I’ma need for CNN to get their breaking news headlines together.
Now apparently she’s on life support and hanging on to dear life, so perhaps (this sounds so horrible what I’m about to type) she may die soon, but officially reports are that’s she’s on life support, in critical condition barely hanging on.
U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs-Joneswill forever be remembered as the staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Primaries. She was the face of millions of women and a good chunk of black women who supported Hillary over Barack. From accounts she had suffered an aneurysm last night on Tuesday while driving, and had been on life support since last night.
When I get a chance to do a little more research on her and fter hearing what has transpired from the press conference which is going on as I’m writing this, I’ll be adding to this post.
The death of anyone is hard, especially someone as beloved as Rep. Tubbs-Jones who will possibily be leaving a seat vacant in Congress. The prayers of the UNN are with her constituents and with her family.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
[Editor's Note (11/6/08): I AM NOT PLIES, AND I DO NOT KNOW PLIES]
I must have missed this memo because I’m sure I would have written this post a few weeks earlier. However, better late than never.
Anywho…
I really laughed out loud when my internet friend Trini Uppity, who about five minutes ago told me that Algernod Lanier Washington, better known as Plies had a scholarship for kids who’s parents were in jail. I was like, wow, that’s the epitome of negritude, and that it really was some Fried Chicken and Watermelon nonsense. And then in the time it took me to press “Publish” on the previous post on Usain Bolt and walk around to restore circulation that I realised that Plies was doing what most conscious people in the hip hop culture criticize for more of the rap artist to do. And it’s definitely doing something that those outside of our community criticize hip hoppers for not doing.
The organization’s first effort will be the “Somebody Loves You” Scholarship Fund 2008 (named after the song “Somebody (Loves You) “from his current album), which is designed specifically for students attending an accredited college or university, who have a parent(s) that is presently incarcerated and who is financially disadvantaged. The scholarship is open to students who are currently enrolled or who will be entering school this fall. Two scholarships will be awarded to one male and one female in the amount of $5000 each.
According to a published Senate report in September of 2000, as many as 70 percent of children of incarcerated parents will become involved with the criminal justice system unless effective intervention strategies are set in place. Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions, Inc. hopes to inspire and encourage these at-risk youth to break the cycle of incarceration. Co-founder Plies comments, “We want to provide those who have been and continue to be affected by the negative impacts of the prison system with a sense of hope, and to let them know that they are not forgotten. No matter what adversities one may face in life, one thing remains true – and that is that somebody loves you.” Source: http://www.hiphoplinguistics.com/news/2008/08/rapper-plies-creates-non-profit-organization-and-scholarship-fund
For the sole reason Plies, who is the epitome of gangsta hip hop, I can’t give him the coveted Uppity Award, but since I Ain’t Hatin’ on him doing what he do, I created a new category. I would much rather accentuate the positive aspects of his nature that include this scholarship foundation than continue ad nauseum about the quality of his lyrics–we already know where he stands on that.
But I do encourage my readers to wrestle with the tension of the two. I don’t have an answer, but I still think we’re in the conversation phase of this battle. I don’t think the black community has done a good enough job of engaging the elders and the hip hop generation and now what I’ve simply dubbed the Soulja Boy Generation (1990 and forward) in a three way conversation that acknowledges that compromises need to be made on all three fronts.
Personally, I do think that Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat” was the eulogy for what we officially categorized as hip hop, I mean there is no level of social critique in any of the singles (I didn’t buy the CD, so I will stand to be corrected if I need to be). Clearly Soulja Boy et. al. are just going for radio play time and single status. But, moreover, making sure that their beats are ringtone friendly.
WTF!?!?!
Have we really devolved into creating music just so it sounds good when your cell phone rings? But that’s a whole ‘nother post more pointed at the cell phone companies, distributors and ad companies.
The consciousness, whatever it was, that the original hip hop generation had was something that I think that the Soulja Boy generation could learn from. By the same token the original hip hop generation (c. 1965-c. 1985) were the ones that initially began to glorify violence and the misogyny of women. The elders just need to realise that as Otis Moss III has said that they are 45s operating in an .mp3 world–the same music (or message) can be transmitted, but you’ve got to find a new way of doing it.
But it seems nowadays that it’s all about swag–how you carry yourself and how you portray yourself is about the only currency you have. Don’t get me wrong, the level of confidence or swag that I see in the artists that consider themselves hip hop (both rap, hardcore rap and r&b), I think some of the swag is misplaced. I think if they understood somethings differently, perhaps something that the elders should have done a better job of passing down, then their swag would be portrayed in a different way.
Such as Plies, perhaps.
What is your take on the current state of hip hop? Not some Cousin Jeff surface feelings, but deep down in your gut feelings. I think we’re quickly approaching a state of emergency as to just how out of bounds blacks in this country are with regards to my generation and younger towards hip hop culture. What do you think our next step should be–are we even on the first step?
I know my blogroll is getting more and more full, but I just to make you all aware of the new additions to the Uppity Negro Network family. I actually ran across these blogs as a result of me perusing the finalists for the 2008 Black Weblog Awards. I didn’t make it, but no thang but a chicken wang, I’m still more than thankful for the dedicated readers that I have. But make sure to go check out the finalists and go ahead and vote for them.
These are the two new ones that I ran across that fit my tastes enough to make it to the list on the right:
Keeping Up With the Huxtables I mean come on now, for someone who almost quote line for line the Cosby Show, did you really think I was going to let this one get away from me. Furthermore it’s my kind of carrying on. And she’s up for the “Best New Blog Award”.
Curious TribeWell, I was curious, so I went to go check it out. They had sections about culture (from the hip hop kind) music and art. And I was sold when I saw they had some NOLA connections, and were more or less my age. And they’re up in two categories “Best Group Blog” and “Best Culture Blog.”
I don’t think I gave a proper shout out to The Kitchen Tablewhich is a dialogue between Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell of Princeton University and The Rootfame and Dr. Yolanda Pierce who (perhaps, I don’t everything seems a bit upside down right now, not really diggin’ school right now) I may get to see at Princeton Theological Seminary.
So, you know the deal, show ‘em some love and check ‘em out. And don’t forget to check out my latest posts (this is really for the people that don’t feel like scrolling down on the home page–lazy m’fers, lol.)
Raving Black Lunatic wrote a while back about swagger in regards to Barack Obama and this whole idea of him coming off as overconfident, and arrogant and dare I say–uppity. But, I debated after hearing yesterday’s sermon from Rev. Otis Moss III as to whether or not I wanted to write about swagger, and I just say “swag” so bear with me.
Well, I just saw yardie Usain “Lightning” Bolt in one of the 200 meter qualifying rounds just jog across the finish line, and it drove the point home that I wanted to write about it.
On Sunday, Moss preached 2 Samuel 6 when David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant back toward Jerusalem and his boy Uzzah touched it, and God struck him down. And then David was mad and sent the Ark of the Covenant to Obededom’s house for three months. Then when they were finally bringing it back to Jerusalem, David was getting his shout on; dancing and singing and going forth and then Saul’s daughter called him out on it, more or less saying “It don’t take all that.” And then David’s response, in the KJV was that “and I’ll become even more undignified than this.” From that, Moss preached (and copyrighted for those reading this and are sermon stealers) “The Meaning Behind My Swagger.”
His point of departure was about talking to the church’s confirmation class and how one of the young ladies liked Lil’ Wayne who he pronounced “Little” and I nearly doubled over myself with laughter. When pressed as to whether or not the lyrics were appropriate enough to play in front of her mother or grandmother, the young lady said “I just listen for the beat.” [Sidebar: I'm officially going to buy John McWhorter's book All About the Beat: Why Hip Hop Can't Save America] And then she went on to say that “And I like his swagger.”
He went on to explain the reasons why David did what he did, or rather explain the meaning behind his swag, the meaning behind his praise and his shout. Granted I had some hermeneutical and exegetical disagreements, I usually do with Moss on at least one point in his sermon, I’ve just gotten used to it, but his positives far outweigh the negatives on all other counts.
And then I saw Usain Bolt in the 200 meter qualifying rounds on Monday night of the second week of the Olympics and Ato Boldon and his were questioning whether or not he was borderline on the side of showboating and “bad sportsmanship.”
Don’t hate on my man’s swagger y’all.
I mean, this guy is 6 feet five inches tall and has legs for days. He didn’t go out saying I’m going to get eight gold medals in all of my events, and just go on and on about what he was going to medal in. And even if he did, US media outlets most certainly didn’t build up the hype like some other unnamed swimmer who’s quickly on the move to being a household name.
I mean, I missed his 100 meter run, no, actually it was on the TV but for some odd reason I wasn’t watching, but caught it on the replays, I mean dude SLOWED DOWN. Why, I don’t know, but he’s really just that good. But for those that saw the 200 meter run, omg, the dude was actually jogging before he hit the finish line and he was well ahead of everyone else. Poor Walter Dix was still gunning it, but Bolt was just there and coasted, of course through the qualifying rounds.
But, I am convinced that it’s something about swag that white folk just don’t have and throughly envy about black people.
I went out at a local dive eating buffalo chicken with the one intern who was my friend and the youth director and something came up (I was mildly tipsy at that point in the evening) and their response was “You know black people set the trend for everything” or something to that effect, and I just busted out laughing and kept on eating and drinking.
That comment alone tells volumes and it really goes into what swag is–it’s really more non-verbal communication than anything else. Swag is how you walk into a room, how you can stare someone down, how you strut, how you dress and on the verbal side, even your inflections in your voice. Of course everyoe attributes Michigan State’s Fab Five in the early nineties for having their swag, and asking for the larger gym shorts, which are prolly why the bball shorts I wore today came down past my knee as opposed to mid thigh. I mean, part of my problem this summer was my swag. I’m 6’2″ 190lbs, and I have the world’s loudest voice, and it’s deep–the intern with ADHD and boatload of social issues that have ultimately led to his current demise and the young female intern who all of came up to my nipple–said more than once “I’m not crossing you–you could beat me up.”
It’s all in my swag.
So, as far as Usain Bolt is concerned, my response to those who are saying he’s kind of showboating, my response is stop hatin’. I mean, is it really his fault that he’s 6’5″ in a sport where some runners are a full foot shorter than him? Is it his fault that he has legs for days? Is it his fault that he didn’t even break a sweat running the 200?
No not at all.
I mean, I’m not in the mood for people comparing Bolt to Phelps. I mean anyone who mildly celebrated their victories compared to Phelps and his underbite that leaves him looking like the kid who had to be excused in 5th period to go with the Special Ed. teacher would be considered showboating. If you know you got it like that, go ‘head and get you some as far as I’m concerned.
Moss didn’t use Sweet Holy Spirit Church’s song as a close, but he more or less said the same thing. You can’t dictate how someone else can praise, or why they should praise. If someone wants to praise one way that’s quiet and meditative that’s fine, but it doesn’t put you in a position to tell someone else “It don’t take all that” simply because you don’t know their story. You don’t know what hell they’ve lived through, you don’t know what family and friends told them that they couldn’t make it–how dare one sits in the seat of judgment and tell another how to praise.
I heard another preacher put it this way, “Don’t hate on what I got, because you didn’t have to take what I took. Unless you’re willing to take what I took, don’t hate, celebrate.”
You don’t know my story
All the things that I’ve been through.
You can’t feel my pain,
What I had to go through to get here.
You’ll never understand my praise;
Don’t try to figure it out;
Because my worship, my worship is for real.
Do you think Usain Bolt is showboating and grandstanding or is it simply that the rest of us are hatin’ and just don’t understand the meaning behind his swagger?
[P.S. Is anyone gonna say anything about the random shoutouts Angelo Taylor (from Georgia) and Bershawn "Batman" Jackson (from Miami) had to say? Was that showboating? But their shoutouts alone place this post in the Fried Chicken and Watermelon category.]
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
We used to lounge around a lot during the internship, particularly if it was a slow day, and given that we had three couches in the room that was our office, it was common practice to stretch out on the couch and put our heads on the pillows–although God knows who had farted or put bare feet on the couch. So I had kinda started to bug everyone because they all were putting their shoes on the couch–the very same couch we put our faces on. I had also started to irritate everyone because if I saw someone’s feet on the tables–the same tables where we ate our lunches, I’d tell them to take it down.
So, I remember that the kick-off during my internship where we first met a lot of the youth we’d be working with that summer, they suggested that we have a volleyball net, and I thought it was a good idea. One of the interns (who has ADHD and some other social quirks that have prevented him from moving forward in life, but that’s just my assessment) came in with the volleyball net and steaks and just threw them on the couch with dirt and all manner of NASTINESS onto the black cloth couch.
Well, i went off.
I further went off when I saw that there were BUGS–actual creepy crawly things–crawling off of the couch wondering why the hell they were there. And I was asking the same question. Now that was kind of the line even for everyone else with me and the other intern, the one who I was cool with like “Man, that’s not cool” but the one who brought it in, barely shrugging it off as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. And the final intern more mad at the fact that I severely scolded a 19-year-old.
Well, that was one of the pinnacles of my “high maintenance” but it certainly wasn’t the only one. But forgive me if I’m a full proponent of creature comforts such as air-conditioning and indoor plumbing. Clearly, I was having a very hard time when we went to CreationFest and had to do the camping thing for four nights–with only a Port-A-Potty. They made fun of me because I ironed my shirts and jeans in the morning before I came into work, and at least pointed out how my footwork matched my shorts (I have a pair of Chucks where the inside matches a pair of plaid shorts).
So, in my final one-on-one with my youth director, he threw out the phrase that I was “high maintenance” and I tried my best to explain to him that all of my friends iron their clothes and don’t put their feet on tables lounging around at work.
I don’t think he got it.
I’m really not a germaphobe, I’m really not. I mean, I still pick my nose if it itches enough and there is no tissue readily available. But as far as nasty versus clean, I squarely fall in the clean category. Neat vs. clean is a toss-up. I mean, I will take off a pair of pants and just leave em there, but to me, that’s just junky, not nasty. Random farting, and making a big deal out of it and putting feet up on EVERYTHING like it’s yours–while wearing flip flops is NOT my idea of what’s up.
In my own limited frame, everytime I saw one of them just prop random feet up on something in the back of my mind I was shaking my head and saying “White people.” So, I wonder if they were in the back of their collective heads saying “Black people.” And moreover, I wonder who’s right. In their mindframe, I was completely making a mountain out of a molehill, and I was just doing wayyyyyyyyyy too much by making sure I ironed my clothes and that my footwork matched what I had on that day.
I just thought they were plained nasty. I never thought that it was a big deal that they didn’t match, or that they didnt iron their clothes. I mean somedays I don’t either, but that’s dependent on what I wear. If it’s really just a t-shirt and jeans day, I’m not ironing. But if I’m putting on a polo, I’m ironing it; and if there’s the worlds biggest crease in a pair of jeans, I’m ironing them as well.
I also ask is this something that is a cultural difference, and a racial difference by default? I mean, the white folk I knew, the handful that it was, was just about as laxed about clothing as these were. Even with the teens, the boys–OMG–some of them clearly weren’t showering from day to day and were wearing the same clothes. One of them would always wear a purple bandana, brown shorts and a blue shirt from Family Force 5 (actually one I threatened to steal from him cuz I thought it was a hot graphic tee). Now, I thought the kid was cool to hang out with–but damn, fashion just wasn’t priority, and from the smell, neither was hygeine.
So am I high maintenance because I don’t put my feet on things and don’t want people around me doing it, out of the simple reason that I don’t want their germs, because I want to make sure I look decent when I step out of the house by matching and ironing my clothes–or am I just acking snobbish?
To be honest, I never heard of the Black Blogosphere until the Jena 6 crap in September 2007
**goes to look for the shirt I bought just for the march around the AUC that day**
The following month, my friend from Soul Jonz told me about it, and it’s been a wrap ever since then. But, I’ve got to be honest with you–this is some hard work. I don’t exactly have the world’s best schedule planned out for my blogging. I mean, these two weeks I was home in Chicago on the front part of the summer and these two weeks here are about the only time I can fully dedicate myself to blogging.
Ya know, it takes me about an hour to produce a normal length post for me, which amounts to about 1,300 words–and then hunting for pictures, saving them and then reuploading them and violating about fifty different copyright laws on my slow-butt computer takes the time. During these days off when I don’t have school or work to worry about, I can easily produce two blogs a day, three if one may be on the short side. But just like the blog about boycotting the first day of school preceding this one was a half-evening affair broken up liberally by many breaks, including a food one.
As I continue to ramble, just because I can…
I run across new blogs quite often, and I’ve realised the more blogs I comment on, the more recognition I get but, I must admit, I do have a top three, and usually those are about the only three I post on. They know who they are, but at the risk of alienating the others, I’m keeping my mouth shut. To be honest, some of those on my blogroll, I’ve barely been to except the one time I put them up there–but they’re really there for you the reader. I mean, they very well may speak more to your tastes than they do to mine.
Moreover, I just think it defeats the point of commenting when I’m one commenter out of, hmmm, let’s say more than 30. I mean, that’s about the most comments I’m going to read, EVER. I always encourage people to read, but just imagine reading the comments on one blog that numbered more than 30 and then turn around and do it on another blog that has 45 comments posted, and there you come. Often times I read another blog and I want to comment, but I’m not about to read 45 comments just to make sure I don’t say something someone else already said.
That being said…
There’s also the issue of me writing like three blogs in one day and then not publishing them all at once because then jokers won’t read the first one because it’s not at the top. This post will be a case in point, it’s 1am me writing this one, but I’m prolly not going to publish it until tomorrow afternoon because I want everyone to check out the article prior to this one. [Editor's note: Yeah, I originally wrote this on Friday night, and it's now Sunday night when I'm publishing it.]
Not to mention the frustration of lack of comments.
Yes, I’m making an official plea for comments. I ask questions afterwards to spur discussion, even if its amongs readers and I never join in, that’s fine with me. I really feel as though what I’ve written falls a bit bankrupt simply because there’s no way of me knowing (aside from blog stats) as to whether or not what I’ve said is resonating with anyone and on what level.
I’m elated to be part of the Black Blogosphere. I know I’m not all that famous, but I do thank the 200+ or so of you all who have made it your habit to click on someone’s link or type it into your browser to come check me out on a daily basis. I’m glad to see that there is a decidedly progressive bunch of black people out there. I mean, I went through undergrad, and I had really lost hope for a while, it was renewed a bit my senior year of college, but now in grad school and being an active part of the blogging community, I believe there’s still hope.
I think the role of the black blogging community is to simply provide the atmosphere in which we can discuss our topics. The news that only gets a lower level staff reporter coverage and buried at the back of the newspaper [Wait, do we even have those anymore?] but really pertain to us, we finally have an open forum to discuss it.
Just to point out, I’ve added three new blogs to my blogroll, check ‘em out and show em some love.
I don’t know what it must feel like to have such a mountaintop moment. I’ve never experienced such sheer euphoria in my life. Those normal moments such as graduations usually feel as such, but both my high school and college graduations were shattered by extenuating circumstances, both of which were out of my control and ultimately prevented me from experiencing that feeling.
But, Michael Phelps set out with the goal of winning eight gold medals in the eight of his races. Well, no one is making the argument that he’s “the greatest” but clearly as far as this 29th Olympiad is concerned, he totally dominated.
Even he himself said that he’s human, and one of the races he won by only .01 of a second, and that was even called into question, but the touchpad still upheld the decision that he was in fact the gold medal winner. Now, as I sip on my Haterade, I really wonder just how does this one, clearly gifted kid, waltz in here and not just win gold, but beat world records. And not just break them, but shatter them! I mean he won one of his races by FOUR seconds.
Nonetheless, what many thought was an impossibility, became a possibility for him.
So what’s next?
I’m kind of at that point right now in my life. I usually get like this when I’m home in Chicago because a good chunk of my friends who are here have been working for the past year or so, depending on their graduation. And my friends who went to grad school have now finished up and are beginning their careers—and where is my ass? Looking at another damn two years, minimum, of schooling left.
Tonight as me and Uppity Friend got to hang out and we discussed all things race and politics from Kwame Kilpatrick and Detroit city woes to the Whoopi Goldberg incident on “The View” this summer with Miz Liz. I also got to listen to her and the precarious position she finds herself as a single black woman up against what she believes to be “interesting prospects” as far as black men are concerned. And I had to admit to her that I really wasn’t one to talk about available black women and men namely because I really don’t do the mixers or the [grown and sexy] club scene.
And her response was, “Well yeah, you’re in school. You’re used to seeing the same people all the time.”
I’ve had these thoughts before, but for some reason, today, combined with the fact that I don’t have housing when I get back to school (thanks to the effing inept administration of HBCU’s), I’m really inclined to just drop out, and actually put my undergrad degree to use–accounting. I’m quite sure that up here in Chicago I could hop on Craig’s List and find an entry level accounting job and make a nice career out of this. Ya know, live here at my parents house, save up and move out when I get enough and call it a day.
Honestly, there’s something appealing to have my own apartment, perhaps get a condo and work an 8 to 4 or 9 to 5 and go out on the weekends and then do it again the next week. I mean, I have two of my friends who are my age who are paying mortgages already at the age of 24!! Now, granted they inheireted these houses under very unfortunate circumstances of the death of parents, but if my parents up and tragically died, I’m no way remotely in a position to pay the utilities and assessments of this condo (my parents paid this place off a coupla years back). I mean, I’d have to start paying off school loans in addition to all of that.
I mean, couldn’t you see me as the perfect YBP walking up and down the street hopping on the #6 Jeffrey Jackson Park Express to get back to the South Side?
I mean, right now, being broke for the next two or so years and banking on getting accepted into a doctoral program, which is dependent upon whether or not I can find a church that will let me practice ministry (and we all know how sheisty churches really are and just how much they work off the good ol’ BOY network and I clearly don’t know anyone) just seems like a load of crap right now.
Perhaps, I’m really more worried about what happens if all that I said concerning me getting a Ph.D. actually comes true–then what? I mean, Uppity Negress is having her own concerns surrounding her terminal degree as we speak, and then to add mine is a bit much. But all of that seems unreachable to me, and then I’m worried what will happen if I reach it.
Doing this blog has opened my eyes to the level of awareness as to which we as citizens of this country operate. It’s not that high, and here I am wondering “What can I do?” Is blogging enough? Should I be doing more?
So, pray with me as I make my decision, and pray for me so that I make the right decision. I may be backin Atlanta in school, but don’t be shocked if you see me doing taxes in Chicago next year.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Okay, now everyone is aware of the “wink” seen ’round the world. If not then I’m suggesting you may be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about the picture above. But, if that wasn’t enough, there’s another picture that surfaced from the Spanish women’s basketball team and the Spanish tennis team.
Spain's Women's Basketball Team for the XIX Olympiad
Spanish Olympic Tennis Team
And let’s not forget that this is from the same country that did black Briton Lewis Hamilton totally dirty when he fell out and ultimately beat a fellow Spanish Formula One racing teammate. The Spanish at a race in Spain pulled out their black make-up [I wonder if they keep it handy under their beds or in their closets] and put on Afro wigs.
But, I was really going to leave this story alone, enough bloggers have covered it and enough media has covered it. But on this Saturday morning, as I’m sitting watching the Redeem TeamDOMINATE go head to head with Spain in the basketball (I mean it’s 72 to 48 right now going in the third quarter!!!!!!!) But I heard one of the announcers, Craig Sager, say that the Spanish have already apologized but that “the Chinese don’t take such things so sensitively as we do back in the United States.” Or something to that effect.
Well, a few questions bubbled in my head. Why aren’t the Chinese at all bothered by this? The Chinese national team clearly watched the first half of the USA-Spain game, so they really weren’t all that bothered by the picture. But why not? I’m bothered for them, and then it dawned on me.
Let’s go to work.
The Chinese are a far more monolithic people than black people are. This isn’t a bad thing, but more a fact. Think about how the Chinese were passing out brochures on the streets telling people how to interact with the influx of international visitors in Beijing. They were clearly more focused than even US cities about the appearance of their country and their people that they went so far as to hand out brochures and start an ad campaign on how to act. I mean, here in the US we’re a lot more subtle with our conformity issues. Or at least they’re aren’t state sponsored and as blatant.
I also think that the need to do brochures and what not let’s the rest of us know that on a whole, they’re used to seeing mostly fellow Chinese everyday, not a bunch of random people. For those of us that live in the city and frequent downtown areas, it’s just normal to see random looking nationalities walking up and down the street. Even blacks that live in the major cities, many of us went to high schools with thoroughly mixed populations, and that alone diversifies us, even if at the lunch table we sat with just the black folk.
But, secondly, the Chinese are the ish! I mean, they’re 1,000,000,000 strong, that’s 20% of the worlds population. Sorry, compared to African Americans with our barely 40,000,000 or only approximately .6% of the world’s population, I think we would be hollering a bit more than the Chinese. I mean they know that they got it going on. But what exists is a sense of cultural pride that does go across the board, and is a part of most Chinese (and if it’s not, they’re doing a helluva job of portraying themselves as all on board with these Olympics).
I mean, perhaps–perhaps, as Blacks we could take a page from Jay-Z and just “get that dirt off our shoulders” and just know that we’re the ish and keep on steppin’? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we need to be passive or dismissive of, let’s say the blatant social ills of society, I think Lewis Hamilton was well within his rights to be outraged. Even Tiger Woods when he first won the Masters and Fuzzy Zoeller made his “and collard greens” comment back in 1997.
But, maybe we should take a page from the 1936 Olympics from Jesse Owens and his fellow teammate Cornelius Johnson, who continued to compete in the face of a leader who had went through great lengths to prove that the white Aryan race was superior to all. Granted the pop culture of the snub is perhaps in serious question, nonetheless, Owens made up in his mind that he was the ish and it didn’t matter what Hitler or what anyone else back in the U.S. said about him being inferior.
The issue of blacks being sensitive to racial issues is somewhat gaining prevalence, so do you think that blacks would benefit if we just secretly relished in our own glory and not worry about what others think or how they may mock us and just brush it off?
[By the way, the US completely ROCKED Spain with a final score of 119-82!!!
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Every major city has it’s resident black media hound, Atlanta has Rev. Markel Hutchins of Kathryn Johnson fame. This person is often out of the black religious tradition, not always, but often they are. They often seek change and they attempt to do so through running for an elected office, be it city council, state representative or even U.S. Representative–Hutchins is running against incumbent John Lewis.
[The Street Committee has reported that certain ministers alliances in Atlanta pressured John Lewis from switching his superdelegate support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama under pressure that they would in turn support Hutchins in the next election over him.]
This media hound suffers from Broken Clock Syndrome–they’re usually only right about twice a day out of 1,338 other minutes in a 24 hour time span. Usually they end up hatching some hairbrained scheme that for the most part doesn’t make sense, ad lacks the planning and preparation needed to really fix what they’re hollering about. However, oddly enough, what they’re hollering about is usually a major problem in those underserved communities, but for whatever reason they’re plan of attack usually only attracts a minority.
For Chicago, I’m talking about State Rep. and Reverend James Meeks.
No please don’t understand this as haterade, but really, this man has lost his mind, and apparently, he’s not alone this time.
Within the last seven days he proposed that Chicago Public School students boycott the first day of school in order to bring more funding to the district of Chicago and to show the inequities between the northern suburbs and the schools on the South and West Side.
Now, I know boycotts as far as the black community are a key feature and an effective tactical measure to effect change. I mean, one need only mention the 1955 boycott in Montgomery, Alabama of the public transportation. Or the boycott of F.W. Woolworth’s and other department stores down south for their segregationist practices. These were effective not just because it brough public attention to severe social ills in this country, but ultimately because it began to hit these companies where it hurt, which was in the bank.
White folk never had a problem aking black folks money, green was and still is a color that has far reaching power that surpasses skin color. That doesn’t mean that folks all of a sudden like you just because they have enough money to pay you off, but it does mean that they’ll tolerate a bit more from you. I mean as deep-seated as some of the hatred ran with whites against blacks in the South, they sure knew how to do business with black folk. Well, I guess you can hardly call sharecropping “doing business” but that’s for another post.
Now you tell me what major entity is getting hurt by black kids not going to school on the first day?
I think what pisses me off even more about this is the effed up system we have up here in Chicago as far as attendance and funding are associated. Don’t get me wrong, all schools ae attendance driven, and I’m not sure how unique the state of Illinois and CPS is in their arrangement comapared to other major cities, but here in Chicago, if kids don’t come to school, that school’s funding is decreased. With Mama Uppity on the Local School Council (another CPS idiosyncracy that came with School Reform in 1989 as a result of the late great Harold Washington not this fool we got sitting in office now) and working with not-for-profit organizations closely associated with CPS, I was well aware of this funding faux-pas.
So why in the hell are you gonna tell kids to boycott the schools that already are underfunded and then further jeopardize funding by telling the youth to not go?
Nearly 50 ministers on Monday embraced plans for students to boycott at least the first day of Chicago Public Schools classes, a move aimed at ramping up pressure on state officials to address widespread inequities in education funding.
The church leaders from the city’s West and South Sides pledged their support as lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday to meet in a special session Gov. Rod Blagojevich called to consider the funding issue that has vexed lawmakers for decades.
Gathering outside Marshall High School, 3250 W. Adams St., the ministers said they would urge their congregations and communities to participate in the first-day boycott Sept. 2 and attempt to enroll Chicago students in New Trier Township High School District 203 in north suburban Winnetka.
“We refuse to continue to allow the State of Illinois to orphan our educational system,” said Rev. Albert Tyson of St. Stephen AME Church.
Yeah, now the church folk have endorsed this anti-education crap. I guess these ministers are smoking the same thing that Meeks is smoking. I mean, I saw Mayor Daley hollering [Isn't he always doing that on TV] on the news that “You wouldn’t tell someone to boycott your church?!?!” in typical blustering Daley fashion. And then today, the Trib released this story.
A group of the city’s Baptist ministers Thursday called it “morally wrong” to suggest that Chicago public school students skip the first day of classes to protest Illinois’ school funding situation.
The Baptist Ministers Conference of Chicago and Vicinity instead suggested parents go with their children to school to meet their children’s teachers, said Pastor Steve Jones, who heads the group.
That’s the opposite stance taken by some other Chicago ministers, including Rev. James Meeks, a Chicago state senator who has called on parents to keep their children out of class Sept. 2 and attempt to register them in two wealthy north suburban school districts instead.
As the story goes, Meeks is planning to take a contingent of CPS students and attempt to enroll them in a suburban district, New Trier where the money spent per student is just over $17,000 which pales in comparison to Chicago’s roughly $9,000 per student. However, Chicago is still far above the curve, let’s say over that of Cairo, Illinois down in Alexander County where 60% of the kids are below the poverty level.
Now, I’m not a big fan of Dennis Byrne, a columnist with the Trib, but I’m usually not a big fan of most of the white guys who’re columinists here in Chicago. Top on that list is Neil Steinberg who writes for the Sun-Times, and I feel as though I’ve given my then thirty-five cents away when they decide to publish a Christopher Hitchens article. Anyway, in an August 12th column, Byrne goes on to act as if spending disparities aren’t the real issue, but rather it’s one that solely rests in the black community.
Maybe a complex of factors, other than funding disparities, explains the troubling performance of black males, and thus, a large part of the schools’ problems. Perhaps the same thing that accounts for the decay of neighborhoods at the hands of black male gangs, or for the absence of fathers in the unraveling African-American family. These are symptoms of a cultural climate—corrupted by loosening morals, radical individualism, materialism, Hollywood’s adulation of violence and parental irresponsibility, among other strands—that converges on African-American males in particular with all the focused and destructive force of a tornado. I dare say that in this cultural climate, if Chicago were able to spend as much as New Trier spends on each student, black males still would underperform. What is needed is not so much a change in the school funding formula, but a fundamental change in attitudes about family and society. [Emphasis added]
Yes, he went there.
Or maybe I’m just not a fan of these columnist when they start busting out the stereotypes about the black community. I mean seriously, Soledad O’Brien should have made him a co-contributor to the “Black In America” series on Caring Negro Network.
Byrne earlier in the article quoted his source as the Schott Foundation for Public Education saying that black males were at the bottom of the barrel as far as graduation expectancy. But that how is it that the black female, Hispanic and white counterparts were able to suceed where black males so abysmally failed, and thats where the above quote came in. But Byrne failed to research, perhaps, that even the Schott Foundation said the one of the primary problems facing black males in CPS is the lack of funding for resources.
I think where Byrne missed the boat COMPLETELY is that money makes a big difference. Essentially Meeks is right that too many of our kids are still going to the “colored” schools and having to use the “colored” facilities. Apparently, Byrne is incapable of going to the CPS website and read the raw demographics. What he and many others fail to realise that whites only make up 8% of the 408,00 students while blacks make up a whopping 46.5%. That alone is going to set up a disparity.
It’s a known educational fact that better facilities engender a much better learning atmosphere. Just ask Jonathan Kozol of Savage Inequalities.Why in God’s green earth would any student in their right mind, irrespective of their background want to spend 6 hours of their day in a building that was literally crumbling down ALL around them? I’m not saying that the nut jobs who go tee-peeing the bathroom or destroying property doesn’t set up its own set of problems–but when the white kids at New Trier do it, it’s chalked up to boys being boys, but if they did it at Marshall High School on the West Side, it’s considered criminal activity.
Where I depart ways with Byrne et. al. and Meeks is on two fronts. As far as Byrne is concerned, I’m sick and doggone tired of folks operating in stereotypes, both black and white. Let’s stop talking down to people and putting people down, and lets lift up the archetypes in our community. Trust me, I’m a perfect example of a black male who graduated from high school and went on to graduate from college. Yes, I had a supportive network and I am one of the 3% of black males who graduated from CPS schools in 2002 to go on to graduate from college, but guess what–it’s doable.
With Meeks, well…he’s just dumb and perhaps he needs to take a Miss Levias approach. Just fast forward to about minute 1:50.
She’s right, getting school funding and cleaning up the schools is only half the battle. Changing mindsets is the hard work and I can guarantee that pulling kids out and doing this symbolic gesture of attempting to register kids outside of the district is one of THE dumbest things and is the first to get filed in my Fried Chicken and Watermelon category, now dedicated to black folk who do dumb things that ultimately make us look silly and stupid.
Or maybe they need to have a Joe Clark approach to doing school from the beginning and not be afraid to make the hard decisions.
I think this clip with Mrs. Barrett shows the searing tension with education, but in the midst of the rousing sermonic tones that Morgan Freeman intones as Joe Clark, I side with him when he said “Sit down with your kids at night.”
Well, I know my critics are saying, didn’t Byrne say the same thing. Well, yes he did, but he said it in the same air that the “personal responsibility” critics holler about. You can’t holler personal responsibility unless the playing field is level.
I mean, if we can find money in this country to fund this war in Iraq and Afghanistan; if we can find money to bail out federal entities such as FannieMae and Freddie Mac; if we found money to bail out private airline companies following 9/11; if this friggin city found money to put up a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, they most CERTAINLY have money to fund the school system.
Do you think that Meeks is right by calling for a boycott? Moreover, do you think the ministers who are supporting him are shirking, perhaps, their moral duty by telling kids to not go to school? Is this a fair way to fund schools, based on daily attendance number which does nothing but cycle downward if a school has lower attendance number?
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
Christine Beatty, Kilpatrick's chief of staff and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Actually, it was totally laughable earlier the last seven days.
On August 8th, Detroit’s mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick officially shamed much of Black America when he got arrested.
The Black blogosphere went crazy and we all started quoting random facts about blacks living in cities, mentioning the Chocolate Cities of Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Gary, Ind., Chicago and New Orleans to name a few talking about the abysmal leadership of many of the black elected officials in many of these municipalities.
Then I ran across this YouTube video on AverageBro.
Yeah, that’s his mama. Clearly we’ve got work to do.
And then of course, it reminded me of U.S. Rep. John Conyers wife Monica and just the supreme negritude that she displayed in that now infamous Detroit City Council meeting.
And then her equally horrid response to an eighth grader.
My fellow, now graduated seminarian Supreme Uppity, who’s from Detroit told me about Monica Conyers and just how much of a mess she is. He told me his sister had planned to work for her, but she had punched someone out back in the day, and even his sister, who has a temper realised she was crazy. And also my friend COGIC Kidwho worked in John Conyers office while he was at Howard Universityin undergrad told me that Monica would call the office and snap saying “Lemme speak to my huzzzband!” and that he was ready to go off because he didn’t know who she was.
And yeah, I should do a post echoing the sentiments of another blogger by asking the question “What About Our Daughters?” because I think there was something inherently bad by Monica not engaging that clearly bright young lady.
Obama and company wouldn’t want him to be there because he’s in the perfect position, as a superdelegate for the Clinton’s to bail him out, just so that he could come out in support, or a vote, for Hillary.
Meh, I know it’s a stretch, but this is politics that we’re talking about. People get bought out and bought off EVERY single day!
I’m not putting it past them Clintons.
I don’t know much about Kwame, but I know that many black people in the country when he first got elected were more than quite happy to see a young brother, who had no problems wearing his earring and embodying hip hop be the mayor of a major city. Now, I’m not from Detroit, so I don’t know about him prior to his first election, but as far as the public was concerned, I thought he was a decent enough guy–and then he got tripped up.
What I’ve always said is that corruption and bad decision making (ie him sending text messages to ol’ girl) happens regardless, but what I fail to understand is that why do we as black people think that for some WEIRDO reason that in this country that we wouldn’t get prosecuted for it–trust me, the white folk can get away with it, and we can’t. Am I saying it’s a double standard? Yes, but what kind of double standard is there–wrong is still wrong. It’s just messed up that he’s the only one suffering the consequences of his actions.
But, I’ll leave you with this last clip. Its from March, so clearly his latest assault charges for pushing an officer and his recent arrests weren’t even remotely an issue and is embattled administration was still an in-house thing. I don’t know, nor am I attempting to know anything about Detroit politics. I intially gave this story a rather dull title “Obama disinvites Kilpatrick to the DNC,” but after going to the barbershop today, and just watching this following clip, I really am wondering–are we being fair? Clearly most of us passing judgment aren’t from Detroit, what do we really know in the first place.
Do you think Kwame should exercise his right to attend the Convention if a judge allows him? Do you think Obama has a valid reason why he shouldn’t attend the Convention? Am I really channeling my inner conspiracist by linking the Clintons with Kilpatrick? Also, what do you think needs to be done about Miss Monica Conyers–or am I the only one who thinks she has a problem.
Keep it uppity and keep it truthfully radical, JLL
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