I have always had an appreciation for being black. It all began with the innocence of my childhood: from the big afro puffs my momma put in my hair to the beaded braids that I put in my own hair (which were secured with none other than aluminum foil…that was before we figured out we needed to use rubber bands!) to the fascination of seeing so many black people with different hues of skin to watching Soul Train on Saturdays and standing in the mirror with my sister to make sure we had all the dance moves right, I have always loved being black.
When I got to high school, I loved going to school with my people. I loved my white friends, too, but there was something about the way that I connected with my sisters and brothers that I just can’t explain. By the time I got to Spelman, I became particularly drawn to the stories of my ancestors. From Nat Turner’s slave revolt to the writings of Langston Hughes, the fascination I developed for learning my history remains in my heart to this day.
And then as I emerged in to a young adult and took a look around me, I gave thanks to my Creator for making me black. But I also stood in awe of seeing so many wonderful accomplishments of my people. From Dr. Johnetta Cole to Lena Horne to Bill Cosby to Don Corneilius to Michael Jackson to Mae Jemison to Barbara Jordan to Hank Aaron, I figured black folk had it goin’ on!
But I have to tell you of one stunning event that has changed my outlook on my blackness forever. That Tavis Smiley ought to be given a Nobel Peace prize for his genius of an idea to create America I Am. I mean, I really thought I had a grip on black history; but to walk into that museum and see the many displays of allllllll the contributions black folk have made to America had me in tears. I was absolutely mesmerized by what I experienced at the Atlanta Civic Center on September 20, 2009.
I, along with Evelyn Jackson, Dale Burney and Shakira Burney-Brown, took a group of youth from our church (Greater Bethany Baptist Church) to see the exhibit. And while I am never at a loss for words, I left there nearly speechless. I was in awe of the fact that we come from such a rich heritage. Yet, we were brought to America by the millions --- that’s what got me, when I saw the figures of how we were brought over in quantities of millions upon millions --- against our will, to build a country that still does not totally accept or respect us. If you don’t believe me, just watch out for the hate that is being bestowed upon our President. Now, if the commander in chief in this country --- who just happens to be a black man --- is consistently disrespected, then you should know that we’ve not come as far as we think we’ve come.
Yes, America has come a long way, but we’ve got a long way to go. And the distance that we’ve come was not without the blood, sweat and tears of Africans who were made into Americans. There is not one piece of anything we can look at in America without seeing a reflection of our heritage. America I Am undeniably answers W.E.B. DuBois’ question, “Would America have been America without her Negro people” with a resounding NO.
Now, this is not to say that I didn’t realize that we were valuable. Thanks to Ebony and JET Magazines, the Ebony pictorial history books, the films we watched in school about the Civil Rights movement and other educational experiences, I knew that we were a great people. But, to see all the artifacts from a 500 year period was just indescribable. The accomplishments that we have been able to make, despite our uprooting, despite the brutal injustices are enough to make one proud.
At the same time, I was overcome with emotion when I saw the shackles that slaves were bound in. My heart was heavy when I saw The Door of No Return because that was a symbol that our captors had no intention of ever returning us home to our rightful place or royalty and creativity. When I saw the whipped backs of my ancestors, I just didn’t know what to do. What on earth could we have possibly done to be forced to America to build a country that only despises us?
I haven’t figured it out yet. But what I have concluded is that no African American, regardless of where you find yourself (even at this very moment) has a reason to feel less than. When you know who you are, you don’t have to feel intimidated, you don’t have to feel incompetent and you don’t have to feel like you’re worthless. First of all, those feelings have no place in your life if you consider yourself a child of God. I know that because I know that God is incapable of creating anything that is worthless. I am of the personal persuasion that there is a level of value in everybody.
Black people have been served a raw deal in America, but that doesn’t mean that we have to stop being who we are. If you have dreams, go after them. If you have a great idea, bring it to life. If you have fears and inhibitions, put them to rest. My black brother and my black sister, I assert that you have the innate ability to do anything you put your mind to. Although America would have you to believe otherwise, sometimes you have to encourage yourself to believe that you really can achieve. I’m so glad that it took Tavis Smiley’s America I Am to help me remember this. But I wasn’t reminded just for myself; I was reminded so I could share the good news with you! Thanks, Tavis, for an awesome, humbling, informative and life-changing presentation. Now I believe that we can not only take ownership of the statement that says, “America I Am” from an individual’s viewpoint. But now black brothers and sisters all over the nation should link arms and decree, “America We Are.”
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Amen, Mr. Bill Cosby
Over the last few years, Bill Cosby has created a lot of controversy because of the blatant way that he has blasted Black America for doing a less than favorable job in raising our future leaders. He was specifically speaking of lower economic people, whom he said were, “not holding up their end of the deal.” He also said that it’s not just the poor, but that everybody’s guilty.
Now, as the daughter of a nearly 75-year old father and a 70-year old mother, I will be the first one to tell you that you cannot guard the words that come out of anyone’s mouth, especially not from those of our seniors. Believe me, they are just like children: whatever comes up is going to come out. And you’d better not even think about trying to curve their words because they are true to their convictions. They don’t care if the words aren’t pretty, they don’t care if they hurt your feelings, and they certainly don’t care if you don’t like what they have to say. None of that matters to them. But what does matter is that they tell the truth.
In the case of Bill Cosby, I must say that I agree with his message. He has been criticized by being called an elitist, one who has “arrived,” “gotten his own” and could care less about the least of these. Well, I beg to differ on this because as an alumna of Spelman College, I can personally attest to his benevolent nature. The $20 million gift that he and his wife, Camille, gave to Spelman made history as the largest gift ever given to an HBCU. He has continued to give to other institutions, as well as through their foundation named in honor of their son, Ennis. Even as recently as August of this year, it is reported that he gave $500,000 to the City of Detroit to help its ailing school system. Given these indicators, I believe it’s fair to say The Jello Pudding Man (as I so fondly remember him from my childhood) put his money where his mouth is.
What did Bill Cosby say that has people still on edge? Well, basically he told the truth; people just didn’t like how he said it. But again, we have to keep in mind that older people don’t care about hurting anybody’s feelings. The truth never changes. I would just like to share why Mr. Cosby’s words have taken on such a great meaning with me.
Mr. Cosby referenced that there are major problems with our youth. We must keep in mind that our youth are our future leaders, and if they are not given a solid foundation now, while their minds are still able to be trained to do what is right and good, we will eventually have some serious problems. Actually, the problems have already begun. From my generation (I’m 42), I saw it in the form of the introduction of crack cocaine, which became responsible for (illegally) employing future leaders and simultaneously destroying mindsets, families and communities like nothing I had ever seen before. I saw it in the face of the development of gangs and in the devaluing of education.
If we fast forward to today, the problems persist. The nation was devastated when we turned on the news and saw that an innocent child in Chicago lost his life to a senseless beating while others had the audacity to film it from a camera phone. What in the world?! Mr. Cosby went on to tell the painful truth that far too many of our young people are not completing high school, are populating the prisons and are producing far too many teenage mothers. He also expressed his bewilderment at the fact that the same parents who would buy $500 sneakers for children are the same parents who would refuse to pay $200 for resources that would contribute to their ability to read.
But one of his most piercing points for me came when he referenced a topic I still am utterly concerned about: talking white. (We address this issue through our organization, The Dream Institute – www.TheDreamInst.org). You may wonder just what talking white is. For some reason, black kids have felt that if they are well read, if they study hard or if they use proper English, their friends will accuse them of talking white. So rather than use proper English at all times, they would rather converse without putting the ends on words, by splitting verbs, etc. I know what I’m talking about because I have kids of my own, and I also hear it as I work with youth on a regular basis. But the truth of the matter is this, and it doesn’t just apply to kids: if we continue to use improper English, if we continue to use words out of context, if we continue to refuse to read, if we continue to believe that what we see on the videos is the best example of how to live, if we continue to believe that money and cars are the real elements that signify success, and so on, people will correctly assume that we are ignorant.
Bill Cosby, regardless of how he may have been ill-received, told the truth. When I see young people cursing in the presence of adults, when I see young men walking down the street holding their pants up, I am reminded that there is still much work to be done. Now, please understand that I am not bashing all young people. In fact, I am one of the biggest supporters of our youth. I love to hear the positive news of them making good grades and excelling in their chosen endeavors. When we hear of these success stories, we must do everything we can to encourage them to continue. And if we are not seeing the results we desire to see from our young people, then we should accept that as a sign that we need to do more.
Where did we go wrong? I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but I can say that we have to ask ourselves a few questions. When will we wake up and realize that we can no longer allow our children to tell us what they are and are not going to do? When will we realize that if we show our children a little encouragement, if we spend a little time with them, if we let them know we’ve got their back, then maybe, just maybe, we can help curtail some of the madness that we see in our homes, in our schools and in our communities?
This is not to say that this is a recipe for raising a society that is free of flaws. I’m sure there are many who can attest to the fact that, sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much you do, there will still be instances when kids will still make wrong decisions. However, I challenge all parents to not let it be said that they did not do all they could to make a difference. And this goes even beyond one’s biological parents. The African proverb that states, “It takes a village to raise a child,” still stands today. Each person has a responsibility to do something to make a difference.
Yes, Bill Cosby raised hell. But he put his money where his mouth is. One of the things I learned from Spelman College is that by sharing your time, your talent and your treasures, you can make a world of difference. So my challenge to you again, my friend, is to ask yourself, “What am I doing to help this generation of future leaders? Do I have an hour of time that I can lend to a school or community group? Do I have a talent that could help advance a program that serves the kids? Do I have a financial contribution that I can make?” Certainly, there’s something you can do. And at the end of the day, regardless of how many feathers have been ruffled, I will wholeheartedly say, “Amen, Mr. Bill Cosby.”
Now, as the daughter of a nearly 75-year old father and a 70-year old mother, I will be the first one to tell you that you cannot guard the words that come out of anyone’s mouth, especially not from those of our seniors. Believe me, they are just like children: whatever comes up is going to come out. And you’d better not even think about trying to curve their words because they are true to their convictions. They don’t care if the words aren’t pretty, they don’t care if they hurt your feelings, and they certainly don’t care if you don’t like what they have to say. None of that matters to them. But what does matter is that they tell the truth.
In the case of Bill Cosby, I must say that I agree with his message. He has been criticized by being called an elitist, one who has “arrived,” “gotten his own” and could care less about the least of these. Well, I beg to differ on this because as an alumna of Spelman College, I can personally attest to his benevolent nature. The $20 million gift that he and his wife, Camille, gave to Spelman made history as the largest gift ever given to an HBCU. He has continued to give to other institutions, as well as through their foundation named in honor of their son, Ennis. Even as recently as August of this year, it is reported that he gave $500,000 to the City of Detroit to help its ailing school system. Given these indicators, I believe it’s fair to say The Jello Pudding Man (as I so fondly remember him from my childhood) put his money where his mouth is.
What did Bill Cosby say that has people still on edge? Well, basically he told the truth; people just didn’t like how he said it. But again, we have to keep in mind that older people don’t care about hurting anybody’s feelings. The truth never changes. I would just like to share why Mr. Cosby’s words have taken on such a great meaning with me.
Mr. Cosby referenced that there are major problems with our youth. We must keep in mind that our youth are our future leaders, and if they are not given a solid foundation now, while their minds are still able to be trained to do what is right and good, we will eventually have some serious problems. Actually, the problems have already begun. From my generation (I’m 42), I saw it in the form of the introduction of crack cocaine, which became responsible for (illegally) employing future leaders and simultaneously destroying mindsets, families and communities like nothing I had ever seen before. I saw it in the face of the development of gangs and in the devaluing of education.
If we fast forward to today, the problems persist. The nation was devastated when we turned on the news and saw that an innocent child in Chicago lost his life to a senseless beating while others had the audacity to film it from a camera phone. What in the world?! Mr. Cosby went on to tell the painful truth that far too many of our young people are not completing high school, are populating the prisons and are producing far too many teenage mothers. He also expressed his bewilderment at the fact that the same parents who would buy $500 sneakers for children are the same parents who would refuse to pay $200 for resources that would contribute to their ability to read.
But one of his most piercing points for me came when he referenced a topic I still am utterly concerned about: talking white. (We address this issue through our organization, The Dream Institute – www.TheDreamInst.org). You may wonder just what talking white is. For some reason, black kids have felt that if they are well read, if they study hard or if they use proper English, their friends will accuse them of talking white. So rather than use proper English at all times, they would rather converse without putting the ends on words, by splitting verbs, etc. I know what I’m talking about because I have kids of my own, and I also hear it as I work with youth on a regular basis. But the truth of the matter is this, and it doesn’t just apply to kids: if we continue to use improper English, if we continue to use words out of context, if we continue to refuse to read, if we continue to believe that what we see on the videos is the best example of how to live, if we continue to believe that money and cars are the real elements that signify success, and so on, people will correctly assume that we are ignorant.
Bill Cosby, regardless of how he may have been ill-received, told the truth. When I see young people cursing in the presence of adults, when I see young men walking down the street holding their pants up, I am reminded that there is still much work to be done. Now, please understand that I am not bashing all young people. In fact, I am one of the biggest supporters of our youth. I love to hear the positive news of them making good grades and excelling in their chosen endeavors. When we hear of these success stories, we must do everything we can to encourage them to continue. And if we are not seeing the results we desire to see from our young people, then we should accept that as a sign that we need to do more.
Where did we go wrong? I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but I can say that we have to ask ourselves a few questions. When will we wake up and realize that we can no longer allow our children to tell us what they are and are not going to do? When will we realize that if we show our children a little encouragement, if we spend a little time with them, if we let them know we’ve got their back, then maybe, just maybe, we can help curtail some of the madness that we see in our homes, in our schools and in our communities?
This is not to say that this is a recipe for raising a society that is free of flaws. I’m sure there are many who can attest to the fact that, sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much you do, there will still be instances when kids will still make wrong decisions. However, I challenge all parents to not let it be said that they did not do all they could to make a difference. And this goes even beyond one’s biological parents. The African proverb that states, “It takes a village to raise a child,” still stands today. Each person has a responsibility to do something to make a difference.
Yes, Bill Cosby raised hell. But he put his money where his mouth is. One of the things I learned from Spelman College is that by sharing your time, your talent and your treasures, you can make a world of difference. So my challenge to you again, my friend, is to ask yourself, “What am I doing to help this generation of future leaders? Do I have an hour of time that I can lend to a school or community group? Do I have a talent that could help advance a program that serves the kids? Do I have a financial contribution that I can make?” Certainly, there’s something you can do. And at the end of the day, regardless of how many feathers have been ruffled, I will wholeheartedly say, “Amen, Mr. Bill Cosby.”
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