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)
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Why We Must Care
It may be your family, your mother, your father, your friend, your brother, or your sister. Anyone can be affected by poverty and poverty has no respect for anyone. We can all be victims of its grip. Economies can be built up and they can fall. Poverty knows no boundary and poverty has no race, no color, no creed, and no sex. No one is immune to poverty, it can take anyone by storm and devour their livelihood. Poverty is a victimize and strike the very young of our world and people. Every day young children are born into poverty and even when they are educated they are still victims of its grip on their life. Young children die daily due to a lack of food, clothing, medicine, housing, and shelter. Every day children waste away and parents have to see their children starving and dying in front of them. And some children lose their parents and caretakers becoming orphans at a young age. Where is the compassion for humanity? Where is the love for life and respect for life? We all must take responsibility for not caring enough to give and share our wealth, what we take for granted. Many may be asked why should they care because we benefited from cheap labor and we benefited from cheap wages and our livelihood may have to answer to the crimes of poverty that built our economy. It will behoove us to care and amend what we have done and the lack of care we have shown. We can change the world with one act of kindness. We can shed light on the darkness of poverty. Its culture must be brought to justice. And we cannot lose this fight for the children's lives are at stake and the future of the world depends on them. We must band together and reach for those whose lives are burden with impossibilities. What kind of legacy is passing down to your children? If you want them to care about the world then you must show them how to care. You must take the time to pass down charity. Who knows if that child you save may become a doctor who eradicates cancer? Who knows if that child you save becomes an educator and lift a generation out of poverty? We must understand that this battle is real and happening every day. We cannot become complacent with our care and neglect the need of the impoverished. Every day is a day of change, change those impoverished lives by helping them out of poverty that has been generational and lifting. Who knows if we have much so we can build up others? Who knows if we might have so we can change the world? The legacy of the world is at stake, those who are in need happens to be in dire situations. Even babies are dying because their mothers lacked the necessary nutrition. If we don't take up this fight then we will regret it. Isolating ourselves from the problem only makes the problem worse and it refuses to disappear. Do riches matter when most of the world is poor? Do riches matter when poverty could come at any time? A man is measure by his greatness and not by what he owns. A woman is seen by her charity and not by what she possesses. We can no longer hide the light of doing good. It is time to reach further and dig deeper. You can change eternity for those impoverished, do so today.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in Humans
The New Civil Rights Era
In the immortal words of Dr.Martin Luther King, "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere." We live in a time, where police brutality is ever-present in our communities. Most people are wondering if they will ever feel safe in their community again and if their children will survive. We cannot demonized officers and we should advocate for their education because knowledge is power and accountability. However, the news shows a constant reminder that minorities are not entirely free when the enforcement of the law is unjust. When the people of the community cannot hold accountable fellow officers for unjust acts, this is a weakness in democracy. The point of a democracy is everybody contributed, everybody matters, and everybody has rights. We must work together or we will fail. Too many countless victims from incidents that required less force. What do we do in a crisis like this? Where do we turn in what seems like a race war? "Be the peace you want in the world," proclaimed Gandhi. The protest must be peaceful as activists must foster new legislation with those that hear the people's demands. We have to use the tools and foundations of the Civil Rights Era resisting weapons and rioting. If there's one thing that prevents justice then it is rioting because it causes a force against bringing peace, we must understand and fix the justice system. We have to denounce racial profiling. We cannot judge someone based on the color of their skin and what others did who are apart of that race. If we are to win this new Civil Rights then we must fight all "ism" dividing us. We must stand up for the poor who doesn't have housing and healthcare. We must stand up for women, who received their rights a hundred years before and now maybe force to have children without consent. We must fight for all to choose who they love and to be what they desire to be because it is every one of our birthrights. We can make it possible to live in a world, where we will be fully and duly protected from hate. Hate should never be lifted, never given a place in society otherwise it will evoke chaos. For decades, oppression has been instilled into our communities and now it must be confronted by justice. You can break the chains of bondage,you can tell someone they are free, and you can proclaimed liberty but if their minds are bound and they are given no tools of that liberty then they are bound and not free. It is time that we free everybody living in peace with one another. Love is the greatest weapon for peace and proof of that love is hope in each other that this nation can be a better place. All this plays into the bigger picture, a better democracy, and hope for the future. We must show the children how to survive, not teaching them ignorance and blind obedience but civility and nobleness. In the fulfillment of Dr.King's dream, we must take the evil in this world which robs us of life and turn it into good that gives everlasting peace. One day police officers will be looked again as heroes and heroines. One day all children will be allowed to live freely and equally. One day people will remember to love always and never hate but it's going to take all of us to win this fight, every last ounce of strength and we shall overcome.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
The State of Womanhood
Women have always been a part of politics and their view has never been more needed than now.Women have a place in history and they cannot be continued undermine due to their sex and gender. America is in a state of emergency and so is the rest of the world because women are not being recognized for their contribution to it. Women are not only the main caretaker but also they are also the main influencer for generations to come. A strong woman is important to a great community because she is like a pillar to its foundation. When many women are left behind a generation falters. They are our mothers, the first teacher to children and they deserve to be respected and valued at ever so high rational. Our mothers gave us life and they were the first to give us insight into who we are. Mother figures were imperative in both rich and poor alike lives. They are our sisters too. The ones that take the place of our mother if something tragic should ever happen to our mothers. They will normally strengthen us and provide comfort. We need this humanity and thank God for it. The first symbol of what a woman is our mother and that relationship has a lasting impact on future relationships that an individual has with other people. They are our cousins, someone we have relations to and can find common ancestors with. We should not undermine their contribution to America's society and the world at large. We must respect their rights to live their lives the way they choose. We have to teach our young women not only how to value life but also to determine what is best for them. No woman should live in a world that tells her how to think freely. No woman should ever live in a world that forces her to bear children she did not want. No woman should live in a world that does not reflect her values and refuses to appreciate her contribution to society. On the anniversary of women's rights, the state of women has never been so prevalent in need of heroes and heroines who will say and mean it that women matter. Not only in a political ambition to win office but say that women should be taken seriously to lead. Women have fought in wars and they have stood up to the challenge when men were few. In the Revolutionary War, some women dressed like young men to serve. Some countless nurses and teachers inspired those under their care to become something great. No woman should ever hide behind a man again and as a Black Feminist. I would like to define that term that does not base itself on sex and gender. A Black Feminist is one who believes that women should be equal to men to the utmost possible and they want changes in their community to overcome racism. I am active because I know that women matter, mothers matter, sisters matter, cousins matter, and grandmothers matter. And its time for the State of Womanhood to be recognized and respected by its brotherhood counterpart to the fullest. This has to come now to win the fight against poverty. Not recognizing women's rights around the world has destroyed economies. It is about time to undo the injustices of the past and present a bright future for all children no matter their sex. We must be recognized that racism and sexism ordinarily work hand in hand and we cannot and should not leave women behind in the fight for civil justice because women have a right to be just like men.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in Viva
The Anthem-Star Spangled Banner
It's the battle cry of the republic. It's the symbol of patriotism. It's the hope and prays of the union to continue as one under God. Yet at one time it symbolism did not always mean free. The song creator did not always believe in his words that expressed the American ambition to always stay free. History has revealed the many flaws of our past and now we have to reconcile the wrong. Women and minorities did not have the say or right to think freely and this song of patriotism was born under that era. For many decades, this song was held dearly by former slaves and people without a right. It is up to us the next generation to understand our history and use what we know for good. We must adopt the words and apply them to our own lives and live our the true meaning of its creed. And now it is debatable to honor the words of a slaveholder. America can honor his gifted poetry which got many Americans thinking about freeing their slaves and denounce his livelihood which agrees with slavery. We must face the contradictions and break their trance on American society realizing that they have stained our past. We must break down the song that confronted America's transgressions. America must try to redeem its past and focus on a more equal future among the races. Children have learned these verses without understanding them. Children in belief in the betterment of their country proclaimed those verses as if they were written by God and in stone never to be changed. Our children must be told the truth and they must accept what their ancestors went through and know their place in the history of America. Education must teach the harsh truths of history so America can be better and learn from the mistakes of the past. Thus, America will not repeat the past's sins and emerge as a nation of unity and not division. Immigrants have come to our country believing that they too can become a part of the American Dream. Their truest desire to become a part of a nation where they could fight for it and dream along with it. We must end the attack on immigrants for this nation was made from them. We must welcome all who find our creed noble and our power divine. America is privileged to lead the world and we did not exactly earn it. Every life is precious to building up our nation and the protection of our borders. We must end the ridicule of immigrants because they are a part of America, we hope for. Soldiers have died with these words of the songs fighting endlessly in war and never seeing lasting peace. This song made it the American Way to fight for peace, "the bombs bursting in the air." We must end the idea that peace can only be accomplished through war. War is devastating and traumatizing. We must end the glorification of war. Generations have been lost at war, nations have been divided because of war. Peaceful diplomacy will save our union, not destructive ambitions. Silent soldiers with tears down their eyes hoping for a day without a battle and they secretly resist. We must find a way to bridge all these gaps in knowledge. We must put the song in perspective orchestrating the peace that can last a lifetime. May we never forget what our freedoms and rights are and never think too highly of ourselves preserving the union for ages to come. We forgot we maybe forged out of war and wars do that but we do not have to remain at war with others and ourselves.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
