The State of the Black Union was held on February 27, 2005 and televised on CSPAN. The gathering was held in Atlanta, Georgia. Representing the black community were state representatives, company presidents, pastors and community leaders.
The monologue of some speakers was uplifting and pointed to the many successes of the civil rights struggle and results by activists in the past. The meeting of black leaders was desired to write a "covenant" or contract. This Covenant would be a concise set of points most important for black America. For the 2008 elections the Covenant would hold accountable those who sought the black vote in aid their election hopes. Once elected the official would then be expected to follow through on the promise. The covenant web site can be viewed at www.covenantwithblackamerica.com. Be sure to listen to the recorded message from moderator Raymond Brown who explains the covenant.
Some panel members painted a different picture. The comments by the majority of the panel was the sad state of the black union. Their remarks were negative and inflammatory and blame was handed out like samples at a grocery store. After watching the C-Span coverage I have spent hours searching for a transcript of the symposium. If the site is brought to my attention I will link or post it for review.
The host did not question the subject nor did he keep the speakers from using this event as a political sounding board. As the presentation progressed the accusations and negativity became more frequent and the statements became increasingly slanderous. It appeared to the casual observer each successive speaker was competing for the best sound bite of the day. The remarks eventually succeeded in tripping an emotional cord with the audience when clapping was heard and laughter when one of the speakers began to slander President Bush and joking about his level of intelligence.
After watching a few hours of the symposium I gathered a few points;
1) The leaders did not feel enough was being done for black America.
2) The current representatives in government they have supported in the past are not dealing with black problems thoroughly enough.
3) Between the comments made and the fact there was an entirely black panel for all three sessions the perception was if they want it done right, they must do it themselves.
These were representatives and leaders of the black community. They were not only brought here to discuss a possible change in direction for the black community. They were here to brainstorm ideas for improving all areas of life.
Very little discussion was made in a constructive, positive form. It was also noted, very little history of past great leaders was referenced. The Reverend Jessie Jackson quoted Dr. King. The names Julian Bond and Kweisi Mfume were also mentioned, however they are more recent leadership. I would state with confidence little was accomplished at all. In the audio file on the covenant website, Jeremy Brown says himself the details of the covenant were not decided upon (as apparently some if not all the points were to be discussed.)
WEB DuBois was the first black to earn a PHD from Harvard. He was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Referenced from 'The Leaders Companion' by J Thomas Wren; In 'The Negro Problem,' DuBois talked about the most important ingredient for the success of black America. The development of the “Talented Tenth.” Education was the first step in development of the Talented Tenth or the brightest ten percent of the population. Du Bois wanted the brightest ten percent of the black population to be “educated in the best colleges and universities.”
These same citizens would then graduate and become leaders in all areas of the community. These people would be successful people and therefore positions of admiration and inspiration to the black community. The influential power of these citizens would be a tool of immeasurable benefit through encouragement and even directly fostering the “Mass” of the community to improve.
The “Talented Tenth” would first show the other ninety percent it is possible. Then the “Mass” would ideally go and continue the progress. One person at a time would break the cycle of poverty, low self-esteem and reliance on social welfare. In turn they would become role models for the next generation of youth with the potential energy for productivity and leadership.Du Bois also stated education alone was not the sole salvation of his people. “The family and group life… the training of one’s home, of one’s daily companions, of ones social class,” would be key to success of the talented tenth. I believe Du Bois felt the improvements gained through successful individuals in the black community could be easily undermined if the destruction of the family and negative peer influence grew.
A broken home with one parent left to raise the family would contribute to the uphill battle. Our youth at the grade school and high school level are finding roll models in their friends and on television. Some of their peers who do not put forth effort in school are ‘models’ and convince others to believe inattention and uncooperative behavior in the classroom, disrespect for teachers and aggressive handling of disputes in the hallways are acceptable. The more they see it, the more they accept it and the desensitizing takes a tole.
The difference between right and wrong is not always clear. It is more clear to those with a dad and mom as we grew up. Decisions by our youth in broken families and other less fortunate environments will have increased trouble with the areas of ‘grey’.WEB Du Bois wrote sensibly. However he was writing for his time. He states in his ‘The Negro Problem”, The success of the black movement requires the mobilzation of black communities as well as the transformation of attitudes in the surrounding society…. No others can do this work and Negro colleges must train men for it.”
If the black community is being misled to believe they must go it alone. Any credit handed out by prominent black leaders will only be given out to a selected people or groups. The March 25, 2005 issue of USAToday.com, posted a story of interest on this topic. “Bush is opening doors with a diverse Cabinet,” written by Susan Page. The article discusses the ground breaking levels of diversity for the Bush Administrations appointees to lead the country. Per the article, the current administration is more diverse then during any other Presidency. Most notably he has currently two of the ‘big four’ cabinet positions filled by a black and hispanic American. The two current minority cabinet holders are Secretary of State Condileeza Rice and Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General.
According to the article, “Another reason Bush hasn't gotten as much credit as Clinton: The interest groups most likely to praise diversity of personnel generally disagree with Bush on policy.” It seems the Mrs Page surmizes those who are in position to voice support are only willing to give credit when it is due if the individual is on their list of approved supporters. If Al Sharpton was President, interests groups such as the NAACP, Rainbow-Push and others would be very supportive of a decision to diversify the cabinet more then ever before. Because it is President Bush who is doing the diversifying, the interests groups are throwing a fit because it is not one of their own. Therefore they keep their supportive remarks to themselves. Sounds like discrimination.
Susan Page begins to make some summaries in the last third of the article. She states, “Over the long term, Republicans and Democrats agree that the impact could be considerable. The presence of minorities in high-profile jobs could destigmatize the Republican Party among young African-Americans, who remain the most loyal Democratic voting bloc, and could encourage young Hispanics to move toward the GOP.”In the very next paragraph she quotes Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson as saying “It shows respect…” to name Latinos to such powerful positions. Politicos may see this trend as benefiting one party and hurting another. Susan Page and Governor Bill Richardson are missing an opportunity to see what this could mean for the young generations of minorities. Leaders of our country making decisions about our present and future.
The transformation Du Bois talked about one hundred years ago is happening steadily. It is a shame however true, our older generations are typically the least accepting to change and least likely to be inclusive and accept others as they are for color of skin, sexual orientation or other. I will hypothesize the youngest generation today is the least prejudice to date. This pattern will continue with each new generation becoming more inclusive then the previous.
It is also realistic there are many from the middle and older generations who are developing more open minds. The elder generations grew up in a less inclusive time. They may have had racially questionable family and peers or possibly had opened minded people around them. Time is needed to rid minds of prejudices and naïve ideas.
There are fewer prejudice among us today. I am confident in saying there are enough white and educated who believe in this cause and feel it is our concern. The mobilization of the black community is not enough. Mobilization of those in the other communities who can spread the good news of tolerance will have a positive and measureable impact on race relations. The white and educated can and should be doing their part in the teaching of the future black leaders, coaching the black basketball and baseball players, mentoring the black student to be picked for the academic decathlon and support the improvement of black America. Black men and women will contribute to their own future. They will author of more books, start up more companies, be roll models for their youngest. We can all be proud of bringing the environment for these changes to flourish.
It is tantamount the successes of these leaders be proclaimed within the black community but not proclaimed as "a black man" or "a black woman" did this or that. It is also important their successes sit in the front row and be seen, prior to the mentioning of their skin color. Their work and results must take precedent over the color of their skin. The media or any other medium of communication may show their faces in picture, this will be enough evidence to conclude their race. A child does not need to be told someone is black, Hispanic or white. All children begin life naïve and with no prejudices. The prejudices are learned later. If left to think, the same child would probably judge each leader not by color, by the person.
The current administration seems to understand the abov, and for their first criteria for appointments it appears to be, Who would do the best job. Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institute commented on the minority appointments by President Bush. He felt the individuals chosen were quality appointments first and they were people of color second. He said lightly, “…blink and look and say, "Oh, my goodness, it's a black woman..." Working with one another is not cliche, it is imperative. Dr. King said on August 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial, "...for many of our white brothers realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone."
There is a talented tenth in all races. The talented tenth of today's United States is colorful.
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