Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous
Bio
Known as a Significant Voice in Modern Literature, a Poet of the Year, 2020 Black Author Matters Winner, 2025 Black Authors Matter Children Book Awards Nominee for his books, and International Impact Awards' Author of the Year Nominee
Stories (429)
Filter by community
2021 Civic Action Project Fellow
Democracy has never been equal. It has never been easy and without trouble. These times and like other times, we must rise above the occasions. We must stand against all the injustices in the land because our nation must repay the issues of its beginning. We cannot turn a blind eye to this discouragement of unity. The most powerful force and freedom is the right to vote. Voters choose those who govern and ultimately decide the government. When we neglect to vote, we neglect to build a government that protects and provides liberty. America enjoys its liberty in every form. For liberty, the founding fathers fought one of the world's most powerful armies dreaming of a nation that cares about its citizens. For liberty, they fought to instill principles and education into citizens so they might in turn preserve the union and happily live at peace with their neighbor. For liberty, our soldiers fought relentlessly to keep America we know and love so dearly. To undermined voting is to undermine hope. Voting relies on faith in the common good of this nation. That wrongs can be repaid with good, that each one of us has a purpose to be at peace with one another. We must set aside all divisions, punished every discrimination, and fight for every American through the will of the people revealed through voting. I cannot stress it enough. Voting is sacred to the union. Voting is the highest citizen duty to their country and the true test of patriotism. It is up to us to take the lead and fight suppression. It is up to us to be the will of the people and fight for representation. Laws can be changed and legislation must represent America. We cannot swear allegiance to obey when the laws are injustice. History has taught that Americans naturally and gradually refused and even revolt against strict and authoritative leadership. Yet our future is being decided for us blindly in the past and presently. And if we do not fight then it is clear our rights will be stripped of us, and the policies we care so dear, about might be destroyed through the process. Granted that we need more representation and more political awareness by the people. The people must be told the truth that gerrymandering denies justice. Districts have been historically decided by competitive striving bureaucrats meant for the people to lose. When the people who have no interest in unity are controlling the government then the people lose. When we stand idly by and watch without working earnestly, the people lose. There comes a time where courage is needed. Courage is not exactly necessary but it is prevalent against fear. We must rise above every fear challenging the legacy we know and building the legacy we should have. Justice is the purpose of government. Voting is meant to find the leaders who will administer it. America needs those who can stand on their bootstraps and fight for justice. Those who can call out the wrong and challenge it with the ideas that will bring freedom. Those who can stand away from the ideologies of division and indifference. America needs towers of strengths and pillars of wisdom to guide the will of the people. We need it now for education is nothing without purpose and character. We must show purpose and character to create a nation of strength and moral conquest. I hope you join me and commit your legacy to this enduring principle and concept that we must protect every vote and end the lie. Your vote matters and your voice has to be heard. The time is now.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous5 years ago in The Swamp
How I got to an IQ over 137
We must understand what it is like to be a child of today. The world is fast-moving and knowledgeable like never before. Learning is so much more advanced than it was a hundred years ago. Even though children still think the way they do like they did since the beginning. Children grow and mature by play. Play is the ultimate learning experience. If the child is around children their age then they learned the norms and rituals of their age. They envisioned themselves as co-peer in society. They tried each time harder and harder to fit in and show their capabilities. And parents should encourage this to make well-rounded children. Children each year have to figure out their age and the requirements for their age. School helps this, this is why they need to have friends and explore the world. They need to know what are children doing their age. Everything is like a dream and being young seems forever. Children need to know that they will age and that they will become adults. Teachers must show them the way to knowledge and how to be as smart as they can be. Children like me, don't understand IQ numbers, I did not know my IQ of 120 in Middle School meant that I was a gifted child, however, my teachers knew and peers knew. It took me years to understand how really smart I was. And meet with the stigmas, stereotypes such as racism on tests, my belief in character, decency, intelligence and respect helped me overcome those bigotries with an SAT Score of 1370. Supportive teachers' cohort and supportive counselors' cohort can verify what a student knows about themselves. With me, I was smart and growing smarter, and maturing in my studies. This comes from years of self-denial and self-ignorance like most children think. They think because they are small and little now that they will never conquer the world. Children must be given heroes and heroines, it does not have to be someone perfect but someone who defied the odds. Even if they are fictional, children dream of fiction, and fiction helps them imagined the impossible. Children must be taught how to believe in themselves and build up their character. They must be taught loyalty to learning and dignity in gaining knowledge. They must be taught what is patriotism and how to be dedicated. Children can keep promises and children can become men of their word and women of their word. It is not enough to make children smart, they must know how to apply their knowledge and show independence. This is why college is important. It is not just about the job and social class climb, it's about the growth. Children learned how to live without their parents and understand the way the world sees them. They begin to take the obstacle of life and see if they can endure its trials and tests. Parents can see if they raise their children properly and can advise them to be greater. Parents must take the general counsel and their children become the sole decider in their life. It takes great faith but if you plant seeds of hope, it cannot fail. The course of knowledge continues beyond college as college is the testing ground. Teachers are role models, I looked at every teacher's background to understand what they can teach me outside the curriculum because teachers are more than instructors, they are an investment into who a student becomes. Teachers are role models and philosophers, they are the sole decider of the atmosphere of the classroom. Children must be taught how to brainstorm innately and constantly be thinking about their predicament. Their state of learning and then they will develop into productive members of society.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous5 years ago in Humans
Dr. Matthew Primous, Horn Fellows' Climate Change Invitational
Since the beginning of droughts, nations have risen to the occasion of finding sources of water. They thought of numerous ways to replenished their source. Ancient Egypt used an efficient concept, they irrigated their land to cause it to flourish. They dug deep trenches into the ground and leveled them to flow water to their crops. Today, we have much more complicated technologies. Why can't we simply change the oceans' water into freshwaters that we can use? This world is made up of two-thirds of water and it is about time we use the technology to sustain our life on this planet. It just does not make any sense that children are dehydrated and nations are still trying to figure out how to end droughts? Nations would even consider buying water to sustain their nation. Water is chemical anyways, made of oxygen and hydrogen. I believe we should try to irrigate the land but also in a way that preserves the territories. We cannot simply destroy beautiful forests and leave homeless millions of animals in exchange for our self-sufficiency. We must think of all the world. We got to think bigger than our matters even national interests. And then we can fight for harmony among living beings when all our needs and wants are considered. Each animal brings to the table, necessities to balance an ecosystem. Humans are a part of the ecosystem and we must play the role of custodian of the ecosystem. We cannot simply force an animal out of the ecosystem because that instability will wreck the culture of the system. We must find our place and every animal place. I believe, in theory, that water is also a filter, it can catch other elements and we should develop it to catch and remove our carbon print. Nothing clears a smug more than the rain that pours down, we must understand nature's strategic courses to plan our technological advancements. The more we rely on nature's tests, the more we avoid making the mistakes of the past. Nature has been managing the world for many years, way before our time and our ancestors' time. There are lessons that we have not understood and have not completely fathom. It is necessary to study them again and again to prevent future ignorance. The minds of the future must understand that the knowledge of science, that science's highest and greatest purpose goes beyond biological, and chemical science. We can no longer blind ourselves in the utopia of previous acclaimed science, we have to venture out and test those hypotheses. We must do the work if we want a sustainable future. It requires like Socrates said, "Question and question and when in doubt question again until you find your answer." It is not enough to gain knowledge, we have to use it appropriately. We don't have to start from scratch, we can build on others' successes to succeed in the universal space of intelligence. Even the Ancient Romans' complicated others' discoveries, they used salt water to make salt by creating salt wells in Africa and used it for currency. We cannot give up on tough discoveries. We must be willing to flex our opinion and flex our experiment. We have to consider others' opinions and filter for reasonable ones. Our reasoning is what makes us different than the animals. Human beings can figure out what they want to do and do it to the best of their knowledge. We must not be mean all and end to all. We must be the preserver and protector of all living beings now and further on
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous5 years ago in Earth
Horn Fellows 2021
Racism has never been an easy topic. It involved many ideologies and the influence of science. It has never been an epidemic but a learned behavior affecting every child and adult. Its history going far back since a human can remember and since they have been on this earth. Even though its effect seems almost irreversible, we can reverse it. This reconciliation must take understanding and acceptance of common humanity learned throughout the education of each particular individual. Role-playing can be very effective in handling the elements of racism. Racism spread through role-playing, hence, we can alternate its usage to effectively break down the walls and barriers of racism. When an individual ignited their reaction with violence, racism becomes strong and has a compelling influence on the situation. Self-defense must be used as a protection against further interrogation, intimidation, and humiliation. Everyone must realize that thinking of your defense will only widen the reputation of racism because dividing only increases its grip on society. We must come together as a whole community disputing all forms of racism. If we accept a little racism then it will lead to violence. We must think like one and act like one. Peacefully silences every fire of violence that racism insists. We have a government and its democracy is the way to change the future to end the effect of racism. Seeking a government that administers justice from the least to the greatest. Fighting for that government that will not judge based on the outward appearance but actions and character. We can defeat racism, a quick unjustifiable reaction to a person because of their skin color. This ancient and worn-out battle cry has cursed humanity since the beginning of all wars. We have to gather up the false evidence and false teachers of such knowledge laying the groundwork for reconciliation. We must realize that this world can only piece itself together when every man and every woman realized that the color of skin does not state anything about a person and their virtue. Then we must examine our trauma, we must phase out our own biases, even if it means seeking professional help. There is no way in this world that an individual can rely on support without the help of other people from a different race. And even if their life appeared independent, then they will come to some point of no return where they will run into a person of another race and make certain responses. Learning is the key to life and long life. We must be open to the new changes that occur in our life. When we meet different people, they can open up your horizon, help you become a well-rounded person. This is what we should teach our children and students. It is easy to hang around those who look like you, but it is harder to be around those who are different. Once we realize that our differences are small and what makes us alike is greater, the greatest weapon of racism has fallen and common humanity has been lifted to a higher standard. This standard must include everyone who was oppressed and degraded. Calling out all ignorances and arrogances, we must bring forth restitution. We have to realize that the mind is the target by the connotations of racism. This is meant to make an impression on the mind to paralyze the body and its capabilities. Forgiving does heal the mind because letting go does build up the mind. And awaiting justice gives hope to the mind. Violence's purpose is to confined and distorted the mind. Our victory over racism and its bigotries must be sure of justice for all people. We cannot go back to giving one race more power than another race. We cannot make it about degrading or abusing another race. We have to uplift all humanity and encourage common humanity to all teaching all students that justice matters and respecting others is guaranteed a life well-lived.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous5 years ago in Humans
