Black people have always been America's wilderness in search of a promised land.
-- Cornel West,
Whew, 2009.
More often than not, some well-educated people (a very relative term) have approached me with this youthful exhilaration about the first black president of the United States heading to the Washington, D.C. in a couple of weeks. Am I alone in the humorously ironic fact that these well-intended, euphoric-laced, enthusiasts are celebrating a black man, headed into a (haunted) white house, in the nation’s murder capital? I didn’t have the heart to remind these blind loyalists that (less than a decade ago) they celebrated the same ritual in “honor” of Bill Clinton—who they foolishly dubbed the first “black” president. Bill is starting to find there is much more to this race thing than your home address. In any event, this blog would be much more difficult without the unsolicited input of some of my black brethren—whom I love and pray for every day.
MOVING ON UP [insert the Jefferson’s theme]
There is a plethora of pastoral pews packing black church parking lots and loading buses and heading to D.C. for this “historic-themed” inauguration. The District of Columbia must be that one exception to that separation of church and state rule. In fact, a former co-worker told me she was going to take the week off and head to the White House, credential-less. I can only assume that CNN must have lifted her recent probation for excessive absenteeism. You know, for a color so rich and uncompromising as the foundation of the Black race, my people sure make tons of effortless concessions for people that could care less about them or the slave ship of free labor the nation was funded on. Yeah, I know Barack is different. He is going to bailout the auto industry, save the economy, reform the school system (by the way his kids are headed to private school) correct the housing market, put an end to war and terrorism, and spit on a Puffy re-mix. If that sounds ridiculous, wait until you see the black church parking lots on January 19th. I actually like half of Barack. After all, he is unflappable, well-spoken, consistent, nicely attired, and very valiant. Of course, so is my accountant, but......
TIME FOR SOME REAL CHANGE
Just imagine if all of the Barack bandwagon ballyhoos decided instead of flooding D.C. for a media-driven photo opt and cormorant dinner plates; they decided instead to cut a credit card in half
and refuse to apply for another one unless the interest rate was fixed at 5% (or less) for the duration of Barack’s tenure in office.
What if my black people decided to protest all NFL games for one year because they felt Michael Vick’s treatment was excessive.
Imagine if we decided to put all of our direct-deposited checks in one community-invested bank (of our choice) in exchange for an interest-free loan on all big ticketed items (regardless of credit score). The only caveat is all interest-free bank loans must be automatically withdrawn to ensure timely payments. The bank will be able to invest the direct deposits of 13 million people starting January 21 and the community has a real jump-start to improving one’s credit score.
Imagine if this rich uncompromising color decided to donate 5% of their annual income to save Morris Brown College—whose campus, as of this writing, is water-less. Can you believe that? In exchange for the community’s good will, Morris Brown would waive the first year of tuition for all incoming freshman, who agreed to help revitalize the campus (based on the student’s field of study) up to 10 years after graduation. Each one, teach one would be my motto.
How about all of Barack’s Baptist backers donating 3% of their income to General Motors in exchange for an interest-free loan and 75% off the reduction off a GM car that is currently rotting on a neighborhood lot?
Finally, what if we all agreed to donate 4 weeks of our professional time—on a rotating shift—to help rebuild New Orleans?
In exchange the volunteers (in conjunction with the corporate workforce) will have their 2009 income taxes waived for a year—you know like real public servants. One day we will understand that the government works for the people, not the converse. I cannot wait for the day that Black people stop using their color to promote silly, political deception and start using it for the intended purpose, pure dominance…, no chaser. Happy New Year. (click on the blog title for video bonus)
One Love,
Ray Lewis
