"Black Leaders..."

"I was not freed so that I could become enslaved by your arrogance & and your lofty assurance of what my reality should be. You see no irony or hypocrisy in the fact that you want to tell me who my friends should be, the music I should listen to, the movies I should watch, and the people I should believe in. Otherwise... I ain't black enough."

Why are black people the only people in this country that require extra leaders in 2008? Are we that stupid, that needy and that incapable of running our own lives? Asians, for example, don't seem to need them... there are hundreds of them come to this country not even speaking English and in five years or less, are successfully running the businesses where we spend our money the most (read: nail shops, swap meets, liquor stores, etc.,).


As for our most prominent "leaders," all I see are certain folks getting rich off of other people's drama. Jesse and Al fly hither and tither rallying the crowd in various states - a student at school X called another student THE "N' WORD. Lordy, there is going to be a race riot if one of those leaders doesn't get there soon! But if it was really all about civil rights and seeing blacks succeed, maybe someone can explain the meaning of this:

What happened to Jesse? He's not a hater is he? Was that a momentary lapse into reality, allowing us a behind the scenes look at his real motivation? My mother always says, "What's done in the dark will come to light." Could it be that Jesse is not quite as worried about Civil Rights as first meets the eye? Because after all, if our freedom as a people were at the forefront of the mind of our staunchest freedom fighter, wouldn't he be on ROW 1 SEAT 01, showing undaunted encouragement for the next runner in the infinite race toward "freedom"?

Maybe he's a just a little pouty because he isn't the one bringing hope, change, and the dawn of a new day to the entire free world, etc., etc., etc.

Maybe he is a little worried that after fighting for freedom all these years, if a black man actually becomes president, other blacks might stop buying into this present day mockery of the Civil Rights struggle.

Maybe he is a bit concerned that there is light at the end of the tunnel and we are seeing the beginning of the end of the democratic party's continued propagation of the belief that "the man" is preventing blacks from prospering and there is racism under every rock.

Maybe he worries that being a "civil rights leader" won't be quite as lucrative if blacks start noticing that black people are successfully riding all over buses, trains and planes, using bathrooms, drinking out of the same water fountains, eating at the same restaurants, sending their children to the same schools, and joining the same country clubs as whites.

Maybe black people will notice that we are, scholars, professors, high fashion models touring the world, billionaire talk show hosts, millionaire comedians, athletes, actors, actresses, authors, and musical performers.

With a little time, they might even realize that black people are generals, congressmen, senators, mayors, and governors, in spite of slavery, in spite of any and every injustice, in spite of the fact that many of our young men are in jail, in spite of the fact that a lot of our teens are pregnant or unwed mothers.

As early as I can remember, my family, along with scores of other blacks, celebrate "Juneteenth". I grew up hearing stories told that although slavery ended on January 1, 1863, certain black slaves had no idea they were free until June 19, 1865, so they stayed right where they were, on Mr. Man's plantation. I have also read about about Africans who sold other Africans into slavery. I know to some it may be a bit of a leap, but these two facts remind me of a few quotations I have heard all my life:

1. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

Eccl. 1:9 RSV

2. Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

George Santayana (1863-1952)

Here's one I find to be true also:

3. Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not within everyone's power and that is not easy.

In different ways, each of these 3 quotes remind me of what is going on in the black community today. It is though some blacks do not realize that the Civil Rights movement has already occurred. They are still fighting for their rights, while other blacks are going out and acting on what has already been achieved by people who have been called names, spit on, punched, beaten, whipped and tortured to death fighting for the rights our children barely comprehend today.

For most, “nigga” is a term of endearment… unless of course, a nonblack says it. But that’s a topic for a different blog. Like the blacks that continued working on the plantations after they had already been freed, they fight endlessly for freedom and their past due 40 acres and a mule.

As for the unknowing slaves, unfortunately, there was no way massa was going to tell them they were free, since there was no way the massa was going to voluntarily let his bread and butter walk away. If someone had not happened by and educated them on their situation, one can only guess how long they would have continued believing that they were slaves. How long would they have continued to be bound by their own ignorance. What if they had attacked the messenger who brought the news of their freedom instead of taking a moment to listen? Apparently that moment literally changed their lives.

Please consider for a moment, a disturbing possibility: , What if, the Democratic Party was not necessarily the best thing for Black Americans? Could anyone that even broached the subject to a black person in this day and age, ever be able to complete a thought without being tarred, feathered and possibly beaten like he or she stole something?

(Stay with me for a moment. That uncomfortable feeling that you may be starting to have, is called cognitive dissonance. But don’t worry, it won’t do any permanent damage, It might even give you a little hope &.... real change.)

Secondly, the two-faced, African chiefs of the 18th-19th century, sometimes remind me of at least a few of our current democratic black leaders... keeping blacks all riled up, angry, walking around with the proverbial chip on their shoulders. These leaders continually sell generation after generation of black people into slavery by convincing us that things like welfare, foodstamps, and free medical care are our "right," as minorities, regardless of the fact that those things keep us victimized, powerless and enslaved to the benevolent massa, big government, the one that won't tell you that slavery ended January 1, 1863, the one that doesn't want to lose its bread and butter OR its voter base (it sho' been good ter us...). Meanwhile please notice that these leaders don't seem to be too po', broke and hungry? They aren't sitting at the mailbox on the 1st and 15th looking anxiously for the mailman, hoping that he shows up in time for them to make it to the check cashing place and the swap meet. They make their money, get rich and stay in power year after year, keeping blacks angry and focused on blaming racism for nearly all of their problems. Blacks feel that to have any possible hope to keep the white man from holding them down, they must blindly and monolithically support the democratic party or the evil, wicked, old, white, republicans will have them back in the cotton field, first chance they get. As long as blacks believe this, democrats will continue to have it, "made in the shade" and can keep paying for their mansions, non-energy efficient SUV's, Mercedes, BMWs, etc., and private planes to fly to the latest racism or energy crisis.

It is with growing horror over the years, that I have learned of certain truths about the Democratic Party. I have a real problem with the fact that the Ku Klux Klan originated within that party. I have more of a problem with the fact that many black people are unaware of it since not many people talk about it. If it doesn't matter to people that's fine, but I suspect there might be some that would be a little disturbed. Here are some facts:

 In 1850, Democrats passed the Fugitive Slave Law which was created to punish runaway slaves. If by chance one of the 11% of blacks that were never slaves was inadvertently arrested, this law gave the government the ability to strip the person of their rights to legal representation or a trial by jury.

 In 1854, Democrats passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This overturned the Missouri Compromise and allowed for the importation of slaves into the territories. It was the abhorrence of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that led to the Whig party and some members of the Democratic Party that were against slavery, to form the Republican Party.

Abraham Lincoln was the Republican that issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and ultimately freed slaves. In 1865 , Republicans in Congress unanimously voted to free slaves via the ratification of the 13th Amendment, while only 23% of Democrats supported it. The same year, Democrats formed the KKK to intimidate blacks and attempt to regain control politically in the South. Blacks were entirely Republican at this time.

 In 1868, the 14th Amendment was passed, giving blacks full federally guaranteed civil rights. All voting Republicans voted in support of it. All voting Democrats, voted against it.

 In 1870, the 15th Amendment was passed, federally guaranteeing blacks the right to vote. This was necessary because Southern states detested the idea and continued to deny blacks this right.

 In 1892 Democrats took control of Congress and attempted to undo as many of the hard won Civil Rights accomplishments as possible. In addition to blocking the passing of all Civil Rights laws until 1957. They also enacted poll taxes; Jim Crow laws and repealed all Republican enacted Civil Rights legislation.

One more thing…

It was the despised President Richard Millhouse Nixon that passed the first federal affirmative action laws.