A songs for Black History month

Just for Black History Month I want to present the following music videos. Take it as you will.



And yes, 41 shots is repeated 41 times in the song.

Here is one of Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts Songs of the Century



It's not much better across the pond



How about a cover of Sly Stone



How about the power that used to be in rap (before the minstrel show)



How about the superficial



If my readers down under are feeling left out



And finally a song everyone has heard, and few have ever paid attention to the words

10 year movie review: Bamboozled

When I read about the fried chicken served at NBC I was immediately reminded of something. A movie that disturbed me. A movie that moved me. A movie that I think should be shown on broadcast television, uncut, every time the nation celebrates Black History Month.

Bamboozled.

I'm sure most of my readers have not seen this film by Spike Lee. It wasn't popular when it came out, and it still isn't. It may well never become so. Which is a testament to the images and meaning the film embodies.

This is a difficult film to watch. It strikes me with anger and shame in equal parts. It upsets me for what I see on the screen, and what those images mean in relation to the real world. It infuriates me with it's reflection of the real world and the societal norms in the nation.

The more I hear of acts like that in NBC, the more I find stories like that of Megan Williams, Oscar Grant, Mauricia Grant and so many more the closer I believe we get to Mantan and the new millienium minstrel show. The more I see Snoop Dogg and the horde of rappers that are excused and praised for their disrespect of women and themselves, the glorification of drugs and violence, the more I see Mantan. The more I hear talk of a post racial America, while States like North Carolina make decisions to edit American history (starting just AFTER the civil war and slavery) the more I see the potential to fall back to the norms of 1950 or 1920, or 1850.

But Bamboozled is not just a movie about African Americans, it's about America. It's not just painful to see what is possible, but what is happening. It's Chris Matthews proud President Obama can be "in a room full of White people" and still be "unaffected". It's the unreported 19% unemployment rate among African Americans. It's the accusations that to disagree with policy is to be a racist. It's the concept that an African American MUST love President Obama and cannot deviate from supporting him.

Bamboozled came out in 2000, and 10 years later it is even more accurate and troubling than when it was made. Yet it is a movie that is unspoken, unwatched and even less fully understood as a statement of right now.

Here are parts of the film, but it hardly is the complete context.







If you don't get Bamboozled, you don't know American history - current or past. If you aren't angry and uncomfortable watching this film, you can't see the world around you. But see this film you should, for many I would even say must.

Celebrating Black History Month?

Perhaps NBC thought this to be innocent. Maybe it is innocent. But I don't think it is.



That is what NBC felt was a good idea to celebrate Black History Month. A month that this year I haven't really noticed much being said or done about. From a media company that lead the wave in presenting a 1950's view of America on television from the moment that Cosby and A Different World ceased to be on primetime airwaves.

Maybe I would feel different if NBC had Black people on Friends (a show in the heart of NYC, the most integrated city in likely the world). Perhaps if the line-up of 2010 of shows identified the Black casts in several of the shows.

To be exact, not 1 show stars a single African American. Several have 1 or 2 in the supporting cast. But when NBC decided to highlight it's line-up they provided 25 faces of NBC (20 if you don't count duplicates). In all 1 person of color is featured, 2 are in a background photo. That's 4% of the featured shows and casts. Not exactly diverse on a station known for non-diversity.

All of that says nothing of the HUGE stereotype associated with African Americans and fried chicken. It may indeed be good food, and it may well have been made perfectly well. It could be part of the normal rotation of food in the company's menu. But dedicating this to Black History Month means the conncetion to the stereotype is alive and well in the mind of NBC.

But I'm not too surprised when it is all said an done. NBC, like MSNBC, is a very liberal organization. Which means that stereotypes and other actions against people of color are things only they can do since they "understand" minorities and "help" us. It's the reason that Chris Matthews "forgot" President Obama was Black and could "hold his own in a room full of White people".

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this wasn't even that good an intention in my opinion. No wonder I don't watch the network. But how do you feel about this?

41 years and counting for Dr. Martin Luther King

It’s been 41 years so far since the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. In that time, my lifetime as I was born 2 days after his death, many things have changed but some have not. One of the more surprising things is the fact that this celebrated Civil Rights champion has never made it to the silver screen.

Well let me correct that. There was a documentary about Dr. King, shown once on March 24th 1970. That’s it. Every other time he has been shown has been on television. And that is usually just documentaries about his actions and/or death, shown almost exclusively during February (Black History Month).

But it seems that Dreamworks has decided to change that chasm of history. Finally Dr. King will have a film, noting more than just his marches and tragic death. Giving everyone in the nation a bit more than just his speeches. But how much do you want to bet it opens in Febrary?

The thing I hope for in this film, that has no date for production to begin or when it might appear in theaters (bet on it being in either 2010 or more likely 2012), is that it does for Dr. King what Malcolm X did for Malik El Shabazz. That is give the public more than a few quotes, or a static visage of the man.

In allowing us to see Dr. King as the man he was we will get to understand and appreciate what he did and what he sacrificed. Because right now, Dr. King is just “I have a Dream” and not the passion and desperation that fueled that dream. People forget that Dr. King was not some political tool, but a force with goals and issues that were societal in the foremost.

Dr. King these days is seen as a holiday. The aspirations he hoped for African Americans have mostly failed to happen. America is little better off today than in 1960 in many ways. We are improving, but so slowly as to seem as if all forward motion has stopped.

I say this because I don’t know how many people believed that President Obama was the incarnation of Dr, King’s dream. Which is a falicy, promoted by the commercialization of his efforts. Dr. King did not want one man to succeed, he wanted everyone to improve their lives.

Yes, President Obama did a grand thing. But how could Dr. Martin Luther King be happy about that when over 50% of teenage pregnancies are Blacks. How can he be rejoicing the election while over 50% of African Americans are dropping outr of school. Why would he cheer when television still shuns people of color in front of and behind the camera, or when African Americans are highlighted we are stereotyped and objectified?

Dr. King’s dream’s, efforts, and life were dedicated to preventing these very things. While I think he would be impressed with the success of President Obama (which is not the same as approval of his political policies) he would not hold that above the failures that are rampant in the Black community. The success of one is not the success of us all in some cases.

So I hope that seeing Dr. King as the man he was, standing for the things he believed in, advocating changes we still need to see implemented can help to really improve America. Because it’s not happening now. It likely won’t happen even if President Obama is re-elected on the political endeavours he currently proposes. Because that is not what the dream is about.

Duke Ellington: The jazz, the stamp, and the quarter

What do you think of when you think of Duke Ellington?

Some will instantly hear any number of jazz music selections created by this great musician and performer. Other may reflect on the Presidential Medal of Freedom he received in 1969, or the Legion of Honor from France (both are the highest honors that a civilian can receive from the respective countries). Then there are those that will remember that he was part of the second generation of African Americans to be born free of slavery.

Each of these things are powerful memories, with a history and impact for all those that pay attention. In Washington D.C. they have set about trying to capture all those facts, and countless numbers more, by commemorating Duke Ellington, born Edward Kennedy Ellington in 1899 (34 years after the end of slavery), on an American quarter. As each of the 50 states have emblazened an image representing the State on quarters, D. C. has now joined with its own image of its famous and beloved hometown son.

Ellington, named Duke for his appearance and mannerisms in youth that denoted nobility, was born in Washington D.C. and had President Teddy Roosevelt watch him play baseball as a child. His talent at the piano, in jazz, and with his bands allowed him to play for White and Black audiences - which was virtually unheard of in the 1920 and on. Duke was a groundbreaking, amazing man - proof that color cannot bind music even in a segregated nation.

Duke Ellington is the first and only African American to be featured on a official, functional, U.S. coin by himself. Commemorative coins, like those sold since the election of President Obama, are not valid currency. This too is a piece of history worthy of such a great American. It goes well with the fact that in 1986 Ellington was place on a 22 cent U.S. stamp and his special citation of the Pulitzer Prize.

You may not have heard about this anywhere else, but you should have. It's just one more reason that the world was lucky to have had Duke Ellington in it. It's another reason that every African American should always hold their heads high, not just during Black History Month.

Tiger Woods, Golf, and Black History Month

As we enter the first Black History Month in which we will not only be celebrating the past acheivements of great men and women, but the until recently undreamed of African American Presidency, I decided to look at what else might we celebrate.

That took me to looking, eventually, at Tiger Woods. Being the best in the world, in a sport where Blacks (of any nationality) are as close to virtually non-existent as possible, is always noteworthy. But then I noticed an article that made me think deeper.

John Paul Newport was speaking about Tiger Woods at one of the inauguration parties for President Obama. He speculated on the thought that Obama might one day try for a political office. Which indeed would be interesting. And then I read this quote further on in the article

“If you turn on the golf tournament Sunday and Tiger Woods isn't playing, what do you see? About 140 white guys competing and no blacks," said Eddie Payton, the golf coach at historically black Jackson State in Mississippi (and the brother of the late football great Walter Payton). "What kind of message does that send to kids? That they should watch basketball instead, even though they aren't going to grow up to be 6-foot-10? If we don't get some black players on Tour soon, we're going to lose a generation of potential African-American golfers."

Being a golfer, though a 100 a round player so I’m not bragging, I am used to being one of a handful – if not the only – Black golfer on any particular course. That is usually true even on most courses in major cities. So, like watching television, I hadn’t notice that I was brainwashed into accepting the lack of diversity.

Yet that is a horrible thing. Golf is a great sport. It’s relaxing, intense, challenging, and fun. It’s something that even the less physically fit can play. And those on the course are in almost every case, polite friendly and respectful.

It is a game that anyone can learn, even in the city. In the Bronx, a few miles from where I grew up is a 100 year old 9-hole course that is almost always filled by anything but golfers of color. And the same can be said of the over half a dozen courses in New York City, in my experience.

At a time when our nation has broken through a massive hurdle, when we are openly and finally discussing race relations without breaking into fights, we still are surrounded by obstacles that are firmly in place.

And this makes me wonder about my thoughts on the Obama effect. Perhaps I was too short sighted when I discussed that. Perhaps the Obama effect is not limited to just television. Because in the PGA there is only 1 African American golfer, and almost a mere handful of American golfers of color. The LPGA is even more staggered in the diversity it presents.

But why? Money is of course one reason. And not a small one. Yet the same can be said of those athletes that seek to become baseball, basketball, football or any other sports’ major leaguer. The honest answer is that African Americans are discouraged from the game, and institutional backing ignores them.

The discouragement comes as much from African Americans as any other group. The game is seen as being only-White. To play is a stigma akin to abandoning your race. And that is just a stupid thought. Yet every Sunday that very though is reinforced.

The money though is another matter. I won’t say that colleges, golf clubs, or other institutions purposefully avoid African Americans – I don’t know that to be true. But I can say that from what I know they all do actively pursue White golfers at young ages.

Now I am not saying that any African America should be allowed to play in the PGA or LPGA just because of the color of their skin. I hate and would fight against such an idea. But I am saying that the opportunity to compete should be more available.

Given the chance, players will find their own way to the pros. But the chance has to be there. And in golf it is not.

Every African American is not Tiger Woods or Barack Obama. Nor should we be held to a standard of being equal to them or nothing at all. Yet that does not mean we cannot be involved. That does not mean we shouldn’t be encouraged to try.

If this Black History Month says anything this year, I hope that it says to everyone, of every color and creed and ethnicity, that you should try something different. That you can succeed in things that few are doing today. That if you look up, don’t just reach for the clouds because you think you can only get the sky. Reach for the stars because if you work for it, you can reach them too.

Moment in time 40 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - 4.4.2008.1

Today, 40 years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 2 days before my birthday I pause to reflect on what has happened and what could have.

I’ve read a lot on Dr. King in the recent days, far more than what was written during this past Black History Month. And I’m reminded of comments made by Jeff Johnson when I saw him at Ithaca College this year. I consider what Dr. King was moving forward to do at the time he was killed, and how he has been frozen in time. I look at the society of America and of African Americans.

I am a child of the Civil Rights era. I have benefited in numerous ways from the struggles and strife made by those before me. And there are numerous things today that have gone backwards in time or have wasted the efforts made. Those children beyond my generation have no idea of what has changed, and seemingly few have an appreciation that they don’t know things have changed only recently.

If Dr. King had not been killed 40 years ago, do you think there would be a BET today? Perhaps there would be, and a TV One as well – but not the only 2 and not in the manner that we see now on Black Entertainment Television I imagine. I doubt that Bob Johnson would have been the first with a national cable channel, and it would not have been built upon the back of scantily clad Black women gyrating to lyrics promoting drugs and violence.

If Dr. King had lived, he honestly would have diminished in some of his stature – as all great leaders do as they age. Yet his voice would hold more power than all the so called Black leaders of today combined and then some. He would long ago have questioned the infusion of drugs into our communities, the ridiculous face value actions of “Just say no”, and the promotion of money over education values that have integrated into our communities via music videos, video games, and other genres.

If Dr. King had lived, there would be a voice to speak with fanatical Muslim extremists. Perhaps there would never have been a 9/11, nor a war in Kuwait, nor a bombing in Lebanon. And even if these events did happen, there might have been a voice to provide an alternative just a step short of war.

If Dr. King had lived unions would be far different than they are now. There would have been a powerful voice questioning America’s involvement in Viet Nam, and questioning how the Government ran the war.

I imagine that television networks and movie studios would have rushed to integrate the big and small screens for fear of boycotts. Today there would not be worlds of imagination segregated to a virtually uniform racial make up of the world. There would not be just 2% of the entertainment industry representing every person of color combined. Spike Lee would not have to be heralded as a unique and groundbreaking director (based on his color), but just a great director among others.

I imagine that the African American middle class would not be a ghost, but a viable and growing community. I imagine that I would not have been able to get through high school with a college preparatory physics class textbook that was 3 years older than me. I imagine that a better alternative to Affirmative Action may have been found.

I would hope that had Dr. King lived, America would have come to terms with the need to apologize for slavery, something that I think still festers in the background causing separation and ill-will. I would hope that America could realize that reparations are part of that contrition and the fact that every American today benefits from the 246 years of work that built the foundations of everything that exists today. I would hope that we all would further realize that another 100+ years of segregation and prejudice were instead built upon the back of slavery with Jim Crow laws and that the cycle of judgment based on skin color needed to be broken.

I believe that as some of these things came to pass the history of the nation, the full history, would be revealed. Men like the Tuskegee Airmen and every other African American that has fought in every war America has ever had would not be new revelations to our children today. That the innovations and inventions that make life modern would be attributed to the Blacks that created them. That no person in America would wish to use a word like the N-word because it had no relevance and its meaning is too vile to repeat.

I believe that there would be no need to be distinguished by skin color when being described as an American. I would not need to be African American or Mexican American and so on. We could simply be Americans, one and all.

I believe that the Tuskegee Experiment would not have lasted until 1972, and that the Government would have been smitten for such actions. That there would not need to be a question of whether the government had made AIDS and brought it into communities of people of color because we could be sure they would never act in such a manner again.

I believe that Dr. King would never have become a politician, but other people of color would have been inspired, supported and welcomed as such. That there would be no place in America that could still herald the fact an African American ran for or was elected to a political office. That the first viable Black Presidential candidate would have ran, and possibly been elected long before the 21st century – 388 years after the first recorded slave was sold, 235 years after creating America, 142 years after abolishing slavery, 85 years after lynchings became a crime, 42 years after Jim Crow and segregation laws were declared illegal, 23 years after the first Black Miss America, 8 years after the first Black Secretary of State, 7 years after the first African American President of an Ivy League College and first Black billionaire, and 1 year after the first Black American (and youngest person) that flew around the world solo [which went virtually unreported].

There are many things I think that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could have done had he lived, and others that he would have influenced that would have benefited America. But I am left with one other thought.

Why haven’t these things happened even without him?

The Erasing of Black History

This post was written by C. Miller a contributing author to this blog.


I find myself at the end of Black History Month looking around to see what has been put out there for our young people to see of blacks in the U.S. To my disappointment not much different was done. All the same things as last year and the year before etc.

We see all the familiar faces of Black History such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. This is just to skim the top. No one seemed to be interested in the fact that we are living in a moment in time where history is being made. Across the world many people of black decent are coming into positions of power. In the U.S. alone we have Barrack Obama fighting to become the Presidential nominee. We have Condoleezza Rice a woman of color occupying a high level government office and of course Colin Powell, who can forget this great man.

The winds of change are in the air to say the least. To my surprise some change happened in the high school my son attends. February 2007 I found that in Union Endicott High School of Endicott, NY that Black History Month has been erased from the curriculum and no one batted an eye. No one thought to fight for Black History to be kept on the school curriculum. No teachers protested this change and on one made a peep as it was silently removed. At this school Black History went into the night without so much as a whisper. Up until this point no one noticed that it was put to death.

My son, being of mixed African American decent, was unaware of the impact of this particular event. I had to explain to him what it meant to have Black History removed from school. I then stood to explain to my son the richness of his family history. Here is how I laid it out for him; from myself (age 40), to my mother (age 59), to her father (age 79), to his now deceased father who at the time of his death in 1998 was 104 years old. At this point I explained that his great great grand father was a sharecropper in Hawkins Ville Georgia on the same land his parents and grand parents were slaves on. This is a line in history that his school has now negated. Virtually saying to my son, “your history is unimportant and not worthy of the paper on which it would be written.”

He found this to be an unbelievable thing; he said it felt like he was being robbed. That the school had studies on the Holocaust and all kinds of other studies of people. So when did the history of blacks in the US become any less important. This is a question he will be asking his counselor at school to see what the answer will be. I told him not to be surprised if his counselor sweeps it under the carpet in the hopes that it just goes away and that my son forgets about it.

How can the American school system sweep away so many tragic moments in its history along with all the wonderful things that black invented and not even bat an eye? What repercussions will follow in the wake of this action being taken by a public school? Who was it that okayed such a thing being done in the school system? And why were no red flags raised among the teachers and faculty of the school over this?

As a result of asking my son at the beginning of the month what his project for Black History Month was going to be is how this conversation came about. I was excited to help him with whatever the project was going to be, but instead I find that the school has completely removed Black History from the roster.

Attending a Jeff Johnson talk at Ithaca College of NY, I had more questions to ask. I just happened to mention to Mr. Johnson what I thought was something that could happen in schools, the erasing of Black History. Only to come home and talk to my son the next day and hear from him that such a thing had taken place, right under the noses of everyone. It was slipped in nice and quiet so as not to cause a ripple.

Have parents become so complacent as to not notice when huge swaths of American History are being taken away? I have to say on some level yes, because it happened in Endicott, NY. I have to say yes because I was one of those parents. I have to say yes because I have not heard nor have I read of anyone responding to this on any level. The scary thing is that with this coming to light we are now sending our children of color out as sheep among wolves. Their futures hang in the balance and with the rippling effect of what has happened in Endicott NY. For something like this to take hold even on a small level, what can be expected for their futures?

What if they took away Black History Month? - 2.29.2008.1

What if Black History Month was removed? Would anyone have noticed? Would anyone complain?

It seems not.

Why would I say this? Because I just learned that the school system in Endicott New York has removed all Black studies in the curriculum. There was nothing discussed in this past month about Black History, not even Dr. Martin Luther King, because the entire subject was deemed unimportant.

Hello, stop and read that again. Unimportant and having no place in the minds of any of the children, including those that are African American. And this was all done without a single word to the parents, a single complaint from ANY of the students. It was just wiped out without a concern as if it was no more than a piece of errant string found on a piece of clothing.

Why am I upset? What if the school decided not to discuss the Holocaust, or Native American history? What if all the history about England was removed, or France, or Ancient Rome? What if history in schools forgot about President George Washington, just not ever mentioning what he did, or the Constitution?

People would be up in arms. Parents would be inflamed. Jewish communities would claim its anti-Semitic, Native American Indians would say it’s a slap in the face. Whole communities would demand a reason why their rich pasts were being denied their children. Cries that the fundamental based of what is America was being corrupted.

And I ask, in what way is this different? How are the lives and blood of the African Americans that helped build and shape this nation any less important than anyone else? I am not just talking about the Slaves that literally built the foundations of the nation, but the inventors that created thousands of items we use every day, like the stoplight, or save millions of lives, like blood transfusions. How can we value the lives of soldiers like the Tuskegee Airmen, or those that fought in the Civil War, or the American Revolution with any less honor than every other American.

I don’t know how we can equate those lives and contributions as less, but obviously this town in Upstate New York has. I’m willing to bet that they aren’t the only ones. What are the odds that kids in Montana, or Florida, or Ohio, or any other State have no idea about these inventions or people? How many believe that being a slave, less than a dog or piece of furniture, was no different than having trouble getting a job? I know there are more than a few as I’ve read comments that insist that the trouble the Irish had in getting a job was the same as working 20 hours a day for your entire life, with no days off or concern for your health, without pay, and with the reality that at any moment your entire family may be sold away from you and that you can be killed for no more than amusement or the crime of looking at the wrong person.

If we can allow these schools to just toss away a piece of American History, a history of an essential people that helped found and defend this nation, what will go next? Dr. Martin Luther King’s Holiday? A holiday that over half the nation fought from coming into existence, and many still ignore? Maybe the laws dealing with segregation could be next. And if we get that far, why not restate Jim Crow? Hell, just bring slavery back and make it national.

It’s not that crazy. Slavery was just 5 lifetimes ago for some families. Jim Crow was just 2 or 3. Segregation was just 1. And a people without a history aren’t really a people are they?

And this was so important an issue, that not one child mentioned it. Not one parent noticed. Not one meeting was held. It was just understood that it was ok. As long as no one spoke about it, and no one asked why.

So as long as no one asks you if you are Black, or Hispanic, or whatever color, religion, or background you claim, you are nothing. And you can’t hurt nothing. You can’t defend, offend, steal from, brutalize, rape, murder or anything to nothing. And in Upstate New York, that’s what they are equating being African American with. Perhaps the Jews will be next?

Are you nothing? Is your history, your family nothing? Are you sure?

“Don’t learn Black History because of what you know, learn it because of what you don’t know” – C. Miller

I don’t have children. I’m not a teacher or involved in the school system. Maybe that’s a cop out, maybe not. But I am now aware, and so are you. Part of my responsibility is to let you know, and ask for your comments. What will you do?

Review of Jeff Johnson speech at Ithaca College - 2.28.2008.2

When I first noticed a piece of news about Jeff Johnson speaking at Ithaca College I honestly didn’t think much of it. I had never heard of the man. But after reflecting on the college, which was a mere hour or so away from me, I decided to really read the announcement. From that I learned that Mr. Johnson was more than just some entertainer but was a recognized influence on hip hop and youth activism.

I also found out that he had worked with Black Entertainment Television, on the program Rap City as Cousin Jeff, and then later in the Jeff Johnson Chronicles. In all honesty that lowered my still unclear opinion of the man, and drove me to go to the event in hopes of discussing the actions of BET with Hot Ghetto Mess (now called We Got To Do Better) and the less than positive representations of Blacks by the cable network (owned by Viacom) with him.

Prior to going to the event, I read through the biography of Jeff Johnson via the website of his management team. Again, in all honesty as an opponent of gangsta rap, I was not encouraged by the endorsement of Source Magazine or the BET collaboration. At the same time I was interested by the fact he had been the only American reporter to interview Africa’s first female head of state, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia. Add to that the fact that he was a former National Youth Director for the NAACP and appointed by Russell Simmons as the Vice-President of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network.

There was more to the man than what the association with rap and BET may make some 40 year olds conclude. And I’m happy to say that I miserably under-estimated the ability, sincerity, intelligence, and communication skills of this man. I was impressed not just because I had foolishly almost closed my mind to what he could be and was awoken to the fact that I nearly allowed my own prejudices to miss this event, but because of what he was imbuing the students at Ithaca with. He gave them more than hope or polispeak; he gave them a motivation to seek out their own purpose and the drive to make a difference.

I have already spoken about the students at this event. Let me tell you about Jeff Johnson’s speech.

First of all, Mr. Johnson is an excellent orator. He has a command of the stage that few I have heard have. And he isn’t shy. Not in the subjects he discusses, the message he wants to convey, the examples and images he draws upon, nor in the desire to get feedback from his audience as he talks to them. I want to be clear; he doesn’t talk at the audience but speaks to them.

The first clue to that came when Mr. Johnson bypassed the podium and stood before his audience and asked if we could all hear his voice. While the room was of decent size (easily holding over 200 people at a guess) there was no question that his voice filled the room. A good sign and more comforting than watching someone shielded by a podium.

Mr. Johnson started off with the Black community’s struggle with Black History Month. The fact that there are too few programs on people of color (the preference of Mr. Johnson when referring to Black Americans, being inclusive to all the heritages that make up what is the Black community but also used to include all non-whites) and noting that Black History Month currently exists on a superficial level, ignoring it’s inception as Negro History Week, why it was created and what it has evolved into.

As Mr. Johnson stated

“Blacks have been patriots longer than citizens.”

And that the Civil Rights Movement was ‘gangsta’ because never had so much changed without violence and revolution, and Civil Rights purpose was the change of Laws and Policy in this nation. Only a true gangster could effect so much change without rising up arms to do so. And they raised a generation of children that couldn’t fight.

Yet one of the problems in 2008 was that the children of the Civil Rights Movement have an identity crisis that is separate of civil rights or BET. It was because of 2 things, the ending messages of Civil Rights. I will try to paraphrase it

“First, I don’t want you to fight like I did – go to school, get an education (and lose your minds).

Second – [in a whisper] If you don’t tell people you are Black they might not know.

Both of these things can be found in the personifying an image of Blackness connected to hip hop rooted to Africa that doesn’t reflect Africa and has nothing to do with being Black.”

Read that again. It’s very powerful, and I fully admit I do not give justice to the way and full scope of what Mr. Johnson said on this. I’m giving you a paltry couple of seconds’ summary of at least 10 minutes of conversation that was far more intense. But the point is there I believe.

From this point the speech went on to discuss the split that occurred in hip hop and the emergence of rap. Like many recognize, prior to 1992 the rap industry was about social commentary. That not only included groups like Public Enemy but also much of the tracks from N.W.A. Right up until the album, The Chronic.

At that point a new model for rap was created, funded by White people while Black people (or people of color) danced to it, and had record companies saying ‘Pimp stuff sells thus we sell it’. And that was the first time, after the last track of the Chronic album was out, that people started to say ‘I don’t listen to what they say, I listen to the beat.’

Jumping forward a bit Mr. Johnson then went on to discuss how the grandchildren of Civil Rights Movement have less power than the parents of the Civil Rights Movements (meaning slaves) and how we buy into the lie that Dr. Marin Luther King would have had the same dream from 1965 to 2008.

Another point that I agreed with and struck the audience was the thought that there is $100 million dollars being spent on a statue of Dr. King that ½ of Black America can’t afford to go see. Or that less could be spent, or a matching funds campaign could be made, to fund schools across America.

At a later point Mr. Johnson stated

“Black History is a time where our obligation is to share with the world our history. And if we don’t know it, it’s just a party celebrating our ignorance.”

As I mentioned Mr. Johnson is hardly reserved in the points he makes. And that is a good thing as the comments are needed. The impact and repercussions of what he is discussing are real events and inaction that is in the Black community today.

By confronting the youth of today, especially those that are people of color, with these realities, and reminding them of the ability and power they have to change the world around them he helps to improve America for us all. We can play chess as if it were checker and wonder at our repeated losses, or we can plan and act and win. And often those that are just entering the adult world can have the biggest and longest lasting impact. Because they shape the future and present, and live with the consequences.

I will not claim to do justice for the speech of Jeff Johnson. There are many elements that I have not covered, and others I have paraphrased, perhaps poorly. But I will say that my understanding of his message, and the ability that he has to positively impact the youth of the nation is more than just a pleasant surprise.

I may not agree with every aspect of what he said, that is not important. But I will say that many would find benefit in hearing or reading a speech by him. Even better to be there as he give his words the power of his voice.

I look forward to speaking with Jeff Johnson in the future, if possible, and passing that conversation on to you. But until that time I suggest that you look into him via his website at jeffsnation.com

Bobby Cutts trail coverage is not what Black History Month is about - 2.11.2008.2

This was inspired by my earlier post - Grammy's versus Black History Month, and the current coverage of the Bobby Cutts trial.

As of this being written Bobby Cutts is being televised live, on trial for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend. So far this has gotten 15 minutes of non-stop coverage. Heath Ledger was discussed earlier in the day. There was about 5 minutes of coverage of a news reporters comments about Chelsea Clinton (which I did not think was so severe as to get that much attention, if any).

Compare any of these to the news coverage of Wesley Snipes being vindicated in Federal Court (with no live coverage or even film clips to my knowledge), the admissions of 3 of the rapist torturers of Megan Williams of their guilt, or the inspiring work of Will I Am geared to generate interest in getting African Americans, and the youth, to vote in November 2008.

I agree that the major media don’t care that they imbalance the portrayal of Blacks. I agree that the stereotype of African American men as violent and vicious killers is more important than any positive views.

Yes, Bobby Cutts did a terrible thing. Yes he needs to be punished to the full extent of the law. But he does not represent Black men, or the Black community. Such is not the impression that major media would provide.

Imagine that you are a European, or Japanese. You are watching the American news feeds and you see and hear the constant ‘reporting’ that focuses on American Blacks and Hispanic/Latinos murdering people. You watch American videos that feature Black and Hispanic/Latinos women gyrating in skin-tight scant clothing. You see the men brandishing weapons and intimating acts of violence. What would you think?

That is what America is sending out to the world, and our citizens. Even as Senator Obama proves each stereotype wrong. As Condoleezza Rice proves them wrong. As Colin Powell has proven them false.

This is Black History Month, and I have seen more on the exceptions of the norm, the aberrant few, than I have on actual history of the contributions of African Americans. Where are the Amber Alerts about our missing children? Where is the coverage of the Megan Williams case?

For every Scott Petersen there are 5 Bobby Cutts on major media. Yet it’s a proven documented fact that most murders are committed by White Americans. Most crimes are committed by White Americans. That most of the poor of this nation are White. But viewing the media on any given day you would never know that.

Perhaps I should not be so upset. But now into the over 30th minute of Bobby Cutts I am struck not by his guilt, but the fact that coverage of by the media is so minimalizing that the only other way to see African Americans in a positive light is as an entertainer like Beyonce Knowles or Kanye West. Not because they may be doing a positive action, like Don Cheadle and his efforts to end and open Americas eyes to 5 years of genocide in Darfur; but because they are discussing a new album or winning in a sporting competition. We are so much more than that.

This is 2008, Black History Month, and just a year ago the thought of a Black President was a joke – literally. The thought that Senator Obama could win a non-high density Black state like Idaho (where he received 80% of the vote) or Iowa was incomprehensible just 3 months ago. The fact that Whites would vote for a Black man was unnerving and irritating (to former-President Bill Clinton at least) just 30 days ago.

And according to the major media coverage this is not only all the quota of positive Black non-entertainment news they need, it needs to be countered with re-inforcing negative events in an uninterrupted manner. It’s now been 1 hour of watching Bobby Cutts, without a single commercial break or a comment by the news reporters.

Maybe I’m asking for too much, but I’d love to see the 3 remaining defendants and the 3 that have admitted guilt in the kidnapping, torture, rape and sexual abuse of Megan Williams on national television explaining what prompted them to commit these acts. I’d like to see the uninterrupted coverage of them on the stand trying to explain or excuse their actions. I’d like to see in depth analysis of why and what caused them to act like the brutal horrendous animals that they are.

But such an honest look at America seems impossible. The major news media seems to find displaying the few worst individuals of people of color as entertainment. I don’t agree. I never will.

The actions of Bobby Cutts last year is not Black history to me. It’s not entertaining. While it is news, it’s not deserving of over an hour and counting of non-stop ‘reporting’. The 12,000 that fled from their bombed homes on Friday in Darfur is. The missing Black children in America since the beginning of the year are. Coverage of the Wesley Snipes trial and Megan Williams would at least be fair.

Don’t let the Bobby Cutts case or other such news be the history you and our kids learn this Black History Month. The major media may be afraid to discuss the achievements that have been done, schools may be remiss in detailing these facts, but they are there and they are facts. Our history in America is far grander, and more important. If we only focus on these negatives that major media force feeds us, we will never attempt to attain better while we are capable of the best.

Grammy's versus Black History Month - 2.11.2008.1

Why is it that I have seen news on ‘Cookie’ Thornton for a day last week, and then a bit later news on C.J. Turner, but I have yet to hear that 3 of the 6 defendants responsible for the rape, torture and kidnapping of Megan Williams have admitted their guilt? Why is it that I have seen maybe half a dozen missing women reports since the beginning of the year yet none of them have been Black, Hispanic/Latino or Asian. Why is it that major news media followed every aspect of the OJ Simpson Las Vegas case for 2 weeks, but there was barely 5 minutes of coverage on Wesley Snipes being found innocent of Federal charges? [Look at the linlks on the bottom for posts on the above.]

I bet right now there is more news out about who won Grammy's, and what the celebrities and entertainers wore than on Megan Williams, Wesley Snipes, and every Black woman and child that went missing in this nation since the beginning of the year. At the very least you think you would see more about African Americans since this is Black History Month, yet that isn’t the case.

In fact, there is more news about the drugs Heath Ledger took to kill himself (accidental or not), or the coverage of the news about Kayne West and Amy Winehouse winning awards than there was about the 3 villages in Darfur that were bombed on Friday, and the tens of thousands of men, women, and children that are fleeing for their lives.

But what can the major media do? It’s only Black History Month. It’s only realistic and a small portion of it positive non-entertainment related news about African Americans and Blacks in the world. That’s not something important. And besides the quota of positive Black news was filled with the coverage of Senator Obama winning Primaries and Caucuses.

I would say I’m being obtuse and sarcastic, except I don’t see anything on the major media that refutes such a thought. Nothing. In fact I will make a bet with anyone willing to take it. I say there will be more coverage (in minutes of airtime and/or number of related stories) on the Grammy red carpet and what Beyonce, Bai Ling, Soulja Boy Tell'em, Carrie Underwood all wore, than about Megan Williams, Darfur, Wesley Snipes winning his trial, and every other positive news event other than Senator Barack Obama, combined. I’d also bet that the Grammy’s will garner more attention than Senator Obama’s wins this weekend. I won’t even bother comparing it to coverage celebrating the African Americans who made 1000’s of inventions that we use every day or those that have given up their lives so that Obama can be a Senator now.

I think this is the perfect month to ask, why are those White Americans that run the major media so terrified to present positive and real events involving African Americans? Why is it that the only real media focus is on Blacks as entertainers or criminals? Even in the one, shortest month of the year when attention of a positive nature is supposed to be the secondary, or even terciary focus.

The most I’ve noticed are more television commercials with Blacks in them. Like the one from Time Warner Cable. The one with a woman comedian (who looks White – but could be incredibly light skinned) who thanks Richard Pryor (without ever mentioning his name) for letting her be able to joke about events in her life on stage. While that may be a breakthrough, I think the things that Time Warner could promote about Richard Pryor beyond that can fill hours of television time. Yet that’s the best homage they could manage. Not his writing, his work to fight Muscular Dystrophy (MS) or other events.

In fact even in schools there is a failure to recognize African Americans and there contributions to America. There are tens of thousands of things that African Americans have done over centuries to improve lives in America, but don’t think the major media or schools will mention that. From early versions of gas masks that saved lives of miners and firemen 100 years ago, to the Tuskegee Airmen who saved hundreds of lives and helped win WWII, what has been done is barely ever scratched.

I know of schools that have yet to discuss African Americans, though they are discussing the world history. Kids of all races know a lot about the Holocaust, yet few know anything about the causes of the Civil War and where freeing slaves really fell as a priority. And if it were up to major media, not a single child would learn a thing more than Blacks play games well, can sing and shake their asses, and some can make funny movies. That’s the message out there.

The more I think about it the more I get upset and insulted.

If you have kids, nieces or nephews, take a moment and ask them about Black History. See if they can name more than 5 famous names (and what those people did). See if they can name anyone beyond Senator Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King [the DR. part is important – he had a doctorate and it should be included in his memory], Malcolm X, Dr. George Washington Carver, and Booker T. Washington (rappers, sports figures, and other entertainers of general achievement don’t count). Ask them if they know the real reason America had a Civil War (freeing slaves was an afterthought – tying up loose ends). Ask if they have ever heard of the Tuskegee Airmen, or Tuskegee College for that matter. And if you don’t know these things you can learn about it too.

Everyone in America has seen the positives of White America, the positive news of various selfless acts, and the fears that occur when a White child is missing. I just wish the major media could give a little bit of attention to those same things for African Americans, or any people of color, at least during the shortest month of the year.

Since America is set against apologizing for the slavery that built the foundations of this nation, and livid at the mention of reparations fro that slavery, the Jim Crow laws and segregation that followed, a bit of positive images are the least that can be done.

Final part of thoughts about USAToday.com opinion piece - 2.21.2007.4

Continued from part 2...

Racism and injustice cannot be noticed if a light is not shed upon them. That is what Black History Month is for. With respect to Mr. Kluger’s point, it’s not the time to hype that finally African American coaches made it to the Super Bowl, but to notice that not one Black American has ever owned a football team. Matter of fact, to my knowledge, no African American has owned more than part (less than half) of ANY major professional sports team. It’s not time to notice that a African American is being talked about as a Presidential candidate, but what is being said about this candidate [see my post Senator Biden and Senator Obama - 2.1.2007.1].

This is what our children need to learn. To see the whole picture. To understand that inequality exists, and that some choose to overlook it or reword it. They need to look beyond the surface and understand what is really happening.

“What kind of responsibility do we parents have in educating our children about the sad legacy of racism that has run through our nation's life like a persistent electrical current? Do we bequeath that shame to our kids out of a sense of obligation, charging them with the task of carrying the long, hard fight of our troubled heritage into a new era? Or do we quietly give thanks for their blissful naiveté- their lucky late-century birth - and hope that the deeper sense of fairness that is already evident in their new generation may take root in America's future? Do we leave well enough alone?”

The responsibility of adults today is to educate the youth that the electric current is still on. The obligation is that we still have to have the hard fight in this new era, and that is a shame. There is no naiveté, unless we choose to look away and pretend it exists, and many have no choice but to see its reality. The hope of fairness, which exists in some aspects of the youth must be balanced with the reality that ‘ghetto’ parties at our colleges and institutions of higher learning are the new degradation du jour. That to leave well enough alone has been the systemic poison that we have followed for decades now, and it has led to regression more than improvement.

Black History Month is about action, in all forms. This is what needs to be passed on. I’m grateful that I will never have to be confronted with a situation that Mr. Kluger’s babysitter Elizabeth encountered. I am not confident that my nephew, or his children, will never have that same conviction. This month and all months are a time to ask why America has made reparations to Native American Indians and Japanese Americans, but not even an apology has been offered to Black Americans ever.

So again I say, I do agree in part with Mr. Kluger but I respectfully disagree as well. In almost 40 years, having lived in various parts of the nation and the world, I do not see the same improvements. I live through many troubles that have not changed. And I see the potential for regression.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Response to Bruce Kluger at USAToday.com - 2.21.2007.2

I’m not sure how many read the piece by Mr. Bruce Kluger, but I hope many did. The opinion found on USAToday.com today was a well-balanced view of America. Very well-balanced from the view of a White American. I say that with no disrespect intended, rather with the emphasis that while there have been many improvements in the nation when it comes to race, they are just superficial. I do not fault Mr. Kluger or his opinion, I think it is accurate to a degree. I just feel it needs to be expanded on from a different view point.

When I was in elementary school, some 30 years ago, I recall that I was definitively told that I could not speak to Rosemarie because she was white, by her older brother. I recall how this public scolding made me feel, especially as every parent and older kid there said and did nothing to stop him. Not even a cross look. That was in the later 1970’s.

Let’s fast forward to 2006. I have spoken several times on experiences I’ve had and quite a few I haven’t. I recall in late October – November how I was confronted by a man for speaking to his girlfriend’s friend. Both women were white. The one I was speaking with was a friend, and I knew both women previous to this encounter. I was given a clear understanding of what the man’s problem was. I was, in his eyes, a Black American. [I in fact am a Black Puerto Rican and proud of it]

Another situation in 2006, I detailed in a previous post. You can read it at What is a Black African Hispanic American supposed to think?. Given 3 decades there has been no change in some opinions. It’s not nearly as uncommon as some believe, especially as you travel farther from major cities into the ‘heartland’ of the nation.

But there is little change in business as well. If I had $5 for every time a client of mine did a double take upon meeting me I’d be far wealthier. As a stockbroker I have won bets and stunned colleagues by the reactions clients had upon meeting their broker for the first time, in some cases after having been their broker for 5 years. Luckily I was either an exceptional broker [which I was and many former clients to this day will still attest to] or highly charismatic - or perhaps a combination of both – because I never lost a client due to my color I am aware of. I did have some clients stop sending new funds and taking fewer of my calls, counter to their prior trend, though.

I cannot count how many times I have been told that I am ‘articulate’ or ‘speak really well’. That is virtually never a compliment, it is a comment that is used almost exclusively for non-whites. It is meant to convey a back-handed compliment. It implies that, excluding the individual getting the compliment, all others of that group are incapable or generally without the ability to speak or comprehend English. That rational though, as conveyed by language, is beyond this group. For those that question the thought I suggest you think back to the last time you heard or spoke such a comment. Visualize who the comment was made to. Then recount the last time you have ever heard the comment given to someone that is white. Then speak to a white person you have never met, and give them this ‘compliment’, I am sure the perplexed look they give you back will make my point.

Continued in part 2 ...

Superbowl and super ads - 2.6.2007.1

Well Superbowl Sunday has come and passed and now there will be a dirth of interesting activity for some sports plans until August. Perhaps some will check out Mr. David Beckham when he plays for Los Angeles, perhaps the household chores that have built up over the season will finally start getting done. Either way the debate has ended. Snickers went mad, Mr. Carlos Mencia is funny and getting more popular, and Dorito’s has been paying too much to the wrong people to make their television ads.

I can’t leave out the fact that the Bears lost. I had no expectation of that. Given the weather and the Chigaco Bears historical ability to play in cold and bad weather, plus the defense, I was sure they would win. So much for that $20 bet. I was really surprised, as many I was watching the game with were, especially after the first quarter. I don’t think there has ever been such a high scoring first quarter. By the 8th minute of the game we thought it was just going to be a blow out. I have to give it to Mr. Peyton Manning and Mr. Tony Dungy, they really rallied and took back the momentum of the game.

Of course one of the other major events that happens simultaneously to the game are the commercials. There were some stand-outs, and more than a few that just shocked. There were also several disappointments. Schick, T-Mobile, Prudential and Snapple couldn’t even bother to give us a new television ad. I assume that T-Mobile wanted to recycle their Mr. Charles Barkley ad to highlight Black History Month, just as Coca Cola and Frito-Lay did. Of course all 3 ads were boring, forgettable and uninspired to me.

The shocks were more limited. If you haven’t seen the Snickers commercial by now you haven’t had the television on. I have to say that everyone who was watching the game stopped and gasped when that commercial aired. It just caught us all, and not in the comfortable fun kind of way. It’s the kind of humor that occurs when you see a guy kicked in the groin, when its setup and done right you can laugh and still get the discomfort it provides. When it doesn’t you are just unsettled. Everyone, including the women watching the game, were unsettled.

On the upside, one of my favored comedians, Mr. Carlos Mencia gained a lot of recognition and provided laughs for his 2 ads. The best of the 2 has probably happened to every guy at least once and we all wish we could have done what he did. It was classic. If you haven’t seen his comedy before, this is just a small tame taste of it.

Probably the best 2 ads were the Dorito’s ad made for $13 dollars [someone needs to hire the guy that created that] and the Bud Light ad with the axe-wielding, Bud Lite case carrying, hitchhiker. Hitchhikers can’t be that bad if they have Bud Light right? The next best I think is the take on Grand Theft Auto, ala Coca Cola. Very well done, and visually appealing.

Not much else to say about that really. If you missed the game, it was a good one. Pretty close til the end. If you missed the television commercials, I’ve found a site that not only has them all it also has commercials for the Superbowl going back to 2002.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Tancredo and Hargrove - 2.2.2007.1

Leave it to Mr. Stephen Colbert to hit the nail on the head. In discussing Black History Month he brought to light the question of Virginia wanting to express “profound regret” about slavery. Yes the state legislature of Virginia has considered saying they are strongly remembering with feeling a loss the act of slavery they imposed on Africans taken against their will and brought to America to build the nation that has become what we know today. It’s only taken 140+ years since the abolishment of slavery.

Of course not everyone agrees. Mr. Frank Hargrove, a delegate, thinks that Black Americans should just “get over” 246 years of slavery and consideration as property. That the subsequent 100 years of Jim Crow laws and segregation and de facto third-class status should have been more than enough to adjust. I would imagine that he feels that the Civil Rights movement was all the reparation that was due to the descendants of more that 4 million slavers in America. The fact that Hargrove doesn’t want to “apologize for anything” seems to support that thought. Since I infer that Hargrove thinks its such a great idea, or at least no big deal, he wouldn’t mind having all of the stuff he and his family (all of them) own taken away and to have them all go into the fields of farms in his state, owned by Black Americans, and work 20 hours a day seven days a week with out healthcare and no pay. I’m sure they will get over it.

Of course Mr. Colbert pointed out another joyous thought by a politician, in this case Mr. Tancredo. Mr. Tancredo feels that minorities having a caucus is just hypocritical and discriminatory. As Mr. Colbert mentioned it’s not like Congress is anything but overwhelmingly comprised of 45+ year old white men (for the last 200 years or so). Yes, according to Mr. Tancredo minority caucuses need to include the majority so they can fairly represent the views of the minorities in this nation. What a visionary. I’m so happy he his around to help me understand the political goals that will help improve my life as a Black Puerto Rican American.

It’s not like either man would be able to survive a day if they were to live as a minority in this nation, I imagine. Especially if they had to encounter others with views such as their own, I think. But maybe they were able to see how ridiculous they seem, thanks to Mr. Colbert. Hopefully everyone else could see it just by reading what they said.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Did you know it's Black History Month? - 2.1.2007.1

Today is the first day of Black History Month. If you didn’t know I’m not surprised as there is little media that I observed mentioning it. Unlike 30 years ago, this month draws less real attention than even minor news items. Sure there is a movie starring a Black American entertainer here and there, but what does that really mean? Does that really convey Black History when you’re watching Passenger 57, or New Jack City, or Training Day? Do you feel empowered when you see an occasional 30 second public announcement commercial giving you a soundbite on Black History? Somehow I think there could be more, actually there needs to be.

I mean there needs to be due to a couple of examples. I won’t get into the comments of Senator Biden here. I’ll discuss that at my Vass site shortly. I will mention Mr. Bill Cosby. Did you see the news from the 30th? Have you heard any mention of it? I did, and I’ve waited to see the major media, especially televised news, to give it any attention. I barely found out about it online.

What happened is that Mr. Cosby is continuing to draw attention to the unbalanced and terribly poor conditions young African American are dealing with in schools, and in general. On the 30th Mr. Cosby brought attention to the sub-standard conditions that students in New Orleans are currently enduring. This is the second time Mr. Cosby has gone to the still post-Hurricane Katrina ravaged area. Yet there is nothing mentioned in the media. Not on the 30th, nor on the first day of Black History Month.

By the way, Black History Month was started in 1926, by Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson. At the time it was only Negro History Week, and the reason it’s in February (something I always wondered about since it is the shortest month) is due to the birthdays of President Lincoln and Mr. Frederick Douglass.

A quick note on Dr. Woodson. He was the son of slaves, wasn’t able to go to high school until he was 20. His early education was mostly self-taught as he worked to help his family rather than go to school. He attended the University of Chicago and Harvard. In 1916 he founded the Journal of Negro History, one of the oldest journals in America. An important though his father passed on to him was “learning to accept insult, to compromise on principle, to mislead your fellow man, or to betray your people, is to lose your soul."

If you wonder why this is a big deal I’ll quote Dr. Woodson again, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”

Well I suppose the news of when the next, and final, Harry Potter book will be release is more vital and helpful. [July 21st if you need to know.]

This is what I think, what do you think?