6/6/2008
By Bruce H. Scroggins
Juan misses the new obstacles present for the 25% of blacks in poverty today, whom the Bill Cosby's and the Juan Williams of today decry as “not keeping up their part of the bargin,” those who can't do criticize and I’ am not saying Juan and Bill aren't contributing, from their wealth to worthy causes, that’s not what I’ am saying.I’ve read some now, consistent and persistent criticisms of all things Obama and black, Juan goes from one thing to another in the black community, locked into the past, he knows what happened, but he keeps trying to view and explain the present black communities failures in performance, through the Brown v Board of Education and the flawed Civil Rights era accomplishments.
I say flawed because, so many believe these accomplishments were the be all and end all answers for the black community, now and forever. If they were not flawed, every 25 years, blacks would not have to ask and beg Congress to sign the Civil Rights Act, to keep the right to vote.
“Where is the civil rights groundswell on behalf of stronger marriages that will allow more children to grow up in two-parent families and have a better chance of staying out of poverty? Where are the marches demanding good schools for those children -- and the strong cultural reinforcement for high academic achievement (instead of the charge that minority students who get good grades are "acting white")? Where are the exhortations for children to reject the self-defeating stereotypes that reduce black people to violent, oversexed "gangstas," minstrel show comedians and mindless athletes?”
Juan, Bill have you lived in the black communities lately, no you haven’t, you haven’t seen the black community, you’ve seen what the black community is portray on TV and in the Press, you seen the few that have risen to the level of media, where you two live and you decry there excesses.I live in a black community dying because, our mentors have moved out of the black community, because of guns and a false sense, that all white schools are better than the community schools that raised them and gave them the education to make a better life for them selves.
These black upwardly mobile and accomplish to some degree black families, that are part of the root and cause of the dying black community, that has no voice for change, no black males to march and attend Ward and Council meeting, to be the face of change in the black community, down to little league, or a recitel.
Bill, Juan you both decry the Gangster Rap and the flaunting of black woman, the lack of Parenting and the lack of the use of the tools, built on and in our tortured past, through the lives and blood of the Civil Rights hay days, well what’s left in the black community is the old parents who sacrificed and marched to give their children, the better education, that those children used to move out of the black community.
To this day, the City’s mostly white town fathers, listen to the black communities cry’s and still do not do what they want, drugs and dealers are entrenched and those upwardly mobile blacks, the few who come back to the black community, mostly to go to church and hand out turkeys on thanks giving and share some money, but putting their real faces on the problems, they're absent.No mentors but the aging grandparents and grandmothers and activist born and staying in the community, are all that’s left, you ask why no marches, there’s your answer.
The Black preachers are all afraid of the blowback that the white press has played and reverse racist is there new tool, even white voices, announcing any “liberation Theology,” from the degrading facts of life in the black community, are assaulted with racism to shut them down and keep it out of the any discussion.
The problems are new and need a new tactics, coupled with some of the tried and true tactics of the past, I’ am not against using what worked, but those tactic alone cannot attack and win, in these days.
“Black Quilt, Black Blame, White quilt, White Blame, all have to be on the table and we have, stay at the table, all of you pop-in-jays need to butt out.”
Both of you men, say nothing about the problems faced by a new generation of Poverty and the abject lack of education and the re-enforced institutional and systemic barriers erected by those in power from City Hall's Financial Institutions, School Boards, to the Police Departments. None of which have supported those left fighting for the communities, only our Seniors and the Activist, flail around, unsupported by those who are our strongest.I do understand frustration, but to spend your echo chamber time and bully pall pits attacking blacks lack of answers for the problems faced, is low, you both need to get down on the ground and stay there, not just your money is needed, don’t run back to your Cush homes and white and black friends willing to listen to your cry’s and complaints about your people.
Stay in the that poor black community, showing the way and make your presence the bulwark and draw the strength of the black community back to be the face and mentors needed, the voices in the Town Halls and Wards and City Councils, Parishes and yes, SPEAK, PREACH and LEAD the MARCH, ORGANIZE the MARCHES, shut the fart-up and LEAD.
In all words, get your asses on the ground and lead until you’re drawn up on your cross.
