer is just happy and content?

Im not, and I’ll remain unsatisfied until the day I can repent.

I had wild younger days,

My mind was often in a daze.

Reminiscing on my wasted years,

I have my dreams when I’m asleep,

When I’m awake I have my fears.

I don’t claim to be rapper,

I don’t claim to be a writer.

But I’ll tell you one thing,

I’m a lover and a fighter.

I entertain to ease my pain.

I bring the drama, so I don’t bring the tears.

You don’t want to see me cry,

Because then you’d know why.

The tears of a clown pour down,

When there’s nobody around.

But let me come back here to this thing,

This honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Far more important than his dream,

Were his words to “Let Freedom Ring.”

Now, instead of Civil Rights.

We’re plagued with constant gun fights.

It’s some cold hard days in the battle for human rights.

Oh, don’t be fooled, it’s bigger than blacks and whites.

There are grays and greens and blues,

There are beautiful days after stormy nights.

Let’s find the truth.

Let’s do what’s right.

Let’s make the Sun come up,

On this hard day’s night.

All you have to do,

To make the Dream grow.

When you pass me or anybody,

Be sure to say, “hello.”

I know it’s not enough.

Like I said in the beginning.

But you do your part,

And I’ll do my part,

And what we’ll have,

Is a Revolutionary Start.

Reflecting on this piece all these years later, it’s amazing to me how relevant it still feels to me now. We elect a new President on Wednesday, let us remember that we are just getting started with the work that needs to be done. We can simultaneuosly celebrate the historic election of the first Black BIPOC Woman as Vice President. We can celebrate, and keep pushing the conversation forward.

Revisiting past versions of ourselves is like time traveling. Let me clarify. Tomorrow is Dr. Martin Luther King Day, the day we honor the life of Dr. King who was born on January 15th. The holiday was officially established in 1983, 15 years after his assassination in 1968. The elementary school I attended from kindergarten to 2nd grade was Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Seattle, Washington. For historical context, my father integrated Miami Beach High School, and went to a middle school in Miami named after an earlier influential black leader, Booker T Washington Junior High. So I’m of the generation that came after. My generation came after the Panthers who were active from the late 60s-mid 70s. I grew up with hip hop.

In March of 2008 I was in my senior year at Virginia Commonwealth University, and we were in the middle of an intense primary, between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards, with Edwards starting to fade and Barrack Obama gaining momentum. I was an early believer in the Candidacy of Barrack Obama for President ahead of my parents and mentors, and part of the magic of the moment was how Obama was able to capture the imagination of the youth, and how his campaign utilized the youthful insight to incorporate social media and grassroots organizing into the campaign strategy. I volunteered, I made phone calls, I worked with the young Democrats at VCU, and sometime around March of 2008 Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama visited our school, and I got to look the future President in the eyes, and shake his hand.

Then in January 2009, my brother and one of our mutual friends visited me in New York, and the three of us went down to DC for the Inauguration and were on the National Mall, near the Washington Monument among the throngs of people who showed up to witness history in the making. I wore the shirts, I loved the “Yes We Can” slogan, and I knew from the moment I looked into his eyes and shook his hand that President Barrack Obama was a good man.

… we can do better. Or let me rephrase that, we, the people striving to be our best selves, are doing and will be all right. However, as a nation? We have a justice system that does not work anywhere near the same for all people, not even close. Then, on top of the systemic problems that lead to the system not working, or working in a nefarious way, profiting off of the suffering of marginalized people, there are, and have always been laws that make absolutely no sense.

Fourteen days into the new year, and I don’t think it’s presumptuous for me to think that it feels like a long year already for a lot of us. We’ve probably heard and said “unprecedented” more in the past 12 months than we have in the last decade, because these are the times that we’re in. It’s not important to remember in uncertain times, that things can go up from here. Things can always take a turn for the worse, but there’s no use in worrying about uncertain futures. Be prepared for change, but focus on being the light, how can the world change for the better if we only focus on the lack.

The vaccine is coming, relief is coming, and the importance of community has become abundantly clear. Things will get better if we do better. So let’s do better, together.

Sometimes you gotta be silly. There’s a lot going on in the world, a lot of uncertainty, the pandemic, the not at all smooth transition of power. And also, we are just specks of dust in the infinite ocean of time and space. It’s funny if you think about it… or terrifying, but it is what it is. So while you’re fighting the good fight, or pursuing the big goal, don’t forget to laugh, it’s good for your soul.

“You’d better tell… your story fast. Because if you lie…it will come to pass.” Stevie Wonder - Jesus Children Of America

Stevie Wonder has so many great songs, I’d be hard pressed to say which one is my personal favorite, but that one is way up there, and has a stickiness that I can’t shake. It is both a call to action and a warning. “Are you hearing what your (He’s) saying? Are you feeling, what your praying? Are you hearing, praying, feeling what you say inside?” I had to double check the lyrics, it’s actually "hearing what He’s saying” but I also think it’s important to ask ourselves, are we hearing what we’re saying, and is it the truth?

Tell your story fast. Don’t rush it, but we cannot wait. Your story is your life and it will pass us by, so it’s all about making the most of it while we’re here. In a Master Class today with Ruben Santiago Hudson, one of the great storytellers I’m glad I’ve been able to learn from, somebody said storytelling is identity formation.

Feedom.

“Someday We’ll All Be Free” -Donny Hathaway. “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Land of the free… but not me… not… me…. not, meeee.” -Our false national narrative called out by the great Butterfly AKA Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces and Digable Planets fame.

It has also been said many times, “with freedom, comes responsibility.” In this country we have the idea of free speech, but free speech doesn’t mean that you can say anything and expect there to be no consequences. And we mostly agree that threatening violence towards people is unacceptable, and that we should be held accountable for what we do and say. It was also never promised that when we use platforms to sow fear, hatred and discord amongst the population, that those platforms who promise to serve the greater population would have to allow people abusing those platforms to be able to continue their abusive use.

Twenty Days of writing in this blog daily, and about 5 months of writing a new play with The Shelter, and we are 10 days into 2021. This will be the second night of having an additional house guest, Demi, a Yorkie who is less that 1/4 the size of our other two dogs who are not large dogs either at 19 and 27 pounds each. And we’re all adjusting to each other pretty nicely. Demi the Yorkie ended up being fostered by us because the people who were supposed to pick her up didn’t show up, and some friends of ours who work with the rescue group, Waldo’s Rescue Pen, knew that we were in the area and asked if we could help. We love dogs.

So on this 20th day of this 100 day blog, I’m bringing you an entry about the rescue of a little dog named Demi. If you are interested in her, or any of the other dogs available to adopt, check out Waldo’s or any of the many dog rescue’s around New York. Both of our other dogs are rescues, and Fozzy and Arya are great dogs, the best. Being the best doesn’t mean have to diminish others, in fact what it can do is raise the bar for what we think is possible. So let us be the best. I want to show up better, and become known as the great storyteller. Who will you be?

In these winter months it’s easy to find ourselves moving slower, still being low energy even when we get plenty of sleep. That is absolutely okay. At my Uncle Jibril’s funeral, he was a jazz trumpet player who connected me with my family tradition at my Grandfather’s funeral, I met Scratch AKA Sensei, who grew up with my Uncle and Dad in Overtown, Miami. Scratch got his nickname because he would cary a record player around with him and could get the vibe going anywhere, he was ahead of his time. He was also called sensei, because he was a wise street philosopher and chess-master, and we hit it off immediately, although we had a pretty heated chess match. It was all respect.

The stories we tell about ourselves, help us define who we are and where we fit in the world. If we don’t share our stories, the stories of who we think we believe we are, sometimes we get caught up and believe that the story that was told about us is who we are. People live entire lives, frustrated and unhappy because they’re unsuccessful at trying to be somebody they couldn’t possibly be. We aren’t all called to do the same thing. We have different likes and dislikes, perspectives, tastes, and ideologies, but when people start to believe that their way of life is the only way, and everybody else’s views are invalid or wrong, they find themselves telling a story about the world that is almost completely unhinged from reality.

We need each others perspectives to be able to better understand this thing called life. Innovation and creation never happen through one person alone, and when the rain falls it doesn’t fall on one person’s house. Damage has beed done, and the house was already built upon a faulty foundation

I know that watching the news reports won’t help me change the world. Yet I’ve found myself more glued to the screen over the past 24+ hours than I want to be, and yesterday I was feeling pretty down in the dumps by the evening time. I forced myself to go to the dojo for a couple of hours, and I felt much better after some hard physical/mental work.

And today has been up and down, what we witnessed yesterday is going to have historical ramifications. There have been many different marches over the years, many historical events, on the National Mall Dr. King gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech as the headline of the March On Washington, but yesterday was privilege on parade and cowardice on display.

The events of today reveal once again, the many contradictions of this so called land of the free.

The irony is that this administration, and this disgrace of a president, spout off about the “rule of law.” The application of the law clearly doesn’t apply to everybody equally, so we need to change the laws, and challenge the system. But this is nothing new. This is what some of us have been dealing with the whole time. This is just out in the open instead of behind closed doors.

This is going to be brief tonight, and I know this is a late edition. Just know that especially now, the work that we are called to do, the contributions that we are here to make, matter. Let us protect our mental, and spiritual health, and keep building the world and lives of our dreams. You are valuable. Don’t let the terrorists win, by pulling your eyes off the prize. We shall overcome.

What if the well runs dry?

We who have access to clean water should remember to add that to the gratitude lists we’ve started in 2021. It’s been said that toasting with water is bad luck. I’m not the most superstitious person in the world, but I’ve been known to knock on wood, and throw some salt over my shoulder from time to time, I’m not taking any chances! Better safe than sorry! That said, water is probably our most valuable resource, after time. So how could toasting to something so precious ever be considered bad luck? May we all have access to clean water, and let us support those organizations and people that are doing the work of getting it to those without.

When we do have it, when our well isn’t dry, may we drink from it. It doesn’t serve anybody to not use the resources that we have.

If you’ve been on this journey with me for the past 14 days, then you know that part of this blog is about consistent writing, every day, for 100 days. And that is to strengthen myself as a writer, but to also sharpen myself up and be a more consistent person in general. I have struggled at times with the consistency of shipping out Bushwick Variety Show podcast episodes, something that was going well for a good part of 2020, but ended up falling off of towards the end. But 2020 is over, and we have the opportunity to start a new year, and turn over a new leaf, if we choose to.

So this late edition of this untitled but Roman numeral numbered blog is brought to you by episode 120 of the Bushwick Variety Show podcast which features the band, No Grudges. We can’t change the past, but while it defines us, it doesn’t have to confine our minds to limited beliefs. Let us mourn for what was lost, celebrate what we’ve learned and gained, and stay optimistic for a better tomorrow. We can build it by letting go of grudges, both against others and ourselves, and by showing up for what we truly want and believe, with consistency.

“I’m M-A-N. I’m M….A….N! I… am…. M! A! N!”

Words of the man me an my father are named after; my Grandfather, Alec Stephens Sr. Words of a broken man, fighting to break free from his demons, assert his humanity, and reconcile what could have been, and what once was.

There is a movie called “One Night In Miami”, which dramatizes a night where Malcom X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown gathered and discussed their roles in the civil rights movement in the historical black neighborhood of Overtown, Miami. The night the movie depicts is Feburay 25, 1964, the night the man who would become Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeated Sony Liston, in what was thought of as a major upset at the time, to become the new Heavyweight Champion of the world. The depiction of these four coming together are described as a fictional account, similar to the play “The Meeting,” but what is very real is the legacy of these four black men, and the historical (and personal) importance of Overtown, Miami.

So, a year ago I stopped drinking alcohol. It was a decision a long time in the making. People that know me from the music and bar scene in New York probably knew both Alec the drinker, and Alec the guy who regularly took months off from it. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a lot of fun, but it was not without a lot of consequences, the biggest one being the time that I can’t get back. One of my favorite I Am The Third songs, “Can You Feel It,” had the lyrics,

“James Brown, funky. Sexy, yet chunky. Always been my own man, never been a flunky. Weed hella skunky, brown liquor, junkie. I be wil’in’ out man, ape sh*t, like a monkey. Tarzan man, MaryJane in my my had. People look at me, and they start to understand. I was simply born to walk the Earth as I Am, The Third I Am, The Third, I Am!”

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” -Aristotle… maybe Aristotle… well upon just a little journalistic research it turns out that that isn’t exactly an Aristotle quote, it’s more of a summation of some of his ideas by Will Durant in "The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World’s Greatest Philosophers.” The quote talks about excellence specifically not quality, but the point is: we are what we do, repeatedly.

So, who do you want to be this year? Who do you want to be a year from now? What kind of habits would that person have? To put that into practice, think about what you want in life, what kind of person you want to be, a successful writer, an actor, a film producer, a hockey player a rebel leader? You name it. Then, do the things that that person would do, and keep doing them, over, and over again. Start today, and remember that it is always today.