Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made an unfortunate mistake when he said privately:
Obama, as a black candidate, could be successful thanks, in part, to his light-skinned appearance and speaking patterns with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one…He [Reid] was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama — a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.
The comments and the response to the comments have been laughable, disconcerting and indicative of the broader race-related issues that our country continually kicks down the road.
I’m frustrated that the only tellers at the Bank of Apologizing to Black People are still Rev. Al Sharpton and/or Jesse Jackson. Many have used the fact that Rev. Sharpton accepted Reid’s apology as grounds for vindication. Rev. Sharpton is as much a proxy for Black America’s social consciousness as the CEO of Goldman Sachs is a proxy for the interests of community banks. Just like there’s a movement to move our money out of big banks, Black folks should be moving their representation away from Rev. Sharpton and to community voices.
It’s further frustrating to think about how the latent prejudice of our politics has contributed to structural inequity reinforced by public policy.
Perhaps there is more at work than the latent racism that leads to remarks that are at their best in poor taste and at their worst indicative of utter moral failure. The way to work through a controversy like today’s uproar is to put these incidents into a larger narrative about the consequences of entrenched racism and prejudice. Once that narrative is constructed, we can create a solution.
What’s up fam, Long time no see I know. First let me say that I have started law school at UDC so any SuperSpade fam in the DMV, let me know what’s up. Moreover, my partner in crime Garlin got married and would you guess it, moved to DC!!! Suffice it to say that a ton of change has happened in the past couple months and our posting has been….well let’s just get back into it.
So I am really smarting over the Van Jones resignation and the implications it has on the next twenty years of political life in America. President Obama is wrong for allowing this to go through. This has nothing to do with Van’s liberal values but it is pure politics. Jones was ousted in large part to the enraged and deranged rhetoric of Glenn Beck…of all people. I get it you that can’t fight every fight but come on. I will even give you some slack if we are talking about appointments that need the consent of the Senate but this was not the case. Then, the communication’s director of the National Endowment for the Arts, Yosi Sergant is forced to resgin in part due to Glenn Beck. Obama, you can’t allow Glenn Beck to pick off your staff one at a time. This is crazy!!!!
The larger problem is what this says for the generation coming of and preparing to take the reins. What Van said about Republicans pales in comparison to what I hear Republicans have said and say about Obama. The signal being sent though is that if you are left/liberal/progressive, keep your mouth shut. We live in the information where even the most insignificant speech is recorded, and who knows what to think of what is going to happen to all the emails/facebook posts, blogs, blog comments, etc. I say that to say that anyone talking themselves out of politics (or influencing politicians) took the wrong lesson from the Jones resignation. We have to be bold in our principles. Seriously, I don’t know when this happened but “birthers” get regular play over the media airwaves. Where are we?
Let’s be honest shall we?
Have you deleted or re-worded a comment or email because while what you said was perfectly reasonable you didn’t want to be branded as a crazy liberal? -When in conversation have you bashed a liberal idea that you really support?
What rally did you want to go to but you didn’t want to risk being photographed?
My only point is that you are wrong if you are waiting for progressive values (that is the word I use, don’t get caught in semantics) to become mainstream, stop waiting! Politics doesn’t work when you don’t show up so don’t let this moment go to waste. Let principles guide you, not random reactions to the absurd.
In the midst of this economic downturn, it only makes sense that people take refuge in education. This is especially the thinking of minorities and disadvantaged people, and rightfully so. “Education,” they say, “is a great equalizer.”
Make no mistake: you have more security being educated than you do being under-educated. That being said, we may need a little more nuance in our thinking about the whole “get educated to get employed” approach that most of us take to education. As my mentor & friend Calvin Mackie often says, “if it only makes dollars, then it doesn’t make sense.”
In this time where cornerstone companies like GM are entering bankruptcy and promising to come out “leaner” (read: they’re going to fire/lay off/buy out a lot of people), we have to protect ourselves. The harsh truth is that even good people are being let go.
What can we do?
Here are some things we can all do to survive & thrive in this economy:
Add as much value as you can. At your job, do what you can to over-achieve. This goes without saying typically, but it’s especially important now. This is good because a record of over-achievement will serve your career well.
Keep your resume up to date.
Even if you’re not looking for work, re-visit your resume every 6 months. Have you had interesting projects or achievements on the job? Have you attended trainings or acquired some type of certification? Promotion? Adding these things as they happen ensures that you’re never unprepared. Consider creating a profile on LinkedIn. (For an example, look at my profile).
Build transferable skills outside of your day job. Try to read, practice, volunteer and/or consult in areas of interest or expertise you have outside of your primary work. If there are things that you enjoy or are good at or want to learn that could have monetary value, grow these skills. After you’ve done some work on them, add them to your resume.
Network to net work.
The people you know can and will help you get the work you need and want. The old saying is “network or not work,” but I like this more positive, proactive version. We all know people that know people that are [at least] tangentially connected to whatever you want to pursue professionally. What we fail to realize is that they are often more than willing to talk with us, offer advice, and help us take our next step in our careers.
I’m sure many of you have tips we all can benefit from to help us find and keep jobs in this day and age. Please share them.
We will have a new Supreme Court Justice by October 2009, and her name will be Sonia Sotomayor. This is a plain, simple fact.
I waited to write about this because I wanted to see the full range of juvenile, senseless, and viperous statements made be conservative critics of this nomination.
A laughable argument
The most ridiculous and confusing argument against soon-to-be-Justice Sotomayor is that she is unfit to be on the Supreme Court because her personal positions, ethnic heritage, and life experience could influence her decisions. Show me a person who’s life experience doesn’t reflect in their decisions, and I’ll show you a person’s life that is a rudderless, abject failure.
Last I checked, judges are people. Persons even. People, like you, me, your mother, your brother, your neighbor and everyone else you know all have histories, opinions and talents. To deny this is to deny the value of life, family, friendship, education, work, and everything else that happens during our time on this earth.
It is beyond ridiculous then to think that people’s decisions are not impacted by the things that they have seen or that have happened to them. Why must judges divorce themselves from their humanity in the name of something as transient and subjective as the law? Are these people saying that they want law machines and not judges? (Note: I’m absolutely not a lawyer, so I’d love to hear from lawyers on this.)
We elect/appoint people
The actual world and the movie world are different. We don’t live in the world of Terminator or iRobot. When we look for ways to solve problems, to explain happenings, or to interpret law, we look to people, not robots. The idea that judges appointed by conservatives apply no personal thought or empathy when deciding cases is as dishonest and supported neither anecdotally or statistically. The most recent example is [current & most recently appointed] Justice Sam Alito’s comments during his confirmation regarding applying his personal and family experiences to his judgements.
Should disagreement disqualify?
Maybe, maybe not. Disqualify is probably the wrong word, but in the real world, this is about more than qualifications. No one has said that Sotomayor is unqualified because that would be the only argument weaker than the laughable one described above.
Elections have consequences. The should have consequences; that’s the point. It is perfectly legitimate to vote against a judicial nominee because you disagree with their ideology as demonstrated in their record. It is not, however, legitimate to vote against a nominee because they do what all other people do: think about their history when making decisions in the present.
I pray that one day we can have an honest dialogue in our government and body politic without the salacious, counter-productive, dishonest rhetoric. If you don’t like her record, say you don’t like her record. That’d be a lot easier on all of us.
Many people still think racism is intentional, conscious and personal. It’s not. As the economic crisis shows, we are facing racial inequities that have their roots in the explicit racism of earlier generations but which now devastate communities of color without intent. This is where we now need to turn our attention.
The common argument that “the racism that happened in the past is not important today” is flatly wrong. Some complain that pollution today hurts children in the future. Others say that poor financial decisions will burden our children with unthinkable debts & deficits. In exactly the same fashion, the racism of our forefathers hurts people in the here and now.
This is further evidence of the myth of the Post-Racial Society. In order for a Post-Racial Society to come into being, the racism and the remnants of that racism, and them impact of that racism must be dealt with justly.
The problem is racism is at a minimum both moral & economic. Once one agrees that racism [and other manifestations of prejudice] are morally wrong, there are economic questions that must be addressed. The Applied Research Center’s report outlines how racism hurt both the hearts and wallets of people of color during this very recession.
The solutions to the problem of racism help us all. I’m not a fan of playing the race card unjustifiably. However, when we justly and ethically deal with racist norms, policies and practices, all people benefit.
Fair lending practices benefit all people looking to qualify for a home or car loan.
Fair admissions & financial aid policies make college education accessible for all students.
A more responsible police force better protects all members of community.
Take This Hammer is a 1963 documentary film that shows author/activist James Baldwin’s fact-finding mission to San Francisco that same year. His purpose was to answer the question: is the Negro in San Francisco, CA any better off than the Negro in Birmingham, AL? He concluded that:
There is no moral distance between the facts of life in San Francisco and the facts of life in Birmingham.
Baldwin presents an extraordinary social critique of America North & South, white liberalism, and the angst of Black teenagers. What’s exceptional are some of the specific barometers he uses to judge young Black people’s view on their future.
Will there ever be a Black President?
There is one exchange where he asks a group of young men if there will ever be a Negro President in this country. They flatly tell him “No, never.” Baldwin retorts with solidly nuanced optimism: “Yes, there will be a Negro President, but this country will be different from the one that exists now.”
Obviously, we have a Black President now. That begs the question: was Baldwin right? Is this a different country than it was in 1963? Yes in many ways, and no in many others.
The failure of Christianity
Near the end of the film, Baldwin opines on the almost comical hypocrisy of American [white] Christianity. Baldwin asserts that:
…these churches are absolutely meaningless and almost blasphemous…more social club than spiritual institution…the Christian church in this country has never, as far as i know, been Christian.
Baldwin is himself a Christian, but he sees and hears the spiritual frustrations of Black youth. One young man told him that the best way for Black people to organize [for revolution] was by “coming together as Muslims.” What does that mean? That spirituality & religion as forces of identification, pride, and community were as important then as they are today. It also speaks to the fluidity of religion, to people’s desire to find a spiritual persuasion that speaks to their needs. Baldwin’s critique on American Christianity shows that many young, militant Black folks rejected a faith they saw as hypocritical and weak. Today’s Christianity is still fighting this battle.
On “liberalism”
Baldwin shares an intellectual pedigree with Steve Biko with his disdain of “liberals” (in this context, they both mean White liberals). In the film, Baldwin has a lot to say about this:
Everywhere I’ve been in this country, white people think race relations are excellent.
Liberals are looking for an alleviation, a protection of their own consciousness.
Liberals can’t be fake and be heroic too.
White people think of themselves as missionaries…but we don’t want you to do it for the Negro, we want you to do it for you.
His critique is not of liberalism, but of dishonest, half-hearted activism. Activism and organizing are based upon trust, and Baldwin did not trust white liberal activists in many cases.
This tension still exists in some circles today. Most interestingly, it creates a chasm between those arguing over whether the shortest path to equality and freedom in this country is through racial reconciliation or class-based economic struggle. Baldwin, Biko, myself, and others saw this as a false choice, but it creates a very real debate for many activists and thinkers.
Where do we go from here?
Baldwin in the film is neither overly optimistic nor terribly pessimistic. He does offer some thoughts that give insight into his thoughts on the future:
Buildings without foundations will inevitably come down.
I can be fooled, but my kids won’t be…either we will correct what’s wrong, it will be corrected for us.
This is something that’s been hitting close to home with me in recent years. The aspirations and assumptions of one generation are often realized, debunked, and adjusted by the next. Baldwin speaks specifically about ideas such as the “fakeness” of the American dream (i.e. having a garage) and what is actually meant when politicians & developers say “redevelopment” (to Baldwin, that means “remove the Negro”).
As my generation of activists, thinkers, leaders, and citizens chart our course through this dynamic social landscape, we can learn a lot from those that came before us. However, learn means neither repeat nor ignore. Instead, it means absorbing the knowledge and experiences, examining the current context for similarities and differences, applying what we’ve absorbed where appropriate, and innovating where necessary.
In the car today, I had my attention split between driving, talking on the phone and listening to the BBC World Edition on NPR. On the show, they were discussing that how Britains (I could be wrong) have a more difficult time accepting immigrants into their culture because at least as far as recent history is concerned, Britain is a self-contained country by which those who live their have a distinct view of what being Britain truly entails. This state of affairs was contrasted with America where everyone, minus Native Americans are immigrants, can legitimately claim and believe to be truly American.
The part that jarred me is when an interviewer asks a Britain why its more difficult for Britains to accept immigrants (I should note that there appeard to be a tacit understanding that they were really talking about people of color) and a woman responded dryly, “It’s not about race, it’s about space.” For years now, I have considered how conflicts over land and resources become painted in race/culture specifiic terms in order for the powers that be to misdirect their true intentions. But I think the woman’s response more accurately depicts my thoughts and here is why.
Taken literally and figuratively, what keeps racism thriving is a perpetual denial of accepting “others” into your space. Literally, this “space” can be interpreted by where you live, where your kids go to school, where you hang out, etc. No less important is the figurative sense which can be interpreted via who you do/don’t allow to have access to your emotional space. There are a range of things people do with this void. Some fill this void with stereotypes that can serve as barriers to the type of humanity that God envisioned; Love your brother as yourself. Others are aware of their void and take steps to fill it with love and understanding. In the end, I suppose the takeaway from this post is that you should be mindful of how you filter who gets in your space and the morals and values that under gird these filters. It is impossible to allow poor morals to inform who gets into your space and not think these same values are expressed when you try to enter into another person’s space.
I wanted to let you all know that my good friend Dumi will be on television tonight (10/8/08) at 9pm on WTVS (Detroit Public TV), 760am WJR, 101.9fm. The show is also available online. Dumi will be an expert panelist on Bridging the Racial Divide: Part Four. Over the last two years, the series has taken a candid and often contentious look at the role of race in Metro Detroit. The series has gotten a lot of great feedback and the good folks at Kingberry productions have brought some past panelists and new panelists together to discuss what’s happening and on the horizon for Metro Detroit. There are some heavy hitters on board joining Dumi on the panel including Dave Bing, Peter Karmanos, and others.
I was fortunate enough to see the taping and have an audience with the panelists in the green room. And for those who don’t know, Dave Bing is currently the safest bet in terms of trying to predict the next mayor of Detroit. Check out the show tonight and show Dumi some love.
Commenter John Paul Reeves left what Brandon & I felt was a thought-provoking comment on Brandon’s Obama Drops the Ball on Energy post. I was responding to the comment, but my response got pretty long, so I felt it’d be more appropriate to write it up as a full post for everyone to be able to read and respond to easily. This is my full response:
@John Paul Reeves,
On Obama’s Religion
As for how I as a Black Christian (not speaking for that entire demographic) feel, I have no “concern” about Obama’s religion. In fact, I bet most people don’t have any concern about Obama’s religion. Frankly, I don’t care what his religion is, and the people who say that he’s a Muslim in a derogatory way are actually not only insulting Muslims by implying that being Muslim is bad, but they are also note acting in a Christ-like manner by bearing false witness against another person. So there are two questions to pose to Christians or anyone else who has a problem with a candidate’s religion:
What’s wrong with voting for a fellow Christian?
What in your Christianity would stop you from voting for someone who was of a different religion if there was a non-Christian in the race?
On Qualified Black Candidates
As to your question on qualified Black candidates that could run for President and VP, the issue is not qualification. There are qualified people of every type: race, sex, gender, ideology, religion, sexual orientation, age, etc. The issue is actually one of prejudice and access.Read the rest of this entry »
Today we look again at the concept of individuality. James wrote a piece today called Am I destroying the black community? that is a response to something I wrote last November called How the myth of individualism is destroying the Black community. In it, he refutes many of my points, but I think at the core he misses some fundamental truths that are necessary for individual success and collective advancement.
Wlady Plesczynski, longtime editorial director of The American Spectator, blogged that the cover was “too clever by half, taking some generally known unserious tropes and having a field day with them, as if at some level the magazine actually thought such a caricature had some basis in fact.” That is exactly right. If the cover were an attempt to pre-empt and ridicule conservative attacks on Obama, two things went terribly wrong in that thinking:
This will only embolden — it certainly won’t scare — conservatives. Now that a liberal publication has fired the first salvo, one far worse than any that Republicans have conjured up to date, it’s far more likely that we’ve entered Open Season than any chance of conservatives shying away from playing the race angle.
Most Americans are, in the words of a former colleague, “only negligibly literate.” While the inside-the-Beltway types will see the cartoon for what it is — a poorly done jab at the right-wing — I doubt that the people in “Flag City, USA,” many of whom actually do believe that Obama is, or was, a Muslim, will see the nuance. More likely they’ll just take it as proof that see, I knew that Obama he was some kind of Muslim; my friends were right all along — even The New Yorker said so.
I agree with James that this is satire done with the skill of dog writing poetry. However, we differ on the underlying reason why this article cartoon cover failed so miserably.
I am happy to kick off Black on Black Thought. This week, James wrote about CNN’s Black in America special (that will highlight life in Black America in all its complexity) and considers whether or not this series will over saturate America with “race talk” and its possible impact on the 2008 election. James basic conclusion is that we are reaching a saturation point in our “race-talk.” I think we are far from the point of saturation.
I went to the Obama rally that was held in Detroit and it was a great event. My homegirl Monique Perry (a fellow Detroit native I have known since high school and went to the University of Michigan with me) pumped up the crowd and encouraged folks to register and organize. Obama thanked her on national television. Let’s get em’ Mo and GO BLUE! Obama gave a relatively standard stump speech but it surely didn’t sound like one. The brother has conviction and I am happy to see him as the Democratic nominee.
However, I was grieved to learn that someone from Obama’s team “barred two Muslim women from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women’s headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate.” For context, the city of Dearborn which borders Detroit is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country so you really can’t be in Detroit and avoid the Arab-American community. And can we way hijjab instead of headscarves? Ok, thanks.
Now if Obama personally called the Detroit reporter and apologized for calling her sweetie the same day the incident happened, his staff needs to find these women’s numbers and make sure Obama himself apologizes. I say that because anybody who knows me, knows that I am all about process and how you win is very important.
I actually think that Obama should have over-indulged himself in the Arab-American community to demonstrate that he is secure enough in himself to be photographed with Arab-Americans. Doing so would not only send a strong message to Arabs across the globe that we are all deserving of respect and it would help end the post-911 classification of the Arab community as “them”. This is a moment where the Obama campaign can continue to do the right thing and not what is politically expedient. How you win matters.
Let me first say I appreciate Garlin’s update as to what the SuperSpade has been up to. I am currently recovering from the Michigan Policy Summit that was a huge success. I write today because I am livid at what Senator Clinton told the South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Argus-Leader in explaining why she would stay in the race. Have you ever heard someone say something and think, “I know they just didn’t say what I thought they said.” This is one of those times because Senator Clinton said,
“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it.”
Like many of you, I am outraged that the three detectives were acquitted of killing Sean Bell. Sean was 23 the night he was set to be married the next day and though he was unarmed, the cops thought him dangerous enough to deserve being killed. And Sean wasn’t just killed, he was shot 50 times. It is crap like this that make me upset as to why Black people fear and distrust the police.
I know there will be rallies held in New York to protest this miscarriage of justice and if you are in the area, you should go. After the marches though, Bell’s story like Amadou Diallo and others will be filed in the Black consciousness as the continuing saga of injustice that has plagued Black folk since we were kidnapped from Africa. Surely this is worth Black folk being bitter right?
Bell was killed at a strip club and the undercover detectives were there to investigate if there was prostitution going on. Prostitution is wrong I get it. But quite frankly, how in the world do you investigate prostitution? I mean you tell me that these detectives couldn’t have set up a camera and watch the footage from the precinct? Aren’t there enough unsolved murders in the hood that could be a better use of these detectives’s time? And while I don’t have a J.D., how is it these detectives were not brought before a jury?
I try to imagine the hell I would raise if one of my people suffered a death like Sean Bell. The fact is that while I never knew Sean, he is my brother and your brother too. Our prayers go out to Bell’s family and friends as they and we try to sort out this injustice.
H/t to my folks at Jack and Jill Politics for featuring this video of Michael Pfleger, a Catholic Priest based out of Chicago. When I wrote earlier about Black silence on Jeremiah Wright, I wanted to hear someone break it down like this. Enjoy and please watch the whole video. Stay up fam,
One of the most enduring debates in the Black Community is the philosophical divide Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois pitting the need for practical work and a liberal arts education against each other.
My former professor and now friend informed during vigorous debate once that they (Washington and DuBois) were both right in many respects and Black folks have been hoodwinked into thinking that things are “either, or” versus “both, and.” So for my people that have heard me make that argument, that is where it comes from but I digress.
My question to you is this, what would a hybrid vision of DuBois and Washington thought look like in 2008?
Our good friend and true SuperSpade Jill Tubman from Jack and Jill Politics put up this awesome piece about the future of the Civil Rights Movement and how technology figures into the equation. I have posted the piece in its entirety and it is a must read.
“What would happen if W.E.B. Du Bois or Marcus Garvey had a laptop?” Du Bois helped found the NAACP in 1909, and Garvey, a rival, started a back-to-Africa movement around the same time.
We are the answer to that question. In the vacuum of black leadership 40 years after Martin Luther King’s death, it’s his spiritual grandchildren that are carrying his mission forward now and not the civil rights groups he might have recognized. From the WaPo piece (emphasis mine):
In New York, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which helped shape the movement’s philosophy after adopting Mohandas K. Gandhi’s doctrine of nonviolent protest, is scarcely known outside Manhattan. CORE conceded that it now has about 10 percent of the 150,000 members it listed in the 1960s. Read the rest of this entry »
Our very own Garlin was featured in an article in Al Jazeera (English edition) discussing Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy 40 years later. Garlin’s contribution is below but you can read the entire post here along with our friend Professor R L’Heureux Lewis, affectionately known as Dumi. Read the rest of this entry »
R. L’Heureux Lewis, better know to SuperSpade readers as Dumi, is one of my intellectual heroes. Since I met him at the University of Michigan, he has always challenged me to look more deeply into issues and events to understand how to more effectively respond.
Last week, he was on the Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor discussing the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his recent statements. I can summarize it like this: Bill O’Reilly doesn’t really understand anything he said.
The nation that Barack Obama and many others feels can heal its racial wounds still has people that create images and craft messages of hatred and misunderstanding. With Kerry, it was patriotism. With Obama, it’s Blackness.
The “let’s not talk this up too much until after the election” strategy is no longer workable or relevant in the face of such attacks. This is the door that has been officially kicked open after Obama’s “race speech.” He could have locked the door permanently and thrown away the key had that speech been given earlier. Now, it is up to him and his supporters to overcome this mockery and mis-construction of the Black experience in this country and tell the story of a people who’s hope and pride have made them the most resilient people on earth.
This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected.
Barack Obama gave a speech on race this morning in Philadelphia that many consider to be his most direct campaign speech dealing with the “issue.” Given the pretext of the speech, the talk seems to be one that was forced into necessity more by the media, Obama’s supporters, and detractors than by Obama’s desired to address race Blackness in this campaign and in this country head-on. I have always felt that had this been something that Obama wanted to do out of his own volition, he would have done so long ago, thus pre-empting the ignorant racial undertones of attacks made against him, and laying a foundation for healing in this nation that started with race and class, and grew to overcome the entire of spectrum of challenges this nation and this world face.
Nevertheless, the time has come for this conversation between Barack Obama and the Democratic American electorate. In this speech Barack Obama succeeded in opening the door to a legitimate, meaningful, and potentially productive dialogue of understanding, empathy, and unity among people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. By Barack Obama actually publicly acknowledging that not only is there a race issue, but one that must be dealt with, he is responsibly using his position and status and recognition to create an atmosphere of abundant possibility and environment of empirical hope that builds much needed problem-solving momentum in all areas that change must occur.
During this election cycle, I’ve seen the candidates I’ve supported strongly fall by the wayside for various reasons. I contributed money to both the Kucinich and Edwards campaigns, as I saw those candidates as the two that most closely exemplified my brand of Progressive, populist politics. I have done work on behalf of the Obama campaign, building websites to organize supporters for him in South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Iowa out of respect and admiration for Obama and his supporters, many of whom are friends of mine. This, however, is the first bit of hope I’ve gleaned from Obama. My challenge to him and others who support him to take ownership how race is framed and use this opportunity as a stepping stone to reconciliation, to actual, effective, visibile change in the hearts, minds, lives of everyday people, and to a brighter future for all to enjoy.
Will Obama’s speech on “the larger issue of race” tomorrow be the speech I have been begging him to give for over a year?
I have wanted Obama to outwardly embrace his Blackness from jump. Not in a confrontational way, but in a confident way that lets everyone know that it is alright to be Black. At the basis of all of the race-based attacks on him is the idea that there is something wrong with being Black. Sadly, the Obama campaign’s approach to managing this part of his identity, while above-board and admirable, does little to reject this notion. Talking past is not addressing an issue.
Vote and share what you think Obama should say in his speech on race and the campaign tomorrow.
Maybe I missed this but given the outcry over the potshots taken at Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright, where is the push back from the Black Church and church leaders in particular? Just so people are clear, Wright is being demonized by mainstream media for being everything from being a Black separatist to anti-Jew. This is an obvious smear campaign and forget about Obama for a second, this is about the Black Church, that despite its shortcomings, is a very important institution in the Black community.
We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.
I want people to know the mission of Wright’s church, the Trinity United Church of Christ.
A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.
I have three main observations.1. Being pro-Black does not equate to being anti-anything. If you need clarification on this point, email me at bqwhite@gmail.com
2. Why don’t more Black churches have missions that are similar to that of Trinity United? I am not saying all Black churches must have the same mission statement but how many times have you seen a Black church make an explicit commitment to Africa? And why is it radical to support Africa?
3. Any sensible Black church leader who refuses to stick up for Wright is out of their mind. If a Black church can successfully be branded racist and/or separatist because they express love and support for Black people, then we as a people really need to get back to basics.
Two things you can do, call or email support to Pastor Wright ((773) 962-5650 or info@tucc.org) and if you do go to church, ask your pastor to address this issue to your congregation.
Last year, a big question around this event was whether or not Barack Obama was going to attend the event. He did not, but he was doing something that was much bigger: deciding to and formally announcing his run for the Presidency. Now, one year later, in the midst of a very competitive primary season, Obama faces the same question: will he go? Should he go?
Obama is not attending. Tavis Smiley is on record saying that he’s cool with that. Roland Martin at Essence Magazine thinks this was the right decision. His primary argument is that Obama must “look forward, not in the past” and that Obama “can’t be defined as the Black candidate.” He thinks that Obama should send his wife Michelle, and continue campaigning in Texas and Idaho.
I think that’s a terrible move and completely wrong, and here’s why.
Barack and Michelle Obama should both attend the Black State of the Union event. Any criticism of their attendance of this day, arguably the most important discussion of the state of this country’s Black affairs, would not only by unfounded and irresponsible, but easily refutable.
The irony of Senator Barack Obama’s recent South Carolina victory and endorsement by Senator Kennedy is soured by the chaos and violence in Kenya. For those that don’t know, Obama’s father is from Kenya and since elections last month, Kenya has been engulfed in a vicious conflict, pitting the Kikuyus against the Luos and Kalenjins. For context, the elected President Mwai Kibaki is supported by the Kikuyus and Kibaki’s rival Mr Raila Odinga is supported by the Luou and the Kalenjins. Odinga accuses Kibaki of stealing the election. To date, reports estimate the death toll at 800.Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about Kenya to take sides or offer meaningful commentary.
I am just frustrated because among Black folk in America, we have been somewhat vitriolic in our treatment of Black folks who do not support Obama. Supporting Clinton or Edwards does not make you a coon or an Uncle Tom. And my fear is that unlike Kenya, supporters of Clinton or Edwards (or other) have not had to fear for their life but respect and civility have taken some body blows. Maybe we could help heal those wounds by coming together to find out ways to help our Kenyan brothers and sisters.
What’s up fam, we have a special guest contributor today in the form of Clarence Wardell, a colleague from my days at U of Michigan who is a political activist when he is not working on his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Enjoy!
There is a scene in the movie “Something New” where Sanaa Lathan’s character and Blair Underwood’s character have an exchange over their exasperation with having to constantly deal with the “black tax” in their respective careers. The “black tax” is the notion that a Black person has to work twice as hard as a White person to gain the same level of recognition and compensation within the work environment. Whether or not it continues to exist in some circles is debatable, but whether or not such a figurative tax ever existed is undeniable. Given such a standard once existed it is hard to completely erase it from the memory of a people, even when faced with stark evidence that it no longer does. Read the rest of this entry »
[COMMENTARY] In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul responded to charges of being a racist because of his association with a racist newsletter. Since this incident and other allegations, including a Michigan Messenger report that Paul’s campaign was receiving support from neo-Nazis and white supremacists, his campaign has tried to distance itself from racist accusations. Read the rest of this entry »
Now let’s assume Obama wins the nomination and shoot, goes on to be the next President. What do you think would happen to the civil rights–donor–industrial complex?I am not sure but I think along the way, it will be increasingly difficult for Black “leaders” that came out early for other candidates to 1) go negative against Obama like Andrew Young, who claimed that Bill is blacker than Obama and 2) making the transition to supporting Obama if and when he wins the nomination. My hope is that Obama’s candidacy will bring young folks out the shadows and fill in leadership vacuums by doing real work. Read the rest of this entry »
Black people have come up with a surefire way to end the occupation in Iraq [and Afghanistan, and pretty much everywhere that America has no business being]: stop enlisting! I am glad to see that so many brothers and sisters are seeing through the trumped-up incentives, increasd military advertising (why the hell does the military even have an ad budget???), and huge enlistment bonuses and understanding that there are other ways to achieve their goals [especially when the president's George W. Bush].
Michigan’s native son Mitt Romney falsely claimed that he watched his father, former Michigan governor George Romney marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Romney’s campaign had to backtrack when called to the carpet because when yesterday “Romney’s campaign said his recollections of watching his father, an ardent civil rights supporter, march with King were meant to be figurative.”
Not that I am surprised but when I think about the currency that King holds in the American psyche, I am trying to figure out if we need a new claim to truly honoring the civil rights movement…like working on civil rights!!! Lest Romney stand alone, I am specifically skeptical of people like Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson who can honestly say they have marched with MLK and have reaped (and sold unfortunately) an inordinate amount moral authority as a result. Read the rest of this entry »
With the holidays, the premium on good food takes precedent over nice gifts. With that said, one disease that is prevalent in America and Black folks in particular is diabetes. We have to start taking better care of ourselves and allow others in our lives to hold us accountable.
As you prepare to wrap up the year, I want to alert everyone to a very important event regarding drug sentencing. On December 11, the U.S. Sentencing Commission plans to hold a public meeting where they are expected to vote on whether to make the new, lower crack cocaine guideline retroactive.
On May 1, 2007, the U.S. Sentencing Commission proposed an amendment to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines to reduce the sentencing ranges for crack cocaine offenses by two levels. The amendment went into effect on November 1, 2007, and will affect 70 percent of crack cocaine cases sentenced in federal courts, reducing sentences by an average of 15 months.
Date: November 13, 2007
Subject: Baisden’s “apology”
Dear family,
Last Friday, less than 24 hours after you and thousands of other ColorOfChange.org members wrote to his bosses at ABC Radio, Michael Baisden issued an “apology.” It shows that we got Baisden’s attention, and that wouldn’t have happened without you.
We hoped Baisden was really going to step up, but he didn’t. Baisden’s statement fails every test of a decent apology. First, it misleads listeners about how he came to defame us. Then, it misrepresents the real interests of the Jena 6 families, to take another shot at us. Finally, it tries to sweep all the damage Baisden has caused under the rug, while doing very little to rebuild his listeners’ confidence in ColorOfChange or in online organizing as a strategy. Read the rest of this entry »
A majority of black Americans blame individual failings — not racial prejudice — for the lack of economic progress by lower-income African Americans, according to a survey released Tuesday — a significant change in attitudes from the early 1990s.
This sentence lead off an LA Times piece on class division in the Black community today. These results are not unique to Black people in this country, but they represent a dangerous trend of ignorance, selfishness, and a lack of empathy that does not paint a bright picture of the future. According to this, the "it takes a village…" proverb must be nearing obselescence.
Popular talk radio host Michael Baisden should be commended for his efforts raising attention to the Jena 6 but he foolishly squandered all that when he got involved in the same old crabs in a bucket mentality that consistently cripples the efforts of Black folk to do good. I can not put it better than Jack and Jill Politics, “For reasons that appear at best, self-serving, he and another DJ have gone on the attack against the laudable leadership Color of Change has shown in bringing needed attention to the plight of the Jena 6 families.” The SuperSpade enthusiastically supports the work of Color of Change because they have four characteristics that are sorely missing in traditional Black leadership model; principled, transparent, bold, and accountable. I challenge you to go to their site and tell me what you disagree with. Read the rest of this entry »
“Do not wear yourself out to become rich; have the wisdom to show restraint”
-Proverbs 23:4
“One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”
-Proverbs 13:7
“Havin’ money aint everything, not having it is”-Kanye West
I have spoken of this many times, but it is a topic that has turned up many times as of late. So I am taking that as a sign that I should revisit this topic. And topic has to do with money and our relation to it. Read the rest of this entry »
She essentially points out that many people who are against immigration reform legislation are doing it from a racist foundation. They are worried about high numbers of illegal immigrants, not because of their effects on domestic jobs, the hospital and health care system, or education, but because they will poison the purity that is whiteness.
If you’ve ever seen Birth of a Nation, then this sentiment sounds pretty familiar to you.
Regardless of how you feel about the legality/outcome of the Jena 6 situation, this is pretty twisted. It isn't funny to act out someone getting beat up. It also isn't funny to act out threatening someone with a noose. It also isn't funny to do it all in a mud-wrestling outfit that looks eerily similar to blackface (funny how the kid getting beat up didn't have on mudface, for all those who think the mud doesn't represent anything).
Facebook is great, isn't it? That's where we found all this.
Don't vote for Clinton because she's a woman or Obama because he's Black; vote because you agree with them. Vote on thingsthatshould matter, not things that shouldn't.
My favorite member of the Supreme Court has been whining ever since his book was released recently. His latest rant is about his Yale Law Degree's lack of value.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a 15-cent price tag stuck to his Yale law degree, blaming the school's affirmative action policies in the 1970s for his difficulty finding a job after he graduated.
Thomas thinks that Black peopls should stop acting like "victims." He sure sounds like a victim to me here.
I'd graduated from one of America's top law schools, but racial preference had robbed my achievement of its true value.
This is stupid. "Racial preference" does not make dumb people smart; it gives all smart people a chance. Maybe there are professors that think of [the demon that is] Affirmative Action when handing out grades on mid-terms. I've never seen nor heard of one, and I had more than a fair chance of running into a few during my time at the University of Michigan from 2000 to 2005 (when our Affirmative Action policies were argued in front of the Supreme Court).
Until we have federal legislation in place regarding these hate crimes, as African Americans we need to band together to show our “Economic Power” by refusing to spend ANY money that day from fast food restaurants to gas.
There are calls for these sorts of actions all the time, and they are usually motivated by positive intentions: solidarity, taking a stand, being deliberate with your economic power. We see them on all sorts of issues, from gas prices to impeachment. These are all good things, but I question their effectiveness. For one, this sort of action can only successful if it is extremely specific and if it is sustained.
It is one thing when nooses and other symbols of hate are put in random places: on your car, in your own backyard. It's another thing when nooses are hung somewhere to send a not-so-subliminal message, as they in Jena, LA. However, it is an altogether different and much more scary & sinister animal when nooses are placed at the door of a specific individual.
What the hell is this world coming to? I know it's cool to be overtly racist these days, but wow. I'm know lawyer or constitutional scholar, but this looks like clear and present danger to me. When you lay a knife by someone's bedside while they sleep, you send a message that says "I can and will hurt you." When you get a noose hung on your door at your office, it sends the message that "I hate you and want to do something about it."
Bill Cosby was on Meet the Press yesterday talking up his new book, Come On People, co-written with Dr. Alvin Poussaint. The show, surprisingly, spent the entire hour with the two men, jumping between issues addressed in the book. They talked about a fair amount, but the analysis given during this interview was as thin as the paper the text was printed on.
Williams described the part of the torture like this:
They kicked me in the head with steel toed boots, they hit me in the head with several objects, I remember seeing a knife, and they tried to cut my foot off. They told me that is what they did to Kunta Kinte when they cut his foot off so he couldn’t run and that is what they were going to do to me.
My calendar says it's 2007, but this makes me seriously wonder.
The Center for Creative Voices in Media’s The Case for Universal Broadband: Now! study was released today. It says that this country needs everyone to have equal access to reliable high-speed Internet connections. I agree, and I think this is especially true for Black people.
What is the unforgivable sin for a black man? One would think calling a black woman out of her name, but apparently hip-hop and Isaiah Thomas have taken the sting out of that one. It used to be taboo to participate in interracial dating, but even that has lost its bite.
Actually, it is something a lot less politically charged than that or is it? It took me 24 years to figure it out, but the unforgivable sin for a black man is…to be unemployed. I did not realize it, now I am faced with the looming prospect of unemployment upon completing my post-graduate studies. And as the song says, I am living under pressure.
Up until this point, I have tried to be a pretty responsible guy. I have done my best to be the Dream of Dr. King and what not. But apparently, I did not realize how quickly that accounts for nothing when you do not have a J-O-B.
“And [God] delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.”
-2 Peter 2:7-8
Everyday, I face a decision: either stick my head in the sand like an ostrich or be aware of what is going on around me. Why is this such a difficult decision. If I bury my head in the sand (i.e. work, routine), then I am in control. I am the King of My Comfort Zone. In this realm, I am King Comfort. And King Comfort is extremely selfish. However, if I choose awareness, I choose to be challenged, and on some level, see things I do not like. I choose to feel. And sometimes, feeling is frustrating.
The World’s Gone Mad…
Lately, this decision has become more immediate. Personally, the injustice in the world seems especially intense. From the Jena 6 to the Genarlow Wilson case, to the War, to the extremely poor race relations, to the woman who was tortured-our justice system has become a mockery. We are more concerned about the death of some dogs than our brothers and sisters. Our government has become mockery because it seems like it has silently and not so subtly declared war on its citizens.
The question I have really been dealing with is whether things have gotten worse or are things just the same. Throughout history, when law was born, so was injustice. I used to thing that the days were getting darker, but I am beginning to believe that it is just a re-run of the same fight, good v. evil. And each generation has had their own battle to fight to maintain and restore justice on the earth.
Righteous Lot
In the book of Genesis, Abraham’s nephew Lot followed Abraham out of Mesopotamia. When God had blessed them to where the land could not contain them, they parted ways. Lot settled by the city of Sodom. Sodom was extremely wicked, to the point where God could not find ten righteous people in the city. Lot lived in the city, but he did not condone their lifestyle. The new testament said that his soul was vexed. Lot was so righteous that the inhabitants were sick of him. So God decided to save Lot and his family and destroy the city (Genesis 19).
How many of you have been vexed by the injustice that you have seen? The next question is what have you done about it? Or have you been too “busy”? Busy is how most of the atrocities that take place occur. In the Book of Ezekiel, God calls us “watchmen.” What do watchmen do? They are aware and they sound the alarm when something happens that should not be happening. How have you been doing as a watchman?
I am not saying that it is your job to try to whistleblow on every injustice in the world. However, do not turn a blind eye to the suffering and injustice in the world, that way you know you are supposed to do something to make this world a better place. We can always do more, but do something small, repeatedly over time, is better than not doing anything at all. People are hurting, the world is hurting. I have been challenged in my spirit to do a better job. The least I can do is speak up.
That is the entire mission of The Superspade and that is what we work for. To not only be aware and speak up but to put our action, time and resources behind our beliefs. We and our readers are people of conviction and action. So, do not lose heart. I have not lost hope. All this madness that surrounds us is a call to action and a call to battle. We must fight until either peace is restored or the world comes to an end. That is the mentality of a warrior, it is all our nothin’. But it will not come easy.
We must do our part. And if we allow ourselves to get uncomfortable, God said we will be comforted. But you cannot comfort someone who is already comfortable. I just had to get that off my chest, because I am disgusted with what has been going on in this country and the world on all fronts. So, sign a petition, educate yourself and those around you, work your governmental system, discuss the issues. Just do something.
For the Love of God, we are WATCHMEN. And if you are already involved, push it to the limit and don’t give up.
Anyone who's been there wouldn't find this surprising. The places that are the focus of redevelopment areas are the ones that either Black folks never resided in in the first place or that poorer Black folks have been priced out of residing in now. Oh, the wonderful world of gentrification.
Disney, the 800,000,000 pound gorilla of kids fantasy entertainment, annouced that they are going forward with their plans to have their first Black princess in 2009's The Frog Princess.
Disney has had opportunities to show the uniqueness of non-white cultures in it's films, but has failed miserably at doing so in a respectful, non-stereotypical way (see Aladdin and Mulan). I have zero confidence that this film will be any different.
Apparently, Republican front-runners Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani declined to participate in Tavis Smiley’s All-American Presidential Forums. Undeclared-but-likely-Republican-candidate Fred Thopson has not committed fully.
A question for all of my Black republican friends: why are your beloved republicans so against talking to Black folks face-to-face? Probably because they only do hand-picked audiences.
Why would they want to do that? Probably because instead of being better than the Republicans, some members would secretly rather be just like the Republicans, at least in the way they handle the political process. What these members fail to realize is that it’s pretty hard to find Washington Republicans that have Black folks’ best interests at heart, and even harder to find a major US Corporation that has Black folks’ best interests at heart.
Funny how no one is calling this gang violence (see "Just in my opinion's" comment on this post). Oh, right, it's probably because the suspects are white…
Rev. Lennox Yearwood released a statement today in response to his 10 Sep 2007 arrest.
My role is to make government more transparent to the people, especially people of color. How am I supposed to convince other African-Americans to come to Capitol Hill to participate in democracy, when Capitol Police will go so far as to jump me when I question my exclusion from a hearing that is open to the public? We all know what 'driving while Black' is, well I'd call this 'democracy while Black.'"
What is so sinister about the demonizing of dissenting voices is precisely what the Yearwood calls out here: if they make examples of a couple of "unfriendly" visitors, others who share their views will be less likely to speak up or act. Sadly, this draconian, Machiavellian sort of opinion squashing is precisely the goal of today's neo-Conservative.
Minority and marginalized people's fragile will to speak up is too often crushed by these sorts of scare tactics. It is therefore imperative that we use this as yet another reason to drive out these leaders who are neither able nor mature enough to answer questions posed by those who do not share their beliefs.
Clarification: Rev. Yearwood's leg is not broken. The police said that yesterday, but after people were actually able to speak to the Reverend, it was made clear that he instead has severe damage to ligaments in his ankles and is on crutches.
Things like this make it hard to convince young & marginalized people to get involved in the political process when they disagree with the establishment. Sadly, this is exactly the goal of Republicans these days.
One Love. One II.
Update & Clarification: Rev. Yearwood’s leg is not broken. The police said that yesterday, but after people were actually able to speak to the Reverend, it was made clear that he instead has severe damage to ligaments in his ankles and is on crutches.
The Jena 6 are a group of young Black men that could use some lobbyists, lawyers, advocates in the Justice Department, something. If you get sentenced to 22 years for a schoolyard fight by a jury of your peers consisting on no one that looks like you, it is obvious that something or someone is out to get you for some reason. What therefore must be made equally obvious is that there are people that are out to help you as well.
The Jena 6 need your help. Please take a look at the petition here.
I typically don’t listen to talk radio outside of NPR, but thankfully I came across the Michael Baisden show today and he was focusing on the Jena 6. I know his show is broadcast across the country and I hope that his show raises the consciousness of his listeners as he lent huge support to the rally taking place on September 20th.
In a small still mostly segregated section of rural Louisiana, an all-white jury heard a series of white witnesses called by a white prosecutor testify in a courtroom overseen by a white judge in a trial about a fight at the local high school where a white student who had been making racial taunts was hit by Black students. Read the rest of this entry »
Given the post I just wrote about saving our girls, this post broke my heart. I pulled this from BronzeTrinity. Read all of this post!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin, TX – August, 5 2007- Fresh off a battle with Black Entertainment Television, Gina McCauley isn’t slowing down on her blog, What About Our Daughters? McCauley is outraged over Al Sharpton’s planned ” Day of Outrage” scheduled for August 7, 2007, also sponsored by the BloggingWhileBrown Blog. Her next targets are Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP and other African American elites who have been noticeably silent about what may be one of the most horrific crimes committed against a Black woman in recent history, she’s talking about the June 18th gang rape of a 35-year- old woman that took place in Dunbar Village, a housing project in West Palm Beach, Florida. Read the rest of this entry »
Number of official Republican Presidential hopefuls: 10
Number of official Republican Presidential hopefuls invited to NAACP Presidential Forum in Detroit: 10
Number of official Republican Presidential hopefuls invited to NAACP Presidential Forum in Detroit that actually showed up: 1
Wow. Not surprising, but still, wow.
Whatever you think about the relevance or irrelevance of groups like the NAACP, that is still a significant group to ignore. Also remember that G. W. Bush ignored the NAACP until finally appearing in front of them in 2006.
Shirley Chisholm is a hero to many because she was the first Black woman to run for president. This was a tremendous act for women and Black people in this country.
In what I think is her most interesting quote, she said the following:
“I’ve always met more discrimination being a woman than being black,” she told The Associated Press in December 1982, shortly before she left Washington to teach at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. “When I ran for the Congress, when I ran for president, I met more discrimination as a woman than for being black. Men are men.
I’m interested what people think here. Is society more sexist than racist, as Chisholm suggests?
With a white woman (Hillary Clinton) and and a Black man (Barack Obama) both having a great chance at being the next president, this election season could potentially bring such a question to the forefront, for better of for worse.
This is interesting to me. Have we come a long way now? Are people less racist? Or was the tragedy of Katrina enough to get people to look past their race and find commonality on a human-to-human level?
One more interesting thing: does anyone know what this means?
Caucasians who say they do not identify with their ethnic group
AgentX’s creative comment regarding new possible names for the CBC got me thinking about the sad paradigm of current Black and/or progressive organizations whose work is mostly or wholly supported by corporate donations. This model is crippling our communities because the leaders of these organizations can’t really say nor do what needs to be done for fear of disrupting the money stream. On the other hand, the masses accuse these same organizations for not doing anything to help the people that are really hurting. This cycle breeds distrust and non-results. I believe the work we really need to do can happen until we do two things, 1) actively want less and 2) build up our own socially conscious businesses/institutions that are supported by the community. Talk to me,
What’s up family, long time no see huh? I am up here roasting in this hot weather and looking forward to the fall. Anyways, I wanted to try something new and talk about different books I have read, share how I felt about them and most importantly, get your feedback. Today’s book is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Read the rest of this entry »
Many moons ago, I wrote a piece about the concept of Indivisible Freedom, which essentially came to the conclusion that the notion is does not really exist in practical terms. Today, this “Independence” Day, I’d like to do a similar exploration of the the concept of independence.
Hope is a very delicate feeling that if damaged, can cause irreparable damage. Bush and the RNC’s strong arm tactics scuttled the hope of many minority voters as tried to vote in hopes of seeing real change. The one thing that people hate more than a bad situation is being denied the choice for something better. That is why we here at The SuperSpade are teaming up with our good friends from Color of Change to oppose the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Election Commission. This man helped engineer the “felon” voter purge in Florida that disenfranchised thousands of Black people. The last thing we need are guys like Spakovsky having positions of great influence where he can dash the hopes of more people of color. The dangers of more conservative lunacy is like living in a real-life nightmare.
Father’s Day has just passed and hopefully you took the time to appreciate the father in your life, whomever it may be. As I have written before, Father’s Day is an interesting holiday to me. I am not a father, but I think the relationship between a father and a child is a unique one and it tends to be a more complicated one than the mother and child dynamic.
As I was driving around the city last week, enjoying the excellent weather, for the first time I noticed that there were women and children everywhere, but you rarely saw the fathers or men. I am not talking about young men, but grown men. And I not only asked where are all the fathers, but where are all the men period?
Honestly now, how much is racial integration (work, where you live, social life, etc.) important to you? I ask that because my take is that racial integration in is not vitally important and it would be…(hold your breath) OK if groups more or less kept to themselves while having the freedom to experience different races/cultures. It seriously has to be alright to be with your own sometimes. And for Black people, it pains me when we praise the solidarity of other races/cultures but scoff at the notion of having such solidarity amongst ourselves. Something has to give, can you help me understand?
After reading Garlin’s fantastic post on the Black Middle Class, I was inspired to think of ways that we can maintain an engaged and active middle class. This idea is not original, but I think the answer comes from actively wanting less. Read the rest of this entry »
In an interview with Prensa Latina that focused primarily on Michael Moore, Cuban-American activist Andres Gomez made an interesting observation about Black america:
We can say that the black caucus is mostly liberal, although there is a strong black middle class that does not respond to the interests of the black poor and divides that minority.
New rule: If you are Black person of any influence and want to endorse a Presidential candidate, avoid saying dumb stuff!!! My outrage is directed towards Daryl McDaniels, founding member of the legendary Run D.M.C. This guy, speaking to reporters says he is Read the rest of this entry »
I keep seeing “hat tip” on many Black Blogs so I am giving a hat tip to Jack and Jill for posting a video featuring the video of Dr. Maya Angelou endorsing Senator Hilary Clinton for President. Read the rest of this entry »
I am sure many of you have heard about the recent fighting between Hamas and Fatah in Palestine. I don’t claim to be an expert on this issue but the hypocrisy of the United States and the West is beyond the pale. Read the rest of this entry »
What’s up fam, I hope everyone is enduring the summer better than I am. I was remiss in not letting the family know I had the opportunity to speak at a press conference with Al Sharpton a couple weeks ago dealing with decency in hip hop that is calling on the record industry and artists to stop using the n-word, b-word, and the h-word. For those of you that read the SuperSpade often, you know that we very rarely discuss entertainment or sports related issues and this post will be no different. Read the rest of this entry »
They are really just off the cuff when it comes to people of color. In an all too-familiar case of universal Blackness, Fox News “mistakenly” ran video of Representative John Conyers while the segment is describing the legal indictments handed down against Representative Bill Jefferson. Fox knew what they were doing and we do too and for that, I am proud to stand in coalition with Color of Change in praising Conyers for calling Fox out on their relentless “disrespect of people of color.” Conyers was upset of course and had this to say, Read the rest of this entry »
Many people have never heard of Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic Congressman from Ohio. Kucinich is running for President in 2008, and is considered to be one of the most progressive candidates on the Democratic side. In my view is right on on most of today’s issues: Iraq, the media, health care, and others. I think he did very well in the debate this week. All in all, a guy I’d vote for.
I don’t have any kids but I know many people that read this site either will be mothers or fathers in the near future or already have young ones probably tugging at you right now. And as you consider different educational options, the lines are often drawn over to send your kids to public, charter, or private schools, with you choosing the best option available to your family. But as a New York Times magazine article by Elizabeth Weil so elegantly explains, perhaps a bigger factor in your child’s academic and social development may hinge greatly on your kid’s birthday and when they start kindergarten. Read the rest of this entry »
This past Friday, 25 May 2007, I participated in a panel discussion at the Annual Blacks In Government Conference in Seattle entitled, “Say What? Keeping Information and Ideas Moving in the Black community.” The panel was moderated by K. Wyking Garrett, CEO of Remix Marketing and Communications, and included myself and Monique Carillo, Founder of Carillo PR.
The discussion, which was well attended by enthusiastic participants, grew from a general exchange on definitions of knowledge and information to an all-out brainstorming session on ways to communicate better with one another.
I have written about environmental issues here on the site and the more I try to make a positive impact, I realize how much it requires a completely different approach to almost every aspect of our lives. I am at the point where I don’t even keep my alarm clock plugged in until I get ready for bed. What is the purpose of wasting energy by keeping small appliances plugged in during the day when you are not at home? Read the rest of this entry »
Below is an open letter to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards, created by Color of Change, which The SuperSpade has signed officially (along with otherBlackbloggers). The letter is encouraging the three of them to stand their ground and not participate in the CBCI debates. If you are interested in signing it too, let us know so we can add you to the list.
The Congressional Black Caucus is breaking my heart. The frustration exposed over this Fox debate is starting to reveal deeper cracks in their armor and Black leadership in general (those primarily funded via corporations). The campaign that we have signed onto has reached the front pages of the New York Times. Read the rest of this entry »
Immigration reform is a hot issue right now (we have discussed this issue before) and I want to talk about immigration without a supercharged discussion about the benefits and/or drawbacks of Black Brown unity. Having said that, one contentious point in the proposed Senate bill “would put a higher premium on immigrants’ education, earnings level, or job skills.” If this bill passes as is, it would represent a reversal of long standing US policy to prioritize reunification of families. So before you decide whether you support or oppose this bill, let’s take it bite-size pieces, shall we? Read the rest of this entry »
Apparently, there has been a lot of controversy over Senator Barack Obama’s statements regarding affirmative action. The statements were part of a larger interview Senator Obama had with George Stephanopoulos on his show, This Week. I have an opinion on what he said but I will let you read the transcript of the interview first.Read the rest of this entry »
Two nights ago, my power went out. For those that have been through this experience, you know it is a big nuisance. However, the clarity I received through that night inspired a metaphor for Detroit and similar cities that was truly profound. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome back to the Black Male Friendship series! For those that are newto this series, it is my take on the current state of Black male friendships and how I think they should be improved. Today, we are going to talk about getting beyond superficial conversations that prevent real friendship from being fostered. Read the rest of this entry »
As you know, Mother’s Day is right around the corner and the malls and restaurants are filled with last minute shoppers trying to do something special for the woman who brought them into this world. This week, since I finished my exams, I was laying in my bed and flipping through channels when I landed on The Learning Channel. It must have been baby week or something because every show was about pregnancy and how families adjust to childbirth. It was so real. I knew, but did not fully appreciate what it really takes to be a mother.
There was a consistent theme I notice throughout all the shows and stories I watched that day, and that was motherhood is all about pain and sacrifice. I was looking at all these women and the discomfort on their face was palpable. Lord have mercy! It made me realize that the road to motherhood is one birthed in pain. After they give birth to you, the pregnancy wreaks havoc on the body. Not to mention that babies have some of the strangest sleeping habits I have ever seen. One of my good friends has a baby and it is like he never sleeps. She sleeps when he sleeps, and when he is up, she is up. And the sacrifice goes on. Man, when I saw that, I just wanted to say “Mama, I am sorry if I kept you up.” Because I know I would go crazy having such erratic sleeping behaviors. But I digress.
I came across a great article today which found that “After an eight-month, barbershop-based intervention, men with high blood pressure were much more likely to start receiving treatment and to get their blood pressure under control than their peers given standard care, Dr. Paul L. Hess of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and colleagues found.” Read the rest of this entry »
People that know me understand that I am fascinated by strategy, broadly defined. To that end, the GOP down in Florida has me stumped. Across America, there is a wave of restoring voter rights to ex-felons. I welcome these developments and I strongly support the re-enfranchisement of ex-felons. But there’s a catch. Read the rest of this entry »
I was simultaneously excited and dismayed when I learned that Senator Obama is receiving protection from the Secret Service. I was excited because I was reminded of the first season of the hit show 24, where the character, Senator David Palmer was on the campaign trail to become the first Black president. (Yes, he ended up winning)
On a more serious note though, I was dismayed because of the symbolic irony. Senator Obama raised $25 million dollars and boom, an elite Secret Service detail. But when I think about Black men in America, we are not safe from the government in the form of Driving While Black, higher insurance rates, inadequate health care, under funded schools, poor infrastructure, and in some cases, Breathing While Black.
I am thankful for the extra protection provided to Senator Obama and his family. I pray for his safety in his comings and his goings. Nevertheless, what does it take for a Black man in America to get basic protection from the government? Is the irony just lost on me?
The fight for Black entertainment more-positive-than-the-joke-that-is-BET is bracing itself for a serious blow. The Black Family Channel is close to being bought out. Unless something extraordinary happens, there will be two major, 24-hour “Black” channels left: TV One and [my least favorite,] BET (purposely not linking to website). What is the future of Black Entertainment?Read the rest of this entry »
If someone insults, consistently insults and hurts you, and does not repent/apologize/beg for forgiveness/something, you probably would not want to do busines with them.
Sometimes we lighten it up here at The SuperSpade. Today, we will delve into the wonderful world of hygiene help for the guys. In the first post on hygiene we touched on the importance of wet wipes, clipping hang nails, among other items. So as summer approaches and global warming makes this year the hottest ever, let’s get back to basics. This list is intended for everyone from the Scruff McGruffs to the metrosexuals. And as always, ladies please help us out if you have any suggestions. Read the rest of this entry »
Was Imus the last "media provocateur"? If most media are controlled by major corporations, who is going to be willing to put their job on the line and say something that might catch the fancy of tabloid news, and in turn upset the board of directors? Who is going to be willing to knowingly take an unpopular position and accept the accompanying risk?
This basically translates to asking if any network will have any gall to support people who say crazy and/or stupid things. Cuban mentions that he thinks Fox News would. He's right, and they have demonstrated that time and time again.
This is important to ponder when thinking about media and media reform. What level of controversy and/or offensiveness is acceptable or should be permitted?Should any?
Let's flip this and ask the same question: If [insert your "prominent" Black non-sports media personality here, but for the purposes of example I'll say] Tom Joyner said some horribly offensive things about white or Hispanic women, would you want him fired?
Let’s be careful with our double standards. We all know that they exist. The question is where/if they ever make sense.
Thanks to a friend on facebook, I came across a New York Times article highlighting a mentoring program in Ossining, NY that focused on improving the academic performance and cultural awareness of Black boys. The district is sort of unorthodox in how it achieves racial diversity. “Its six school buildings are divided not by neighborhood but by grade level. All of the second and third graders in the Ossining Union Free School District attend the Brookside School.” Read the rest of this entry »
I listen to National Public Radio (NPR)…a lot. They have new show called The Story that is simply amazing.The aim of the story is to put the news in the context of how it affects real people not having their story filtered by the experts.
The unfolding drama of the Fox Presidential debates sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute is gaining more traction. Through it all, we at The SuperSpade will sift through the facts and get to the truth. Read the rest of this entry »
I was on Salon.com today and they had a piece talking about how conservative CNN commentator Glenn Beck feels that he “can’t win” because he is “American[],” “white,” “Christian,” and “conservative.” In case you misunderstood him, Beck went on to say, “I mean, I was talking about it with my family yesterday. I said, ‘I’m tired of being the least popular person in the world.’” Now I trust that most readers of this site, (regardless of background) think that this type of language is inflammatory, repulsive and disrespectful. I would agree. Read the rest of this entry »
In lieu of the outrage caused by the agreement reached between the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and Fox News to host 2 Presidential debates, I want to direct your attention to a petition being collected by the good folks at Color of Change. The SuperSpade has signed on to the petition as we help to fulfill our mission to helping solve offline problems with online solutions.
It is wrong for Black leaders to legitimize FOX — a network that calls Black churches a cult, implies that Senator Barack Obama is a terrorist, and uses the solemn occasion of Coretta Scott King’s funeral to call Black leaders “racist.”
The Congressional Black Caucus Institute must end their partnership with FOX, and presidential candidates should reject the FOX debate in favor of the CBC Institute’s CNN debate.
In a follow up to Garlin’s post on this issue, Fox News has announced that it cut a deal with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to sponsor not one, but two debates. According to Fox, “the first of the two debates will be among Democratic candidates and will be held on September 23rd at the Fox Theater in Detroit. The second debate will be among Republican candidates and will take place in the fall of 2007 at a location to be determined.” Read the rest of this entry »
So Rev. Jesse Jackson has endorsed Senator Obama for President. Given the close friendship between Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and the Senator along with hometown loyalty, it is smart politics for Rev. Jesse to endorse Senator Obama. It might take a bit longer for Sharpton to come around and that is fine. And while Rev. Jackson has lost some of his former luster, he is a symbol of Black American leadership and in politics, symbolism matters.
“Men might be the head of the household, but women are the neck that determines what the head does.” I am really butchering that quote but I think you get the gist; women truly run the world. Read the rest of this entry »
I saw this cartoon in a Christian Science Monitor article and I wanted to know what issue you think our generation should tackle. Have we seen an issue (or set of issues) whose reach is long enough to be a call for our generation? I would hate to have been one of those people who just sat around during the Civil Rights Movement because I was too selfish or otherwise not engaged. But is it possible we are doing that right now?
To be sure, we should take stock to make sure that history will not look back on us and have our silence be recorded in the face of mass injustice. What is your vision and barriers do you think exist to communicating this vision?
For people who may have just recently joined our site, we present an opportunity to get a taste of things we’ve talked about in the past. We’re going to start doing this once per month.
For those that missed it, you can listen the interview here. A big Thank You from The SuperSpade to Ben & Cenk of The Young Turks and and Air America Radio.
If you watch the above video, you will find it hard not to get sick of the hateful words used towards Black people numerous times on this network. My question is, why the CBCI thought this was a good idea in the first place? I am assuming the people who made the decision actually have watched television before.
Maybe the CBCI was desparate for viewers? I don’t think that any of the cable news networks (MSNBC, CNN, etc.) would turn down airtime with Presidential candidates, so that can’t be the excuse.
Maybe the CBCI felt that partnering with Fox News gives them the opportunity to address some of these statements that have been made on the air? This can be done without partnering with them so that can’t be the excuse either.
What’s really messed up about things like this video is that non-white, non-male political hopefuls have to deal with ignorance like this all day every day for the entirety of their public political lives. A white male candidate normally has to only deal with people challenging his political views and ideology, while occasionally dealing with questions concerning is spirituality or sexual orientation. Compared to questions about your gender, race, intelligence, etc., these questions are easy.
Lastly, some commenters on the story at the top think that not partnering with Fox News is equivalent to censoring? That is beyond ridiculous. Censoring would be saying that Fox News could not spew hatred. Refusing to partner, which is what is being requested here, is saying “you can say what you want, we just won’t work with you.”
The Difference between your boys and your friends. We have too many boys.
After a hiatus, the Black male friendship series is back! For those that are new to the friendship series, it is my take on the current state of Black male friendships and how I think they should be improved. Today we are going to delve into the difference between your friends and your boys.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been in situations where I learned that a friend of mine knew a guy that I knew and I would follow up by saying, “Oh that’s my boy.” It doesn’t matter if I only played basketball with him a couple times or he is my ace boon coon.
One of the major premises I have for creating this series is that Black men have too many boys and not enough friends. As a result, we end up fooling ourselves by calling dudes our boys when most of the time they are just associates.
So here is where I need your help fellas.
1) What is it about some of our boys that we don’t make them friends?
2) Do you feel you have too many boys? If so, have you ever cut them out of your life because they were not adding value to your life?
3) What is the main difference between your boys and your friends?
4) For your close friends, what is the process by which you went from associates to friends?
I like Al Sharpton, and I agree with him on many issues. While I think that Sharpton is being a bit extreme and is jealous of the attention that Obama is receiving, I do think he has a point. He raises an interesting question with regards to Black people and how we think about politics, especially when Black people are on the ballot with non-Black people:
Why shouldn’t the black community ask questions?
A lot of times when a candidate that is Black is a candidate, I find myself often wanting to give that person the benefit of the doubt on a lot of issues. I don’t think that I’m alone.
I think that it is not only irresponsible for me to vote for the Black candidate solely because they are Black, but I also think that it is disrespectful to the candidate. I see it as basically saying to that person, “I will let you use being Black as an excuse for me to not give your positions any sort of thought.”
Wouldn’t we be mad if someone outright said that? Sadly, if you don’t give thought to all of the reasons you vote for a person, that is exactly what you’re saying. If we don’t respect our people’s positions enough to give thought to them, who will?
What’s happening in the national Civil Rights Movement?
Bruce Gordon, the head of the NAACP, announced his resignation today. He is at odds with the NAACP’s board because he wants to focus more on social services, while the board wants to maintain the group’s more traditional role as an advocacy organization.
I believe that Bruce Gordon is dead-on in wanting to connect advocacy to tangible social services on the ground. An example of a two-pronged approach to this would be lobbying against police brutality (advocating) while at the same time training Black men on how to deal with the police (social service through training). I pray that Gordon’s departure does not mean that such a program would not be possible from the NAACP.
The Chicago Urban League last week announced that it is rolling out a new agenda focusing less on social services and more on economic empowerment. The National Urban League has over the years been transitioning from its roots as a economically-focused organization to one that has taken on more social services, but this represents a change in tactics and a return towards its initial goals at its founding.
I believe that the Urban League was heading down a great path by combining their economic and social agendas. An example of a two-pronged approach to this that I worked with last year was an after-school program for high school students (social service) that trained them on how to be entrepreneurs (economic empowerment). I pray that Chicago and other Urban Leagues around the coutry’s shift in focus does not mean that such a program would not be possible from them in the future.
What does this mean? I think it signals that a split in the movement that has existed since its beginnings still exists today. The question is, why are social services and economic empowerment treated as two ideals that cannot be strived for simultaneously?
I was passed an article late this week called, “Why I Loathe Black History Month.” The author of the article’s main argument is that Black folks themselves have made Black History Month meaningless. That got me thinking…
How do you feel about Black History Month? Do we even need it?
To be clear, I like Black History Month. I think that it’s a good idea to dedicate time to honoring specific things like Black History. I even spoke at a Black History Month Program earlier this week. Going further, I think Valentine’s Day is a good idea (when not commercially exploited). I think Mother’s Day is a great idea. I like birthdays as well.
With all that said, I think that she is partly right and partly wrong. She is right in saying that the way that Black History Month is often talked about and celebrated is wrong. In my opinion, we should focus less on recycling the same trivia questions (who really invented this or that) and more on how people today fit into our illustrious history in ways that they may not have been aware of. For example, I would love to see more Black History Month celebrations in which people today could talk about their accomplishments, using themselves as present-day examples of history for their audiences. These people could serve as the models for the “specific agendas” to address modern-day racial issues that the author calls for, and could have more impact with certain audiences than an elder talking about seemingly distant events from yesteryear.
The author is wrong, however, in condemning the Month due to the what she sees as it’s careless execution in recent history. Why doesn’t she take ownership of what she sees as a bastardization of what should be “more or less a combined State of the Union address and battle plan…”? This attitude of giving up on something powerful is exactly the attitude that the authors and forebears she mentions did not have when facing the challenges of their day. By taking this stance, she is taking “the easy way out” the same way that the people she criticizes are. I hate when people take the position that people should abandon something that they claim to believe has value.
We absolutely need Black History Month as a way to infuse Black consciousness into today’s discourse. We need it to serve as a springboard for ways to make it part of the permanent discussion year round. Finally, we need less people complaining about that not happening and more people working to make that happen.
Here is a link to my short address (WAV Format, 9 min 6 seconds, 8.33 MB). I talked about the importance of finding mentors and connecting with people that have experiences in areas that you care about and are interested in.
The entire program was a lot of fun, and there was food, trivia, and good times all around. I got to stay and connect with many of the people in CYFS’s programs and talk with staff members too.
I heard this question posed by my Pastor, Christopher Brooks a couple weeks ago that I think should be asked of all people who lead a life of faith, regardless of religion.
If you had to choose between hanging out with people who share your faith versus people who share your race or ethnic group, which would you choose?
From the very first “Breaking News” report on CNN, the Duke Lacrosse team rape case has been as complex as any situation can get. Not just an accusation of gang rape, sodomy, forced oral sex and physical abuse, the Duke case was about race; a black accuser against three affluent, white team members, who happen to attend one of the most respected Universities in the United States.
A high-profile rape is not the same for a black woman, as it is for other women.
For this particular incident, race, stereotypes and racism jump to the forefront.For women of other races, to claim to have been raped does not include having one’s credibility questioned because of the credibility of another- Tawana Brawley.When the Duke rape case broke, it was less than 24 hours before every internet result found for the Duke Rape Case, was linked to the name Tawana Brawley, and thus linked to doubt.The idea that black women were more likely to lie about being raped was already casting shadows of doubt.
I wrote then:
Some of us may be too young to know the name Tawana Brawley- that is, until a 27-year-old black female student from North Carolina Central University stepped forward and alleged that she was brutally assaulted by at least 3 players of the elite lacrosse team at Duke University…Ms. Brawley, a young (15 at the time in the 1980’s) black woman from New York City, bravely stepped forward under the protective arms of Rev. Al Sharpton and relayed a horrific account of being abducted and brutally raped by 6 white men including police officers culminating in her being found bruised, bloodied, covered in human feces and dumped in the garbage.Her claims of sexual assault were nothing more than a successful albeit disturbing method of grabbing everyone’s attention.The fallout of her hoax (Tawana Brawley has never wavered from her allegations) carried long-lasting ramifications certainly even she never conceived possible at the time.
Six men were charged with Tawana’s rape, but never tried because of lack of evidence, including lack of physical evidence; if a 15 year old were raped by six men the physical evidence left from such an experience would be unmistakable and undeniable.
We thought we had that with Duke, ironically, because of the Tawana Brawley case- a case which truly has lived on in infamy, particularly in the legal field.Tawana’s case also mattered to rape advocates because it dealt of devastating blow to the advancements in law, advocacy and general understanding of what rape is and what rape does.In our male dominant society, it used to be next to impossible to have a man successfully investigated for rape, let alone charged or found guilty.
Knowing Rape
The history of rape (in American culture, not global) shows that up until around the 1950’s, rape just didn’t happen.The word was never used, and unwanted sex wasn’t even a consideration outside of unspeakable acts against children.For young adults and adults, couples married so quickly (whether they wanted to or not), and the general rule was that once a woman married a man, she gave him everything of hers, period.The definition of rape is “to take by force”, and since men ruled the legal system, and men literally believed that they “owned it”, rape didn’t happen.This is an example of why terms such as “sexism” and “gender oppression” exist.
In 2007 young men and women alike are taught that “no means no”.In the legal field we are taught that “no is a complete sentence that does not require further explanation or justification.”
Now, rape and all kinds of sexual assault are for the most part, taken seriously and prosecuted vigorously.But the road to justice is by far an easy one to travel.The crux of sexual assault cases lies in the physical evidence, and it is painstakingly retrieved from a woman’s body.Over time, medical professionals and law enforcement have found more and more places to look.
An evaluation for sexual assault is an indescribable, invasive and torturous experience.The last thing a rape victim wants is to be touched.The first thing she wants to do is get in the shower and wash her body off to somehow wash off the experience.But you cannot take a shower because the body is now the crime scene, the evidence and the witness.
There are three main categories for evidence in a sexual assault: physical evidence, DNA, and victim/witness account, statement or recollection.Physical evidence is not limited to a woman’s vaginal region or the place she was restrained- the wrists as an example.A woman who is held down and forcibly raped is likely to have visible trauma to her knees, thighs, vaginal area, hip bones and pelvis, ribs, elbows, shoulders, cheeks, brow, or skull.It does not take an all out physical battle between victim and aggressor to produce bruising in any of these areas, but instead little to no resistance, even tension and rigidness coupled with physical contact can produce bruising.Bruising, depending on the complexion of the victim, may not be visible right away.In addition, a rape crime committed by more than one perpetrator often results in external and internal vaginal trauma, and often times women endure an internal examination by way of speculum- often a point of overwrought emotion in hospital examination rooms for the physical and emotional pain which is unavoidably caused.Pictures are taken of any bruising, cuts, scrapes, or other visual evidence relevant to the investigation.
DNA evidence is not just about semen.Every article of clothing is collected as evidence.A victim’s fingernails are scraped out and various swabs and samples are taken from all over the body including from within the rectum and vagina.The victim’s hair is combed through and anything which comes loose is collected.
Rape kits are not always taken, as some women do not seek or outright refuse medical attention, but when a rape kit is taken, the situation is not just one of accusation, but one of medical diagnosis based on the evaluation of the body, thus law enforcement look to medical professional to conclude whether or not a victim was physically assaulted or not.
What we know now
Some may wonder why it is necessary to explore these details of rape and evidence, but the fact is it is core to evaluating what is left of what once seemed to be an iron-clad case.Again, from last April:
…witness statements (an observant next door neighbor) a time line that places her nowhere but the house rented by the lacrosse team captains, before going to the hospital by way of the nearby Kroger food’s parking lot and most important, a medical examination and rape kit that overwhelmingly point to physical as well as sexual assault, medical professionals who attended to her (and are specifically meticulous with this kind of evaluation) describe a level of emotional trauma and shock that could not be faked even an email from a teammate sent within an hour after the party broke up expressing a desire to want to have another party the following evening where he wanted to kill strippers and slice the skin from their flesh for sexual gratification lends itself towards “something happened that night” are all pieces of evidence the DA stands by.
In anticipation of a criminal trial and absent any statements or findings of fact, nearly a year later, this kind of seemingly rock-solid evidence has been whittled away by what we know now.Here are a few examples:
The accused:Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans
Witness statements: no one witnessed any forced sex or forced sex acts, nor did anyone witness any physical abuse towards the alleged victim; witness accounts that racially insensitive comments were yelled at the accuser are not, even if true, proof of sexual assault.
Ms. Roberts (the second dancer who was with the alleged victim) has given contradictory accounts. On March 22, she told the police that the rape accusation was “a crock,” and that she had been with the accuser for all but five minutes of the party. Later, though, she revised her story to the police and told National Public Radio that a rape “could have happened,” but that she had not seen or heard it (NY Times 2006).
Timeline: we know now that this includes having sexual intercourse before being hired for and attending the Duke party as an exotic dancer.
Medical examination:the nurse who assisted in collecting the rape evidence kit from the accuser states till today that the accused was severely traumatized at the time of the examination, and that there was noticeable, considerable, redness and swelling in the vaginal area.Records also indicate the alleged complained of pain in her hip and an inability to walk, and soreness and tenderness in other areas, including the rectum.
Before Sergeant Gottlieb’s notes were turned over to the defense, and before the judge’s order not to discuss the case, defense lawyers had argued publicly that the woman’s swelling and tenderness could have been caused by consensual sexual activity in the days before the Monday-night party.
Jarriel L. Johnson, a friend of the woman who drove her for escort service work, told the police that he had taken her to a half-hour job at a Holiday Inn on the previous Friday afternoon, to Platinum Pleasures on Friday night, to a Millennium Hotel for an hour on Saturday, and to another hotel on Sunday. The woman herself told the police that she had performed with a vibrator for one couple (NY Times 2006).
“I asked her if the exam was consistent with blunt force trauma, and she replied, ‘Yes,’ ” Sergeant Gottlieb wrote in the notes of his March 21 interview with the nurse. “She stated the victim had edema and tenderness to palpitation both anally and especially vaginally. She stated it was so painful for the victim to have the speculum inserted vaginally that it took an extended period of time to insert same to conduct an examination. I asked her if the blunt force trauma was consistent with the sexual assault that was alleged by the victim. She stated the trauma was consistent with the victim’s allegation.”
Dr. Manly, the sexual-assault specialist, found the woman’s head, back, neck, chest, nose, throat, mouth, abdomen, arms and legs all normal. The only “signs of physical trauma,” she reported, were three small, nonbleeding scratches to the knee and ankle.
A day later, the woman’s condition appeared worse. She went to a University of North Carolina hospital, where she had previously received care for chronic neck and back pain. Now, she reported that she had been “knocked to the floor multiple times and had hit her head on the sink” during a rape, Dr. Yvonne E. Lai wrote.
U.N.C. doctors observed a limping gait, and they confirmed that she had muscle tenderness and that her head did not have the full range of motion. They diagnosed acute pain in her knees, neck pain and contusions, and recommended crutches and ice packs (NY Times 2006).
Graphic email:The night after the alleged rape, one of the members of the Lacrosse team sent a disturbing email to teammates expressing a desire to host another party with strippers and that he wanted to kill them and cut their flesh from their bones while pleasuring himself was another disturbing piece of information, but not a damning piece of evidence that concludes beyond reasonable doubt that he was involved in a sexual crime.
Victim account:We know that this has changed in great detail no less than five times.First the accused stated that the rape went on for at least 30 minutes, but later changed it to 10 or 15.This alone could not conclude that any sexual assault did or did not take place as the tracking of time is not typically the most important thought running through a sexual assault victim’s mind.We know that she was initially unsuccessful in identifying her attackers; she insists one had a mustache yet none of the accused had facial hair at the time.
Intoxication:We know that the alleged victim claims she was not drunk when she arrived to the party, though she previously drank two beers and took a muscle relaxant.Her claim is corroborated by her associate Ms. Roberts.However, when she was found in the Kroger Food’s parking lot and approached by police, they reported that she was “passed out drunk”.
She told the police that she had had one or two large-size beers before the party and had taken Flexeril, a muscle relaxant. Both dancers said they were given a mixed drink at the party.
But investigators say that does not explain why the woman seemed so profoundly intoxicated. The other dancer, Ms. Roberts, told the police that her partner had arrived “clearly sober” — a description confirmed by a next-door neighbor — but became glassy-eyed, “talking crazy” and “basically out of it” within the hour (NY Times, 2006).
Toxicological screening is not standard, unless specially requested, in a rape exam in North Carolina. No such request was made that night. Defense lawyers said it would have shown drugs or alcohol. The Durham police have speculated that the test might have found a date-rape drug, records show; they have also theorized that the trauma of rape itself might have been responsible for her condition.
On March 16, investigators began the process that has become one of the mostly hotly disputed elements of the Duke case — the identification of individual suspects. The woman was shown lacrosse team photographs of four possible suspects — the players whose names were Adam, Matt or Brett — and of 20 other team members. (Mr. Seligmann was among those pictured; Mr. Finnerty and Mr. Evans were not.) She identified four people she thought were at the party, including Mr. Seligmann, but none as her attackers.
“This is harder than I thought,” she said, according to Officer Michele Soucie’s notes.
Five days later, the police gave the woman another opportunity to identify her attackers. Officer Himan wrote that, under questioning, “She was unable to remember anything further about the suspects.” She was shown 12 more photographs, including Mr. Evans’s, his lawyer said. She identified none. Another investigator, Richard D. Clayton, wrote, “She again stated the photos looked the same.”
The third and final photo identification session occurred on April 4. Mr. Nifong suggested to the investigators that they show the woman pictures of all 46 white lacrosse players — taken 12 days before — and ask if she remembered seeing each one at the party and if so, what he had been doing. About 30 players had been at the party. Sergeant Gottlieb showed the woman each picture for a minute. The full transcript shows some precise recollections, three weeks after a relatively brief encounter with a large group of white strangers.
The third man pictured “was sitting on couch in front of TV,” the woman said. The fourth “looked like Bret but I’m not sure.” The fifth “looks like one of the guys who assaulted me.” How sure was she? Sergeant Gottlieb asked. “He looks just like him without the mustache,” the woman said. Ninety percent sure.This was Mr. Evans. His lawyers and family say he has never had a mustache.
The sixth picture she did not recognize. The seventh “looks like one of the guys who assaulted me.” Asked how sure she was, the woman said 100 percent and described what he had done. This was Mr. Seligmann.
Another student was standing outside talking, the woman told the police. Two others were drinking in the bedroom. Another wore khaki shorts. She said the person in one picture was the one who had given her the $400; this was proved accurate. Another was sitting in the kitchen, another outside, talking; one was sitting in the front row during the dance; another sitting on the couch watching TV; another made the broomstick comment; two of them she remembered yelling excitedly during the dance; and another, she said, was the third man who had assaulted her. The transcript says “the victim’s eyes were pooling with tears.” She was 100 percent sure. This was Mr. Finnerty.
The poison in the wound
Two words:Mike Nifong.We know that Mike Nifong, the District Attorney prosecuting this case, effectively lied to the court by way of the Judge, grand jury and defense’s council, when he “forgot” to fork over DNA results that showed the accused had sexual contact with numerous partners…none of them on the Duke lacrosse team.
Buried in thousands of documents handed over to defense lawyers by the district attorney in the Duke rape case was a stunning report from a private lab hired by the prosecution that found DNA from multiple males in the accuser’s body — but none that belonged to the accused players, according to a defense motion filed Wednesday.
The lab, DNA Security of Burlington, found during tests performed last April that not only did the DNA not match the three defendants, but that it also did not belong to any of their lacrosse teammates or anyone else who submitted DNA samples to police, including the accuser’s boyfriend. Those findings were not turned over to the defense until October, when District Attorney Mike Nifong’s office turned over thousands of case-related documents.
“This is strong evidence of innocence in a case in which the accuser denied engaging in any sexual activity in the days before the alleged assault, told police she last had consensual sexual intercourse a week before the assault, and claimed that her attackers did not use condoms and ejaculated,” lawyers for the three accused players said in the motion (ABC News).
Not only does this tid-bit bust a person’s credibility, more importantly, it’s reason for a medical professional performing a rape examination and collecting evidence to make conclusions based on all the facts.For his conduct, Nifong will go before the state’s bar on numerous charges of violation, including ethics.
Simply put, the man we thought would champion this case has turned out to be its weakest link, by all accounts.There is strong evidence that one of the accused was not at the house when the alleged assault occurred- Nifong has heard none of it, outright refusing to.
Not only should he have played his legal cards closer, but in his proclamation that DNA would pinpoint the suspects, he snuffed one very important fact: rapes can and do occur without leaving semen or other DNA evidence behind.In addition, the prosecution put too much emphasis on ensuring a visual ID was made by the accused; rapists go unidentified all too often.Just because a rape cannot be proven in a court of law, does not mean it didn’t happen; that is where many people get confused.
Nifong’s professional conduct and handling of the case has also overshadowed other DNA evidence found at the scene which is consistent with the accuser’s accounts:
The police recovered semen from beside the toilet — about the same spot where the woman said she had spat out semen from someone who orally raped her. It matched the DNA of Matt Zash, a team captain who lived in the house and has not been charged. His lawyer said the semen had come from other, innocent sexual activity.
Investigators also found a towel in the hallway near Mr. Evans’s bedroom with semen matching his DNA. The woman had told the sexual assault nurse that someone had wiped her vagina with a rag. Mr. Evans’s lawyer said that this towel had nothing to do with her accusation, and that the semen came from other activity (NY Times, 2006).
Nifong’s repeated fumbles led to a special prosecutor being assigned in his place by the State Attorney’s office.The credibility of the District Attorney has been shot, and the death ruled suicide by an over zealous prosecution.
Dec. 29, 2006 — In yet another moral blow to Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys called for the prosecutor to step down from the Duke lacrosse case.
The group, which represents district attorneys from across North Carolina, said in a statement that “it is in the interest of justice and the effective administration of criminal justice that Mr. Nifong immediately withdraw and recuse himself from the prosecution.”
As of mid-January 2007, and facing ethics charges that could lead to his disbarment, Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong has asked the state attorney general’s office to appoint a special prosecutor to take over in the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case.
The upcoming trial
Now that the State’s attorney has intervened and taken over prosecution of the case- an entire review of the case file, evidence and witness statements is underway.Taking a lesson from Nifong’s actions, the AG’s office isn’t talking about the process they are going through, what they may have found or what they think may have happened the night in question.
But let’s not kid ourselves.The rape charges have been dropped.I can say that there is an overwhelming preponderance of evidence that shows that a woman was brutally assaulted at a party thrown by the three co-captains of the Duke lacrosse team.
It is likely that she does not know for certain who these men were, nor what they looked like.It is likely that they did not leave any DNA evidence on her body, and it is likely that she was slipped a drug in the drink given to her at the party, which caused her to appear overly intoxicated and confused.It is all likely, but it cannot be proved, and in a game where the stakes are the futures of three, upper class white men, circumstantial evidence simply will not do.Because of the prosecutor’s misconduct- not the memory lapses or inconsistent stories of the alleged victim- these men will never be convicted; there is too much reasonable doubt.
Lesson’s learned
When I decided to write this follow-up article, it was because I felt a responsibility to do so having brought it up in the first place.Because things with the case have changed so drastically though, this made writing very difficult.Pouring over page after page after page of information left me wary of what I might found out.
Last April, the main focus of the black community was “she better not have made this up.”We felt that way because the lasting ramifications of such a lie as one that cannot ever be lived down; again we look to the Tawana Brawley case to understand why- this is a case that has never gone away, and it is a case that made it harder for abused women –particularly black women- to speak out and fight for justice.Gang rapes happen more often than people think, and the privileged raping the not-so-privileged is one of America’s oldest past times.
As I combed through all of the documents, articles, interviews and files, I fully expected to come out convinced the alleged victim lied to the world when she claimed she was raped.Instead, I am convinced more than ever that the assault took place- in part, because the physical evidence is overwhelming.
I am angered, not at her, but at the prosecution, a man sworn to uphold the law, who instead cut corners, told half-truths and withheld evidence, a man who refused to look at the picture presented by the evidence, rather than forcing the evidence to fit the picture in his own mind.Nifong believed the victim had to identify an attacker, he believed that there had to be DNA, so he blotched line-ups, lied about DNA and other serious factors, all to ensure that a conviction is carried out in the end.
This is not how one upholds the law.When we allow the evidence to speak for itself, it does.It can’t give us any more or any less than what it is, and when one tries to force it, inevitably one begins to fabricate, which is exactly what he did.In this case, three young men, disturbed and calculating, charming and convincing, will get away with their crimes.They have jumped on the wave of reasonable doubt and will surely ride it all the way to a mistrial or “not guilty” verdict.Ultimately this can all be summed up easily; we will never fully know the details of what really happened.
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
“Do not remove the kinks from your hair–remove them from your brain.”
-Marcus Garvey
Happy Black History Month! I was having a discussion the other day in various circles I travel in, and the same topic kept coming up: Where is the youth’s sense of history? Technically, in America, our historical memory is extremely short. We suffer from Societal Alzheimers. I am constantly surprised at how many people do not think about or remember major events they have lived through. In the alternative, perhaps we cannot appreciate it. It is too fresh. But what ends up happening is that either we begin to take things for granted or a lot of injustices occur.
Lift Every Voice
I believe that a major source of the ills in the African American community stems from a lack of knowledge of our history, which is partly our fault and partly not. I was surprised that my little cousins did not know the Black National Anthem. And then, Garlin posted the “Girl Like Me” documentary and it confirmed what I had already seen. The younger generation do not have a true sense of history. Thus the question becomes, how can we do a better job communicating our legacy and see it as a source of strength and pride?
Some Tips
I think we must begin by respecting and educating our legacy ourselves. How many of us “older” individuals (a relative term)really appreciate our own legacies and history? Respect begins at home. This comes by educating ourselves. Read about the men and women behind the movement. Any body can tell you about Dr. King (no disrespect), but what about the Marcus Garveys, the George Washington Carvers, and the list goes on.
Next we need to realize what the generation beneath us is dealing with and the world they live in. Every generation and time has its own zeitgeist, and we have to respect that. We may not agree with it, but we have to meet them where they are. The older generation has the responsibility to bridge the gap, come to the table without judging. There are some things about us you are not going to understand, shoot we do not understand it. But we need more inter-generational dialogue in our community.
Younger cats, lets restore the respect for the Elders. We should humble ourselves enough to soak up the wisdom and the knowledge they have. Even if we feel it is outdated or they are out of touch, you can learn something from anybody-if you are ready for it.
We must realize that our history lays the ground work for where we have come and where we are going and where we are now. It is because history is more than events in time, but they represent ideologies and ideologies do not die because they are replicated and become a part of our society, systems and culture (e.g. Slave/colonial mentality).
At the end of the day, it is all about respect. We need to educate ourselves and pass it on-By Any Means Necessary.
Realize you are the hope of your ancestors and appreciate their sacrifices. The ball is in your court.
I was sent a video today that really bothered and inspired me. A high school student in New York made a documentary called A Girl Like Me (see below, linked here) that brings the question of our children’s images of race are affected at a young age.
How do we reverse this? There has to be a way to let Black children know that Black is good and not bad. But how? Since the idea of “white being better than Black” is learned/taught like everything else that a child absorbs, we have to think about what we are doing specifically to get Black boys and girls to think like this.
With this in mind, we need to be careful what we say and do. Here are 3 Ways that we can Change Kids’ Images of Themselves:
1. Be careful how we talk with, talk about, and acknowledge Black people
This means cleaning up our intra-racial dialogue. This means being careful about how we say things when criticizing one another (why do we have to say “you are a sorry excuse for a Black man” and not “sorry excuse for a man). This means no longer saying n!gga/n!gger to one another or anyone else, especially around children [of any race]. I would bet that even if a kid did not know what the word meant, they would know it was bad.
2. Watch what we watch, Listen to what we are listening to
Pay attention to subliminal messages in our media. Look for things that are being “said without being said.” For example, take TV shows like MTV’s The Real World. The majority of [straight] Black male characters on that show over the years have had non-Black girlfriends. The majority of the Black female characters on that show have been highly temperamental and standoff-ish. They did not outright say that “Black men want any woman that is not Black,” or “Black women are impossible to get along with.” The thing is, they did not have to say it. Take BET as another example, with their insistence on pushing music videos that push ignorant interpretations of Black masculinity and hyper-sexualized interpretations of Black femininity. They are telling you that this is what Black folks are. Kids aren’t stupid, and if they see a bunch of [Black] men smacking around Black women on TV, they are going to start wondering whether something is wrong with Black women. If the media that you consume is pushing this garbage, STOP CONSUMING IT!
3. Educate young people by talking about why you love your people
I am not talking about educating through school, which of course is necessary. I am talking about educating by talking with kids. When was the last time you, Black man/father, told your Black son/daughter or any other Black child why you love Black women or Black people? Black woman/mother, when was the last time you told your Black son/daughter or any other Black child why you love Black men or Black people? We spend so much time telling kids negative stuff: don’t do this, don’t touch that, don’t go here. Why not spend some time telling them what to do: do love your people.
I have always been in favor of groups that are all-something: all-female, all-Black Male, etc. I will use a quote from Malcolm X to show why:
There can be no black-white unity until there is first some black unity…. We
cannot think of uniting with others, until after we have first united among
ourselves. We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first
proven acceptable to ourselves.
I believe that this thinking applies to other groups beyond Black people as well. Because the Caucus is a private entity, I think that they should be able to do what they please in terms of membership. More importantly, I also think that Rep. Cohen can serve and support the interests of his Black constituents in many ways; this is only one.
Do you see it as a problem for the CBC to not have non-Black members?
“I love black people, but I hate niggas”
-Chris Rock
Right now, I am watching the Colts receive the AFC Championship trophy. However, one of the major things the commentators kept bringing up was that this is the first time that two African-American coaches will be in the Super Bowl. Before they would bring up the games, the win, their intelligence as coaches-race was the primary focus, as this was a milestone for all African Americans. And it was. However, it got me to thinking: “Will African Americans ever stop being considered as a collective, homogenous group and is this necessarily a bad thing?” Just as we are quick to appropriate the good, what about the bad or less than spectacular aspects of our community?
I have long been of the opinion that there are two characters in African-American society, African-Americans and Niggers. And the gulf between the two is growing so wide that soon we will not be able to hide behind skin color anymore, and it will come down to economics, which is what race has been a red herring for all along. But I digress. African Americans are known to complain that niggers make the rest of the race look bad and are holding us back by their ignorance (read: Bill Cosby). And Niggers say that African Americans are too uppity, self-righteous and tame. As such, there is no small amount of animosity between these two sub-groups in African American society. And this concerns me deeply.
First, to answer my own question, I believe that African Americans will never stop being considered a homogenous group in America and as such, the actions of the few will forever reflect on the majority. We do not have the luxury of Caucasians, who do not concern themselves with hillbillies in the Appalachians. Unlike them, we have African-Americans and Niggers often sitting at the same table, in the same family. So, for those individuals who wish it would not happen, and think it should not occur anymore where we are viewed as a collective, do not hold your breath, it aint gonna happen (my thoughts as to why is another post in and of itself). We are so mixed together that we can hardly tell the difference between the two. We still unconsciously view ourselves as a collective.
However, here is a little insight that Bill Cosby and others of the Black intelligentsia might not understand. In fact, it is borderline heretical, as a member of the progressive African-American constituency: African-Americans need Niggers and Niggers need African-Americans. It is the yin and yang of racial politics. God creates duality for a purpose. In every African-American, there is a part of him willing to “burn this so and so down” if he feels like he is being disrespected, and it goes past being assertive. And it goes the other way also.
Now, here is the million dollar question: “How do we help each other as members of this collective ethnic group?”
I will not lie; I was supremely frustrated with certain aspects of the African American community. And my frustration culminated in a heated discussion with Garlin. At that point, I was ready to turn my back on the Niggers, and like Noah, focus on saving my own family from the impending doom and finality of the decimation of the middle-class and the haves v. have-nots. We knew all too well the threat of some segments of our ethnic community being a permanent underclass in America. And we could not understand why more people did not see it and why we seemed powerless to stop it.
Even in my own family, I could not understand how some of my family members chose not to follow my example. I tried in vain to encourage various cousins to go to school and consolidate the gains of my aunts and uncles so that we could make that power play to prosperity.
But on the other end, when I would speak with middle to upper class blacks and listened to their characterization of those perceived as Niggers, I was not satisfied either. It was a characterization that lacked compassion and understanding. Only then could I understand why we cannot come to the table and collaborate. Somewhere down the line, we received a distorted view of one another.
So, I pose the question, what is our place in this mess? How do we help our brothers and sisters who are characterized as Niggers and how can they help us, since they are here for a reason? I don’t have the answer. I have not even figured out how to get those who are not like myself to listen to me. But I do know that I have to check my self-righteousness, ego, and frustration at the door. I do know that I need them and they need me, and I will always go back to the ‘hood, whether they want me there or not. And no matter how high a barrier my education and professional achievement erects between us, I will be there. No matter how some of us glorify the Thug Life and our impoverished backgrounds as a badge of honor, and others of us who believe money entitles us to special treatment. We need each other. Why? Because at one point, in American society, we all were Niggers. Whether we like it or not, we have and probably always will be treated as a collective group in America. But only now, do we have the benefit to refer to ourselves as African Americans.
Senator Barack Obama announced his intentions to file presidential exploratory committee and said he would talk announce more details on February 10th. This means that for all intents and purposes, the Senator will be running. I am excited about this campaign because if win or lose, we may be able to realize a paradigm shift for thinking about race, class, and opportunity. I hope that the ensuing debates over his running will spark substantive debate over his proposed policies.
And a note to my Black people:
1) Please don’t decide you like or dislike the Senator because of his identity
2) This is a critical time that we really start to collectively stamp out the crab bucket mentality
3) White people liking Senator Obama does not mean that he is a sell out
4) Read his books, study his voting record, go to his website, and be conscious of what sources are informing your opinion of him
5) Senator Obama is not the leader or spokesperson for all Black people and be critical of people that paint him in this light
6) Pray for the Senator and his family
7) Senator Obama will make mistakes. He is human and therefore fallible. Don’t hold him to unrealistic expectations
Not strong, only aggressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite, now who’s the nicest?
Not good, just Well-Behaved
Chasing after death so we can call ourselves brave
Still living like mental slaves
-Black Star, Thieves in the Night
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph”
-Exodus 1:8
Question of the Week: Are you free and in what way? What are you willing to give to protect your freedom?
The Martin Luther King holiday is right around the corner. What does that really mean? For most people I know, the King holiday means a day to catch up on things around the house and an extra day off of work. For a while, my observance of the King Holiday was sacrificed at the altar of my own procrastination. At some point, I began to wonder whether the holiday had lost its significance, especially for people of my generation and younger.
Let Freedom Ring
The change for me came when I researched the history and heard accounts from my elders of what it was really like back then. When it became real to me as to how much Dr. King and others in that era had to give up just so we can exercise our basic human rights, I felt that at the very least, I could take a few hours out of my day to pay homage to one of the greatest leaders in American History.
But recently, Dr. King has come to represent something more to me, something I did not associate with him explicitly in all my years of hearing about Dr. King, and that was freedom. Freedom is defined as “the absence of hindrance, restraint, confinement, repression and subjection to an arbitrary power.”
Now, there are varying levels of freedom and different kinds of freedom. In society, we sacrifice some of our personal autonomy in order to reap the benefits that come with security. Dr. King and others heroes of that era cast away their own personal security by courageously speaking the truth about America and its “Animal Farm” notion of equality. However, speaking truth is insufficient; the truth must be seen in action to possess true freedom.
Looking at the state of race relations in America and the state of my own community, I often wonder if I am selfless enough to put my life on the line, give up time I could spend with my family and friends, in order to fight for the rights of others? That is the challenge and call to leadership. That is the challenge posed to us by the legacy of Dr. King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and others. As soon as you begin to live the truth, security goes out the window. You become a target. But if we do not protect the truth and freedom, who will?
Lest We Forget
In Exodus, the children of Israel were enslaved in the land of Egypt. Many years earlier, their ancestor Joseph saved the country from one of the worse famines in early recorded history. Joseph was a national hero and as a reward, pharaoh allowed Joseph’s people to live in the land. However, as time passed, it says that there was a pharaoh that did not know Joseph. He did not really forget, but the significance of what Joseph had done lost meaning as time passed. As a result, the pharaoh enslaved the same people who had saved his nation so many years earlier. And apparently, as the Israelites lived in slavery, they adopted a slave mentality, learning to love their chains instead of freedom. Thus, they had to go to the wilderness in order to learn to be free again.
What about us? Are we free? Or have we allowed ourselves to be enslaved by internal and external forces? The greatest crime is to forget the legacy of those who went before us and live our lives in a way that makes their sacrifices null and void.
To combat this, we can start by doing something to honor the legacy of the man with a dream.
I read the news from coast to coast and around the world everyday. In every paper based in major cities, I constantly scan stories that have headlines that read something like, “Young man shot dead, 22 years old.”
I can’t tell you how many times I have quickly read these headlines and continued to scroll down the page. But when I see headlines related to the Iraq war, economy, international relations, etc., I click on these items automatically. Not that these topics are not important, but I find it troubling that I overlook the articles that would otherwise put a damper on my day.
But today while I was reading the Boston Globe, on of the smaller headlines read Boy, 14, is slain; 2d youth wounded. Instantly, I knew they were Black and I saw the faces of boys I know around that age and how precious life is. Questions abounded. Where they did go wrong? How did they get access to a gun? Were they in school? Are people afraid of snitching? I got mad at myself because I found myself addressing all the “structural factors” that made this accident possible. These boys’ parents just lost their children. Feel the pain of the families before you turn on the computer to google “structural, factors, contributing, young, Black, men.” The structural factors are always important but this knee-jerk reaction to analyze situations in these terms serves to distance ourselves from the pain that statistics cannot capture.
A 14-year-old boy was killed and another youth was wounded by gunfire last night in Roslindale, with Boston police scouring the neighborhood for suspects.
The unidentified teenager was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The second victim, an unidentified male, was taken to the pediatric unit of Boston Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
Now I know that news articles should not be woefully emotional but that is where you the reader have to dig deep, avoid instant structural analysis, make it personal, and read for understanding, not for fact overviews.
So last night, while I was at a party with people I graduated with from the University of Michigan, a young Black kid was killed. “But Brandon, you can’t save them all, live your life.” How about no? Instead, how about I refuse to be selective on what I consider to be Black History.
I know I am all over the place but this issue hits home to me in a visceral way. My childhood friend, Shade was gunned down by an off-duty cop after a failed robbery attempt. This happened when I was in high school and I spoke at his funeral and was one of the pallbearers. The story made the news and would you guess what happened when I googled the article? Error: Invalid story key. I know newspapers cannot afford to keep digital archives of every article but Shade’s story is not invalid and lives with me.
So I urge you to not just scan over the negative headlines but read them, learn their names before the cable news networks tell you what is really newsworthy. Anybody getting shot, (especially Black youth who just years before their being shot were probably riding bikes and playing basketball) is worth your attention. We are the only people that can validate our stories.
In the aftermath of Proposal 2, (Michigan voters recently voted to ban affirmative action programs in higher education admissions, public employment, and contracting) the universities were in the middle of an admissions cycle and opponents of affirmative action wanted the admissions standards to change immediately upon passage of the proposal. This was profoundly absurd and should show how you much good would be achieved if the energy used to keep Black kids out of college were used to improve public K-12 education..
Therefore, if you are in school right now or know people that are, this is a critical time in our history for students to help formulate policies that can do effective and meaningful outreach while surviving the legal rigor of a political climate affirmative action as a free pass for Black folks. So for all my people who were involved in this fight in Michigan and across the nation, the true ugliness of this fight is after affirmative action is banned. Now is the time to make sure mechanisms and programs are in place to make sure that universities can to the best of their ability still reach out to students that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
So now you have two choices, you can 1) talk about how screwed up this country is and refrain from getting involved or you can 2) stand up and fight for justice while pulling up kids behind you that need an example of success and hope. So whether it is tutoring, mentoring, or doing recreational programs, get in the game. The other side wants us to waste all of our efforts on the nuances of policy but our kids futures are in the balance. This fight isn’t really about race; it is about who can and who cannot get access to quality education. And Black people as a whole are on the outside looking in. So stop staring at your degree and provide the spark that kids need to believe in their potential and seize the power of education by the bullhorns!
Today, I am rolling out the first of many design changes on The SuperSpade.
Our goal here is to create a great online discussion and participation experience where we can debate issues and brainstorm solutions to problems. In order to make this experience the best that it can be, this site must grow.
Actually, the first change was the addition of categories. Today’s change is visual. It allows users to see previews of all of the sites that we link to for our news stories. All you have to do is move your mouse over a link, and you’ll see a popup with a picture of the site. Try these:
Try it and let us know what you think or if you have any problems with it. We’ll be adding more to make The SuperSpade a better place to read and participate.
For those of you still in permanent vacation mode until after New Year’s, let me point your attention to a case being heard before the Supreme Court to determine whether race may be used as a basis for assigning students to public schools. This case is not receiving nearly as much hype as the University of Michigan cases but its impact will be far reaching. The heart of the dispute centers on
on two programs in Seattle, WA and Louisville, KY that use race as a factor (not the only one) in hopes of ensuring that each school’s population approximate the racial make up of the entire system.
The school policies in contention are designed to keep schools from segregating along the same lines as neighborhoods. In the Pacific coast city of Seattle, only high school students are affected. The plan in another city, Louisville, Kentucky, applies systemwide.
Now I will resist the urge to go into a historical tangent on the effects of far reaching effects segregation in public policies and schooling in particular due to but not limited to the GI Bill following WWII, private racial covenants, racial zoning and otherwise blatant discrimination propagated by the deeply flawed Federal Housing Administration, and who could forget the historic rise of Levitowns. When we couple these state-supported segregation forces with public school systems largely funded by local property taxes, it is no surprise to see schools generally segregated by four factors, class, race, location, and overall school quality. (For more on this topic, read Jonathan Kozol’s landmark book entitled, Shame of the Nation)
Nevertheless, in Seattle, a parent was outraged after her then 8th grade daughter ranked the top three high schools she wanted to go to and was refused admission to her first school of choice (newly remodeled at the time and majority White) and she was assigned to another school (arguably of lower overall quality and majority Black). Now I am sure that one of the main reasons why the Seattle parent moved to that part of town in part to take advantage of the good school in her area. And what the Seattle plan does is simple, it disallows (on a grand level) parents to provide their kids a better education via living in a part of the city with higher socioeconomic levels.
Why this affects you
I don’t know the demographics of the people that read the SuperSpade, but I would venture to say that many of you do not have any children. However, if and when you do decide to have kids, where you plan to live will have life-long effects on your child’s development. Chief among these reasons is the quality and reputation of the school system. Any real estate agent worth his/her chops will go to great lengths to discuss the quality of the school system when trying to sell a home to family that has children. This is because they know that if nothing else, the quality of the schools will play a huge part in the decision-making process. So when you have kids, would you agree to raise your children in a district that had a race-balancing program, knowing that they might not get into the best possible school? I ask that because I wonder how you would feel if you were that Seattle parent. In that respect, I would argue that most parents are rightly or wrongly, insanely selfish when it comes to providing the best for their children. Moreover, this decision will have a huge impact on the ability of the state (in this case school districts) to provide opportunities for children to be able to interact with other children that do not look like them. And for anyone who has spent extended time in a diverse environment, one of the saddest things is to see someone hold views that are so flawed but could have been addressed if they were exposed to a diverse environment.
Diversity as a compelling state interest?
Therefore, the reach of this decision is broad because like in the University of Michigan cases of 2003, diversity is being put forward as a compelling state interest. Now I believe in diversity but I know many folks that support affirmative action and/or race balancing policies see diversity as legal front for ensuring that underrepresented minorities get access to opportunities that were historically denied them. To that end, sometimes the legal proponents of diversity and affirmative action will argue diversity in court but will wink and nod to their supporters, with both parties knowing the real fight at hand. So if diversity is the legal strategy that is keeping policies like affirmative action alive, (by their chinny chin chin no less) then the supporters of affirmative action and race balancing should be able to articulate the virtues of diversity with the same force and articulation as arguing that their kids deserve access to quality education and employment opportunities.
This post is getting long, so I will stop, but I will point out the solution to this problem. If all the schools in any district were equally excellent, then parents/students would not feel compelled to see that one top school as the only way to get the training they need to compete. But in our society, too many of us are unable to envision a world where someone doesn’t have to lose in order for us to win..
With all of the talk over recent weeks about various expressions of overt and covert racism, I think he opens the door for an interesting discussion about how racism and sexism play off of one another.
I don’t totally agree that Black men blame Black women as it is suggested. What I do believe is that many of my Black male brethren have become too lazy to try and overcome/work through racism, and have instead retreated to a position of taking their frustration out on our Sisters in the form of sexism. I think it’s less blame and more choosing to victimize Black women as a way to [unhealthily] deal with feelings of victimization.
Black women, do you feel blamed by Black men? Black men, am I off? Why is it that some people choose to suppress others to make themselves feel better?
To me, the healthy approach is one of unity. Racism effects both Black men and Black women. I’d like to believe that we can use each other as assets to overcome the realities of racism in today’s and tomorrow’s world.
I remember graduating from the University of Michigan and being a part of Black Celebratory, (a special graduation ceremony for Black graduating students). I was sitting with my fellow graduates from the men of H.E.A.D.S. a Black male support group at the University of Michigan.
As we stood tall and our families looked on, the sounds of the Black National Anthem filled the majestic hall. Then all at once, H.E.A.D.S. members reverently bowed their heads and raised their fists in the air. My eyes were closed and I was humbled almost to the point of tears as I thought about all my ancestors that dreamed of an America where one day Black people would not be denied access to institutions of higher learning. It was a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.
I can think of countless situations where my Blackness (and all the trappings thereof) has served as a source of pride and inspiration. But as a Christian, I wonder if my love of being Black has served as an idol to the point where it interferes with my relationship with God. (Note: This issue is not unique to Black people. Any ethnicity could be used and the logic would still apply)
But let’s take a step back though. For those of you who are Christian, the Bible says this in Exodus 20:4 regarding idols,
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
It is my belief that anything can become an idol and therefore a stumbling block in our Christian walk. To our detriment, there are too many value judgments on would be idols. For example, I play online chess (a lot) and I think it is fair to say that most people would consider this activity to be fairly neutral. However, if I started to play online chess to the point where I neglected praying, reading the Bible, going to church, etc. then it is safe to say that online chess has become an idol in my life.
I think this same logic can be applied to Black people’s love of their Blackness (and all the trappings thereof). Lest I be misunderstood, I know you can love God and love being Black. Let me explain this from a different angle. Let’s assume that Blackness is a crime and you are under surveillance but the Black police you can’t see your skin. Your being convicted is based on what you say, where you go, what you watch, what you read, what you listen to, and how you generally live your life. If you are Black, I think that most of us would be arrested immediately because we wear our Blackness so proudly.
Now let’s assume that Christianity is a crime while we use the same surveillance parameters. How long would it take before you were arrested? Would you be arrested at all?
I think it is safe to say that many of us do a much better job promoting our love for Blackness as opposed to our love for God. Now does this mean that Blackness is an idol for you? I would say not necessarily but that is for you to figure out. So is there anything in your life that prevents you from getting closer to God? If it is TV, then it’s easy to just turn it off, but if it is your Blackness, you can’t turn it off so how do we find the proper balance?
As I alluded to before, I had an amazing experience at the National Black Programming Consortium’s (NBPC) Black Technology Now! Summit (BTN) in Boston, MA on November 8-9, 2006. I would like to thank NBPC and WGBH Boston for hosting this phenomenal event and giving me a platform upon which I could share my ideas.
As you may remember, I was invited to be a member of a panel called NEW FUNKY: Virtual Communities of Color & More. The subject of my presentation was Offline Problems, Online Solutions (audio in WMA format, PowerPoint slides). In this presentation, I presented my ideas for creating communities online to address real, tangible social issues. My main point was that it is not interesting to create anything online if it does not solve a problem in the offline world. I profiled The SuperSpade, and another venture that I am a part of called Detroit Intern. I also talked about future plans for these and other ventures I am dreaming about .
Here, I’ll include pointers to the audio [in WMA format] of my presentation, my slides, as well as my answers to some of the discussion questions that were interesting. Enjoy, and feel free to leave/give feedback.
I am back in Seattle, and still catching my breath from my trip to Boston last week. It was absolutely phenomenal! I will talk about that in more detail in it’s own post.
I met an individual from Free Press at the conference, and I was invited to attend their National Conference for Media Reform next year. As part of the process for preparation, I wrote out my thoughts on media reform, and I kind of liked them. Therefore, I’d like to share them with you all. Enjoy.
Every change in this world, every revolution that has taken place, every movement that has been started, began with one thing: a change in the way that people think. There are many ways to change the way the people think about their position, their beliefs and their lives. One effective way to do this is to open their eyes to things, people, or ideas that they have had little or no exposure to in the past. To open eyes, to give light to, to expose people to facts and information is the mission of the media. Sadly, the media has lost sight of this mission and the integrity implicitly needed to carry it out. Catering to special interests, political motivations, and monetary incentives have become more important than the transmission of knowledge. A change must be made to bring this system back into line with its mission. When media is freed from these vices, it can be used to ensure that people think critically about world they exist in. Armed with unbiased truth, they will be able to change their situations. Equipped with disinterested facts, they will be able to revolt against forces that oppress them. Empowered by knowledge and wisdom, they can move forward. All of these are possible today. All of these can be achieved through media reform.
My website, The SuperSpade (www.TheSuperSpade.com), presents critical commentary on social issues and current events from the perspective of three twenty-something, college-educated Black Men inspired to create this space out of frustration with the media as it exists today. My role in the media reform movement involves critiquing current media outlets while simultaneously presenting an alternative that is not a slave to the entities that keep today’s press from handling its responsibilities. While attending the University of Michigan, the Black male support network that I chaired focused heavily on critiquing, combating, and providing alternatives to images and stereotypes of Blackness and masculinity perpetuated by corporate media. We held meetings on campus that showcased progressive media interpretations of Blackness and masculinity. We encouraged people to create media that managed Black images, not accepting the image given to them.
My NCMR experience will benefit everyone I touch. SuperSpade participants will benefit from my exposure to new techniques of presentation. My communities in the Greater Seattle and Detroit areas will benefit from communication of the importance of media reform and the need to reject agents of the press that lack integrity. Most importantly, individuals will gain confidence, knowing that groups like Free Press are working to ensure that their voices are given the credence they deserve.
My community’s involvement in media reform is threefold: 1.Spirit of support of alternative radio, television, and Internet media outlets and distribution channels. Old media cannot exist without an audience; neither can reformed media. 2. Spirit of proactive contribution. My vision of reformed media is a participatory one, where consumers evolve from readers/watchers to participants/co-contributors. We are doing this at The SuperSpade. I encourage my peer content producers to embrace the same participatory spirit in their own work. 3. Spirit of commitment. Creating sustainable and substantive reform today’s media takes loyalty to progressive media approaches and ideological endurance.
All of these apply concretely in the short and long term. I support, and will continue to support and encourage others to support new age media. I encourage proactive contribution from participants at The SuperSpade, and will push forward in changing the paradigm of interaction between producer and consumer of news and media with my future ventures. My ideological commitment to alternative media will be the foundation of my content creations for the rest of my creative existence.
This post comes to you from the friendly skies en route to Baltimore, MD. It is good to be home and I really miss my Superspade family. I want to continue my post election analysis by providing some insights I learned while trying to keep affirmative action policies in the state of Michigan.
Ward Connerly is hopping around from state to state trying to ban affirmative action programs primarily in higher education, public employment and contracting. He did it in Washington via Prop 5, California with Prop 209, and most recently in Michigan with Prop 2.
Now for anyone from Michigan or elsewhere who didn’t lift a finger to help register people to vote or educate people on the effects of banning affirmative action but felt smug enough to say after the election, “I knew Prop 2 was going to fail,” shame on you. I have had it with so-called conscious folks who love to philosophize for hours on end about the plight of Black folks and how we need to raise up but when you ask them to do something that actually requires work, their calendar is suddenly filled to the brim.
Being conscious is a step in the right direction but it is not enough. When I ask you to help do phone banking, I don’t want to hear you talk about the nuances of institutional racism. There is a time and a place for that but right now, all I need is a yes or no. I already agree with you and I am only going to nod my head in agreement. And if you claim to be as conscious as you claim to be, let’s see to it that our actions have the same intensity.
I got a little side-tracked for a minute, but I do not apologize.
Anyways, Ward Connerly is putting ballot initiatives up that attempt to ban affirmative action which means that in order to beat this guy, we have to make sure people vote in favor to support affirmative action. But we forgot about a crucial lesson in Michigan that I hope you don’t make in your state as well. Before you start screaming, “Vote to Support Affirmative Action!” make sure the organizing coalition you are apart of actually implements a comprehensive voter registration drive.
Why do I say that? Well, once you actually do voter registration, you can then call these people and educate them on affirmative action. When this doesn’t happen, your get out the vote efforts are not strategic and all you end up doing is conducting a visibility campaign, which will inevitably result in mobilizing people to vote that are not registered to vote! It sounds so simple I know, but registering people to vote is taken for granted more often than you would care to realize.
Secondly, most research shows that in order to win a campaign to support affirmative action, you have to target white women because they will provide the necessary electoral support to tip the election in your favor. On its face, this thinking is logical and reasonable. However, not ALL of your efforts should be devoted to targeting white women. Why? Because you will more than likely develop a coalition that is largely comprised of men and women of color and then you will try to get this coalition to convince White women to vote to support affirmative action. This strategy is not only embarrassing but it is not sound. Most people tend to trust people that look like them, period. So what ended up happening in Michigan (in my opinion) is that largely people of color targeted white women while neglecting the very communities of color that need to educated on the effects of affirmative action. Now I am not saying that only Blacks can talk to Blacks, but what I am saying is that in terms of strategy, never forget to take care of your base.
In fact, I know a large number of White women that understand and can explain the benefits of affirmative action for all people. For example if you have a strategy to send me (tall Black dude) to do canvassing in a majority-White suburb versus a white girl, who would you send? I am not saying I wouldn’t be effective but let’s think strategically. If white women need to be targeted, then we need to recruit conscious white women that are willing to go out in their communities and tell people about the truth of affirmative action.
As for people of color, don’t assume that all people of color are automatically going to support affirmative action. Many families of color do not have the pleasure to check email, read the news/blogs etc. at work or at home for that matter. Do you even know how fortunate you are to be reading this post right now? Stop taking your access to information for granted and throwing a fit when you talk to a person of color that never heard of affirmative action.
Lastly, don’t wait until the question is on the ballot before you act. If you wait until then, the battle will be immensely difficult moving forward. Proposition 2 should never have even made it on the ballot and you should be making plans now so that it doesn’t make it on your ballot. One thing that liberal minded people haven’t quite mastered is the supreme importance of framing the debate before the debate. The way that Prop 2 was worded was so twisted that many people thought that they were supporting affirmative action when in fact they were voting against it. Here is how it worked in Michigan, voting no meant that you wanted to support affirmative action. And voting yes meant you wanted to ban affirmative action. In other words, no meant yes, and yes meant no. By not addressing this backwards logic will greatly hamper your organizing efforts so get in the game early.
I just realized this post is getting really long so I will just stop for now.
Guess who’s bizack? What’s up fam, my extended absence was due to my job doing political organizing leading up to the election. To Garlin and Steve; thank you for holding it down and continuing to bring the fire. So due to the political nature of my job, it is only fitting that I provide some post election analysis as it pertains to the banning of affirmative action.
Here in Michigan, there was a ballot proposal sponsored by the wrongfully titled Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. The ballot proposal asked Michigan voters to amend the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs. The ballot initiative passed by an astounding margin of 56% to 42%.The text of the ballot read as such; (emphasis mine)
A proposal to amend the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes.
Now if you were oblivious to the long lasting effects of banning affirmative action, I could see how it would be reasonable to think that voting yes for this amendment is in line with your values and beliefs. However, I want to spend a little bit of time on the loaded term, preferential treatment. These two words are powerful because it assumes that we are all equal and therefore, any group getting so called preferential treatment is unfair to the people that don’t get preferential treatment. In fact, affirmative action tries to actually level the playing field. But here is where I think lies the deep philosophical difference between supporters and opponents. Opponents of affirmative action like to believe that the playing field is equal and proponents of affirmative action try to level the playing field. I just find it sad that in 2006, so many people are in refusal of believing that discrimination is not an institutionalized feature of our society.
And as for this colorblind mess, I can’t stand it. Humans are not dogs, we see in color. Many White people will think that their Black counterparts in college got there by affirmative action, due to athletic scholarship, or just otherwise have not earned the right to be where they are. Taking away affirmative action will not heal race relations and will not make racism and discrimination disappear. Let me say that again, taking away affirmative action will not heal race relations and will not make racism and discrimination disappear.
Ward Connerly and his conservative backers will be taking his ban on affirmative action to five different states. Banning affirmative action has a very salient effect into tapping into the anger that is just beneath the surface of many white people. And before I think it crazy that the government should take positive action to make up for discrimination, I like to refer to Dave Chappelle.
This ballot initiative is bad for Michigan and I can only hope that the decision would have been different had people voted using logic instead of emotion. And as my co-worker so eloquently expressed to me, “Not everything should be decided by the people.”
In the next post, we will look at ways to blunt the effects of this decision and what to do if Ward sets up camp in your state.
I will be in Boston next week as a featured panelist at the National Black Programming Consortium’s (NBPC) Black Technology Now! Summit (BTN) on November 8 & 9, 2006. This is a conference that is focusing on the future of public media and how people of color can take advantage of new ways to distribute their messages and content.
The panel that I am participating in is entitled NEW FUNKY: Virtual Communities of Color & More. The entire conference schedule is here.
What I will be focusing on in my presentation will be building online communities and how we can use the internet and other technologies to address broader social issues. I will talk about the existence of virtual solutions to real-life, tangible, brick-and-mortar problems. I will be using examples such as The SuperSpade, DetroitIntern.com, and other projects that I am working on to solve problems with technology.
Just like the last public speech that I gave, I will post the audio (and maybe video if it is available) of this talk on the site upon my return. Also like before, if you have any ideas about the topic, I’d love for you to share them.
Short bios of myself as well as other speakers & panelists are available here.
I do not believe that Black voters should vote for someone just because they are Black. The danger with doing this is that it will [and does] encourage those who do not have any interest in benefiting Black people to use figureheads to bait Black voters into voting against their personal/collective best interests. I do not want to see such a thing happen.
Republicans, over the last 4 years especially, have been courting Black voters, saying, “what have the Democrats really done for you? Don’t you feel like they take our vote(s) for granted?” These are valid questions that must be asked of every individual voter and every ‘block’ of voters (Latino, female, homosexual, single parents, entrepreneurs, etc.). The answers to these questions and other related ones are important points of introspection for individuals and collective bodies. What is interesting here is that is that these questions are posed by Republicans with the implicit assumption that “if you vote Republican, we won’t take you for granted.” I see little evidence to support such a notion.
I think that the debate on who to vote for should be based on an issue-by-issue, candidate-by-candidate, track-record-by-track-record comparison. A person the same race as you, the same gender as you, the same age as you, or the same sexual orientation as you does not mean that the person will best represent you or have your best interest in mind when they represent you as your governmental spokesperson.
Here’s a quote from the end of the article (my emphasis added):
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“[Prince George's council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly)] Harrington said race is a factor for him. ‘It’s not the factor,’ he said, ‘but it is a factor. There needs to be a diversity of voices in the room.’”
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I agree that a “diversity of voices” needs to be present in all situations. However, we need to be clear that race is not the only axis that diversity spins on. There are a whole lot of other things that mark diversity:
- Race
- Age
- Gender
- Religion
- Ethnicity
- Country of Origin
- Class
- etc.
When we think of diversity, we need to look beyond physical appearances. We need to be careful about who we trust, and not give people “like us” a free pass. I think Michael Steele is a nice enough guy, but I would not support or vote for him if he was running in my state.
I encourage people to look at candidates as individuals, their track records, and their plans for the future when deciding who to vote for. Take into account more than one issue, be it race, abortion, or what ever, when deciding who should represent you. Don’t vote for someone just because they are Black.
Perhaps a way to judge if someone will represent Black people well could be to get their take on these?
1. Introduce and pass comprehensive Katrina legislation that includes a victim’s compensation fund akin to that awarded the 911 families
2. Introduce and pass legislation to fix and expand the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system
3. Equalize education funding in the states by introducing and passing legislation authorizing a federal education incentive fund that induces states to eradicate unequal school financing schemes
4. Improve the quality and effectiveness of primary and secondary schools by introducing and passing legislation that encourages comprehensive school reform in the states
5. Authorize and appropriate resource support for African Union peacekeeping forces in the Darfur region of Sudan
6. Combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in African American communities by introducing and passing comprehensive HIV/AIDS legislation
7. Spur economic development by passing legislation implementing federally funded business training programs in high schools, community colleges, HBCU’s and other minority-serving education institutions
8. Introduce and pass legislation to guarantee universal access to health insurance
9. Introduce and pass federal legislation standardizing state voting requirements and mandating paper verification voting systems
10. Respect the traditional seniority system in the House of Representatives that would allow ranking African American committee members to ascend to their rightful place as chairs of powerful House committees
The most interesting points on this list in my mind are numbers 3 & 9.
#3 is interesting because if we do real work to equalize funding, then maybe we can actually have a real merit-based process for evaluating school performance instead of the sham that is No Child Left Behind. Having school funding being tied almost solely to property taxes leads to a vicious cycle in the presence of urban sprawl, brain drain, and other migration phenomena. Perhaps we can come up with a better system that works in spite of these sorts of things.
#9 is important because voting is important. Because voting is so important, anything that can be done to protect the system for counting votes is equally as important. If people were completely confident in said system, I wouldn’t have to beg so hard.
I’ve been talking a lot about racist indifference lately. Today, I came across a blog with an entry entitled, “How to Suppress Discussions of Racism.” The entry is a joke, poking fun at individuals that try to defend themselves after they do/say racist things, but what is sad is that people really, seriously do this.
1. Control what your audience sees
2. Attack the person, not the argument
3. Argue against straw men
4. Deflect attention away from the specific criticism
5. Racism, however ugly, is better than the alternative
6. Prove your opponent has mistaken some other quality for racism
Do any of these sound familiar? They should because people do this every single day.
The guy makes valid, “He who is without sin cast the first stone”-esque points, but I don’t think that this excuses the act or the criticism of it. I do not understand why people do resort to racist imagery when they don’t like someone or someone’s stance(s) on issue(s). The only way I can understand it is that they must want people to get all hot-and-bothered about it. But how far should one be willing to go to get attention? Does this bother you, or is it no big deal? Does it bother you less because Wolf Blitzer is not Black?
First and foremost, I want people to vote. I am less concerned about what party or person that they vote than I am with people voting in the first place.
With that said, the L.A. Times says that Black and Latin people are re-evaluating whether or not they should vote Republican. The only reason that this is a story is because a number Black people voted Republican for the first time in 2004. This was because they were sold on a series of lies, including but not limited to these two:
Faith-Based Initiatives would finance programs by Black churches/in Black neighborhoods This recently published book by David Kuo, former special assistant to the G. W. Bush from 2001 to 2003, deputy director of the White House office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, talks about how much of a joke that office was, and why he resigned from it.
Republicans don’t like same-sex marriage or abortion either
This is a different kind of lie. Republicans may not actually not like same-sex marriage or abortion. The problem here is that they tried to turn Black voters into single-issue voters. What is a single-issue voter? It’s a person who votes based on one thing and one thing alone. The ’single issues’ in 2004 were abortion and same-sex marriage. Why is that problematic? It’s problematic because those seeking power can use whatever your issue is to get you to vote against your own best interests on other issues. This not only happens on issues like abortion, but it is also a problem for people who’s issue is the so-called war on terror.
In voting, and in life, it is important to understand why we do the things we do. In order to do this, we have to step back and look at all of our motivations, decisions, and actions. The last thing I want to see is people doing things because they were deceived into doing them. I feel that this is what happened in 2004, and I don’t want to see that again.
House of Representatives Democrat Harold Ford, Jr. is running for the Senate in TN. He is one of two Black men who are in close contention for Senate Seats in the South, along with Republican Michael Steele.
Unfortunately, race has played a role in both of these elections. Harold Ford’s opponent, Republican Bob Corker, has run a TV ad with racist undertones against interracial dating and a radio ad with “Tom-Tom, jungle” drums playing during descriptions of Ford. Here’s the TV ad:
Steele has also been the subject of racial scrutiny in his election as well by supporters of his opponent.
Why must people resort to racism, racist indifference, or any other kind of evil to win elections? Stuff like this is what turns people off to “politics.” I have read that many think that being upset is a bit of an over-reaction, especially given the subtlety of the ads against Ford. So let me get this straight: it’s cool to send racist messages as long as they are not blatant? I argue that the subliminal approach could be much more sinister and effective than a full-frontal assaulty could be because it can persuade people who may not be aware that they’re being persuaded. The ability to do that is very powerful, and very dangerous. Be aware.
This is a story about a reporter in New Orleans and his bout with clinical depression following last year’s Gulf Coast Hurricanes.
Beyond the challenges of rebuilding people’s lives, homes, city infrastructure, government, and business, how are we addressing the mental health challenges brought about by these storms? Is this yet another piece of the recovery that has been overlooked?
The [lack of a] response or recovery effort from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is often framed in terms of race. However, mental health effects everyone of all races. Also, there are mental health challenges that befall volunteers and first-responders as well.
I think that these mental health challenges are more important to address than issues of rebuilding businesses and governments. Why is it then that the focus of the [alleged] recovery effort is on business and government?
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“If you make a little mistake with one of your ‘hos,’ you’ll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked,” one of the men says.
“That’s too cold. I don’t snuff my own seed,” the other replies.
“Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican,” the first man says.
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The ad is sponsored America’s PAC, a group with a history of targeting inflamatory, race-baiting, misleading ads at Black and Hispanic voters.
This is yet another example of why we need to pay close attention to the messages that are sent for us to consume. Regardless of where you stand on abortion, this is just crazy. The level of racist indifference toward the usage of this word towards Black women is reprehensible.
Question of the Week: What determines how you vote?
I have been involved with The SuperSpade from its inception. And for all the political issues and topics we discuss, for all the awareness my brother Garlin brings everyday, one thing has eluded me: What is my “voting process?” With the upcoming elections, I believe this is extremely relevant.
I am all for civic duty, but when I turned 18, I noticed that voter education in this country was weak. First, most Americans do not understand the structure and intricacy of our governmental system. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone on the street whether America is a democracy or a republice and explain the difference. This is problematic for obvious reasons. If we do not know how the system works, then we do not know who does what.
Secondly, the media throws around a hodge-podge of issues and scandals, but there is not a scale or any mechanism I am aware of in order to evaluate and make sense of it all. To me, politics is like a high school popularity contest. This results in decisions being made based on sensationalist issues like abortion or gay marriage, in the wrong (i.e. presidential) race.
I find business far more interesting than politics, because I know that is who runs America (if you don’t believe me, look at the laws, but that is another debate). Furthermore, I hate being knowingly lied to, so politics is not high on my list. If we want to improve voter turnout, we should empower people with the tools and the process to make good political decisions. That way, voting does not just feel like an fruitless exercise. In addition, we must teach people how to leverage their votes and make the system work for them. Voting is just the starting point for civil involvement. Although Garlin may be better equipped to discuss this more thoroughly, I will share a few of my thoughts as to making better political decisions.
One Man, One Vote
First, understand the basics of our government: separations of powers, the Constitution, etc. You do not need to be an attorney, just know who does what. For instance, a lot of people voted for Bush because of his faith based movement or his stance on abortion. What he believes is fine and dandy, but those issues are not within his sphere of influence. Take abortion or gay marriage. Those are not issues for the federal government, those are state issues (according to the Supreme Court). Another example is how we blame Bush for the state of the country. While he is responsible for a good portion of the mess we are in, the real fault lies with our lame duck Congress. Bush’s job is to execute the mandates of the Congress. Congress approved and re-approved the Patriot Act. Congress has allowed the country to be sharply split among partisan lines. It is much easier for you personally to hold your state representatives accountable than to hold Bush directly accountable. But because in the aggregate, we do not understand the system, we are taken in by rhetoric.
Second, understand what issues are relevant to the particular office. This will tell you why you should care about a particular political race. In business, people are evaluated only on those things within their immediate sphere of control. It should be the same in politics. That way, I can hold my congressman or state legislator or mayor responsible for the relevant issues, things he can and should control.
Third, look at the candidates and yourself and where you stand on the pertinent issues. This will take a little sleuthing, but I suggest that you look at a wide variety of informational sources before forming an opinion. Because the truth is often in the middle.
According To Me
What you begin to realize is that your vote alone gives you one thing: The right to complain. True power in politics is attained either through people or profit. Either you have access and influence with a large audience or you got Microsoft money. Our Founding Father’s did this by design, as they were extremely afraid of ignorant factions and tyranny by the majority. Thus, only individuals with access to the most resources could attain the heights of political power. So, to overcome this inherent obstacle, we must pool our interests and resources together (read: lobby, organize).
Closing
This is how the game seems to me, right or wrong. But I am sure if you follow these instructions, at least you have a skeleton to make your vote more of a conscious decision. And once consciousness comes, accountability cannot help but follow.
Last week, we touched on the single brothers but today we are shifting our focus to brothers in relationships. Whenever I am in relationships, whoever I am with becomes my best friend. And if I’m not mistaken, I am sure many other brothers understand that feeling via experience. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Can we keep it real though?
Now if you have a woman that can enjoy watching sports (and you know how bad it can get during the playoffs), cook up a good meal, and can easily navigate between beauty queen and tomboy, isn’t it hard to not consider her your best friend?
My theory
My theory is that men are much more prone to consider their girlfriends their best friends than vice versa. I feel this way for a couple of reasons. For one, I think that a woman is better capable at balancing their friend life and their relationship life. Moreover, many men have become enamored with the idea of a “ride or die” chick such that when their girlfriend exhibits traits of loyalty, they get really excited whereas a woman not so much. So what this means is that when a woman wants to go shopping and the guy says he’ll pass, the woman will leave without thinking anything at all. On the other hand, I think if a man wants to watch a basketball game with his girl and she passes, I think men take that more personally than a woman would.
Hanging out
But can there be negative ramifications of having your woman as your best friend? I think so. For starters, I have found it difficult to make time to hang out or talk with my friends. To be clear, it is not a matter of being on lock down. It’s just that I wouldn’t choose to be with someone unless we had massive fun enjoying each other’s company. Having said that, I found myself having conversations like this;
My guy friend: B, what’s good man? What do you have up for tonight?
Me: Nothing much man, just chillin’ with my girl.
My guy friend: Well, if you don’t have anything up, we are going to roll out to the SuperSpade Lounge.
Me: I think I am going to pass today, maybe next week though.
If any man can say that they have been in a long term relationship and have not had a conversation like that, they are lying. However, the point I am trying to drive home is that conversations like that are not bad in and of them selves. But for me, and I think other men as well, the more rain checks you take, the more it becomes clear to the fellas that if it is the weekend, you are going to be with your girl.
But let’s take it a step further, have you ever had tentative plans to go out with the guys and then cancelled because of a) you didn’t want to leave your girl lonely at home or b) you knew that your girl would give you the look that says, “All you do is hang out with your friends?”
Everything in life requires balance and the fact that I see so many relationships fall into the “either you are with me or your friends” is something that must be stopped. Are you guilty of making your significant other choose between you and their friends? Before you automatically rule yourself out, let it marinate it a little bit.
Tongue-tied
As I stated earlier, whenever I am in a relationship, the woman I am with becomes my best friend. This has its perks but one of the major downsides is trying to express how I feel by prefacing it as a best friend or a boyfriend. One of the biggest issues I have is that I have a tendency to mince my words when I know I want to share something as a best friend but I know that it has the potential to cause confusion on the boyfriend front.
And I have said on numerous occasions, “Listen, you are my best friend and while our relationship is fine, please interpret what I am about to say with your best friend hat on.” More often than not, confusion reigned supreme due to the fact that I was expecting my girl to understand issues only another man would understand.
What’s also troubling is that with the current lack of substantive male to male friendships, it thereby limits the outlets we have to discuss problems with our relationships with the woman we are with. And for most of us we can talk to our female friends but that will only take you so far, knowing that a) your girl probably won’t approve of you confiding in another woman and/or b) the female friend you are talking to will not see the issues from a guy’s perspective.
This creates two potential dilemmas. On the one hand, you and your woman will get frustrated because while the attempt to communicate is a step in the right direction, she might feel inadequate by feeling that she can’t be there for you the way you need. On the other hand, you will feel like an unsuccessful teacher trying to breakdown how you feel in ways that she can understand. And situations like this highlight the need for positive and substantive male to male friendships because often times, you won’t be able to completely understand how you feel until you use your male friend as a sounding board. After which, you can talk to your girl and chances are that if you go this route, the potential for miscommunication will decrease dramatically.
Keep it real?
But what happens in reality is that whenever your boy asks how your relationship is going, you say “Straight,” only because we are so paranoid about saving face. So don’t wait until you must talk to your guy friends. When your boy asks how your relationship is going, just say, “Man, my girl is trippin’” or “Man, I’m trippin’.” If your friend is worth his salt, the conversation should flow smoothly after that. In Proverbs 17:17, it states: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Are your male friends born for adversity or just born to play basketball and hang out?
And I am not making an either/or proposition such that your boys or your girlfriend has to be your best friend. But while we consider making our girlfriends our best friends, let’s be clear that we have positive and substantive male friendships we can utilize as outlets and sounding boards.
As the election approaches, candidates in nearly every race will be having public debates. I think these are great chances to see/hear where candidates stand on different issues. They are better than commercials because they are live and less scripted (though generally not unscripted). Here in Washington, there is a Senatorial Debate tonight between incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell and challenging Republican Mike McGavick.
I’m going to watch this debate tonight. Do you generally watch these kinds of debates? Are they interesting or important to you?
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the value of Minority-Focused Professional Development Groups. They exist in three realms primarily: 1) at school, 2) at work, 3) at large. Examples include the National Society of Black Engineers (student-run), and Blacks at Microsoft! (professional, company-specific), both of which I am a proud and active member of. I think that such organizations are important for a variety of reasons and quite beneficial to their memberships.
I’d like to ponder here the strengths and weaknesses of such organizations. The 2 initial ones that come to mind are:
1. They create senses of comraderie and community in their respective fields/industries of focus. This is especially important because they usually exist in fields/industries that are mostly white or non-minority-dominated.
2. Since people don’t trust people that are different, they can connect people with those whom they feel that they can trust to help/support them.
Do you think that these types of groups are a good thing? Do you participate in these kinds of groups or their sponsored activities? Why or why not?
Please be aware that during this election season, there will be many, many, many parties out there who will be using all sorts of deceptive practices to get you to vote against your own best interest this coming Election Day, 7 Nov 2006.
This, however, is just plain evil. Folks in MD may have heard about the Black Republican Freedom Fund, the Political action fund arm of the National Black Republicans Association. Well, apparently these bastards are really a race-baiting front group ‘indirectly’ funded by Republican supporters of Michael Steele, a Black Senatorial candidate in Maryland. My feelings on Black Republicanism aside, it is downright lying to refer to today’s Republicans as “the party of Martin Luther King” the way these lying excuses for people do.
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.
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?
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?
Whatever you have spoken in the darkness shall be heard and listened to in the light, and what you have whispered in [people's] ears and behind closed doors will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
-Luke 12:3
This semester, I am taking a class called “The Law of Privacy.” It is an interesting class dealing with how far should the government and intrude into the lives and rights of individuals. I was surprised to learn that there are two types of privacy: Informational and decisional privacy. Informational deals with information about you released to the public (e.g. credit bureaus). Decisional privacy deals with those hot button issues like abortion, sexual orientation, etc. As one could imagine, technology plays a central role in privacy law. With the advent of the internet, Blogs, Profile sites, Smartphones, GPS, reality television and the like, it seems that you have to go to the moon to get some privacy.
In this Information Age, we are constantly bombarded with information. And it is a constant race to stay current. However, a large part of this is sifting through the ruff to get to the diamonds. When I turn on my computer, I come across numerous things I do not care about, mainly gossip. I do not care who is dating whom, who is cheating on whom, He said/She said. I have enough problems. However, the gossip and reality shows are a thriving industry. What is the preoccupation with sensationalism? Is it because the lives of these people are boring or are they trying to escape a dry, crusty reality? However, this will not help the situation. The result is that people know a lot of things that do not matter, instead of what they need to know. In addition to the voyeurism forced down our throats by the media, the government, under the auspices of National Security, has made it easy for any one to find out anything about you (read: wiretaps, credit reports, identity theft). Indeed, privacy is a scarce and undervalued commodity.
Why is Privacy Important?
Privacy, by definition, necessitates selective exclusion. In this exclusion, relationships are fostered and intimacy develops because there is a comfort and a safe place. Social theorists have claimed that there is a correlation between privacy and individuality. More privacy fosters more individuality and diversity. Less breeds a bland mainstream. Why? Because in the absence of privacy, there is the threat of disapproval, ostracism and rejection if you do not uphold “acceptable behaviors and values”.
In a family, when the sphere of privacy shrinks to the point where parents and children can no longer occupy the same space, then the children leave home-often to make decisions and mistakes without the criticism and stricture of the family. This can cause tension, but this is when parents should learn to “let go”, respect the privacy of their grown children and trust they will make good decisions.
The greatest thinkers and religious figures treasured being alone with their thoughts and their intimates. Henry David Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience” in seclusion. Jesus would often leave the multitudes and His disciples to pray and gain insight. Moses would went up the mountain and came back with the Ten Commandments. The Israelites, alone in the wilderness emerged as a cohesive nation. Privacy in the form of the retreat is at its essence spiritual. When you are alone, you can reflect and truly define yourself. In the presence of others, you can contrast what you are not.
To me, privacy means the absence of distraction. It is placing a restriction on how much outsiders have access to. When there are no distractions, then there is intense focus. In Kung-fu movies, the hero always goes into seclusion to train and then he faces his foe. Why? Because he must conquer himself before he can achieve his mission. Privacy is not an end unto itself, but it is to recharge so that we can come back and function at a higher level. Privacy is essential to the realization of potential.
These days, people willingly surrender their privacy. A constant debate I have is whether websites like the Facebook or MySpace is an invasion of privacy. I feel it is, but others say that it is a consensual invasion. And true, these sites are consensual, but perhaps these individuals do not know any better. Perhaps people do not examine the ramifications of providing an internet all-access pass. Especially since employers have begun to background check these sites to monitor potential hires and employees.
Privacy can be imposed on individuals. For example, we cannot appear in public nude. So where do we draw the line?
Is Anything Sacred?
In this age of “All-access”, nothing is sacred and it is hurting our relationships. Privacy is the highest respect one can be paid in society. It fosters the self and imagination. As Garlin, Dumi and Brandon have artfully expressed, technology is a tool and should be used to amplify good, not stupidity ( i.e. Vh1’s Flavor of Love). It is hard enough to find truth in the world, and the presence of noisome voices do not make it any easier. Let’s set boundaries as to how far we will let people, technology, and the government encroach upon our lives.
In the Bible, it says seek first the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom of God is within each of us. However, how can we find the Kingdom on the inside with all the noise on the outside?
Make time to reflect, to build intimacy with the Creator and loved ones, with no distractions.
Respect the privacy of others.
Hold fast to the truth, and let go of the ruff.
Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas
Question of the Week: What are the ramifications of decreased privacy?
My Umi says…
Shine your light on the world
Shine your light for the world to see. –Mos Def, “My Umi Says”
Most connoisseurs of real hip-hop will recognize that song and for those that are unfamiliar with it, it is on the Black on Both sides album and it is required listening. I just rented Dave Chappelle’s Block Party DVD and though I enjoy every artist on that DVD, Mos Def’s performance really hit a nerve on several levels that I want to share with you.
Unlike on the album, Mos Def says during his performance, “Sometimes, I just want to be Dante, but my Umi says…” When he said that, I was reminded of all the times I have said and heard other people say, “I’m just trying to do me.” Often times, we say this in order to explain and/or justify to people that we need to indulge ourselves. Of course, there is nothing wrong with recharging our batteries, but what would happen if every time we said, “I’m just trying to do me,” we said, “I’m just trying to do God’s will.”
But let’s keep it real, shall we? “You doing you,” doesn’t really become a big deal until you get tired. Tired of work, tired of life, tired of giving, whatever it is, a constant state of being tired might be indicative of a larger problem. When we are tired, our fleshly impulses rise to the surface unless we look to the hills from which cometh our help. In Isaiah 40:29 the Bible says, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”
So when we are tired, why would we try to give ourselves a tune up when the Creator knows every hair that is on your head? In other words, you can’t do you if you don’t know you. And God knows us through and through, so it would make sense we would go to him when we are weary in well doing.
So let’s just realize that when we say, “I’m just trying to do me,” it is really our flesh talking. But even when you say flesh, some people automatically think of these larger than life vices, but what about the middle? I define the middle as all the things you do on a regular basis that you don’t consider bad but doesn’t necessarily glorify God. This is the real battleground. For example I myself like jazz music and I am listening to it right now. So when I say, “I need to do me,” it will more often than not involve jazz music. But when it is time for me to get in the Word or pray, the jazz has to go because before I know it, jazz music could become an idol in my life that prevents me from entering into the Holy of Holies. Replace my jazz example with knitting or lifting weights because whatever it is, I am convinced that we have been fooled into thinking better of ourselves on account of letting all of these seemingly harmless activities become the center of our lives without our even knowing or admitting so. Therefore, I encourage all of us to really pay attention to what we say and how we may inadvertently lull ourselves to complacency.
My Abi says shine your light on the world
Shine your light for the world to see.
I have been thinking about what it means to make your light shine. So I guess a good place to start to would be to examine what is meant by light. My first inkling is to correlate God with light but I would need to find evidence for this in the Word. And what do you know? In I John 1:5 the Bible says, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” And in 2 Corinthians 4:4, the Bible states, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The other part of the equation involves how we actually shine our light. For the longest time, when I would hear of shining your light on the world, I would think of Psalty and the Singing Songbook (do you remember Psalty?) and other figures that permeated my Sunday School/Children’s Church experience. But as I got older, the only place I felt comfortable enough to let my light shine was in church and after getting complacent in the things of God, it started to dim there as well. So here I am walking around thinking I am letting my light shine by doing “good” things and being nice to people when I was missing the big picture.
In fact, it is only when I allow God unfettered access to different departments of my life, that I am able to let me light shine. And when that happens, people notice the God in you and will want to know how you maintain a glow that radiates love, compassion, and a desire to be significant and not successful.
And where do we get tripped up? I think we limit our ability to witness when we are at work or any situation where God comes up in conversation and the most common question is, “So you do you consider yourself religious or spiritual?” And of course, 9 out 10 people will say they are spiritual, and then it is on to the next topic. But what would happen, if you didn’t minimize your faith into being spiritual when just yesterday you were lifting Holy hands, asking God to help you be a witness to your co-workers? What would happen if you asked someone what they meant by being spiritual? What would happen if you shared with others how God changed your life once you made the decision to live a righteous life?
I am scared of the possibilities because just like we wait on friendships, we also wait on the opportune time to witness or otherwise share our faith. Stop waiting! Now am I saying that you should go to work in your Sunday suit and a Bible in your hand? No, but what I am saying is that you don’t have to share your whole doctrine of Christianity in one setting. Work it in conversation and don’t be timid. In the word it says, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33) Mull on that a little bit.
“I want black people to be free, to be free, to be free
All my people to be free, to be free, to be free”
Lastly, I want to touch on the part of the song where Mos Def repeatedly declares he wants his people to be free. Free from what? And what does freedom mean, really? If you do have freedom, are there different levels of it or is like an a la carte’ menu, able to mixed and matched accordingly? Thankfully, Garlin took on the mighty task of tackling the sticky issue of whether or not freedom is truly indivisible. And I agree with him that it is indeed divisible. But when we say, “I want my people to be free,” this now brings into the debate the following question: what is an acceptable level of freedom? In other words, what is the tipping point at which I transition from not free to free or from not having freedom to having freedom?
I think too often times we as Black folk get too caught up in trying to define the goals and vision for the race, especially as it relates to freedom. My suggestion is that whatever you think Black people need to be freed from, make efforts to break that obstacle, get educated on that obstacle, pray for its demise, and make this effort tangible and personal. I know I was kind of all over the place with this post, but I hope you stayed with me and will make your voice heard.
What’s up Superspade family, this post represents Part II of my series concerning Loneliness, Black Men, and Friendships. Today we are going to address the paranoia that concerns Black male friendships and the suspicion of homosexuality. It is time to talk about the elephant in the room.
This post is specifically dedicated to my nephew, whose relentless curiosity and dedication to living a Godly lifestyle never ceases to amaze me. Keep the faith little homie,
Love, Uncle Brandon.
To kick off our discussion, I turn to Lady B, whose comment on the first post sets the stage perfectly,
“If you want to see something dear just watch little boys playing and sharing together in kindergarten and first grade – then something happens and they are taught that they are not suppose to be close or love other boys unless they are gay this is not right.”
Young kids, Black boys in particular, are being robbed of their innocence earlier and earlier. For example, when I grew up in Detroit, my best friends became my “play” cousins. For those of you that have never heard of this term, a “play” cousin is someone who is a close friend so much that you can depend on them like you would a member of your family. In the Black community, a play cousin carries with it a measurable amount of significance. Now can you remember the last time you heard Black men or Black folks for that matter, talk about play cousins or some similar moniker? I certainly can’t remember and I think similar traditions that Black men used to engage in represent a downward shift in the innocence that used to define healthy Black male friendships.
Now fast forward to current debate about brothers on the down low. Thanks to JL King, brothers all over the country are having their sexuality questioned overtly or implicitly. To be clear, I believe that the health and emotional fall out from brothers being on the down low is indeed a legitimate problem in the Black community. However, maybe we should rethink our efforts to encourage brothers to be honest about their sexual activities. I say this because I think we have made it so that many heterosexual Black men, in attempts to avoid suspicion, have withdrawn from their Black male friendships and overcompensated in their female relationships.
So now we find ourselves with Black men with a jaded sense of innocence combined with a barrage of suspicions surrounding their sexuality. These two factors I believe work together to destroy sound friendships between Black men.
Some of the effects of the down-low paranoia have caused Black men to engage in the following behavior to various degrees;
1) We for the most part feel comfortable hanging out with the guys, but a certain stigma surrounds hanging out with just one of our friends.
2) Our sexuality has become more of a central part of what we define as masculinity. As a result, some men to overcompensate their love and appreciation of women almost to the extent of becoming womanizers in order to prove they are not homosexuals.
3) There is a more marked shift between having boys and having friends. Focusing more on having boys enables men to do guy things while keeping enough emotional distance from each other to maintain deniability.
4) We have come to rely on our female friends to be our male friend fill-ins.
5) We don’t use each other as sounding boards before the jinks goes down. This is because we rarely ever tell our male friends anything of substance unless our plans or mistakes have been obliterated.
6) Unless we have something specific to talk about, we don’t call just to touch base and see what is going on in each other’s life for fear of looking like we are keeping too many tabs on our male friends.
7) We don’t feel comfortable sharing emotions with our male friends because if we even do that to begin with, we typically focus these conversations towards our female friends. We rarely tell our male friends that we appreciate them being there for us when they helped us through that tough situation. Or God forbid, we wouldn’t be caught dead telling our male friends that we love them (look up agape and phileo in the Greek language).
Of course, this list could go on and on, but I want you to add to this list based on your own observations and/or experiences. Nevertheless, I don’t think anyone could reasonably argue that the down low paranoia has not affected the quality of Black male friendships. As such, it behooves us to continue to address brothers leading double sexual lives (this includes cheating with other women too!) but at the same time, we have to create and protect spaces for Black men to share in meaningful dialogues. But when we cast a shadow of doubt over Black male friendships, we end up endangering these spaces and create more problems than we solve.
So let me leave you with these questions,
For the men, have you allowed other people’s suspicions affect the way you interact with other men in the light of the community concern about brothers on the down low?
How do you think the down low paranoia has affected the quality of Black male friendships?
How can we address this issue without endangering healthy Black male friendships?
Looking forward to your responses as we call out the elephant in the room,
Superspade family, I am starting a 12-part series dealing with Loneliness, Black men, and Friendships. I think this issue is a silent crisis that is crippling Black men and our ability to forge meaningful relationships with each other while also seriously undermining our coping skills as life presents constant challenges. To be sure, I bounced around the ideas I had for this series with a handful of folks and based off the spirited exchanges, I knew God placed this issue on my heart for a reason.
And while this series will deal exclusively with Black men, it is applicable to a wide range of people. So I encourage men and women to add their thoughts as I am sure the issues discussed will broaden as deep and wide as the glaciers that span the polar ice caps. So to break the ice as it were, I thought I should kick things off with an introduction.
So imagine this, a young Black man in his late twenties to early thirties is preparing to get married. Everything is going fine; he and his fiancée are going through pre-marriage counseling and they joke about how silly it is to compare and contrast the prices for seat covers. So one night, the bride-to-be gives her fiancée the list she compiled for all the bridesmaids she wants to have in the wedding. She asks him what he thinks and her man looks over the list of five bridesmaids and says, (like Eddie Murphy in Raw) “OK.” The bride-to-be then informs her fiancée that he needs to find five groomsmen.
That scenario inspired this whole series because the fact is, most men do not have five best friends they can count on to be groomsmen in their wedding. I know most guys will recruit some family members to fill in the empty spots but for our purposes, let’s assume there will be no family fill-ins even though family can be your friends as well.
Do you have five close male friends you can call on? Really ponder that for a moment.
I surely don’t have five close male friends I could call on and I am sure many other Black men fit this same profile. And let’s not get caught up in semantics here, if you have three Black male friends, I am not saying you need to pick up two more. However, it is imperative that we take a bird’s eye view and understand what is happening to the quantity and quality of our Black male friendships as many of us suffer in silence, no matter the socioeconomic status.
Additionally, the machismo culture we live in has done a number on lessening the quality of Black male friendships as materialism and the quest for women has occupied far too much of our time and resources. You may ask why I keep harping on friendships between Black men, and here’s why. I believe that that when a man can share his hopes, heart, and fears with another man, that avenue empowers the entire community, period.
Moreover, I believe many Black men have learned to depend too much on female friendships to the point where we only feel comfortable sharing our emotions (if we even do that) with women. And as many of you can attest, the plethora of male-female friendships presents a whole range of issues that I will delve into later in the series. So regardless of your personal ratio of male friends to female friends, our community will prove to be so much stronger if we can better negotiate same gender friendships. This is particularly poignant when we can create spaces for Black men that facilitate friendships that are long-lasting, meaningful, and uplifting.
And so we are on the same page, I am coming to grips with my own issues concerning Black male friendships, so this series is less concerned with me coming up with answers rather than asking the right questions. My experiences and observations and conversations throughout my lifetime largely inform this series which means that if you disagree with I am trying to make, please make your presence felt. We all come from different walks from life so I will ask you the reader to help make this mosaic of understanding deeper levels of Black Thought as it concerns, Loneliness, Black Men, and Friendships.
There will be new posts once a week, so watch out for the second part in this series as we explore how Black men can come to grips with the fact that we don’t have many friends without sounding sappy.
Unfortunately, this tactic has worked in the past. G. W. Bush got about 9% of the Black vote in 2004, and this was thanks to the not-so-small roll that the gay marriage “issue” played in the hearts and minds of some Black voters. This was an appeal to voter’s whose “Christian” values would not allow them to support a candidate who did not have a problem with gay people getting married and enjoying the benefits thereof. This is sinister because it could (and in my opinion did) lead to people voting against their own best interests because they wanted a candidate that stood on the “right” side (pun intended) of the gay marriage debate.
The bigger question is, why does this work? What makes two people getting married, regardless of their sex, so important to me or you? In my view, it has worked because people have been successfully fooled into letting other people set their priorities. Who are these chosen priority setters? Maybe it’s your president. Maybe it’s your pastor. Either way, if it’s not you, then three is a problem. The bottom line is that we should do what we can to not let our agency be taken from us. We deal a lot with all of the reason why it’s asinine to let G. W. Bush & company to set our priorities. In a later post, I will deal with the danger in letting your pastor do it for you.
Back to the specific issue of this post, this is an issue of control. Some people want the government to control any and every aspect of life. What is ironic here is that conservatives are pushing this notion upon people’s personal lives when it is conservatives who believe in “smaller” government. This current crop certainly believes in small government when it comes to its workings with major corporations. Think about this: the constitution, with all of its flaws, was a document [in theory] written to grant rights. This proposed amendment would have been the first change to the document (had it been accepted) that would have specifically and explicitly excluded a group of people from something (before you jump on me the 3/5 provision does not do this). They want to exclude people from getting married in the legal sense of the word. However, does not having the legal means to do something mean that it won’t happen? Does it make relationships between individuals of the same sex any less meaningful? NO.
For these reasons, and others, this is a non-issue. There are other things that I’d rather see our citizenry and our government spend their resources addressing. Out site is subtitled “Black Thought at the HIGHEST Level” because we want everyone to elevate their thinking beyond the petty tactics and strategies of those who wish to harm us through tricking us into acting in ways harmful to ourselves. We can achieve this through talking about the issues amongst ourselves so that we have a concrete understanding of what’s really going on so that we can make informed decisions for ourselves.
Black people are uniquely aware of the realities of prison. Disproportionately, Black and Latin men make up a large number of incarcerated individuals in the US. This is probably not news to anyone, but it cannot be stated enough. What was news to me, and may be news to some of you, is the number of US residents that are in jail right now. A study has shown that 1 out of 136 US residents is in jail. I’d like to talk about what this means to minority and majority populations, and why the madness that is our “justice system” must cease.
Some of you may be familiar with the Prison-Industrial Complex, the notion that there exist special interest groups that have lots to gain from putting more people into prison. This concept has been championed by many social leaders such as Angela Davis (a summary of her views is available here). The idea is similar to the Military-Industrial Complex, which was broadly introduced to most people in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s final Presidential Address, which similarly states that there exist special interest groups (e.g. Haliburton) that have plenty to gain from a state of perpetual war.
Number of White male prisoners per 100,000 U.S. males, 2000: 990
Number of African-American male prisoners per 100,000 U.S. males, 2000: 6,838
Percentage of U.S. population that is White 2000: 75.1%
Percentage of adults in state prison who are White, 1997: 33.3%
Percentage of U.S. population that is African-American, 2000: 12.3%
Percentage of adults in state prison who are African-American, 1997: 45.6%
What you’ll notice from these stats and others is that Black folks are a whole hell of a lot “better” represented in the prison system. Why is that? Is it because they, in absolute terms, commit more crime? Is it because they are predisposed to illegal behavior? Is it because they more often exist in conditions conducive to criminal behavior? Is it because racism plays a role in the incarceration rate? Is it something else?
The answer to the first two questions is an emphatic NO. If you disagree, please point me to some evidence to the contrary. As for the latter 3, the answer is: somewhat. My question, however, is this. Let’s say that I’m one of the parties (e.g. a builder of privately owned prisons) that will benefit from an increase in the US inmate population. As a businessman, I would probably want to attract patrons (read: prisoners) from as large a group as possible; I’d try to cast a wide net. What does that mean more specifically? It means that I would not try to go at minority populations to fill my prisons because there just are not enough of them!!! Even if I locked up every Black, Latin, Native American, East Asian, East Indian, or any other non-white man/woman/child in this country, there would be less of them than there are potential white inmates!!! So this begs a question as to what the agenda of the prison-industrial complex’s beneficiaries: Is their goal to make profits only, or is it to make profits while at the same time crippling minority populations by depleting them of their people?
Let’s think about this on a real basic level. If I want to hurt someone, do I injure the thing they value most, or the thing they value least? If I want to embarrass someone, do I expose something they care little about or something they care deeply about? It’s simple mathematics. Will I get more money if I stick my hand in the little jar or the big jar? So why is it that these special interests have consistently stuck their hands into the smaller jar? I say it’s because they are convinced that the worst thing that could possibly happen in this world is to have a viable, educated, employed minority population because that group might wake up one day and realize that they have been systematically excluded from things for a long, long time, and want to do something about that.
Do not confuse this piece as a litany of excuses for those who have committed crimes. What I am saying is that when trends like this are obvious and observable, we have to think that there is more going on than just a few ‘evil’ people encouraging negative behavior amongst many.
So what needs to change? What can we do? Basic things. Simple, small things.
For starters, let’s do our best to avoid stupid situations. Case in point, I got pulled over [again] last week for 3 over the speed limit on my way home from work (33 in a 30). My commute to work is less than 5 minutes when I drive, so I was really gaining nothing from my ’speeding.’ In situation like this, we need to be wise. Why invite the posssibility for ignorance?
We also need to watch each other’s back. There are a couple ways this can be done. When was the last time you asked an officer why they pulled somebody over? I did this, and you wouldn’t believe the response I got: the police officer left. Why, because he had pulled the guy over talking about he had a broken tail-light…that wasn’t broken. I inquired, and he bounced since he had no answer to my simple question. We need to stick up for one another people.
Another thing we can do is travel together. It is less likely that a squad car to harass a group of four than a group of two, a group of three than a single person. If at least one individual in the group is not ignorant, than there is more likely to be a political solution.
The most important thing we can do is refuse to accept ignorance in all of its forms. Share what you know. More importantly, share how you learned what you know. The foundation of all meaningful things is knowledge; spread it at every opportunity. In the car with the fam, on the phone with loved ones, at happy hour with colleagues, everywhere.
Give a man a thought and he’ll be able to repeat it. Teach a man to think and he’ll be able to teach others in the same way.
Brandon started a great discussion on what Black thought is recently. It is a conversation worth having for a number of reasons, not limited to questions of self-identification (e.g. am I/am I not Black?), whether everyone’s input is welcome in every conversation (e.g. Black people speaking on issues that are not “Black-specific”), etc. What this really is, in my opinion, is a question of definition: how do we define Black? How do we define Thought?
In the spirit of searching for definition, I would like to address another word/concept that individuals have raised with me: politics. Many people consider themselves “political,” while others shun that label. My question is, what do you mean when you say/use the term “politics?”Why is it that many are quick to say that they “hate politics?” Is this that they truly hate the notion, that they hate their interpretation, that they hate how it is practiced, or maybe something else?
Politics is defined in many ways. When many people think of politics, they think of government. Indeed, a definition of politics is a “set of policies relating to governmental and legal matters.” However, I suggest taking a more broad view of the concept of politics. A more flexible, descriptive definition of politics would be “the practice of responding to conflict with dialogue.” Adopting this definition frees us up to interpret life as much more political than we could before. We all experience perpetual conflict, whether minor or major. Therefore, when there is a disagreement that is addressed and resolved through words, a political action is taking place. In my view, the only difference between politics and conversation is that the goal of politics should always be observable change and/or action as a result of the dialogue. Conversation, in general, may or may not have this aim. Government is one way that can be conducted. However, we are presented with political situations all the time, every day.
With this approach, “hating politics” is effectively saying “I hate having conversations that end in changes to a situation.” When phrased in this manner, most would probably not hate politics.
A problem is that many political systems, which I’ll refer to more specifically as governmental entities, are laced with corrupt individuals. The US government’s current leadership have many examples of this. In fact, in this country, I don’t think the problem was that we had a poorly designed system, but rather that the system was designed to purposely exclude certain groups of people from many rights (e.g. the right to vote) explicitly given to white, property-owning, men. The individuals were corrupt not because they were ignorant, but because they were selfish and prejudice. If they were ignorant or stupid, then the system would not have worked so well. Instead, they were smart enough to create something that still hurts the same sets of people they seeked to disenfranchise in the first place (women, Black people, Native Americans, poor people, etc.) Since this is true, we need to differentiate between not liking “politics” and not liking corrupt politicians. Again, if we consider politics to be conversations that lead to action & change, then a corrupt politician is nothing more than a person that is motivated to speak lies during conversation. When faced with a liar, we generally will move our conversation to someone that will not lie to us. We do not reject the notion of action-oriented conversing, and I am suggesting that we similarly not flatly reject the notion of politics.
Why pose this question? Why do I not want people to “hate” politics? Well, for one, I am one of the strange one that actually enjoys the study of politics as practiced by governments and as practiced by individuals. More importantly, I want everyone, especially Black people, to not tune out any possible method of changing situations for the better. Perhaps if the connotation of politics was not one of lying rich people planning ways to increase their wealth and oppress the “have-nots,” then politics would not be something to be hated. Very few people hate conversation, especially not conversation focused on changing the status quo for the better. To me, that is what it means to be political.
In the spirit of politics as action-focused conversation, The SuperSpade is a political entity. It is about understanding issues and current events in context, while at the same time understanding how these things impact us all and how we are all connected. It is about talking about things that need to be changed. It is about talking about how we can take action change situations ourselves, through things like mentoring and voting and organizing. I encourage everyone to continue to dialogue and to grow action from these conversations.
-You can’t lead where you won’t go and you can’t teach what you don’t know.
If you have read this site for any extended period of time, then you know that a vast majority of our posts site have nothing to do with Black people. With topics ranging from activist nerds to the environment, there is more than enough room for everyone to gleam from and add to this site, (regardless of their race/backgrounds) but something is still off.
Which is why I get confused when my non-Black people tell me they feel uncomfortable posting comments. So this got me thinking about what you the reader think of when you read our subtitle, “Black Thought at the Highest Level.” Do you expect opinions from primarily Black people on a wide range of issues or do you expect to encounter “Black-specific” articles or both? By Black-specific issues, I mean stories that involve either Black individuals or an analysis of how a certain issue affects the larger Black community.
Now if you are Black, I am interested in your answer because while there is no one Black way of thinking, I am interested in whether or not you think that “Black thought” is generally restricted to Black-specific issues or is it broader than that. And while this may seem like a pointless request, you should acknowledge that part of what made previous sacrifices for freedom and equality so effective was due to the fact that most Blacks, regardless of their socioeconomic factors, all lived in the same area. Therefore, it was very easy to appreciate shared interests and the need for everyone to sacrifice to make the world better for themselves and their children.
So now when you fast forward to today, you have Black folks engaged in what I call, Black-Flight. Similar to white-flight, Black-flight happens when Black folk move out of the city and into the suburbs. And like white-flight, some Black folks are in search for housing farther away from the suburbs because their previous majority-white suburb is now majority-Black. So this means we don’t go to the same churches like we used to, shop at the same grocery stores, and our children don’t go to the same school. This is not to say that the aforementioned are necessary for a healthy community, but it provided a strong foundation for many of the triumphs Black folks have made in this country. And that is why forums like these are so important so that we can maintain a tangible idea of what the community actually feels like.
However, if the Black community has wildly different ideas of what is considered Black thought, then how can we ever get on the same page? Just think of all the Black people who have ever typed into a search engine; Black thought or Black consciousness. What were people looking for? What were you looking for? I could probably guess right that you are one of those people and if so, then hopefully by now, you can appreciate the gravity my question entails.
Now if you are non-Black, I am interested in your answer because I wonder if your thinking is similar to the claim made by critics of Bill Cosby; such that Black issues should be dealt with in-house. So as a result, are non-Black people supposed to be barred from joining those types of discussions? I don’t think so. Therefore, if someone non-Black wants to post a comment on anything, I don’t ever want to see a disclaimer saying something to the effect of, “I’m not Black, but I would like permission to participate.” By doing that, you are undermining your own opinions and what is odd to me is that one-on-one conversations between Blacks and non-Blacks can be very fulfilling, so why is it that when we get in the public (via blogging and posting comments) folks act weird? We have to stop walking on egg shells around each other regardless of our fears/insecurities about race because as my pastor stated a couple weeks ago, “sometimes you just have to go afraid.”
Nevertheless, I don’t think Black thought can be restricted to just Black issues because we are limiting our own potential. Just look at our history. George Washington Carver is a famous Black scientist that pioneered a whole slew of products from peanuts. Now many of us would consider George Washington Carver’s success and ideas a part of Black thought right? So why is it that the Blacks you don’t see at the Black Student Union meetings because they are in the lab, are for the most part, not considered down with the cause? We don’t need everyone doing the same thing but this thinking still manifests itself in our community. However, if we were to truly take an inventory and appreciation of the diversity of achievements, ideas, and struggles in our own community, there would then be a truer realization of Black thought. And this beautiful Black diversity will allow us to more adequately navigate and gleam from non-Blacks in a way that not only empowers us, but those we come in contact with.
I normally like to have nice introductions that lead in to the main post, but this topic is so far under the radar that any attempt to nicely summarize the issue would be futile. Recently, I learned that a friend of mine was a survivor sexual assault. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have heard similar stories and I am tired of this issue being swept under the rug. So because I consider myself an ally in the fight against sexual violence towards women, I made a list that will help both men and women combat this issue. We have to get back to basics fam.
I normally like to have nice introductions that lead in to the main post, but this topic is so far under the radar that any attempt to nicely summarize the issue would be futile. Recently, I learned that a friend of mine endured sexual assault. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have heard similar stories and I am tired of this issue being swept under the rug. So because I consider myself an ally in the fight against sexual violence towards women, I made a list that will help both men and women combat this issue. We have to get back to basics fam.
Men
1) If you think engaging in sexual assault is OK if you are drinking stop it. Drinking does not excuse your behavior in much the same way you shouldn’t drink and drive. But on a deeper level, for any man that would use this lame excuse, just know that you if you were drunk as you claim to be, you would either be passed out or in the hospital. Because really drunk folks cannot hold conversation, drive home, actually get in their house, and plot to take advantage of a woman. I’m yawning fellas because the drunk excuse is real tired.
2) No doesn’t mean yes. No woman desires to be sexually assaulted. But if you are of the childish mindset that no means yes, let me hip you to some game. If a woman wants to have sex with you, you’ll know. Now if that is too difficult for you, then before you take it to that level, ask the person you are with, “Are you sure you want to do this? Because if you don’t that’s cool.” This way, you can cut through all the pillow/double talk and give yourself a small level of reassurance that your encounter was truly consensual.
3) I’m yawning at what I label as the “at least clause.” Here is an example of the at least clause at work.
John: Man, she was actin’ like she wanted me to make the first move but once I started putting it down, she started trippin’.
Bob: John, that sounds a little weird man. Plus I saw her today and it seemed like she was crying.
John: I don’t know what she’s crying for, I mean at least I ain’t rape the girl!
I am sure you can think of many variations of the “at least clause,” but 99% of the time, this clause is flawed because the person using it tries to justify their actions because at least it is better than what could be the worst possible outcome. But when it comes to sexual assault, not “entering” someone does not spell out your innocence. In fact, you are just as morally wrong as the dude who actually does enter a woman. As a general rule, it is always better to see how far away you can stay from the edge rather than trying to see how close you can get without falling off.
4) Being horny explains only a small part of men’s engaging in sexual assault. Engaging in this behavior is a sign of deeper psychological and emotional issues that MUST be worked out. Only thinking of this issue in terms of sex itself misses the point by a long shot.
5) Being able to empathize with women is difficult, but it is necessary to help you become an ally in helping to end sexual assault. Now imagine a dude bigger than Shaq forcing himself on you, knowing that no matter how loud you scream, he is going to forcefully enter you and then threaten to beat you down if you tell anyone what happened. I am under no illusion that there is an adequate comparison for women being sexually assaulted but for men to have at least some idea of what it could be like is a step in the right direction because empathy has always been a critical catalyst in the fight for positive change
6) Stop thinking it can’t be you. I think it is better to think that it won’t be you. And here’s why. When you act like something is beyond you, this in and of itself does not remove it from the real of possibilities. Domestic abuse is a good example for comparison. Most young men think, “I could never hit a woman,” so when they end up hitting their wives, they end up having a nervous breakdown because they didn’t think it was possible for them to do so. On the other hand, when you say you won’t do something, it requires you to be educated on that trait so that you can take the proper steps to safeguard your standards. I remember Mark Cuban in an interview saying something to the effect that, “Most people have the will to win, but few have the will to prepare to win.” So just because you have the will to not commit sexual assault, you have to constantly examine yourself and be honest with your shortcomings so that you can nip problems in the bud before they get out of hand.
7) Know the facts and the laws. Let me stay here for a minute because we all know that any substantive debate about who is the best player or team in a given sport would not be complete without having a vast array of statistics in the clip. Now apply this same logic to discussing sexual assault and think of the positive ramifications. I always thought that when sexual assault was tied back to a man’s sister/daughter/mother; this would be enough for men to realize that every victim of sexual assault is someone’s sister or daughter. Unfortunately, this is not the case, but I will continue to use this example because like Garlin discussed earlier, we shouldn’t wait until something bad happens to our family before we decide to care about certain issues.
9) Sexually explicit jokes are not funny. If you are in a situation where someone says an inappropriate joke, speak up and let it be known that the joke is not funny. But don’t just leave it there because if you get backlash, explain how jokes like that make people take light of rape and sexual assault.
10) Intervene. This one is real touchy because often times in the rush of the moment, reason takes a backseat to adrenaline. This is not wise because you can seriously put yourself in danger trying to do the right thing. For example, a couple weeks ago in Detroit, a man tried to help a woman who was being assaulted and ended up being shot dead. So if you are in a situation where you don’t know the people, “yell at them, tell them you’ve called the police, or call 911 if you know that others are within ear shot.”
However, a far more effective approach would be for families to rally around women in their family who have been assaulted. Now I know it’s not easy but what happens to day where a woman could be in a bad situation and she could say, “Wait til I tell my cousins,” and dudes knew what time it was? Fellas, we are those “cousins” that the women in our family should be able to call on to help them out of an abusive situation.
Ladies
1) Stop getting wasted with dudes, especially when you don’t know the dude that well. Does this mean you can’t drink? Of course not, but I pray that if you do drink, you know your limits.
2) If you are at the club with a group of your girls, don’t let your friend just disappear. And if your girl stepped aside to talk to a dude for a long time, occasionally just go up to her and just talk about anything. You don’t have to stay long, but at least that lets the guy know that your girl is not alone.
3) This is a touchy one, but I hate being told stories of rape/sexual assault only to have the woman not tell me who the guy is. I know there are justified reasons for not doing so, but what gets me upset is that if this guy has violated 10 women that don’t say anything, what public pressure will he get to stop if he keeps the secret and each rape/sexual assault survivor keeps the secret? I don’t know how to address this one, but I am more than open to suggestions.
4) If you are a survivor of rape/sexual assault, I highly encourage you to talk to someone you trust about it, whether it be family, friends, or professional help. Ladies, correct me if I’m wrong but I think that by talking about it, you gain the strength to make the mental and emotional transition from victim to survivor.
5) Stop thinking it can’t happen to you. This vicious problem is no respect of socioeconomic factors, race, attractiveness, etc.
6) I encourage all the women I know to be constantly aware of basic self-defense moves if they are ever in a situation where they have to fight off a guy. And packing some Mace along with the Mac wouldn’t hurt either.
7) Even if you feel like you have lead a dude on, YOU DON’T OWE HIM ANYTHING. But let’s keep it real, if you are in a situation where you have been kissing and some clothes have been removed etc., some women might feel somewhat obligated to go all the way. And here’s the rub, the dude doesn’t even deserve an explanation because nine times out of ten, if you are with a person predisposed to sexual assault, he will do one of three things; try to persuade you to have sex anyways, put you on a guilt trip for leading him on, or worse, get really upset and use force against you. One way to safeguard yourself against this is in the next point. Before you go on a date, start a relationship, or whatever, don’t ever be hesitant to tell a dude what you expect in terms of being intimate. In other words, if you don’t want to have sex, say so. If you just want to kiss, then say so. And so on and so forth. And if he is talking about sex and you’re not, then there is a misunderstanding that needs to be resolved. But what happens in reality? People just want to go with the flow. Forget the flow!!! If you are hesitant to tell a dude what you expect, ask yourself why? Because if you are afraid that he won’t be as interested if you say you don’t want to have sex, then why in the world is this guy still being considered?
9) Often times, sexual assault and rape are committed by men who you know or are already friends with. And unfortunately, there is no test you can do that can determine if you are at-risk. Just always be aware and don’t feel obligated to let your guard down.
10) Know the facts and the laws. States differ on how they define sexual assault and as a result, there are different penalties for how people are sentenced if they are found guilty. These lines of demarcation are important because they define what type of evidence you need to provide to actually bring an assailant to justice.
By no means is this an exhaustive list, nor do I claim to be an expert on this issue. So please add to it as you see fit by posting comments. There is one thing I know for sure and that is like you, I am tired of waiting to have these discussions until one of my friends confides in me that she was raped or assaulted. The only way to take the taboo out of talking about sexual violence is to talk about it before the next crime is committed. My prayers go out to men who are trying to reform themselves and the survivors of sexual assault in their physical, emotional, and spiritual quest for healing and restoration.
I got very troublesome news from back home last night concerning 2 cousins of mine. Being an only child, they are the closest things I have to a brother and a sister. As such, we are all rather close, and when things happen to one of us, they effect all of us. These relationships can serve as microcosms for the connection that we as a people share and must acknowledge in order to advance in our collective knowledge of self.
Most without siblings value tremendously the relationships they form with their extended family and their “chosen family,” who are more often referred to as their friends. Most are not comfortable losing people, finding out family members are hurt, unheard from, or [potentially] in danger. This is news that is never good, whether you spoke to the people minutes, hours, or days before whatever happened happened, as was my case, or if you have not interacted with the person(s) for an extended period of time. In both cases, you will generally go through the following set of emotions/responses:
Disbelief (Are you serious?)
Helplessness (Could I have stopped/prevented this? Is there anything I can do now?)
Questioning (What happened? How did this happen?)
Action (I’m coming home/over right now!)
Evaluation (Is everything cool now? What can we do going forward?)
These are all things that I thought/felt/said when I got the call about my cousin’s stabbing and my other cousin’s disappearance. Thankfully, the slightly older cousin (slightly because they are both 18) is back home safely and the younger cousin escaped with “minor” injuries. The reason I, and most other people, can literally feel the connection to the individual(s) effected by the happenings.
The question, is how do we create this connection between those who are not family? It is created between friends through choice, trust, and experience. However, can we choose, trust, and share experiences with strangers? I argue that we can, since we are not strangers. What? You don’t know me, therefore you’re a stranger. Well, I say that a stranger is a person with whom you have not connection, literal or figurative. Using this definition, we cannot consider ourselves strangers to anyone. Taking myself as an example, I have shared experiences with others as humans, others as Black people, others as Black men, others as native Detroiters, others as current/former basketball players, others as Christians, others as tall people, etc. We should think about the basic things that we have in common, and from there we can grow in our compassion and community.
Doing this will give us the level of empathy to understand and embrace one another during “happy” and “difficult” times. The “happy” times are important because we often only think of our connection during “low” moments (how many people only see certain family at funerals?). We can change this. Let’s get back to the basics everybody. We can flip the notion of only seeing one another at funerals to seeing one another at graduations. We can flip the notion of only talking to people when tragedies strike to talking to people when we think about each other. If we can change the way we think of one another, not as separate entities but as members of the same collective body, then perhaps we can build a firm foundation upon which current and future generations can create a humanity that is not so divisive or defensive, one that is more practical, one that is more sensitive to the wants and needs of everyone.
Doing this can be the basis for changing the fundamental way that we think about things. What is going on in the mind of a young man or group of young men that attempt to take the life of another? What is going on in the mind of a young person who leaves their mother on Mother’s Day? These are questions that cannot be asked or answered if we consider ourselves strangers. Let’s create a closeness that bridges artificial boundaries.
Successful revolution is not created from hatred, anger, or being “fed up.” It is created out of love for and knowledge of self and love between former “strangers.”
Between the calls for Black unity, Tavis Smiley’s Townhall Meetings, and countless personal conversations, rarely do I find Black people actually challenge the way we view each other. I hearken back to Chris Rock’s famous line where he said, “I love Black people, but I can’t stand niggas!” That joke was classic, but it was also tragic.
The tragedy comes from the increasing social distance between Black folks that would make that quote tickle the core of so many Blacks, regardless of their socioeconomic status. So as we talk about moving forward individually and collectively as a people, do the niggas get left behind? I certainly hope not, but the fact that so many of us (especially those of us with a lil’ ejumacation) are thoroughly convinced there are clear lines of demarcation between Blacks and niggas is troubling. Can someone tell me what they are?
I think what makes matters worse is the lack of probing that allow stereotypes to fester amongst our community. While I am not interested in enumerating various stereotypes, I would like to challenge all of us to check our assumptions against what we think and what we know. And what I know is that the differences between Black folks are not that much. When I mentor young men who are erroneously labeled at-risk, I always tell them that my going to college does not create a gulf between us. In fact, there are probably two or three decisions that made our paths so different.
But here’s the rub, it wouldn’t take that much for our roles to change. I could get caught up in legal trouble and end up in jail in much the same way that a young man who responds to mentoring by changing his life around and starting his own business. And what I hate is this notion that you are entitled to live whatever lifestyle you currently live in, such that negative and positive expectations are set in stone resulting in extreme self-deception.
Take Black people and all people for individuals and learn to absorb their stories. Try assuming the best when you are thinking of the worst. I also encourage us to empathize, understand, and most of all listen because we all have something to learn from each other. In closing, any call for unity will require us to not let our interactions be solely determined by stereotypes.
Conservative reaction to this story is not surprising (an example is here), but it does raise an interesting question. To quote conservative columnist Michelle Malkin:
“In other words, Bush is an enemy of progress and civil rights because he has appointed too many minorities and women to top Cabinet positions–and not enough to lower, less important jobs!”
This is a matter of quantity versus quality. I think you can have both here, but maybe you can’t. Which would you rather see: a few Black folks in prominent leadership positions or lots of Black people working in lower positions?
Shelby Steele talked with Ed Gordon on NPR about his book, “White Guilt” a couple days ago. The subject is interesting because it talks about Black folks playing on this “White Guilt” concept to gain concessions from white people. This is in many parts true. But it falls short in some explaining some things.
I had a mentor describe the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1900s as being built on a “moral argument.” It said, “I am a man the same as you. Therefore, we are equal and should be treated as such.” Those with Steele’s viewpoint would argue that this argument worked pretty well, and caused our white brethren to feel “guilty” about the wrongs they’d done. That feeling, where “guilt” is actually felt, is legitimate.
The problem is that we as Black people at times abuse this idea of white guilt. It is flawed because embraces a definition of Black people as victims in all areas of life. What we need to do is understand who we are and understand that we can overcome victimizations of the past and use the strength built from those experiences to be triumphant in the present and the future. Embracing this triumphant nature may cause us to be a bit less quick to “play the race card” in many situations, as Steele suggests in the interview.
Where Steele’s theory falls short, in my opinion, is in the fact even if a person, a white person, feels “guilty,” that feeling is often not trusted or respected by Black folks. Unfortunately, perception is reality for most people, so the person might as well have no guilt/remorse for their actions or the actions of their ancestors since we won’t acknowledge it anyway.
So what do we do? Do we now blindly trust anyone who is apologetic or guilty about the events that led to the condition of Black people in America? No, that would be naive. What we need to do is not embrace the fact that others may/may not “feel bad” about what happened or what’s happening. We should instead focus on our own self esteem as a people and question why we feel the need to act on or take advantage of the “guilt” of others. Could that need be the offspring of our own guilt that has built up over the last 1.5 generations who perhaps may not have done as much as they could to raise our collective knowledge of self, instead focusing on selfish personal gain?
Family, let’s get back to the basics here. Understanding our selves on a personal level and as a community is key to our success. Upon that foundation, we can overcome our situation without the need to exploit things such as “white guilt.”
Since we are now talking about Duke, we should talk about it one many levels (this is The SuperSpade, right?). So, building on Sakara R.’s excellent piece, I’d like to look at another aspect of this situation.
In the Duke case, we have another instance of one race accusing another race of a crime. Most people know that this usually leads to complex emotional reactions from the accuser, the accusee, and fellow members of the respective races of both parties. I had a whole piece in my head about this, but I read Malcolm Gladwell’s (author of Blink and The Tipping Point) thoughts on the subject and the broader issue of eyewitness testimony.
I know that I am guilty of saying things like “There are only 5 categories of white people,” and other statements (I know how ignorant that is, but I have said it. Pray for me.). Gladwell says that many innocent people may be locked up because of this mentality. As a Black man, I know that to be the case. The question that must be asked, if we are going to be intellectually responsible, is why do we often reject that this same phenomenon occurs in the opposite direction?
This site has not dealt with the situation at Duke University concerning the Black woman who was allegedly raped by members of the Duke Lacrosse team. Our silence is broken today, courtesy of the perspective of a valued reader and guest contributor, Sakara R.
Read, Learn, Respond.
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Some of us may be too young to know the name Tawana Brawley- that is, until a 27-year-old black female student from North Carolina Central University
(http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/429338.html) stepped forward and alleged that she was brutally assaulted by at least 3 players of the elite lacrosse team at Duke University.
For those of you who may not know who Ms. Brawley is, she too, a young (15 at the time in the 1980’s) black woman from New York City, bravely stepped forward under the protective arms of Rev. Al Sharpton and relayed a horrific account of being abducted and brutally raped by 6 white police officers culminating in her being found bruised, bloodied, covered in human feces and dumped in the garbage.
For those of us who grew up never taking the Rev seriously (he’s never been a Dr. King, or even a Jesse Jackson for most of us) – but not necessarily knowing why –Tawana Brawley is the reason why; her claims of sexual assault were nothing more than a successful albeit disturbing method of grabbing everyone’s attention. The fallout of her hoax (Tawana Brawley has never wavered from her allegations) carried long-lasting ramifications certainly even she never conceived possible at the time: the Rev lost his credibility (and never apologized), and black women everywhere were infuriated, but not just because she lied.
We were infuriated because there is an unspoken reality to the lives of black women since before our first feet on the plantation- being raped and brutalized by white men of privilege who have gotten away without so much as a slap on the wrist. That white privilege is the very reason why women of color who have experienced such terror, never speak up. It’s one thing to be held against your will, to have your clothes ripped from your body while you scream in a way that is beyond animalistic, while you are spread apart, slapped in the face, punched into silence, and raped- forced to have sex, and in some cases, perform sexual acts on the aggressor…but it is something else entirely to not be believed- or to have the rapist’s reputation, namesake, or bank account casting you into shame and somehow distorting the facts – suddenly you’re a liar. Women have taken their own lives when faced with such blatant disregard –nothing is more sacred than the sanity within our own minds, and when we’re forced (again) away from that, when the truth is torn from us, there is nothing left.
That is the very reason why many of my sister friends, the majority of whom have experienced some sort of sexual abuse/assault in their lives (you all know someone who has, and if every woman you knew who has experienced sexual abuse/assault told you, you’d be jaw dropped and in disbelief at the numbers of victims), have called saying “I hope it’s true…I hope it’s true.”
Stop and think about that for a moment. What kind of society do we sisters live in where we as women are forced to “hope” that another sister has actually been raped? Where we “hope” she was dragged like an animal to its slaughter, into a small bathroom with three crazed, drunken white men, who ripped her fingernails from her, choked her, beat her in the face, likely forced her onto the sink, raise one of her legs so far up that it dislocated her hip, rape her not once, not twice, but three times, and then assault her with a broom handle as well? We feel this way because, though Tawana Brawley lied, her lie still lives in the bodies of every woman of color sexual assaulted, and the minds of every law official who investigates such cases; they look at us and wonder “is she lying?” We “hope” its true because, right, wrong or otherwise, if it is, and if the accused are found guilty, it will be justice for countless women who never had justice themselves. Do we want someone to be a rapist, or predator? No, but we recognize, whether we like it or not that sexual predators exist and need to be identified and severely punished; too often they just are not.
Quite simply, black America is holding it’s collective breath. We don’t know what the outcome will be. Either the student accusing the Duke elite was raped, or she wasn’t; it is absolutely that uncomplicated.
What are the influences that will make it easy? Nothing will make it easy – those who are privileged, ignorant and racist (and believe one black woman represents all black women), have a Tawana Bradley to point to and say “it’s probably all a lie”. And since we as women of color are not privileged and our voice is consistently oppressed, the fact that we have a history beyond 500 years of being abused by advantaged white men is not counted as a relevant consideration.
There are people who believe that because someone like Tawana Brawley ever existed, this is all likely to be a hoax – statistics don’t show that women of color overwhelmingly lie about being sexually assaulted/abused, in order to gain attention. There is no group of women that holds such title of stereotype. Still, an internet search of Tawana Brawley’s name is linked in every way to the current Duke case, and therefore the Duke case is linked to doubt.
There is no “black leader” stepping out on the edge to stand as the protector of this new alleged victim; a 27-year-old single mother of two children attending North Carolina Central University as a sophomore. Everyone seems to have an opinion as to whether or not she made wise decisions that fateful March night, or if working as an escort, or dancer is a good idea either, some prominent white men have even called her a “ho.” But here is another little-known fact in the lives of women: she isn’t the first and won’t likely be the last to engage in those professions to pay for her higher education – black, white or otherwise.
Jesse Jackson made a brief appearance on the news as his Rainbow Push Coalition dedicated itself to providing for all of the young mother’s college expenses going forward, and obviously there has been sharp criticism. Many have said that this was just a dumb idea on Jesse’s part; that he jumped the gun, should have waited to see what the courts decide, waited until the evidence was overwhelmingly in her favor. On the other hand, Jesse Jackson is no fool. He knows about Tawana Brawley – everyone does. So with those two facts on his side, he must have good cause to make that commitment. When asked if the money would still be committed if the accused were found not guilty, Jesse said yes. Again, he was accused of being out of his mind. However, I’ve heard quite a few people who seem to think that it’s helpful – one less “motive” for lying about being raped; college is paid for.
The alleged victim in this case never asked anyone to shine the spotlight on what she says happened and in fact the news was ignorant of the matter for weeks until a reporter came across a search warrant that peaked his interest. Students at Duke, hearing early on that a rape had occurred, complained loudly to its school administration that not enough was being done, and students at NCCU didn’t even know the woman was a member of their college community (http://www.afro.com/content/templates/?a=4840&z=1).
But other than the education support, we haven’t seen Jesse or anyone else on the news every day demanding justice is served; we’ve got DA Mike Nifong (http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/430653.html)
handling that all by himself. And while he’s working 18 hour days combing over evidence and hoping one of the 40+ attendees at the off-campus party steps forward as an act of contrition, he’s battling what has topped out at a dozen defense attorneys who are experts at securing verdicts of “not guilty,” even “not charged,” and have at their disposal money, and most of all, privilege. While Nifong is stuck with the evidence, the defense has the manipulation of public opinion. They’ve each received hefty retainers to devote every moment of their collective days, tearing up whatever information is out about the case; a simple way of tainting any jury pool against the alleged victim.
However, witness statements (an observant next door neighbor, http://www.newsobserver.com/100/story/424229.html), a time line that places her nowhere but the house rented by the lacrosse team captains, before going to the hospital by way of the nearby Kroger food’s parking lot and most important, a medical examination and rape kit that overwhelmingly point to physical as well as sexual assault, medical professionals who attended to her (and are specifically meticulous with this kind of evaluation) describe a level of emotional trauma and shock that could not be faked even an email from a teammate sent within an hour after the party broke up expressing a desire to want to have another party the following evening where he wanted to kill strippers and slice the skin from their flesh for sexual gratification lends itself towards “something happened that night” (http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/425834.html), are all pieces of evidence the DA stands by.
But, no one is stepping out on the edge; rather they’re talking to friends, colleagues and others and quietly thinking, “I hope it’s true.”
To make things all the more complicated, reporter DeWayne Wickham recounted in an April 17th article, an incident three years after the Tawana Brawley case, with shockingly similar details as the alleged Duke rape, where 6 white students at St. John’s University in New York were accused of raping a black student; 5 of them were members of the University’s lacrosse team. Though one of the accused agreed to testify against the others, those charged were found not guilty because the truth of her story was held in doubt
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2006-04-17-wickham_x.htm).
In a warped way, it almost doesn’t matter if the current allegations against Duke’s students is true, and powerful black Americans and common black Americans know that. When you’re up against privilege, anything is possible. It often feels like (and isn’t far from the truth if not the truth itself) the elite can be caught on camera committing anything from a misdemeanor to felony murder and still get away with it. If that is the case, then what is the truth in this matter? Will we ever know it? When the blind scale of justice finally tips, what side will rise above the other, and why? What side will we be on?
Do you remember those Chevrolet truck ads with the country guy singing, “Like a Rock/ I was strong as I could be/ Like a Rock/Nothin’ ever got to me”. I always liked that song mainly because I was fascinated by trucks as a boy and it seemed like a tough guy song.
This weekend I was in Bowling Green, KY at the National Corvette Museum for business and amongst the glistening Corvettes, there were speakers playing, “Like a Rock.” I chuckled, mainly because this whole weekend I felt like I was in the soul of America. And I liked it?
Black is Beautiful
So on Thursday, my colleague and I drove down to KY and when we went straight to the National Corvette Museum to set up the tent for our clinic that was to be held Friday and Saturday. Near our tent, there were two guys making sure people had the proper credentials to get in and one of them, Bill, came over to help us set up. Bill is wearing a red Corvette T-shirt, tight blue jeans, and a matching red baseball cap. After we finished setting up, Bill started talking to me about his Corvette and in a strong country accent, he said, “It’s Black on Black. Black is Beautiful.” Immediately, I went into race-conscious mode but I turned off the switch because it was actually funny; a white guy telling a Black guy that Black is beautiful but actually referring to something totally different.
Transcending Race
I was working with guys from the entire Corvette team and just about every Corvette owner that came to our tent was all white. And anyone who has known me long enough knows that I often speak negatively (mostly joking though) of Southern culture and how much White folk down there are generally backwards with respect to race relations.
As a result, I was a little nervous about how well I would be accepted. But we had a blast!!! You know the type of laugh you have when you are trying to be polite when someone is trying to be funny and the other laugh when you have to control yourself because you know you make funny noises if you laugh too hard? I experienced the latter. And if you have ever been to England and you are Black, you can attest to the feeling that people there have transcended race and treat you with a respect that you seldom see here in the States. That is how I felt down in Kentucky. Now I know that not all White Southerners are welcoming of Blacks and all that, but the guys I worked with were hard-working folks that loved the product they produced. To be sure, maybe they would not have been so cordial had we met under different circumstances, but why shouldn’t I just take the situation for what it was? Right now, I am in a place where I am in between transcending race and being a slave to race. I got a hint of transcendence as I enjoyed the comfort and freedom to talk to these White guys saying things like, “Yo, that’s what’s up, or that’s fierce”, among others, without having to explain myself.
Forced integration
As my colleague and I drove around KY, I noticed a lot of young people 18-30 in mixed groups of Blacks and Whites. And there was an ease they had that you rarely see up North. I developed a theory that because so few people live down there to begin with, you really don’t have a choice to but to integrate.
I went to a majority-White private elementary school but I wasn’t forced to integrate because everyone in my neighborhood was Black. But what if I didn’t have that Black safety net to come home to? How different would I be today? I’m not sure but as I prepared for the KY trip you have me, Mr. City Boy, thinking I might have to break out some Cornel West or Randall Robinson to potentially educate these country boys when race was the farthest thing from my mind. It was liberating and uncomfortably pleasant.
America as home
I broke bread and chopped it up with All-American country boys all weekend and I never thought I would do that, yet alone have a good time. This got me thinking about what it means to be Black in America. Unfortunately, a lot of us could spend days discussing all the things that are wrong about America, but what is right about it? In other words, what do you like about America? My question is not meant to compare the good against the bad but to truly understand what is good and why you think that way.
I don’t know how to answer that question right now but if I had to start somewhere, I would start with the guys from the Corvette Plant. And I included the lyrics to the song, Like a Rock, by Bob Seger to point out that this All-American song also illustrates the struggle Blacks have made for justice and equailty. Because if anyone had to be strong like a rock, it was us.
Anyone who knows me that I past and present segregated housing patterns along with white flight is a large factor in explaining various socio-economic problems that we see today. From education to jobs to healthcare, and wealth, your address alone can and does have a huge impact on a person’s life. But now, self-segregation is reaching new levels.
At Ladera Ranch, now a thriving community of more than 16,000 people, various villages are tailored not simply to practical needs, but to what marketers call different “values subcultures.”
The reason why I am so intrigued by this story is that I often think about housing patterns in strictlw racial and economic terms, but this values thing is interesting. For example, “the religiously oriented “Traditionalists,” who, it was assumed, would prefer the more classic architecture there, and more family-oriented activities, such as the annual Easter egg hunt.” “On the other hand, the “Cultural Creatives” tended to be more liberal-minded, environmentally oriented and “less into conspicuous consumption.”
Obviously, this is a heightened form of social engineering and while initially, I thought this entire project was a conservative ploy to find a new term for white flight but then I started thinking about a quote from Randall Robinson. He said, (and I am paraphrasing), “One thing I learned in life is that I stopped wanting to be around people who don’t want to be around me.” Obviously those people were reference to White people but he might be on to something. Because if we keep it real, many Blacks who isolate themselves from other Blacks (generally speaking) feel that they have made it to the extent that they are surrounded by White people in the suburbs. Little do they know is that unlike many countries in South America, money does not “whiten” your skin. And just like decades of past, once a suburb has reached a critical mass of Blacks and other minorities, the White people move further from the city. (All my Michigan people please see Southfield.)
Beyond that, I wonder how I would respond to a billboard to a planned community that had cute Black babies with bright smiles and bushy hair. Furthermore, wouldn’t it be nice to live comfortably around people who shared your views and values? This is an extreme example but if you are a Christian, you wouldn’t raise your family in a community of Satists right? I just don’t see what’s so wrong with wanting to live around people who are diverse, open-minded, intellectual, believe in social justice, and are spiritually grounded.
In other words, if I could raise my family around the men of H.E.A.D.S. I would be perfectly fine with that. Those brothers possess the traits like I described before and they are funny! And if you want to talk about the importance of diversity of ideas, you can get on the internet and go on a Reading Rainbow of different ideas across the moreal and political spectrum. Also, the people of Ladera Ranch are all together so if you wanted to go to conservative town, it is probably within walking distance and I am sure the school district is a great mixing pot of kids whose ideas are greatly influenced by their parents, hence, the ability to debate is honed at an early age.
In closing, choosing a house is one of the most major decisions you will ever make. As such, is it so bad to self-segregate based on values or would we be doing more harm than good? I’m still thinking.
“*This Woman’s Work/This Woman’s Work/Oh, it’s hard on a man*”
-Maxwell, “This Woman’s Work”
“*Being a real woman means saying you are sorry and meaning it. It also means coming to grips with 3 fundamental facts over time: You are not perfect (twenties), you will never be perfect (thirties) and you do not have to be perfect *.”
-HD
Let’s be clear: I have a deep, enduring love and admiration for women. I truly am a fan. As a result, a large part of my life has been oriented in trying to understand what makes them tick; in hopes that I would procure a method for bridging the gap that often exists between the sexes. Often, we define ourselves through the lens of the opposite sex and their construction of what we should be. A definition by opposites so to speak. This can be good or bad, depending on what ideal is being projected. It is this formulation I am interested in. How does our sex define/influence us and how does it influence our interactions with the opposite sex? For my own part, I have been blessed to encounter some truly phenomenal women from all walks of life, and as a result, I am a better man for it.
I figured it would be a little disingenuous of me to pontificate on what it means to be a modern day woman. Therefore, I have solicited a little help. I petitioned a view individuals to write about what it means to be a woman, and how that relates to their other identities. I received some interesting responses, while with others, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak (read: did not make the deadline). In any event, here are some very different responses. You may or may not agree, wherever you are on this issue, let your voice be heard.
My Struggle from Foreign Soil…
Needless to say, defining the above concept is a task that requires me to draw from entirely different places in my life from the problems I face daily to the company that I keep. There is no overarching way for me to define what being a woman means, period. I can however lay out the theory to which I, as a Foreign Black Woman, vehemently subscribe that wholly describes the plight of the black women in modern American society today (Pardon my harsh cynicism in advance):
The quadrant theory puts race and gender into very distinct boxes, and works only in Black and White. I don’t know and don’t really care for the purposes of this piece where Asians, Latinas, Arabs, etc, fit into all of this, but as far as Blacks/Whites are concerned, follow me on this: The quadrant theory divides White Men, White Women, Black Men and Black Women into four sections. A ++ (positive/positive) ranking is given to the white man, a +- (positive/negative) to the white woman, a +- (positive/negative) to the black man, and a — (negative/negative) to the black woman.
Some of you may already see where this is going. White men suffer from excessive privilege (hence the ++). White women, though white, are still forced to grapple with issues of sexism. Black men, though fending off constant racial profiling, can still play the “Male” card, which leaves us with the Black woman. She brings up the rear fighting racism and sexism with both fists.
This theory entirely guides my thinking in nearly every aspect of life, from career opportunities to the advantages/disadvantages of pursuing a romantic relationship with a ++ vs. +-. Black women have had, currently do have, and will continue to bear the brunt of societal crunches and not to throw my own pity party, but that leaves little sympathy for others (Others in the quadrant, of course).
Our role as the Black Woman is that of the supporter & rarely the supported. I suppose that comes with the territory when 70% of us carry the weight of the Black Family.
I find myself with an added personal indignance because of how Foreign Black women (and men, to be fair – immigrant/1st-generation Africans, etc.), don’t seem to enter into this Black/White discourse at all. I can’t even count the number of times my ideas and viewpoints have been dismissed with a slight wave of the hand and a breezy, “Well, you’re different, you don’t count”. So now my struggle isn’t real? So my father having to find five different advisors before he could find one who really believed that a Black Man in the late 70’s could actually earn a Ph. D. is Me not counting? The white man at our church who patted my brother on the head when he came back from Eritrea, congratulating him for coming back with “nigger hair” is Me not counting? My cousin being raped and having the rapist blame it not on himself, but on the Hyper-sexualization of Black women in America, is Me not counting? Our experiences may be different but the struggle is still the same. Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t trade my position for the world. It has made me who I am now and will continue to shape who I am in the future. It’s true what they say: Perseverance builds character.
I could go on forever, but that, my friends, is what being a (Foreign) Black Woman means to me – Hard work, strength & determination = Under appreciation. Hey, but we all have our cross to bear right?
~RHG
Looking Back…Completeness
I never thought that being a woman or female meant limitations. I now recognize that there is a vast difference between considering oneself a woman and considering oneself a female. Being a female defines you by gender without consideration for the responsibility for the various roles that you play. Being a woman includes your gender the responsibilities inherent in it and that which you assume. I am a wife responsible for working with another individual to incorporate his perspective add value to his life and allow him to do the same for me. I was chosen for that role and willingly accepted it. It isn’t always easy and so the struggle, challenge and promises continue. I am someone’s mother. They did not ask to be born. I chose to have them and take this role as seriously if not more than my role as wife. I relish in the challenge of being my children’s advocate, friend disciplinarian, confidant and any other role that at 19 and 22, allow me. They are the best of what their dad and I are to each other. Having them transcended my gender and added a new dimension to my woman ness. I am a professional and the unique qualities that women bring to that role as wife, mother, person and evolved individual make me better at being an employee and a professional. Each of my roles is interdependent on and inextricably tied to each other to coexist. After years of trying to compartmentalize each of my roles… aspect of myself, I realize that it is only through harmonious integration that I can be a whole woman harmoniously coexisting, comfortable and confident with my me.
-Sheila A.
Waiting for Revolution…
Womanhood what a beautiful word. I smile sorrowfully when I think about all that womanhood and a girl’s journey into it entails.
When Talib Kweli said “life is a beautiful struggle” he was right. In fact, that just about sums up how I feel about being a woman. The overt AND covert sexism that still plagues our country, and countries around the world, is often enough to make me feel burdened simply stepping out in the world every day, yet the ways women have struggled against and succeeded in the face of oppressions dating back to the beginning of humanity are feats worthy of eternal recognition and admiration.
My mother once dashed any possible prior hope that I might ever own a Barbie when she told me that I couldn’t have one because “we don’t look like that.” She additionally put me in “my womanly place” when I was 12 (the only time I can ever recall actually wanting to lose weight) when she sternly but lovingly told me that my body would probably NEVER look like the models in the magazines because our family had breasts and hips and, above all, was never a “genetically skinny family”. While I was never able to truly decode those messages until much later in life, my love, respect and infinite gratitude goes out to my mother for being an “undercover feminist” during my most formative years.
Sometimes I wish I had the public influence to move mountains. Yet despite my fury and frustration, I would NEVER chose not to be a woman, if I were somehow ever afforded the choice. A friend recently told me that “I’d make a good dude” and while my good self-esteem tells me that I’d probably make a good ANYTHING, I had to dissent. I can’t imagine not being a woman, I can’t imagine what it would be like to go through life masquerading as the “stronger sex” but being intelligent enough to know that I’m not and understanding that I sometimes benefit from society’s eternal fear of being overthrown or at least challenged by the likes of women and people of color and poor people and everyone else who our country owes SOMETHING.
Being a woman is indeed a beautiful struggle. There are so many difficult but wonderful things about being a woman, even in all its complexities. Our bodies, for example, are amazing. We can create a life and nurture it inside of us. Our minds are even more amazing, we dissect the ins and outs of life in a way that incessantly mind-boggles members of the opposite sex, We pay attention to detail, we know how to love and feel and understand, even if we sometimes use these powers manipulatively. And now that we are finally allowed to “be educated” at all, liberal arts colleges across the country are outreaching to men, as there is now an over-abundance of qualified female applicants. Even if y’all disappoint me more and more lately, I’m still so very proud ladies.
Sometimes I think our self-esteem is at the root of all our problems, but in a society that discourages our worth, I could never put the onus on us, exclusively.
I’m just waiting impatiently for women to collectively say “we aint standing for this any longer”, and doing what I can in the meantime.
-Machita
Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas
Question of the Week:
Ladies-What does it mean to be a woman?
Men-What is your perception of women and how does that affect the way you relate to them?
I am in the airport in Minneapolis now, waiting to board my plane to return to Seattle.
The celebration of life I attended this morning was beatiful and inspirational. A great man who lived a great life and had a great legacy was greatly celebrated. We, his family, will continue to learn from his life until we too return home.
Today was my last in New Orleans. The images I’ve seen, the perspectives I’ve heard, the discussions I’ve had, the connections I’ve made, all of these have profoundly impacted me personally, practicality, and spiritually.
Briefly here, I will share the contents of a conversation I had with a group [of 5 men] in downtown New Orleans as they sat in front of their storm-ravaged apartment building. I greeted them and introduced myself as a writer from Seattle. They asked what I was taking pictures for, to which I happily replied, “www.TheSuperSpade.com, a site about telling the truth.” We then talked about where the were and what they did during/after the hurricane struck. 2 Latin men (brothers) said that they were able to evacuate by car with their elderly mother and go to Houston, where other relatives lived. I asked how early they left, and they told me they were gone on 27 August 2006, which was before the storm hit. On getting out early, the younger of the two said, “I just had a bad feeling. It was more than bad weather forecasts. It was a feeling, you know?” They returned on 25 September (my birthday) to find their apartment building completely destroyed (pictures will be posted upon my return) and the house of their mother greatly damaged. They moved in with their mother and are still rebuilding the home.
The other three men, who were all Black men, were neighbors in the aforementioned building, said they were part of the mass of people who went to the Superdome. They did not leave the city, and very interestingly labeled themselves as “hard-headed” for not doing so. One said, “I don’t know how I could have left, but I should have left. I blame only myself for my suffering.” I responded to this by asking is there anything else that anyone could have done to save him, and his reply was a flat “NO.” To him, his safety rested on him and him alone. “Why didn’t I leave? Hard-headed man, just hard-headed.” To him, only he could save himself and those around him, not Ray Nagin, not Kathleen Blanco, not G. W. Bush. One brother agreed with him, while the other did not. He retorted, “What kind of man won’t save himself? There’s got to be more to it than being bull-headed.” I asked if he felt hopeless or helpless and if so, did that contribute to his not leaving. “Helpless, but not hopeless. I guess if I had more help, maybe I’d have gotten out. But that doesn’t matter anymore. That was what it was; this is what it is.” I asked him if he thought a city and/or statewide emergency evacuation plan would be beneficial. “Ha ha. Yeah, but after I get my own d@mn plan,” he replied. “I ain’t nobody’s beggar, never have been, never will be.”
I left them with this question, “What can I do for you, to help you and your current situation?” The response was unanimous: “Tell them (your readers) what you see. Tell people who we are. Tell people not to forget…one more thing: tell people not to give money to the Red Cross.”
Keeping my promise to them, I am sharing my experience with all of you.
I’d like to hear reactions to these men’s stories, especially the man who blamed himself for not evacuating. More pictures will be posted soon.
One Love. One II.
–
Garlin Gilchrist II
www.TheSuperSpade.com
““Some freedoms of speech make me nervous.”- Saul Williams
It’s invoked all the time, debated regularly, and thought to be fundamental to this nation: freedom of speech. If you watch the headlines swoop by on CNN or listen to talk radio, you know that freedom of speech is a pretty dangerous topic these days. A couple of recent stories have made me wonder how free we are to say things, especially considering the Right’s well crafted attempt to limit vocal descent.
The other night I found myself watching a CSPAN broadcast of David Horowitz at Duke University. Now I knew what to expect, disparaging comments to the audience, indictment of the Left, conspiracy theories about higher education shutting out conservatives, largely the same fair he’s been serving since he introduced his Academic Rights campaign a few years ago. But while watching, it dawned on me, that this man, who had never spent any time teaching, even less time researching, and most of his time making noise was going to affect my ability to speak in the classroom.
Since I’ve been blogging I’ve made clear that I’m not a journalist. I make no faux-appeal to objectivity but since I’ve been teaching I’ve attempted to fill the criterion of semi-objective instructor. Now I say semi-objective because I’d be lying to you if I said I do not have ideological leaning and that I didn’t attempt to present multiple perspectives to both challenge students and throw them off the scent of my leanings. I’ve always taken this as part of good critical pedagogy. But with the arrival of the Campus Watch and even more evidence that freedom of speech is not protected during instruction, I wonder how much longer I’ll be able to express myself.
A small example, several times a year I give a guest lecture on Race and Ethnicity. One of the first things I do is have students point to their neighbor and say, “You’re a racist.” I then have them repeat the process so that everyone has pointed at someone and been pointed at. Then I tell them, “Now that we’ve all been called a racist and called someone a racist, we can put away our racist fingers and stop keep a tally of who is racist.” The idea behind the exercise is to begin to de-stigmatize the concept of racism. I often find most people think of racism as simply riding on horseback and burning crosses, while avoiding the subtle ways we contribute to systems of oppression. But at the end of my lecture last week, I kept getting a question that hadn’t really bothered me much in the past, but this time around it did. “Why are you calling me a racist?” which is usually coupled with “Why use the term racist?” In the past, I’ve simply gone into a discussion of racism as sickness that we all have to deal with and that labeling it properly is the first step to healing it. But as I talked, I found it necessary to insert, “it’s my belief that…” Now one could say that I naturally imply that all things are my belief, but saying it out loud was troubling. I was not concerned that students knew I had an “agenda”. Instead I was concerned that they wouldn’t understand that what I presented for 50 minutes was scientific and grounded.
I believe the education I provide about social inequality should make you uncomfortable, should make you challenge your prior thinking, and should make you realize that at the age of 18, 21, or 35 that you don’t have the world figured out. I realize we’re now in the middle of a well crafted movement to once again have our voices limited, but this time through more savvy, okay semi-savvy means. David Horowitz and his cronies are hell-bent on getting rid of ideologues and the disciplines that support them (humanities and some social sciences). I’ve heard him repeatedly make claims that instructors in these disciplines simply advance their perspective uncritically. In my own teaching this couldn’t be further from the truth, but I wonder in a couple of years will my name make it into his next book, or will I be subject to a witch-hunt for my blog, or have my job called for because I asked students to take responsibility for the systems of oppression that they participate in?
I like to think of myself as pretty affable but one thing that burns me is when I hear White people use the term, Black to refer to African Americans. For me, I think the use of that term by Whites should be as nearly prohibited as using the term nigga. Now I personally define myself as Black and use this term to talk about members of the Diaspora. However, when White people use this term, the hair on the back of my neck rises. And for as misleading that I think the term African-American is, I feel relieved when White people use it.
It has been requested that I post my thoughts on “A Poverty of the Mind,” an opinion piece in the NY Times that was put out in response to the story that was the subject of “Is the Black Man in America doomed?” piece. “A Poverty of the Mind” speaks to what the author, Orlando Patterson, sees as what Black men have done/are doing to put themselves in the position that they are in. This position, like any other, has both merits and flaws. We can talk about both here.
Responsibility for one’s self is a basic truth of life. To ignore this responsibility is to completely victimize yourself or put yourself completely at the mercy of another. During different parts of life, there are differing levels of this self-responsibility. Children at birth do not have this responsibility. As they grow and mature, the responsibility is passed onto them, for some at a faster pace than others? At some [arbitrary] point, it all rests on them (where this point is is up for discussion, as I cannot pinpoint it exactly).
The question becomes, how do you measure how well you are doing in your own self-responsibility? I say it depends on your situation and your needs. Part of the answer to this question is in found in the “cultural explanations” that Patterson suggests. He says that “a cultural explanation of black male self-destructiveness addresses not simply the immediate connection between their attitudes and behavior and the undesired outcomes, but explores the origins and changing nature of these attitudes, perhaps over generations, in their brutalized past. It is impossible to understand the predatory sexuality and irresponsible fathering behavior of young black men without going back deep into their collective past.”
This is the truth. This exploration of cultural history will answer a lot of questions about origins of attitudes. However, I don’t think that it will reveal that Black men have a disposition that makes them more vulnerable to lies and images from the media as a result of their culture. I do think, though, that he will find that media assualt on the psyche combined with availability of the mind due to lack of activity (school, work) combined with an affinity towards a certain type of music may result in certain things seeming more attractive, accessible, and attainable: more “cool.” It is the combination that creates this. What I caution people not to do is look at cultural history in a vacuum. Environments and circumstances help to shape culture. Likewise, culture alters environments and circumstances. To examine one without the other is not meaningful, and Patterson says that we have only be looking at the environment and not the culture. Fair enough, but I do not want to see us move to the opposite extreme. Using the two together, we can identify ways to change both culture and environment in ways beneficial to our people. He makes the assertion that it may be easier to change culture. If that is true, then we can make cultural changes while at the same time changing our social, political, and economic environments (more on this below).
There are things that are in my mind unquestionably irresponsible: promiscuity and predatory sex, laziness in regard to challenging yourself and your mind, willful ignorance. I don’t see listening to 50 Cent or aspiring for a career in professional athletics as ignorant or irresponsible in and of itself. The ignorance comes in at the point where the mindset is “This is all I know. This is my only option, my only way out, my only way to survive or succeed.” That ignorance can be combatted by making other options visible. How do we do that? Mentorship. Mentorship, mentorship, mentorship. Personal relationships change everything. Culture, environment, mindset, everything. How can one mentor change an entire neighborhood? Long and short, easy and difficult journeys, all start with one step.
A flaw in Patterson’s approach, however, is demonstrated by the [in or out of context] words of Detroit Mackenzie High School Principal Bernard Bonam who said that the students “didn’t give a doggone thing about their education…”. The danger with this is that it is based on his assumptions on the motivations of certain student behaviors. To Bonam, the student’s culture in anti-education. Well, I’m no anthropologist, but I do know that part of culture has to do with the environment in which that culture exists. As Brandon said, why is he blaming students for the sorry state of Mackenzie? Did their culture force the school to not buy books? NO!!! My challenge to him, conservatives, and to anyone who takes solely this position is this: how many people have you talked to in the group that you are judging about their feelings on their situation? How diverse of a set of people did you reach? This is important because assumptions are dangerous. This is the problem with the whole “I’ve talked to students (or Black people or any ‘group’) and they said this…” line that people try to throw out. They often times have not talked to the people they needed to talk to to gain understanding.
I do agree with the author that many times socioeconomic factors only tell part of the story. However, I do not so readily discount these factors because of this. I see them fitting into a holistic approach to addressing these issues our people face: psychological, economic, and political. I do not agree with the “we have to solve this first before we can talk about that” approach to addressing our predicament. I believe that Black people, the most dynamic people on the planet, can do more than one thing at a time. We can address psychological, economic, social, political, and any other thing we need to solve by working together. Since everyone may or may not be skilled in or passionate about addressing political issues, should the political activists sit on the bench until they are tagged in by those expert in the psychological? NO!!! Solve problems in parallel, not in series. Nothings stops us from addressing broad issues while at the same time addressing personal ones. I can mentor a young man and help him find a job while dealing with my own personal insecurities. I can encourage a young girl to pursue her passion in art while at the same time organizing local town hall meetings on political issues of relevance to people of color. I can be a mentee of a more experienced entrepreneur while mentoring one who is less experienced than I.
Me and Orlando Patterson agree that people need to be responsible for themselves. Beyond that, I believe in collective responsibility for each other. I work towards a world where societal pressures, laws, or policies do not hurt us because of our strength of attitude and confidence. I work towards a world where giving into temptation does not result in plight because the system is able to sustain us and keep us from falling. In that world everyone helps themselves, and everyone helps everyone else. That is what community is to me. Perhaps Mr. Patterson and I can agree on that.
I’m not sure if you can sense it but there is a rumbling going on that is slowly making its presence felt. Young people are protesting in France, the Palestinians voted Hamas into power, Latinos are mobilizing like wild fire over the current immigration reform bills before Congress, and now students in my beloved hometown are stepping up demanding better resources. What makes me so proud is that these students were not “led” by old school civil rights leaders and as a result, they couldn’t be used as a backdrop.
Going beyond the picture
You are probably surprised that we posted a picture to accompany this post because you have never seen us do so in the past, but there is a point to be made that words alone can’t express. We are not permanently changing the format but if you read this story without the picture you might miss the significance. The young lady speaking, Christina LedBetter, is holding a bottle of Sprite and what I presume to be her talking notes. Now compare that image to what you normally see of so-called Black leaders; memorized talking points and catch phrases along with a bottle of water.(that they never use by the way.) My point is that she was being herself and she wasn’t being coached or managed. I’m not saying the students looked like bums but how many of you would get on camera fighting for justice if you were not looking right? And please don’t say yes too soon.
And do you see the tall brother standing behind her? His arms are crossed and his face, like the others is serious and I think it is symbolic of the fact that Black men have less of a problem being supportive of Black woman than what most would think. Beyond that, their faces convey a sense of urgency that I don’t see very often. And if the students have been reading all the negative statistics about Black youth and their bleak chances of achieving their educational/career goals, then they knew that they need a quality education right here, right now. And just like our forefathers before us, these students are taking control of their destiny and demanding a quality education. So before you continue, take a minute to let this image sink into your conscious so you are aware of what’s at stake.
The preparation
What I think people forget about most the civil rights movement is the preparation and sacrifice that people never saw or heard about. As such, I am proud of the preparation it took these students to get over 200 students to walk out of class. 200 people are not a clique. This event took thoughtfulness, determination, and effective communication because you know some people were on the fence, but was won over by the peer pressure to stand up for justice. Just imagine what will happen when they improve their organizing skills and present a whole new paradigm for correcting the system.
The sorry principal
Principal Bernard Bonam, I don’t know you very well but even if the newspaper took you of context, but you never should have said, “They don’t give a doggone thing about their education… and many of the problems are caused by students themselves, such as those who toss their textbooks out windows onto the schools greenhouse or others who stuff toilet paper into the toilet.” And people wonder why so many Black people are not pleased with the state of public education. For starters, you have to take people at their word and if the group was chanting, “No books, no school,” then that shows me pretty clearly they care about their education. But how many times do people have to say that schools don’t have enough textbooks, classes are overcrowded, the maintenance is shotty, and there is too much administration and not enough education. The students had enough and they demonstrated. But here is the real problem, why should kids ever have to protest to get enough books?!?! I mean fa real fa real. Could you imagine your wealthy suburban high school having kids march talk about “No books, no school?” That sounds silly right? Well if it sounds silly for suburban students then why in the hell doesn’t it seem silly for inner-city students?
Which brings me back to Principal Bonam, why are you blaming the students for the school’s issues? I’m not denying that there are some troublemakers but here’s a new rule that might help you. Get out of your office and get in the hallways and the classrooms. If you know kids are throwing their books out the window, how in the world can you say that you have an adequate number of books? Lock the windows!!!!! And then you tell me it is not in the budget. What about your budget? Open up your wallet, sell some candy, I don’t care, but don’t just wallow in what’s wrong, offer some solutions and ask yourself, “What can I do to make the situation better?”
This question also applies to the person reading this post because even though you may not work in the education field, we all have learned some things along the way that make us extremely valuable in being a resource and inspiration to our youth. Markell Donaldson, a Mackenzie sophomore, said “If we don’t walk out, we won’t get recognized.” Let’s wrap our hearts around all the Markells in this country so they know that the community is there to serve them in school so they don’t have to walk out.
Big Superspade shoutout to all the students that organized today, I applaud your integrity and willingness to stand up for what’s right. We stand with you in the constant fight for justice.
What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a good one or a bad one? What kind of man am I becoming? These are questions I have grappled with and continue to grapple with. And at this age, it is something that looms in the mind of many young men (See Brandon White’s commentary). The rub is that we are aspiring to an ideal that has yet to be effectively defined and articulated.
In other cultures, there exist “rites of passage” ceremonies or initiations where the male is entrusted with the code for the culture and charged with protecting that code. However, in America, there is no identifiable process. Normally, it has to do with arbitrary characteristics or status (i.e. facial hair, losing virginity, etc.) This is further exacerbated by the lack of males in American households. As a result, males, especially minorities, have inherited a warped and piecemeal perception of what it means to be masculine ( e.g. the glorified role of the “thug” in hip-hop). There is a crisis of manhood in America.
I understand that gender roles and traits are influenced in large part by the society at large and its needs. I also concede that this is one of those concepts that cannot be locked in. However, I do believe that form fits function. There are some traits that we naturally exhibit, that you see in children that make us who we are. So this week, I invite everyone to comment on what is a man and how that notion formed. Next week, we will address the ladies.
My Patchwork Quilt
Growing up, I gleaned my ideal of manhood from my family. Looking at my examples, men were providers and protectors first and foremost. They sacrificed. They were strong, consistent and decisive. They were leaders and they were not careless. They never showed vulnerability or weakness. Whatever happened, you just “sucked it up.” They controlled their emotions and never cried in public. I remember my father telling me to “never let them see you sweat.” You had to always seem like you were in control and radiate that toughness. And your word was your bond.
As I entered college, still in my teens, my friends and I began to forge our own code, in relation to other men and in interacting with women. The “guy” code centered around commanding respect, knowing where your loyalties were and sticking to your principles. You did not speak about things you did not know about and you minded your own business. Your words and actions were always deliberate—thinking ahead about the consequences. This took a lot of self-discipline.
With women, things became complicated and they still are because it added yet another layer of expectations to be imposed. You couldn’t constantly assert yourself, and in relationships, you learned to pick your battles. However, a lot of men never learn how to be a man in interacting and dealing with women; that is another article.
It’s a Man’s World?
At this point, I have learned that aspiring to be your own man, counter to what is “en vogue” in society, can be a thankless job. By eschewing societal standards and the expectations of others, there is no benchmark by which to measure you by.
There comes a point where you just become comfortable in your own skin. I know my limitations and I am fine with those. I believe that is the essence of manhood: To know who you are and to be comfortable with that. Yet, we must strive to always be the best that we can be. By doing so, we can bring out the best in others. I disagree with those who might say that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” man. I believe in good and evil. I also believe that men and women both reflect qualities and characteristics of the Creator. So a bad man is one who does not exhibit those traits. However, if you are a bad man, you are probably a bad human being also.
End note
This is just the beginning of our exploration of our concept of gender and how it carries over into our behaviors and relationships.
As a man, all that is required is to do the best with the tools and information at hand.
Stick to the script, and eventually, someone will take notice.
Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas
Question of the Week: What does it mean to be a man? What shaped this ideal for you?
Can someone tell me the difference between a Black man and a “good” Black man? After seeing two articles this past week talk about the plight of Black men in the New York Times and how marriage is for White people in the Washington Post, that phrase is rearing its ugly head again.
Let me begin by saying that for this post, the phrase “good Black man” will be limited to love interests of Black women. Which makes me wonder, why don’t we hear the phrase, I want “a good Black woman?” That doesn’t sound right does it? I digress, but if you are Black man/woman, I would venture to say that your answer to my original question would allude to some socioeconomic factor in some way or form.
And this is what I hate the most. You got people who are 25, who are 2 or 3 years removed from undergrad that are appalled at the idea of seriously dating/marrying a person who also does not have at least an undergraduate degree. What happened in two years that you are so all that that you couldn’t see yourself dating someone who doesn’t have a B.A.? The same goes for salaries and the list goes on. Now I’m not saying that people shouldn’t have any standards but it seems that being with a person who makes you happy is an afterthought after we sift through religion, family, age, education, income, FUTURE POTENTIAL, friends, geography, etc. You get my point.
I believe there is someone out there for everybody but the problem I see in the Black community is that too many of us are either trying to marry a clone of ourselves or we get so caught up in the idea of a “good” Black woman/man that we don’t act like ourselves when we come across one, however defined.
We have to stop buying into the notion of a good Black man because it makes the brothers who are think they are successful more arrogant and it makes the sisters feel like, “What’s the fuss?” And then you have sisters crossing over to date other races or feeling a sense of hopelessness such that they will never find a “good” Black man. Ladies, let me tell you this, the brother out there who is looking for you right now may not be a “good” Black man, but if he is good for you, THEN WHO CARES!!! Fellas, we have a host of other issues but I will get to you later. But seriously fam, the constant filtering of love via status and self is killing our future families.
In closing I will repeat my question; what is the difference between a Black man and a good Black man?
Old rule: Black people cannot talk about a movement of any form until we heal our families.
Back in January, I wrote a post on the Black Family Movement and how Black people can not talk about a revolution until we heal our families. That post seemed to really strike a chord in the people that posted comments and I hope it helped those of you who did read it. And I promised I would come back with more so here it is.
SWhat bothers me profusely is the amount of generalizations Black people use to define themselves. You know what I’m talking about, “The Black family this, or Black women are that”. So what I am trying to do with the Black family movement series is to make it personal and to help your actions answer this question, “What am I doing to help heal/improve my family?” Often times, we take our family for granted and think that we are born with an innate love for them. But as with any relationships, they require sacrifice, understanding, flexibility, and communication. So please add to this list as you see fit, but make sure you are spending life energy on your family. “We all we got!!!”
1) For those of us who hold on to the anger related to an absent father (either physically or emotionally), know that that hurt is only weighing you down. Find a way to forgive them for their actions. This is not a matter of us comparing who went through the most painful childhood and this obviously will not happen over night, but it is a step in the right direction. Start walking.
2) Stop getting offended when a family member asks you about what is going on in your life. The chances are that they asking you because they care about you, not just to get in your business.
3) Have a meeting with your family to talk about building a trust fund and stop thinking that once you “make it” you are going to be able to take care of everybody.
4) Stop forgetting people’s birthdays and if you are getting a card/gift, give it to them on or before their birthday.
5) Keep track of what younger people in your family want to be when they grow up and constantly push them to challenge themselves for the better.
6) Think of all the reasons why you love the members of your family and tell them!!! What’s the point in waiting to tell them at their funeral?
7) Here’s something interesting. Start a family blog such that only members of the family can view the site and post comments. Engage your family; learn about their politics, their philosophies on Black empowerment, and their thoughts on family and raising children. You would be surprised at how much you don’t know, trust me.
9) Your friends are not the only people you can have fun with. Why is it that so many people are appalled at the thought of going out with their family? (I’m talking about siblings, parents, cousins, etc.) Tear down these artificial social barriers in your life and find a way to weave family and friends into your social scene.
10) And this last point was number 10 on the first Black Family movement post but it bears repeating; the best reason is just because. This relates to everything.
And if you haven’t noticed, I end every post with “Stay up fam,” because we are all family. I don’t care how much of our bloodline we have in common because we all come from a great people whose sacrifices, love, and hard work made it possible for us to be here today.
The NY Times says that Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia say that we are close. In “Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn,” Erik Eckholm goes over many statistics that show how the un/undereducated Black man is the rule and not the exception, and how that is leading them down a path from which recovery may prove difficult.
(Random thought: Before digging into this topic, I’d like to first note the irony in Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia doing studies about Black men. Princeton has 8.2% Black students, Harvard has 8% Black students, and Columbia has 5.3% Black students. I just find it interesting when I hear/read authoritative on Black people written by non-Black people. Now, I am in no way saying that the message is worthless because of the messenger, but I am saying that it is in some ways disheartening. I digress…)
With that said, the story and the studies it references raises some important facts. I applaud the approaches to measuring joblessness that include the incarcerated as well as those not looking for legal work. Though it is an interesting theory, I do not agree with the implication that child support law enforcement have contributed to joblessness.
There are some concrete steps that I see that can be taken to address this rampant joblessness.
The first set is psychological. For starters, many associate unemployment with vagrancy. I believe that in many cases it is a myth. Vagrancy, laziness, triflingness, whatever you want to call it does occur, but I think that’s less common than it is perceived. Evidence for this can be seen in the fact that many individuals who are not seeking work are “working” illegal occupations; you can’t be lazy and stay out of jail. The second psychological step is to remove the stigma of the man or woman who has come home from prison. What is tripped out is how many people show a lot of “love” to people when they get out of jail (remember Chris Rock saying people got more love coming out of jail than coming home from college), but they don’t get a lot of love from business owners (including Black business owners) when they are looking for legitimate work. This is part of the reason why people who come home are so likely to commit and be caught in the midst of illegal activity within 6 months of their release and end up right back in corrections system. What needs to happen here: People need to have positive attitudes towards their people. Do not confuse a positive attitude with stupidity, but instead confuse it with educated optimism. There is nothing wrong with giving someone a conditional hire. Do not confuse conditional with opportunity to humiliate. People are amazing in the sense that they will excel when people show faith in them. The article quotes a brother who says he and his peers suffer from a “general state of hopelessness.” Hopelessness is overcome by having faith in yourself and others having faith in you. Think about it, when was the last time you felt like you could do something when people were constantly putting you down saying you “never did it before” or that you were “incapable” of doing it? We need to invest psychologically in our brethren.
Secondly, there are opportunities to educate outside of traditional school. Ideally, everyone would matriculate through elementary, middle, high school, undergrad, grad, doctorate, post-doc, etc. In cases where that has not happened, that does not mean that education should not be an option. What can be done here: Maybe we can encourage young men/women to seek opportunities that they feel are more practical. What I mean by that is this: usually people leave school because they do not see immediate benefit. I more than anyone wish to eradicate instant gratification ideology from the world, but in the mean time, I feel like we can use it to demonstrate both immediate and future benefits gained from education. For example, why not identify trades/talents that students have in say, 8th grade. In their high school (9th thru 12th grade years), why not provide access to training in their fields of interest (e.g. web design, auto repair, cosmetolgoy, medical assistant, whatever)? Why not provide access to the training and tie performance in “regular” school together with the vocational training? Meaning, we should reward high performance in the vocational education equally. That way, there is recognition (who doesn’t like that?) for those that excel in economics and those who excel in electrician training. We should embrace Adult Education and Professional Certification programs. If/when people demonstrate hunger and willingness to work, then they deserve to have a chance taken on them (see above).
Re-entry. The article calls out programs that focus on prison re-entry. The same attention needs to be paid to juvenile re-entry. Programs like Detroit’s Partners for Success are great examples of taking a proactive approach to confronting the issues the will be present in the lives of young men/women when they leave the system. We talk a lot about this on the site, and some of the posts on the subject can be read here. Keys to successful re-entry are showing confidence and providing opportunities.
Those sound a lot like the keys to life in general.
This leg of my trip lands me in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The news for this day comes courtesy of The Milwaukee Community Journal, Wisconsin’s largest Black newspaper.
The headline reads, “Gov. Doyle signs bill expanding choice.” It specifically refers to reforms to the Milwaukee Parental Choice program, which allows for qualified families to receive financial help to send their children to private schools in the city of Milwaukee. We will use this story to discuss the idea of “school choice” programs in Milwaukee and other places around the country.
I went to public preschool, kindergarten, and 1st & 2nd grade at public schools in Detroit. After my family moved to Farmington, I attended 3rd thru 12th grades at public schools in Farmington. I then graduated from the University of Michigan, a public university. I say all that to provide full disclosure that I am a product of public education.
Most understand differences between public and private education. Generally, private schools offer smaller class sizes [than their public counterparts], more specialized/focused curricula, more Advanced Placement opportunities, etc. Most of these differences exist due to the simple fact that you must pay tuition to attend private school. Most understand that all public school systems are not created equal. There were definite differences in the Detroit and Farmington systems in terms of access to resources, quality of facilities, and parental/community participation. These differences exist for any number of reasons, which I will not list here. The characteristics of private schools as described above are ones that most families would desire for their school-aged children.
In order to address these differences, the concept of “school choice” was born. It essentially says that the government, acknowledging inequalities between public and private schools, will subsidize a student’s tuition to a private school, if the student and family meet a set of criteria [that differs depending on the location].
This begs the following: how does one define “public education?” Does it mean government provided/sanctioned/sponsored? Does it mean funded by tax revenue? Does it mean comprised of students from the community surrounding the school? In my opinion, your answer to this question helps to frame your views on school choice.
“School choice” is making the private schools in effect semi-public, if you believe that public equals funded by tax revenue, since most “school choice” programs are not ones that you pay to participate in. It also “public-izes” them if you believe that public equals government-sponsored, in the sense that the government has a set of [private] schools for which it chooses to subsidize the cost of attendance.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s expansion bill increases the number of students allowed to participate, increases funding towards smaller class sizes via the SAGE Program, adjustments to student eligibility requirements, and other things. The issue I have with this particular plan has to do with how the smaller class size monies are handled. The article says that $25 million will be raised, $8 million of which will go to the public schools. What is happening with the other $17 million? Why is it not earmarked for the same purpose?
I generally disagree with the “school choice” model. I see it as an easy, cop-out method employed by state and local governments to avoid acknowledging, confronting, and addressing issues in challenged schools within public districts. To me, public education means government funded thru tax dollars. That means that if I pay taxes, I should be granted premium educational opportunities AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. The reason some feel “forced” to enroll their kids in private schools that they may or may not be able to afford is because of the failure of the government to provide this basic service. As opposed to facing this, “school choice” lets them off with zero accountability.
So how do we “fix” public education? I believe the solution is two-fold. First, IN OUR MINDS education must shift from a desired luxury to a practical necessity. I am by no means a psychologist, but I do believe that people treat their wants and needs differently. If we embraced a MINDSET that said education was essential for survival, then there would be less apathy towards it and negativity associated with it (e.g. No more being labeled as “talking white”). We see tangible examples of education’s practicality and necessity in the job market, where more and more occupations require higher and higher levels of formal education.
The second, which occurs in parallel to the first, is a change in what we see as the purpose of education. My mentor Calvin Mackie says, “if it only makes dollars, it doesn’t make sense.” Applied here, this means that if we view education only as a means to attain financial “success,” then we do not really value/understand it. This is an underlying motivation behind alarmingly high dropout rates in high school and college. People feel like the same money they could make in X years by becoming educated can be made in X days by leaving school and working/hustling immediately. If knowledge and education went beyond pathways to paychecks, maybe this would not be such a disturbing trend. How can we change this?
By changing the way we talk about education.
Make knowledge the priority over practicality (read: profitability) of an area of study.
By changing the way we talk about and define success.
Is wisdom, health and experience more important than money? Some would argue yes, others no. This does not mean that money has no practical value. It does mean that it should be a tool and not a goal.
By changing the way we educate.
Emphasize personal, practical aspects of subjects as opposed to standardized ideas. Encourage people to think critically by creating their own interpretations and challenge them to defend them. This is basically what happens in college. I argue that it should be applied upstream.
On the other side, school choice introduces competition to the public school monopoly that exists in many places. Can this “free market” approach to education be the jolt that public schools need to get it together? I don’t necessarily think so, but I am quite open to persuasion.
You know what I hate? It’s when Black people who have somewhat of a handle on managing their money don’t pass on that information to other people. We here at Superspade are well aware of all the financial trials that Black people face on a regular. (Like when the only “good” groceries you get are the week after payday but you’re eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the week of payday) But rarely do you see discussions focused on the tools others have used to reach their financial goals. This is where you come in.
If you have made some moves financially, whether it was learning how to budget or buy stocks, or you want to know how others have done it, you need to make your presence known on this post. I’ll go first. I am a recent college graduate and I am currently working my first “real” job. As such, there are several things I learned that have really helped me out. For starters, I realized the difference between needs and wants. For example, I used to buy Reynold’s Wrap just because I saw it on TV. But did I really need name brand aluminum foil? Probably not, so I made the switch. And if you multiply this example many times over, you will get an idea of how I spend my money.
The other thing I learned was balancing a checkbook didn’t help me keep things in perspective. So I started a budget in Excel such that I have three columns for each pay period. The first column shows all the money I have coming in and the second column shows all the bills and expenses I have to pay. The third column is my cash flow that I use to keep track of everything I pay with cash. The advantage I found with this method is that by using addition and subtraction functions within Excel, bills never sneak up on me and I can quickly see where I can cut back and where I am spending too much. Now I still use my checkbook but using Excel helps me see the big picture.
I have also started to take out cash that is strictly used for groceries and gas. For example, on a typical week I may spend anywhere between $30 and $40 on gas so I take out $40 for gas and I keep track of gas spending in my Excel spreadsheet as well. The same thing goes for food. I make a point to shop once a week and I am one of those people who shop with a calculator, notebook, and pen. Because I know it’s hard for me to put something back after the cashier rang up my bill, even if I am over budget. So rather than cross my fingers, I already know how much I am getting before I get in line.
Right now, I am preparing to go to Law school in fall of 2007 but I don’t know how people make the financial transition from working full time to going to school full time. So for all my Superspades who have been there, help a brother out.
For all my shareholders out there, what books/websites were helpful in allowing you to get a handle on investing?
I want everyone reading this post to put a comment that shows something you learned to help you financially and something you would like to know. Because whether you are in high school, a college graduate, or a seasoned investor, we are all in this together and we learn as we go. And while you may think your financial woes will end if you made more money, they won’t unless you learn how to budget, save, and invest. Essentially, I am tired of Black folk getting all riled up over anything political, but get all quiet when someone asks us about our finances. Let’s step our game up because solutions have a weird way of canceling out sorrows.
Exercise, along with eating healthy food are two fundamental practices that lead to healthy lifestyles. I am willing to bet that on a whole that Black folk could be doing a lot more to improve our diet. Of course, part of this is problem is due to not having access to grocery stores like Whole Foods but this post is about the lack of people I see at the gym. Ladies first…
If I had a dime for every time I saw a Black woman at the gym, I wouldn’t have enough money to get a meal from the Mc Donald’s Dollar Menu. Of course, just because I haven’t observed something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist but let’s keep it real, Black women on the whole just don’t like the gym. But there has to be something deeper than Black women wanting to maintain their hair because I know Black women who have perms and still keep a regular workout schedule. I often hear that Black women don’t like men looking at them and would prefer to workout by themselves. But this can be by-passed by going to gyms that have gender-specific days so that you don’t have to worry about impressing members of the opposite sex.
And while I applaud Black women who prefer to workout using exercise DVDs, it is too easy to cheat yourself by just turning off the tape. More importantly, many gyms have equipment that focus on specific areas of the body.
In essence, I am very worried that because Black women don’t feel comfortable going to the gym, their health will invariably suffer as a result. So how can we get more Black women (and women of color) excited about exercising and joining the gym?
Don’t worry fellas, you are not off the hook because even though we will take time to play basketball and occasionally lift weights, we eat like crap. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen guys work out and then pig out on pizza or fast-food. Then these same guys wonder why they can bench press 275lb but have a beer belly. And how can you smoke and try to force yourself to play eight games of basketball? Nevertheless, the main reason men workout is to try to impress women but we have to get to a point where our inspiration for exercising is not solely dependent on women.
It’s all about balance and exercising is an important aspect for gaining a certain measure of inner-peace. But I’d like to know what inspired you to maintain a healthy lifestyle and how have you tried to inspire others?
I waited to write about the Dubai issue until it was clear who was going to back down first. In the end, opportunistic politicians and an irrational public won along with terrorism recruiters. And while Bush lost this battle, he won a tiny bit of my respect.
Everyone is against it
For starters, let me say that just because the proverbial “everyone” seems to be against the port deal, doesn’t make that position any less vulnerable to criticism or ignorance. In fact, when it seems like “everyone” is doing it, the chances of that position being flawed is usually high. In a previous post, I made reference to a poll where the majority of soldiers in Iraq believed they were in Iraq to retaliate against Saddam Hussein for his involvement in 9/11. Now of course, this is not true but this is just one small example of how being in a majority does not make your position right.
Port management not port security
Companies like DP World are not responsible for providing security at the ports. Port security is maintained by the US Coast Guard and Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “For instance, in New Orleans, P&O is one of eight terminal operators responsible for marketing the port, signing agreements with shipping lines, hiring labor, loading ships, and moving cargo …We have our own police force, harbor patrol, customs officers, and Coast Guard,” says Chris Bonura, spokesman for the Port of New Orleans. “That won’t change no matter who is operating the terminal.” So for all the people against this deal, who prefaced their opinion by stating that this is not about “Arab” countries, please know that the US would still be responsible for security no matter which company operated the ports.
But here is a better analogy that explains how ignorant the media and politicians have twisted the truth; “It’s like I go to an apartment building that has 50 apartments, and I rent an apartment. This does not mean I took over the management of the whole building.” And if you are really concerned about national security, take Bush to task for funding “only one-fifth of what the port authorities had identified as needed to properly secure the ports.”
But UAE has helped terrorist networks
So what!!!! I don’t say that to mean that we should be doing business with the likes of Bin Laden, BUT since when did the actions of certain individuals come to reflect the beliefs of that government? And if you are willing to do that, then tell me why we haven’t invaded Saudi Arabia because we know that most of the hijackers of 9/11 were from there? And I understand that “Dubai was the distribution hub of rogue Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan’s nuclear black market. But truer still is the cooperation Dubai’s intelligence officials gave the US in helping unravel Dr. Khan’s network.” After 9/11, people had to change the way they did business with the United States. And maybe, just maybe if people knew how responsive the UAE were to these changes, then people might understand that Arabs, like most people, just want a better life for their families.
But how can we trust the UAE?
Well, if you did your homework, you would know that the UAE was the “first Middle Eastern government to accept the US Container Security Initiative as policy to screen all containers for security hazards before heading to America. In May 2005, Dubai signed an agreement with the US Department of Energy to prevent nuclear materials from passing through its ports. It also installed radiation-detecting equipment – evidence of a commitment to invest in technology. In October 2005, the UAE Central Bank directed banks and financial institutions in the country to tighten their internal systems and controls in their fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.” Now for some people, that might not be enough but if Dubai did all of this work just to get denied due American prejudices, then what more do you want from them? There is a point where being friends hurts more than being enemies. And I blame Bush for painting this global conflict as “you are either with us or against us,” and then get surprised when the public responds to this port deal with the same ignorance.
Sorry Democrats
However, I have been most disappointed with the Democrats who are trying to out-hawk the Republicans on this issue. Now anyone who reads the Superspade, knows that I am very critical of the so-called war on terror and I think we must re-examine Western business and foreign policy that fuels terrorism. And it is not just on religious grounds but I digress. The Democrats are weak on defense issues because they think that if they appear tougher than Republicans, they will gain majorities in the House and Senate. However, a proven martial arts principle informs us that the best way to defeat opponents is to find ways not to fight. Democrats would gain my respect if they showed any hint of understanding that principle.
Why I agree with Bush
Now that the deal is done, I must say I was impressed when Bush said, “I’m concerned about a broader message this issue could send to our friends and allies around the world, particularly in the Middle East.” But my major contention is that Dubai and the UAE played by rules of democracy and capitalism while also showing itself to be an ally in the war on terror. Now my guess is that most wars are fought in part to create better business conditions for those involved. So if Dubai can’t get the hook up in getting some extra business deals for helping the US, then benefits are there for helping the US? Not to mention that by most accounts, UAE is considered a moderate Arab country. Given that, what incentive do we give other moderate countries to help the US when in the end, you probably won’t be able to get the financial hook up or any boost in nuclear arsenals.
“It is hypocritical for America to want democracy in the Middle East, to champion capitalism as the best economic framework while pushing for reform, transparency, and anticorruption practices in its businesses, and then turn protectionist when a Dubai-owned company turns up on our shores having played the capitalist takeover game responsibly and transparently.”
Nothing is free in this world and the UAE scratched the US back by helping in the war on terror so now it is time for the US to scratch the UAE’s back. Unfortunately, DP World and UAE now probably feel like they have been stabbed in the back. And if you were the leader of a moderate Arab country, would you feel comfortable doing business with the US? Of course not!!!! And of course if the UAE becomes a hub for terrorists, critics will say this had nothing to do with the ports deal. But the main point is that the biggest recruiting hub for terrorists can be found in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I’m sure that the US is going to be fighting this so-called war on terror long after Bush is gone from office, but we have to understand that we are living in a world that requires strategies more akin to chess than checkers.
Many thinking people of color have pondered the following circumstance: Being a minority, it is not often that you have members of your government who look like you. Usually, if/when one of your brethren is elected or appointed to public office, you feel a sense of pride. The question is, if that person does not have your best interest at heart, should you be proud of them?
The goal of this discussion is not to argue whether or not these individuals have the “best interests” of Black people in this country. I would like to examine the merits of the notion that by simply being in prominent positions, these people are doing a service to the Black community.
On the surface, I agree that there is some nominal value in a Black person being in a visible position. The argument here is that the image alone is defeating stereotypes and opening doors for other Black people in the future to ascend beyond those heights. It may broaden the perspective of a young Black girl to see a Black woman serve as our nations chief diplomat. It may be inspirational for a Black boy to see a Black man on the Supreme Court bench. Black children can catch a glimpse of their possible future when they see Black professionals. Without these images, maybe children would see such things as unattainable. They would think that their only choice in life was to go the Hustle & Flow route. Seeing such things can give a person a lot more to look forward to.
However, this view is problematic because it does not take into account what it takes to transform possibility into reality. It’s one thing to see a Black professional, and a whole different thing to consistently interact with a Black professional as a child. It’s one thing to see a Black judge, but it’s a whole different thing to understand and observe how that judges decisions improve and protect your life and rights. I contend that there is little value in Black figureheads. They are no more than paintings on the wall: nice to look at, making absolutely difference.
Think about it. Why is it that we get pissed off whenever people speak of quotas? Two primary reasons. First, people see that the motivation for hiring/awarding contracts to/whatever-ing the “beneficiaries” of said quota is selfish and dishonest. Secondly, they realize that that selfish, dishonest motivation makes the act of hiring/awarding contracts to/whatever-ing MEANINGLESS!!!! That means that motivation and intentions must matter.
With that said, that is why it is important to be mindful of not only the motivations of the persons who are in these positions, but of the people who put them there as well. If the person in such a position has no motivation to at least care about or take into consideration the interests of his/her brethren, they might as well not be there claiming to be “trailblazing pioneers for their people.” Likewise, if the appointers of said position are doing so in sinister plots to divert attention from other actions and policies, I’d really rather they didn’t.
I’ll close by giving some examples. Please comment on the thoughts above and add to the list below.
There is an interesting but upsetting debate that has been rekindled in America this week. I will refer to it as “Father’s Rights.” The National Center for Men are arguing that child support laws victimize men in cases of unintended pregnancy. I guess Deadbeat Dadhood just got a new freshman class.As a purely intellectual exercise, the concept of “equal” decision-making power in the event of unintended pregnancy is actually interesting. On the surface, men are 100% powerless in the decision to have a baby once conception has occurred. Let’s compare:
What a woman may choose:
Have the child
Abort the child
Raise the child after birth (alone or with the father)
Seek adoption for the child after birth
Abandon the child after birth
What a man may choose:
Raise the child after birth (with or separate from the mother)
Abandon the child after birth
Looking at sheer numbers, the women definitely have more options.
Often in the case of unintended pregnancy, men start counting nickels as well. They may often fiscally abandon both the child and the mother because they do not want the baby. I guess the argument here is that this is “unfair” since if the mother didn’t want the baby, she could have an abortion and it would be a “done deal.” This is a blatantly irresponsible and immature view that completely disregards the proven and documented adverse health effects of abortions. But aside from that, the reason that child support laws are on the books is to [at least attempt to] lessen the negative financial effects of a failed parental relationship on their child. What that means is that when a parent defaults on child support, they default on the child. THAT’S WHY IT’S CALLED CHILD SUPPORT!!!!
The problem with the arguments of the National Center for Men is that it’s goal is to punish women because they have more choices. This is simply asinine. In a blind and irresponsible reactionary fury to a feeling of powerlessness at the time of being made aware of an unintended pregnancy, these dudes decided to fight for the right to make a their own kid(s) suffer. Wow
Maybe they don’t see it that way. Maybe their motivation is, “I give her child support money and she spends it on everything but our child.” Well, there are two options to avoid the aforementioned scenario:
1. Stay together and [at least attempt to] maintain a functional relationship
In this scenario, the money is both of you all’s anyway, so where it goes is more transparent. In no way am I implying that the only drive to attempt to make a mother-father relationship flourish is money. I actually think quite the opposite, believing that trust and understanding can form foundations that will overcome monetary challenges. I simply present this as an option for those who don’t want their money “wasted.” 2. Think before you smash
The person who made the decision to get on the trifling’ female was…you.
So what is my conclusion? Don’t drink the careless. Let’s not look for excuses to abandon reasonable responsibilities that so many already disregard. We need a re-definition of black fatherhood, or fatherhood period. Nowhere in that definition should there exist a man who is jealous of his woman’s “abundance of options.”
“Men cannot afford to be careless.”
- Vito Corleone
It’s the big, fat elephant in the room whenever a Black person is accused of anything. It’s the silent reality that everyone knows but few articulate whenever a Black person goes to court. It is the subtle assumption when dealing with inequality in America. It is the ever-present Race Card.
The question at hand is, when is it appropriate to justify a situation or an action by the race(s) of the person(s) involved therein? Let’s look at a few examples and try think about it.
Anybody who took a CAAS class at Michigan or has read anything written by a member of the Black intelligentsia knows that race is a social construct, meaning that it is not “real” or “tangible.” The problem is that this “intangible” thing has been and continues to be used against people of the wrong [unreal] race.
The issue though is that race, whether you believe it is real or not, does not exist in a vacuum. It coexists in the complex matrix of circumstance often referred to as reality. In this thing called reality, many things pull many people in many different directions, not the least of these being their racial identification. Also, ones racial appearance and/or identification (which may not necessarily be the same) can and often does effect the perspectives they possess, the choices they make, the actions they take, the circumstances they exist in.
Prime examples are the Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005. This site is firmly at odds with the top-to-bottom governmental response [or lack thereof] to the disasters that was Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While I have my own belief that race was the ultimate determining factor and motivation behind the apathy displayed towards the hurricane victims and survivors, I must also realize that other factors played roles. Poverty had a lot to do with the response as well. I do not know of an example where poor white people were in the same position as poor black people and then devastated by such an event. Only if such a case existed would I be able to test the validity of my theory. Regardless, the sad reality is that poverty and race in America are in many cases interdependent. This is just one example of the way that reality partners the real with the unreal, the tangible with the intangible.
So my question then is why do we not more often play the [insert your "real" card here] card. Why do we not focus on the implications of poverty when we talk about racial profiling? Does “poverty profiling” not occur? Does classism not exist in this country? Is it off-base to think that maybe this approach deserves serious consideration? Martin Luther King Jr. began articulating this with his Poor People’s Campaign, which he initiated shortly before he was made a martyr. I do not doubt that this realization was a key factor in his assassination.
Example that could go either way
- Driving While Black
This warrants further explanation before everyone gets pissed at me. The simple example is this: Consider two cases. In case A, I am pulled over for going 5 over in my suburban neighborhood of Farmington at 10 PM on Tuesday night. In case B, I am pulled over for going 25 over in my suburban neighborhood of Farmington at 10 PM on Tuesday night. In case A, I have been found guilty of Driving while Black. In case B, I have been found guilty of Reckless Driving [While Black?]. You decide.
This is the most outlandish idea I have heard in a while. I actually wanted to write on the war today but whoever sent me this email made me detour. Now I won’t front like I don’t use nigga but could he not have thought of anything more creative? For all the comedic genius that the Wayans are famous for, this is not funny. In fact, I feel tricked, I feel hoodwinked, I feel bamboozled!!! (In case you forgot, Damon Wayans played the leading role in Spike Lee’s, Bamboozled)
But this is not the movies and even if this is an attempt on Damon’s part to spark a national discussion on race while getting paid, he is sorely mistaken. Aside from the myriad of problems that will be raised from White people rocking these clothes, is it really good for uplifting the Black Community? I remember growing up wearing Karl Kani and Cross Colours and these clothing lines were designed by Black folk and it caused a sense of pride. I feel the same today about Sean John and RocaWear. I say all that to say I wouldn’t mind wearing “Wayans Wear” if his stuff was on point. But why nigga?
And I realize my contradiction in using nigga in private amongst my people but being against the idea of this clothing line. But what do you think? Is it hypocritical for Black folk to use nigga amongst Black people but to be against Damon Wayan’s idea? And how is it different from rappers using the word nigga in their lyrics? Could Damon be on to something that will ultimately help Black folk?
What’s up fam, I was talking to a nephew of mine about hygiene and he is pretty much on point. But a lot of us are not holding it down in this department. And hygiene is bigger than looking right for the ladies because it also major affects as you traverse the workplace. So whether you are Scruff McGruff or consider yourself metrosexual, please look over this list and add comments as you see fit. And ladies please, help us out if you have any suggestions.
Fellas, we are too old to be having boo boo stains in our underwear. And if the only time your butt feels clean is when get out the shower, you have a problem. But it’s OK. Get some wet wipes and keep some on you and keep a pack at the house. And think about how much little time you spend wiping your butt. Sorry fellas, I had to take it there.
Black belt = Black shoes and Brown belt = Brown shoes. And matching socks never hurt anybody either.
I know you have heard the ladies talk about how much they love LL Cool J’s lips right? You are not him. Stop licking your lips all the time and get some Chapstick, Burt’s Bees Wax, Carmex, or something. When you lick your lips all the time trying to be cool or what not (especially if its cold), they are more susceptible to getting chapped and that is unacceptable. Period. This advice will help you from looking like a crack head and it will help the ladies know you take care of yourself.
Clip your hang nail. Just glance at your hands right now. If you have hang nail that is growing sideways, clip it off. And if you keep a small nail clipper on you, you won’t have to wait until you get home to take care of your situation
Just because you don’t stains in your jeans, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash them. Keep it real, when was the last time you either washed/dry-cleaned your jeans? My point exactly.
Women still pay attention to your shoes, so keep them looking decent. By decent, I don’t the most expensive, but if you bought white gym shoes and they look like you have been playing in the mud, it’s time for some new ones. And as for dress shoes, try to keep them shined up. You should either take them to the shoe shine parlor if you can and if you can’t do that, keep a little shoe shine kit at the house. (this kit usually includes shoe polish (brown or black), a brush, and a shine rag)
Assuming you wash your hands after you use the bathroom, then you know your hands end up looking ashy when you’re done. So keep a small bottle of lotion so the ladies don’t think you don’t use lotion.
Just because you have a close cut doesn’t mean you don’t need to wash your hair/scalp.
Learn how to blouse your dress shirts such that after you lift your arms, you are not looking sloppy.
There is nothing wrong with investing in nice cologne but know that you should pay attention to the type of soap you are using because every product you use (i.e. soap, aftershave, hair grease, etc.) work together to produce the scent that people ultimately smell. So be careful and if you are not sure, ask a woman who won’t lie to you.
You know what I hate sometimes? It is when high fallutin’ Black folk forget their roots. And you know what I’m talking about, the Black folk who get a little education and all of a sudden they are Cornel West and have a ready answer for any and all of the ills Black people encounter. But what I fear sometimes is that in all our intellectuality (yes that is a word and an example of the terminology you often find in high fallutin’ Black folk) we forget the basic things that make us love and appreciate our people.
Black history is so replete with Black people not only overcoming extraordinary circumstances but being the absolute best at everything they put their hands to. My history sustains me and is a constant source of inspiration.
I love how Black skin glistens in the summertime.
I grew up in the hood on the Westside of Detroit off of 7 Mile and I also went to private school when my parents could afford it. So to all the hardcore cats I grew up with and looked up to, thank you for not letting me get caught up in foolishness.
It’s amazing how Black people can talk to each other without talking and know exactly what the other person is saying.
I always chuckle when I learn that a Black man who is a junior has “Junebug” as a nickname.
And don’t the sisters get upset when the brothers get real particular about their feet? “Let me see them toes girl!” Blame Boomerang.
God must have invented Spades on the seventh day of creating the world, when he was chillin’ because I can’t think of any other game that brings Black folk together like Spades. And let me give a special shot out to my people who don’t re-nig.
To my beautiful sisters, the little pouch in your stomach is fine so please don’t try to work it off. A brother needs something to hold.
I love it when I am at a BBQ manning the grill because as I finish cooking the last tray of meat, a beautiful Black woman asks me what I want on my plate. And then she is so sweet because she will hook a brother up with the big piece of chicken. Let’s go!
I smile when I feel the pressure to see every new Black movie no matter how good or bad it will be. Because if we don’t support our movies, who will?
Isn’t it funny how Black folk can start bobbing their head to a song during the interlude and catch the beat right on time?
And I know the brothers remember trying to freestyle during lunchtime or having like 12 dudes at a table all making beats with their fists and knuckles, resulting in a fierce rhythm that made you thicken the wrinkles in your forehead.
I love the universal pound/dap that most Black men know like the back of their hands.
And a big thank you goes out to all of the Black singers and musicians from the church that moved me to tears by allowing God to move through your instruments and your voice.
I could go and on but sometimes, you just have to say it plain. But I want to know why you love Black people.
In the spirit of Steve’s post on tough love, I wanted to know what you think about beating your current or future children.
Yesterday, my sister sent me an email praising older Black mothers who were very strict and used a no-nonsense approach to raising their children. The email ended by thanking our Black mothers for setting us on the straight path while simultaneously challenging current younger Black mothers to learn from their elders as it relates to child rearing. And that got me thinking about the Black State of the butt whoopin’.
And just so we are clear, by butt whoopin’, I mean using a belt that will primarily be used on the buttocks but sometimes you might catch some thigh. Moreover, I am not talking about open handed slaps or beating kids upside their head. There is a difference between child abuse and corporal punishment.
Now I don’t have any statistics on how many Black parents beat their children and I think it would be difficult to find reliable statistics because you would probably end up with over or under reporting. And are you asking the parents or the child? Won’t the child be afraid of “telling” on his parents and won’t parents try to make it look like they are the best parents in the world?
In any event, I think Black people need to get back to beating. And I won’t say that beating is any less popular now, I just believe that as an aggregate, we forgot the purpose for beating their children. “Spare the rod, save the child,” is what I heard growing up and I think it is true as it ever was. But now I sense that Black parents are beating their kids trying to work out the anger or frustration in their own lives. Moreover, there are no rules, and if they are, they are enforced to varying degrees depending on how Mommy or Daddy “feels” that day. And kids are so conniving because they pick up on contradictions real fast and will play you like a fiddle. And parents need to realize that the innocent phase of childhood is getting shorter and shorter so it might be better to get out of the mindset that you won’t use corporal punishment until a certain time and nip things in the bud before it gets out of control.
All kids?
Now do all kids need to be beat? Of course not, because every child is different and therefore requires different needs. But I hate when the people who don’t believe in corporal punishment try to paint me as an aggressive person who will take pleasure in beating my children. Beating your kids is not fun and I will probably be crying myself if I have to do it. So I don’t have a pre-determined goal to beat my children, but if I see they understand the rules of my household and persist to disobey, please believe the belt will be in full effect.
What about fathers and daughters?
I had a conversation about a year ago that involved the issues surrounding father beating their daughters and the ramifications that may cause for the daughter. I started out the conversation stating that I would beat my son and my daughter. And I went on to say that don’t want my beautiful daughter to think that because she is cute, she can’t be disciplined. But the woman I was talking to pointed out that she would prefer that fathers beat their sons and mothers beat their daughters. And her logic was that fathers who beat their daughters may cause them to think it is ok for a man to put their hands on them. I was on the fence at first but I think she made a valid point so that is something I want to hear your feedback on. Should fathers beat their daughters? And what about single fathers raising girls?
I could go on and on about this because parenting is one of the most sacred acts of the human experience. And sometimes parenting requires punishment for hard-headed kids. Unfortunately, I have seen Black parents use corporal punishment for the better and for the worse. And for that reason, we need to get in each other’s business like we used to do back in the day. I was raised by almost everyone on my block and my mother was raising four kids by herself but the checks and balances of the “block” made her life easier because if she couldn’t come home at a decent time, I would eat dinner across the street. I say all that to say that the way you raise your kids is my business and vice versa. Not everyone will do the same thing and I understand that but it takes a lot more than a village with all of the madness of this world. Love your kids and as it says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
I’m sure there are plenty of people that think this is no big deal. They think that this is simply readying these students for the future realities of corporate citizenry in this country. They say that such styles are immature and make you look less intelligent and/or presentable to your potential employers. The story states Business School Dean Sid Credle’s (pictured here) motivation: “When we look at the top 75 African Americans in corporate America, we don’t see any of them with extreme hairdos.” Pardon me, but what is an extreme hairdo?!?!?!?! Who defines that? Black people? White people? Rich people? Poor people? Employers? I guess this guy would have thought that Madame C.J. Walker’s improvements to the metal straightening comb were bad because at that time “straight” hair was an extreme hairdo for black women.
You know where their notion of an extreme hairdo comes from? It is the result of staring at today through the lens of the supremacist, “Good Ol’ Boys” network that dominates american corporate culture. I am led to believe that because of the following statement from the article:
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“Afros are OK but cornrows and flowing dreadlocks are not…’We don’t have problems with Afros,’ business Dean Sid Credle said Friday. ‘A nicely tapered Afro – that’s fine.’”
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I’m not that old, but I’m sure there was a time not-so-long ago when the “nicely tapered Afro” was considered extreme. What is different from yesterday’s afro and today’s cornrow? Why is this formerly extreme hairdo now mainstream? Because white people think it’s cool. Period. Why do they think it’s cool? We will save that question for another day. Anyone who knows anything about hair knows that a caesar with a bad line up looks 1 billion times worse than newly braided cornrows. So why doesn’t the Hampton B School just take a look at EVERYBODY’S hair when they enter the building, and give them the go or no-go. It would go something like “If you don’t have waves homeboy, go get a brush before entering my school,” or “I’m sorry ma’am but you perm has not made your hair straight enough.” What’s their policy on facial hair I wonder? That wasn’t all that acceptable a short while a go in contemporary corporate america either, but I digress.
What kills me about these sorts of stupid policies are their selective nature. There have been lawsuits filed against other educational institutions for similar policies. I know that somebody in the Dean’s Office had to have known that there was some precedence with these sorts of policies. So either they disregarded that knowledge, or they felt that their policy was different. Maybe it was “different” because this is a policy at an HBCU. You know the theory: it’s not racist or culturally insensitive or prejudiced if it is done/said by a Black person or institution.
Maybe I wouldn’t have a problem with this policy if [it actually made sense, or if] the B School at Hampton took a multi-pronged approach to addressing the problem it is trying to “solve.” In addition to suggesting non-extreme hairstyles why not educate their corporate partners on what is and is not extreme and begin to change their ignorant perspective? I guess this can’t happen because the administration is too afraid of biting the hands that feed them.
Hmmmm…
That sounds familiar…Black folks not speaking up because they are afraid of being reprimanded, rejected, or punished…I think that that is an image we need to try to destroy and not repeat.
What complicates this situation is that the University of Michigan has been a fierce supporter of affirmative action programs in admissions and ranks among the best for the number of Ph.D.s granted to doctoral students. But does this record let the University off the hook if the said charges are potent and systemic?
Some say that this lawsuit proves that if you have race-based admissions then you must have race-based graduation while others say that this lawsuit is an example of a bait and switch and the University should be called to task. How would you handle this situation? What do you think are the potential far-reaching implications of this lawsuit?
Please stay tuned to Superspade as we work to bring you exclusive access to the people and ideas that inspired this lawsuit.
The ‘long war‘ is really an ironic concept. The irony comes in the fact that America’s “battle-hardened, unmatched military dominance” cannot defeat this “whimsical, cowardly” antagonist called “terror.” Well actually, that’s not the military (read: the soldiers) fault. That is the fault of the leadership of the military. Unfortunately, there is zero accountability on the part of the leadership of the military for their failures. Instead, they are breaking the army. Well, broken stuff has to be fixed right? Salon.com is showing us how it’s being fixed. I’ll tell you why their solution is just plain evil.
From the article:
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Facing an enlistment crisis, the Army is granting “waivers” to an increasingly high percentage of recruits with criminal records — and trying to hide it.
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Where do we begin? What comes first: the chicken, or the egg? What’s worse: the fact that they are hiring criminals, or the fact that they don’t want you to know about it?
I think this “Army Internship for the Previously Disenfranchised” is a ridiculous and underhanded attempt to subvert integrious recruitment tactics and keep the numbers of minorities in the armed forces nice and disproportionate. Think about it. We know that there are disproportionate numbers of black and Latin males in prison today. We also know that many lower-income urban communities are populated by black and Latin people. If I was stupid, which I may be, I could look at that and say, “if I want to find a bunch of black and Latin men, let me go to a population that has an abnormal proportion of these individuals and look.” That would leave me with two “legitimate” options. The first is to recruit from the hood, the second is to recruit from jail. I mean besides, these are already societies outcasts anyway (the poor and the imprisoned) in some people’s eyes, right? That is why they think it’s OK to throw the into the fire of war. If they lose their lives, at least it wasn’t someone “valuable.”
Why try to hide it? The military already does this! The numbers are clear and support that something fishy must be going on. People can’t think that Black people overwhelmingly want to join the military more so than others, can they? Maybe I’m the stupid one who fails to see that as reality, but I digress. Why not say “we are doing this because we fear we may not hit our numbers and must therefore re-evaluate how/where we recruit” out loud? Because they know that the program is sinister and racist, and don’t want this to be any more obvious, thus marking the difference in today’s struggle against covert racism with the yesterdays struggle against overt racism.
So what do we do about this? BE INFORMED! Spread the word and let people know about these underhanded tactics to take members away from our community and use them as pawns of oppression. Tell your friends and relatives and acquaintances and neighbors to be wary of recruiters using such carrot and stick tactics as higher bonuses (the carrot) to entice enlistment and possible execution by foreign adversaries (the stick).
I am so surprised that after the coalition launched its attack on Iraq, the predictions of a quick victory and no plans for an occupation have faltered. The implications of Rumsfeld’s speech are profound because it seems odd that Presidents get credit for starting wars and once that machine is in motion, it takes monumental circumstances for the political elite to actually end the war. But at least the characters are set up with Rumsfeld comparing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Which makes me wonder why we would want to catch Osama when it is his being elusive that provided much of the impetus for invading Iraq? Just imagine how future historians will look back on this war; Bush vs. Bin Laden. It is so simplistic it is nauseating.
And with the Bush administration doggedly resisting all forms of a timetable, they are just waiting to pass on the real mess of this war to future Presidents. This will in turn allow Bush Jr. to enjoy fishing with his father saying “Dad, I really wanted to finish that war but those dang old term limits nipped me in the bud.” But on a more serious note, Rumsfeld and others have noted the war on terrorism could take years. Do you really think the neo-conservatives thought the US would invade Iraq and bring the troops home? Just think about the timing of the US media sudden infatuation with Iran and how it coincided with the ‘major’ elections in Iraq. The boys are already overseas, so we might as well keep them busy right?
Tonight was the continuation of an American tradition in which the elected executive stands before the whole of the remaining two branches of government and delivers their thoughts and visions on and for the Nation. It is a good opportunity to listen to what the president has to say about America: what do do they care about? What do they want to do? What have they done?
G. W. Bush had a few main points tonight, which included:
1. Isolationism = Defeatism
2. Democracy everywhere is the future
3. Building on existing domestic momentum
That is what he said. Here is what it actually means. We will approach this line-by-line, with parallel translation of rhetoric.
“Act in a spirit of goodwill and respect.”
G. W. Used this in reference to the heated, partisan tone of recent Washington debates (Patriot Act Extension, Alito Confirmation Hearings, Domestic Spying Inquiries). What this really means is “Democrats need to stop making noise. Get down or lay down.” It means that conservatives don’t want any disagreement, regardless of its merit (more on this below).
“Isolationism leads to danger and defeat.”
This is how G. W. Began his foreign policy section. This is a challenge to those of us who feel that domestic matters outweigh foreign affairs. Isolationist is conservative code for “having one’s priorities in logical order.” Is it “danger and defeat” if you care more about someone else’s house than your own family’s well-being? Of course not: it’s stupid.
“We seek the end of tyranny in the world…democracies replace resentment with hope…” This was how G. W. Justified his *Offensive Democracy* foreign policy approach. Research has shown that “fighting them there so they don’t fight us here” holds as much water as a spider web. What does tyranny mean? It can be summed up in two words: unchecked leadership. America was designed to protect against such a thing, but with all three branches compromised, that protection has disappeared. As for democracy replacing resentment, is there resentment in American democracy? That’s another spider web full of Kool-Aid.
Mentioned Zimbabwe among non-democracies The African continent made an appearance this year. The last time the Earth’s source was mentioned by G. W. was when he lied about Iraq getting weapons of mass destruction from Niger. I don’t think this mention will stir as much reaction.
“Terrorists chose the weapon of fear”
This is the first nominee for Line of the Night. BushCo has pedaled fear and propaganda in order to justify their foolish, selfish policies, including [but not limited to] the Patriot Act and the Domestic Spying program and the so-called “War on Terror.”
“The US will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil” More code for “isolationism” being bad. See above.
“Clear plan for victory” in Iraq
This is the second nominee for Line of the Night. All I can say about this is this: when the “clear plan” is made “clear” by not “clearly” defining success, then is it really that “clear?”
“Iraq: 3 years to sovereignty…we are winning” Sovereignty? G. W. Still hasn’t figured out what sovereignty means. What government is sovereign when it is supported, financed, and protected by another government. And “we are winning?” See above for an explanation on why you can’t win when you don’t know what winning means or looks like.
“The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home” This is a feeble attempt at defining winning. Any idiot knows that when a “war” is “over,” the troops will come home. This is simply an empty, rhetorical, admission of the obvious.
Responsible Criticism vs. Defeatism
G. W. has touched on this before. Responsible criticism might as well mean total, blind agreement. Anything less is defeatism in the eyes of conservatives.
“Keep our word…stand behind the American military” The “keep our word” part is the same as the “stay the course” B.S. that we’ve been hearing since the election of 2004. It means “I [and my backers] am too damn hard-headed to see my flawed actions and decisions of the past, and I refuse to change my tactics in spite of my mistakes.” It is an unfortunate reality that we meddled in and broke Iraq. Oh well in my opinion. I would much rather see resources expended in the Gulf Coast than the Persian Gulf.
“Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law…”
The timing of this statement is matched only by its irony. We are amid scandal and corruption in Washington, yet the President is calling for “the rule of law” in other nations. Apparently Americans can be above the law. Well, Americans WITH MONEY (read: Republicans) can be above the law.
America wants to be “the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran” This is laughable considering that we will likely be invading Iran in the near future. Whether they were free or democratic, they would get invaded.
Spying: “appropriate members of Congress kept informed” More attempts to justify “Terrorism Surveillance.” What defines “appropriate?” Why wasn’t the “appropriate,” appointed FISA Court informed?
“Roosevelt, Kennedy rejected isolation and retreat”
Sprinkle of rhetoric here about why “isolationism” is bad. We’ve already covered why that’s just plain dumb.
“I urge the Congress to act responsibly and make the tax cuts permanent.” This oxymoron is the third nominee for Line of the Night. This means the the legislature should “responsibly” withhold money from important domestic affairs to reward the wealthy. Permanent tax cuts would be as irresponsible as permanent tax increases. Since one cannot predict future occurrences, tax policy should be periodically, organically evaluated.
The Special-Interest problem can be tackled with the Line-Item Veto
Never seen a President that didn’t want a Line-Item Veto, so that’s nothing new. The question is, would he really, really do something about lobbyists if he had one? I doubt it.
“Keeping America competitive requires affordable Health Care…Strengthen Health Spending Accounts…Make coverage portable” The first and third phrases sound decent enough to me, given that I want the ultimate in affordable, portable coverage: Universal Health Care. The second phrase is one that I have a problem with. This point, nestled between two decent ideas, is part of G. W.’s Ownership Society message. The problem is that 45 million Americans don’t have Health care and cannot afford it, another would not be able to afford or understand HSAs as proposed. The beauty of Universal Health Care is that is based on a simple notion: you need health care, you get it, period. HSAs are no more than funnels leading to the pockets of HMOs and Insurance companies. Do not be fooled.
“America is addicted to oil…Advanced Energy Initiative…Replace 75% of Middle Eastern oil dependence by 2025″
This is actually a good idea. Increase research in ethanol and zero-emission coal power is a good thing. However, I can’t imagine BushCo’s oil buddies letting this kind of thing actually result in lower oil consumption.
“American Competitiveness Initiative” Again, another good idea in theory. Doubling our commitment to natural sciences, permanent research tax credits, encouraging more math & science in secondary education, all good stuff. I just hope they don’t use No Child Left Behind as the model for implementation.
Work with Black churches to fight AIDS
Black folks came up again at the end. This marks the first time I had ever heard a White Republican cite statistics on AIDS in Black America. While I am happy about that (it is a step in the right direction), I am worried that the Black church path is a flawed one. BushCo has coaxed the Black church into supporting him on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, and he may be at it again. I would not trust these guys, as a fear that they are more concerned with gaining votes that saving Black lives.
There you have it.
Please share your thoughts and reactions to the speech and my reactions.
Young black man seeks single church that is also looking for a serious relationship..
I thought about placing an ad like this in the newspaper just to see how many people would contact me telling me how their church had everything I needed. Right now I am church shopping and I can’t stand it. I was fortunate to have been born and raised in the same church up until the time I left for college. While I was in college, a scandal broke out that involved the pastor and the secretary. I’ll save you the details but after the church dissolved, I was upset and I felt betrayed and even though I went to church during college, I was much more skeptical of churches as a whole and my relationship with God withered.
Before I graduated, I tried to get back into the game and the church put on a good front but after a small group, I found out it wasn’t for me. So here I am a 23-year old divorcee of two churches and trying to get back in the game, but church shopping to me at least, is an agonizing experience. One church is too big, this church doesn’t really emphasize community service, or that church is too far away. It’s always something and I feel like I am trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are so many churches to choose from, it is daunting. And although I do pray and read the Bible on my own, I do believe it is important to have a church home. And what compounds the situation is that I am in a state of transition and I don’t feel like I have the energy to really grow roots knowing that I am going to be leaving for grad school before long.
So as I search for a church home, I thought about the things that turn me off to different churches so I can better understand what will not work for me. You may be going through the same thing and if you feel this list should be edited, please post your comments.
• Use the Bible!! I have been to sermons where the preacher didn’t touch the Bible and this burns me to no end. Moreover, I want to know that you researched key words in Hebrew/Greek and can cite cross scriptures I can use to review later.
• I love praise and worship but for me, the message/sermon is more important. I don’t want to feel like I am at a concert and please people, three hours for praise and worship is not necessary unless the Holy Spirit is moving.
• Social change and community service should be integrated into the church’s mission and there must be tangible ways to get involved. Churches in the Black community used to be the pillar of the neighborhood because many church leaders did not draw a line between spiritual well being and fighting for social change and civil rights. I don’t agree with churches that isolate themselves and are unwilling to give the people the skills/resources they need to better their situation.
• Just because I am young and single doesn’t mean I am trying to find a mate so stop with the match maker business. I just hate it when people at a church are more interested in your marital status than your status with the Lord.
• For my pastors, please talk into the mic and avoid grunting whenever possible.
• And to the parents, if your baby is crying, get up and take the baby outside or drop them off at the nursery.
• If your church embraces diversity in terms of race, don’t just have different races there for the sake of having different races.
• I don’t want to be let out at a specific time per se, but I would appreciate having a thirty minute cushion to negotiate.
• Stop being fake. I get so perturbed when I feel like I am in the spiritual version of the Stepford Wives. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a church to be all out raw with everything but being real is much appreciated.
I just realized how silly my list was. In all seriousness though, finding a church is a very difficult and important process and it requires patience and a willingness to let go and let God. And as my Dad taught me, no one person, church or denomination has a corner on the right way to live for God. However, what I have found by being away from church is that church provides a sense of accountability that you just can’t find anywhere else. Just think about all the times you made a deal with yourself that you would read the Bible every day. You may have started out strong but when you make deals with yourself, there is no one to hold you accountable when you falter. And let’s be real, do you really punish yourself when you break promises you made to yourself? Of course not.
So please take your time and trust that eventually you will find a church that works for you. What helps me with my church search is to think about how much effort I put into finding a job once I graduated and compare it to the effort I put into finding a church home. Many people claim (or desire) that our relationship with God is the most important facet of our lives but when our actions are examined, this claim sometimes falls to pieces. But just always remember that God does not put us in any rough situation without providing a way out.
And if you do have a church home, hold on to it because good churches are hard to find
Indivisible is defined as “not separable” or “not multiple of number” (from Encarta). These two complimentary, seemingly simple definitions actually make the concept of “indivisible freedom” somewhat complex. They say that all freedom is equal and that freedom has not concept of granularity. This can true when talking about a group of people in which different people are not equally free. By the indivisible definition, no one in that group is free. But what if they are all free, with free having a different interpretation to different individuals?
Some think of freedom as a multi-faceted or multi-tiered principle: we have many “small” freedoms that add up to make us “free,” in general. A simple example says, “since I can freely choose what I say, where I go, and what I do, then I am a free person.” That is, these decisions are unrestricted. So in a sense, this person in the example has a level of freedom. However, let’s say this person is unable to vote (the are an ex-felon). They have all of the above freedoms, but they do not have the freedom to choose their government. What we’ve just illustrated is “divisible” freedom: being free on one level or in certain respects, while not being free in others. Since this is the case, it is not possible to say conclusively that this person is “free.”
This now brings into the debate the following question: what is an acceptable level of freedom? What is the tipping point at which I transition from not free to free, from not having freedom to having freedom. This, like all other philosophical or political questions, does not grant us the luxury of a definitive answer. In the case described earlier, I would argue that this individual is not free because they are prevented from participating in a fundamental activity that helps to define the society that they live in. Maybe in a place where voting was not an option (e.g. a monarchy), then maybe my opinion would be different.
I disagree with the notion of the existence of “indivisible” freedom in today’s practical world. The article says “freedom exists in a world of trade-offs,” and that is a statement I agree with. Now, the context of that article is the illegal domestic spying courtesy of G.W. Bush, which of course I disagree with given my belief in the link between freedom and privacy, which I will discuss on a later post.
My idea of freedom is one with 2 pieces: individual and communal. I believe that the freedom of an individual should be virtually uninhibited, so long as acting within that freedom does not endanger or harm other individuals. No institution should infringe upon this. This covers my views on the right to choose, the right to peaceably assemble, the right to smoke weed, whatever. Now, with respect to communal freedom, this is something that should be regulated by the masses, or some representative subset of the masses. It would be these people that would basically determine how groups treat groups. Groups can be defined as states, corporations, countries, etc. They would have little say with regards to individual, one-on-one interaction.
The fault of the American system is that the entities of our representative democratic republic are far from representative. They are not representative both on the surface, race, gender, but also ideologically as well. So how do we make the system work? As with most of life’s choices, there are two choices: change the existing system or eliminate it to make room for a new one. These ideas, like freedom, are divisible and are not mutally exclusive. We can alter portions of the government (e.g. the impeachment process) while eliminating others (e.g. the death penalty) simultaneously.
Where ultra-bleeding-heart liberals fall short in their definition of freedom is they neglect the reality that freedom has different definitions to different people. The easiest experiment you can perform to illustrate this notion is to ask a Black person what freedom is, and then ask a white person. You will get two different answers. Therefore, freedom, being a subjective concept, is inherently divisible. Where we must reach common ground is on what is the ideal, optimal level of freedom and equality that we can all enjoy and sustaing peacefully? If that existed, maybe that would be indivisible freedom.
If you are alive and own a television that has a channel other than BET, you may be aware of the ongoing Senate confirmation hearing of Samuel Alito, who has been nominated by your (not my) president, G.W. Bush to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. This, like ALL other matters of government, has direct implication on my life and yours. In case you may not believe me, let’s discuss why.
Being a Supreme Court is a great job for one main reason: it’s a job that you can’t lose! Once you get it, you’re basically stuck with it until you retire or die. Besides being a parent, I can’t think of another job with that level of security. I say all this to say that the nature of a person placed in such a position is very important. The question is, what is the nature of Judge Alito? I’m sure he’s a nice guy, a pleasure to be around or to have lunch with. What is more important is where he stands on certain judicial issues. I has been beaten to death that he would be sympathetic to a overpowering executive (read: king), and that abortion rights are nonexistent in his opinion.
I am more interested in Alito’s stance on issues of discrimination. I am not confident, given his judicial history, that Judge Alito will view the rights of all citizens equally in the same manner that Justice O’Connor did on many occasions (e.g. The University of Michigan Affirmative Action case). Justice O’Connor was important because her “swing” vote often came down on the side of civil liberties and civil rights. Judge Alito, with his decisions like the one in Williams v. Price. The Congressional Black Caucus, while I don’t agree with the financial practices of their foundation, is right on this one, as noted here.
I have been watching these hearings very closely. You can see them live on C-Span.org. Pay close attention to where Democratic AND Republican Senators stand on this nomination. Pay close attention to whether ANY of the Senators even mention Alito’s past decisions that have had racial implications. If they neglect to address these issues of Alito’s judicial philosophy, are they just as bad as he?
I just finished listening to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s (D) inaugural Address. I am excited for the Mayor’s second term, as it presents unique opportunities to unite not only those within the city of Detroit, but those throughout the region of Southeastern Michigan.
I have stated here what I think will be important things for the Mayor to focus on during the early months of his second term. I was happy to hear that the Mayor and his people agree with me. I was also pleased with the Mayor’s focus on regional partnerships. Some would argue that the Mayor used “divisive” tactics to secure his re-election, and that is up for debate. The bottom line, however, is that Detroit cannot survive without its surrounding communities, and the suburbs definitely cannot survive without Detroit.
In order to accomplish this goal, which the Mayor states has been problematic for the last 80+ years, an open-minded approach to communication and partnership must be adopted. That means that white folks are going to have to sit at the table with black folks, and that black folks are going to have to sit at the table with white folks, and that every other shade of folk needs to be welcomed and sit at the table as well. Our region is faced with damaged race relations and a damaged industrial foundation. That is a nasty combination, but it is a situation that can be confronted and overcome in the same way as anything else: a listening ear, an open & unselfish mind, and a focused set of concrete goals benefiting the whole.
That begs the question then, what are some of those “concrete goals benefiting the whole?” Let’s talk about three: fiscal responsibility, regional transit, knowledge transfer & entreprenuer encouragement.
1. Fiscal Responsibility
This is a big one, and a relatively obvious one. The city of Detroit, like most municipalities, has financial issues requiring immediate attention. Challenger Freeman Hendrix based most of his campaign against the incumbent Mayor on Detroit’s financial status. Things need to be done, and I feel the Mayor has a good grasp on what needs to happen, a large example taking a look at the size of city government, both in terms of number of personnel and budget. These are very difficult decisions that must be made, but this is an unfortunate reality. The Mayor will need help from local businesses, unions, and everyone else who has a stake in these negotiations concerning the future of the city. We have to act on both faith and reason in cases like these: faith in the future of the region and the people of the region, and reason that leads us to practical solutions that everyone benefits from.
2. Regional Transit
The Big 3 (technically, 2.49) have scoffed at this notion for the past century, understandably so. I would like to think that those alive today have foresight that is different than those who lived at the turn of the previous century. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a concession to or admission of the “failure of the domestic automotive industry.” In fact, this can be seen as an opportunity for the domestic auto industry, upon which the economy of entire Midwestern United States is based upon, to diversify their admittedly stagnant portfolios and embrace a new technology that has great potential to revitalize the region. Let’s use an example to illustrate. Detroit suffers from one of the worse cases of temporary/permanent “brain drain” in the country. This is mostly due to individuals with college educations seeing the auto industry is not one where they will be able to realize their full professional and creative potential. That perception exists because the car business is old, and there is no denying that. Well, how about we grow the car biz to include next-generation mass transit. This is bigger than buses and monorails and subways. I’m talking mag-lev trains. I’m talking low altitude air travel. Think big. Think outside the box. Why not? Projects such as these have enormous potential for the freshly matriculated engineering student, design student, architect, marketing or finance major, and skilled tradesman/woman. That is something that both the city and the suburbs can benefit from on the front and the backend. The front end is giving the educated something to dream of working on, and the backend is being able to hop and skip to and fro the city and throughout the tri-county area, all while supporting local industry! This can open up all types of opportunities for local entrepreneurs while solidifying the growth of existing institutions. Feel free to stop me when I stop making sense.
3. Knowledge Transfer & Entrepreneur Encouragement
This is something I think that also has suffered due to our dependence on the automotive industry. For decades, most businesses started in our area had maybe one degree of separation car business. In the 90s, I noticed that beginning to change. Such change must be sustained and embraced going forward. Again, I stress that embracing new ideas is not equivalent to giving up on old ones. Multi-dimensionality is key to the evolutionary success of the region, and is not an option if we wish to survive. This can be done by continuing to build knowledge bridges between the city and its surrounding communities. These bridges will span race, class, gender, and everything else we can think of that has in the past divided us. The divided are conquerable. What is ironic is that the divided often defeat themselves. Instead, this diverse new set of entrepreneurs must continue to be encouraged by tax incentives and other means to keep their faith and their talents in Detroit.
Think Big. Think Together. The statement simple. What is simple is usually profound.
New Rule: Black people cannot talk about a movement of any form until we heal our families.
Have you or someone you know ever been asked about the status of your family and replied with a sigh because the answer was too complicated and required too many caveats? I know the feeling well and I am sure you can attest to this as well. But no matter how crazy and dysfunctional you think your family is, they are still your family and you could have it worse by not having a family at all. No one to baby-sit your kids, take you to work, and of course, borrow money without “really” having to pay it back.
And while many of us claim that we are close to our family, have you ever thought about why? On Christmas Day, I was doing volunteer work with some of my family and I asked my nephew to rate how close he thinks our family is on a scale of 1-10. He said 10 with confidence. And then I asked him how often he talks to family members outside of his household. He said I don’t. So I then asked him how he can claim that he is close to the family if he never talks to them. I don’t have to explain how the rest of the conversation went to say that even though my nephew is 13, how many people do you know that would answer my questions with almost the same twisted logic that my nephew used? Chances are that if you reading this blog, you probably have a cell phone. Look at your last ten dialed calls and tell me how many of those listed are members of your family.
I think it is unfortunate how many of us take advantage of our family members by not getting to know them on a deeper level and let them pass away with your relationship more affected by society’s distal labels of kinship (i.e. brother, cousin, Grandma, etc.) rather than a relationship that has been forged through the fire of life. Now I know there are some extenuating circumstances that make for familial relationships impossible but chances are, these circumstances don’t represent your entire family. And if they do, just think back to slavery and marvel at the hope and sincerity that remained while families were split apart and scattered across this country like dandelion seeds. We are a strong people because our families are strong and when families are strong, we empower ourselves and our community. Because here’s the thing, I don’t care what you been through as long as you are working towards healing family wounds and reaching out where you once were reluctant. So let me leave you with ten suggestions to help heal your family in 2006 because we here at Superspade believe in providing actionable information that is tangible and practical.
1) If you are reading this blog, then you probably have email. I am willing to bet your family members do too. Get their email addresses and make it happen. And don’t be afraid to email them at work if they don’t have a personal email address.
2) If someone owes you money and you can afford it if they can’t pay you back, let it ride. And if you owe someone money, try to pay them back if you can and if you can’t, be upfront with that family member so you don’t sabotage a relationship over money
3) Play the question game and just ask people questions that you always wanted to know but were too young or too scared to ask.
4) Play spades. Need I say more?
5) Don’t make a bigger deal out of gift giving than sharing time and love.
6) Many times families will meet up when food is involved but breaking bread doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. A veggie tray and some chicken will do you just fine.
7) Meet up with the family and scrapbook because you know the picture with your whole body covered in flour is hilarious If you live too far from your family to hang out, you are not absolved from connecting to your family. Pick up a phone or email somebody. Seriously
9) If you have young people in your family, take them with you to do community service, go to their games, offer to baby-sit, and show them the right path.
10) And last but not least, the best reason is just because. This relates to everything from going out, visiting, calling, emailing, etc.
I know my suggestions will not end crime or give everyone a decent job with healthcare, but it will help us find our footing as a community and improve many of the issues that many of us think require a movement.
Chirac must have really been feeling the angst of the riots that took place this past November because he even called for a slavery remembrance day which will be announced later on this year. Chirac added, “France has set an example by being the first country in the world – and still the only one today – to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity.” So does France get a cookie now? For starters, I am sure if you were to poll people of the African diaspora along with African countries, I am sure that a majority of Black people would categorize slavery as a crime against humanity.
Besides that, France still does not keep population statistics broken down by race. So what is the good of a slavery remembrance day when you don’t have data shows how are you are improving or not improving the opportunities for minorities to get ahead? However, I still give props to Chirac even if he is positioning himself for his re-election campaign. But isn’t it sad the extent to which most of our actions and those of our government are influenced by the fear of embarrassment? I am reminded of how the many gains in civil rights for Blacks were gained after innocent people were abused and the government was so embarrassed, they had no choice but to get right. I just hope that one day the United States government will take steps similar to France, but in the meantime, just know that there is power in numbers and ideas so don’t wait until some innocent child dies to start rioting, get involved in your local community NOW.
Democracy Now! has a story today, interviewing Harold Wilson, a former death row inmate that was exonerated after 17 years due to DNA evidence. I made my stance on capital punishment pretty clear here, but this story is actually a lot deeper han the death penalty.
The most interesting part of his story, in my opinion, is the way in which he was released. He said he was released with:
“…the clothes on his back, 65 cents, and a token.” Translation: he was released with nothing,REPEAT, NOTHING!!!!!WHAT?!?!?! Why do we do innocent people this way after they have been wronged by the state? Why do we do guilty people this way after they have ‘paid their debt to society?’
This is yet another problem with the prison system in this country. For those of us familiar with the Prison-Industrial Complex, the fact that people want to do everything in their power to get as many people imprisoned as possible. What I don’t understand is why perpetuators of the complex don’t buy into re-entry programs. That actually could be a nice revenue growth opportunity for them, but I digress.
Since they don’t pay attention to prisoners (innocent or otherwise), we should. If the purpose of prison is punitive, then it would only be fair/just to restore a person after their punishment period has passed. Why is it that the system is so petty that it seeks to disenfranchise individuals beyond incarceration? By the system, I mean society in general and the government.
Society
I believe that there are certain aspects in your life that are your business. I also believe that there are certain aspects of your life in which society should be available to help you, should you so choose. In the cases of individuals exiting the criminal justice system, I feel that society has a responsibility to these people to ease their transition back into the mainstream. This means having things set up for people who just got out of jail that serve as legitimate alternatives to attitudes, lifestyles, and situations that could have contributed to their incarceration. Programs like this exist currently (an example being Detroit’s Partners For Succes Program), but they are under most peoples radar and criminally underfunded. Prison re-entry is an unfortunate reality for many Black men in this country, and instead of burying our heads in the sand and casting away these brothers [the way that others do], Black people should support these people. Help them find affordable housing. Help them with resumes. Help them find work. Help them by providing healthy friendships. All of us know individuals that are currently or at one time have been jailed. We can and must serve these people. Now, I’m not saying higher a bank robber at your brokerage firm. I am saying befriend a bank robber and communicate to that person that there are different choices available to them.
Government
Why do convicts have to jump through hoops to vote, and in some cases are no longer able to vote after their sentences are up? Why won’t companies hire ex-cons? Why are people who have been jailed not provided with concrete systems of re-enstatement? The answers to all of these questions lie in the fundamental flaw of American criminal justice. Our system is not rehabilitative, and it never has been. Don’t believe it when anyone says that. If it was, maybe Stanley Williams would be alive. Once you understand this, it starts to make sense why people are not treated equally after they have been in prison. Further, if one is already at a societal disadvantage (read: Black), and then has jail time in their past on top of that, then they are usually treated with even more contempt.
Because of this, it is up to us as a people to unite behind ALL of our people. As a responsible community member, we need to pay attention to unique needs of all indviduals within that community. I don’t consider brothers and sisters who have server prison time as community exiles. As a result, I serve them as I serve anyone else.
We don’t need a program to get the ball rolling. Start small. Fellowship with one person you know who is in jail or has been. Learn about their life and their experiences pre, during, and post prison. Building these relationship will create the foundation upon which solutions to re-entry hardhips for individuals everywhere.
Big thanks to D. Betts for pointing to this piece of prose by Smokey Robinson on why he loves to be called Black: not a Negro, not colored, not an African American. The file is available here.
People use the internet for b*llsh*t. There is information available on the internet about anything imaginable. Some people use this powerful tool as a way to seek out things that can improve their lives, their spirits, their minds. Others use it to look at gossip on people they don’t know. This is evidenced by Yahoo!, who posted the top searches of 2005 today.
The reason The SuperSpade was created was to be a place for actionable information and discourse on meaningful issues that effect everyday life. We strive to be one of the spaces on the internet that will provide snippets of data that can improve your perspective on issues and allow you to approach personal, political, economical decisions from a more informed standpoint. Black people and all other people have the opportunity to use the internet as a way to gain power through knowledge. This site is one vessel of that knowledge.
If you feel we are not succeeding in this goal, please let us know by contacting us at TheSuperSpade@gmail.com.
If you haven’t heard, Randall Pinkett, 34, beat out 17 other contestants to become Donald Trump’s Apprentice. Randall has five degress from among Rutgers, Oxford, and MIT. He has created five companies and is by most people’s accounts, extremely successful with a lot more potential. And he’s Black.
And that is why I wanted to comment on the racial overtones of the season finale and the implications of Trump’s decision. I went to Black America Web to read their analysis of what happened. For starters, I was dismayed at the opening line which read, “In besting fellow finalist Rebecca Jarvis, Pinkett puts to rest the question many have asked since the show’s premier season: Would Trump ever “hire” a black apprentice?” What upset me about this comment was that for someone who doesn’t even watch the show, I knew that Randall was going to win several weeks ago, just based on his background and his performance in the tasks given to him (perfect record as a project manager and won the final mission). I think many people knew that Donald Trump had no choice but to choose Randall as the winner and I believe that many wealthy individuals like Mr. Trump don’t give a care about your skin color IF they know that based on your track record, you will help increase profits. And for my Black people, we as individuals and as a collective destroy this notion of being chosen.
Just think back to Paul Robeson (a true Superspade and alum of Rutgers like Randall, how ironic) was Phi Beta Kappa, senior honor society member and valedictorian of his senior class. Rutgers University had no choice but to make him a Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian. And my point is that when you strive for and achieve excellence, the only person who can “choose” your destiny is you. Now keep this in perspective, Randall already has five businesses whose revenue is about to explode due to his exposure on the Apprentice so in laymen’s terms, Trump didn’t choose Randall, Randall chose Trump.
In related news, the finale was underwhelming because after hiring Randall, Trump asked Randall if he thought that he should hire Rebecca, (his opponent) as well. Randall quipped, “Mr. Trump, I firmly believe that this is ‘The Apprentice,’ that there is one and only one apprentice, and if you’re going to hire someone tonight, it should be one. “It’s not ‘The Apprenti,’ it’s ‘The Apprentice.’” The MSNBC article I read painted Randall in a horrible light by saying the “audience booed, feeling as betrayed as Rebecca must have, and as Randal jogged to the end of the stage to wave at the crowd, he was facing a group that had lost some of their respect for him; their clapping and cheering was subdued, and boos were still audible.” I should point out that Rebecca is White but aside from that, put yourself in Randall’s shoes, who loves ties? Imagine the World Series where the Red Sox and the Yankees duel to the seventh and final game, and the Yankees win by one point. Then the commissioner comes out and asks the Yankee team, “Do you guys want to split the pennant with the Red Sox?” There would be riots everywhere but the fact is, that is not fair to the team that won. And the same logic holds true for Randall Pinkett. And I readily admit that because Trump had no choice, he had to find some way to spice up the season finale’ but this was not the most clever thing he or his producers could have come up with.
Nevertheless, Randall Pinkett represents neither all or none of Black America. And he is not an anomaly. There is a sizable amount of Black men and women who have reached similar heights of success in all factors of our society. Superspades are everywhere and it is too bad that America has to wait until some television show to help break down racial stereotypes. Maybe they should start reading our blog.
NPR had a story on the 100 Black Men of Atlanta who did a project to raise health awarness in their community. It is a good project, with the most interesting piece of it, in my opinion, being the PR campaign. They are raising awareness by having prominent black men go to various places and speak on their positive experiences of getting diagnosed and being treated for their various conditions (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.). The goal is that these respected me will inspire both men and women to be more conscious about their health.
I’m not saying this is a new tactic or concept, but I do think it can work and is worth a try.
…and they say any group comprised of of black men is a bad thing…
I read a fiercely stereotypical article by a White woman who explained why she prefers to be with Black men. After over sexualizing us like mandingo warriors, I was appalled by how comfortable this woman felt in her sexual encounters with Black men. But then I remembered a situation where a White man asked me what shoe size I wore. I said 13 and he replied, “Oh my God, that is crazy,” replete with sexual overtones. Now his feet were as big as mine, and he wore a size 12 and when I pointed out that our feet are almost the same size, he just couldn’t let up. “No man, your feet are humongous!! I have tried to find ways to not get offended but this situation was difficult because surely he didn’t mean to insult me, but when my sexuality becomes the basis on which you interact with me, I have a major problem with that.
Because what happens to many Black men is that many of us buy into the notions of Black male super sexuality to the point we become afraid of how our desires will overtake our sense of normalcy. So many times one of two things happen; we will suppress our sexuality or express it in overly chauvinistic ways. No matter the case, this will not lead to healthy relationships or marriages and will ultimately hinder other aspects of our lives. So my advice to Black men is simple, watch what you put into your soul and mind. You can’t watch Uncut everyday it comes on and claim that the videos don’t have an affect on how you interact with women. It doesn’t work like that. And secondly, do not give in to the stereotypes we are superior in bed compared to other races. Not only might this affect your performance but more importantly, your sexuality will soon become a central part of your identity and confidence.
White men love sex just as much as Black men. There are men of all races who would put you to shame and there are men of all races who you would put to shame. And lastly, learn to control your thoughts (in all matters) of sexual matters. If whenever you talk to a woman and all you can focus on during a conversation is the curvatures of her body, then you have a problem. Seek help. I used to have a problem with pornography but after talking to God and some of my friends, I realized it had a hold of me that I didn’t want to admit. But once I did admit it, I decided that I didn’t want anything having such a hold on my life and since then, I have made decisions that severely limit my access to pornography. And since then, I appreciate women and their beauty for so many things that have nothing to do with my physical attraction.
I just realized I meant to write about Black/White relationships but I went off on a tangent. Real talk is like that sometimes. Until next time,
I read an interesting article entitled, Equality elusive for black Americans. What I really hated about this and other articles is that it was riddled with statistics that showed how Blacks have a ways to go to catch up to Whites. Why does it seem like any Black statistic won’t be published unless the corresponding White statistic be published along side it? And before I am mistaken, let me say that I believe in race based statistics but I get the feeling that White is the standard for success because so many times I have heard Black statistics defined as narrowing or expanding the Black-White (fill in the blank) divide. As a Black man, I don’t want Black success to be measured by White success and vice versa. And I don’t want White people to have a lesser quality of life so Black statistics will look better. For me, I just think it’s more important to see if Black folks are doing better (however defined) then they were yesterday and if that is not where White people are, then who cares?
This morning I volunteered at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS), cleaning, organizing, and folding clothing donations that had been received. They are intended to be consumed by the over 4000 Katrina survivors now located in Washington state. This experience was a positive one. All of the volunteers were on time, on task, and efficient at completing the goals set for us. I was, however, reminded of two things that bother me about how some serve, or disserve, others.
The first thing has to do with what people gave. Before we started, the young lady who was our coordinator said “if you wouldn’t wear it, we will dispose of it. We we’re giving dignified items, not throwsways.” That seemed obvious enough, but not to all of the donors I guess. Why in the world would you donate used underwear? It at least could be clean, but even that was too much to ask of some. I use this example to represent many people’s approach to service and giving in general. Why do we only give “table scraps?” Is that what we would want? Some say beggars can’t be choosers. I say beggars CAN have dignity. Why do we not give of our best? Why do we only volunteer “throw away” time? Why are those blessed financially so reluctant to give? Anyone who has ever been to a Black Baptist church knows that the pastor has to almost beg for offerings. What’s ironic is the same folks who are so turned off by this may be the same ones who end up spending money on things they don’t ne!
ed. MAYBE those resources could better serve someone who needs them as opposed to your own selfish indulgences?
The second issue is the lack of male participation. It’s pretty disgusting that I was the only male volunteering this day. I have seen this phenomenon since I became active as a youth. In church, there were always more girls participating in the activities. In school, there were always more girls on the honor roll. In college, there were always more girls running organizations and being active in the community? Why is this? Are women more unselfish than men? More caring? Maybe. That is not the problem. The problem is that for whatever reason, men are not compelled to do these things. So you end up with what I saw at the Urban League: me and 14 girls. You explain that ratio to many men, and they’ll say, “what are you complaining about?” maybe I am strange because I notice a void where others see easy access to women. I’ll be that. We must understand that it takes men AND women to help men AND women. Prime example of what more men could have contributed to this specific projec!
t: lifting. It may be a gross generalization to say that men can lift more than women, but it was certainly true on this day. So all of that work went to me. Let’s just say that some extra hands would have been nice.
These things are not said out of contempt. They are observations of a servant who wishes to improve service. To solve problem 1, organizations should stop the policy of accepting anything and be clear on what they will and will not accept upfront. As for problem 2, that can be solved one man at a time. Male volunteers should adopt the buddy system: never volunteer alone. If everyone did that, we would see exponential growth in participation. This is my approach from now on.
Last night I went to a benefit tennis match featuring Venus and Serena Williams here in Seattle. They played at Key Arena, home of the Seattle SuperSonics and Storm basketball franchises. They played at 7.30 PM to a 3/4 packed house. The crowd was typical of Seattle, all types and colors of individuals came to support, and there were a lot of kids there to enjoy the evening. The cause was the Ronald McDonald House, to which 100% of the ticket sales & concessions went. The evening began with the national anthem by Jon Secada followed by four of his own songs. THAT WAS TERRIBLE. He was followed by a saxaphonist whose claim to fame was he was the first artists signed to Michael Jordan’s recording label. Who knew Michael Jordan had a record label?!?!?! He was OK. Finally, the tennis began. The match was fun, Serena won in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Venus appeard to have more fun than Serena, though she lost. They both began sluggishly, but the competition got real once they both decided they didn’t want the other one to win.
I bring this event up for a few reasons. First, I was happy to see two of the best tennis players in the world. I’m happy that two of the best tennis players in the world are black women. More importantly, I like seeing professionals involved in community focused activities that leverage their God-given talents. Notice the ommission in the previous sentence; it’s not a typo. Professionals need to be involved in community focused activities. We hear/see/participate in all to often the practice of what we think another individual should be doing. Service work is no different. The same people that spend time not giving of their time complain about celebrities who do the same. The same people who do not donate money to legitimate causes balk at celebrities who don’t give money, or more commonly enough money to suit their tastes. Currently, I am reading “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen (which will be covered in detail as the first book in the coming SuperSpade Books seriese, so stay tuned), and that book drives home the notion of what my friend and mentor G. Harden refers to as “self-defeating attitudes and behaviors.” Individuals who subscribed to the previously stated judgemental notions from their armchair of hypocrisy must understand that it is that spiteful and vagrant mentality that produces individuals who don’t “give enough.”
Examples and applications of this are quite clear. One of these individuals who is doing this complaining let’s say, may have children. Children are great at many things, but they are perhaps best at imitating their maternal and fraternal educators known as mom and dad. As a result, children often have frightening similarities to those that bore them. One of those similarties that gets passed on is often what we have described above: talking about what another individual does or does not do while at the same time remaining idle. It is this attitude of self-perpetuating slothfulness that [in part] contributes to problems that people bring upon themselves. If I complain about something long enough, that’s what I get. People think that it works in the opposite direction, but I don’t believe so. If you complain about people not giving, they are not then inclined to give. Guilt is one of the worst motivators available in our arsenals of persuassion, yet it is one that we readily employ. When was the last time someone tried to guilt you into something? How did it make you feel? Did it compel you to act, or did it strike up feelings of resentment? This works on many levels. I believe my friend and brother Malcolm X, who was in support of reparations (see quote here at the bottom of the page), was not in favor of idle question asking.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The law does not say that for every complaint, there is a response in favor of the complainer. Think about that the next time someone else is not doing “enough” by your standards. Are you?
So on NPR today, I listened to Ed Gordon talk about adoption within the Black Community. Ed was joined by Antoinette Williams, assistant director of domestic adoption for Spence-Chapin Services, and Lisha Epperson, mother of two children she adopted through Spence-Chapin. As I listened, I was reminded of the movie Antwone Fisher, and how the main character described the plights of young Black children as they struggle to find families that want to adopt them. That movie really made me really think about adoption in a new light.
The panel went on to discuss that Black families will adopt our kin (i.e. our sibling’s children) out of obligation but are reluctant to take in kids outside of the family. Immediately, I thought about how Black slaves were separated from their families and forced to work on various plantations. And when new people arrived or left, the sense of family was so strong, regardless of where you were from and who you left behind. How Black people managed to make it through slavery is a constant source of pride, which makes me upset that more of us don’t adopt Black children. I mean let’s keep it real. Most people who adopt are more often than not going to adopt a child of their same race. Therefore, if we don’t adopt our children, who will?
My hope and prayer is that people will become more open to the idea of adopting because as Lisha Epperson put it, the kids she adopted were the “best thing that ever happened to her.” That’s funny because most women who bear their own children say the exact same thing. So what is there to lose by adopting? Your kids won’t look like you? It might be better if you don’t have kids playa! But seriously, when you have those mythical conversations with your mate or family about how many kids you want to have, think about adoption in a new light because you would be getting a beautiful boy or girl whose life will be a constant blessing in ways you didn’t think possible. Unfortunately, the fact is that most people will say, “hey man, that is cool for other people, but not for me, I need my own kid.” That type of thinking did help us make it through slavery and that same mentality will cripple our future as we deny the precious lives of foster children a loving home filled with the values that we dream about passing to our “real” children. OUR children can’t wait for tomorrow. They need us today.
The Washington Post ran a story Sunday about the changing DoJ Civil Rights Division. In summary, the article is informing us that over the last year, the Civil Rights Division has been losing veteran lawyers and handling less “Civil Rights” cases. That means that instead of working on Equal Opportunity Employment breeches, they have been spending time on immigration matters. Now, I’m not against immigration, but I do believe that if the division is spending 40% less of its time handling the types of cases it was created to be involved in, then there are some serious issues present.
Nevertheless, this has been the case over the past 5 years. Since I believe wholeheartedly in coincidences, I’m going to refer to it as a coincidence that the change in focus of the division as well as its personnel bleeding have nothing to do with the current administrations attitudes towards Civil Rights. Right. The two are unrelated.
Let’s pretend, however unjustifiably, for a few seconds that it is not a coincidence. Then, maybe, I would not be suprised to see that the Civil Rights Division would need to shift focus away from issues such as intimidation of minority voters and disenfranchisement of low-income Americans. Had the Civil Rights Division served its historical purpose, there may have been real investigation at the federal level into the attrocity that became Election Day 2000. I wonder how this administration feels about Sen. Obama’s new voter intimidation legislation? We can’t possibly waste precious resources in the Civil Rights Division prosecuting individuals based on that; there are too many immigrants to harass.
I digress. Instead, lets go down a more pratical road. The SuperSpade is about practicality. How does this information point to personal action(s) that can be taken? This, to me, adds to the infinite list of reasons why voting is important. Brothers and Sisters, all of us who have had illegitimate run-ins with law enforcement, or know someone who has, feels as though their Civil Rights have been violated. Students wanting to attend non-HBCUs that were refused admissions due to factors outside of their control feel as though their Civil Rights have been violated. Individuals who never recieved call-backs, job interviews, or job offers due to the nature, spelling, or pronunciation of their names feel as though their Civil Rights have been violated. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the Civil Rights Division on 9 December 1957. This office was established to address issues discussed earlier in this paragraph. Granted, as times change, the definitions of Civil Rights expand, but I am not a fan of the core focus being forgotten. We need our people to be proactive and work towards electing to our representative democratic government individuals that represent our views. Anyone who has encountered the above and didn’t like it has concrete evidence as to why they need real representation.
The age old problem, however, is the “my candidate lost, so what’s the point now” phenomena. Let me offer a suggestion through a simple analogy. Anyone who cooks (especially as badly as I do) knows that it’s hit-or-miss. When what I attempt to prepare does not come out as intended, I am presented with two options: throw it away, or work with it. Lets examine both options:
1. Throw it away
I can discard my food and therefore invalidate the time it took to prepare it, the resources it took to gather the ingredients, etc. This does, however, afford me the opportunity to start over again from scratch. However, I will again need to set aside the needed time and ingredients to prepare the meal a second time; a situation that may or may not be possible now. Not to mention, this effectively makes the meal twice as expensive.
2. Work with it
It doesn’t taste good. Why not? Is it bland? Add some salt. Is it cold? Put it in the microwave. If you were not able to get what you wanted on the front end, you can work with it on the back end until you have something edible.
The same logic applies to voting, or any other form of positive action. If your candidate loses, you have the same options: you can throw your hands up in the air and give up. This way, you’ll end up pissed off because you got racially profiled, again, and have no real legal representation, agian. Or you can work on improving your current situation despite them, while at the same time building up a stronger opponent to the now incumbent to challenge them in the future (which could turn out to be you). Black folks are better than any people on the planet at being triumphant in the face 0f adversity. Why give up because the person you voted for lost. We have more heart than that.
About The SuperSpade
The SuperSpade: Black Thought at the Highest Level, is a forum that presents critical, intellectual perspectives on the current issues, seeking to elevate the level of Black political thought. The goal of this space is to provide actionable commentary on social, political, and personal issues affecting the daily ... Continue reading »
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