REV-elution

Phil Cousin departs St. Joseph AME to begin journey back to Durham

2013-05-21T23:11:00.000-04:00

He left before the people had a chance to say goodbye. Members at the congregation, where he served as pastor since 1992, are still crying after the decision was made to reassign him to a historic church in San Francisco. His departure was swift.

Sort of like a thief in the night.

Reverend Philip R. Cousin, Jr. ended his tenure as pastor of St. Joseph AME Church last week. He immediately took the reign at Bethel AME Church, San Francisco’s oldest black church, founded in 1852. His departure from Durham ends a long season of faithful service to the church and broader community.

Some will remember Cousin as the son a great bishop. His father once served as the pastor of the same church. Many remembered Phil Jr. before he grew up to become a minister. He was a child of the church he served. His faith was nurtured within a community raised under the powerful teachings of his father.

“They say a prophet is no honor in his own home,” Cousin says. “I’ve been able to receive honor in my own home. I received honor as pastor in the church I grew up, and I was able to lead in the city where I grew up.”

Cousin was educated in the Durham Public School System before attending the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. From there, Cousin attended divinity school at Duke – back to Durham. It always felt like Durham was the place he belonged.

“I will continue to keep my house here,” Cousin says. “I’m going, but I’m not leaving.”

Cousin wasn’t able to say goodbye to the members at St. Joseph AME before he left. The church celebrated their annual pastor appreciation before heading to the conference on his first Sunday in San Francisco. Pastors in the AME tradition never get a chance to say goodbye. While they celebrated their pastor back in Durham, he was saying hello to his new congregation.

Maybe it helps that Cousin plans to return someday.

“70 is looking more attractive,” Cousin said when asked when he would retire. “My wife says I may make it to 75.”

Cousin said he felt like a visitor after preaching his first sermon at Bethel AME. Time will change all of that. It always does. He preached from II Kings 4 about leaving one place to develop new relationships.

Cousin says San Francisco is Durham on a larger scale. The area surrounding the church has transformed from a community once populated by mostly blacks to a blend of blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Russians.

“For the church to survive it must look like the community where it lives,” Cousin says.

Cousin has watched Durham grow and change. He served as a member of the Board of Education and as a member of the Board of County Commissioners. His departure leaves vacant his position as chairman of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. Cousin says the DCABP will be left in good hands.

“The real work of the DCABP is with the subcommittees,” Cousin says. “If the general body will not get in the way and bind down and micromanage the subcommittees, the change will be fine.”

“Durham is the best place to live in the entire world,” Cousin says. “I’ve watched it grow with the DPAC coming in and the emergence of the Hayti Center. Durham will continue to grow.”

Phil Cousin, Jr. came to St. Joseph AME as the son of a man who would become a bishop. He learned to serve without the support of the family that helped him grow up. Along the way, he ran and won seats on both the Board of Education and Board of County Commissioners.

“The people at St. Joseph allowed me to lead. The people of Durham allowed me to lead in public office,” Cousin says. Both are gifts he cherishes. “I thank everyone for allowing me to lead.”

Cousin wasn’t allowed to say goodbye. He never has. Bethel AME is the seventh church he has been called to lead. He has never said goodbye. It seems different this time.

It’s not goodbye. It’s more like we will see you later. Durham is home. It always will be.

Cousin has a house in Durham to prove his love for the place that will always be home sweet home.

We’ll see you later Rev.

Protesters claim Shauille "Shaq" O'Neal censored documentary on the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal

2013-05-20T11:19:00.000-04:00

They call Shaquille O’Neal a “Blue Fly”. It’s the label given those who support the police. Shaq has a reputation for wanting to be a police officer. He has offered his services as a volunteer police officer, and once jammed a suspects head down a toilet. He’s also a honorary member of the Fraternal Order of the Police (FOP).

Supporters of the Oakland Teachers for Mumia, the Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia, and the Transport Workers Solidarity Committee joined forces at the Oracle Arena, the home of the Golden State Warriors, during an NBA playoff game to protest the actions of “Shaq”. The group claims “The Big Diesel” has taken his “Bly Fly” status too far.

The documentary Mumia – Long Distance Revolutionary, was set to show at a movie theater in Newark, New Jersey before being cancelled at the last minute. Protesters claim the plug was pulled after “Shaq”, who co-owns the Newark Theater, flew into town to meet with staff. Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal are protesting “Shaq’s censorship of the important movie.

Mumia Abu-Jamal, born Wesley Cook, is serving a life sentence for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. His was sentenced to death after his 1982 trail. That sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2012. Since his conviction, Abu-Jamal has become the most influential voice from death-row.

His conviction has polarized the nation. Members of FOP have criticized efforts to promote Abu-Jamal as a model from his prison cell. A street is named after Abu-Jamal in France. Calls to release Abu-Jamal are heard around the world. Supporters of Abu-Jamal cite Philadelphia’s historically racist police regime as the culprit behind Abu-Jamal’s conviction.

People believe he’s innocent.

The cry for justice has been heard since a trial spiked with dubious management. The legal case of Abu-Jamal is one thing. The censorship of a movie about his life is another. Not only was the movie cancelled in Newark, the manager responsible for arranging the showing was fired.

Sorry “Shaq”, that type of censorship goes against the principles that make America a nation that celebrates freedom. The practice of censorship is downright unconstitutional. Yes, it’s problematic when business interests interfere with freedom of speech.

The documentary has been received with sold out performances in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, as well as showing in 23other cities. “Shaq” and the other owners of the theater may have felt pressured to cancel the documentary after the recent decision to place Assata Shakur on the Most Wanted Terrorist List. Shakur was convicted of the murder of a Newark, New Jersey police officer before escaping to Cuba where she remains in political exile.

It’s meaningful that the protest took place in Oakland, CA, the home of the Black Panther Party. The arrests and convictions of both Abu-Jamal and Assata Shakur, the fight to tell their stories, and the protests on Oakland, unveil a part of American history that many want censored. It’s a history they would rather see go away.

History is complicated. America’s grappling with race is difficult to hearken when juxtaposed against the unjust ways of the American criminal justice system. Maybe it’s puzzling to face the cruelty of a system that functioned with separate rules to manage order – one for black people, and another for the rest.

Maybe that’s a truth that people aren’t prepared to face.

Censorship is a way to make it all go away. Censorship binds all that hypocrisy and deep seeded racism that drove a generation of black people to fight the power in ways that questioned the authority of the police. Yes, it’s a complex matter. It’s deeper than black and white, and, yes, there’s enough wrong to expose everyone involved. The wrong has to be exposed. You must tell the untold story, even when it brings to the forefront problems with the police.

The censorship of Mumia – Long Distance Revolutionary in Newark, NJ transcends a former basketball player with enough money to purchase a theater. At issue is the telling of America’s untold stories. It is about how the telling of those stories is often compromised by business interests. It is also about how those business interest whitewash the intent of our constitution.

When power, money and political interest come against the telling of a story, we no longer exist in a free nation. The telling of truths can’t be limited to those who stand on the side of power and money. If so, America becomes less of a free nation.

You may not like Abu-Jamal’s story, but, in America, we don’t censor the rights of those to tell their point of view.

Contact your local theater about showing Mumia – Long Distance Revolutionary

Sign petition to free Mumia:

http://www.change.org/petitions/release-mumia-abu-jamal

Leo Lewis II transitions from the NFL while obtaining Ph.D

2013-05-16T12:01:00.002-04:00

Every turn he took they said he was too small. They said he was too small to play college football. He excelled. He was much too small to make it in the NFL. He played 13 seasons.

Leo Lewis III wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school after winning the state championship for Columbia Hickman High School in 1974. He didn’t get drafted after playing football for the University of Missouri. He’s only 5-foot-7. When he played he only weighed 167 pounds.

It’s hard to measure the size of a person’s heart.

Maybe it’s something in the gene pool. Leo Lewis, Jr., his father, is a legend of the Canadian Football League. He was a running back with the Winnipeg Bombers and was named All-Pro six times and earned a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1973. The older Leo had an 11-year career and rushed for 8,861 yards, and averaged 29.1 as a kickoff returner.

Pops has another son, Marc Lewis, who played professionally for the USFL Denver Gold and the CFL’s Oakland Invaders. All three were too small to play. All three have big hearts and a determination not to be ruled by the narrow limits people use to measure possibilities.

Leo III was cut or released five times – three times by the Vikings and one each by the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Brown. He returned each season to play for the Vikings. When he retired in 1991, he had played in more games than any Viking wide receiver and was the team’s all-time leader in punt returns. He outlasted three head coaches.

He kept coming back. He also kept going back to school.

“I took classes every year after leaving Missouri,” the younger Leo told me. In 1985, he obtained a Master of Science degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

He knew his stay in the NFL would be short. Younger, faster athletes kept vying for his spot on the team.

“You have to prepare for life after the NFL,” Lewis says. “It can end anytime.”

He now holds a Ph.D.

In 1997, Lewis earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota. His work focused on the social and psychological dimensions of sports.

Lewis was appointed the Director of Player Development for the Vikings in 1992. He managed the team’s personal and career development programs that included encouraging personal growth in the areas of continuing education, financial management, alternative career exploration, and family assistance. In 2000, the program was awarded the most outstanding in the NFL.

In 2006, he was appointed associate director of athletics and student athlete development at the University of Minnesota. Lewis prepares student/athletes for the realities that face professional athletes. He preaches the message that life must continue after the helmet, shoulder pads and cleats are placed in the locker the last time.

Lewis teaches his own story.

“Things are much harder for athletes today,” Lewis says. “They have so much more expected of them than when I played.”

There’s more time spent preparing to play. There’s more time spent in the classroom. There’s more time spent on the road. Today’s athletes are expected to do so much more.

“We have to stress the importance of academics,” Lewis says. “It’s what keeps so many from being unable to play.”

Athletes come to college with a variety of needs. Lewis is developing a program that tailors the student/athlete. It’s a holistic approach that keeps many from falling through the cracks. Some enter college prepared for the transition. Others lack the tools needed to conform to the expectations of college life.

Then there’s the influence of parents. Lewis says his parents stressed the importance of academics. It’s what kept him going back to take classes - one summer at a time, until he was ready to write his dissertation.

“I had people in my life that steered me in the right direction. I had parents who reminded me of the importance of education. It’s important to have people to guide you through making the right decisions,” Lewis says.

Lewis was the little Viking that refused to go away. He was too small to play. He had just enough to play. Just enough to keep coming back.

Maybe it’s because Lewis understand life is more than a game. Maybe it’s the balance between the field and the books that makes for the rearing of a man. Maybe it’s there within the balance that true strength emerges above the rest.

Lewis said no to limitations. He also said no to compromise. He kept coming back, every off season, until he walked across the stage one last time. He walked as a man defined by his own will to rise above the fame of football.

There are few better suited to teach young men what it takes to become a man.

Way to go Dr. Leo Lewis III.

Can young people afford the price of protest

2013-05-13T14:14:00.001-04:00

Photograph form The Nation

“Say that we should protest just to get arrested. That goes against all my hustling ethics,” those lines from Lupe Fiasco’s song Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free) keep ringing in my head.

The thought came to me as I watched young people march near North Carolina’s legislative building. They demanded being arrested. They refused to leave until police fastened plastic handcuffs behind their backs and placed them in the paddy wagon with the words division of prison inmates on the side.

Five young people were arrested on May Day to protest state cut backs in education. It was two days after a group led by Rev. William Barber, state president of the NAACP, and Tim Tyson, history professor at Duke University, were sent to the can.

The group keeps coming back to be arrested. It’s worn like a badge of honor. It’s their way of protesting a list of injustices handed down by North Carolina legislators. That list includes a voter identification law that will impact minorities, young people and senior citizens. It also includes the passage of the unemployment insurance reform bill, which Gov. Pat McCrory signed in February. The bill reduces the amount of weekly benefits those unemployed in North Carolina can receive, and the number of weeks benefits can be paid.

Those protestors keep coming back on Monday afternoons. They’re willing to keep coming back until real change comes. More willing to spend time in jail are showing up to exercise civil disobedience. Jail time, in their minds, will somehow lead to change.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m willing to spend some time in jail for the old home team. I’m also old enough to recognize the difference between being forced in the paddy wagon today versus the former days when being pushed in jail followed water hoses, beatings and getting chased by a German Shepard.

It’s not the same. That’s not to minimize the importance of protest. People need to show up singing old protest songs while holding signs demanding change. Doing so comes with taking responsibility. People my age understand the consequences related to a few hours behind bars. Go for it. Make your point. Yes, fight the power.

With that being said, I worry about the young people signing up to go to jail. I appreciate their passion for the cause. I support their efforts to stand up and connect with a rich legacy of civil disobedience. What disturbs me is the potential burden they will face after graduating from school in hope of making a possible impact on society.

Will their time behind bars make it more difficult to measure up in a society oversaturated with people looking to find a job?

That’s the point of Lupe’s rap lyrics. “Say that we should protest just to get arrested. That goes against all my hustling ethics.”

If the goal is to hustle oneself into a good job, what good can come in protesting in a way that prevents you from getting that job?

This brings to the surface the bully politics that keeps people from protesting. Have we acculturated a generation of young people to fear speaking their minds? Has the power of activism been damaged by the consuming fear of repercussion connected to standing against those who compromise justice and peace?

What are the consequences of being perceived a radical? Can young people take that risk? Is there space within the marketplace to offer young people room to speak their mind devoid of permanent bad marks on their record?

Haven’t all of us needed the freedom to speak our mind? Sometimes that means coming against the wisdom of our parents. Sometimes it means granting young people the permission to yell loud enough to be heard.

I was given my space to yell. It felt good. I continue to yell against systems that negatively impact my understanding of what it means to be a melting pot nation.

Are we willing to give this generation of young people that same right? Or, will that box on the application prevent them from getting a good job?

Have you ever been arrested? Yes, but….

There’s no room for the but when judgment precedes the answer.

“Say that we should protest just to get arrested. That goes against all my hustling ethics.”

Fight the power young people. Just be prepared for what comes with that fight.

Welcome to the other side of reality.

Charles Ramsey: America's ghetto hero

2013-05-09T12:05:00.000-04:00

That man can’t be a hero. It can’t be true. Look at him. Listen closely. Nope. It can’t be true.

That’s the underlying message that jumps at me when I begin pondering the aftermath of the discovery of America’s newest hero – Charles Ramsey. He’s black. He uses colorful language. Some are quick to call Ramsey the epitome of all things ghetto.

I hate that term.

Maybe it’s because the Nazis’ placed Jews in areas called ghettos to isolate them from the rest of society. Once World War II progressed, the ghettos became a transition area before sending the Jews off to be slaughtered.

Ghetto is a place of isolation prepared by those in power to assure their existence devoid of those unruly misfits. It’s why I hate it when I hear a person of color glamorize being ghetto. I squirmed when listening to Jaheim sing Still Ghetto. The R&B crooner stirred the black citizenry to take pride for being relegated to life in the ghetto.

Ghetto is more than a zip code, it’s a mindset. The truth is ghetto thinking can transcend ones address. Ghetto is often found in the suburbs and shows up in places that have me shaking my head and rolling both eyes.

Ghetto is living entrapped by the mindset of those who place you in isolation. It’s an infrastructure and culture, established by white privilege and power, with the unspoken intent of keeping folks confined. The ghetto is more than language and a combination of rituals that brew in the forming of a culture. It’s a freaking waiting station.

Yes, it’s a place created to keep certain people restrained before they are shipped off to die. It happens every day. Every day, all 365 of them, people prepare to leave the ghetto to head to court before being shipped to those concentration camps. We call them prisons.

The parallels between the ghettos of Nazi Germany and those of black and brown communities of today are startling. Each is designed to control those in the camps. Each is enforced by economic strangleholds rooted in a racist agenda.

Although both are deliberate, the ghettos of today appear as the construction of the actions of those living in those ghettos. In other words, they deserve what they get. It’s their fault. Those poor, pathetic heathens need to pull themselves up from their own bootstraps.

That’s what power and privilege thinks.

This is why the rhetoric surrounding the heroism of Charles Ramsey is so critical in probing and confronting the massive assumptions related to ghetto culture.

In the mind of those on the other side of the invisible fence dividing the ghetto, heroes can’t be nurtured over there. It’s counterintuitive to the claims of those invested in espousing the lore of ghetto culture.

The traffic of dialogue embodies the fortification of the pigeonholes of black and brown folks. Presentations of ghetto folks singing, dancing, eating fried chicken, pork chops, ribs and watermelon while smoking weed and waiting for a place to rob fits authentic ghetto life.

Nope. They’re not heroes.

So, expose the clown for who he really is, because that fool can’t be a hero. Find the dent in his armor. Follow his black behind long enough to unearth his ghetto ways. Shake the leaves and wait for a bunch of dead apples to fall off the tree.

Well surprise, surprise, surprise. Your ghetto hero has a criminal record. Yup! He belongs in the ghetto with the rest of those no count niggras who need to remain over there because they are a threat to fine outstanding citizens like you and me.

Listen to the guards pulling Ramsey back into his ghetto space. Ramsey has a criminal record. He has a history of domestic abuse. They have exposed the ghetto hero as a repeat domestic abuser. He was arrested again while awaiting sentencing.

He served six months in jail and was placed on five years of probation. One of the gatekeepers pulled the file from 1997.

Listen to the elitist choir singing – ghetto, thug, no count, worthless, piece of black trash. You’re no hero. You’re just like the rest of them!

Maybe I’m embellishing a bit much, but, well, are my comments really that far from the truth?

“When a young, pretty white woman runs into the arms of a Black man you know something wrong,” Ramsey said in his interview with the Cleveland press.

Let me translate for those not familiar with the ghetto. “You don’t see white girls come to the hood. When you do, they run from men who look like me. Something ain’t right when they hug a black man. That don’t happen in the ghetto.”

Got it? A black man from the ghetto can’t be a hero.

There’s one big problem with that assumption. Charles Ramsey kicked the door of the ghetto down and set three women free.

I call that a hero.

I ain't got no time for casting Charles Ramsey as a black stereotype

2013-05-08T11:32:00.003-04:00

I’m putting my foot down. This is not a Sweet Brown moment. I don’t want to see viral videos of Charles Ramsey talking about his rescue of three women from a Cleveland house.

By now, most of the nation has seen the news interview of Ramsey and heard the 911 audio after he helped Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Mchelle Knight escape after missing between 2002 and 2004.

In the words of Sweet Brown, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” What’s that? This is not a time for mimicking Ramsey for his appearance. Nope. This is not time to ridicule him for his hair, his dress, his lack of dental care and his language during the 911 call.

Ain’t nobody got time for casting Ramsey as a racial stereotype. That’s what happened with Sweet Brown. Her fame is the result of a nations thirst to expose black people as obtuse caricatures from the other side of the tracks.

I ain’t got time for anyone laughing at Ramsey for being ill-equipped to make an acceptable presentation before the press. The truth is most people aren’t prepared to make a statement before a rolling camera. Give him credit. As much as Ramsey lacked in visual presence, he overcame with strong interviews.

He told the story with class. He told the truth. He shared what he knew. Ramsey shared angst with having a neighbor he ate ribs with and listened to salsa music without knowing the rest of the story. He told the nation he and his boys would have taken care of it long ago if they knew.

“When a young, pretty white woman runs into the arms of a Black man you know something wrong,” yes, he said that.

That’s the point where the reporter decided to end the interview. It’s the point where he kicks it back to the studio. I’m guessing the producer ain’t got no time for that.

What is that? Ramsey told the truth. It’s rare that a black man is met with hugs from a white woman. When it happens it leaves a brother knowing something is wrong. It’s not normal. Most white women are quick to flee when they see a man like Ramsey. Yes, Ramsey was correct to raise the issue, and the reporter was wrong to end the interview in the middle of a critical point in the story.

Maybe people ain’t got time for that. Again, what is that? Hmm. Check this out. If you want to hide three women abducted for over 10 years, place them in a black neighborhood. Hide them among folks like Ramsey. Why? Because the police may come and knock on the door, but it’s unlikely they will come back to check on things if no one answers the door.

That’s what happened at that house. The police had come before. A neighbor saw something suspicious. They came. They knocked. They left. They never came back.

We ain’t got time for that. Oh, there’s more.

I ain’t got time for Anderson Coopers suggestion that Ramsey desired compensation for his heroics. Cooper asked Ramsey if he would like a reward.

"I get a Paycheck. Give the reward to the girls they rescued," Ramsey responded while waving his check.

So, the black dude has to be framed as an opportunist. Why did you go there Anderson? Would you ask the same question to a white guy living on the other side of the tracks? Would you? Seriously. Would you?

By now, I’m certain readers are screaming at how this story has been framed within the context of race. Why would I do that? Why does it seem that everything is about race?

I’m not saying everything is about race. I’m simply warning you. Don’t go there. Don’t do it. Don’t remix Ramsey’s interviews. Don’t post them on YouTube with a series of rewinds with a line about eating ribs and listening to salsa.

I’m warning you. Don’t post pictures with quotes about dental care. Don’t make jokes about his hair. I ain’t got time for any of that.

Yes, Ramsey represents a segment of black life in America. He wasn’t wearing a suit and tie, but he rescued three women. That makes him a hero. Respect that!

Good job bruh.

May Day protest proves a change needs to come

2013-05-06T11:52:00.000-04:00

“In 1963, Sam Cooke was in Durham, North performing at a concert after participating in a sit-in,” I began my speech last week at the Triangle May Day protest.

“He left the concert and ran to the tour bus. There, he penned the words to the song A Change Gonna Come. I’m still waiting for change.”

My speech followed an unforgettable ride to Raleigh, North Carolina with two members of The Raging Grannies. The two grandmas in the car with me told stories of being arrested for protesting wars. The image of grannies wearing handcuffs was enough to encourage me to do more for those fighting to be heard.

Our walk up the stairs leading to the Halifax Mall was met with the march of a group of men leaving a legislative building. They passed us like enraged warriors headed to a new battle.

“Good day,” I spoke as they passed in a line, two by two.

They kept marching devoid of smile or answer. The badges dangling from their jacket pockets served to identify their position. These were the dudes making those important decisions. They refused to speak. Their disdain for me and the two grannies left me wondering more about the integrity of those who made laws like their conclusions failed to impact real people.

I waited for the crowd of protestors to arrive. They were nearby brewed in a moment of civil disobedience. Most of them were college student’s intent on using the Constitutional right to protest cutbacks and other laws certain to amend their plans after receiving a college degree. Many wondered if the changes would impact their ability to return to school.

The word that five students had been arrested came back to the group at the Halifax Mall. My speech had ended. Only a few were gathered to hear my words that conjured memories of a song about pending change.

“I’m still waiting for change.” I barked in between pauses to give time for the Spanish translation.

“They make laws to take us back,” pause. “But they can’t define who we are,” pause. “We are not what they say we are. We are more than that,” another pause in between words to describe why we gathered that day.

“We are a community redefined by our common bond. We are more than groups defined by race, gender, economic struggle and sexual orientation. We are that change. That change has come. Those over there can’t take that away. We are here to say Hell no to their efforts to take that common bond away.”

The blood of those slaughtered to escort change fermented in my blood like momentum that refused to go back. The image of beaten youth and tired grandparents marching for truth attacked my spirit like a madman begging to be set free. Yes, I’m tired of this – too tired to turn back now.

I titled my head toward the clouds that introduced the fear of rain.

“Where is the sun God? Show me the sun. If not, bring forth the rainbow,” I whispered in hope of divine intervention.

The gathering of the youth led by drummers descended on the mall. Their youthful faces blended with determination.

“They are too young to know the struggles we faced,” I whispered. “We are too old to know the struggles they face.”

One last closing of my eyes before the storm of tears came rolling down my face.

“Why would the Governor sign a measure that cuts benefits for jobless workers by a third,” I whispered. “Why God? Why?”

“Why would the Governor sign a bill blocking Medicaid expansion? Why would be pass legislation that will leave 500,000 people with no coverage? Why God? Why?”

“Why would the North Carolina House pass a voter ID bill that will limit senior citizens and poor people from accessing the polls? Why God? Why?

My personal prayer intensified as the faces of youth took me back to the day a gang of white boys kicked me, spit on me, called me a Nigger and walked away.

“This feels like George Wallace all over again,” I whispered softer than before. “Is this Alabama all over again? Has the rage consumed those unwilling to feel the pain?”

I waited for the sun to come. Then I waited for the rain. Then I waited for the rainbow. Nothing. No sun. No rain. No rainbow.

Like bones in the valley, we waited for change. The police remained nearby to remind us of the venom camouflaged in politics. Like snakes skulking through the weeds, they patiently wait for openings to bite.

“You have a good evening. Thanks for what you do,” I said to a group of police as I left with the two grannies.

“Same to you,” one responded as the others nodded their heads.

I’m still waiting for that change. A change gotta come. It’s gotta come soon.

Assata Shakur: Hypocrisy on a list

2013-05-03T13:16:00.000-04:00

One of the brothers she had a child with

The foulness they would feed her, hopin she's lose her seed

Held tight, knowing the fight would live through this seed

In need of a doctor, from her stomach she's bleed

Out of this situation a girl was conceived

Separated from her, left to mother the revolution

And lactated to attack hate

Cause federal and state was built for a black fate

Her emptiness was filled with beatings and court dates

They fabricated cases, hoping one would stick

And said she robbed places that didn't exist

In the midst of threats on her life and being caged with aryan whites

Through dark halls of hate she carried the light

I wonder what would happen if that woulda been me?

All of this shit so we could be free.

Yeah, I often wonder what would happen if that woulda been me?

All of this shit so we could be free, so dig it, people-

“Song for Assata,” Common

The FBI has added Assata Shakur to its Most Wanted Terrorist List one day after May Day. With the announcement the state of New Jersey added $1 million to the FBI’s $1 million reward for her capture.

Who is the black woman who appears on those wanted posters? She’s the woman known for getting shot with her hands in the air.

It happened on May 2, 1973 at 12:45 a.m. Shakur, Zayd Malik Shakur and Sundiata Acoli were stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike in East Brunswick, NJ by State Trooper James Harper for driving with a broken tail light.

“Hold on – two black males, one female,” The recording of Trooper Harper played at the trials of both Acoli and Assata Shakur.

Zayd Shakur was driving the car. Trooper Harper asked him for identification. After noticing a discrepancy he asked him to get out of the car. He began questioning him at the rear of the vehicle.

It was at this point in the trial that accounts of the confrontation differ. During the ensuing shootout, Trooper Foerster, who was present for backup, was shot twice in the head with his own gun and killed. Zayd Shakur was killed, and Assata Shakur and Trooper Harper were wounded.

With gunshots wounds in both arms and a shoulder, she surrendered after a shootout and being chased in the Pontiac LeMans they were driving. Police moved her to a hospital under heavy guard and was interrogated and arraigned from her hospital bed.

Assata Shakur was a member of the Black Liberation Army, and had a number of previous run ins with the law. .

Shakur was convicted as an accomplice in the murders of Trooper Foerster and Zayd Shakur, possession of weapons, and attempted murder of Trooper Harper.

During her testimony, Shakur denied shooting either Harper or Foerster. She also denied handling a weapon during the incident. She was cross-examined for close to two hours.

A key point of Shakur’s defense was medical testimony that demonstrated that she was shot with her hands up and that she would have been unable to fire a weapon. The median nerve in her right arm was severed by the second bullet, making it impossible for her to pull a trigger.

Shakur was imprisoned in Yardville, NJ before being moved to Rikers Island. Her daughter was conceived during her trial, and born on September 11, 1974 in the psychiatric ward at Elmhurts General Hospital in Queens. In her autobiography, written from Cuba, Shakur claims she was beaten and restrained by female officers for refusing a medical exam from a prison doctor.

On March 31, 1978, Shakur was transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey.

Angela Davis called her a political prisoner. An international panel of seven jurists representing the United Nations Commission on Human Rights concluded in 1979 that her treatment was “totally unbefitting of a prisoner”. Their investigation that considered human rights abuses of political prisoners cited Shakur’s imprisonment as "one of the worst cases" of such abuses.

So she ran. On November 2, 1979, she escaped the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women when three members of the Black Liberation Army visiting her drew concealed weapons, seized two guards as hostages and stole a prison van.

She kept running. Shakur fled to Cuba by 1984 and was granted political asylum. In 1985, she was reunited with her daughter. In 1987, she published Assata: An Autobiography.

In 1993, Shakur published a second book, Still Black, Still Strong, with Dhoruba bin Wahad and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Shakur refers to herself as a "20th century escaped slave”.

A documentary film about Shakur, Eyes of the Rainbow, written and directed by Cuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando, was released in 1997. Hip-hop artist Common recorded a tribute to Shakur, “A Song for Assata,"on his album Like Water for Chocolate. Digable Planets, Public Enemy, and X-Clan have also recorded songs about Shakur.

So, what is implied in placing Shakur on the FBI’s Most Wanted List of Terrorist? It takes a sad era in American history and white washes the rest of the story. It hides a sad truth. Yes, people like Shakur and Mumia Abu-Jamal represent an age of black radicalism. All of that is true, but let’s not forget the reason for all that rage.

The police had guns and were quick to kill black folks for crossing the street.

Yes, she ran from all of that. She ran because she was tired of the mistreatment.

Placing her on the Most Wanted Terrorist List is another example of how so many refuse to understand the deep burden that comes with the sad truth.

A blog for Assata

Jason Collins coming out forces a redefinition of black masculinity

2013-05-02T13:07:00.002-04:00

Jason Collins jumped out of the closet and told the world he’s gay. He didn’t do it after his career as a professional basketball player. He made the announcement while still playing.

Collins’ announcement has been compared to Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color line as a professional baseball player.

“Isn’t it nice that he made the announcement shortly after the release of the movie 42,” Vicki Ryder, a member of the Raging Granny’s, said on our return from the Triangle May Day Rally.

“I wonder if they planned it that way,” she asked.

Folks of my hue are a bit outraged when people analogize Collins with Jackie Robinson. Many are quick to differentiate between a struggle chosen and one you can’t run from. Put another way, you can hide being gay, but you can’t cover that black and brown skin.

Time could be spent on debating against that assumption. I’d rather place it in the pot with the other excuses used to justify discrimination. The discussion about gay rights not being the same as the fight for black justice is in common with the game to determine who has the biggest war scar.

Discrimination is discrimination. Case dismissed.

The comparison with Robinson isn’t intended to minimize what Robinson did when he left the old Negro Baseball League to join the white dudes in the other league. The attacks were vicious. People assumed black players didn’t belong.

That’s the point that gives credence to the comments made by Ryder. The suppositions regarding race are common to notions related to being gay. In addition, the hatred facing blacks is similar to the rage carried by those molded in homophobia.

The coming out of Jason Collins throws a serious curveball at the perceptions people hold regarding legitimate masculinity. Athletes are used to exemplify authentic masculinity. Athletic prowess, combine with physique, are used to define the peak of machismo.

Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University, considers the ways in which black masculinity has been read and misread through popular culture. His new book Looking for Leroy argues that black men and boys are bound to the legibility of their bodies. The most “legible” black male bodies are reflected in images as criminal, and are used by white America to discredit black men.

Neal forces readers to consider the bodies of black men deemed legible as illegible. He takes the black communities role models and sheds light on the assumptions related to their masculinity. Neal ponders assertions that Jay-Z is gay, ponders the sexual orientation of the late vocalist Luther Vandross and characters from the hit HBO series The Wire. Neal shows how the uncovering of black masculinity can be used to break the antagonism toward black gay men.

I know. What? He said Jay-Z is gay!

What does it change if that is true?

Neal’s work follows Manning Marable’s Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. Marable’s work stripped away layers of myths related to the life of Malcolm X. Many were shocked when Marable exposed Malcolm X’s homosexual relationship with a white businessman prior to his time in prison.

Critics blasted Marable for exposing Malcolm’s gay lifestyle. Sadly, Marable died before the release of his book and was unable to promote the work in a way that lifted it beyond the chit chat of academic circle. As academics pondered the significance of Malcolm being gay, most people were left unaware that it was being discussed.

Does Malcolm’s former homosexual relationship alter the way we evaluate him as a model of masculinity? Does it alter his message? Could it be that the saddest part is how men who are gay are forced to hide behind the assumptions of authentic masculinity?

Does any of it matter?

All of it matters. It matters because it forces a redefinition of black masculinity. It compels all of us to consider the false suppositions attached to conceptions of the gay body. They are not less male. They are men who love men. Their masculinity is not lessened as a result of their sexual orientation.

Both Neal and Marable use prominent figures in popular culture to undo the assumptions held by those who hurl hatred. Like Jackie Robinson, Jason Collins is that ah-ha moment that attacks the presuppositions of those who discriminate. Robinson’s skills were no less due to his race. Collins is no less masculine due to his sexual orientation.

Yes, there is a connection between Collins and Robinson that can’t be avoided. They both have forced America to face the assumptions that limit progression toward dismantling discrimination.

Black people can compete against white people.

Many athletes are gay. They’re not that stereotypical depiction in your head.

Look at his physique. I dare you to call him a sissy.

Lessons from riding the bus

2013-04-29T11:50:00.004-04:00

My travels on the bus are becoming more depressing with the passage of each day. More and more, I’m discovering a vast gap between those who use public transportation and those with the power to rule public policy.

More and more, it’s becoming clear that the people making decisions have no clue. They care. They want to make a difference. They simply lack insight regarding how their votes often make things worse.

Yes, I continue to ride the bus. My journey to and from home leaves me aching at the increasing disconnect between those functioning with privilege and those who keep trying to find their way.

It’s depressing to listen to their struggles.

I’ve been careful to hide my own privilege. My attire has been selected to conceal the distance between me and those who ride the bus. I’ve done my best to spend more time in listening than speaking. My hope has been to fit in, like an anthropologist hoping to uncover the culture of those on the bus. I’ve discovered that learning requires a willingness to forfeit the comforts that come with being set apart.

Those trips have changed me.

The troubling truth is I’m not so different than those living in poverty. Each day, I’m becoming more like them, and less like those who make assumptions about those who ride the bus. I’ve listened to their disappointments. I’ve heard countless stories from black men who are looking for work. Any work.

“I can’t work at that restaurant because the last bus leaves at 10:00 pm and I can’t get home after they close,” I overheard a man share with a former co-worker.

“What you need to do is call all the churches and ask for money to pay your rent,” I listened as a woman shared with another as she cried because eviction was coming soon.

I’ve listened to men talk about paying child support. One was struggling with making the $50 payment each month. Another man talked about the pain related to paying child support only to discover the child was not his.

I’ve listened to men talk about getting out of prison and doing their best to change their lives.
“Man, I’m not hanging out over there anymore,” I heard a man say. “I’m trying to live God’s way now.”

The long ride from being picked up on the side of the street to the downtown terminal exposes a lot of pain. It’s pain so deep that those living with it are unable to recognize the pain. They’ve learned to live with the burden of surviving with never enough.

“Hey man, you want to buy some food stamps,” a man asked after explaining he needed the money to pay his utility bill.

Judgment made me wonder if the money would be used to buy a hit of crack cocaine. The look on his face left me troubled that a decision was made between eating and paying a bill. I wondered if those making decision even considered that possibility.

Do they understand? I mean, is it possible to understand what you have never seen?

Then I face the other side of that pain. I listen. I watch. I pray. I leave frustrated and confused because I know those in the room have no clue. I don’t want to judge them, but I listen knowing they lack real insight into the lives of those they seek to help.

I listen to them talk about education. I listen to them discuss poverty and incarceration. They hurl statistics aimed at defining the problem, and they formulate strategies to alter what their evidence reveals. Over the years I have listened. I have functioned with a high level of respect for those willing to do their best to make a difference.

I’ve watched as they walk into schools to talk to administrators. I’ve listened as those administrators put a positive spin on what is happening in the schools. I’ve heard the reports from the Superintendent after conversations with parents and students. I wonder about the distance between the reality presented by those parents and students and the rhetoric promoted by the big wigs.

I witness the pile of pain on the bus, and then I listen to more coming from those at the county jail. I hear men talk about the battle to overcome their former ways. I watch them wait for their day in court. I’ve seen men walk out of jail with murder charges while others wait for months with far lesser crimes.

I listen as they talk about the injustice of the justice system. I watch as they contend with racial profiling and unfair assumptions. I’ve watched as I’ve been watched by those making assumptions about me.

Riding the bus has taught me important lessons. I’ve discovered that being black and brown is harder than I knew. Getting out from under the weight of stereotypes is heavy to bear. I’ve discovered that the burden of race and poverty takes much more than those making decisions will ever understand.

They lack the understanding of their own assumptions. They make decisions without knowing the rest of the truth.

In my opinion, no one should be allowed to lead until they spend some time on the bus. How can who take the test when they have failed to do the homework?

Committed, winner of NBC's Sing-Off, to perform at Navity School benefit concert

2013-04-24T12:52:00.002-04:00

“The biggest surprise is how things changed so fast,” Maurice Staple says. “Overnight we’re meeting with important people in the business.”

That’s what happens when you win a competition with 9 million viewers on national television. Staple is a member of Committed. Committed won the second season of NBC’s The Sing-Off, forcing a rapid change in the lives of Dennis “DJ” Baptiste, Tommy Gervais, Geston Pierre, Robert Pressley, Theron “Therry” Thomas and Staple.

The all-male a cappella group will perform at the Carolina Theatre on Thursday, August 25. The show starts at 8:00 pm, and the proceeds benefit the Durham Nativity School Scholarship Fund. It’s the fourth annual Nativity School benefit concert, and organizers selected Committed because the group’s story resonates with the students at the Nativity School.

Committed was formed in Huntsville, Alabama in 2003. Although none of the original members remain, Committed is an example of the benefit of hard work and dedication.

“We are grounded in our faith,” Staple says. “We work hard to not perform music that goes against what we believe.

The group released their self-titled debut album on August 30^th on Epic Records. The album features a blend of cover songs, including a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Hold My Hand” which is the song that sealed their win on the season finale of The Sing-Off, as well as original songs. Their first single “Break Free” was co-written by group member Therry Thomas.

The group was discovered by NBC after a recommendation from Take 6, the a cappella group with ten GRAMMY Awards. Like Committed, Take 6 formed in Huntsville, Alabama on the campus of Oakwood College. Committed played at a party honoring Take 6 and made such a strong impression that members of Take 6 contacted NBC and recommended the group for the second season of Sing-Off

The connection between the two groups, along with the win on Sing-Off, was enough to inspire administrators at the Nativity School to have them perform at this year’s benefit concert. There’s a lesson about paying it forward. There’s a lesson about solidarity and lending a hand to those in need of support.

The Nativity School seeks to teach through the example of black male role models. Most of the students at the Nativity School are black and brown boys. Durham’s public education is replete of examples of minority boys who fall through the cracks due to a lack of attention. The Nativity School boasts a myriad of examples of boys who move beyond the middle school years to obtain academic scholarships to attend the best private schools in North Carolina.

Yes, Thursday’s concert is about raising money to pay tuition. It’s also a celebration of six black males who endured a seven year wait to get a break. It came after the group they admire saw their gift and moved beyond the comforts that come with success. That group will be in Durham tomorrow. Six black men who do more than just sing will come to show what faith can produce.

They sing without instruments. They depend on each other to make great music. Just like life - six black men trusting the other to keep the beat.

A group of boys will be watching. Who knows what watching Committed will do to shape their future.

The name is a good start. Committed. Six black men singing, hoping, praying and trusting.

Thank God for Take 6. Thank God for Committed.

Thank God for the Nativity School.

Durham Nativity School presents

4th Annual Scholarship Benefit Concert featuring COMMITTED

For tickets

http://www.ticketmaster.com/Committed-tickets/artist/1549906?brand=carolinathtr&camefrom=CFC_CTD_WEB

It was easy to pass gun laws when the nation had to fight the Black Panther Party

2013-04-18T13:02:00.002-04:00

“Senators say they fear the N.R.A. and the gun lobby. But I think that fear must be nothing compared to the fear the first graders in Sandy Hook Elementary School felt as their lives ended in a hail of bullets,” Gabrielle Giffords writes in an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times.

“The fear that those children who survived the massacre must feel every time they remember their teachers stacking them into closets and bathrooms, whispering that they loved them, so that love would be the last thing the students heard if the gunman found them.”

Giffords understands that fear.

On January 8, 2011, a week into her third term, Giffords, as a member of the United States House of Representatives, was shot near Tucson, Arizona. She was shot in the head. Thirteen people were injured and six were killed. Among those dead was federal judge John Roll and nine-year-old Christian-Taylor Green.

Now Giffords blames the NRA for manipulating members of the Congress to kill a bill for stiffer background checks. The NRA successfully used the assumption of Second Amendment protection to destroy a proposal that most Americans desire.

It hasn’t always been this way.

It’s easy to forget the NRA didn’t begin the battle for gun rights. It was the Black Panther Party who advocated for an individual’s right to bear arms back in the 1970s.

Those Black Panthers maintained the right to own guns as a way to protect themselves from the police. They carried their weapons to the California state capitol. They brought their rifles to the trial of Huey P. Newton. It’s a part of American history that gets lost in the rhetoric related to today’s fight to grant people the right to own guns.

Maybe the resurgence of the Black Panther Party would change that public perception. I’m not calling for it, but given how racial tension in the 1970s shaped thoughts on gun rights, maybe a few black folks wearing all black with assault weapons will get the attention of Congress.

Gun laws have almost always been about race. Slaves and freed blacks were forbidden from owning guns due to the fear of an uprising. The fear was justifiable. The prevalence of slave revolts is often overlooked in the teaching of American history.

After the Civil War in the South, blacks were prohibited from processing firearms. The law was enforced by members of the Ku Klux Klan, who terrorized black communities to assure no blacks owned guns.

Then there’s the history of the NRA in pushing gun restrictions.

During prohibition, the NRA supported gun control measures as a way to combat organized crime. The National Firearms Act was passed in 1934, and the NRA not only backed it but led the fight for legislation in many states to limit the carrying of concealed weapons.

Karl Frederick, former NRA president, helped draft the Uniform Firearms Act, a law requiring a police permit to carry a concealed weapon, a registry of all guns purchases, and a two-day waiting period for gun sales.

The NRA fought for gun control after the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. The NRA promoted restrictions during the turbulent years of racial unrest. Riots sprung up across the nation - Rochester, NY, Newark, New York City, Philadelphia, Jersey City, Patterson, NJ, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Louisville, Pittsburg, Augusta, GA, Jackson, MS, Watts, Cleveland, San Francisco, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul – and the NRA pushed for restrictions to limit guns in the hands of blacks.

There was war in the streets. Can you blame them?

The NRA joined forces with Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California, in support of gun control. Reagan wanted to get guns out of the hands of the Black Panther Party. The Black Panthers had their own law enforcement with armed members who showed up at the scene of arrest with weapons to protect black citizens from police brutality.

On May 2, 1967, The Black Panthers walked into the California State Capitol fully armed to protest a bill to limit gun possession. Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law.

Then the Black Panthers Party’s influence weakened.

The NRA shifted their position. Members within the organization began fighting to protect their right to bear arms citing distrust of the government and police. Ronald Reagan, who had signed the law to limit the Black Panther Party, became an advocate for guns as a way to protect people from the state.

So, it was okay for whites to be protected from the states, but not blacks.

What is the connection between gun laws today versus the mood in the 70s?

Giffords blasting of lawmakers who bowed to the influence of the NRA is instructive to the role race continues to play in the formation of public policy. It’s a truth that gets lost in the pomposity encompassing Second Amendment Rights. Although race riots and panic stirred by the Black Panther Party was enough to pass laws limiting gun possession, the death of 20 children and 6 adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School was not enough to do the same.

The fear of a black revolution was enough to pass gun laws. But a long history of gun violence isn’t enough to sway members of Congress to make a difference.

I hate saying it, but does race play a role in all of this?

As for the history of gun violence in the United States since Columbine, check out the list. After reading it, call somebody and tell them you’re pissed.

December 11, 2012. Tyler Roberts killed 2 people and himself with a stolen rifle in Clackamas Town Center, Oregon.

September 27, 2012. Five were shot to death by 36-year-old Andrew Engeldinger at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis, MN.

August 5, 2012. Six Sikh temple members were killed when Wade Michael Page opened fire in a gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

July 20, 2012. During the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, CO, 24-year-old James Holmes killed 12 people and wounded 58.

May 29, 2012. Ian Stawicki opened fire on Cafe Racer Espresso in Seattle, WA, killing 5.

April 6, 2012. Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, shot 5 black men in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in racially motivated shooting spree. Three died.

April 2, 2012. A former student, 43-year-old One L. Goh killed 7 people at Oikos University, a Korean Christian college in Oakland, CA.

February 27, 2012. Three students were killed by Thomas “TJ” Lane, another student, in a rampage at Chardon High School in Chardon, OH.

October 14, 2011. Eight people died in a shooting at Salon Meritage hair salon in Seal Beach, CA. 41-year-old Scott Evans Dekraai, killed six women and two men dead.

September 6, 2011. Eduardo Sencion entered an IHOP restaurant in Carson City, NV and shot 12 people. Five died.

January 8, 2011. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in the head when Jared Loughner opened fire on an event she was holding at a Safeway market in Tucson, AZ. Six people died.

August 3, 2010. Omar S. Thornton shot a Hartford Beer Distributor in Manchester, CT after getting caught stealing beer. Nine were killed, including Thornton, and two were injured.

November 5, 2009. Forty-three people were shot by Nidal Malik Hasan at the Fort Hood army base in Texas. Hasan reportedly yelled “Allahu Akbar!” before opening fire, killing 13 and wounding 29.

April 3, 2009. Jiverly Wong opened fire at an immigration center in Binghamton, New York before committing suicide. He killed 13 people and wounded 4.

March 29, 2009. Eight people died in a shooting at the Pinelake Health and Rehab nursing home in Carthage, NC. Robert Stewart, was targeting his estranged wife who worked at the home and survived.

February 14, 2008. Steven Kazmierczak opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, killing 6 and wounding 21. The gunman shot and killed himself.

February 7, 2008. Six people died and two were injured in a shooting spree at the City Hall in Kirkwood, Missouri. Charles Lee Thornton, opened fire during a public meeting after being denied construction contracts.

December 5, 2007. Robert Hawkins, shot up a department store in the Westroads Mall in Omaha, NE. Hawkins killed 9 people and wounded 4 before killing himself.

April 16, 2007. Virginia Tech became the site of the deadliest school shooting in US history when a student, Seung-Hui Choi, gunned down 56 people. Thirty-two people died.

February 12, 2007. In Salt Lake City’s Trolley Square Mall, 5 people were shot to death and 4 others were wounded by Sulejman Talović.

October 2, 2006. An Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster, PA was gunned down by Charles Carl Roberts, Roberts separated the boys from the girls, binding and shooting the girls. 5 young girls died, while 6 were injured.

March 25, 2006. Seven died and 2 were injured by Kyle Aaron Huff in a shooting spree through Capitol Hill in Seattle, WA.

March 21, 2005. Jeffrey Weise killed his grandfather and his grandfather’s girlfriend before opening fire on Red Lake Senior High School, killing 9 people on campus and injuring 5.

March 12, 2005. A Living Church of God meeting was gunned down by church member Terry Michael Ratzmann at a Sheraton hotel in Brookfield, WI.

July 8, 2003. Doug Williams, a Lockheed Martin employee, shot up his plant in Meridian, MS in a racially-motivated rampage. He shot 14 people, most of them African American, and killed 7.

December 26, 2000. Edgewater Technology employee Michael “Mucko” McDermott shot and killed seven of his coworkers at the office in Wakefield, MA.

September 15, 1999. Larry Gene Ashbrook opened fire on a Christian rock concert and teen prayer rally at Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX. He killed 7 people and wounded 7 others.

July 29, 1999. Mark Orrin Barton killed his wife and two children with a hammer before shooting up two Atlanta day trading firms. He killed 12 including his family and injured 13 before killing himself.

April 20, 1999. In the deadliest high school shooting in US history, teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold shot up Columbine High School in Littleton, CO. They killed 13 people and wounded 21.

Ruffin shared his intent to retire in the Hickory Record

2013-04-17T14:24:00.000-04:00

On January 6, 2013, Durham County Manager Mike Ruffin wrote an article that states his plans to retire soon. “Ruffin: Kannapolis pastor retires after 40 years of faith service” appeared in the Hickory Record.

The Rev-elution has reported that multiple sources have shared conversations with Ruffin about his desire to retire in July due to conflicts with members of the current Board of County Commissioners. Ruffin denied the report through an email sent to Ray Gronberg, a reporter with the Durham Herald-Sun.

“Mike Ruffin is a former Cabarrus County manager who lives in Durham and serves as Durham County manager. He plans to retire in Concord soon,” reads the tagline to the article. (http://www.hickoryrecord.com/independent_tribune/opinion/article_df293abc-5823-11e2-9bc0-0019bb30f31a.html)

The tagline references Ruffin’s devotions that appear at www.devotions.com, and claims it as one of the more popular websites on the Internet for Christian devotions. It list Ruffin’s email address as mike.ruffin@devotions.com.

The mention of his pending retirement, and the place he plans to live, raises questions related to Ruffin’s denial of the Rev-elution’s report. Although the wording of Ruffin’s tagline fails to give a timeline for his retirement, the mention of it coming soon was done in a context outside the community that deserves to know what he means by soon.

When pressed by Gronberg, Ruffin refused to give specifics regarding his planned retirement. His lack of clarity, given his mention in a newspaper outside of Durham, forces a critical question about why he is so willing to mention retirement on his devotion website and in another newspaper, while failing to do the same with those in Durham.

Ruffin mentions his pending retirement in January. Soon would imply a decision within a year. Durham has a right to know what he means by soon. The right to refuse to share those intentions was taken away when he decided to share plans to retire with others. He has a right to remain silent, but not when he throws the bone to others while refusing to address the same back home.

The Rev-elution expects the Board of County Commissioners to press Ruffin on when he plans to retire. Given the issues currently on the table, this is a matter that needs to be treated like an open book. Members of the commission may desire to remain silent, but the truth is they all know the truth. That truth has been shared. Their response is dishonest and a serious violation of trust for those who expect them not to lie when asked a direct question.

To say they do not know, and to suggest reports were pulled from the sky, covers more than what Ruffin has shared. It exposes their rapid willingness to rally in support of one who has already share his intentions. Ruffin has done so with more than the members of the Board of County Commissioners. Members of the Board of County Commissioners are functioning under the pretense that Ruffin has limited his plan to retire to those closed door sessions. That is not the case.

How can we trust those who shift the dialogue by working to find a way for Ruffin to leave after July 1?

Ruffin has shared his intentions. It’s the truth. Commissioners know it’s the truth. Ruffin has written that truth in another paper.

So, why not face that truth?

The Rev-elution stands by reporting on Mike Ruffin

2013-04-13T21:05:00.002-04:00

The Rev-elution has confirmed through multiple sources that Mike Ruffin, Durham’s County Manager, has shared his intent to leave his position before July 1. Ruffin denied previous reports from the Rev-elution during an interview with Ray Gronberg of the Herald-Sun.

Multiple sources, both direct and indirect, have shared conversations with Ruffin related to his intent to leave his position with Durham County due to tension with members of the Board of County Commissioners. The Rev-elution stands by the reporting on this matter.

“I have no plans to retire in July,” Ruffin informed the Herald-Sun via email. “I’ll be here for a while.”

A shift in plans for sure.

Ruffin’s response in the Herald-Sun conflicts with that of sources who shared conversations regarding Ruffin’s plans to leave before July 1.

The report from the Rev-elution led to rapid denial from Ruffin. Why the shift in what has been reported by the Rev-elution? Why would Ruffin deny what has been confirmed by multiple sources? Why would members of the Board of County Commissioners deny what they know to be true?

There are two issues leading to the back peddling by Ruffin and Commissioners: pressure to locate long term financing for two construction projects (the social services building and the courthouse), and the county’s credit rating. It is assumed that knowledge of Ruffin’s plan to leave could negatively impact both. Ruffin does not want to be perceived as a lame duck manager who places the county at risk.

When pressed by Gronberg about a possible departure after July 1, Ruffin was unable to give a definitive answer. There is suspension that Ruffin may leave after the July date, but there is significant reason to believe he will leave his post before the end of the year.

Members of the board are hush on this matter. Who can blame them? They have been advised to keep the matter in house. The lesson learned relates to Ruffin managing his own secrets.

In Durham, people are listening. If you wish to keep things quiet, keep it quiet until you’re ready to dance.

Source: Mike Ruffin to step down as Durham County Manager

2013-04-12T10:10:00.002-04:00

Multiple sources at Durham County Government have confirmed that County Manager Mike Ruffin has expressed his intent to retire in July.

Ruffin is serving his second term as County Commissioner. He was first hired in November 2000 to replace former County Manager David Thompson who resigned due to disagreements with commissioners. He was fired during a closed-door session in 2004, after months of conflict with black members of the Board of County Commissioners. Commissioners Joe Bowser, Philip Cousin, Jr. and Mary Jacobs voted to terminate him. No reason was given for Ruffin’s dismissal. It was a vote split on racial lines.

Bowser said at the time that Ruffin’s “failure at act upon” allegations of favoritism were a motive for Ruffin’s dismissal. Charlie Hobgood, the internal auditor, alleged 11 instances of favoritism in offering raises and poor record-keeping under former Human Resources Director Jackye Knight.

Shortly after arriving in Durham, Ruffin was attacked for comments he made on the website www.devotions.com. The website, a part of Pen Holder Ministries, founded by Ruffin in 1996, posted columns written by Ruffin that supported teaching creationism in public schools, disputes that the separation of church and state is a principle found in the Constitution, and that homosexuality is a sin.

Ruffin was reinstated as County Manager in 2005 after Lewis Cheek defeated Joe Bowser as a member of the Board of County Commissioners. Again, the vote was split on racial lines.

The last act of business for Ruffin is the approval of the 2013-14 budget. This year’s budget process could be heated due to a number of issues facing members of the Board of County Commissioners. The county faces a large deficient due to the new courthouse and human services buildings. Major cutbacks from the state could force significant reductions in the budget for Durham Public School. Commissioners have to find a way to overcome a $16 million difference between revenue and cost.

Ruffin had proposed a five cent increase in the county’s property tax rate. He recently offered a three cent increase for the coming year, with an additional two cent increase in fiscal year 2014-2015. The debate over the budget could stir serious tiffs between Ruffin and commissioners. Ruffin and Commissioner Brenda Howerton recently engaged in a quarrel after Howerton suggested Ruffin is a dictator for limiting public input in the budget process.

Ruffin and the commissioners have refrained from raising property taxes in the past, but may be forced to do so to offset the threat of losing the county’s AAA rating. County taxes haven’t been increased since fiscal year 2010-11.

Sources say Ruffin plans to close Durham’s Youth Detention Center. The proposal would save the county roughly 500 million, but the plan has been met with strong opposition. Critics of the plan are concerned that the cost to ship youth from the center to other sites may burden the system more than the savings are worth.

Ruffin hoped to make the announcement after the approval of the 2013-14 budget.

If racism is an accident, what do we do with LL Cool J

2013-04-11T11:43:00.000-04:00

What are we going to do with James Todd Smith? Most know him as LL Cool J. Oh, that means “Ladies Love Cool James”. Black women are having issues with Cool James right now. We’ll see what happens when he takes his shirt off.

Cool J, also known as Uncle L, is sitting on the hot seat for his recent collaboration with Brad Paisley. The song “Accidental Racist” has many asking why the 45 year-old mega-star decided to lend his skills to the song.

"Music is about ... connecting different people, and building bridges and breaking the rules. If it's not compelling, and it's not complex and it's not interesting, then what are we doing it for? So I think that's the right move,” He said on Good Morning American.

“I needed to do something that was going to be interesting like that, and shake things up, and jump out of the box. I'm really proud of it, and I hope the world hears it and enjoys it."

And shake things up he did. Paisley and Cool J expected the song to facilitate a deeper conversation involving the state of race relations in America. The lyrics have us looking back in a way that makes it difficult to look forward. The bottom line is a tough pill to swallow. It’s hard as it is to take the medicine, the debate on the song may require a collective chill moment.

Yes, chill and take the pill.

Why would I say that? Certainly it’s legitimate to raise questions about a song that seemingly justifies the racist ways of those living in the South. Certainly there is reason to attack Cool J for pulling lyrics from a bag of black stereotypes. Certainly, yes, over and over again, both of them should be taken to the wood shed and spanked for lacking the sensitivity to see how their raunchy lyrics would stir a huge pot of discontent.

Yes, they deserve a beating.

But, if we pause long enough we will uncover the true culprit behind the hysteria. It’s not just the lyrics. It’s much deeper than that. The reaction to “Accidental Racist” reminds us that we’re still not ready to talk about race. It’s too painful. It’s too close. We haven’t healed yet, and any mention of the life and culture that fed the racist ideology of the South will be met with extreme disdain.

Cool J’s point is a good one. He simply tried to stir things up. He wanted people to talk about a topic that we wish would go away. Yes, it’s an atrocious past filled with too many memories to count. The song forces us to accept that it’s not going anywhere until we talk about how we feel about that past.

So, I commend Paisley and Ladies Love Cool James for trying. It wasn’t a perfect attempt, but at least they tried. Yes, I deplore the lyrics for washing over the continued implications of that racist past. I get it, but sooner or later we have to share our views on how all of this makes us feel.

So, back to the point, what do we do with James Todd Smith?

For those jumping on the wagon to take Cool J’s black card, hesitate before you take it away. He’s been accused of being a Republican and invalidated for that reason. For those who aren’t black, being accused of being a Republican is, in many black circles, equivalent to saying all black women are ugly. That mess will get you thrown under a bus after they take your black credentials.

The point is Cool J isn’t a Republican. He did support George Pataki’s bid for a third term as Governor of New York in 2002. He also supported New York State Senator Malcolm Smith, a Democrat, and is a staunch supporter of President Barack Obama. Cool J claims to be an Independent. That’s a far cry from being a conservative Republican.

Why does it matter? Glad you asked. It’s important because the ploy, within the black community, is to discredit Cool J as one with a white agenda. Take away his black card. Prove that he is a traitor and lacks real sensitivity for those below his pay level. Do it based on the evidence – the song proves it, and his Republican leanings seal the deal.

It’s all a bogus effort to limit the form of creative expression that seeks to stir things up. That’s what all artists should seek to do. All who write, sing, dance, act and perform poetry are given space within a limited window to make a point. It’s often an incomplete point. It often requires a second chapter. Most of the time it needs three of four before the conclusion.

It’s a tough pill folks. One that most can’t take. You can’t handle the truth!

The truth is we can’t talk about race. We talk at one another. We make assumptions related to intent, while minimizing the power of creativity. Sometimes art is used to poke fun. Sometimes to heads way over the top. Most of the time it ends with a variety of missing pieces.

That’s art folks. Oh, by the way, each of us can play a part. I suggest jump in the middle and play.

Attack the art. When you get done, make your own.

That’s the beauty of discovery.

Brad Paisley's "Accidental Racist" raises question: Is it possible for racism to be an accident?

2013-04-10T10:02:00.001-04:00

It was one of those oh heck moments that transformed my life. Simply put, you can’t make assumptions based on the appearance of things.

I was standing outside the bank waiting for the person in front of me to finish at the ATM. A pickup truck pulls up. It was the type that gets my blood churning. There was a confederate flag license plate in the front and a gun rack behind the driver. A couple shot guns were hanging to seal the deal.

“Hillbilly Cracker!”

I shamefully whimpered as the driver pulled up wearing a cowboy hat and the rest of the Southern trash get-up I’d grown to loathe. Then it hit me in the face. My darn assumptions did exactly what Doris Kenney, that’s my mama, taught me they would. Yes, they made an ass out of me.

The driver pulls up with the window rolled down. The music was blasting like one of the black dudes driving in the hood. I expected to hear some of that Hillbilly music followed by a spit of tobacco and the yelp of Hee Haw. In my mind, that’s what Hillbillies do.

Nope!

He was listening to the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg (He’s Snoop Lion now). The song, Jen and Juice.

He bopped his head like he knew what he was doing. The image set me back. I had to laugh. Both at me and at a dude caught in the middle of conflicting cultures. Then he took it to another level.

He jumps out of the truck, nods his head in my direction and greets me.

“What’s up brother?”

Okay, I wasn’t ready. I stood in my puddle of indifference and took my whipping from the Big Lady. Oh, for those who don’t know me, I refer to God as a woman instead of the traditional patriarchal language that leaves people thinking God has a penis. What’s the lesson for me? I stood in a place thinking I was open and affirming of all God’s children, yet was walking in heaps of hypocrisy.

My hatred for Confederate flags and Country Music was so deep that I placed anyone in love with both in the big box with “racist” on the side.

That’s why I’m digging Brad Paisley’s new song. Accidental Racist, featuring LL Cool J, is getting lots of attention for doing what no one has had the guts to do – state the obvious. There’s so much drama connected with being Southern that those with good ole boy roots find it virtually impossible to pay homage to their past while not being handed a T-shirt with “Racist” on the front. The only way to rid oneself of being called a bigot is to throw all that Southern pride in the trash.

As a black man who has endured some of that hillbilly racism, I can honestly say that most of the time, well almost most of the time, there is a correlation between the hanging of the Confederate flag and an ideology that would like to see America go back to the days before the Civil War. For further proof, see Hank Williams, Jr. signing If the South Had Won.

The question Paisley raises is a good one. Is it really possible for a person to grow up not knowing that hanging a Confederate flag anywhere – on a pole, on your chest, on a license plate or at the old State Capitol – is enough to get black folks enraged? Who in their right mind wouldn’t know that? It’s easy to conclude that it’s not an accident. Folks like that don’t care enough to decide not to offend. I consider that a form of racism. You know, the stuff people do because they can, no matter who is hurt by those actions. I call that the first step to blatant bigotry. It’s not grown up yet, but it’s headed in that direction.

I felt that way when Soul Brother Hillbilly drove up in that pickup truck. It was a Sesame Street moment. One of these things doesn’t belong with the others. It was even worse than that. None of it made any sense.

Conclusion? Assuming will make an ass out of you and me.

Accidental Racist Lyrics

Brad Paisley, Featuring LL Cool J

To the man who waited on me

At the Starbucks down on Main

I hope you understand

When I put on that t-shirt

The only thing I meant to say

Is I’m a Skynyrd fan

The red flag on my chest is somehow like the elephant

In the corner of the South

And I just walked him right in the room

Just a proud rebel son

With an old can of worms

Looking like I’ve got a lot to learn

But from my point of view

I’m just a white man

Coming to you from the Southland

Trying to understand what it’s like not to be

I’m proud of where I’m from

But not everything we’ve done

And it ain’t like you and me to rewrite history

Our generation didn’t start this nation

We’re still picking up the pieces

Walking over eggshells

Fighting over yesterday

And caught between southern pride

And southern blame

They called it Reconstruction

Fixed the buildings, dried some tears

We’re still sifting’ through the rubble

After 150 years

I’ll try to put myself in your shoes

And that’s a good place to begin

It ain’t like I can walk a mile

In someone else’s skin

‘Cause I’m just a white man

Living in the Southland

Just like you, I’m more than what you see

I’m proud of where I’m from

And not everything we’ve done

And it ain’t like you and me to rewrite history

Our generation didn’t start this nation

And we’re still paying for the mistakes

Than a bunch of folks made

Long before we came

Caught somewhere between southern pride

And southern blame

[LL Cool J]

Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood

What the world is really like when you’re living in the hood

Just because my pants are saggin’ doesn’t mean I’m up to no good

You should try to get to know me, I really wish you would

Now my chains are gold, but I’m still misunderstood

I wasn’t there when Sherman’s March turned the south into firewood

I want you to get paid, but be a slave I never could

Feel like a new-fangled Django dogging invisible white hoods

So when I see that white cowboy hat, I’m thinking it’s not all good

I guess we’re both guilty of judging the cover, not the book

I’d love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air

But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn’t here

I’m just a white man

(If you don’t judge my do-rag)

Coming to you from the southland

(I won’t judge your red flag)

Trying to understand what it’s like not to be

I’m proud of where I’m from

(If you forget my gold chains)

But not everything we’ve done

(I’ll forget the iron chains)

It ain’t like you and me can rewrite history

(Can’t rewrite history, baby)

Oh, Dixieland

(The relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixing’)

I hope you understand what this is all about

(Quite frankly, I’m a black Yankee, but I’ve been thinking about this lately)

I’m a son of the New South

(The past is the past, you feel me)

And I just want to make things right

(Let bygones be bygones)

Where all that’s left is southern pride

(RIP Robert E. Lee, but I’ve gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean

Does President Obama's faux pas expose how men fail to understand issues related to women in the work place?

2013-04-08T11:26:00.003-04:00

I kept fueling the flame in wait of a man’s response. It never came. Not one man had the guts to share thoughts related to President Barack Obama’s major faux pas from last week.

Speaking at a fundraiser in a wealthy San Francisco suburb, President Obama praised the looks of California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

“You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you’d want in anybody who is administering the law, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake,” Obama said. “She also happens to be, by far, the best looking attorney general in the country.”

“It’s true! C’mon,” he added, to laughter from the crowd.
It was an offensive comment that opened old wounds among women who fight to be recognized for more than their looks. I could hear the collective “no he didn’t” screaming like Big Mama ready to take a chunk out of Baby Boy’s backside.
Women are hurt by Obama’s insensitivity to the battles they continue to fight on the workplace.

So, I put it to the test. I wanted to know if men cared enough to respond to comments I made that gave justification for Obama’s wink at Harris. I was interested to see if they would rally for a man’s right to flirt on the workplace. I was even more interested to see if a man would rally in support of a woman’s right not to be pigeonholed by their looks.

I tested my thesis on Facebook.

“Well, he told the truth, nothing but the truth....He also mentioned her other attributes. My take, there's nothing wrong with complimenting a person.”

Not one man took the bait. Not one. The lack of conversation regarding this topic speaks volumes involving the continuing disconnect between women’s rights and the men who are too self-consumed to care enough to engage. The tough lessons about gender bias are critical for those women who continue to grapple to find place in a world dominated by white men. Yes, there is still a glass ceiling in corporate America.

The term glass ceiling was first used by two women at Hewlett-Packard in 1979. Katherine Lawrence and Marianne Schreiber used it to describe the point in which women were unable to move beyond in their pursuit of promotion. Obama’s comments were distasteful due to how the underlying assumptions feed into notions of legitimacy regarding women in the workplace.

I posted comments on Facebook in an effort to force a comprehensive dialogue regarding what made Obama’s comments inappropriate. I hoped to stir an even deeper discussion in hope that both men and women would gain a better understanding related to what is happening in the sanctioning of worth in the workplace.

The women went at it. I knew they would. Some defended Obama. Most chastised him for mentioning a woman’s looks in a public setting. I knew they would.

Not a word from the men.

So, what is wrong with what Obama said?

Obama’s comments are wrong due to how they affirm the correlation between attractiveness and merit. Although he was able to speak to Harris’s credentials, the mention of her looks served to further validate her as a woman befitting of the role she holds as California’s Attorney General. The mention of looks within a public context upraises already existing assumptions about what it takes to make it in a world dominated by white males.

The mere mention of her looks triggered that age old battle. For most men, it’s no big deal. Others are enlightened enough to see how we have been molded to think looks and productivity are one in the same. They aren’t. It takes tremendous effort to abolish the willingness to overlook highly competent people due to looks. Looks make a difference in who gets the job, and who doesn’t. Given men make most decisions, it’s safe to say there are scores of talented women devoid of opportunity because of a man’s definition of beauty.

No men responded.

I took a few stabs to set the table for a deeper discussion. What are the lessons? Maybe its men don’t care enough to discuss how looks determine their decision. Maybe they didn’t get the memo that day.

Who knows?

One thing is clear. The battle between the sexes is far from being over. As a man, forgive me for not listening. Forgive me for what I fail to understand.

The good news is I care enough to hear your struggles.

You can’t get there if you refuse to listen.

Listen, can you hear the crickets?

Why is it important that we remember the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

2013-04-04T11:24:00.001-04:00

He died 45 years ago today. He stood on the pinnacle of a new movement – a campaign to raise consideration to the needs of poor people. He died after a message about viewing the world from a mountaintop.

What have we learned since the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

His birthday has become a symbol of national unity. Each year, we gather to remember a message about a dream, sing songs from the movement, and give thanks for the amazing progress made since he was shot at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

There’s a monument on the Capitol Mall to remind us he was there. People flood the national capitol to see the image of the man who inspired us with his baritone voice and command of the English language. We’re reminded of his insight, commitment, and sacrifice for a people who needed more than lip service about what it takes to find a way to the road to the American Dream.

So much of the public discourse regarding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is mingled from a historical context that seems so long ago. We make it a distant memory – one lived by ancestors long dead. We forget the contributions of those still walking in the shadow of today’s madness. The footprints of what killed Dr. King are still visible to those willing to gaze deeper into the lives of those singing songs about overcoming.

The King Holiday has become America’s stamp of redemption. It was Congress’s bailout for agony created by the white men who rule the national agenda. The date on our national calendar serves as a universal hush to what continues to haunt our national consciousness. Was it enough to wash the bloody hands of those who pushed legislation to keep people oppressed based on the condition of their birth? Has the game of privilege ended now that there is a day to celebrate our national claim of unity?

If the birth of Dr. King serves to remind us of our nation’s possibility, the death of King reminds us of our persisting reality. There is a malicious evil that clutches the soul of far too many. There is a hate that breathes like the seconds before death. There are enraging thoughts locked in the minds of those nurtured in cultures that refuse to see the humanity of those made different by birth.

Far too many still hate.

It’s the death of Dr. King that hurls on the perturbing ways of those who refuse to listen. King’s death exposes the anger of those Hell bent on destroying anything that fits within the box of their indifference. King’s death unveils those who hate to hate. They hate for the sake of hate. They refuse to abandon the language of old memories. They are found bankrupt of the ability to move beyond the errors of our national past.

King’s death reminds us of their continued presence.

They are with us still. They are walking among us in wait of opportunities to rid others of their hope. Where can you find them?

They hung the Confederate flag in the old North Carolina State Capitol building to remind citizens of their history. It was a reminder of a war between the North and South. For citizens with the blood of former slaves, it was a reminder of a life of bondage, rape and a life devoid of Constitutional rights.

They are pressing new laws to force voter identification. Those laws take us back to the days of poll taxes, a ploy to deny the vote of those within despised demographics.

They have passed laws that limit the amount one can receive in unemployment insurance. They pass laws to starve those already too weak to climb to the table to eat. What more can they take?

They push for an amendment to the state Constitution that defines marriage as a bond between a man and a woman. They manipulate the teachings of their religion to force a state ban on love between people of the same gender. What’s love got to do with it?

They use the rhetoric of deficient spending to contrive a scheme to crush the state’s historical black colleges and universities. They use gobbledygook of poor academic performance to systematically undo the public education system by privatizing it through a business model called charter schools. They endorse the re-segregation of public education by playing on the fear of parents by promoting puffery regarding the rise of gangs and crime among black and brown youth.

Yes, they press propaganda that spreads the gossip of a coming Armageddon. They want us to go back to the days of Dixie.

They continue to seek ways to disenfranchise citizens and redefine the meaning of King’s dream. King’s death is a reminder that they still live. They are obsessed with turning the clock back to days when Dixie was whistled. They fight to define citizenship in a way that makes white skin a prerequisite. They, those white, Republicans who own state government, are working fiercely to take us back to the days when white men ruled, women stayed in their place as housewives, the word faggot was commonly used, black folks honored and respected all things white, and those South of the border went home after the harvesting of crops.

King’s death reminds us of the rancor that led to his death. Rifles and bullets have been replaced with a political agenda that fights the coming of the new majority. The death of King still aches. The blows of the bullets haunt us still.

What’s the lesson of King’s life? Remember it. Yes, celebrate the birth of the dream. Gather and sing old songs about overcoming someday. Do that. Embrace that. His life is worth the reminder of his contribution.

But, don’t forget his death. If we do, his life will be in vain.

It matters that the pope washed the feet of young inmates instead of priest

2013-03-30T14:51:00.001-04:00

'Viva Papa Francesco!'

Praise for Pope Francis can be heard around the world. People love his humility and willingness to break with tradition. People love his willingness to have dialogue with members of other faiths.

What difference does it make, is the question that must be asked as the world witnesses the beginning of a new papacy. Should people outside the Catholic tradition get caught up in the frenzy of excitement surrounding Pope Francis?

Yes, it matters.

It matters that Pope Francis has already shown a readiness to confront age old traditions. On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis broke with tradition by washing the feet of poor inmates. He went to the inmates. He chose to wash the feet of inmates rather than the traditional foot washing of clergy.

He decided to wash the feet of a dozen young inmates in a juvenile dentition center. The tradition has been to wash the feet of clergy. Isn’t that what Jesus did – to wash the feet of those engaged in the work as a disciple?

The tradition has been to limit the pope’s foot washings to men.

Pope Francis washed the feet of young women.

'Viva Papa Francesco!'

That’s a big deal.

Speaking to about 1,600 priests who packed St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass on Thursday morning, Francis talked about the need to concentrate on the people they are ministering to.

“We need to go out, then, in order to experience our own anointing ,” he said. “to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters,"

As folks in the black church faith tradition say, “Preach Pope!”

Forget all that clerical privilege that comes with being the Holy Father. Francis took the Thursday story of Jesus washing feet and offered it to the least of these.

Holy Thursday is the day Christians around the world celebrate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples before his crucifixion. Washing feet re-enacts the humble gesture with the disciples. It’s one of the most important rituals within the Christian faith tradition, and Pope Francis chose to re-act his first foot washing as pope with a group of youth in a detention center. Among them, a few women.

That’s a big deal!

Rather than washing feet at the Basillica of St. John in Lateran, the most important of the four major basilicas in Rome, Francis chose to kneel before young offenders at the Casal del Marmo Penitentary Institute for Minors.

Yes, that’s a big deal.

He washed the feet of 12 young offenders. He kissed their feet after washing them. Two young women were in the group. He washed and kissed their feet. It’s the first time a pope included females in the rite. The ceremony has been limited to men, due to the assumption that all of Jesus’ apostles were men.

Again, that’s a big deal.

The young people were aged between 16 and 21 and were chosen from different nationalities and religious backgrounds.

Once again, that’s a big deal. Two Muslims were chosen.

Imagine how the moment will change the lives of the young people chosen to have their feet washed by the pope. Isn’t that the promise of new life that comes with the celebration of Easter?

Why is it a big deal?

Because it teaches a lesson about liberation and new life. Because it’s a lesson for those chosen to serve in leadership roles in the Church. Power is not given to gain power. The life of service is given to those willing to walk with the lowly and poor. Along the way of service, we stop to wash their feet.

It’s a big deal because it shows a willingness to move beyond the restrictions of tradition. In washing the feet of women, Pope Francis paved the way for a deeper conversation related to other traditions that need to be overlooked due to more pressing needs.

Again and again and again, that’s a big deal!

I hope those outside the Catholic tradition are wataching.

They could use taking a lesson from a pope willing to wash the feet of young people in a detention center.

Oh, don't forget the women.

Lord, have mercy! It’s a big deal!

Supreme Court discusses the rights of same-gender couples

2013-03-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

Today, the Supreme Court hears arguments on a U.S. law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

On Tuesday, the court heard arguments on a Proposition 8 case – California’s ban on gay marriage. The justices seemed hesitant of endorsing a broad right for gay and lesbian couples to marry. Today, the court hears argument on a case involving the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. argues the position of the Obama administration. Obama wants justices to invalidate DOMA. Paul Clement, who was the solicitor General during George W. Bush’s administration, will fight to continue the law. Clement is representing the interest of House Republicans who believe marriage should be limited to a man and woman.

DOMA permits benefits such as Social Security survivor payments and tax deductions for opposite-gender married couples. The law was signed by Bill Clinton in 1996 after passing Congress with only 81 out of 535 in opposition. Clinton has since voiced support for invalidating the law.

Today’s case involves Edith Windsor, who was married to a woman. Windsor contends she should get the federal estate tax deduction afforded heterosexuals when their spouses die. Windsor’s marriage to Thea Spyer was recognized in New York, but she was forced to pay federal estate tax because the federal government failed to recognize her marriage when Spyer died in 2009. She is seeking a $363,000 refund.

An estimated 133,000 gay couples are married in one of the nine states where it is legal for them to marry. Although recognized in their state of marriage, the federal government does not.

Today’s decision began with an attack on the Obama administration for abandoning DOMA.to abandon. Justice Anthony Kennedy questioned Obama’s willingness to defend other laws passed by Congress.

"It's very troubling," said Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Chief Justice John Roberts asked Sri Srinivasan, an attorney defending Obama’s position, how the government will decide which laws to defend.

"What is your test?" Roberts asked.

Justice Antonin Scalia attacked what he called the "new regime." He stated there is "no rational argument" for the government's decision not to defend the existing law.

"I don't want these cases to come before this court all the time," Scalia said, suggesting that the decisions on whether to defend or enforce existing law were part of new way of thinking.

The Obama administration contends that gay and lesbian people have endured discrimination as “minorities with limited political power.” Obama challenges the Supreme Court to apply what is called “heightened scrutiny” to see if DOMA is discriminatory. Once discrimination is determined, it must be ruled that section 3 of DOMA violates the Constitution’s guarantee that each person will have equal protection of the laws.

At the time DOMA was passed no states had legalized same-gender marriage. Now nine states and the District of Columbia have laws sanctioning same-gender marriages.

"The House is the proper authority to defend (the law)," Paul Clement, representing the Republican House, told the justices.

Chief Justice John Roberts has shown skepticism in allowing gays' and lesbians' the right to marry.

"This institution's been around since time immemorial," he said.

Justice Kenney appears to be looking for a place to hide.

"I just wonder if the case was properly granted," he said.

Justice Elena Kagan raised questions about the importance of procreation.

"It may turn out to be a good thing, it may turn out to be a bad thing," says Justice Samuel Alito. "It is newer than cellphones and the Internet." In other words, we need time to figure things out.

How will the high court handle these cases? Will they run from Proposition 8? The court has to rule on DOMA because a lower court ruled it unconstitutional. Same-gender marriage may be newer than cellphones, but America needs a decision.

There are 1,138 provisions in federal laws that list marital status as a factor in determining benefits, rights and privileges. The list hasn’t been updated since 2003. Despite owning marriage certificates, same-gender couples can’t take advantage of tax-free health benefits from their employers. They can’t file joint federal income tax returns, which can save families thousands of dollars a year. If they get divorced, alimony is deemed a gift subject to taxation, while it is tax-free for heterosexual couples. They are subject to inheritance taxes when a spouse dies and can’t take advantage of a marital deduction.

How can the Supreme Court wiggle out of ruling on California’s Proposition 8 given the number of people grandfathered in as same-gender married couples before the passage of the law? What happens related to the benefits of same-gender couples in California if the court rules DOMA unconstitutional? Will same-gender couples living in states that allow their marriage be granted the right to receive federal benefits, while those married in California being denied because they were married in a state that fails to honor their marriage?

The court can’t run from the truth. Same-gender marriage is now supported by the majority of American. It’s time for a ruling.

And American can’t wait until cellphones are obsolete.

Gov. McCrory's proposals places North Carolina's HBCU's at risk

2013-03-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

Citizens of North Carolina should pay close attention to moves being made by Governor Pat McCrory. If implemented, access to higher education will become more complicated for those who need it the most.

Gov. McCrory, and the Republican controlled state legislature, is positioned to alter the way UNC System in a way that could dramatically impact the systems historically black colleges and universities and schools in low density areas. The plan is being pitched as a cost saving measure, but will send a significant number of North Carolinians to receive recently reduced unemployment benefits.

Gov. McCrory’s budget recommends $138 million in cuts to the UNC system next fiscal year. The proposed cuts follow the $400 million in budget reduction the system absorbed in the budget two years ago. When factoring the cuts from the previous budget, the loss to the system is $241 million.

Gov. McCrory’s budget plans to spend $63 million over a two year period on the system’s Strategic Directions initiatives. The plan seeks to align educational needs with the marketplace. It’s the talk related to the plan that has many troubled about the future of the UNC system. Discussions about downsizing and merging schools have led to concerns that a few of North Carolina’s HBCU’s are at risk of being closed or merged with other schools in the system.

Most at risk is Elizabeth City State University. The plan could result in the school being downsized to a community college or merged with another school. Also at risk is the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Pembroke serves a large Native American population, and closing the school would result in making it more difficult for students in the area to find a place to attend.

Pembroke may merge with Fayetteville State University. There’s talk of merging North Carolina A&T University with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The common theme is an attack on North Carolina’s HBCU’s.

The concern follows recent appointments to the UNC Board of Governors. The appointment of a majority of Republicans with business backgrounds has fueled concerns that the system will be managed like a business charged with the mission to downsize to maximize the bottom line interest. Also missing are members with strong ties to the systems HBCU’s. The lack of diversity on the board exposes the HBCU’s to major changes.

The plan will have grave implications to those students who seek to enroll in programs targeted for being unessential in a changing economy. Students seeking a liberal arts education may be forced to consider options outside the public education system. Students with the resources to attend competitive private liberal arts schools will not be impacted by the change. Those students in search of training outside the purview of the UNC master plan will be forced to make options that may not fit their area of interest.

There are serious questions regarding the motives behind proposed changes. The state expects 3.6 percent revenue growth next year. The system is not in dire need of radical changes at this time. Republicans are intent on raising discussions devoid of significant reason to justify the need. It can be assumed that this is an attack on North Carolina’s public education system, and, more specifically, an attack to undermine efforts to attract more minorities into higher education.

This is certainly an assault on liberal arts education. It will result in the loss of jobs and will negatively impact communities with economies dependent of a university or college. It will shift the way we view education and force students into making decisions rooted in economics versus the desire to follow their true interest. Many will conclude there is nothing wrong with forcing students to make practical decisions.

Efforts to make NC system a glorified technical school should be fought. The key is in providing options for those seeking to match their skills with interest. The goal should always be to grant people a place to celebrate history, embrace culture and connect with the best we have as a state.

This is not a business. We are not making workers. Hopefully, we are preparing all students to think.

Durham resident is the author of the Willie Lynch Letter

2013-03-21T12:20:00.000-04:00

Dr. Kwabena Ashanti dropped the bomb as I prepared to sign books at the Beyu Café in Downtown Durham.

“I’m the author of the Willie Lynch Letter, “he said as I waited for a crowd to line up for me to sign my new novel.”

It was the biggest news of the year, I thought as I begged him to tell me the rest of the story. Ashanti, who lives in Durham, NC, is the mastermind of the biggest hoax since the claim that Microsoft had purchased the Roman Catholic Church.

The Willie Lynch Letter is mentioned in the movie The Great Debaters. The notions of the letter became popular after Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan quoted parts of it during his speech at the Million Man March in 1995. Farrakhan later used the letter to support his claim that slave owners used the letter to control slaves.

The letter purported to be a verbatim account of a speech delivered by Willie Lynch to an audience gathered on the bank of the James River in Virginia in 1712 regarding the management of slaves. Lynch, a slave owner, tells other slave masters that he had discovered the secret to controlling black slaves by setting them against one another.

Ashanti claims that he wrote the letter in 1970 as a way to present his theory related to the current division inherent in the black community. The document was assumed to be an authentic account of slavery during the 18^th century, and was used by members of the academy, ministers and activist to draw attention to the ongoing implications of slavery.

The letter advises slave owners to take advantage of the differences among the slaves – dark skin versus light skin, straight hair versus nappy hair, house slave versus filed slaves. The philosophy of the letter fit already existing assumptions within the black community. The letter gave credibility to the notion that deep division within the black community is a carryover from enslavement.

Malcolm X used the same thought process in his speech Message to the Grassroots. Malcolm spoke about the two types of enslaved blacks: “the “house Negro” and the field Negro”. The house Negro lived in his owner’s house, dressed well, and ate well. He loved his owner as much as the owner loved himself, and he identified with his owner. If the owner got sick, the house Negro would ask, “Are we sick?” If someone suggested to the house Negro that he escape slavery, he would refuse to go, asking where he could possibly have a better life than the one he had.

Malcolm X described the field Negro, who he said were the majority of slaves on a plantation. The field Negro lived in a shack, wore raggedy clothes, and ate chittlins. He hated his owner. If the owner's house caught fire, the field Negro prayed for wind. If the owner got sick, the field Negro prayed for him to die. If somebody suggested to the field Negro that he escape, he would leave in an instant.

Malcolm X said that there are still house Negroes and field Negroes. The modern house Negro, he said, was always interested in living or working among white people and bragging about being the only black in his neighborhood or on his job. Malcolm X said the Black masses were modern field Negroes and described himself as a field Negro.

The Speech to the Grassroots has been used to define and celebrate authentic black identity. It led to the usage of the label “Uncle Tom”. Malcolm’s words were rendered within the context of a revival to define blackness in a way that repudiated thoughts and actions that mirrored a celebration of white identity.

Ashanti has authored at least ten books that focus on the importance of an Afrocentric culture and the education of African beliefs. His book Psychotechnology of Brainwashing examines what he calls the system of White Supremacy’s niggerization process. He concludes that all areas of our society conditions black people to fear and seek acceptance from White people, while degrading black lives. His work seeks to reverse that process.

A librarian at the University of Missouri-St, Louis, posted the Willie Lynch Letter on the library’s Gopher server in 1993. The librarian later revealed that she obtained the document from the publisher of the St. Louis Black Pages, a local newspaper. Although she was convinced the letter was a forgery, she elected to leave it on the Gopher server because she believed that “even as an inauthentic document, it says something about the former and current state of African America.”

Roy Rosenzweig and William Jelani Cobb, two respected historians, have been on record that the letter is hoax before Ashanti’s confession. The opinion of the academic community has not tainted the relevancy of the letter in the eyes of many. Like the librarian at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the assumptions of Ashanti’s hoax are real enough to transcend his hoax into the realm of truth.

The questions related to Ashanti’s game are many. What does it mean when you formulate a philosophy based on assumptions that are not validated by true scholarship? What are the dangers connected to teachings lessons tied to historical pain devoid of a clear connection between the past and the present.

It can be assumed that Ashanti’s hoax is relevant to the discussion involving the psychology of black people. We could assert a high level of continued brainwashing and niggerization. All of that may be true, but can we make that claim simply because it feels that way?

With that being said, what are the consequences of embracing any theory based on thoughts created by the person who uses the hoax to justify their claims?

Sounds like brainwashing to me, but it could be argued that I’m brainwashed.

Voyager Academy baseball team does't have to pay to play

2013-03-20T12:29:00.000-04:00

Steve Bumgarder has a history of fighting for black youth. He left Temple Baptist Church after the membership questioned their bringing black kids to church. Bumgardner left Temple Baptist to attend Mt. Level Baptist Church.

Bumgardner, who is white, is still fighting for black youth.

Bumgardner is on a new mission. “It’s further evidence that the Durham Public School System doesn’t care about black and brown students,” he pitched his point. “Administrators are only concerned with placating white parents.”

Bumgardner wants to know why the baseball team at Voyager Academy is allowed to practice and play games at Southern High School free of charge. The facility rental contract with the Durham Public School system grants Voyager usage of the Southern High School baseball field from September 7 – June 1, Monday – Saturday at no charge.

Bumgardner claims the agreement is a clear case of favoritism to a charter school with a high percentage of white students.

“It’s the school systems way to stop the bleeding created after Chewning was made into a year-round school,” Bumgardner says. “White parents were upset when inner city students enrolled. That’s when Voyager came along.”

Bumgardner sees the decision to grant Voyager Academy free use of the Southern High School field as a precedent that could come back to haunt the system. Currently, there is no policy involving renting facilities to charter schools. Space is rented to churches and other nonprofit organizations, but rarely is the fee for usage waived.

“What would prevent others to come back and ask for their money back because Voyager gets to use the field free of charge?”

It is not uncommon for schools to rent facilities. Northern High School rents the Durham County Stadium to play football games. The Durham School of the Arts rents the Durham Athletic Park to play their baseball games. Both fields are owned by the county. Bumgardner wants to know why certain schools are forced to spend money from their budget to rent county owned facilities, while Voyager Academy, which draws money from the school budget, gets a free ride.

Each traditional public school is budgeted $12,500 annually to run their athletic programs. The rest is made up through ticket sales and fund raising.

“They [Voyager Academy] are presently using Southern to hold their home baseball games and charging admission and selling concessions,” Bumgardner wrote in a letter to the athletic directors at all DPS high schools. “They were given the use of DPS facilities for free for practice, and they are using it for games and charging admission (making money/stealing from our kids). All during the same time that DSA baseball team has no place to practice and has to rent the DAP for games at a great expense to them. “

“If those charter schools want to operate athletic programs they need to use the money given to them by the state and county to do so,” Bumgardner says. “They can rent facilities from Parks and Rec. Rent auditoriums from the convention center. But for them to come back to DPS facilities and use them after they have taken money directly from DPS is not a good value for a taxpayer.”

Bumgardner says Superintendent Eric Becoats told member of the Board of Education the policy is ambiguous and he plans to do nothing until the policy is changed. The current policy grants principals the authority to recommend facility usage to the central office for approval. The principal can propose a waiver of any fees. The decision to rent the field to Voyage Academy and to waive rental fees appears to have come from the school principal.

“Voyager looks like the first step of the white flight I witnessed as a young boy in Durham growing up on Gregson Street,” Bumgardner says. “We have to find a way to stop giving white people permission to flee.”

Some may call Bumgardners thoughts over the top. All that talk about race is just begging to open wounds that aren’t there. Many people wish he would go to the nearest corner and remain silent.

“I have bi-racial children,” Bumgardner says. “I have a wife who teaches in the Durham Public School System. I know and see things because of what she brings home.”

For Bumgardner there is more to the story than most can see.

Maybe others should take a look.

Marry Durham celebrates 2nd Anniversary: I still do

2013-03-18T14:29:00.001-04:00

It’s been two years since I placed a ring in Frank Stasio’s nose. It was one of the best days I’ve spent in Durham. How can you forget the day a crowd too large to count gathered on the700 block of Rigsbee Avenue to marry Durham?

I’m still married to Durham. The love affair gets better each year. The better is getting better and the worse isn’t so bad. You learn to appreciate and celebrate the totality of the relationship. The truth is all that bad stuff wasn’t so bad. It all depends on how you look at things.

So, I’m getting ready to celebrate two years of marriage. Frank Stasio will join me and the rest of the gang at the Motorco/Fullsteam end of Rigsbee to rekindle memories of the marriage between citizens and a city. Things kick off at 2:00 pm, and the Bulltown strutters will lead the parade starting at 2:30 pm. If you missed the wedding day and last year’s anniversary, please, please don’t miss the celebration of year two.

Many of Durham’s black women will be at the PNC arena to listen to J.D. Jakes at Women’s Empowerment. It’s always troubling that many miss the wedding due to conflicting events. I can’t blame people for wanting to hear Jakes and Wendy Williams share inspirational messages. I would love to hear Erykah Badu and Charlie Wilson perform.

It happens every year. Should I celebrate Durham or opt to be entertained at Women’s Empowerment? What matters the most, a parade with folks wearing wedding dresses and tuxedos, or a gathering of some of the top black speakers in entertainers in the country?

Sounds like an easy one – go with option number two. Right? Wrong. Deciding to renew my vows is one of the most important things I could do. It’s the most important thing we, as a city, can do. Yes, it has been done before, but we need it more and more with the passing of every year.

Why? Because Durham continues to get thrown under the bus by those brainwashed into believing Durham is unsafe. It’s important that we put the rest of the region and nation on blast. Durham is all of that with two bags of chips. Durham is supersized. It’s the best among the rest, and we are willing to march, dance, sing and shout it year after year. We keep coming back because we take our vows seriously.

There are other places I could be on Saturday. I could stay home and watch a basketball game. I could head over to Raleigh and participate in the festivities at the PNC arena. I could do that, but why would I? How could I?

Why would I say that? I say it because no city has loved me like Durham. No other city allows me to be myself. Durham has received the best and worst of me. Yes, it has been rocky at times. There are days when I’m forced to sleep on the couch. I’ve been thrown out a few times, but she keeps letting me come back. She loves me – for better and for worse.

It’s important that I tell her how much I love her. I’ve taken her for granted. I cheated on her a bit this past year. A few other cities caught my attention. I saw them looking at me on the internet. They looked so lovely. Words about her sucked me in and had me considering a relationship. I continue to be tempted. Yes, I’m guilty of being seduced.

I love Durham, and I know Durham loves me. I do, over and over again!

Join me on Saturday to say I love you!

Come Celebrate Our Second Anniversary

2:00-5:00 pm • Parade at 2:30 pm

Saturday, March 23, 2013

700 Block of Rigsbee Avenue