Civil Rights

[Proudbrothaman]

It’s been a while since I’ve read an article so well written and with so many good points driven home. The message is clear and concise with a big Sunday dinner helping of food for thought. I hope the A/C family enjoys it as much as I did.

Juan Williams
Is the author of "Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America - and What We Can Do about It"Recently a friend offered me a list of top American leaders. It included former Secretary of State Colin Powell, U.S. Sen. Barrack Osama, entertainers Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey, Time Warner CEO **** Parsons, evangelist T.D. Jakes, and golfer Tiger Woods. What is striking about the list is that all of the above are black Americans.Equally striking is that none of the names on the list belongs to anyone whose title is "civil rights leader." A generation ago any list of top black leaders would have been dominated by civil rights leaders. A list from the 1960s would begin with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, Thurgood Marshall and Malcolm X. Today black people with that kind of leadership talent are busy breaking through doors previously closed to people of color and making their mark in politics, business, academia and more. This is the fruit of the integrationist, "mountaintop" vision that past civil rights leaders struggled to make a reality for their children.
Today, there is an absence of major voices to speak out about key economic and social issues that weigh on poor black people. Critical concerns such as the persistence of a 25 percent poverty rate among blacks nationally - about triple the poverty rate for white Americans - are left with no guiding hand.

Other issues left unattended:

About half of America's black children drop out of high school. Among black students who stay in school, there is a yawning "achievement gap" in basic reading and math skills between black and white students. Those students may get the same diploma on graduation day but it is a ticket to two very different sets of job opportunities and incomes in a world of economic competition with fewer blue-collar jobs for the poorly educated.

70 percent of black children today are born to unwed mothers. This is an almost certain recipe for family breakdown, educational failure, and poverty.

More than 40 percent of state and federal inmates are black, which is far out of proportion to the 13 percent of black people in the nation. Where is the leadership on the sad acceptance of criminal behavior and drug use that leads to this appalling high rate of incarceration?

When I wrote Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, I had a sense of awe at the ability of black leaders of that period to put aside disparate personalities and ideas and focus on creating strategies and coalitions to defeat the laws of segregation. When reading that book or watching the accompanying PBS series, take note of the quality of black leaders on display at a time of rank segregation and pitiful financial resources compared with the level of opportunity and wealth in black America today.

Today's pale version of civil rights leadership never taps into the powerful tradition of self-help. Instead the sole focus is on grievances - charges of discrimination and calls for increased government spending for social programs that are based on appeals to white guilt.

Where is today's leadership voice calling for proud, capable black Americans, especially poor black people, to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities in this generation?

Today's fight is to make high school graduation a priority for every black child. This century's civil rights movement requires attention to marriage as a key to family stability, good parenting and increased wealth. New leadership has to work to get poor people out of neighborhoods full of failing schools, crime and dysfunctional behavior. Such places cripple the spirit and hold people down.

When comedian Bill Cosby called for leadership on these issues at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, he was attacked by critics. They said he did not understand the continued power of racism. The truth is that Cosby's voice was prophetic. Racism does remain a fact, but the central challenge for this era of black leadership is to rescue black people still in poverty's grip. Until this unpleasant truth is confronted, the progress of poor blacks will remain stagnant.

Cosby's words may seem harsh, but his unflinching look at the state of things is precisely the type of leadership that the black community needs today. It's the next step in that ultimate ascension to Dr. King's mountaintop.

[DBlack]

Juan Williams is a great man. I've read many an article from him and he truly has a lot of good information and knowledge for us.

You had me until you plugged Cosby in here. Cosby is the opposite of Juan. Juan has integrity, Cosby has none. Juan loves his people, Cosby would rather be white. Juan (to my knowledge) is a living example of great leadership. Cosby is a hypocritical, self-endowed grandstander who needs to get his own personal house in order before he has a right to criticise his own people. Juan holds blacks and whites accoutable, Cosby only wants to talk about his own people, denegrating and insulting who we are and hiding the real problems.

So, I guess a step in the right direction would be silencing or ignoring false-leaders like Cosby and embracing more leaders like Juan Williams.

[Samoon]

"Equally striking is that none of the names on the list belongs to anyone whose title is "civil rights leader."

Firstly, I agree with you. This is an excellent article. Secondly, with all due respect to our former Greats, I contend that one of the most common culprits that prohibit our progression as black people is the mind-set "adopted generations ago" is waiting for "that Black Messiah" so to speak. Release for many from mental slavery, should not be incompent on a few, hand-picked, so-called Talented Tenth. Although the Talented Tenth was "prepped," armed with racial pride and set out, with vision, "on a misson" and served it's purpose; in present day America, the stark reality has become that of dissension between black haves and have nots. Still, we must all remain conscious that as long as our people are under-served in any capacity, injustice prevails. Let's keep it real, sadly many of our elitist brothers and sistas, that bear little to no thoughts of consciousness-raising, are less concerned about the plight of our brothers and sistas.

So, for me, no. I am not standing around and waiting for that, "next Black Messiah." And I am not going to assuage any "guilt" by waiting around until some given holiday to whip out my check-book and write a paltry, "forgive me" sum because my successes and material comforts have reached the level of having a "disconnect" with my own people. Some may take offense at my stance and statements in feeling that we have a moral responsibility to take care of each other (and note that I am not saying remain "stuck on stupid" for some of us will NOT be saved), but if one were to brutally look at our diaspora, there remains much work to be done.

Instead, I opt to focus on continuing to encourage my people to embrace personal accountability, envision and embrace self-reliance in our people. This is not a dream, and can help to be conducive in "saving" our race. All, be well.

[jamesfrmphilly]

every thing that is wrong within a system of white supremacy is the fault of the owners of that system.
no, black people are not lazy, stupid or of poor character.
we are in a race/class war and we are taking casualties.
we need to inflict some too.

[Celeste]

Originally Posted by DBlack

Juan Williams is a great man.

Yes he is. He and I attended the same college (different points in time, of course). As a fellow-alum, I don't fully agree with all of his viewpoints(though most are valid), but his intellect and general excellence (witness: Eyes on The Prize) are impressive.

[jimihaze]

I am going to have to check out juan williams books.