Thank God for Malcolm and Martin

I was a part of the ''Separate but Equal'' educational system in Birmingham. Lucky for me, my school was an inner city school – a melting pot for rich and poor Negro kids: smart and dumb; dark and light; pretty and ugly. I grew up wanting to be someone other than a poor, dumb, dark, and ugly child. I learned that I couldn’t change dark and ugly, so I worked hard trying to stand out as a smart, likable kid. The 'poor' part was kept under wraps by my mom who cleaned houses and got loans to buy outfits and fabric to make clothes and ribbons for our hair.

I was born at a time when Negro discriminated against Negro: light-skinned against dark-skinned. Light skinned Blacks were treated better. My mom would tell the story of the dark skinned children (herself included) who were made to sit in the back of the class, treated badly and overlooked by teachers.  This happened at a Negro school, but where most of the Negro teachers could have passed for white and possibly did in some instances. That discrimination, in my opinion, set the stage for poor learners with a poor image of themselves.

By the time I was in fifth grade, my mother, out of love, would constantly tell me what to expect based on her experience. The only thing I found to be true was the name calling which today is called bullying. My mom said that she was called ABC – Alabama’s Blackest Child. I was called Blacky, Smut, and Black Sales.  Now when I think about the main instigator, I recall him being the blackest boy in my class; cute but not very smart – go figure.

I wonder if Blacks had gotten their forty acres and a mule, would my great-grandparents have benefited? I think not. I imagine a world where poor dark-skinned Blacks would have been working for and taking care of the land and mules of affluent, light-skinned Blacks. 

Martin and Malcolm are my heroes. They came along and got Black folk focused on what’s important for a better life. They reminded us that we were all one race under God and that we were being held back by the White race. The point was, we could not fight for and win civil rights divided by shades of black.

I am so glad to have experienced the Black is Beautiful: Black Power movement. It gave this dark-skin sister a boldness to say “Yes I Can” anytime I’m challenged.

Lowdown Dirty Dogs

I woke up this morning to the movie The Color Purple.  Apparently, I left the television on overnight. I have to admit, it is one of the best films of its kind since Roots. The makeup artists did an exceptional job making beautiful women and children look unattractive.

But more than that, I always walk away hating Albert and the Black men like him; wife-beating, do-nothing, know-nothing, light-skin-loving, ugly-on-the-inside kind of men. As Ms. Celie said, “you’s a lowdown dirty dog.” It’s difficult for me to watch Lethal Weapon because Danny Glover was so believable in The Color Purple.

Today, in the real world, we need more strong Black women like Celie and Sofia. Young girls must stop prolonging the maturation process of young boys by accepting their disrespectful ways, especially when they are disrespectful in speech, clothing and presentation. Girls are by nature more mature in age than boys. It’s clear that they need to make more mature decisions about their future.  

Young girls must start defining themselves early and determining what they want their lives to be like when they grow up. Once that happens, they will be mature enough to have an image of who they want as their "better" half. I guarantee you; he won’t be a thug or a “lowdown dirty dog.”

Let's Do It.

Let’s celebrate.  This is a shout out to Black Americans.  Let’s celebrate.  Let’s celebrate history.  Let’s remember our legends.  Let’s discuss how much “we have overcome,” and how much we have achieved and haven’t achieved.

Let’s talk about the heroes who dedicated their lives for CHANGE in America, and made HISTORY.  Let’s talk about Black pride, Sojourner’s Truth and Harriet Tubman’s Mission, Frederick Douglass’ Resolve, Chisholm’s Zeal, Rosa’s Courage, Martin’s Dream, and President Obama’s Promise. Let’s talk about La Amistad and the strong will of our African ancestors.

Let’s start this February to have family nights, dinner parties and intimate social networking parties with Black History themes. Heck, let’s pray.  Let’s call on the spirits of our leaders and let’s listen for a response. Let’s ask for help. Let’s ask for wisdom and guidance. Let’s ask them “How?” Let’s ask them how to stop Black-on-Black crime, gun violence, drugs and “thuggism.” Then, let’s “Stop, Look, and Listen.” 

Let’s do this ever February. Miraculously, the Universe will identify another hero with a Dream… and a plan. 

Visit BackHistoryFlag.com for your Celebration note cards and Black History gifts and souvenirs.

Freedom Papers

When I get upset at work,  I say to myself, “I’m gonna call Oprah and ask her for my freedom papers. After she came out early for Obama in the2009 campaign, she became Sojourner Truth in my mind –A LEGEND; not that she wasn't one already. 

But more than that, Oprah had reached such a high level in her career that she could speak her mind nationally and let the chips fall where they may. She had earned her Freedom Papers in this capitalist society. Before then, Oprah tried speaking her mind as Sofia in the Color Purple. She was badly beaten and thrown in jail.  

Sofia and Oprah are bold women. I can see them both reciting Sojourner Truth's famous speech "Ain't I a Woman."  

Oprah, you are a born leader.  Please pick up the cross of Sojourner, Tudman, Malcolm and Martin and help us find freedom from Black on Black crime, drugs, and thuggish living. Oprah, we need a leader. 

Visit my website at BlackHistoryFlag.com

We Shall Overcome

I've been having this reoccurring thought. In the 60's, we sang, "We shall overcome" as if it were our national anthem. And deep in our hearts, we believed in "CHANGE." We believed that if we followed Martin Luther King's strategy for change, White folk would one day, drop their fears and hatred, and change the laws of the land, so that we could live in equality. It was a movement, we could believe in.

We sought what we envisioned "freedom" to be at the time. Martin and his disciples, Malcolm and his believers continued God's work like others who spent their lives seeking "freedom" and equality. "Freedom" had a different meaning for brave souls like - Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass, and a far different meaning than what the men who fought back on the ship La Amistad believed.

What we need today is a leader to free Black folk from the crime we face in our communities, and to lead our youth from a gangster and thug mentality, and drugs to a more productive future. 

Our leaders of the past had "brass balls." Many Black folk, men and women, have strong will and leadership skills to pick up the cross and do Gods work. The problem is that every time someone rises to the occasion, self ordained "Black Leaders" and their "No Justice, No Peace" followers come out in mass to knock them down.  It happened when Bill Cosby made, what I call, his "we have a responsibility" speech in Newark some years back. I was so sad that he didn't completely "pick up the cross." I was so ready to join his march. 

I have to applaud, however, the self ordained leaders today. They do have "brass balls" and I actually like a few of them. But my frustration is that some of them are forever visible when there is controversy around and when their is an incident of White on Black crime.  They are less likely to be around when Black on Black crime occurs. What's more frustrating is that they tend to hinder innovation in education when it appears to impact the tenure of under-performing Black educators, teachers, and more so, poor performing students. 

If we really want "Change" in our community and in our schools, sacrifices must be made and we need a leader who has nothing to lose. Many Black people suffered and lost their lives in the early days because they wanted "Freedom" and "Change." We need a leader who believes in education reform and community change by "Any Means Necessary." We need a leader, man or woman, with "brass ball."