my people {we got to do better}
shouts to jam Donaldson at HGM for the {we got to do better} line....
ok, here it is in a nutshell: yes, we are (still) a Hot Ghetto Mess. But what are we gonna do about it?
campaign2008 & our reasons for our choices:: I've got real issues with people's anti-intellectual reasons for picking their candidate. And I'm putting myself on blast. Prior to me doing my election "homework", I was entertaining Clinton. I originally thought, given our current state of race relations, that Americans would turn out in droves to vote against Obama, hence not wanting to throw away my vote. Silly me. I've since read their platforms, watched the primaries (starting with NH and IA), watched the debates, and decided based on the issues, to support Obama.
Now, it's a long minute later - and I still hear my people saying ig'nant things like: "I don't want to vote for Obama 'cause they'll shoot him in office, and I don't want him to get killed", "I think he's related to Sadam Hussein", "I'm voting for Obama 'cause he's black", "I'm voting for Hilary because she's a woman", or "I'm voting for ______ because __________ endorsed them (insert pundit/so-called-leader's name there)". Ok, seriously - it's time for us to get off our collective a$$es, do some homework, and make our own decisions, for real. It's 2008 - we're well into the information age - the platforms, senatorial voting records and their stances are readily available. We need to stop being quite so sheep-like, so that all parties (Repub, Dem, Libertarian, Green, etc - and the pundits who love them), and the non-parties (random pundits who won't commit to a "party"), all take our votes more seriously.
aside:: I'm really tired of candidates being able to pander to the "urban voter" in general by either appealing to, or by manipulating, their emotions.
punditry beef:: Baisden v. Frank Ski? Tavis Smiley vs. Obama? We barely got pundits and access to airwaves, and they're already going at each other, or our "leaders", not over issues or opinions, but because they got "snubbed" or "shouted someone out" or forgot to "shout someone out". Are you friggin kidding me?
ClayCo Board of Ed & Kwame Kilpatrick:: or when keeping it black goes wrong. If you haven't heard about Clayton County's Board of Education, the quick & dirty is that the entire school system is facing a potential loss of accreditation, due to corruption ethics violations, ineptitude, and policy violations. You can click here for more information. This means students and teachers, as well as administrators records would be "wiped clean". Students wouldn't be eligible for scholarships, and their acceptance into colleges would be in jeopardy. Staff would lose their certifications and employment history, of the timeframe of the board's tenure.
and Kwame?:: Well - the "hip-hop" mayor, amongst other things, is accused of: "allegations of marital infidelity involving his chief of staff, lawsuits, and an investigation of perjury. Kilpatrick could could be disbarred, sentenced up to 15 years in prison, and forced to resign as mayor. The controversies have prompted an ethics probe investigation, and a recall election campaign to have Kilpatrick removed from office." Excerpts of his text exchanges with his chief of staff are all over the 'Net, and his wife's leased Navigator is appearing as the Red Flag & last straw for his frustrated constituency. Read more here.
the talented tenth:: It's not enough, in 2008, that we should want black representation in all areas of life: media, politics, government - both local and national, industry, etc. We should want our leaders, the "talented tenth" of which DuBois so elegantly wrote, to be not only influential leaders throughout the world, but also beyond reproach. Or at least approaching moral excellence.
it's not enough that our leaders should be black. They should be qualified to lead, and possessing character traits that can inspire us as a people: honesty, integrity, fortitude
Too often, we're so desperate to see ourselves duly and dutifully represented, that we let shyt slide.
they do it, so why...?:: should we be held to a higher standard, you ask? Because the playing field has never been level, and will not be getting flat any time soon. Because the bar is higher for us. Because there is a black tax, and because we are all well aware of it. Because we are well aware that when we "do what they do", the scrutiny is much more intense. Because our two steps back takes not only us (as individuals) back, but also us (as a people). Because there is backlash. And because we deserve, like any other race, to prove our merit. To show we can be qualified, and can do a good job, and be considered based on merit. Not just because we're black. And because the exceptions (like the ClayCo commission or Kwame) shouldn't be the measure of those that are performing to or outperforming expectations. We're not shooting for mediocrity here - the goal isn't the best of the average. We should want to excel. All of us. We should want to do better.
back to campaign2008:: which is what I find so fascinating about the Obamas. So far, they are those people. "Grace under fire", "eloquence", "elegant', "of outstanding character", "grace under pressure" have become so clichéd, that they're more likely to appear in the title of a sitcom, than a description of a political candidate. But the Obamas are that. As i watch Michelle withstand attacks about her patriotism, which I'm sure is very personal to her, and Barack address charges of plagiarism, rumors about his religious beliefs, shallowness and the transparency of his platform - these phrases are the ones that come to mind.
Yeah, I'm gushing a lil, but not trying to sway your vote. Look at them as black people, as African-Americans, as leaders, as icons. That, my friend - is what I find inspiring. Columbia U., Princeton U. and Harvard Law. Community activists. {apparently} Happily married and raising their children, together. And supporting their people the best way they know how, by setting an example.
You can find your own examples, but please - find them. My people... {we got to do better}