Racism Still Alive We just been concealing it....

On Nov. 4th, 2008, Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America. A Black Man was elected President in a nation that still lives with the wounds and memory of slavery. While this is a historic moment in our nation's history, we must realize that the work put in to elect Barack Obama as President must not end! There are still battles to be fought, still wrongs to right. We must not think for one single moment that because he is elected President, all of the problems of the world will magically disappear. That is not the case. We must not think for one single moment that because he is elected President, the world is a much better place. That is not the case. Most importantly, we must not fall into the trap of thinking, for ONE SINGLE MOMENT, that because is elected President, racism does not exist. THAT IS NOT THE CASE!!

I am a very proud 2008 graduate of Colgate University. I will hold, forever, that it is one of the best institutions of higher education in America. However, occurrences at Colgate a week ago, let us all know that Racism is still alive. Last week, a student found disgustingly racist remarks in a bathroom in Colgate's Alumni Hall. When I first heard that someone wrote a racist remark, I was upset, but I (like most people) assumed that the person wrote "nigger" and continued on their racist way. However, I received pictures last night of what exactly was written. Needless to say, I was heartbroken. After reading what was written and carved into the bathroom, there had to be more than one person involved. For them to have the time to write "No Nigger will ever rule the White House", "Lynch them all", "They were born to be slaves and serve white people bout time for them to start doing it again", and "South will rise again", indicates that they had plenty of time to think and write and reflect (although they did not proofread).

As a graduate of Colgate University, I am outraged. As a Black Man, I am outraged. As a former leader at Colgate, I am outraged. I am not the only one who shares in this outrage. There are a number of students, alumni, faculty, and staff who are outraged. While that outrage is important and definitely well-founded, outrage is an emotion. What I'm getting at here is a very simple question: where is the action? Colgate is a very good institution, however, the students (and the university as a whole), are extremely sheltered. So when something like this occurs and there needs to be a response on the part of the students, the first inclination is to ask for permission or get approval to respond.

Colgate as an institution has a pretty clear history of what happens when something of this magnitude occurs. In 1969, members of the Association for Black Collegians held a sit-demanding an cultural living center. From their demands, both the HRC and ALANA cultural center were created. In 2001, when Colgate professor Barry Shain (who is still a member of the faculty) made incendiary remarks in an email to a black female student, that black students took easier courses, and that liberal-minded professors were easier on black students, there were meetings and then there were sit-ins.

So what is the major difference between those events and the events of last week? ACTION! I commend the current Colgate students for what they have done thus far. It's easy for me as an Alumni to sit here and say what I would have done if I were there, but until thrust into that situation there's no telling. And while, I know that we as Alumni support you all, I'm hesitant to make this an Alumni event of sorts. I say that in order to convey to current students that we as Alumni cannot overtake your experience. You are at Colgate right now. You are the future of that institution and of this country. And you do not need permission from anyone (administration or alumni) to express your feelings in whatever way you see fit!

Let me repeat that: YOU DO NOT NEED PERMISSION FROM ANYONE (ADMINISTRATION OR ALUMNI) TO EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS!!!!

Some may ask, well, what are your demands from these protests? And while you may very well come up with demands later on or have them now, the reasoning is very simple: Some people got together and decided that writing racist remarks in a bathroom was a good idea and disrupted my day, education, life, so I want them to be just as disrupted by my presence despite their actions. That's what protest is about. Its not about appeasement, its about discomfort. And from that discomfort, reaching a place of coexistence.

Considering where we have come from in our nation's history, I think most major pundits are erroneously correct when they say that as a result of Barack Obama's selection, "we have come full circle". Instead of doing a 180 and having some change, we are back, in many ways, to where we started. The only way to effect change is to continue fighting. As the fight song indicates, Fight fight fight for Dear Old Colgate. But most importantly, FIGHT FOR YOURSELF!!

Sarah Palin and Tall

After about a month long hiatus, I have finally gotten a breather to blog again. Clearly from the title, my aim is Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska. In a very transparent move to try and woo the disgruntled Hilary voters, John McCain decided to "pick up" Sarah Palin as a running mate. Now the question of why I have pick up in quotations may arise, so let me explain. In "pick-up" basketball, there is really no thought process involved in choosing who will be on your team. You simply choose someone based on their physical appearance at the time. While I'm sure Palin's physical appearance as a "milf" did not play any factor in her being chosen, to John McCain she was the best looking player on the team at the time. She has undoubtedly energized the Republican base (well, at least about two weeks ago she did) and brought in a very interesting dynamic to the race. In one sweeping motion, John McCain has single-handedly removed himself from the race for President. The two major characters of this campaign are Barack Obama and Sarah Palin and while some joke that McCain will not survive his first-year in office, it is remarkable how quickly he has become an afterthought in the campaign.

So why the title? Why the play on the Patricia McLachlan children's book? Well, quite simply, Sarah Palin is plain. There is nothing remarkable about her outside of her newfound celebrity "milf" status and her down-right ignorant view of the world. To believe that her experience as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska where the biggest event to come before her was the debate over the installation of a new skating facility. Compared to Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer on the Southside of Chicago, where he dealt with issues facing the actual livelihood of people, not their forms of entertainment.

And thats what Sarah Palin has become for a number of people: a form of entertainment. Tina Fey's SNL spoof was by far one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed, and I had the common sense to have the sound up, unlike some VP candidates. Her foreign policy credentials are sub-par at best. Barack Obama did a major tour around Europe and even gave a speech in front of thousands. Palin met with nine foreign dignitaries (one of whom was Bono) in New York City. My best friend, Gabby, is meeting with the President of Iran today. In New York City. Is she more qualified than Palin to run for VP or even President? (My honest answer to this question is yes. She's truly amazing) John McCain has run himself out of the race. Its apparent that even his own voters are more energized by his running-mate than him. Should we sit around and wait for John McCain to die, in order to reenergize the country via a VP pick who's presidency, as so eloquently put by Matt Damon (aka, Jason Bourne, who definitely has more foreign policy experience than Palin), would be "like a really bad Disney movie"? I think Walt is rolling over in his grave.

Self Reliance and the NAACP

Watching Bill O'Reilly and his talking points made me start to think about Barack Obama and the so-called "Self-Reliance" tour. There seems to be a disconnect by O'Reilly and many others in understanding Obama's message on self-reliance that he has delivered. Obama's message is one of personal reliance. O'Reilly, in his brilliance of No-Spin reporting, attempted to portray Obama's message of self-reliance as being something that only Obama could do in front of the NAACP. Excuse me for stating the obvious, but duh Bill. Barack is talking about personal accountability, specifically within the Black community of which he is a member. He has the right and, in many ways, the responsibility to preach personal accountability to the Black community. The personal accountability that Obama preaches should lead to holding our government to a higher level of accountability. Is not that what we need now? A government who the people can hold accountable. A government who the people can trust. We must start by trusting ourselves.

Legacy of Leadership

I originally planned on posting about Jesse Jackson's ridiculous comments but my man Nellz did as good of a job as I would have, so I definitely urge you to go and check it out (arkitekt's blueprint). Yet, there is something I want to address with this entry and thats the legacy of leadership. Since before the end of the Civil Rights movement (or what tons of people say is the end, seeing as how the movement isnt over), there has been a fight for prominence and leadership of the "black community". I have argued before, and again argue now, that beginning April 5, 1968 (the day after the assassination of Dr. King), there has been a constant struggle for the control of the continuation of the movement. With no recognized leader present to take the lead, the movement lost its luster and was in an uproar. However, it would be historically myopic to constrict the power struggle to this time period. In fact, there were noted struggles between King's SCLC and Stokley Carmichael's SNCC over the direction of the movement and perceptions of leadership. Carmichael and SNCC were upset that King was getting most of the media attention, while they were doing "most of the work". They were also fed up with the continued non-violence of the movement and were seeking to convert the movement to the militant strand that preached Black Power. King feared that the slogan of Black Power would confuse white people, as it did, and further hurt the movement, again as it did. So the fight over mission and strategy, as well as recognition plagued the movement early on, however, after the death of King, the leadership struggles of the movement were amplified by a need for a leader to continue the movement. The death of King led the selfless to become selfish and led them to stray away from the flock like sheep without a master. It is known by many that King declared Ralph Abernathy to lead the movement. However, Abernathy's lack of leadership ability and vision (at least in comparison to MLK) led to his losing control of SCLC and lead to the rise of Jesse Jackson amongst other people. So what then is the legacy of Dr.King's Leadership? Barack Obama seems to be next in the trend of charismatic, compassionate, intelligent leadership needed to transform this country into what it claims to be: One nation, under God, indivisble, with liberty and justice for all. So why the hate from Jesse Jackson? The answer is that it is a problem that is endemic to the Black Community, as well as our national community. You see, the Civil Right generation is exiting the stage and they are having a hard time dealing with a society that is working to be more integrated and globalized. The problems that people of color faced during the Civil Rights generation's heyday have become problems for more than one group of people and the post-Civil Rights generation is looking to correct all problems not just one. It is a multifaceted attack on the social and institutional ills of our society. So it is a shift from the days of marching and boycotting that is understandably unsettling for them to experience this dramatic shift. What Jesse Jackson said is inexcusable. To make matters worse, the questionable Al Sharpton came to his defense. It didnt help much. There is new leadership in place to take this country to the heights that it should be taken to. While the "old guard" is much appreciated, it is time for a change that can be seen and felt. Besides, Jesse and Al, in the past 21 years, havent spoken for a cause that I think they should be speaking on. Neither of them (both Reverends) defended Jeremiah Wright. They both remind me of the Rev. Rollo Goodlove . Your thoughts?

Stadium Seating + Change= Win?

Barack Obama and the DNC has decided to hold Obama's nomination in Mile-High Stadium, home to the Denver Broncos. The stadium hold 75,000, which is monstrous compared to the original venue which would hold 20,000. I mean, the man can pack a house, but 75,000 people. He's officially reached Rockstar status. With the message of change, is this a good direction for politics? Barack Obama has run on the message of change, and it has successfully carried him through the primaries. But how long, will simply the message last in the general campaign? McCain is constantly attacking Barack Obama for not having a firm stance on issues, but is it possible for someone (read McCain) to have too firm of a stance? There's an excitement in this country, and even around the world, in hopes that Barack Obama and his message of change will take the election. I must say personally, that I am extremely excited for the future of this country. But can America take 4 years of McBush policies? To put it bluntly, this country is going to hell in a handbasket, when most of the world hates us, gas costs an arm and a leg, the economy is shit, and Iran telling America to "Just Bring It" if it wants to go to war. We are in dire need of change and I may be the only one who believes that even symbolic change may change the attitudes of this country. Colgate University President, Rebecca Chopp, has said numerous times, somtimes you have to believe in something before you can change your actions. Does America qualify for that type of attitude now?

Talking White

Ralph Nader has stepped out of his damn mind and said that Barack Obama is "talking white" and taking advantage of "white guilt". Nader says that Barack has yet to speak on what can be blanketed as black issues (i.e., the housing market, payday loans, etc.) and is trying to stay away from the issues that Jessie Jackson used in his campaign. I agree that Barack has not explicitly spoken on black issues, however after hearing his economic and social change plans, I think they will help America as a whole and that is by far the constituency that I think the President should respond to. I think Obama needs to essentially prove himself to the everyone in America and we as Black people should hold him to the same standard as we would hold a white candidate. However, Nader, is totally off base with his comment and somebody needs to shut him up. He says that Barack is pretending to be white so that he doesnt challenge the establishmnet. Two things, I think about when I hear this statement is what does pretending to be white mean? Is white a state of being that educated people attain? I dont think so. Outside of pigmentation, race, biologically speaking, has very little to do with how a person acts or behaves. So Nader's comments are not substantial on that point. The second thing that comes to mind is, does being white mean you automatically dont challenge the status quo, or cannot challenge the establishment? I'm troubled by Nader's comment (and the fact that he has decided to re-enter because he is not satisfied with the candidate) because it is these type of senseless attacks that continuously bring the focus off of the issues. If Nader wants to draw attention to himself do it in another way. America is ready for change. There have been 8 years of continuous deception and ignorance on the behalf of the Bush Administration, and I for one am very excited to see what happens with the next President of the United States. But with Nader coming out, Barack has said that he simply is trying to get attention, which is entirely believable. Barack is going to do what he did when Hilary tried to pull the same stunts. If you dont remember, let me refresh your memory...