Aren’t The Police Suppose To Serve and Protect? I wanted to wait to post this when I felt more capable of intelligently articulating my thoughts and feelings… but I can’t so bare with me. I JUST saw this for the very first time so its raw. I’m tired of hearing about this type of abuse and I’m tired of US laying down and taking it… It makes wonder if we are desensitized. Police brutality is a part of American history, in fact, its as American as apple pie….but how many more have to be brutalized, abused, shot, killed…before we re-write history and demand something different than what we’ve been getting? I’m really upset. Aren’t we suppose to call 911 for help? Look what happened to this young man!
Doing nothing is not an option. I gotta go find my NWA cd!
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update 2/20 at 10:20 am: Thanks Steve for pointing out the error in the title of this post…which had the Washington Post. It’s NY Post, the correction to the titles has been made.
Yesterday my hubby was worked up about a political cartoon I hadn’t seen. I caught a glimpse of Al Sharpton talking about it on MSNBC but I immediately tuned out. I was in my own world not wanting to take in anything that wouldn’t make me feel good. I have days when my theme song is Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News… Over the past couple of weeks its been bad news with good news sprinkled in between across all fronts.
But last night after my girl Marci called upset too about the same cartoon, I knew I had to SEE what the heck was going on.
The Cartoon by Sean Delonas As Seen In The NY Post
What’s Wrong With This Cartoon? What’s The Big Deal?
Before I get into MY interpretation of this VILE cartoon, I want to make sure that we are all clear on a few things:
1. I Love White People.
2. Some Of My Best Friends Are White.
3. I am a Black woman from Compton with preconceived notions about POLICE (to put it mildly NWA was my favorite group growing up…get the picture?)
It’s important that we all understand these three points because there is a tendency for people to see my picture in all my blackness and assume that I’m a terrorist fist bumping militant Comptonite looking for ways to blame “the man”. Thats not me! I want to make it abundantly clear here and now. The the 3rd is an important point because oftentimes our experiences do play a part in shaping our perceptions.
What is obvious to one person may not be so obvious to another. While it’s extremely hard for me to see how anyone else might see something different from what I see in this image…. I know its possible and that in some crazy way this may be like a paradigm (but I doubt it).
Now Here Are My Thoughts On The Cartoon:
“Don’t piss on my head and tell me it’s raining.” — Unknown
That drawing is very offensive. I would even go as far as calling it a borderline (tap dancing in gray areas) treasonous domestic terroristic threat. In my opinion the drawing published by the NY Posts boldly suggests that the Commander and Chief (our 44th President not the 43rd) is a monkey deserving to be shot and killed for passing the Stimulus Bill. For the past two weeks or more the stimulus bill has been referred to as Obama’s stimulus bill ….the text on this cartoon reads:
“They’ll Have To Find SOMEONE Else To Write The Next Stimulus Bill.”
The word someone is singular (meaning ‘someone’ refers to one person). The cartoonist could have said “some other people” or “some more people” etc… but he deliberately chose the word someone. Clearly this cartoon is not about any of the people (plural) that had input and/or supported the Stimulus Bill. This cartoon is a about someone in particular!!! Someone! Which one? That one? SOMEONE! Have we forgotten the whole Curious George t-shirt thing?
Here’s the bottom line:
The shot up bleeding dead monkey laying on the sidewalk (next to probably Main Street) in a city near parked cars and a beware of dog sign shot by the white police officers represents the person that signed the Stimulus Bill, President Barack Obama.
This is not the first time that monkey imagery has been used with regards to Barack Obama. It is certainly not the first time that monkey imagery has been used to depict a Black man. (*note to anyone thinking but Barack Obama is 1/2 white… yes we all know and acknowledge that he’s biracial. However, historically in this country dating back to slavery a drop of black means you’re black period…I didn’t make the rules. Apparently, it’s the American way. When you fill out a job application, the bubbles on the SAT, or the forms at the dentist… there is no box for biracial).
The Two White Police (Overseers) Officers in the cartoon represent the white supremacy system that has ruled this land with an iron fist for centuries (YES I SAID CENTURIES). Police are supposed to serve and protect (who and what is often the question). In this cartoon, the police are serving and protecting not just “the establishment” but the establishment of white supremacy. The officers have no other way to subdue or over power the animal (its stronger faster and has more power), so they shoot it! A lot of power comes with being President of the United States and while a great number of us are happy with our current president, there are still those that feel threatened by his Presidency. (Especially white supremacists).
I know that any mention of white supremacy causes discomfort for some folks but you would have to be in extreme denial or living under a rock in another galaxy far far away to not be aware of the system that many blacks and whites have fought side by side to overthrow. YES I SAID OVERTHROW!!!!! That cartoon reeks of white supremacy imagery all the way down to the “beware of dog” sign. I’m surprised there was no fire hydrant and hose!
Right here in America, dogs were used to hunt down runaway slaves and later to attack Civil Rights Marchers. They still use dogs (don’t you watch Cops). That “beware of dog” sign in that drawing screams ugliness. I know some people think Black people need to get over it and move forward (I never hear anyone say anything like that about my Jewish brothers and sisters)…My answer to ‘Black people getting over it and moving forward’ is most of us have… but the fact that we have does not erase or rewrite the past. History is what it is! We teach history in schools because we should LEARN from our history right?
History teaches us that Police Overseers have not been kind to Black folks. In fact, we hear about cases of police brutality and killings almost every day!
Many of us have an inherent distrust of Police and it usually takes a friend or family member to become one for us to even open our minds to the possibility that all police are not the same…. (Sad huh?) So if it’s like that for some Black people, how must it be for some White police officers?
The fact that the cartoonist chose to show cops shooting a monkey on a city street is bothersome for the above reasons but also another reason… while there is no street sign in the drawing, that scene appears to be Main Street. You know the hypothetical street that every day Americans live on that President Barack Obama and others often refer to… If the monkey was shot for presumably wanting to help those on Main street, what would the officers rather happen with the folks on Main Street? (Let Them Eat Cake I Guess)
BOYCOTT:
To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion.
So why boycott? Well it’s a means of hitting them where it hurts (their pockets). They being those responsible for publishing the cartoon. (see the note from The Color of Change below).
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” — Marcus Garvey
Color of Change
Yesterday, the day after President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, the NY Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill’s “author” as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police. You can see the image by clicking on the link below.
In the face of intense criticism, the Post’s editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming that it’s not about Obama, has no racial undertones, and that it was simply referencing a recent incident when police shot a pet chimpanzee. But it’s impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise.
Please join me and other ColorOfChange.org members in demanding that the Post apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:
The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there’s a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill. A reader paging through the Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.
There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign.
We’re also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama’s election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches. There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected, with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a “delivery” for the president.
There is no excuse for the Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan’s outright dismissal of legitimate concerns.
But let’s be clear who’s behind the Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post’s owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, institutions at every opportunity, and ColorOfChange has run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate.
I don’t expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure, we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.
You can help, by making clear that the Post’s behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. Please join me:
Once we emerged from the L’Enfant Plaza metro station and got over our initial shock… we were greeted with the bone chilling cold outside and even more shock! The streets were packed. There were people walking in every direction as far as the eye could see… There were police cars, emergency vehicles, cops on foot, cops on horse, news vans, chartered buses, helicopters over head, and people people people every where and all over.
The streets were blocked off and navigating through the crowds was almost impossible. Willae and I had to figure out where to go and how to get to the Silver Ticket gate section as indicated on our tickets. Our big brother Marcus agreed to meet us at the Merry Go Round after the inauguration as we went on our quest to find the Silver Section…
It was no easy task by any stretch of the imagination… It was still dark and it was very cold but we pressed on…
When we finally found the line for Silver Ticket holders we were stricken with thoughts of would’ve could’ve should’ve…. We couldn’t help but think that we should’ve took our chances and camped out…but we knew we would’ve probably froze to death… so we really did make the best possible decision considering the circumstances. That cold air was whipping through my body as we waited in that line and all I could ask myself was:
Was it Worth it?
Of course it was and I embraced it and waited with Willae and unlike many ticket holders we made it in! Our day started early and now it was a wait game. The gates opened at 8am (which meant we’d be waiting in the cold until close to noon for the swearing in ceremony to actually begin).
Well we were not as close as we’d like but again, we were grateful to be there. The National Mall was completely filled with people. The jumbo screen panned the entire area giving us an even better appreciation and perspective of how many of us were actually out there.
What we saw was breath taking and what we felt was amazing… If there has ever been a Kumbaya moment this was it!
For those that don’t know, Kumbaya is a song. Kumbaya means Come By Here. Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics:
Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya……
…..Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya….
….Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya….
….Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya….
…..Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya….
It is fair to say that in every direction we looked there we were people laughing, crying, praying, and singing (including us). God was in the midst. The overall vibe at the National Mall was surreal, serene, and serendipituous. You could FEEL the LOVE. That Love is what sustained us all through that monstrous cold. I believe it is that Love that will rebuild and reshape this country.
The Change We Can Believe In showed its face a million times over at the National Mall and all over the world!
TO BE CONTINUED…
Majority Of The Photos From The Inauguration DC Adventure Are Provided Courtesy Of The Wonderful & Talented Willae Ivory
We didn’t get a full nights sleep but we did have a power nap. We got up and got dressed fast. Layered in pounds of clothes we had no idea what the day would hold. Our big brother Marcus was up with us and drove us to the Metro Station. (Everyone else opted to sleep in and go later). The parking lot was already almost full at 4am. We found a park and made our way onto the train. We were packed like sardines on that train!
When we got to the L’Enfant Plaza train station (the National Mall stop) we were stunned!
There were thousands of people every where already. There was no pushing or shoving, no mass chaos, just lots of excited people making their way to the National mall in a unity and solidarity I’d never seen or experienced.
Yes, I was involved with the campaign and had been part of events and rallies with large numbers of Barack Obama supporters…but THIS was something different. The YES WE CAN motto had taken a new meaning and a sense of pride and accomplishment surged through the metro station as people chanted YES WE DID! It was 4 something in the morning and people from all over the WORLD were making history to witness history! It was an amazing sight to see and the day was still young…
Here’s a picture of me and our friend and big brother Marcus after getting off the train at L’Enfant Plaza. Marcus is the one with the glasses we didn’t know the Redskins fan.
As you see, I was half sleep but I think I was also mesmerized by the huge crowd. I knew there would be lots of people but I guess I didn’t imagine it being this many so early in the morning. (Thanks for making sure we got there Marcus you’re awesome).
Here’s more pictures to give you a glimpse of just how many people moved through the L’Enfant Plaza metro station on inauguration day.
“I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream — a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man’s skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Majority Of The Photos From The Inauguration DC Adventure Are Provided Courtesy Of The Wonderful & Talented Willae Ivory
Operation Get A Plane Ticket To DC Complete! The plane ticket to DC was purchased this morning and proof of itinerary was confirmed and received by my local US Representatives office.
I am going to the inauguration yayyyy! God is Good.
Thank you to everyone that sent words of encouragement and offered to help make sure that I’m able to take part in this historic event. I will cover my journey, take lots of pics, and video. I’m so excited, thankful, and overjoyed.
A very special shout out and thank you to my sister Terri for going way above and beyond to make sure that I absolutely positively get to DC to witness and partake in history!
I received this via email forward this morning and my jaw dropped! All I’ll say is wow and can’t wait for your thoughts on this topic.
A little long but well worth the read.
Enjoy.
It seems that an article was written to Sister 2 Sister magazine by a Caucasian woman who requested a response from black men. I’m so glad she got what she asked for (and more) !!!
Dear Jamie:
I’m sorry but I would like to challenge some of your Black male readers.
I am a White female who is engaged to a Black male-good-looking, educated and loving. I just don’t understand a lot of Black female’s attitudes about our relationship.
My man decided he wanted me because the pickings amongst Black women were slim to none. As he said they were either too fat, too loud, too mean, too argumentative, too needy, too materialistic or carrying too much excess baggage.
Before I became engaged, whenever I went out I was constantly approached by Black men, willing to wine and dine me and give me the world. If Black women are so up in arms about us being with their men, why don’t they look at themselves and make some changes.
I am tired of the dirty looks I get and snide remarks when we’re out in public. I would like to hear from some Black men about why we are so appealing and coveted by them.
Bryant Gumbel just left his wife of 26 years for one of us Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, the model Tyson Beckford, Montell Williams, Quincy Jo nes, James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte, Sydney Poitier, Kofi Anan, Cuba Gooding Jr., Don Cornelius , Berry Gordy, Billy Blanks, Larry Fishburne, Wesley Snipes…
I could go on and on. But, right now, I’m a little angry and that is why I wrote this so hurriedly. Don’t be mad with us White women because so many of your men want us. Get your acts together and learn from us and we may lead you to treat your men better. If I’m wrong, Black men, let me know.
Disgusted White Girl,
Somewhere in VA
RESPONSE:
Dear Jamie:
I would like to respond to the letter written by A Disgusted White Girl.
Let me start by saying that I am a 28-year old black man. I graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in Atlanta , Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management. I have a good job at a major corporation and have recently purchased a house. So, I consider myself to be among the ranks of successful black men.
I will not use my precious time to slander white people. I just want to set the record straight of why black men date white women. Back in the day, one of the biggest reasons why black men dated white women was because they were considered easy.
The black girls in my neighborhood were raised in the church. They were very strict about when they lost their virginity and who they lost it to. Because of our impatience to wait, brothers would look for someone Who would give it up easy without too much hassle. So, they turned to the white girls.
Nowadays, in my opinion, a lot of brothers date white women because they are docile and easy to control. A lot of black men, because of insecurities, fears, and overall weaknesses, have become intimidated by the strength of our black women. We are afraid that our woman will be More successful than us, make more money than us, drive nicer cars and own bigger houses. Because of this fear, many black men look for a more docile woman. Someone we can control.
I have talked to numerous black men and they continuously comment on how easy it is to control and walk over their white women. I just want to set the record straight. I want A Disgusted White Girl to know that not all successful black men date white women.
Brothers like Ahmad Rashad, Denzel Washington, Michael Jordan, Morris Chestnut, Will Smith, Blair Underwood, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Chris Rock all married strong black women And, to flip the script, there are numerous white men, in and out of the spotlight, who openly or secretly desire black women over white women. Ted Danson, Robert DeNiro, and David Bowie to name a few.
I just don’t want a disgusted white girl to be misinformed Stop thinking that because you are white that you are some type of goddess. Remember, when black Egyptian Queens like Hatsepshut and Nitorcris were ruling Dynasties and armies of men in Egypt , you were over in the caves of Europe eating raw meat and beating each other over the head with clubs.
Read your history!
It was the black woman that taught you how to cook and season your food. It was the black woman that taught you how to raise your children. It was black women who were breast feeding and raising your babies during slavery.
It is the black woman that had to endure watching their fathers, husbands, and children beaten, killed, and thrown in jail. Black women were born with two strikes against them: being black and being a woman. And, through all this, Still They Rise!
It is because of the black women’s strength, elegance, power, love and beauty that I could never date anyone except my black Queen. It is not just the outer beauty that captivates and draws me to them. It is not the fact that they come in all shapes, sizes, colors and shades that I love them.
Their inner beauty is what I find most appealing about black women. Their strong spirit, loving and nurturing souls, their integrity, their ability to overcome great obstacles, their willingness to stand for what they believe in, and their determination to succeed and reach their highest potential while enduring great pain and suffering is why I have fallen in love with black women.
I honestly believe that your anger is geared more toward jealousy and envy more so than snotty looks. If this were not so, then why do you continuously go to tanning salons to darken your skin? If you are so proud to be white, then why don’t you just be happy with your pale skin? Why do you continue to inject your lips, hips, and breasts with unnatural and dangerous substances so you can look fuller and more voluptuous?
I think that your anger is really a result of you wanting to have what the black woman has.
BOTTOM LINE: If I were looking for a docile woman, someone I can walk over and control, I would give you a call. But, unfortunately, I am looking for a Virtuous Woman. Someone that can be a good wife and mother to my children.
Someone who can be my best friend and understands my struggles. I am looking for a soul mate. I am looking for a sister and; unfortunately, you do not and CANNOT fit the bill.
No offense taken, none given.
Signed,
Black Royalty
~~~~~~~~~UPDATE FROM MARENDA~~~~~~~~~~~
based on the above and the responses below
It seems to me the biggest mistake is to make sweeping generalizations and blanket statements about people. It’s one thing to have a preference and/or natural attraction but to just make assumptions and lump women into a category is nonsense.
I don’t have an issue with interracial couples. If you like it, I love it. To each his own.
Different strokes for different folks! No big deal!
What I do have an issue with is these broad generalizations being made specifically about Black women. Perhaps some of yall have been watching too much BET or TV period. Don’t Believe The Hype!
Not all Black women are:
Fat
Loud
Mean
Argumentative
Needy
Materialistic
Carry Excess Baggage
Not all Black women want:
A thug
A dope boy
A man’s money
To pop bottles in the club
To control, manipulate, and/or emasculate men
If these characteristics describe the Black women that you’ve encountered then it makes me wonder what in YOU attracts these type of women! Could it be your own excess baggage? deep seeded issues? low self esteem? shallowness? self hate? F.E.A.R. (False Expectations Appearing Real)?
I am a Black woman married to a Black man and I treat my husband like the king that he is…I put it down from the kitchen to bedroom and every place in between, all the while putting forth every effort to be kind, tender, understanding, caring, supportive, slow to anger, and I am more than happy to let him where the pants. (see proverbs 31)
There is no power struggle, we believe in the “team work makes the dream work” philosophy…we work together in all things! We communicate openly and honestly. I don’t always get my way (but he tells me it is his pleasure to see to it that I always get what I want and need and that feeling is mutual).
The generalizations are offensive because aside from myself I personally know Black women that do not fit the charge some are making.
As for “Disgusted White Girl” I’m disgusted by her need to hear from Black men as to why White women “are so appealing and coveted” by Black men.
Why is she seeking reassurance from Black men that White women treat them better than Black women? Sounds like she has some “excess baggage” that SHE needs to deal with.
For all the Black men she finds that prefer White women, there are just as many if not more White men that prefer Black women…
Running down a list of Black celebrities with White women is sooooo ridiculous. But I’m glad she pointed it out because the flip side of that is how many Black men (no matter how fine) that work at Trader Joe’s, the plant, UPS….are getting a 2nd glance or even a date with White women????? “Disgusted White Girl” is fronting I doubt her dating standards are equal opportunity. ALL women have some type of standards… and the standards of the women dating the celebs on her list have some common denominators I shouldn’t even have to point out. That’s another discussion…
“Disgusted White Girl” has it twisted. If she’s getting dirty looks and snide remarks she needs to consider the possibility of there being something about HER that is attracting that type of attention? The tone of her letter certainly suggests that she looks down on Black women (as a woman she should know a woman’s 6th sense and intuition can pick up on such vibes). Some of the women she’s encountering probably could careless that she’s with a Black man, they probably detect and detest her attitude and body language. She didn’t mention what kind of looks she’s giving the Black women when she’s out with Black men? If its the:
“Don’t be mad with us White women because so many of your men want us. Get your acts together and learn from us and we may lead you to treat your men better”
Its no wonder. Most likely her own thoughts, expectations, and insecurities are what’s creating the drama she perceives. Black women have enough to deal with than to be worried about a “Disgusted White Girl” somewhere in VA or about the Black men that let a few bad apples spoil the bunch for them lol.
Its ok if you have a preference but not ok to generalize or bash. It is never ok to put yourself on a pedelstal and look down on others
This morning I learned that Sarah Palin was scheduled to be at the Home Depot Center in Carson. For those that don’t know Carson is next door to Compton! My first thought was “dog on it” …why is Sarah Palin in my back yard?
That folksie double talk and side stepping questions, is unacceptable in these parts. (wink)
The hardworking middle class majority Democrat folks around here, see straight through the McCain (McSame) Palin (Palies) campaign.
I cannot imagine Sarah Palin being welcomed here under any set of circumstances.
Why would they even come into known Obama/Biden territory?
Were they hoping to make a statement?
Well, Barack Obama & Joe Biden supporters like me, took this as an opportunity to send the McCain campaign a clear message:
Did I go to the Home Depot Center? “You Betcha!” I headed to Carson with my mom, grandmother, and Malinda. We followed a caravan of fellow supporters from Compton and surrounding cities as far as Brentwood.
Upon arriving at the Home Depot Center in Carson, we were greeted by happy enthusiastic Obama/Biden ’08 supporters peacefully marching, chanting, and waving signs. We joined the crowd.
As McCain/Palin supporters arrived many shouted obscenities, others waved their middle fingers, some just gave us dirty glaring looks, while others were just visibly angry that we were exercising our constitutional right to protest. Many seemed shocked that we were even there.
I don’t know how they thought they were going to come in an extremely strong Democratic community and expect anything other than what they got! Sarah Palin is not wanted or welcome here so much so that they had to give away tickets because they couldn’t move them. A man with tickets told me they were initially going for $100+. Yes, I’m the bold chick in an Obama shirt approaching McCain supporters asking questions. I figure since we can’t get any straight answers out of McCain or Palin maybe their supporters would be willing to answer a few questions….
I was elated to run into some Iraq Veterans Against the War supporting the Obama/Biden ticket. McCain/Supporters were not as happy or amused. I was surprised to see and hear some of McSame’s people screaming at these young men (vets) that served our country in Iraq.
Apparently, these McCain supporting civilians knew more about the war then these guys that actually served in the war.
This guy actually told them to stop listening to mainstream media and do some research….I couldn’t believe it.
This was my first time being in the midst of McCain/Palin supporters and it answered so many questions for me.
I had been wondering if McCain/Palin supporters actually believe the nonsense that comes out of their candidates mouths. The answer is yes, many of them do, even when presented with actual facts. I know, SCARY isn’t it.
After hearing racially charged statements from some of the McCain/Palin supporters, it confirmed what I already knew…for some people the issues don’t matter in this election because the real issue for more than most will admit is RACE!
The same people that were wearing shirts and carrying signs with the slogan “Country First” were the same people that were visibly seething with anger that we had the audacity and right to be at the Home Depot Center.
There was a report that an elderly black woman was knocked down, her Obama/Biden sign was taken from her and ripped to shreds earlier… I guess the “Country First” slogan didn’t apply to her. That didn’t even make the evening news.
I am thankful that I am able to participate in and experience these historic times firsthand. I don’t have to rely on history books or the news, as those accounts often leave out important details….
The news claims the stadium was full! I have seen that entire area more packed for sporting events. That stadium was not full of McCain/Palin supporters.
The news also showed a clip of like 10 Obama/Biden supporters on the corner of Avalon in front of the Home Depot Center but neglected to show or mention the hundreds of Obama/Biden supporters that were there at and around the metal detector entrances of the stadium.
I noticed that the news also failed to mention that there was an airplane circling above the stadium with a “Thanks but No Thanks Sarah Palin” sign. Thank God for blogs lol. I bring you the truth and my eyewitness account, check out these pictures.
*Note the first 27 pics are from today, the rest are from a rally on 9/20/08. My friend Malinda took videos today with her phone, when I get those I’ll post them too.
“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.” —Sarah Palin
I understand that Sarah Palin’s remarks were an attempt to discredit Barack Obama while showing that she’s qualified to be John McCain’s running mate, but to scoff at community organizers in the process was out of line and indicative of her ignorance and/or disregard of American history.
If it hadn’t been for community organizers Sarah Palin wouldn’t even be where she is today! Hello, the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Movement were lead by who? COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS…people that believed in change and were determined to make a difference.
Community organizers have always been instrumental in righting wrongs and taking on the responsibilities that elected officials (including small town mayors) have either ignored, swept under the rug, or were unable/unwilling to handle.
Sarah Palin is wrong to suggest that community organizers have no actual responsibilities.
The responsibility that community organizers accept and assume comes down to: Am I My Brothers Keeper? The community organizer says YES I AM! The community organizer actively addresses social disparities and fights to make a positive difference.
While a small town city mayor might be concerned with banning books in local libraries, a community organizer is concerned with empowering people with knowledge, resources, self help programs, and more!
Community organizers have always spearheaded change in this country. Many of America’s greatest leaders to date were and/or are community organizers! I am a community organizer.
Sarah Palin can sleep on the efforts of community organizers if she wants to, but it will be community organizers that will make sure that she does not occupy an office or even sit behind a desk in the White House!
In Sarah Palin’s speech she said “Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons…The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.” Well she didn’t leave the city of Wasilla better than she found it so why would we want her any where near the White House?
»As mayor, Sarah Palin tried to ban books from the library. Sarah Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, “news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving “full support” to the mayor.”
»Sarah Palin DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). She claimed that she said “thanks, but no thanks” to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Sarah Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks “while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.”
Race is usually a discussion that people shy away from. Not talking about a problem doesn’t make the problem go away… I’ve been waiting anxiously to see Meeting David Wilson on MSNBC. I saw it tonight! This is a must see for EVERYONE! Meeting David Wilson is a thought provoking tear jerking emotional roller coaster well worth the ride. I was stung by the question What is Wrong With Black People?…actually it still stings. It was interesting and hurtful to hear the answers given. The film makers set out to make a film that would get us to open up, talk, see things from other perspectives, self introspect, and learn. I think they did a good job.
I am left with a question… perhaps its a silly question, I’ll pose it anyway… I hear of Black people researching family history frequently. Do White people do the same thing? If not, why not? What would it be like for a White person tracing their family history that leads them to a connection with slavery? I don’t know what I would say if a White person called my house saying that they were researching their family history and discovered that their family owned my family etc…..
Do WE (all people) not know our families history because its painful and shameful? Are WE (all people) in a state of ignorance is bliss? Are the genealogical records to difficult to come by? Do WE (all people) care? Does it matter? How would knowing OUR history affect us now and in the future? I wonder… Ok, Meeting David Wilson left me with a plethora of questions.
“Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It’s always good to have your closest friend and associate say something good about you. And Ralph is the best friend that I have in the world.
I’m delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.
As you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, “Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?”– I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn’t stop there. I would move on by Greece, and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality.
But I wouldn’t stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn’t stop there. I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. But I wouldn’t stop there. I would even go by the way that the man for whom I’m named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.
But I wouldn’t stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn’t stop there. I would even come up the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
But I wouldn’t stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, “If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy.” Now that’s a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That’s a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding–something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya: Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee–the cry is always the same–”We want to be free.”
And another reason that I’m happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we’re going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demands didn’t force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence.
That is where we are today. And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn’t done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I’m just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period, to see what is unfolding. And I’m happy that he’s allowed me to be in Memphis.
I can remember, I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn’t itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God’s world.
And that’s all this whole thing is about. We aren’t engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God’s children. And that we don’t have to live like we are forced to live.
Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh’s court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that’s the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.
Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we’ve got to keep attention on that. That’s always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn’t get around to that.
Now we’re going to march again, and we’ve got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God’s children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That’s the issue. And we’ve got to say to the nation: we know it’s coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.
We aren’t going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don’t know what to do. I’ve seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me round.” Bull Connor next would say, “Turn the fire hoses on.” And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn’t know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn’t relate to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water.
That couldn’t stop us. And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we’d go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we’d just go on singing. “Over my head I see freedom in the air.” And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, “Take them off,” and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, “We Shall Overcome.” And every now and then we’d get in the jail, and we’d see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn’t adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.
Now we’ve got to go on to Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us Monday. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we’re going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, “Be true to what you said on paper.” If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn’t committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren’t going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.
We need all of you. And you know what’s beautiful to me, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It’s a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor.”
And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he’s been to jail for struggling; but he’s still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time will not permit. But I want to thank them all. And I want you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren’t concerned about anything but themselves. And I’m always happy to see a relevant ministry.
It’s alright to talk about “long white robes over yonder,” in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It’s alright to talk about “streets flowing with milk and honey,” but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s alright to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.
Now the other thing we’ll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nation in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That’s power right there, if we know how to pool it.
We don’t have to argue with anybody. We don’t have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don’t need any bricks and bottles, we don’t need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, “God sent us by here, to say to you that you’re not treating his children right. And we’ve come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda–fair treatment, where God’s children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you.”
And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy–what is the other bread?–Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart’s bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven’t been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.
But not only that, we’ve got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take you money out of the banks downtown and deposit you money in Tri-State Bank–we want a “bank-in” movement in Memphis. So go by the savings and loan association. I’m not asking you something that we don’t do ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We’re just telling you to follow what we’re doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an “insurance-in.”
Now there are some practical things we can do. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.
Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.
Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn’t stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, because he had the capacity to project the “I” into the “thou,” and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn’t stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings–an ecclesiastical gathering–and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn’t be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that “One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony.” And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a “Jericho Road Improvement Association.” That’s a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the casual root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effort.
But I’m going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It’s possible that these men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, “I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable.” It’s a winding, meandering road. It’s really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you’re about 2200 feet below sea level. That’s a dangerous road. In the day of Jesus it came to be known as the “Bloody Pass.” And you know, it’s possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it’s possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”.
That’s the question before you tonight. Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?” The question is not, “If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?” “If I do no stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?” That’s the question.
Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, “Are you Martin Luther King?”
And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that’s punctured, you drown in your own blood–that’s the end of you.
It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I’ve forgotten what those telegrams said. I’d received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I’ve forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I’ll never forget it. It said simply, “Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the Whites Plains High School.” She said, “While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I’m simply writing you to say that I’m so happy that you didn’t sneeze.”
And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn’t sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great movement there. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I’m so happy that I didn’t sneeze.
And they were telling me, now it doesn’t matter now. It really doesn’t matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, “We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we’ve had the plane protected and guarded all night.”
And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say that threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?
Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
5 years ago I had a conversation with a friend about how older generations seem reluctant to pass on information. In retrospect, I believe that its not so much that older generations are reluctant to share… it seems that know it all younger generations are unwillingly to tap into the reservoirs of wisdom available to them.
While we may have access to information at the click of a mouse…information does not equal wisdom or experience. My generation has a lot to learn and can gain so much if we’d take the time to LISTEN and take heed to wise words that come from elders and oral traditions not email forwards.
My dad said something I’ll never forget before he died. He told me to learn everything that I can. Previous to him telling me that he had also instructed me to listen to my grandmother (my moms mother). I have always been close to my grandmother, so I thought him saying that was weird, but he was talking about listening and learning from the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that is pass down from generation to generation.
My grandmother says “Use your head for more than just a hat rack.” I talk to my grandmother every day and I always learn something new and useful. I realize that not everyone has grandparents but I’m sure there is an aunt, uncle, cousin, church member, or someone older and wiser in your circle. Listen and Learn.
One more thing…get the full scoop…what I mean is get the good, the bad, and the ugly. Learn about the failures, hardships, and obstacles too not just the good times… We must take the time to learn everything we can.
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. -Marcus Garvey
In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. -Alex Haley
All families have some level of dysfunction. Can we break generational curses and rise above? Are we ready to be the change we wish to see? Family issues are often ignored, unconfronted, and left laying dormant under the surface.
How do we begin to build up what we’ve allowed to be torn down?
Change and healing begins with us. Dr. Maya Angelou gives us much to think about:
THE BLACK FAMILY PLEDGE
BECAUSE we have forgotten our ancestors,
our children no longer give us honor.
BECAUSE we have lost the path our ancestors cleared
kneeling in perilous undergrowth,
our children cannot find their way.
BECAUSE we have banished the God of our ancestors,
our children cannot pray.
BECAUSE the old wails of our ancestors have faded beyond our hearing,
our children cannot hear us crying.
BECAUSE we have abandoned our wisdom of mothering and fathering,
our befuddled children give birth to children
they neither want nor understand.
BECAUSE we have forgotten how to love, the adversary is within our
gates, an holds us up to the mirror of the world shouting,
“Regard the loveless”
Therefore we pledge to bind ourselves to one another, to embrace our
lowliest, to keep company with our loneliest, to educate our illiterate,
to feed our starving, to clothe our ragged, to do all good things,
knowing that we are more than keepers of our brothers and sisters.
We ARE our brothers and sisters.
IN HONOR of those who toiled and implored God with golden tongues,
and in gratitude to the same God who brought us out of hopeless desolation, we make this pledge.
