Just some thoughts and ideas going around in my head while trying to figure out where I am and where everyone else is going.

Friday, February 1, 2008

It's Black History Month, Strike up the Band!

Let the word go forth, it’s Black History Month! There, I have said it.

Now I’m not going to talk about somebody doing street designs in DC, or someone else inventing traffic signals that you ignore and then have to show up later in court for. I can’t even tell you about how I marched with Martin in the fifties and sixties, unless of course you use that Mitt Romney way of looking at things. I don’t know much about those things so I will mention something about support.

In the mid nineties, I was given the predicament of making a choice. The Honorable Minister Farrakhan was organizing a rally in Washington, the Million Man March that he hoped would bring together black men. This was to be an act of mass confession or atonement by brothers in order to see where they had come from and to develop a more positive direction in which they would go.

I had seen Farrakhan before and whereas I had believed he was a very interesting speaker and much of what he said appealed to me, I didn’t hold much significance in what I considered would be a million man group hug. I didn’t want to go. But Bernadette however, did.


Bernadette was a girl that worked with me and as she stated, if she couldn’t get a man there, she would not be able to get a man anywhere. Hence, after many days of hemming and hawing, swinging and swaying, I thought to myself that if she could go for whatever reasons she could find, it would be wrong for me not to go and the March fail because of my indifference. I would feel bad if the whole thing fell short and people looked at me pointed and said, “because of you.”

Consequently on Saturday with my boyfriend, not Bernadette, I headed for DC for the Monday meeting, after assuring my boss that I would show up for work on Monday. Some sacrifices would have to be made, otherwise the whole effort on my part, would be meaningless. I showed up at the march at around noon Monday after calling out sick at 5am from the club. I met a few people, but I saw was reintroduced to even more people who I had not seen in a while and had lost contact with. I listened to many of the speeches from the various speakers all the way to the end and I came away with the idea that it was the responsibility black men to stop the violence, look after their families and honor their women. I had done my part for the cause and I left satisfied.

After all this time, I’m not really sure if anything really positive came out of the whole thing. There seems to be even more black on black crime now than there was then. I don’t know anything about the black family other than my own and I can’t tell you much about that, the case is coming up soon. But as far as honoring women, I have never in my life seen so many women called bitches and ho’s and treated with so much disrespect on TV and in real life.

So now, there is a junior senator from Illinois asking for support from me as well as others and as usual I am wishing and washing away like it’s nobody’s business but my own. But I don’t know if I should support people or issues just because we’re both black. It seems to limit my choice or even my thought processes if I do. But there is something to be said about climbing on the bandwagon or joining the herd. There is a safety in numbers that will be hard to find when you are out there on your own. What to do? What to do?

10 comments:

  1. good look C, i treat my history every day as u can tell from m blog, I jus wanted to give a heads up and a shout to u being a wel read brother man, we will b folk for life if u feel me, and if u like me i know u feel alone sometimes, but smiled reading your articulate and informed comments on my blog...and dont mind m tupos and that i type with 2 fingers, but i write as it comes out of me, no time to look up words or spell chk. so Im honoring u if u dont mind scholar

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don't worry about the typos and spelling T. With a daily blog to write and think about and 50 plus comments to go through and reply, it's just an honor for you to just to stop by.

    As ar far as being well read, I just watch TV, scratch and fart like most people. I just try to make sense of what surrounds me so I can try to understand it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your messages are conveyed no worries about the type o's, i must concur you are an intelligent young man and you make Black folks think. Thanks for the memories and the knowledge. "Reach one Teach one."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for dropping by Chet. Your thoughts are much appreciated. I have seen your blog and I would put a comment down, but I'm running on fumes right now and I don't trust myself. But I will be sure to visit it again and leave something because as you say there, it's about support.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Curious,

    "But I don’t know if I should support people or issues just because we’re both black. "

    The interesting thing is; I've seen dozens of White women being interviewed about voting for Hillary because she's a woman and none has felt any reservation about voting gender.

    And 90% of Mormons voted for Romney in a recent Primary because he's Mormon. They don't have any qualms about doing so.

    So why do so many African Americans seem to have a problem voting race?

    I'm just wondering.

    I’m not necessarily voting for Obama. I’m actually considering voting for McCain. I think the democrats take the Black vote for granted.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey 2 Cents,

    You are absolutely right. There are many people out there voting "their own kind" just beacause of that sense of familiarity they have with the candidate. And that's something worth keeping and voting for.

    But if I sit down and think about it, there are some things that I don't like about the few policies that Obama has spoken of or given details on. There are also a few things in his opponent's camp that I like better. And that troubles me.

    I can't speak for the entire race, so I wont, but when I think of my own self interests and I still cant figure out what will be best.

    Also, I believe everyone has the right to their own opinion, but McCain? Doesn't it seem to you that he is having flash backs? Isn't he trying to relive and re-fight the Vietnam War in Iraq?

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  7. Curious,

    On McCain; I think he is the only candidate that's speaking the truth about Iraq. The U.S. will be in Iraq for the next 50 years or until the oil starts to run out.

    I know that most people don't want to deal with that reality but it is the case. The neo-cons screwed up in Iraq but the reasons they went in are strategic ones that are valid.

    As much as we don't like to think about it our oil interests must be protected. Americans are not willing to give up their cars and change their lifestyles to ease the need for oil. That means the U.S. has to have presence in the Middle East.

    And on other issues McCain seems reasonable; so much so that the evangelicals and other crazy right-wingers are totally against him.

    I think in the long run we cannot, African Americans, continue to put all of our political eggs in one basket.

    I truly believe that when Bush and his people looked at the situation in New Orleans after Katrina they saw democrats. They knew that no matter what they did the people who were stuck there and other African Americans still would not vote republican.

    That's what happens when you give all of your votes to one party and ignore the other.

    Finally; I am not 100% sure I'll vote McCain. There is a lot of time for McCain and the others to change my mind, but he's a viable alternative.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MDC,

    Alright I'll give you that McCain speaks the truth, at least the truth as he sees it. And maybe he's right, maybe troops will remain in Iraq for the next 50 years like the troops in Korea, but is that any kind of goal to reach for?

    Even countries that are friendly towards us, like the European countries, don't really like having American bases on their land. As for those countries where just having someone not of their faith is an insult to their religion, occupying their teritory is the reason why we are in this mess right now.

    I want something better for myself and those around me. I don't want to keep paying for a war that never ends. I don't want young people to die just so I can drive 4 blocks for $20 worth of groceries.

    And as far as "our oil interests" go, I'm sure that's what the Japanese said after they massacred the people of Nanking and before they attacked Pearl Harbor. Look at what happened to them. I mean back in '45 that is, not now where they rule the world without having to lift a finger. Oh, this all just too complicated.

    Regardless of who wins the nominations and then the election, I just hope that we all win in the end.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the drive by Lola. Is "Lola Gets" from the play Damn Yankees?

    Anyway, feel free to drop by any time and don't doubt that I will be on your blog as well.

    ReplyDelete

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