Dr. King Speaking Truth to Power

Good morning, family. Happy Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Listen to our dear beloved brother speak truth to power without fear. Much respect.

#MOW50: We Still Have A Long Way to Go

As pointed out in a recent Washington Post article, there has been significant progress 50 years after the March on Washington. In her article, Juliet Eilperin notes that:

In 1964 the portion of all Americans 18 or older who voted was 69.3 percent; this has dropped to 56.5 percent last year. By contrast, the rate of African Americans voting in presidential elections has risen from 58.5 percent to 62 percent during that same period. The 2012 election marked the first time African Americans voted at a higher rate than whites, according to Census data.

The number of African-American elected officials has also risen dramatically since researchers started tracking it in 1970. Forty-three years ago there were 1,469 black elected officials nationwide, according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; in 2011 there were roughly 10,500 such officials.

In education, blacks have also made tremendous strides. In 1964, 25.7 percent of blacks age 25 and over had completed at least four years of high school; that percentage stood at 85 percent last year. During that same period the number of blacks with a high school diploma rose from 2.4 million to 20.3 million. Between 1964 and 2012 the percentage of blacks age 25 and over who completed at least four years of college increased from 3.9 percent to 21.2 percent, with the number of blacks boasting at least a bachelor’s degree rising from 365,000 to 5.1 million.

And the poverty rate among African Americans has also dropped dramatically over the past five decades. Back in 1966 the poverty rate for all races in the United States was 14.7 percent, but it was 41.8 percent for African Americans. Two years ago the poverty rate for African Americans was 27.6 percent, according to the Census, but that was still nearly double the national poverty rate of 15 percent.

That last statistic is a reminder that this country still has a long way to go in order to realize King's dream. The following statistics illustrate the continuing problems that African Americans face. Although the stats focus on Chicago, other black urban communities have similar problems. As noted in the Chicago Reader, here are the numbers:

The unemployment rate in Chicago was 7.6 percent for blacks and 2.3 percent for whites in 1968 (the first year for which I could find unemployment data here by race). The black-white employment gap is nothing new, and it's not just a Chicago problem: nationally, the black rate has been nearly double and occasionally two and a half times the white rate since the 1960s. In 1963, the black unemployment rate was 10.8 percent, the white rate 5 percent; and most recently, in July, the national rates were 12.6 percent for blacks and 6.6 percent for whites.

Unemployment today is especially high for blacks in big cities, and that's certainly true in Chicago. Last year, the rate for blacks here was 19.5 percent, the rate for whites 8.1 percent.

As bad as that current 19.5 percent unemployment rate is for Chicago blacks, it understates their plight. It counts only those in the labor force, excluding the imprisoned. It also excludes "discouraged" workers—those who've given up looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them.

And today in Chicago, 30 years after the Urban League exhorted the city to reduce the socioeconomic disparities between black and white residents, 34.1 percent of black Chicagoans are living in poverty, and 10.9 percent of whites. In 2010, median income of white households was twice that of black households ($58,752 versus $29,371). The seven poorest community areas today are all overwhelmingly African-American. Twenty percent of their residents are living in extreme poverty—their incomes are less than half of the poverty line.

And African-Americans in Chicago haven’t been gaining ground economically of late. Their poverty rate climbed from 29.4 percent in 2000, to 31.5 percent in 2007, to the current 34.1 percent.

In the mid-1960s, Chicago's public school enrollment was nearly half white and half black—but the white students went to schools that were nearly all white, and the black students went to schools that were nearly all black.

With that composition, it's not surprising that the vast majority of African-American children in Chicago's public schools are still hypersegregated. In 2013, 86 percent of African-American students attended schools that were at least 90 percent black and Hispanic. More than two-thirds of African-American students—68 percent—were in schools that were at least 90 percent African-American.

Reading scores in the black schools of the 1960s were far below scores in the white schools—and African-American students are still way behind. The Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago reported in 2011 that graduation rates for CPS students rose from 48 percent in 1997 to 66 percent in 2010. But they were the lowest and grew the least for African-Americans. The Consortium also found that between 1990 and 2009, racial gaps in achievement grew, with white, Asian, and Hispanic students making modest gains in reading while black students showed "virtually no improvements."

Those statistics do not include other problems plaguing our communities such as mass incarceration, inner city violence, racial profiling and police brutality. In addition, the Trayvon Martin case is another reminder that black life still has no value in America. He is our generation's Emmett Till. We still have a long way to go to reach the Promised Land that King preached about.

Howard Students Make A Difference In The Community

Shout out to Khyla Craine





Many moons ago, I went to Howard University. Under the leadership of April Silver and Ras Baraka, we took over the Administration Building and demanded that racist Republican strategist Lee Atwater be removed from the university's Board of Trustees. As a result of our efforts, he resigned and the University implemented some reforms.

I am proud that Howard's legacy of activism continues today. Instead of hanging out on the beach partying and getting wasted, Howard students are spending their spring break serving communities plagued by poverty and violence. That spirit of activism and service gives me hope for the future.

Obama Spoke the Truth in Chicago!

After the death of Hadiya Pendleton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Min. Louis Farrakhan and many other activists urged President Obama to come to Chicago and address the problem of gang violence. Following such calls, First Lady Michelle Obama attended Hadiya Pendleton's funeral and invited Hadiya's mother to attend the State of the Union. President Obama wrote a letter to Hadiya's family, mentioned Hadiya during his State of the Union address and traveled home to Chicago to speak about violence and poverty. This is a prime example how the voices of the people can make a difference.

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As the Chicago Tribune reports:

President Barack Obama returned to Chicago for a few hours Friday to address the high-profile gun violence that continues to plague his hometown and suggested the solution is not only more gun laws, but community intervention and economic opportunity in impoverished neighborhoods.  

The president didn't delve into his specific call for an assault weapons ban and other gun control measures, instead choosing to illustrate Chicago's plight by comparing it to the December elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were shot.  

"There was something profound and uniquely heartbreaking and tragic, obviously, about a group of 6-year-olds being killed," Obama told an audience in the gymnasium of Hyde Park Academy High School, less than a mile from his home. "But last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm on the streets of this city, and 65 of those victims were 18 and under. So that's the equivalent of a Newtown every four months."  

The president's visit brought a national and international spotlight on Chicago's gun violence. Emanuel sought to make the case Chicago's struggles aren't particular to this city.  

"Like every major city in the country, Chicago faces two critical challenges: the strength of our schools and the safety of our streets. Our streets will only be as safe as our schools are strong and our families are sound," Emanuel said.  

But the president brought the violence issue back to the city's streets, talking about the impact the shooting death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton has had on him and first lady Michelle Obama, who attended the band majorette's funeral last weekend. Hadiya was shot in Harsh Park in North Kenwood after returning from Chicago from inauguration weekend festivities.  

The teen's mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, joined the 700 or so students, politicians and religious leaders in the audience, sitting with a group of other mothers of slain children.

During his speech, President Obama said that:

"No law or set of laws can prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. When a child opens fire on another child, there is a hole in that child's heart that government can't fill. Only community and parents and teachers and clergy can fill that hole...There are entire neighborhoods where young people, they don't see an example of somebody succeeding. For a lot of young boys and young men in particular, they don't see an example of fathers or grandfathers or uncles who are in a position to support families and be held up and respected. And so, that means this is not just a gun issue... Nothing that would be more important for us reducing violence than strong stable families. We should do more to promote marriage."

 

Some progressives take issue with the President talking about fatherhood and marriage. After some reflection, I don't. I strongly sympathized with the President when he said, "I wish I had a father who was around and involved." It may be uncomfortable to hear, but the President is speaking the truth about fatherhood and community. Although the presence of strong fathers in the home is not a solution to all of the problems plaguing the black community, strong fathers and strong mothers together forge strong communities. Please stop pretending that fathers don't matter.

Without love, support and guidance from family and community, all of the government programs in the world will not save our children. Even if the schools have equal funding and resources, students will not succeed if they do not value education. If even if there are jobs available for our young people, without the proper guidance and values, many of them will continue to chose dealing drugs over legitimate lower paying jobs. When the family is absent, many young people turn to gangs to fill that void. Gangs give them that missing sense of identity, brotherhood and manhood. Without strong and positive men in their lives, many young men turned to thugs, gangsters and dealers as role models to emulate.

Today's popular mainstream hip hop music reinforces and perpetuates this self-destructive behavior. Many hip hop songs feed and glorify gangs, violence, drug use and drug selling. Instead of instilling pride and celebrating true African American heroes, mainstream rap idolizes notorious drug dealers like Big Meech, Larry Hoover and Frank Lucas.  That ignorance is epitomized by the controversy regarding Lil Wayne's despicable lyrics referencing Emmett Till. Unfortunately, many young people have more respect for a minstrel like Lil Wayne than they do for the President of the United States.

The broken families and degenerate music are not the only problems in the black community. The churches and mosques have failed our communities as well. Sadly, too many religious leaders are more concerned about building beautiful cathedrals and large congregations than they are about building our communities. Instead of concentrating on enriching their bank accounts, our religious leaders must focus on saving souls and lives. So, yes. The President is correct for stressing the importance of family, community and clergy.

The President also realizes that government is vital to remedying the problems haunting urban areas. Although Obama did not use the words "black" or "African American", that speech focused on the Black Agenda. He described a multifaceted approach to addressing violence and poverty in the black community. He began by urging Congress to pass reasonable gun control laws. Further, the President talked about "building ladders of opportunities for everybody willing to climb it." Then, he talked about reforming child support laws to get more men working and engaged with their children. The President acknowledged that men without jobs will not be present and financially supportive.

Many of us have urged the President to develop targeted plans to specifically ameliorate the problems of high unemployment and poverty in the black community. Last night, Obama made steps in the right direction. He talked about creating tax incentives to encourage businesses to invest and hire in struggling urban communities like Chicago.  Such businesses would bring jobs and opportunities to economically depressed black communities. The President also talked about increasing the minimum wage. Such an increase will substantially benefit poor people who are disproportionately African American. The President talked about creating jobs through construction projects building affordable housing and repairing dilapidated buildings in blighted urban communities.

Finally, the President talked about ensuring that every child receives a quality preschool education. He went on to describe his plan to reform high school education.  His proposed reforms would give students the necessary skills to obtain good jobs upon graduation. In the words of Malcolm X, "education is the passport to the future." Providing quality education is the best way to fight crime.

Instead of wasting precious time debating about marriage and fatherhood, we should join the President and support his education, minimum wage, jobs and gun control initiatives.

This article is cross-posted on Jack and Jill Politics.

#SOTU13, Highlights and Questions

Last night, the President gave his State of the Union address.
My top five favorite moments from the State of the Union address were when:

1. The President said that the Newtown victims, Hadiya Pendleton, Gabby Griffords and other victims of gun violence deserve a vote.

2. The President said that he is going to form a non-partisan commission to address voting problems such as voters waiting in line for hours to cast their ballots.

3. The President mentioned ways to address poverty, i.e. increasing the minimum wage and making sure that quality pre-school education is available to all children regardless of family income. Obama proposed creating high school programs that would enable students to graduate with associate degrees.

4. The President said that he would end the war in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

5. The President mentioned proposed legislation to eliminate the wage gap between men and women.

My top five questions for the President and Congress are:

1. Why is the U.S. waiting until the end of 2014 to leave Afghanistan? Al Qaeda is defeated in Afghanistan.

2. Will Congress pass any of the President's bold ideas? For example, President Obama has been talking about rebuilding American's infrastructure and closing tax loopholes for years. Yet, Congress has done nothing.

3. Is the Obama Administration going to continue to use drones to kill Americans without evidence or trial? The President conveniently glossed over that major issue with vague generalities and flowery pleasantries.

4. Does Obama plan to implement austerity measures such as cutting Medicaid and Medicare? The President talked about the need for compromise and about neither party getting everything that it wants. I just hope that he does not compromise too much.

5. Why did Obama deliberately avoid using the words "black" and "African American"? Obama directly addresses the needs of women, LGBTs and Latinos. However, when it comes to his most loyal supporters, African Americans, he has to communicate to us in code language. Why?

Any way, what did you think about the President's State of the Union address?

Our Fight is Far From Over!

The choice between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama was clear and obvious. The idea of Romney being president was frightening and unthinkable. We are all relieved that Obama won.  The reelection of Barack Obama is a tremendous victory.  Obama's reelection confirms that America has made some progress as a nation. We now know that his election was not an anomaly. For hundreds of years, the White House was an office reserved for white men. With the election and reelection of Barack Obama, that racist notion has been shattered into millions of pieces.

Before we start popping bottles and dancing in the streets, we must realize that our work is far from done. The reelection of Barack Obama is a significant symbol of progress. However, it is just that, a symbol. Despite all of chatter about changing demographics and the new electorate, white supremacy is alive and well. Racial disparities continue to exist in every sphere of life, including education, wealth, health, criminal justice, etc.

The backlash against Obama's reelection is evidence that racism and hatred still thrive in America. The flood of racist tweets following Obama's reelection proves the racial hatred continues to exist. After the election, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, Southern right wing fanatics signed petitions seeking to secede from the nation. Again, more proof the racial hatred continues to exist.



Despite the changing demographics, the Right will find ways to preserve white supremacy. For example, the Right is attacking the Voting Rights Act and affirmative action. Over a month ago, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas.

Moreover, as reported in the Washington Post, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Shelby County v. Holder.  In that case,  the court will consider whether Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. Section 5 requires jurisdictions with a history of discriminating against African American voters to seek preclearance from the United States Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia before they can change their voting laws. Without such preclearance requirements, states such as Texas and South Carolina would have been able to pass strict voter ID laws. Such laws are designed to suppress the black vote.

On the day that the Supreme Court hears arguments in Shelby County v. Holder, thousands of black people and progressives should swarm the outside of the courthouse and demand that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act be upheld. Our turnout should mirror the massive pro-immigration demonstrations. If we do not act, the gains of hundreds of years of struggle may be erased with the stroke of the pen. 

Obama's reelection is not the end. It is just a means to an end. Voting is just one tool in our arsenal for reform and progress. Other vital tools are lobbying, protesting and litigation. While the Republicans do their soul searching, we must develop strategies to make the next four years better than the last four years.

Progressives cannot sit on our couches and wait for Obama to perform miracles. We cannot exchange the truth for access and notoriety. Obama is a politician, nothing more and nothing less. He is not a freedom fighter. We must never forget that. If real change is to happen, it will be because movements have put pressure on the President and the Congress.

Instead of being surrogates and apologists for Obama, progressives and African Americans must be prepared to stand up to the Republican Party and the White House. Our blogs should not be echo chambers for the White House and MSNBC. We must be bold and truly independent.

We must speak truth to the President and the Congress. We must demand that the government launch a major initiative targeted to address high employment and poverty in the black community. The "rising tide" definitely has not lifted all boats. As reported on RT, "while national unemployment decreased to 7.9 percent in Oct. 2012, the numbers are grim for African-Americans, whose unemployment rate jumped from 13.4 percent to 14.3 percent in just one month, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics." Instead of personally attacking Cornel West and Tavis Smiley for raising these issues, we should analyze the substance of their remarks. As Tavis Smiley wrote in the Huffington Post,

We celebrate this electoral victory today, but what about tomorrow? How tragic would it be at the end of eight years to be confronted by economic data which suggests (as the data does now) that in the Obama era Black folk lost ground in every single leading economic indicator category? I shudder at the very thought. So should you.

In addition to demanding economic justice, we must demand that the federal government address the problem of the mass incarceration of black people.  We must demand the total and complete end of sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine. Even under the Fair Sentencing Act, there is still an 18 to 1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. On another note, we should demand that the President use his pardon power to free all political prisoners such Mumia Abu Jamal and other victims of the Cointelpro era. 

We must demand that the President resist the terrorist tactics of the GOP.  The Republicans are essentially holding the American people hostage in order to preserve tax cuts for the rich.  Last time, Obama surrendered and agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. We cannot allow him to surrender this time.  We cannot allow him to cave to the GOP's austerity demands. We cannot let him wimp out and cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Along with domestic policy demands, we should make several demands with respect to foreign policy.  According to thecable.foreignpolicy.com, U.S. may remain in Afghanistan past 2014.  We must demand an immediate end to the senseless war in Afghanistan.   Furthermore, during his first Presidential campaign, Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay. He said that it was inconsistent with America's values. We must hold the President to that promise. We must demand that the Obama Administration stop allowing U.S. drones to bomb innocent civilians. Moreover, as bombs drop on innocent women and children in Gaza, we cannot remain silent while the President continues to defend Israel.

If the President ignores our demands, we must be prepared to make telephone calls, sign petitions and yes, march on Washington. The election is over. There are no more excuses for inaction. It is now or never. Our fight is far from over.

This article is cross-posted on Jack and Jill Politics.