“We are on the right side of history! We are on the side of individual freedoms and liberties and, dammit, we will reclaim the civil rights moment. We will take that movement — because we were the people who did it in the first place.” -  Glenn Beck, May 26, 2010

“When you start saying you’re going to reclaim the civil rights movement that’s not even coded, that’s a blatant attempt to highjack a movement that changed America”  – Al Sharpton, August 27, 2010

“Had there been more very worthy applicants in my district, then I probably wouldn’t have given it to the relatives.” – Eddie Bernice Johnson, August 29, 2010

All three of the quotes listed are related to  top stories from this past weekend……  The Glenn Beck “Restoring Honor”  rally in Washington D.C., the Al Sharpton led Glenn Beck counter rally and reports of   Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson awarding scholarship money provided by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to several relatives and the children of  a top aide, which is a violation of foundation requirements.

The Glenn Beck/Al Sharpton story is interesting but I believe totally irrelevant.  Why do we care what Glenn Beck says?  If you don’t like Glenn Beck and what he stands for don’t listen to his talk show.  When will we as African-Americans stop reacting to everything?    We have more than enough issues  to deal with, but we get so distracted with what other people say and do that we can’t come close to formulating  solutions.  We could probably learn a lesson or two from Glenn Beck and the Tea Party movement about setting agendas, organizing and towing the company line.  But I guess we, African-Americans, would have to first  come up with a company line. It would probably take us years to fight over who would be in charge of coming up with the company line, then we would have to fight a few more years over what items would go on the agenda, and then………….well you get the idea.

As I initially stated the Glenn Beck/Al Sharpton story was interesting, but in my opinion not very important.  What really got my blood boiling was the Eddie Bernice Johnson story.   The good congresswoman has seen fit to award scholarship money, for several years,  to  her relatives and the children of one of her top aides.   Monies that were intended for children that reside in her district.  How did the congresswoman respond? By saying that if there were more qualified applicants in her district she would not have had to give the money to relatives.  Oh my God!!!!  Did anyone at the Glenn Beck rally make any statements as racist and incendiary as that one!!   Has this woman lost her mind?   For those of you who don’t know the 30th Congressional District of Texas, congresswoman Johnson’s district,  includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, and South Oak Cliff, all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster, and Wilmer, and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.  Qualifying for one of these scholarships must be like trying to get into the  Ivy League.  Well, not so much.  Students simply need to have a 2.5 GPA, reside or go to school in the district of the Congressional Black Caucus member that is awarding the scholarship, not be a relative and submit an essay.

It doesn’t matter what Glenn Beck and the Tea Party movement does.  We are doing a terrific job sabotaging our own progress in this country.  This recent incident involving the congresswoman is a prime example.  I just have one question for her.   Why?

September 11, 2001 is remembered as one of the most tragic days in the history of this country. That was the day that two of the nation’s most iconic landmarks were destroyed in a horrific terrorist attack. Fast forward to September 11, 2010. The building dedication of the new addition to the St. Philip’s School and Community Center will give citizens of Dallas, TX a new reason to commemorate what has become known as 9/11.  An institution that has been a ray of hope for one of our cities most neglected neighborhoods will shine even brighter with the addition of 13 classrooms, a new Chapel and Library, and a double gymnasium.  When asked what this day meant to him personally, current Headmaster Dr. Terry Flowers said, “In reflecting on the dedication it causes me to personally press a rewind button and look back on the neighborhood and this community in 1983. It gives rise to the emotions related to persevering, staying faithful and defying the odds even when others spoke negatively about what could be done.”

In the 1940’s the Episcopal Diocese and the local African-American Episcopalians started a Black Episcopal church in South Dallas. The church quickly identified a glaring need for programs targeting neighborhood youth and acted to meet that need.  They learned that if the community did not thrive the church could not thrive.  In 1959 the church constructed a new gymnasium to facilitate the expansion of community programs and the first inklings of a school took shape in 1967 in the form of a daycare center.  Those were the beginnings of a community partnership that has been faithfully carried on by Dr. Flowers. “I’ve learned that an injection of hope into a community that people turned their backs on, where churches have walked away, where absentee landlords were commonplace, will cause people to begin to believe that change is possible.”, said Dr. Flowers.

St. Philip’s provides programs such as Meals on Wheels, a Food Pantry, Angel Tree, an annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, a Christmas Store and  Free Legal Clinics just to name a few.  All of these programs are examples of how much St. Philip’s cares about the community in which it exists and how the original mission of this institution has not been forgotten.  Dr. Flowers stated, “The many outreach programs has created a feeling in the neighborhood that we, St. Philip’s, are a part of them.” These programs were implemented to meet the basic needs of residents of the St. Philip’s community. In a time when government programs have steadily decreased, St. Philip’s continues to find a way to serve the community.

The physical growth of St. Philip’s School and Community Center is evident.  Campus expansion, increased school enrollment, record numbers of people being served through the various outreach programs and one of the largest athletic programs in the city  are all examples of the growth that has occurred at St. Philip’s over the last decade.  But more importantly St. Philip’s has promoted a different kind of growth, one that at first glance may not be as evident.   Dr. Flowers elaborated on this point, “I think when you look South of downtown there are few examples of entities that have brought people together, brought people across the Trinity to see something extremely positive taking place. I think in many ways St. Philip’s has not only helped change attitudes towards the people of South Dallas but has also changed attitudes in regards to what South Dallas is. ”   This is illustrated when you see the volunteer base of St. Philip’s.    Most of the volunteers had no prior knowledge of the St. Philip’s School and Community Center or the surrounding neighborhood.  Many of them had never even ventured south of Downtown Dallas, but through their volunteer efforts they have come to love this community and their perceptions of its residents have changed.   “People now have a shared pride about what’s going on in South Dallas.”, said Dr. Flowers.  St. Philip’s supporters have grown to realize that people are people no matter what side of the Trinity they call home.

From the 1940’s to the present the St. Philip’s School and Community Center has been on a mission of empowerment.  Many methods have been used ranging from much need computer literacy classes, legal clinics and free tax preparation to voter registration drives and helping to organize a campaign to remove adult oriented businesses from the community.  The mission of empowerment is also evident in the long list of alumni who have gone on to grace the campuses of some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation.

September 11, 2010 is a day that people from all over the city,  of all races and economic backgrounds, will come together to commemorate  another milestone in the long history of one of the most important institutions in the history of Dallas, TX.   Dr. Flowers spoke enthusiastically about future plans for St. Philip’s, “We’ll be expanding further, we’ll continue to solidify our endowment which will allow us to do what we do in an excellent way.  We will serve more children, continue to expand the Community Center and continue to leverage the urban revitalization in the surrounding neighborhood.”   The dedication of the new addition to the St. Philip’s School and Community Center represents a new chapter in the legacy of this institution and in the life of this community.  It represents a burst of energy.  It represents what that small, diverse group of people believed in 1940….. that this neighborhood can thrive!   This dedication is a signal that Great Things Lie Ahead!

*The Building Dedication for St. Philip’s School and Community Center will be held on Saturday September 11, 2010 from 2-4pm.  St. Philip’s is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Dallas, TX 75215

For more info call 214-421-5221

Popular talk radio host  Laura Schlessinger, better known as Dr. Laura,  recently created a firestorm with an “N” word laced tirade  during a call with a listener.  The listener was an African American woman who is in a  interracial marriage and wanted to know how to deal with racial slurs and comments, some including the “N” word,  directed at her by some of her husbands friends and family members.  The caller stated that she was beginning to resent her husband because he seems to condone the inappropriate statements his friends and family members make towards her. Dr. Laura responded by suggesting that African-Americans casual,  public  use of the “N” word has given people carte blanche to do the same.  She went on to say that the caller  was being “hypersensitive”  to the use of the word and basically needed to get over it.

This incident, much like recent ones involving Don Imus, Michael Richards and Mel Gibson,  has sparked much debate.  Is it ever okay to use the N word?  Have African-Americans earned the exclusive right to use the ”N” word?  Why is it acceptable for African-American rappers, actors and comedians to use the “N” word without consequence?  Every time an incident of this nature occurs we spend several weeks toiling over the same questions .

Personally,  I’m not offended by the use of the “N” word and in my 46 years I have not had anyone outside of my race ever direct the word towards me. (knock on wood)  I do, however,  understand the history of the word and the malice and hatred that it has been associated with over the years  but when will we get over it?  I know some of you may be uttering the “N”  word under your breath right now to describe me, but can we agree that the African-American community has bigger fish to fry?

The solution to the “N” word issue is simple. If you don’t like what you hear on various radio and tv talk shows then don’t listen or watch.  We tune in to shows that are hosted by people we don’t like,  and who we believe don’t like us,  and when they say things that validate our feelings about them we are outraged and can’t believe what we’ve heard.

Consistency is something that  we struggle with in the African-American community.  Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton often spearhead the protests when these racially motivated incidents occur, but how many times have we seen them in attendance at one of the many Hip Hop Award shows?  Shows where the majority of the “artists” being honored have made  use of the “N’” word a staple in their music, comedy acts and movies.   But we honor them nonetheless. Why is it acceptable for Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and  Samuel L. Jackson to spew the “N” word while practicing their ”art forms” ? Most of the time the audiences that flock to see these people are majority white.   We shouldn’t be surprised when others feel the word has been somehow redefined and that we are now okay with it being used freely by all.

If we are going to police the use of the “N” word we have to start with ourselves.  If our entertainers can’t put on a show without using the “N” word then we need to stop buying their Cd’s and DVDs and stop going to their shows, concerts and movies.   We need to hold their feet to the fire the same way we are doing with Dr. Laura. That is if we are truly offended and outraged every time we hear the “N” word. Otherwise, we need to focus our collective energy on something more relevant to the state  the African-American community.

For example, popular attorney and nationally syndicated radio host and author, Warren Ballentine and the National Action Network recently issued a national call to action,  ”Targeting Your Money”.  The goal of this initiative according to Mr. Ballentine  is for “The African-American community to become more strategic in how we invest and spend our money.”  Mr. Ballentine stated  ”I am committed to continuing to find ways to trigger action in my community and will continue to leverage my talk show and everything that I touch to find new ways to elevate and breathe new life into our community, because it’s ultimately our responsibility to ensure that our communities thrive.”

Now you tell me which cause will benefit the African-American community more, policing the use of the “N” word or the one initiated by Warren Ballentine?   I think it’s time for us to get over it.

There has been a decade long  fight to reduce the disparity in penalties for the use of crack and powder cocaine.   It cannot be denied that sentencing involving the possession of crack cocaine  has been historically more severe  than the penalty for possessing powder cocaine,   but shouldn’t it be?

I wonder if the people who live in neighborhoods overrun by crack houses thought the penalty for possessing crack was too severe?  In addition to crack houses these neighborhoods are also plagued with prostitution, petty theft, robbery, murder and gang activity, all of which go hand in hand with the sell and consumption of crack cocaine.

The new more lenient penalties for crack possession will do nothing to discourage people from using  or selling arguably the single most destructive drug that this country has ever seen.  Crack cocaine has contributed to the decimation of  inner city communities all over this country for several decades.  There will be no fewer African-American and Hispanic men going to prison, no fewer murders, no fewer burglaries, no less gang activity and no fewer people held captive in their own neighborhoods.   All this change will do is make the revolving  prison door swing a little faster.

Why not fight for more programs to discourage young kids from getting involved with drugs at all?  Do we really want to become advocates for criminals?  Well,  now we can all rest easier because these poor crack addicts and drug dealers won’t have to spend so much time in these terrible prisons.   They’ll be back on the streets in no time but hopefully not in a neighborhood near you.

In a previous post entitled “In Success I will not Stray” I received a lot of  criticism for statements made regarding African Americans leaving urban Dallas  for the comfort of the suburbs.  Some felt that I was being hypocritical because I personally don’t live in the neighborhood I referenced.  The criticism didn’t bother or surprise me, but  the fact that my message was totally lost did.

If you revisit the original  post  you will find that I clearly  stated people cannot be blamed for wanting to live in safe neighborhoods and send their children to  good schools.  That desire is completely understood and I  seek the same things for my family.   What I was hoping to do in that post was provoke thought that would lead to dialogue around creative solutions to “Black Flight”.    I presented the theory that in order to attract successful African-Americans back to the inner city we have to find ways to improve  the schools.  Apparently that point was lost because I did not receive a single comment that made reference to that rationale.

Instead,  some chose to focus on the fact that I don’t currently reside in South Dallas.  Do I have to live  in the heart of South Dallas  in order to have an opinion on how to improve it?   I don’t think I do.  If that were the case every editorial written on the War in Iraq would have to come from someone on the front lines and every political pundit would have to walk side by side with the President  in order to have any credibility.  Was I pointing the finger at others?  That wasn’t  my intention but it seems some readers perceived it that way.  To those readers let this serve as my sincere apology.   My opinions are derived from my own personal experiences and struggles.  Having lived in South Dallas/Fair Park  for over 20 years it pains me that I cannot find a place there that my family can call home,  so I am seeking answers as to why that is the case.

Most of the issues that plague the African American community in South Dallas  don’t have easy solutions.  I think that finding the solutions might require us to  examine our personal and collective value systems.  What is really important to us?  But who wants to have their value system challenged?  The simple fact of the matter is that many of us have adopted lifestyles that don’t allow us to  consistently impact impoverished and crime ridden neighborhoods.  I believe that’s because the things we value don’t include the “have nots”.   (Unless you count the few hours we manage to squeak out during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.)

In spite of the  criticism I’m sure to receive I won’t be deterred  from giving my opinion on the state of the African American community in Dallas.  I’ll also continue to offer up what I believe are solutions.  Whether you agree or disagree isn’t important.   I’m optimistic that we,  being the God fearing, thinking people that we are, can move past the discomfort of self-evaluation and move toward formulating and executing  solutions that will give all of us the chance to overcome in this city.

CNN.com recently published an article entitled “Why Obama doesn’t dare become the ‘angry black man’.”   The article illustrates the fine emotional  line President Obama walks because of the color of his skin.  Voice displeasure with someone or something and he’s “angry black man” (i.e. referring to actions of the police officer in the Henry Louis Gates incident as “stupidity”) .  Show no emotion and attempt to make rational decisions and he’s “passive, indecisive black man” (see BP oil spill.)

It’s unfair, but it’s a battle I think most, if not all, African American men fight daily.  What other group of people are asked to suppress their emotions and opinions more?  We celebrate in the end zone after scoring a touchdown and it’s showboating.  Voice  displeasure with poor service at the restaurant and you’re  an unruly customer.  Disagree with decisions made at work and now you’re a disgruntled employee.

In his memoir “Days of Grace” , Arthur Ashe described it as the “burden of race.”  Mr. Ashe, after being asked by a reporter if AIDS was the heaviest burden he ever had to bear replied “No, it isn’t……… You’re not going to believe this but being black is the greatest burden I’ve had to bear.”  Just think about that for a minute.  Here is a man battling AIDS and recovering from a heart attack and the biggest burden he has ever had to bear is his race?

As African-American men how do we handle it?  How should the President handle it?   It seems that no amount of tact is enough to ease the fear,  suspicion and lack of trust that some people have of African-American men.  Maybe President Obama doesn’t openly display anger because that’s just not who he is as a human being.  Maybe it has nothing to do with race or ethnicity.  On the other hand maybe it has everything to do with race and ethnicity.  Maybe African American men have learned to suppress outward displays of emotion and minimize outspoken opinions  in order to acquiesce.

The sad thing is that racism is at the root of it all.   Arthur Ashe went on to say in his book,  “My potential is more than can be expressed within the bounds of my race or ethnic identity.  My humanity, in common with all of God’s children, gives the greatest flight to the full range of my possibilities.  If I had one last wish, I would ask that all Americans could see themselves that way, past the barbed-wire fences of race and color.”   What makes this black man angry is how far removed we are from that ideal.

Being an only child with an absent father, my mom and I spent a lot of time together.  I’ll never forget 1976, the year she took me to every Dallas Cowboys home game.  That was the year O.J. Simpson came to Texas Stadium as a Buffalo Bill and that night was one of the most exciting nights of my life.   She loved the Dallas Cowboys,  Roger Staubach and Denzell Washington.

It’s funny how we don’t fully grasp the lessons our parents try to teach us until after they’re gone.  Her work ethic and loyalty to friends and family helped shape who I am today.   She was the picture of self-sacrifice and the year before she died all she could talk about was what she was going to do for her then newborn grandson,  Elijah.  What I wouldn’t do for just one more hug.  Etta Nell Hubbard, I love you,  I thank you and I miss you.  This is your memorial.

Etta Nell Hubbard, March 12, 1932 - January 3, 2001

In today’s society success has become  synonymous with separation.  The more successful we become the further we remove ourselves  from those that could benefit from the residual effects  of our success.   We become successful (in this context  success equals earning more money)   and immediately seek better neighborhoods, better schools, better places to go to church, better places to shop etc.   In seeking this “better” way of life we nullify the impact we could have politically, economically and socially on the communities where the need is greatest.  The communities that we once called home.  In other words in success we stray.

It isn’t a crime to desire life  in a safe, clean neighborhood with high performing schools and a Starbucks on every corner, but if we are truly concerned about the community at large we have to find ways  to reverse the “flight” trend.  The solutions are not simple.  “Successful” people are drawn to planned developments and good schools like moths to a flame,  but how do you develop neighborhoods that exist in areas overcome with  poverty, poor schools and crime?   Is it even possible?

Gentrification is the strategy used most often, but displacing people is not a strategy I’m particularly fond of.  I would like to suggest that we start with improving the public schools.  The common denominator for thriving neighborhoods and communities are high performing schools.   Maybe if we dumped more money into science and math and less into athletics we could begin to see  an improvement in the quality of our public schools and student performance.  What if for one year the DISD suspended all of it’s  spending on athletics and allocated that money for teacher raises, computers, textbooks, science labs, etc.   What would the results be?   I know that sounds extreme but wouldn’t the payoff be worth it?

Ignoring  problems won’t make them go away.  Eventually they will find us.  We have to do something.  In our success we cannot continue to stray  from our communities, our churches and our schools.

Organizing for America, the successor organization to Obama for America is about individuals getting involved on the local level, taking it upon themselves to help bring about change.  At one time the  African American community was the symbol of this philosophy.  We’ve lost that fire somewhere along the way.

We can seemingly be  bombarded with a  variety of issues everyday,   but we can’t  allow ourselves to fall into a mindset of helplessness;  we have to  adopt the mentality that we are change agents.   I’m not  promoting a “Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” philosophy.  I’m not that naive or idealistic.  Some things are simply out of your realm of control.  But the majority of the problems I see on today’s landscape are completely within our power to resolve.

If you’re dissatisfied with your child’s school join the Parent School Association or volunteer in your child’s  classroom.   If crime in your neighborhood is spiraling out of control start a neighborhood watch group or join an existing one.   If you’re dissatisfied with your city council representative or school board trustee, vote them out in the next election. The list of problems that we face can be a long one,  but so is the list of solutions.  ‘If it is to be, it’s up to me.”

It’s almost as if  we  have  a co-dependent relationship with the ills of  society.  We scream that we want things to change and get better but our actions don’t support that longing.  It’s  become much too easy to complain and point fingers, but in my 46 years I have never seen a problem resolved that way.    Mahatma Gandhi said “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”  In other words “If it is to be, it’s up to me.”

P.S. In a previous post I confessed that I have not been a responsible voter.  I made a commitment to improve my voting record and took the first step by voting this past weekend.   They wouldn’t allow me to take pictures inside the polling location so the picture below will have to serve as proof.