As the title suggests I’m black and proud of it. Not because of some movement that grew out of disenfranchisement with the white establishment in the mid to late 60’s, but because I live in a nation that is at least willing to give me a chance based on my ability to be a productive citizen regardless of my skin color, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual preference or gender.
Sounds politically correct, doesn’t it? Don’t let that fool you. I am the product/recipient of a lot of sacrifices, struggles and landmark judicial decisions whose sole aim was to make sure that the American dream didn’t pass by any of Lady Liberty’s children. Yet, I’m reminded on an almost daily basis that race (and the aforementioned categories) still plays a role in our lives, like it or not.
I’ll start with the Tea Party activists since I think that they are the best hope for this country in a lot of ways. Much has been made in the news of someone in the crowd shouting a racial epithet (the N word) at several members of the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) as they walked from their offices to the Capitol to participate in the health care debate. It strikes me as funny that:
1. They weren’t using the customary underground transit system or automobiles to make this trek.
2. They picked (and I would dare say timed) their route so that it would coincide with the protest outside the capitol.
It’s unfortunate that someone in the crowd would resort to this sort of name calling, but it is a fact of life. What I cannot understand or forgive these black leaders for is the willingness to see if they could try and stir up some sort of reaction from the crowd just by their very presence. This isn’t Selma, Montgomery, Tupelo or anywhere else in the Deep South where racism was running rampant. It is the seat of our national government and they are elected officials, sent there by their constituents to conduct the business of government (an oxymoron, I know).
The Tea Party has been among the most vocal groups (or network in this case) that has been critical of the direction that our government is taking. Regardless of whom the chief executive is (in this case he happens to be black), he is still one of the faces most Americans can readily associate with when they think of the Federal Government. It is because of this that he will be among those most likely to feel the wrath of an unhappy electorate. To categorize the crowds at these protests as right wing zealots, Republican shills, racists, homophobes or any other moniker that can be hung on them, is to be in denial of their true purpose there. Republican, Democrat, Independent, black, or white, I’ve seen them in the crowd while I’ve been watching coverage of the protests, and have heard their stories and reasons for being there. You’re going to tell me that a black man is going to participate in a protest with a group that would have nothing to do with him? Let’s get real here!
As with everything we’ve seen on the political front, it comes down to power, authority and influence. If the general public can be made to believe that these people are not representative of what’s going on in this country, then those in power have a tool at their disposal that can be wielded any time they see fit. That tool of course, would be popular opinion. Blacks are no different, we are told that one party could care less whether we live or die. We are told that we need to vote along certain lines, because it’s in our best interests. We are continually told both overtly and covertly that we need to be beholden to one group, party or ideology since this is our best hope when it comes to making progress which has been denied us for so long.
The problem here is that nothing could be further from the truth. Sure we’ve struggled, but so have other groups. Look at Asian Americans, here is a group of immigrants (albeit of differing national origins) who were exploited as railroad workers, or stuck in internment camps during the Second World War, but yet they have a disproportionately large number of success stories compared to other ethnic groups in this country, including whites. Why is that? Could it be that, unlike post Civil Rights Era blacks, they still have a sense of community, they are willing to make sacrifices for the good of their children and families; they put a high priority on the value of a good education?
My three children graduated from a high school located in a St Louis suburb. A large number of their school mates were bused in from the city to attend school in our district under the VST (voluntary school transfer) program. A lot of these kids were in no way prepared for the academic rigors of a high school with college preparatory and AP (Advanced Placement) tracks and quite a few of them didn’t seem all that interested in making the best of their situation (i.e. trying to get an education). One has to wonder (albeit not for very long) why the State of Missouri took away accreditation from the St Louis City school system. I’m not saying that these kids didn’t deserve a quality education, lord knows that all of our kids do, I’m just disappointed that they chose to fritter their time away over the course of a seven hour day instead of doing the things that matter when it comes to getting ahead in the world.
Those that decry what has happened to inner city schools and claim that more money for education is the only way we’re ever going to fix things are missing the point. The city schools spent more per pupil than any of the suburban school districts did, but look at what happened. I’m not an educational expert, nor do I have the faintest desire in becoming one, in fact my wife will even tell you that I could have done a better job of seeing to our kids’ education. My point here is that far too many people (especially the so called experts) think that there is some “magic bullet” solution that can be applied to fix the problem, but neglect to look at the underlying causes, kind of like continually finding water in your basement and fixing the roof when it’s your foundation that’s cracked.
What affects the black community can be broken down into three areas in my humble opinion:
- Identity Politics
- Demagoguery
- Cronyism
In fact I will go out on a limb and say that no society or culture has progressed very far or survived for very long while these forces are running rampant. Latin America and Africa come to mind for starters, with Venezuela and Nigeria being the poster children for their respective continents. Here are two nations that have had the blessings of wealth bestowed upon them through an abundance of oil, yet squander their earnings on things that do nothing for their people. Why?
Identity Politics. When you set out to demonize a particular group, or pit one group against another, you’re playing identity politics. In Nigeria the result is sectarian strife based in no small part on who should be the recipients of the petro dollars being generated. In Venezuela it’s going after everyone who doesn’t agree with the current regime, or those “meddling” foreign powers. In America, race or socioeconomic backgrounds (class warfare) normally rear their ugly heads.
Demagoguery. When one seeks to gain power or popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people, he or she is guilty of demagoguery. We need to look no further than El Jefe himself, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. In Nigeria, it would be split between the leaders of the factions fighting for the oil wealth. Here at home that honor would be bestowed upon the Reverends Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan, and Wright. If these are men of the cloth, then I most certainly do not like the cut of their collective jib.
Cronyism. No explanation needed. Again we turn to our boy Hugo and his friends who are sucking the country dry. Check out Maria Conchita Alonzo’s letter to Sean Penn on his misplaced sense of loyalty (and dare I say reality). If you’ve ever stumbled upon a Nigerian phone, or bank scam, you’ve seen the result of what years of corrupt government does to the mores and work ethic of a country’s citizens. Otherwise productive, intelligent people stooping to such lows because of a bleak economic picture at home, and a government incapable of doing anything to stop them since it still needs to put its own house in order. With us, it comes down to getting a seat at the table, and that can’t be done without bringing followers with you. The more folks you bring with you (i.e. influence), the more prominent your place at the table.
I cannot tell you the number of times where I have had my political convictions questioned by my fellow blacks because I wasn’t in lockstep with them on certain issues. As good consumers we’d never think about blindly purchasing a product without first checking to see if there were any worthwhile alternatives/competitors. It’s kind of like sticking with a Sony when the Toshiba across the aisle got better reviews and costs much less. With blacks and politics, that’s exactly what happens. Black leaders know this and play it for all it’s worth. Any attempt to remove the blinders is met with stinging rebukes, criticism, and of course the obligatory attempts at character assassination.
When the black community finally finds within itself the willingness and ability to conduct a fairly objective self-examination, then things will improve for blacks as a whole. Then and only then, will all of those cruel realities of the world at large have finally sunk in and a realistic course of action can be charted to judiciously navigate through the minefield that is race in America.
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