Black Revolutionary v. Black Radical

What’s the difference (if any) between being “a radical thinker/actor” and being “a revolutionary thinker/actor”?

This question, among others, was poised to me in an email by a sister/colleague of mine from my days at the University of Michigan. The fact that this question was sent over email is further evidence of why spaces like the Superspade are so vital, so we have active and lively discussions pertaining to Black Thought. Primarily because for those of us who were active in college but are now spread across the country, it is difficult to have conversations like this. Thank you Tiffany,

I remember having a conversation with my nephew where he used some slang term I can’t remember right now, but I asked him what the word meant. He tried to define it as best he could but to no avail. The lesson learned was that we should all be careful to use words that we know what they mean. This same principle applies to the question posed from the outset.

What’s the difference (if any) between being “a radical thinker/actor” and being “a revolutionary thinker/actor”?

The operative words here are obviously radical and revolutionary. A dictionary search of these terms I think provides a good foundation for our discussion.

For our purposes the best definition we have for radical is favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms.

As for revolutionary, two definitions actually suit our purposes;

1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.

2. radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc.: a revolutionary discovery.

With these definitions in tow, I think it is safe to say that a radical is someone who believes things should be profoundly different while a revolutionary is someone who takes action to realize the manifestation of radically held beliefs.

Are these terms commonly used interchangeably — if so what are the implications in doing so? Do we use the terms “revolution” and “radical” in superficial manners?

Unfortunately these terms are thrown around like dirty socks. People should understand that real revolutionaries died and risked the safety of their families just so we could go to college, vote, use public accommodations, and give us the peace of mind to be anything we wanted to be. We are the living dreams of those who sacrificed and imagined what a better America would look like.

I think it is safe to say that the term radical is not widely used as revolutionary. Having said that, the term revolutionary has become so superficial that people think they are a revolutionary if and when they put their fist in the air. If we took time to appreciate the sacrifices of those who actually started to raise their fists, I don’t think many people would feel worthy to do so.

What does this mean for the black community? (i.e. does it change how you think about our history? how would collective definitions of “revolution” and “radical” impact our future?)

What all this means for the Black Community is that we need to have real discussions about first what radical means. For example, is it too radical to think that the federal government should apologize for slavery? Moreover, is it radical to think that we should completely change the way we fund K-12 public education that leaves inner-city schools with the least resources and the most problems? Is it radical to think that mentorship in the Black community should be a way of life and not something you do to spruce up your resume’? I could go on and on but I think on a fundamental level, we have convinced ourselves that all of the big battles have already been fought and won.

What’s more, what we think of as radical seems to be constantly minimized. Just about every time I was at a town hall meeting for the Black community, someone would always say that in order to build our community, we should make a point to speak to every Black person we see on campus. For some people this was a radical idea believe it or not. So what would help our efforts is to really dig when people claim to have radical ideas and use our rich history to test how radical this idea really is. Because I am sorry, but speaking to each other is not radical, that is required. But we do disservice to those who came before us when we either start with a defeatist attitude or we let our fear diminish the size and scope of our dreams.

How do these definitions apply to you and your profession and/or your contributions to the black community and society as a whole?

I’ll start with what I do. I work as the Michigan Field Organizer for the United States Student Association, the nation’s oldest and largest student association where our motto is, “Education is a right, not a privilege”. Right now I am doing voter registration/get out the vote work across various campuses and after the election I will be coordinating campaigns focused on increasing access to higher education. So for me, the work I do is directly tied to radical ideals and I have the opportunity to work on two issues where revolutionary action is needed; political and educational access.

However, the fatal flaw far too many of us make the assumption that our revolutionary work (if we do work at all) is confined to our college days and once we graduate, we put those things behind us. Working a corporate job does not give you a community service pass, nor does working a community service job give you the moral high ground. A word on folks holding down the corporate job; stop saying you are too busy. In college you held down two jobs, 16 credits, and managed to hold down 4 organizations. So just know that you make time for what is important. And if it is the case you literally have no time for anything other than your job, I would ask you two things. 1) Are you being efficient with your time? And 2) are you leading a life of significance or success?

Lastly, I would ask everyone to really ask themselves what it is they want to do that is revolutionary on a small scale and a large scale and draw up a backwards plan and see these goals through fruition. And the beautiful part is that you will need allies to help your goals. That is the true beauty of my people. For if anyone has ever been to a rally with a sizable amount of Black people intent on accomplishing one goal, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That is truly revolutionary.

Stay up fam,

Categories:
blackissues
revolutionary
blackthought

Loneliness, Black Men, and Friendships: Part IV

For those keeping score at home, we are at Part 4 in our series on Black male friendships. Up until this point, I have not discussed the issue of how women figure into the situation. And because one post would have been too long, at a later time I will explore how friendships are affected by men in relationships. But today, we will focus on the single brothers.

Let me say for starters that it is probably easier for single brothers to manage more meaningful male friendships. However, this is not always the case.

When things are down, do you call your boy or your “friend”
One issue that many single brothers have to deal with is going through emotional downtimes. And for a myriad of reasons, it is easier for many of us to share our deepest feelings with women rather than men. Now I understand that if you need to get something off your chest, then by all means do what you have to do. However, we should take a step back to think of the long-term implications of never being able to tell your boy what is really going on in your life.

If we were really honest, most brothers do not use each other as sounding boards. However, it is not until a situation has either blown up or otherwise finished, that a brother will then share what happened. But we need to get to a place where we have conversations like this; “Steve, I have this situation and these are the options I am looking at, let me know what you think.”

And since conversations like this are not widespread, it is often the case that brothers will turn to their girl “friends” for comfort. But here’s the twist, whether you are attracted to the woman or not, there is something very intoxicating having a woman listen to your woes while your head is in her lap, figuratively speaking. Now I am not saying brothers shouldn’t be talking to sisters but I am challenging brothers to be honest about what is accomplished after they have heart to hearts with their girl “friends.” Do you get sound, practical advice that you use to help your situation? Do you start out trying to get sound advice but end up talking about topics completely unrelated? Are you intentionally unintentionally laying the foundation for a relationship? Do you find yourself more attracted to this person after talking and/or are you sending signals that might be misconstrued that you may want more than just friendship?

I pray that at least one of these questions speak to you where you are at. My point though is that the majority of these issues could be alleviated if brothers had the courage to have more meaningful conversations beyond work, women, and sports. To be clear, this is not an either/or proposition, such that brothers should only talk to women or men. However, the current balance is heavily in favor of women and we need to tip the balance in the other direction.

Psuedo-girlfriends
For players and non-players alike, it does you no good to be running around with pseudo-girlfriends because you afraid to be lonely. Do some self-evaluation so you can be a better boyfriend/husband for your next relationship. What I mean by pseudo-girlfriend is someone (where there is an established mutual attraction) who fulfills one or some of your needs, but you have no intention of making her your girlfriend. Some examples include but are not limited to physical intimacy, spirituality, emotional support, intellectual debate, hanging out, etc. Situations like this are one of the sure fire ways to guarantee an argument framed around, “What are we?” or “Are we building something serious or not?” So beyond having clear communication, it is important to take advantage of being single and use that time to grow in all the ways you deem important. However, this constant girlfriend status (real or pseudo) does little to help this process. Nor does it help the women who think they are building something that is really all smoke and mirrors.

And if you can’t talk to your friends about real issues, why are they your friends to begin with?

In a word, get off the bosom fellas,

Stay up fam,

Categories:
friendships
blackmen
blackissues

The Weekly Dream: Things Fall Apart Pt. III

“Lust, can sometimes override trust…”
-Lupe Fiasco, Real

Growing up and being the oldest son, I was often called upon to share my things: clothes, toys and various hygiene products. Often, these are things I purchased with my own money. Therefore, I was extremely anal about their maintenance and placement. But it never failed, my brothers would always take my things without asking. And since it was not their property, the same level of care or stewardship was not exhibited. I would find my clothes, dirty, on the floor, things left all over the place or used up without being replenished. As anyone could imagine, this caused me to become 1.) Very protective of my things (which I am unto this day) 2.) Very reluctant in allowing anyone to use my belongings. In school, I learned early not to trust anyone, because everyone does not operate from a place of integrity.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a very trusting person and I want to trust people, but everyone does not value the things I value and vice versa. Sociologists call trust a function of a person’s belief in the benevolence and competence of the other party. People are more likely to forgive incompetence (e.g. ignorance) than a lack of benevolence (i.e. moral uprightness). It is this asymmetry of values that I believe is responsible for the suspicion that permeates our relationships. For example, if I know what you value, then there are only two outcomes: either I will respect and treasure your values or I will not. And then you know where you stand with me. In any event there must be communication, understanding and forgiveness when trust is broken.

The Foundation

Trust is the belief in the good character of one party, and their desire to fulfill their previous promises. As I have said before, trust is harder to come by than love. However, love without trust is just sound and fury, with no power behind it. Think about how many people you truly trust? There are two types of people in the world: the innocent until proven guilty crowd and the guilty until proven innocent consortium. The former are very trusting, until you cross them, then your name is mud. With the latter, it may take some time to gain them over, but once you have them, they will give you a little more rope to mess up. Which are you? Most of the time, you trust people to be themselves, based on your assessment of them.

A lack of trust is lock-and-step with unforgiveness. People may be able to forgive you, eventually, but when the trust is gone or damaged, it is almost impossible to get back. It is one thing to ask for forgiveness, it is quite another to asked to be restored to your former standing. That is truly an exercise in Christian/Agape love (see the story of the Prodigal Son).

Why? It goes back to how trust is formed. Trust takes time and experience to build. After you have assessed someone’s character and integrity, only then is it safe to be vulnerable around them. But when selfishness, negligence, or weakness enters into a relationship and is succumbed to, then trust is threatened.

In relationships, people make mistakes and people get hurt. Either people do not respond to you the way you would like them to, they might be flaky or moody, or just plain rude and inconsiderate. For whatever reason, people do things that make us hesitate in trusting them or dealing with them. Is it completely their fault or could you be to blame? Were your expectations set and are they realistic?

What is even more complicated is when you have done nothing wrong, but the other person does not trust you, therefore they hold back. It is hard for them to let go and trust your judgment or take your word. But you still want the relationship to work, you still want to deal with the person, so how do you rebuild/strengthen the trust?

It Aint Easy…

Regaining trust has a lot to do with redemption and restoration. There literally is a breach in the relationship that must be repaired in order to continue in the relationship. First, the person who was transgressed against must be open to the possibility of placing their trust in the person. As previously stated, unforgiveness and self-preservation will be the biggest obstacle to doing this. But if the person is not open to forgiving and trusting again, then it is a losing battle.

Next, take time to communicate earnestly and listen to each other. This way, you can see who the person really is and you lay the foundation to “reset” the relationship, when you catch a glimpse of the person’s heart and if they truly have your best interest.

On the other side, the transgressor must do everything to prove their consistency and steadfastness. And, hopefully, with time and God’s help, all will be well.

Fight the Good Fight…

Lack of trust is like brain cancer or a house without a foundation, it is only a matter of time before it is a wrap and the relationship is irretrievably broken. If the trust has been damaged, you must reassess everything to see if it is worth saving and if you can truly move past the hurt and suspicion. If you have healthy, trusting relationships in your life, guard them jealously, because once trust is gone, there is really little left. If you can bounce back from a breach in trust, then you will be closer than ever. There is nothing like the threat of losing something to make you cherish it.

Any relationship takes work, you must decide if it is worth it…

Life is too short to constantly be looking over your shoulders around the ones you love.

Forgive and love again-if it is worth it and with God’s help.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas

Question of the Week: What lessons have you learned regarding trust and relationships?

Categories:
theweeklydream
trust

The Weekly Dream: Things Fall Apart Pt. II

“Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, love keeps no record of wrong”
1 Cor. 13:5

“Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

After communication, unforgiveness is the second reason most relationships fail. This is a big one for me, because I can hold a grudge forever. But unforgiveness is a major roadblock in the progression of relationships. Why? Because when you let someone in to your heart, you expect them to know better. So when they do something, you feel it that much more. And although you want to forgive them, it does take time and prayer.

I think of unforgiveness as having rocks in your book bag, it does not do anything but slow you down. Every time some one does something to you, and you do not forgive, it begins to wear on you. You become a prisoner to the past and eventually bitterness and resentment comes in. You can always tell when some one has not really gotten over something because when you get in an argument, they bring up the old stuff into the new conflict. They use words like “You always” or “You did this last time”. They still are mentally stuck in the past.

I believe that, if you forgive someone, you don’t bring it up again. If you can’t move past it, it may be better to let the relationship go, because it is not worth making both parties miserable. Personally, when people have hurt or betrayed me, I have to forgive them or leave them alone. That is the only way to truly heal some times. Still having trouble? Think of when you have done something wrong, what if God held everything you did over your head? As they say, “To err is human, but to forgive is divine.”

What are the hurts are grudges you are holding? As the saying goes, pick your battles. Is it really a big deal or are you sweating the small stuff? Will you care about this issue ten years from now? And if it bothers you that much, confront them. What do you want from the situation? An apology? A remedy? Communicate what you are looking for, say your peace and leave it alone. Easier said than done, right? Human nature, being the dark, vindictive beast it is, does not make this easy. For some reason, we want to hold on to the hurt, the pain, if we did not, we would let it go. But if we do not forgive, how can God forgive us?

Forgiveness does not immediately heal the pain, but it starts the process. And if we are going to continue to be in relationship with each other, the transgressor must do everything they can to help the other person forgive, and the other person must do all they can to forgive. Check those emotions at the door and put forth the effort. At the same time, forgiveness does not mean that you can keep doing the same thing over and over again, that is wicked and weak. Just because I am supposed to forgive you, does not give you free reign to exploit my niceness as weakness. I will forgive, but that does no mean I will keep dealing with you.

The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sin. Love makes forgiveness easy. If we truly love someone, we find t difficult to stay upset with them. People I cared about have lied to me and took me for granted, but the love I have for them keeps me in their corner.

Forgive them, for often, they do not know what they do. And pray for those that despitefully use you. Only then, can we be children of the Most High.

Keep working on it, I know I am.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas

Question of the Week: What has someone you love done to you that you either had to get past or you can’t get past?

Categories:
theweeklydream
steve
unforgiveness

I’m Going, Going, Back, Back, to Detroit, Detroit

I’m going home to the D tomorrow, and I’ll be home for a little under a week. I’m looking forward to this trip because it gives me a chance to see my fam, connect with your favorite SuperSpade Brandon Q., and see other friends and special people in my life.

Just like my other trips (to New Orleans, to Minnesota, and to Milwaukee), I will use this as an opportunity to look at issues effecting the places that I am visiting, in this case Detroit and it’s surrounding communities.

I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share what I observe and read what you all think.

One Love. One II.

Categories:
detroit
garlin
travel

Have you Registered?

Since I’m now pretty much settled into my new place, I finalized establishing myself as a resident of the State of Washington yesterday.  What does that mean?  I did three things:

1. Got a new Driver’s License
2. Switched my tags over for my car
3. Registered to vote

#3 is what I’m stressing here.  We’ve talked about ensuring that you are registered early before, and I want to re-iterate that point again today.  As the 7 Nov 2006 election draws near, please make sure that you are registered properly.  You can do so by going to sites like this to get the ball rolling.

With all of the talk of past election/voter fraud & intimidation that has happened in past elections, we have a choice between two reactions:

1. Behave as if pre-emptively defeated, and not vote
This is the whole “They’re gonna cheat anyway, so I might as well not bother.”  This is dangerous because it says that fear of election stealing in this case will lead to the paralysis of staying home on election day.  I know in my heart that we face challenges everyday, including election day.  Yet many most of us are able to work through these challenges and do what we need to do for ourselves and our families.  I submit to you that it is imperative to the well-being of you and your loved ones to vote your conscious and hold to account those who have misled you in the past.  I do not subscribe to the notion that those who have the opportunity and ability to voice their support of dissent of anything and chose not to are credible as critics.

2. Vote, believing that when we act collectively we are unable to be defeated
Here’s a secret: it’s a whole hell of a lot harder to steal a landslide than it is to steal a close election.  Why don’t we make these bastards take the election by having record turnout?  At the end of the day, I want to feel like I tried, like I said my piece, like I gave it a shot.  I don’t feel that there is anything wrong with that.  I am confident that if our people commit to voting, commit to becoming active participants in causes that affect them, commit to holding accountable those who have misled, mistreated, or misguided them, then we will be well on our way to understanding why voting matters.

I’m going with option 2 above.  If you disagree, tell me why.

One Love.  One II.

The Weekly Dream: Things Fall Apart Pt. I

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

“Whoever talks the most, needs the relationship the most”

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my grandfather. We talked and as my grandparents’ forty-seventh wedding anniversary was around the corner, I asked him how he managed to stay with someone that long. Among the many reflections he shared with me, he said, “You have to make up your mind that this is where you want to be, and that the sacrifices you make are worth it.”

It is a conversation that stuck with me. I realized, and I have said before, that we do not have many examples of functional relationships. My generation is embarking upon life without knowing how to make a relationship that lasts. What will be the fallout? So I started thinking, if no one can tell me how to make a relationship work, then perhaps it would be instructive to discuss why relationships fall apart. And I am not just talking about romantic relationships, but any type of relationship, although romantic relationships lend themselves easily to analysis. The next five weeks will reflect my top five reasons for Why Things Fall Apart and how to combat relationship cancer.

1. Communication

Communication is the one of the primary culprits for relationships breaking down. As my brother Garlin is oft to say, “90% of relationship problems stem from a breakdown in communication”. Most of the time, someone has a need and it is not being met. Or there is a disagreement, and what ensues is an exercise in passive aggressiveness. This will only make matters worse. You should be able to communicate with your partners with complete and utter candor and honesty. My rule is that I am willing to discuss it once and then, I leave it alone.

What does it take to effectively communicate? First, it takes a skill that we all can improve upon: Active Listening. This type of listening is concerned with trying to understand where the other person is coming from. Next, there must be a sensitivity to the communication style of the person we are dealing with. In writing, the first rule is to tailor your message to your audience. You cannot come at everyone the same. To do so is asking for disaster, because it ignores the uniqueness of the people you are dealing with. Some people need to tough love, others need to be spoken to in soft tones. Whatever the approach, you want to make sure that you are not wasting your breath or your time. So it is best to strategize your approach so that you are heard. We are looking for more than an emotional release, we communicate to inspire change.

Lastly, there must be a willingness to communicate. Stereotypically, men hate the fact that women always want “to talk things out” and do not take the process seriously. However, I have met individuals of both sexes who hate “arguing” or “conflict” or “talking”. In other instances, they “shut down” and act cold, implementing the silent treatment. These individuals make a horrendous error. It takes a lot for someone to open up and to disregard that bravery leads to resentment and it also sends the wrong message. Even when you do not feel like talking, you have to talk. You might need some time to cool off or think, but do not make the mistake of being to busy or too hurt to resolve issues. Life is too short. If you are dealing with someone who does these things to you or who will not put their feelings to the side for the greater good, then as the saying goes, “shake the dust off your feet” and keep it moving. All you are going to get for your efforts is frustration.

Any relationship is a process, and communication is the lifeblood of relationships.

A closed mouth don’t get fed.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas
Question of the Week: What communication challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

Education vNext, Part I: The Mental and The Cultural

The SuperSpade has dealt semi-tangentially with education at different points in time.  I thought [after having it suggested to me] that it’s be appropriate at this time, the beginning of the school year for most people, to give me perspectives on education going forward and it’s relevance and importance to our people, our community, and our future.

Many of my thoughts on this subject are included in this post.  My foundation for these thoughts/feelings is worth re-iterating: we have two-fold challenge that faces us on this issue.  We have mental & cultural issues in society at large and in minority communities that only value education as long as it has a payoff in dollars.  We also have institutional issues that not only create but perpetuate resource disparities between schools, creating challenges for students because not all schools are created equal. 

Though I do not believe that one of these is necessarily more important do the other, nor do I believe that we need to serialize the solving of these problems, I will address the mental & cultural challenges first. 

We [unfortunately] can many times only see value in things when their value is most easily measured in dollars and cents.  To put it bluntly, this is short-sighted and f*d up.  My closest mentor says it like this: “We need to flip ‘if it doesn’t make dollars then it doesn’t make sense’ to ‘if it only makes dollars then it doesn’t make sense.’”  What does that mean here?  That means that we must expand our actions and thoughts so that they are open to the notion that money is not the be all, end all.  One of the reasons that many people do not pursue education seriously or at all is because they are sure that they won’t make enough money from it.  Think about it.  Why do so many kids want to be doctors and lawyers (or more interestingly, why do some many parents want their kids to be doctors or lawyers)?  It ain’t because people admire and respect these profession so much (though they should).  It ain’t because every half-way articulate kid will make a good lawyer or detail-oriented kid a good doctor.  It is because both physicians and attorneys make lots of money, plain and simple.  What was the underlying theme behind every skit on Kanye West’s College Dropout album?  It was stupid to pursue [higher] education because you would be destined to be broke.  Now I am not naive enough to think that money does not exist, or wealthy enough to think that money is no object.  However, I am naive enough to believe that there is more to life than getting paid.  Why does this matter in this education discussion?  Ask somebody who hates their job, and they’ll tell you how happy their money does not make them.

We need to shift our perspective to things more personally and communally fulfilling than money.  This requires a change in how we look at ourselves and our own personal worth, as well as how we view our collective selves and collective worth.  I do not believe that individuals like Frederick Douglass and other slaves taught themselves how to read because they were trying to get paid.  Do you think slaveholders outlawed reading being taught to slaves because they were scared slaves would get rich off of it?  NO!!!  They did so because they knew, rather, they mentally and culturally embraced the value and power of being able to read.  I use reading here as a proxy for education in general; the notion is still the same.

How did we allow this anti-educational, anti-intellectual demon to pervade our hearts, minds, and spirits?  We got focused on the wrong stuff.  This is partly our doing, and it was partly done to us.  One cannot responsibly ignore the fact that when something is withheld from a person (e.g. freedom of expression, access to money), there is a tendency to over-indulge in that which was withheld upon receiving it.  That is part of the reason why when we ‘come up’ from being broke, we buy cars with big rims (whole ‘nother discussion).  My question is, why didn’t that sustainably occur when educational access was open to us?  We saw it happen in spurts in american history (post-Emancipation, post-Reconstruction, post-Civil Rights Movement, post-Affirmative Action), but the trends slowed to a crawl after these upticks.  Why is it that our thirst for material “wealth” outlasts our thirst for mental, or any other form of wealth?  Did we make that number one, or did someone else lie to us and tell us that was what was most important?  The answer is both.

What should we focus on instead?  We need to redefine what success means, what happiness means, what fulfillment means.  I challenge all ‘educated’ folks as well as those currently pursuing/seeking education to examine ourselves to find what our motivation(s) for education really were.  You may find that there was more to it than getting paid.  If that is not the case, are you happy with your decision?  If that is the case, I challenge you to share these motivations with students, telling them what fulfilled you.  Get a mentee and tell them why education was important to you outside of the financial payoff.  The message here is that we need to do a better job of communicating the non-financial benefits to education in order to make it more holistically attractive.

We also as a collective need to understand delayed gratification as opposed to the hedonistic, instant gratification that society embraces so readily.  Understanding that there is more to life than today, and that what you do today can have positive implications not only tomorrow but in the following decades as well.  The challenge is that some of the alternatives to education have instant gratification characteristics, especially when it comes to money.  What need’s to be communicated is that education’s financial benefits, although somewhat delayed, are real and sustainable, much more so than it’s alternatives.  We need to expand our perspectives.  This is challenging, but it can be done.  Try this: the next time you converse with a young person considering leaving school, ask them why they are leaving.  Then, ask them why they think it might benefit them if they stay.  As many times as I’ve done this, I’ve never had a conversation where the answer to these two questions did not overlap.  Why does that matter?  It matters because it says that many people on some level do at least know education is ‘good.’  Our goal then should be to remove all of the crap that makes it un attractive and that distracts students from it.  That means addressing institutional challenges to education…

This post is getting longer than I anticipated, so I will break here and deal with institutional challenges later.

One Love.  One II.

More than Twin Tragedies

This morning marks the 5th year since the infamous 11 September 2001.  Less than two weeks ago, we marked the 1st year since the Hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast of the United States.  These twin tragedies will live in our hearts and mines for generations to come because of the before-then-unfathomable loss of life, before-then-unfathomable governmental reactions, the unrelenting support, sympathy, and empathy of the citizenry, and the uncanny resiliency of the individuals who experienced these events first hand.

While reverencing and respecting these happenings, I ask the following questions: is this all that I need to remember?  Aren’t there other tragic things that have occurred in this world that should have altered my thinking and world-view for the rest of my life? My answer here is an emphatic YES.

Minorities and the once Native Majority in this hemisphere have dealt with devastation, terror, and genocide since its invasion.  During these times, people have shown the same resiliency as my fellow american citizens showed 5 years ago today.  Why do we not take the time to look back upon these people and the events of their lives?  Why do they not get the phrase “Day of Infamy” attached to their tragedies?  Wasn’t the day the Caribbean Islands were invaded a “Day of Infamy,” marking the beginning of a genocide over 600 years and still continuing to this day?  Wasn’t the day the areas surrounding Plymouth Rock were invaded a “Day of Infamy,” marking the beginning of a genocide that has lasted nearly 400 years and still continuing to this day?  Wasn’t every single instance of a Black person in this country being lynched a “Day of Infamy,” a chilling symbol of the hatred that has burned in closet of this country that still rears its ugly head from time-to-time today?

Let’s go international.  Isn’t everyday genocide continues in Darfur another “Day of Infamy,” a current demonstration of this world’s inability to act when the victims of atrocities are brown or Black?  Wasn’t it a “Day of Infamy” when hopeless individuals took out their frustration and aggression on school children in Russia?  Wasn’t it a “Day of Infamy,” in 2005 when two French boys were murdered by the police, inciting the riots in that country.

Obviously, there are countless other examples, making it impossible to list them here.  My call is for us to do two four things today:

1. Pay homage & respect to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy, their families, and the people who risked & gave their lives on that day and the years that have followed.  Remember where you were.  Remember what you were doing.  Remember what you did to help out.  Share these things here with us.

2. Pay homage & respect to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita, their families, and the people who risked & gave their lives during those days in 2004 and the time since then.  Remember where you were.  Remember what you were doing.  Remember what you did to help out.  Share these things here with us.

3. Do some homework.  Investigate other things that have happened in this world during your lifetime?  After studying, you may find more things than these twin tragedies that will alter your perspective.  Share these things here with us.

4. Pay attention to this world we live in.  Look at more than what’s in front of your own two eyes.  There are more people in this world, more placed in this world, and more things in this world that we are connected to, that effect us, and that we need to have in mind when approaching this world every time we awake from our slumbers.  We owe it to ourselves and to the victims of all tragedies to remember what happened to them, and act in ways that prevent tragedy in the future.

One Love. One II.

A love poem to Detroit…

What’s up fam, as most of you may know, I was born and raised in Detroit and I am very proud to let this be known. But this weekend, I experienced my city in a way that was truly breathtaking. As a result, I was inspired to write a poem that speaks to my feelings towards “The D,” but it can be applied to people every where struggling for hope where there is so much despair. Enjoy.

So I dillied, dallied, I ran through the alley
Throughout my hometown
Some call it Motown

Known for crime, soul music, and bad boys
Diddy don’t run the city
We create visions because we can’t afford toys

Looking at the stats, most folks will say,
“Detroit throw in the rag,”
But when our time comes
They will say, “Is that the city formerly known as…?”
And we will say, “We always knew, where were you?”

Our time is now and you might now even know it
This job is for grown folk
Not defined by age but tested by the heart

Our Katrina was long and drawn out
Lost jobs, poor schools,
It’s almost like a perpetual hope drought

Drowning in our wallows
We adapted and grew gills
Like deep sea fish, we don’t need the sun
We need the Son
Because when it all goes down, we look to the hills

When the system lets us down we go underground for support
But with no subways, we ride each other’s dreams
Knowing that in the end if we are to succeed,

We have to rise above the pettiness
And below the surfaces
Asking God for His help to change our present and future circumstances

Stay up Detroit,

Brandon Q.

The Weekly Dream: Why Should I Follow You?

“And everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.”
-1 Samuel 22:2

“Let us remark, meanwhile, how indispensable everywhere a king is, in all movements of men. It is strikingly shown, in this very War, what becomes of men when they cannot find a chief man, and their enemies can.”
-Thomas Carlyle

What is leadership? More importantly, why would anyone want to become a leader? How do you become a leader? Can you be a leader with no followers? Today, leadership is spoken of in ethereal and lofty terms, like a Holy Grail of sorts. But, like many things, it is not often defined, which illustrates the elusiveness of the ideal. Furthermore, leadership profoundly is an extension of personality (leadership styles) on a collision course with various situations and scenarios. Yet, in these perilous times and in our communities, we need effective leadership more than ever.

A Closer Look

Leadership, simply defined, is a relationship of power, in which one has the ability to influence, motivate and guide others. This can occur formally or informally, depending upon the structure we operate in. Leadership can also vary in scope. At the extremes, one can either govern himself (self-control) or govern the entire world (God). So normally, we will find ourselves somewhere in the middle. We all have a certain style that we exhibit and also gravitate to. Leadership is essential to any group because we need someone to organize people and resources around a common vision and ensure accountability. Leadership archetypes abound throughout history and society.

For me, one of the greatest leaders in history was King David. The context for the verse at the beginning of this post shows David running for his life, trying to escape the current king, Saul. As he fled, the dregs of society attached themselves to him. Why? These were men who seemed to have problems with authority and the natural order of things. What was so special about David that he became a captain over them? David started out by himself, in a mountainside, watching sheep. However, something about his spirit or makeup made him willing to step up at the right time. Whether it was protecting the sheep or slaying Goliath. However, he also recognized and respected the structure he operated in, refusing to kill King Saul, when he had ample opportunity. David had vision, confidence and self-control. As a result of his leadership, Israel enjoyed a golden age of military dominance and prosperity.

Crisis in Leadership: Who are you following?

Who are the leaders in your life and why? Whether we know it or not, we are “following” someone. It is a fiction to believe that we are completely autonomous. With that said, what happens when leadership breaks down or the leader in no longer fit for the position? When this occurs, the group and culture is one in crisis and chaos ensues until someone else fills the void. However, every misstep of leadership inevitably weakens the prestige and power of the office (read Bush). There is an issue of credibility.

Often, this is the problem in our communities. The absence of males in the home and in our community institutions (e.g. church) leads to a crisis in discipline and authority. For example, fathers teach children how to operate and function under authority and within a chain of command. However, what happens when there is no father in the home or an effective male model? The result is a generation of undisciplined individuals who do not know how to lead nor respond to authority. As a result, the prisons are teeming with our brothers.

As a man, I struggle with this issue myself. Spending most of my life leading, I have yet to learn to effectively follow or to find that formal mentorship that often makes the difference. Perhaps, this is rooted in issues of trust and skepticism as to the motives of others? John Maxwell stated that individuals will only follow people whose leadership ability exceeds their own. Otherwise, there is no true incentive for them to put their own agenda to the side. In light of this, I pose the question, Why should anyone follow you? How should we respond in a crisis of leadership?

What is My Motivation?

Personally, I do not believe in born leaders. As the Bible states, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” How do you become chosen? By answering the call to leadership. We must first embrace the idea of ourselves as leaders, because someone is always watching your actions. Once you begin to do that, you begin to undergo the process of leadership development. Leadership development is all about attaining the habits, disposition and self-control to lead. Implicitly, that is what last week’s post was about: Stepping your game up. Whether you are leading from the back or the front, leaders set the standard for excellence. Next, we need vision. An effective vision:

Is clear and vibrant in the mind of the leader

Articulates a better future

Is a bridge between the less preferable now and the more desirable future

Compelling and energizing

Connects with people on an emotional and spiritual level

After vision, we must be able to articulate and execute the vision. This demands that we bring to bear all of the training and experience we have culminated in our development. A leadership theorist stated that leadership is not a set of traits, but a pattern of motivation. Leaders exhibit a high need for power, low need for affiliation, and a high level of activity inhibition (self control). I would alter these qualities to say that true leaders have a high need for positive change and empowerment, do not need a lot of external validation, and they must exhibit the mental and spiritual discipline of self-control.

How do we make leadership last?

There are two schools of effective leadership: transactional and transformational. Transactional evaluates the leader’s effectiveness in attaining a goal or an objective. Transformational leadership seeks to better the people, organization and society at large. Both have their place. But I am of the belief that first, we must transform the hearts and minds of those around us, and then the transactional side will take care of itself. How do we transform the hearts and minds of those around us? By living lives of integrity, conviction, sacrifice, passion and love. If we do not love those whom we seek to influence, we are not “Good Shepherds,” but robbers and thieves. By letting our light shine upon others, people will be drawn to us and our mission.

The world and the people are waiting for you to take your rightful place.

You cannot lead the people, if you do not love the people.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas

Question of the Week: What is your idea of a leader and why?

Katrina Commemoration – Part III: Push through the Barriers & Proceed to Act

This is the third and final installment of our Katrina Commemoration Series.

3. Proceed to Act

Now that we’ve critically observed our situations and surroundings and have decided on our purposes and plans for action, the final step is to ACT. Let’s use this as an opportunity to talk about the barriers to action that many people must overcome, with the idea being that if we figure out how to get past those, then we can act toward achieving our dreams and goals.

Here at The SuperSpade, we seek to provide tools for effective action. These tools include, data, information, knowledge, wisdom, opinions, connections, and perspectives. All of these things and more are part of what drives us to do anything. What is it that keeps us from doing something when we have everything we need to have and know everything we need to know? This has definitely happened to me more times than I’d like to admit. I’d be surprised if no one else has experienced this.

I argue that three major things stop us:

1. We can’t make a difference
A lack of confidence in ourselves or our cause often stifles our response to anything. For example, people may not have donations of food/water/clothes/money to Gulf Coast Hurricane survivors because you wondered, “what is my small contribution really gonna do?” Another example is people not voting because to them, their one vote will not make a difference. The problem with this thinking is that it makes the often improper assumption that you exist in a bubble, that you are the only person that does or thinks anything, that you are the single force for change in the situation. In short, it’s a selfish perspective.

It is true that lots of things, lots of movements, are dreamed up by a single person. Or are they? Looking a bit more critically, that is actually untrue pretty much all the time. Let’s look at some examples:

- Was Steve Biko the only person that felt strongly about Black consciousness? NO.
- Was the young Coleman Young the only person that felt that racial discrimination in the UAW as wrong? NO.
- Were you the only person that thought the disastrous response to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes was appalling, nearing criminal negligence? No.

In all of these cases, I’ve called out individual people that had their own personal opinion(s). What these people realized, and what we all must realize, is that yes, an individual acting as an individual will in many cases have only limited effect. But when individuals come together they can effect significant changes. How do they come together? By acknowledging that there are other people in this world, and opening themselves to the possibility that others can help them achieve their goals. To extend an idea [my new favorite movie] V for Vendetta, with enough people behind a symbol or an idea, that idea can transform into powerful action(s). Coming back home, it takes a certain level of humility and unselfishness to understand that we need to use each other as resources to achieve our common objectives. The way that our common objectives become collective objectives is through open communication. We need think critically for ourselves and to pay attention to one another.

2. If we fail then it’s all over
We tend to place more finality in perceived failure than we do in perceived success. Why is that? I don’t know, but I do know the following:

- Both, in reality, are building blocks for the future.
- Both, in reality, require critical re-evaluation of what was done/not done.
- Both, in reality, are equally important to success in the future.

Even though I know the above, I still struggle with them. How can I/you get past these struggles? By interacting with one another and supporting and encouraging each other when we feel discouraged.

The truth is we need to reform our default pessimistic attitude that says that a) we’re going to fail inevitably, and b) when we fail then we must cease. Even if a) is true, b) never, ever is. You can always change. You can always adapt. You can always succeed. [This sounds like a Weekly Dream, but] The only reason we ultimately fail at these sorts of actions is because we make a decision to. Instead, let’s reform our attitude to say that if we experience a setback, we instead use it as an opportunity to put together our collective hearts and minds to achieve success, however we define it.

3. We’re scared
I know I’ve been beating the hell out of this lately, but that is because I feel so strongly about it. I’ll be brief here and simply stay that if we work with each other to increase our personal and collective confidence in ourselves, the collective, and the things we are committed to, we can overcome this crippling fear.

Please add to this list. Let us know what has kept you from doing things, and how you overcome these obstacles. In the near future, I’ll write on the different types of actions, but I first wanted to deal with what’s blocking us from moving forward.

Thank you for reading and supporting this series. I pray that this series does justice to the tragedies by allowing us to think about the hurricanes, think about ourselves, and think about our future.

One Love. One II.

Loneliness, Black Men, and Friendships: Part III

If you think back to your father or other male figures in your life growing up, do you remember at some point, one or more of them trying to school you on how to engage the opposite sex? Now hold that thought and compare that to how many times a Black man has taught you how to be a good friend to other brothers? My point exactly…

The fact is many of us did not grow up with positive examples of Black male friendships. For example, think about those of us fortunate enough to know and have relationships with our fathers. Can you name two of your Dad’s closest friends? Have you ever been with or seen your Dad hang out with other men? What about over-hearing your Dad talk to his friends on the phone? If my hunch is correct, many of us can not answer the aforementioned questions in the affirmative. And if you don’t know your father, then I can imagine how much harder it would be to get these examples from say, uncles, boyfriends, etc.

But what do we remember? Things like learning how to play a sport, working on the car, doing lawn maintenance, etc. And not that any of these things are wrong, I think they are important experiences that should be cherished. However, I wonder why male to male friendships are assumed to be something that just happens naturally.

I assume part of this thinking comes from the fact that growing up, we made friends with whoever was on the block and everything seems cool. To make it easier, most of our childhood friendships consisted of three components; playing games, telling jokes, and eating like cows. And for most of us, this formula hasn’t changed that much as we transitioned to manhood. The problem with this trajectory is that as life becomes increasingly complex and difficult; the qualities of our friendships don’t reflect the same nuance.

Therefore, my concern is the lack of examples of positive Black male friendships that would encourage us to take better care of our male friendships (our brothers by extension). Because unfortunately, after the games of our youth get old, the examples we have of pure, healthy, male friendships fade quickly, if they ever existed at all. And when I say take better care of our male friendships, I am primarily interested in whether or not you make each other better people. And if all you do is debate sports when you really need to be venting about how you are desperately trying to save your marriage, then there is a structural problem we have to deal with.

Are there any examples outside of family, church, etc. where we see examples of positive Black male friendships? I submit to you that to our detriment, the media has saturated us with unreal or perverted examples of positive Black male friendship. To be sure, I’ll ask my music connoisseurs when they have heard of a song by a Black man talking about positive male friendship (and tribute songs to the deceased do not count). That was easy, but what about movies/television shows? I honestly can’t think of one, but I reserve the right to be wrong and encourage you to correct me by posting comments and telling me how this example has helped you.

So coming back full circle, how is it that Black men learn what it means to have positive Black male friendships? Are there any people in your life that either taught you the art of friendship or do you remember any examples that were particularly helpful? If not, how did you learn friendship? Do you think friendship comes naturally? What examples do you wish you had growing up?

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.

Katrina Commemoration – Part II: 2. Plan your Position & Purpose

This is the second installment of our Katrina Commemoration Series.

Now that everyone has read & began to put into practice the Pay Attention Program, let’s move forward towards how to position one’s self to most effectively assume the vital and critical position they hold in the success of the collective. Key to understanding your position and your purpose in our future is paying attention to yourself and your surroundings. Once you are doing/have done that, what’s next? The next piece is using the data, information, knowledge and wisdom gained from this observation to decide how and where you fit into the larger picture.

Perhaps the first responsible thing to do here is to define what the ‘larger picture’ is. Without knowing this, how will you know where you fit? This series is written in honor of the Gulf Coast hurricane survivors, but the ‘larger picture’ encompasses more than natural disaster response. In my view, which I know is not the only one, the ‘larger picture’ actually a fairly simple one. It’s an image whose defining characteristic is the absence of fear. It’s an image where we all understand what is promised to us in II Timothy 1:6-7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The overcoming of fear is a fundamental aspect of freedom, of liberation, of equality. Once we are no longer afraid of ourselves and our own potential, our neighbors and our inherent differences, our leadership and their intentions, we can truly work together. A message I got from people in New Orleans that didn’t leave before/during the storm was that they were afraid. There is nuance here though because they were not talking about the [relatively obvious] fear of the storm, but they were more afraid not knowing what to do or being able to live somewhere else. To me, that is a fear of the future, a fear of one’s own wherewithal and ability to thrive anywhere, a fear of the unknown. Freedom from these fears, and fear however it presents itself is what true freedom is.

Now that we know what my picture looks like, let’s deal with how I/you/we can contribute to making that vision a reality. There are two parts, as the title suggests: determining your purpose and planning your position.

Your purpose can only be determined after you start paying attention and analyzing what you observe. This analysis can be completely personal (you thinking about things on your own), or it can be analyzed by talking with people you know/love/trust about such things. I’d argue that the latter is preferred because it errs on the side of using a community approach as opposed to an individual one. We often find that we gain deeper understanding of the things we see around us and in ourselves when we share them with others. Since we [should] want to understand our purpose as deeply as possible, I encourage us to have these conversations.

What do these conversation sound like? How are they structured? Try this. The next time you see/hear/read/experience something that upsets you, instead of internalizing it, call a friend or family member and talk about. Many of you probably already do this, but I’d like you to take a different approach. Instead of doing this simply to get the “stress off your chest,” make the goal of that conversation understanding what specifically about this thing or event bothers you? What about it is contradictory to who you are? What you want? The direction you want things to go? Answering these questions can help paint a more clear picture as to not only what you care about, but, more importantly, why you care about those things. Sometimes it’s easier to define things in terms of their opposites, so why not attempt to do this with finding our purpose? After a few of these conversation, you can begin to get a general idea about what your passion(s) and purpose(s) may be.

Now that we are beginning to formulate our purpose, we need to begin to hold ourselves accountable to our purpose. We need to look at what we think and do and don’t do and measure it against our purpose. Are we in line with it? Are our priorities in the proper order for us to do what we want to do? We can do this by remembering our purposes and burning them into our memories. However, the easiest way to hold one’s self accountable to something is to write it down. For whatever reason, many people (including me at one point) are hesitant to do this, another fear we should seek to eliminate. The question is why? Why are we scared to hold ourselves to a standard that we set and control? It’s not something imposed on you by someone else. We especially have little to fear in because if we don’t get it right the first, second, fifth, or hundredth time, we can alter it! This does not mean that you should change purposes like socks; give what you think your purpose is a fair shot.

Now, since we understand what the end goal is, and we understand what our purpose is, we can now address how we position ourselves in order to be successful in fulfilling our purpose and contributing to the ultimate goal. The idea is simple: if I understand where I want to go and why I want to go there, I can more easily see how I can get there. Your position is just as important as your purpose. We need to ensure we’re not putting round pegs in square holes. A good idea at the wrong time yields the same outcome as a bad idea. Similarly, an improperly timed action can yield the same or worse results than inaction. Likewise, a purpose without position is ineffective. We can make sure we do this by realizing that we do not exist in vacuums, that there are many interested people and parties in the things we think, say, and do. We can make sure we do this by talking with people we love/trust/understand about how we can position ourselves to be most effective, the community approach. Questions to ask here can be along the lines of:

How can my talents allow me to best apply my purpose?
How can my gifts help the march towards the goal(s) move forward?
How can my skills be best utilized by myself and/or others to most benefit the myself and the collective?

Using myself as an example: if I’m a nerd, which I am, and one of my purposes is to be a communicator of ideas and a facilitator of discussions, start a website that attempts to do those things and more. That was my attempt at positioning myself to fulfill my purpose and contribute to the goal eliminating ignorance and fear.

Give it a try. The best way to remember and commemorate hurricane survivors is to commit ourselves to taking care of one another. Pay attention. Decide what’s important. Position yourself to contribute.

One Love. One II.

The Weekly Dream: Step Your Game Up

“If you’re not making moves, then you’re running in place or standing still”

We are officially entering the fourth quarter of the year. What does that mean? It means that for 90% of us, our New Year’s Resolutions are all but a faint memory. Have you accomplished all of your objectives? Did you tenaciously pursue your dreams? What exactly did you do for three quarters of the year?

The vast majority of us have settled into the comfort of routine-content to spend our time coasting. Personally, I realized that I had gotten comfortable. I had a routine down, and was settling into a quiet life, keeping to myself. I needed to create the urgency to get better and more focused than I was yesterday. I had to challenge myself to create a little discomfort and push to the next level.

What is it going to take?

A lot of us have stagnated in some area of our lives, and have hit that end of the year slump. In life, you spend a lot of time practicing, and very little time actually executing. However, if you are in a slump, it is going to take twice the energy, patience, and a lot of positivity. Therefore, it is necessary to get back to basics, simplify your thinking, you approach, your life. If you are a winner, when presented with a challenge, you tend to let go of extraneous things, and key in to the task at hand. You become determined, yet calm. Normally, when you are confident in your preparation and are secure in your abilities, you hit what is commonly referred to as the “zone”. Everyone has experienced it in some form or fashion, but it is possible to live there.

How do you achieve optimum performance? First, DO NOT break your discipline. You know what you are supposed to be doing and when, so stick to it. Discipline is simply training designed to achieve some outcome. It is totally process driven. But the best part of discipline is that it is easily transferable. If you are disciplined at exercising and your school work, take that same mindset and apply it to some other activity. When people would tell me “Oh you are naturally smart, that is why you received that grade.” I would respond that smart has nothing to do with it. Talent in the hands of a fool is nothing but potential. I was just more disciplined and my grade is a reflection of that. Some people are naturally gifted, but that should inspire you to achieve your personal best and learn from them. It is universal law. You will reap what you sow.

Second, be diligent. Diligence, as I have stated before is discipline over a long period of time. It is a dedication to doing something right, over and over again. Michael Jordan is quoted as saying “Perfect practice makes perfect. If you shoot 1000 jumpers a day the wrong way, then you have perfected shooting an improper jumper.” Diligence and discipline yield excellence. In Proverbs, it says, “He who is slack in his work is companion to he who is a destroyer.” Therefore, do not tolerate slackness in any area of your life, because the corners you cut today, will definitely come back on you.

Third, be devoted. Bring your entire self into the enterprise. Devotion is about the attitude you have towards something. Discipline and diligence can be imposed from the outside, but devotion comes within. It is the hunger, passion, and obsession all rolled into one. But it is the comfort of knowing that, while you might not be there today, you will get there, so it is all worth it.

Fourth, take the best from everyone. While some people are naturally gifted, I do not believe that anything is outside of possibility once the decision is made to possess it. Therefore, I hang around individuals who are skillful in the area I want to perfect. What is going on in their mind? How do they approach the task? How do they practice? I am always seeking the best in everyone so that I can smooth my rough edges.

Keep Your Hand to the Plow

A few weeks back, Brandon wrote about manifesting your light and it really struck a cord with me. Living this way is not easy, it takes constant vigilance. We are human, and the natural tendency is to get comfortable. But is that being true to yourself? This has been a hard challenge for me, and I do not profess to have these four things mastered, but I know what must be done.

The older I get, the more I realize that time is our most precious commodity. Everything in life can be recouped, except for time. Yet, we waste so much of it everyday. Then, we wonder why we have accomplished on half of what we aimed. When you are short on time, and you have to cover a lot of ground, it is going to take planning, preparation and discipline. It is definitely going to cost you something. But once you catch a glimpse of who you are and the light that is inside of you, you cannot help but work to manifest that each and everyday.

I pose the same challenge to you. Blow the dust off of your New Year’s Resolutions, pick up the project you have been putting off, get organized, clean up your diet, PICK UP YOUR DREAMS. It is not too late. You have three months to make it honest.

Play through the slump.

Let Your light shine before men, so that they may glorify God.

It takes work and time to shine.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas

Question of the Week: Where do slumps come from and how do we overcome them?