Marcus Mosiah Garvey

I have been eager to write a comment about the early 20th century Negro (Black) leader Marcus Garvey for a long time. I always defer, however, because I am never confident that I can do a just commentary on his contribution to the maturation of Black people for [these] modern times. I recently read a selection from a book I keep near my bedside -- "Selected Speeches and Writings of Marcus Garvey." His speech on unemployment from that book is what motivated this installment.

Garvey was certainly a man of his times. He was a "race man." His speeches are colored with the racial vanacular of that period -- when 'Jim Crow' was dominant throughout all of America. As a result those who are unfamiliar with his many comments on race and economy may well be put off at first. However, one must note that Garvey was reacting to the prevalent racial attitudes of his time, not fomenting them. Indeed, Garvey was controversial among Black people and among Whites. He chastised the leaders of Black people for not responding more effectively to the many afflictions facing the masses of African-Americans, such as mob violence and poverty. His platform -- like that of his idiological mentor, Booker T. Washington -- was primarily economical when the established leadership among Blacks were concerned with social equality and academic achievement.

A very good example of this was his speech on unemplyment given in New York City on February 11, 1921. Garvey gives a brilliant analysis of the tendencies of [White] employers and [Black] employees that could very well be given today, and with almost as much accuracy as it had then. I have often mused that a thorough education for black people -- indeed all people in a capitalist economy -- must include a lesson on fundemental economics, at least.

In some measure, Garvey was a forerunner to, among others, Elijah Muhammed, Tony Brown, Malcolm X, and Earl Graves. His stance on race relations, economic mobility and cultural pride have been vindicated by the publications, exhortations and commentaries of such diverse contemporaries as the National Urban League, Tavis Smiley, Ebony magazine, Louis Farrakahn and many more.

HBO's 'Black List'

The documentary 'Black List' on the thoughts of Black people in today's society currently appearing on HBO is excellent. The film -- essentially a series of plain interviews with accomplished African-Americans -- is marvelously poignant, yet effective in its simplicity. 'Black List' hits the mark that CNN missed by a mile.

Watch it for yourself. Find a way to download it. Show it during Black History month, Kwanzaa or the "King Holiday." This is one holds enduring value.

CNNs 'Black' Mis-fires

Kudos to CNN's Soledad O'Brien for parlaying clout earned from her award winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina into a much anticipated report on African Americans... I guess?

America's fascination with its African population is longstanding. New York Senator Daniel P. Moynihan made a name for himself reporting on the status of black people (1965). There was the Kerner Commission report in 1968 which, among other things reported on the disaffection black people felt with American justice. I remember that, in the late 1980s Newsweek magazine made the plight of black males a focus of a bestselling "special report." Indeed every notable talk show host from Phil Donahue to Ted Koppel has examined the "state of Black America." On the surface, such reporting comes across as genuine interest in the challenging issues facing America's foremost minority population -- Hispanics not withstanding. However, I wonder, cynically I admit, if it is not merely a curious preoccupation with how Americans of African decent are able to consistently persevere in the face of systematic racism.

O'Brien's reporting had a great flaw. At the crux of all the difficult issues facing black people was our achievement, or underachievement, as it relates to the majority racial group in the United States -- white people. [A population itself that is more varied in its ethnicity and class distinctions than blacks]. It is difficult to take issue with the Soledad O'Brien’s motives. She is as full of integrity as she is charming. Each profile started positive enough, referring to African-Americans traditions: reunions, family dinners, pursing education, and holding down fine jobs. Predictably, however, those perspectives served as a segway into what many perceive as unyielding pathologies in black America. All the traditional shortcomings were analyzed: Incarceration of black males, the vaunted "achievement gap," absentee fathers, and the newest alarm -- disproportionate (new) AIDS cases among black women. CNN's coverage had all the trappings of an in-depth exposé, but with the shallow incision of a tabloid magazine.

Black In America was billed as a thorough report on the diverse issues facing black people today, yet it perpetuated stereotypes – mostly addressing issues that liberals and bigots want to examine. O'Brien discussed the plight of black families without any historical footage, or real discussion, about the concerted efforts to hinder families from surviving since slavery. She examined black men in prison without tracing the systematic use of the penal system to maintain disproportionate rates of black male incarceration since the days of the chain gangs --when (southern) authorities used false imprisonment to create a ready labor force for public works contractors. Limited facts about the proliferation of AIDS in urban America gave the false impression that African American women are walking Petri dishes for the disease. And most troubling for me was the notion that the achievement of black children in school requires extraordinary enticements; a position that will only serve to perpetuate bigoted ideas about innate inferiority. Or that their failure is alarming only because they fall short of the achievements of (some) white children in school.

What Black In America left out was far more important that what it covered. Cheap cocaine influenced the drug economy greatly in the 1980s, but the disproportionate sentencing of black people for the same crimes committed by whites – trafficking – predisposed them to incarceration. A discussion of reparations for slavery found not light in this exposé. COINTELPRO, racial profiling, or the corporatizations of Hip Hop were lost discussions too. And should not a discussion of the underachievement of (some) African American children in school have included the disproportionate assignment of black youth, especially boys, into special education classes -- mostly for perceived behavior issues? There is reliable research on the topic.

Certainly African Americans have come far in our history as a people. The most important feature of African American sociology, however, is that despite economic stratification and diverse political orientations on everything from school vouchers to same-sex marriage, we still identify as a single people. But then again, we've never really had a choice in that...did we?

Schooling Black Children, Part I

Addressing this topic is like running a gauntlet. The title alone is enough to peak interest, or cause one to dismiss it immediately. People seem only to want to discuss issues generically anymore. Despite the most earnest intentions, if you tinge the discussion with race, you immediately polarize readers. And not just along racial lines. Blacks as well as whites would rather not discuss these matters in mixed company -- no matter how strong their points of view. And other ethnic groups expect that the discussion simply does not pertain to them at all. So why bother?

I am going to muse openly about educating black children -- not only because it is a topic dear to me, but it is an area where I can claim some expertise. I am a public school teacher and administrator, and father of two school-aged children. And, yes, I am African-American. This little fact is not only important for full disclosure, but I have had occasion to find myself in a pivotal role as the single black figure in a predominately suburban (white) school, where minority children look to me with optimism. Or, like presently, I routinely lay down the discipline in a predominately black middle school.

Next, I want to make some statements of truth that I have come to learn in my experience. Black and white children have equal learning ability across the board. Despite the much vaunted "learning gap" their is no innate advantage I can discern. [Variables such as quality teachers, competent administrators, and supportive environments outside of school cannot be discounted in the equasion.] White teachers do not routinely and openly discriminate against black children in the way of the Little Rock Nine, or in the manner described by figures like Malcolm X in his autobiography (i.e, "You should do something more reasonable for a person of your race...") -- at least it is not commonplace anymore. Public schools still posses huge possibilities for economically disadvantaged students and their families to gain a leg up -- even in poor inner city communities. Finally, there is an educational deficit facing urban (black) youth that cannot be denied.

Rather than report the numerous deficits experienced by black children in various quality of life indicators, I'll refer you to the published work by the Smiley Group (The Covenant), or the National Urban League's annual report. Or you can refer to the May 16 issue of The Economist magazine (Black America). My objections is not with the facts, or with the perspectives commonly espoused; it is with the assumptions, platitudes and covert discrimination that predominate education for black children, especially those from families who are poor and unable to navigate their way through the system.

One peeve of have is with the inevitable comparisons of black students to whites. Whatever indicator you choose to measure achievement among students -- state assessments, SAT scores, drop-out rates, etc. -- there is an objective level of attainment that spells success, despite how well white children do comparably. All of the research mentioned routinely uses racial comparisons to dramatize the failure of black children. If black students under perform against white students, then, is it true that once the "achievement gap" is somehow closed, we can again sing Cum-by-ya?" Or will black students next have to surpass Asian students who are increasingly outperforming white students now-- in math and science? In fact, if there is to be any comparison at all, should not black students be measured against those in first place...not in second? You see...That story is not sexy enough for the race-based superiority complex in America.

Children of all races need to be made ready to compete in the best college enviroments they can afford and, ultimately, at the highest rungs of the national economy they can ascend. There is an objective standard of achievement they need to meet --irrespective of how another ethnic group is performing. That is the best way to know you are getting an education.

African Triumph

We must always explain that Black history is not only the story of a sad era in human history, but in fact a story of perseverance... Triumph, in fact.

A Giant of a Man

Paul Robeson was a towering figure. Before we knew of the valiant contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X or even Muhammad Ali, Robeson was the standard barer for black male dignity and success. In a time when blacks were discouraged from education, caricatured in the media, and marginalized politically, there stood Robeson. An college educated lawyer, football player, accomplished concert performer, a cinematic and stage actor, Paul Robeson was the very definition of a "renaissance man." However, it was Robeson's activism that made him a notable figure among 20th Century personalities. Paul Robeson refused to be marginalize by Jim Crow America. He became a strident citizen of the world at a time when black people were supposed to accept their place as secondary -- or even invisible -- members of American society.

I want my children, and the students I teach, to know about Paul Robeson. Unfortunaley they live in a time when the most dubious personalities and destructive images predominate the media. Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Flava Flav, and countless other pop personalities and junk food activities are used to distract young people from meaning information. Information that could inspire them to successfully leap the vaunted learning gap and avoid mental slavery.

Bill Cosby: The Most Relavant Personality Today?

Bill Cosby does not have to speak out on the issues facing the largely urban (black) underclass. He is wealthy and influential. Mr. Cosby has built up enough goodwill in the entertainment business to be lauded for years -- even if he doesn't make another sitcom, or host another children's program. Self-appointed "leaders" in the black community deride his activism. However, he, unlike many of his detractors, cannot be ignored so easily. His critics call him cynical, elitist and out of touch. I believe that he is disapointed in the lack of pride exhibited by some of our people. An absence of pride that too often manifests in degenerate behavior with generational implications. And "there can be no great disapointment where the no great love." Soldier on, Mr. Cosby -- and thanks.