When I was a little girl, my parents were very Afro
centric. They were pretty cool in the 70’s
with their afros and were always up with the fashions of the time. More importantly, they were socially
conscious and I often found myself in the midst of some heated conversations
about what was going on in the 70’s – politically, socially and
economically. We were far from rich, but
we never missed a meal, always had fun things to do and even received a weekly
allowance. My mom always said we were
poor but her kids would never know it – and we didn’t.
My mom was very politically active and “up with the people”. She was always at the forefront of voter
registration drives and anything that had to do with the city workers union, that’s where you could find her. She had a burning passion for justice and
equality for all people. So at an early
age, I decided that when I grew up, I was going to be a Black Panther or work
for the NAACP or some other “black” organization where I would work hard to
help black people obtain the equality that America promised to all of its
citizens
When I became a teenager and was forced by my mother to
attend a predominantly white catholic school I couldn’t believe it! Here this racially conscious, dare I say even
“radical” black woman who raised me that way is making me go to the white
institution? The same institution where
I had attended a fun fair kinda thing with my older brother (who attended that institution
at the time) and my cousins, only to be put off the premises by the priest
because of an altercation between my brother and male cousins and some sloppy
looking white football players who were clearly plastered! That didn’t matter. Another thing about my mother: when she decided on something that was
it. Period. So off I went for 4 years at a predominantly
white institution where I learned that while not all white people were not mean and nasty
towards blacks, racism and prejudice were definitely still alive and kicking in
the late 70’s and early 80’s. I had a
hard time during those 4 years, but somehow still managed to graduate with 2nd
honors, but was always on disciplinary probation; mostly because of my outspokenness.
The years went by – 80’s, 90’s and by now, I’m a mommy
myself. On the surface, it appeared that
blacks had progressed, but when you pulled back a layer, you could still see
major disparities in the areas of employment, health, education, access to
healthy food, etc.. Even if you were
employed there was still a disparity in the income level of blacks vs. whites. Even if you were blessed to live near a
supermarket, there was still disparity in the quality of food sold. None of this affected me directly. I lived a sheltered life that was primarily
focused on raising my children. I drove
all over and shopped all over, just like my mother before me. Blacks were in good political positions in
where I lived (Philadelphia, PA) Blacks were beginning to open and operate
their own businesses. Life around me
personally was good. It really wasn’t until I ventured back into
corporate America that racism and prejudice knocked me clear upside my head
again – and it was now the dawn of a new millennium.
Usher in the year 2000 – the year when the most
controversial presidential election of the U.S. occurred and ended with a
questionable win (or steal) by George W. Bush.
Where were our black leaders and organizations? I can’t remember hearing too much from them
then. My ex-husband and I were running a
pretty successful construction company and my life was full. Then…we began to feel racism at it’s
best. Ain’t nothing BUT racism in the
construction industry - from the bottom to the top - and boy oh boy did I get it up close and personal.
By now my passion for wanting to work for one of those
organizations had begun to resurface.Long gone was Cecil B. Moore. David P. Richardson had also been laid to
rest. These were two of my favorite
local political heroes. I’ve not had one
since Dave Richardson. There was no
place for us to turn to help us with the economic murder plot that we were
experiencing. Everyone had pretty much
sold out or just got out.
In 2001 I found myself working at the African American
Chamber of Commerce of PA NJ and DE. It was my dream
job. It was a place where I had a
chance to meet people from all walks of life and where I felt I was making a
difference in my community, city and world.
We worked with grassroots organizations and even successfully boycotted
the Philadelphia Daily News because of their unfair news coverage of
blacks. II even got to work together
with other “black organizations” and leaders and it was a good feeling.
2012. We now have a
President whose skin color and half of his ancestry hails not from a European
descent. The disparities are still there
and may be even worse than before. Where are our black leaders and
organizations? They haven’t gotten
together with and agenda to present to the president to address the issues that
are relevant to us. Then when someone
questions them their response is “He’s president of ALL U.S. citizens; not just
blacks.” WTH? It’s beginning to sound like a pre-recorded
and embedded message that they’ve been programmed to say. Even the first POTUS must be wondering where
our black leaders are. He surly didn’t
think they were at the most recent NAACP convention because he didn’t even
bother to attend.
And if our black leaders were not at the NAACP convention;
the convention hosted by ( I think) the oldest black organization in these
United States; and organization whose mission is "to ensure the political,
educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to
eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination". If our black leaders weren’t there, then
where are they???
Today, the little girl in me is sad. Sad that there are still so many disparities
in existence. Sad that is still a need
for black leadership. But most of all
she is sad about the lack of leadership among her people.
Interesting articles on this topic:
Black Agenda Has Fallen By The Wayside.
Making The Results Match the Rhetoric.
Interesting articles on this topic:
Black Agenda Has Fallen By The Wayside.
Making The Results Match the Rhetoric.
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