COMMUNITY VOL.XL Number 3 August 19, 2015
The Milwaukee
JOURNAL www.communityjournal.net 25 Cents
BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN PERMIT NO. 4668
FIRSTDevelopment PERSON Civil Rights Warrior Julian Bond Passes Social W I S C O N S I N ’ S L A R G E S T A F R I C A N A M E R I C A N N E W S PA P E R
Why he mattered to the movement By David A. Love, courtesy of The Grio.com
Julian Bond 1940-2015
The civil rights community has lost one of its greatest champions and elder statesmen with the passing of Julian Bond. Bond, 75, who passed after a brief illness, left an indelible mark on the nation’s landscape through his bold activism and advocacy, his struggle against injustice and his critique of white supremacy. What was most impressive about Mr. Bond was his role as a pioneer, a
man of many firsts. A student at Morehouse College, Bond helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, where he served as its communications director for a number of years and provided leadership in a movement that successfully pushed for landmark legislation. Bond also led protests and sit-ins against Jim Crow segregation policies and led campaigns to register black voters, and was in-
volved in the 1963 March on Washington. He and others such as current U.S. Congressman John Lewis left SNCC in the wake of the Black Power movement, when whites were ejected from the organization. In 1965, following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Bond was one of eleven blacks elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, but was barred from taking his seat by white lawmakers due to his anti-Viet-
nam War stance. After winning a Supreme Court victory, he took his seat in 1967. After serving in the Georgia state House, he later served six terms in the state Senate, from 1975 to 1986. In 1968, Bond became the first black nominated for vice president by a major party, though he had to decline because he did not meet the constitutional age requirement. (continued on page 3)
Fellowship Open and Farrakhan Visit Highlight the Week that Was...
(Above and below) Nation of Islam Min. Louis Farrakhan speaking at Jerusalem Baptist Church, 2505 W. Cornell St., Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Commission Addresses Denial of Temporary Restraining Order
The Social Development Commission (SDC) filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services in the issuance of contracts for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program. Judge David A. Hanscher denied SDC’s motion at a hearing on Friday, August 14, 2015. SDC is disappointed with Judge Hanscher’s ruling. It was our belief that the Department of Health and Human Services violated a state statute when they issued contracts under emergency authority, because the contracts exceeded $300,000 and statutes require contracts above that amount to receive approval of the County Board of Supervisors. The board did not vote to approve the contracts. We have challenged this process because we felt it was flawed on a number of levels and lacked transparency. Moving forward, we will work with the new administrators of the contract to make the transition for energy assistance clients as smooth as possible.
PULSE OF THE COMMUNITY Photos and question by Yvonne Kemp
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: “Do you think Min. Louis Farrakhan’s message of unity and self-empowerment resonates with African Americans, especially the younger generation: Justice or Else? Why or why not.”
MONTE MABRA: “Yes, to understand that unity is the answer says it all. Now to add self-empowerment say I want to see you, my brother, do good for him-
(Above and below) Farrakhan speaking to youth, many of whom are members of rival street gangs, at the Hip Hop Youth Summit, held at Fresh Start, 1720 W. Florist Ave.
The Fellowship Open hosted more than 300 golfers from more than 20 states including business, civic and sports officials, at Silver Spring Golf and Banquet Center, located on Silver Spring Drive in Menomonee Falls. The event featured not only golf, but also a silent auction and an awards luncheon. Since its founding, the event has raised more than $1 million to support education and open paths to successful careers for Milwaukee’s children. Honorees for this year’s tournament were former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig (Legend Award), Civic Leader Jackie Herd-Barber (Community Leader Award), and Earnie Ellison, Jr., managing partner of Ellison Consulting Group, LLC, and former PGA Executive. The Dr. Terence N. Thomas/Milwaukee Community Journal Scholarship Fund was one of eight community organizations to be beneficiaries of the Open’s fundraising efforts. Other recipients were: Andre Lee Ellis & Company, ALIVE, The Milwaukee Christian Fellowship Basketball League, The Links Scholars, The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship, The Rob Jeter Basketball Camp, and Restoration of the Lincoln Park baseball field in honor of Home Run King Henry Aaron.
All photos by Yvonne Kemp. More photos from both events on pages two and four.
CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS: Milwaukee’s “Stop and Frisk” policy hurting AfricanAmericans’ relationship with police By Michael H. Cottman, Urban News Service
Nate Hamilton sat in his living room, smashed a cigarette into a glass ash tray, and spoke purposefully about his 31-year-old brother, Dontre, who died last year after being shot 14 times by a Milwaukee police officer during a struggle over the officer’s baton.
“I loved my brother and what happened to Dontre shouldn’t happen to anyone else,” Hamilton, 33, said, while holding a program from Dontre’s funeral. “We shouldn’t be racially profiled because racial profiling often
leads to death.” African-Americans were outraged about Dontre’s death and remain frustrated with Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn’s “stop and frisk” policy. Flynn’s policy has driven a sharp wedge between the police and the African-American community where an already fragile relationship exists in a city that is 40 percent black. Four words seem to echo through Milwaukee’s African-American neighborhood whenever a squad car is rolling: Excessive use of force. Civil rights activists accuse Flynn of being racially insensitive; African-American mothers said they are tired of police harassing and killing their sons; and 99 percent of the city’s (continued on page 8)
ANTONIO ALEXANDER: “Yes I do. He speaks without a filter to the younger generation about unity and where we stand now as a whole. For us to come together and unify, we need self-empowerment and support like we have from Min. Louis Farrakhan.”
FLOYD MONTGOMERY: “Min. Farrakhan is a powerful speaker and seeing the looks on the faces of young people in attendance, leads me to the conclusion that our youth want peace, unity and self-empowerment. When educated about the history of our people and with today’s current events. Min. Farrakhan speaks volumes.”
JERMAINE REED: “I believe that the honorable Min. Louis Farrakhan’s message is filled with great potential. A lot of what he said has been presented in the past by himself and other social activists. Like any other message, some adults will get it while others won’t. What I found to be very promising is that Min. Farrakhan was able to do something that I have not seen any other local clergy or political figure do in Milwaukee: Attract a very diverse audience including members of several gangs. What that said to me is that he was able to connect with an audience that evidently trusted his character enough to come listen to him. There is hope for our future.”
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 2
St. Ann Center to hold open house for its new Bucyrus Campus Sept. 15
THE PULSE THE PULSE
The WHO•WHAT•WHERE• WHEN of YOUR Community! Formerly the 4W Community Happenings
Guest Speaker Ajamou Butler
Guest SpeakerErica Lofton of Jermaine Reed of Fresh Start, the organization that We Don’t Participate In Viohosted the Summit lence, We Speak Against It!
All pics on this page by Yvonne Kemp
Moody Park Grand Opening Celebration August 20
The Amani Neighborhood will celebrate the grand opening of Moody Park August 20. This celebration is the culmination of more than 12 years of neighborhood efforts to revitalize this once popular park located at 22nd and Burleigh. The resident group, Amani United and Friends of Moody Park organized this grand reopening celebration complete with games, refreshments and entertain-
ment beginning at 2:00 PM. The official ribbon cutting ceremony including neighborhood, city and county officials is scheduled for 4:00 PM. AhVantSoul with Jon Pierre & Katt Webb perform in the park at 6:30 PM. Supporters of opening day’s activities include the Dominican Center for Women Inc., Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Hunger Task Force, COA Youth and Family Centers, Safe and Sound, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee Police Department, Artists Working in Education, Molina Health Care, Auer Avenue School, Friends of Moody Park, Lad Lake, and other city and county leaders.
The park is named in honor of Calvin C. Moody, who was an African American Milwaukee police officer, and the first Black detective in the department’s history in 1949. After his retirement from the force, Moody continued to serve the city in many capacities including County Supervisor, board member of the NAACP, the Milwaukee Urban League, Columbia Savings & Loans, and as the director of the Northside YMCA. Calvin C. Moody died in 1974 at the age of 70. In 1982, the County Board of Supervisors named the pool and park at 22nd street in his honor.
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care invites the press and public to its open house at its newly constructed Bucyrus Campus at 2450 W. North Avenue, on Tuesday, September 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $21 million, 80,000 square-foot facility will bring child and adult day care and services for families and caregivers to Milwaukee’s near north side, among the most underserved neighborhoods in Milwaukee. The open house will begin with a ribbon untying at 10 a.m. followed by a reception. Remarks will be made by Mayor Tom Barrett, Tim Sullivan, former CEO of Bucyrus International Inc. and St. Ann Center capital campaign chairman and board member, Diane Beckley, COO of the Bucyrus Campus and Sister Edna Lonergan, St. Ann Center’s founder and president. Public tours of the facility, entertainment and refreshments will be part of the celebration, along with a community resource fair featuring neighboring service organizations. The Bucyrus Campus is a replication of St. Ann Center’s Stein Campus, located on Milwaukee’s south side for over 30 years. Featuring a unique intergenerational model, the Center provides community-based health and educational day services to children, the frail elderly and adults with cognitive and physical disabilities, while providing resources and support to their caregivers. The Bucyrus Campus has already created over 50 local jobs and is expected to bring over 100 more as it continues to add services. Currently, the facility offers day care for infants and toddlers and a Head Start program in collaboration with Next Door. In October, adult day care units will open. A dental clinic serving clients with severe disabilities is scheduled to open early next year. Future plans include an overnight respite unit, an indoor intergenerational playground and lap pool and a community health clinic. Plans for the 7.5-acre grounds include a 500seat bandshell, playgrounds and community gardens. A $5 million capital campaign continues to raise funds to complete the facility. St. Ann Center spent five years assessing the needs of the near north side. Organizations interested in having a table at the resource fair should contact Cathy: (414) 977-5028 or cfeldkamp@stanncenter.org. Sponsorship of the event is also available at $250 and includes a special banner hung on the new Bucyrus Campus's fence along North Avenue during the entire month of September. Call (414) 977-5062 or visit stanncenternorth.org/openhouse for more information.
PERSPECTIVES SIGNIFYIN’ Quote of the Week:
Julian Bond Passes: Why He Mattered to the Movement
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 3
“The humanity of all Americans is By Mikel Kweku Osei Holt diminished when any group is questions denied rights that will granted to make you go others.”
28
“Hmmmmm!” --Julian Bond,
It’s the end of the fiscal year (The Community Journal’s 39th anniversary) and there are dozens of questions I didn’t get answered. So, I’m asking for your help:
Are you as sick as I am of hearing police and politicians saying the ‘violence must stop’ after each of the 90-plus killings this year? Instead of echoing what is everybody’s sentiment, why don’t the Black politicians get together and come up with solutions instead of cussing out White politicians for coming up with their asinine suggestions. At least they are coming up with something! Who came up with those long, overdrawn and nauseating infomercials that keep popping up on my computer? Twenty-minute presentations that generally end with an appeal to purchase a cure-all everything but cancer pill or new product that will make you lose 50 lbs. in 24 hours? I must admit I became so engrossed with one on lowering blood sugar, I not only listened to the commercial for 30 minutes, I purchased the book, and then listened to three other appeals (for menus and related pills). I didn’t buy the other products, but couldn’t turn it off, hoping something profound would be told to me at the end. Why does premium gasoline cost 50 cents more than regular—only in Wisconsin? (It’s only 20 cents higher in Michigan and Illinois.) Does adding a slightly higher grade of octane justify a three-fold increase in the price? It was only 10 cents higher five years ago! Do you really think the Indiana oil refinery broke due to wear and tear, prompting gasoline prices to increase by 75 cents a gallon in two days? By the way, crude oil is the lowest it has been in seven years! Is it true that short men are smarter, better athletes and make better lovers? (Just thought I’d throw that in.) Is it mere coincidence that three of the public schools listed by MPS as possibly “For Sale” carry names of significance to Black America: Frederick Douglass, Isaac Coggs and Phyllis Wheatley? Do those Neckbones who don’t buckle up their children in car seats understand the risks? Why do all of the infomercials sell you two products for the price of one (supposedly), including products that are supposed to cure some ailment that should be cured with the first bottle? Why do you need two if the product is truly effective? If Ben Carson emerged from the Republican pack to face Hillary Clinton, how many Black votes would he get? The Republican controlled Wisconsin legislature passed a bill recently allowing for drug testing of food stamp recipients (a federal program). Wouldn’t it be interesting to pass a law mandating all politicians be tested for drugs? I can think of several who must have been high when they write stupid bills, like that one. Since China’s devaluation of its dollar—to generate sales in the global market—failed, will they call in some of America’s loans? If they do, most of your bills may be written in Chinese. Did you know Georgia celebrates an annual “Confederate Memorial Day?” It’s a “state holiday.” State Sen. Vincent Fort (D-GA) does not believe the recent decision to continue the celebration with a designation as a “state holiday” reflects a genuine step forward. “With a wink and nod they are saying ‘we are removing the name but you know it’s a day that we celebrate people who supported treason and
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL
(continued on page 9)
Published twice weekly, Wednesday & Friday
3612 North Martin Luther King Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: 414-265-5300 (Advertising and Administration) • 414-265-6647 (Editorial) • Website: communityjournal.net • Email: Editorial@communityjournal.net/Advertising@communityjournal.net MCJ STAFF: Patricia O’Flynn -Pattillo Publisher, CEO Robert J. Thomas Assoc. Publisher Todd Thomas, Vice Pres. Mikel Holt, Assoc. Publisher Thomas E. Mitchell, Jr., Editor Teretha Martin, Technical Consultant/Webmaster Billing Dept./Publisher’s Admin. Assist.
Colleen Newsom, Classified Advertising Jimmy V. Johnson, Sales Rep. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Taki S. Raton, Richard G. Carter, Fr. Carl Diederichs, Rev. Joe McLin PHOTOGRAPHER: Yvonne Kemp
Opinion and comments expressed on the Perspectives page do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or management of the MCJ. Letters and “other perspectives” are accepted but may be edited for content and length.
courtesy of AZQOUTES.com
(continued from page 1) Bond also helped found the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1971, an organization which is fights hate and bigotry and seeks justice for the vulnerable in society. He served as the president of SPLC, and as a board member. “With Julian’s passing, the country has lost one of its most passionate and eloquent voices for the cause of justice. He advocated not just for African Americans, but for every group, indeed every person subject to oppression and discrimination, because he recognized the common humanity in us all,” the SPLC’s Morris Dees said in a statement. “Not only has the country lost a hero today, we’ve lost a great friend.” Moreover, Bond established his leadership at the NAACP, where he was charwoman from 1998 until Rosalyn Brock succeeded him in 2010. Also a professor, Bond taught at American University, Drexel University, Williams College, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and the University of Virginia. A champion of gay rights and marriage equality, Bond said in a 2005
speech that “African Americans … were the only Americans who were enslaved for two centuries, but we were far from the only Americans suffering discrimination then and now…. Sexual disposition parallels race. I was born this way. I have no choice. I wouldn’t change it if I could. Sexuality is unchangeable.” Further, Julian Bond was an effective communicator, not only through his role at SNCC, but as host of the public affairs television program, America’s Black Forum, narrator for the PBS series, Eyes on the Prize, and commentator for various news programs. “If this was another movement, they would call him the PR man, because he was the one who wrote the best, who framed the issues the best. He was called upon time and again to write it, to express it,” said Eleanor Holmes Norton, who worked with Bond at SNCC, told the Washington Post. “Julian Bond was courageous and had an uncompromising sense of justice,” Peter Gamble–publisher of BlackCommentator.com, where Bond was an editorial board member–told theGrio. Gamble, a veteran
We Have People Power (We Just have to Seize it) And a Chance to Make History
Brother and Sisters, we have a chance to make history. We have a chance to do what none of the great Black leaders who have walked this earth could - build the infrastructure (institutions) needed to defend and protect the Black community in America that will continue for generations. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X, W. E. Dubois, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington and many others warned and tried to arm the Black community to be able to defend itself against a mighty enemy that is rooted in racism and the advocacy of White supremacy and Black inferiority. What did all of our great leaders have in common? They had courage; they had knowledge; they had People Power (a powerful mixture). They were people who were trying to help their own. Many of them taught that the power lies in you, the people, and to look anywhere else is a critical error. Our problem is that we have drank the fear and deception-laced Kool-Aid” and now do not believe that we, as a people, have power. Several of America’s institutions have told their side of story as it relates to Black people and the Black struggle. Do you really think that they would tell you the truth when they have done everything in their power to kill you? It’s insane and juvenile to think that they would teach you about your history and your greatness. Malcom X once said that anyone who takes their children to the enemy to be educated is a fool. Let me ask the so-called educated Black man, what did you learn about who you are at the public schools that you attended? What did you learn about who you are at the colleges and universities that you attended? What did you learn about your Black purpose for life? What are you supposed to do with your knowledge? I once saw a study that showed that even with nearly 25 years of formal education, attainment of a Doctorate Degree, education offered about the history of Black people was less than 7% of all knowledge and information. If this was an accurate number, my question is what was the other 93%? I can’t imagine that if you are not a student of the struggle, you can acquire enough knowledge to give you the ability to challenge white supremacy and black inferiority. Your total knowledge is like a soundbite. I call myself a stu-
journalist, also co-founded America’s Black Forum. “We first met when Julian was in Washington DC and I was a radio news reporter there, covering various aspects of the civil rights and antiwar movements in the late 60s and early 70s. Over the years, he gave me several interviews, during which time we came to realize our common ground in the struggle for social justice, economic justice and peace. He could be counted on to provide a strong quote about whatever issue was in the news,” Gamble said. Gamble also noted that Bond was known for his wit. He recalled a 2003 cartoon that BlackCommentator.com published about Janice Rogers Brown, who was nominated by thenPresident Bush to be a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. “Senator Orin Hatch, who was then the Chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, became very upset during Brown’s appointment hearing. “We had called Ms. Brown a female Clarence Thomas, and had requested our cartoonist, Khalil
Bendib, illustrate Brown as Thomas in a dress and fright wig,” Gamble added. “During the hearing, Hatch repeated the name of our website very slowly, several times and displayed a huge blowup of the cartoon, cautioning, ‘Don’t go to BlackCommentator.com!’ Julian was watching the hearing on CSPAN and dashed off a note to me saying, ‘I don’t know how much you’re paying Orin Hatch for PR, but it’s worth every nickel,’” Gamble noted. “Justice and equality was the mission that spanned his life,” President Obama said in a statement, calling the civil rights leader a hero. “Julian Bond helped change this country for the better.” Friends and family remember Bond as one of the people behind the Black Lives Matter movement long before the days of hashtags and social media. Although he is no longer with us in bodily form, his long legacy serves as a blueprint for us to follow, as we fight the civil rights battles of a new generation. Follow David A. Love on Twitter at @davidalove
dent because I, too, am so far behind and there is yet so much to learn. We must redirect our academic focus. Brothers and sisters, we can’t expect to continue the struggle of our great leaders without a commitment to some level of study about who we are. We can’t have it both ways – we want freedom without a struggle; we want selfdetermination without earning it. Black leaders, Black scholars, Black elite, and the Black educated must fundamentally come to grips with the fact that our education has been miseducation. We have been taught to marvel, admire, and to even worship white people, tradition, history, and culture and despise Black people, tradition, history, and culture. We have been taught to be ashamed for being the victim and we have been taught that somehow and someway the psychotic and brutal experiences forced on our Black ancestors by their white ancestors in America for nearly 500 years is our fault. And, even more criminal and sinister, is that the current generation of white people deny the tremendous benefit, advantage, and economic privilege they now hold as a result of this crime against humanity. We must come to terms that we cannot achieve PEOPLE POWER without knowledge. How much do you know about where we come from – not the locations, but the economic, social, educational, political, and religious context involving our kidnapping? How did it happen (play by play)? We’ve heard stories about the transatlantic passage, but what really happened? Who were the international players and what did they have to gain from this pillaging? Where was this idea first developed and who were the people involved in its delivery? What really happened when our ancestors arrived in America and how were they treated? What were the physiological, emotional and psychological pains inflicted and how has it been incorporated into the Black culture (what can we point to now that we carry from that period)? What were the medical atrocities, the family atrocities inflicted against our ancestors? Who were the resisters and how did the American institutions of slavery end (what really happened)? We hear all the time how Black people built America but how many of us know what this means. How did this experience build America’s infrastructure, America’s economy, and America’s global superiority? How did it actually happen? This is the education that we need. If you don’t have these answers and the answers to many more questions like this, you have the academic brain of an orphan (you’ve been adopted and you don’t even know it). How much do you know or is your knowledge about the Black struggle just relegated to Black History Month? Carter G. Woodson stated: “The large majority of the Negroes who have put on the finishing touches of our best colleges are all but worthless in the development of their people.” I know it’s hard for some of our most educated to believe what I’m saying. However, I’m only repeating what many of our former great thinkers said. In addition, the facts support them as well. Many profess to be “doing their own thing” when nothing could be further from the truth. They say “I have dual degrees from this college or university” not understanding what they’re even saying. Those colleges and universities didn’t break down for you structural racism, discrimination, and bias and how to abolish it. NO! For the most part they only taught you how to get out of the ghetto; how to run from your people; how to get ahead (of other Blacks) but never Whites. They taught you how to uphold and emulate the systems that wreak havoc on the Black man on a daily basis. You were taught how to exercise the “temporary” power you received to advance the goals and outcomes of the White
(continued on page 9)
RELIGION
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 4 Nation of islam leader, Min. Louis Farrakhan and Rev. Donnie Sims, pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church walk into the sanctuary of the church hand-in-hand before the Minister delivered his address at the church, located at 2505 W. Cornell St. Farrakhan spent two days in Milwaukee speaking to various groups, young and old, as part of a national tour meeting with leadership and concerned citizens for the preparation of the 20th anniversary of the Historical Million Man March. (Photo by Yvonne Kemp)
Jefferson
Homegoing services held for Ralph A. Jefferson, Jr.
A celebration of life homegoing service was held Monday, Aug. 10, at Central United Methodist Church for Ralph Alvin Jefferson, Jr., who was an accomplished Wisconsin Civil Servant, who was at one time Regional Director for Probation and Parole for Southeastern Wisconsin. Born in Milwaukee, Jefferson was a graduate of Lincoln High School and received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1950.
He was one of the first African Americans to receive a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jefferson served in a number of positions in state government. Aside from his being regional directior for probation and parole, he was also a special assistant to the state Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services. Jefferson was also an advisor to Wisconsin governors and
U.S. Presidents; and was a mentor to hundreds of professionals throughout the state. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 61 years, Frieda (Parker) Jefferson; children Ralph Alvin Jefferson III (Vernetta), and Brian Lane Jefferson; and one grandchild. Jefferson was a member of several community organizations such as the NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Psi Fraternity, and the American Correction Association, to name a few.
After Charleston Shooting, Churches Stay Vigilant Walking Together in Unity Article courtesy of Nancy DeVille of the Richmond Pulse, first printed July 25, 2015
PHOTO BY DAVID GOLDMAN / AP
RICHMOND, Calif. -- The killing of a beloved pastor and eight churchgoers in Charleston, S.C. in June and the recent arson investigations at black churches throughout the South have raised safety concerns among pastors as far away as California. Churches in Richmond, Calif. are now reexamining their security plans and trying to figure out where to draw the line between welcoming strangers and protecting their flock. “It’s a shame that it has to come to this but the word does tell us to ‘watch and pray,’” said Pastor T. Marc Gandy, pastor of Miracle Temple Apostolic Emanuel AME Church stands in the background as a mourner Pentecostal Church on Cutting Boule- visits a sidewalk memorial in memory of the shooting victims Saturday, June 20, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. vard. “We will have more of a male preswatch over us and protect us,” he said. ence at the entrance of the church and I’m just really encourTraditionally black congregations have been known for aging all the members to be more vigilant. But we have to their hospitality and enthusiasm when it comes to welcomalso make sure we are a welcoming place to everyone.” ing new worshipers. But in recent years more churches For Gandy, safety has been a concern for a few years. across the country have installed security cameras and hired When violence was at its height in Richmond, a shooting off duty police officers for added security. erupted on Cutting Boulevard just before the church’s “We now have to secure the house of God just like we seweekly Bible study was dismissed. The church was not the cure our homes,” Gandy said. “We have to be very cautious target and no members were injured, but a bullet is still concerning the world that we live in.” lodged in the church’s front door. (continued on page 8) “We put all of trust in God and pray that He is going to
In Loving Memory
Bread In The Wilderness will return next week
Earnestine O’Bee-Founder
Quality Service... a tenured tradition sincere concern at your time of need.
Offering pre-need, at need and after-care services to families in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and other communities throughout our state.
Finch, Willis Age 87 yrs. August 8, 2015. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, August 21, 2015 at 11AM at:
J.C. Frazier, Funeral Director
Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)4626020
Lawrence, Ruby Mae Age 89 yrs. August 15, 2015. Beloved wife of William Lawrence. Loving mother of Reginald(Frances)Lawrence, Ronald(Lillian)Lawrence, William(Arlene)Lawrence, Rodney Lawrence and Cheryl Watkins. Also survived by a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and other loving relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 2, 2015 at 11AM at St. Mark AME Church 1616 W. Atkinson Ave. Visitation Friday 10AM at the CHURCH until time of services. The family is served by: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)4626020
Perkins, Mattie P. Age 75 yrs. August 16, 2015. Funeral services will be held on Monday, August 24, 2015 at 11AM at Brown Deer UMC 5736 W. Brown Deer Rd. Visitation Monday 10AM at the CHURCH until time of services. The family is served by: Northwest Funeral Chapel O'Bee, Ford & Frazier 6630 W. Hampton Ave. (414)4626020
Families served by:
Northwest Funeral Chapel O’Bee, Ford & Frazier
Milwaukee 6630 W. Hampton Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53218 Telephone: (414) 462-6020 Fax: (414) 462-9937
Racine 800 Barker St. Racine, WI 53402 Telephone: (262) 637-6400 Fax: (262) 637-6416
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 5
Y&E
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 6
YOUTH&EDUCATION
Mayor Tom Barrett, MUL President Ralph Hollmon, Milwaukee Alderman, Common Council President Michael Murphy, and Green Bay Packer Great LeRoy Butler joined the Sesame Street’s Elmo and youths of all ages and their parents at one of several Back-to-School Health Fairs held at North Division High School recently. (Photos by Yvonne Kemp)
Cameron Webb wanted to do everything possible to get into his preferred major at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Boys and Girls Club youths rub elbows with the best pro golf has to offer at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits
Once every five years, the PGA tour circulates to Whistling Straits Golf Course for their championship. This year the PGA invited 13 young kids to experience the day amongst PGA golf fans and watch some of today’s top golfers practice, including Tiger Woods. The children came from Daniels-Mardak Boys and Girls Club. This exciting experience was made possible by the Fellowship Open. Accompanied by Alderman “Uncle” Joe Davis, the kids began the hour long bus ride to Kohler, WI. The weather was less than cooperative, forcing PGA officials to issue severe weather warnings throughout the day. As the golfers shuffled on and off the course, patrons kept
Design Your Future Students creating their own success
The Concordia University “Design Your Future” (DYF) program is a two-year bachelor’s bridge program for Milwaukee area high school graduates between the ages of 18 – 23 who seek a better life through a faith-based higher education. Design Your Future has two convenient locations. The Midtown Campus is located in the Midtown shopping campus on 56th Street, just north of Capitol Drive. The Miller Park Way Campus is The Miller Park Way Center is on the corner of Mitchell Street and 43rd Street (Miller Park Way) in West Milwaukee. Started in the fall of 2007, Design Your Future has become the perfect fit for Milwaukee area high school graduates who see an affordable Christian education at an accredited institution.
Cameron Webb, center, tours the UWM campus, with Thomas Horak (right) and Chianeng Lor, all students in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning.
themselves busy visiting the PGA store, embarking on the “Samsung Experience,” or viewing some of the latest models of Omega watches and Mercedes Benz vehicles. After taking a tour of the 19 hole course, which includes a beautiful view of the lake, the youths ate and relaxed while they prepared for their interview with the Golf Network. Accompanied by other participating organizations, boys and girls of all ages gathered on the practice grounds and made their on camera debut. After an exhausting, but memorable day, the children climbed onto the bus and made the sleepy trip back to Milwaukee.--Asada Njuguna
Highlights of the program: • 6 weeks College Transition Program • Cohort –Based Curriculum • Classes meet Monday thru Thursday 9am-2pm • Free USB flash drive and Free use of text books • Up to 48% tuition discount with grants and scholarships • Onsite computer lab • Academic advising and onsite tutoring • Alumni mentoring program • Small class sizes • Participation in Division III sports and student clubs/groups Design Your Future (DYF) students can earn an associate’s degree in Business Management, Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts. The role of the DYF program and staff is to advise, support, and empower students to do one of the following: 1. Matriculate toward a four-year bachelor’s degree 2. Participate in AmeriCorps (National Service) to obtain a Segal grant and continue their education aspirations 3. Obtain a job that will afford them growth in profession and purpose to continue learning within the work environment For more information contact: Concordia University Wisconsin – Midtown Campus 4151 N. 56th Street - Milwaukee, WI 53216 W: 414.444.0734 C: 414.339.5180, Alea Cross, DYF Coordinator- Midtown Campus, Alea.Cross@cuw.edu
That’s one of the reasons the incoming first-year student applied early to UWM last December, and made his decision in the spring of this year. In addition to allowing students more time to get through the application process and register for preferred classes, early admission gives students better opportunities for financial aid. “We strongly encourage students to apply early,” said Alberto Maldonado, assistant director of admissions at UWM. Students can begin to prepare their applications for fall, 2016 by Aug. 1 and hit the “send” button September 1. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions begins processing applications Sept. 15. Priority admission deadline is March 1, 2016. Webb is majoring in architecture, one of the UWM academic majors that give preference to students who have their applications in as early as possible. Many students and families delay applying because they’re concerned about paying for college – but because some financial aid funding is limited, students who apply earlier have a better chance at getting aid, according to the
Applying early to UWM helps with scheduling, financial aid and getting into preferred major
university’s financial aid website. UWM is committed to helping students graduate, by providing financial aid. “We can make it happen,” said Maldonado. Webb attended a UWM interview session at his school, Bradley Tech High School, and advisers strongly encouraged him to apply as soon as possible. He was also part of an Upward Bound Mathematics and Science program at Marquette University, and the advice was the same – apply to college as early as possible. Applying early and registering as soon as possible for classes also makes for better time management, advisers and other students suggest, allowing students to better plan their schedules. Save the Date UWM will host the third annual Black Male Summit Dec. 15-16 at the UWM Union, 2200 E. Kenwood. This event brings together young black men, mentors, teachers and community members for workshops looking at opportunities for these youth as well as the challenges they face. Last year’s summit brought together more than 300 young men from middle and high schools in the Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine school districts along with 50 black leaders. This year’s event will be held over two days, with the focus on young men in middle school on Tuesday, Dec. 15, and a focus on high school students on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
MPS PLANS 8th ANNUAL RUN BACK TO SCHOOL 5K run / 1.5 mile walk set for Saturday, August 29
MPS is inviting all runners and walkers to sign up for the 8th Annual Run Back to School, a 5K fun run and 1.5 mile walk through Washington Park on Saturday, August 29 at 9:00 a.m. The goal is to promote the importance of regular exercise while raising funds for MPS youth recreation programs. In addition to the run/walk, the event will feature a school mascot race, exhibit booths, activities for kids, and a live DJ. The public is encouraged to register online at www.MilwaukeeRecreation.net or call (414) 475-8180 with questions.
KALEIDOSCOPE the MCJ lifestyle & entertainment section K-SCOPE COMMENTARY
Arrested Development's Lead Singer Speech Thomas Shares Thoughts On "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON"
"I applaud Ice Cube, Gary F Gray & Dr. Dre because they know how to tell a great story! The accurate portrayal of a Hip Hop producer's heart.... wanting to make something special...well done.
The vicious sharks that swim in music industry waters...greatly exposed. The acting, promotion and soundtrack... superb! In a country where excellence in black film on the big screen isn't seen enough, it's proudly exhibited here. But from the perspective of the ancestors, they got some explaining to do. Centuries of struggle by our men, women and children who were thoroughly desolate with only one hope. The hope that through their perseverance, future generations would have it better than they did. Many died for that very reason. That's the African-American legacy. It was just two weeks ago, we all were discussing how soiled America still is from the horrors of slavery and the following systematic racism. Blacks for hundreds of years purposely portrayed in every advertisement, news article, play, TV show and movie as dangerous, vile, uncaring, simple, roguish brutes, with intelligence a tad higher than a monkey. Year after year, decade after decade, century after century... And here we are today - as white trigger happy cops shoot blacks. It doesn't matter if they're unarmed, cuz in the minds of so many, blacks are always armed with centuries of dangerous propaganda. And a lie can run around the world twice before truth can get her shoes on! And in comes Hollywood pushing yet ANOTHER movie with that same ole narrative... "Straight Outta Compton!" With the convenient subtitle - "The worlds most dangerous group." Is that literal or it's figurative? None of them came from the most dangerous of street life but Easy E. right? I often hear that they're dangerous because of Cube's defiant lyrics & fierce determination to speak "truth" to power. Ummm, that sounds honorable. But I'm sure I can come up with a few more suggestions more appropriate than NWA. The Black Panthers for instance might be better suited for
such an honor. With fierce determination they defied an entire system at risk of their very lives! They REALLY fought for justice and most paid the ultimate price. An epic bio pic that shows how these brave young men and women organized change for all races and genders, showing true devotion mixed with legal prowess... that's a film suggestion! And can I get a witness that NWA's "F** the Police" is only the prevailing anti-police brutality anthem BECAUSE the music industry championed it. It didn't take the FBI long at all to see that NWA was ultimately a harmless group because their other songs & political savvy was thoroughly misguided and nondirectional. As opposed to the earlier & less popular "F** the Pigs" that the Black Panthers often shouted as they persevered through police harassment as actual freedom fighters, not as drug dealers and pretend thugs. Historically there were activists that started as thugs but TRANSFORMED into purposeful revolutionaries. I've heard some say, the title "most dangerous" is as far as MUSICAL groups are concerned.... Ummm wouldn't PUBLIC ENEMY better fit that definition? But see a movie like that would simply be too dangerous, it might
cause people to do more than ooo and aaah over the financial success of a music producer & rapper who made nice movies and headphones. It might cause REAL change. NWA may be the most dangerous, but not because they fought against a racist and oppressive system... but because they were effective ambassadors of that very system! I like to call it white supremacy on wax! Who else could have done such a great job at spreading the age old message that blacks are morally subhuman? Many things white supremacists say about blacks is what NWA confirms in their most popular songs. And yes, in 2015 Twitter is going nuts praising the film and much of the hiphop world is bowing down to NWA as heroes in the genre. But I applaud a good number of blacks that "don't believe the hype"! Bio pics about rap artists are few and far between, but take notice to WHICH rap movies Hollywood green lights for major motion picture release? And have you ever thought about WHY these particular movies? Biggie's Notorious, Eminem's 8 Mile, 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Trying and NWA's Straight Outta Compton! Most of which come straight outta Jimmy Iovine's & Dre's storehouse of thuggery, and celebrate the "American Dream" thru gritty ac(continued on page 8)
After Charleston Shooting, Churches Stay Vigilant
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 7
(continued from page 4)
In the recent aftermath of the murders, pastors participated in a prayer vigil at St. Peter Christian Methodist Church in El Cerrito. Area police officers attended and urged pastors to ask their members to monitor who is entering the church for its services. At the meeting, the pastors committed to continuing the prayer vigil every third Monday of each month. “This is a chance for us to hold each other in prayer while trusting God in the process,” said Pastor Cassandry Keys of Davis Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, who organized the June vigil. “We have to hold on to our faith. “We know God is aware and many question why He would allow something like this to happen but there’s something about the sovereignty of God that we don’t know.” For Keys, the events that led up to the Charleston shooting are relatable. The alleged shooter walked in for Bible study and was warmly greeted by the now slain Pastor Clementa Pinckney and the faithful members. It’s common for people of all ethnicities to visit Davis Chapel, she said. “The black church welcomes everybody in,” she said. “If they come in calm and sit down we believe they have the same beliefs we have. Typically we are not accustomed to watching people when they come in because in a worship setting we are a little more relaxed. But after this, we will at least pay attention.” The June 17 shooting at the church known as Mother Emanuel is just one of the recent incidents targeting black churches in the South. There are three arson investigations underway and four other fires that have occurred since the Charleston shooting. While there are not threats to Bay Area churches, members are remaining watchful. “Anytime there is violence against clergy or in a place of worship, it just saddens me because it reminds me of the times we are living in,” Gandy said.
Milwaukee’s “Stop and Frisk” policy hurting AfricanAmericans’ relationship with police
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 8
Memorial for Dontre Hamilton (inset picture up right) at Red Arrow Park, where Dontre Hamilton was shot by a Milwaukee police officer.
(continued from page 1) police union members said they have absolutely no confidence in Flynn’s leadership. Tory Lowe, 39, an outspoken civil rights activist, points to recent cases as evidence of problems. Four Milwaukee police officers were charged in 2012 with felonies related to illegal rectal searches of suspects that spanned a two-year period. In one case an officer allegedly held a gun to a man's head as two others held his arms and a third put him in a choke hold while jamming a hand into his anus, while allegedly searching for evidence. “Milwaukee is the worst city in America for black people,” Lowe said. “I don’t know how it got this way, but we need to fix it.” In another case, a federal jury awarded 40-year-old Leo Hardy $500,000 last year stemming from a 2012 traffic stop where the court ruled his arrest was illegal. The case is the first of several federal suits to reach a Milwaukee jury involving alleged improper strip searches. At least 60 others have accused Milwaukee police of conducting illegal strip searches from 2008 to 2012. Civil rights activists argue that white men in Milwaukee are rarely – if ever – subjected to being strip-searched while African-American men are repeatedly emasculated on the city’s streets. Flynn compared Milwaukee’s gun problems to New York where New York City Police Department confiscated about 1,350 firearms last year in a city of 9 million and the Milwaukee Police Department – a city of 600,000 -- seized 1,340 firearms. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has got Flynn’s back. “I support the police chief,” Barrett told Urban News Service. Barrett prefers to call the pat-down policy a “pro-active policing program.” Barrett said the number of police stops have increased, but the number of arrests have not gone up and, the number of civilian complaints have not risen either. “I need this to be a city where people respect the police and police respect the residents,” he said. Meanwhile, inside a small radio studio that overlooks Capitol Avenue in one of Milwaukee’s toughest African-American neighborhoods, Sherwin Hughes, 40, is host of the daily talk show “The Forum” on
WNOV-AM, where listeners complain about Flynn’s police department. “I hear from people complaining about police brutality, stop and frisk, strip searches of black men; some terrible things are happening to people,” said Hughes, who has been on the air for three years. “But I also hear people asking for more police presence.” Flynn isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In a unanimous decision, The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission recently re-appointed Flynn to a third four-year term. "I recognize that even if it's a vote of confidence, it really comes with an expectation that we're going to continue to improve, and we're going to get ahold of the challenges that face us right now,” Flynn told reporters last month. But African-American residents like Nate Hamilton are not convinced, considering what happened to his brother, Dontre on April 14, 2014. Dontre was sitting in a park in downtown Milwaukee when then- Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney approached Hamilton. Manney struggled with Hamilton and Dontre took Manney’s baton. Manney said he felt threatened and shot Dontre 14 times until he was dead. Hamilton said Manney held a strong bias against citizens who are destitute and shot his brother because Manney believed – wrongly – that Dontre was homeless. Flynn eventually fired Manney for an illegal patdown, or frisk, but he was not charged in connection with the shooting. “We need to raise the level of accountability in the police department,” he said. Hamilton, who owns his own home improvement company, said his brother, Dontre, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and had not taken his medication the day he was approached by Manney. “I believe he [Manney] has a problem with homeless people,” Hamilton said. “But did he have to shoot my brother 14 times. We need to change the culture of the police department… I want Donte’s memory to produce unity in our community so we hold the police accountable,” he said, “and hold ourselves accountable, too.”
Speech Shares Thoughts On "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON"
(continued from page 7) counts of drug deals, crack addicted communities, strip clubs, friends that deceive each other and gun battles gone wrong. And then the inevitable transformation from rags to riches. As they live happily ever after (in their death though). Oh yeah, Biggie was about right, that if you're black...you're nobody til somebody kills you! To quote Public Enemy... "Burn Hollywood Burn!" They're pretty much about money and judging by this past weekends ticket sales... THEY'RE WINNING! Stay tuned for a Tupac, Ice T and whomever else da cap fits bio pic for us all to swoon over! Feed us our illusions, Hollywood has no skin in the game, it's just money to them. But don't we as blacks literally have skin in the game? It's our SKIN that signals brainwashed cops to pull us over just because we didn't use a turn signal. Or blow our brains out for trying to start our car while being questioned. Or get choked to death, spines snapped, or just walking home wearing a hoodie. BUT SOMEBODY BLACK KEEPS PROUDLY DELIVERING THESE MOVIES TO HOLLYWOOD. There's gotta be a point where we WEIGH the pains we feel from years of being mis-represented against the joy we feel seeing another black thug soliloquy on the big screen! The pain lasts for years, the joy last 2 and a half hours. You do the math. There's gotta be a breaking point when we make a critical decision. Directionless expression or real freedom? I know, I know... no one screams when Scorsese does a gangster film, why pick on rappers? Because Jewish people aren't making these movies WHILE simultaneously getting shot down in the streets by their own kind, arrested in astronomical rates and their rappers literally getting assassinated like they were in a Middle East war zone! When is enough... ENOUGH!? Consciousness didn't start with NWA, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly", nor # blacklivesmatter . It's been in full effect since slavery and we must keep our eyes on the prize to reach the finish line! On the big screen, these rappers are portrayed as bigger than life heroes and even somehow "freedom fighters"! But TRUE heroes like Julian Bond, Garvey, Harriet & Parks deserve a bio pic, because they served US all! But would we support it? It NEVER was enough to have a conscious song or two on an otherwise "white supremacist" gangsta record. It's not enough to have things "go in cycles"... (people say that to me all the time about music) It's about standing on the shoulders of those that stood before us until we get out from the ditch that hides our humanity! Our values are so backwards that fathers, mothers, educators, intellectuals & activists don't fill today's memes and mu-
rals. Instead it's Tupac, Biggie, NWA and maybe a Jay-Z. The murals you see painted in the ghettos, (I've even seen em in the outskirts of Africa!) Memes of these rappers floating around on the Internet and interviews at the end of albums with their "prophetic" words. 3D holograms of them in front of wooing crowds. Supposed martyrs packaged and shrink wrapped in a CD. "Heroes" of the people - celebrated, applauded, jailed and assassinated, with a level of admiration that you'd think they died because of political resistance or activism, but no. It's simply a petty beef or a record executive hungry for more money. We have so lost our way, that we celebrate their temporary success - in lieu of our own lasting success. Behind the riches of every Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Easy E. or Suge Knight are quiet little Jewish & White guys in polo shirts that are even richer than them. They play golf and listen to Bach while they count their money. Meanwhile we wallow in these decadent, century old stereotypical, blaxploitation flicks and albums, their kids fly in private jets and vacation in Belize. Our kids suffer just walking to school. Yes, Straight Outta Compton is very good and yes, these men have immense talent, but Italian mafioso refused to sell crack to their own communities. They insisted on separating their families from their illegal business. We sell this "crack music" to our little kids and we infest the whole world with it! It is NOT just entertainment. We are getting killed in real life. We influence Africa, South America and everywhere there's poor people that need inspiration. It has never been simple entertainment and it has far out reached the block.... it's racist propaganda. And it hurts the soul of humanity! And by the way ITS NOT HONEST, it's not what we see in the hood. It's an embellishment of it, it's "reality" on steroids, it's someones story on performance enhancers! And the things that destroy these communities has become a Satanic virus, packaged and shipped out to every other community to infect those that were previously healthy. That's my problem with NWA - not the music (it's brilliant) NWA endorsed the worse traits of the hood, promoted these traits and to justify their lust for fame they revised their purpose claiming it's a noble freedom of speech movement. And many have bought that revisionist history, poured it in our glasses & ummm that kool aid taste sweet! White supremacy is happy, blacks got our thug heroes and the world keeps on turning. So, sit and eat your popcorn, sip a Coke, enjoy a well-deserved break from lifes stress. I know I did. I also know I made Ice Cube, Dr. Dre Gary Gray and a host of white dudes a bit richer! I'm alright with that. May God bless em. But even as I'm entertained by the film, I know that unless we change our dynamics and moral infrastructure as black people, WE really are the entertainment. The silly blacks that can't realize the difference between an Arnold Schwarzenegger fiction and a propaganda missile aimed at the very demise of our freedom, dignity and culture. GIL scott was right....The revolution will not be televised it will be screened in a theater near you. Two thumbs up." -Speech Thomas
SIGNIFYIN’
(continued from page 3) slavery,’” he said. “I’m not mollified.” Why do grown women call each other girls? Have you ever heard a brother call another man a boy? Are nipples a part of the breast or chest? If so, why are nipples illegal in America instead of the entire breasts? Both men and women have them, and they basically appear the same, although women’s are larger and serve as a food source. But it’s illegal for a woman to show hers. She can show the breast but must put a Band-Aid on the nipple. Why not men? (Just a thought!) Speaking of breasts, why do you pay more for chicken breasts than legs and thighs? You get two of each, but breasts are more expensive. Does it make any sense to say we wouldn’t have achieved civil rights had it not been for Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.? Did God inspire them and no one else? Do you really think no one else would have stepped up? Were our ancestors’ slaves, or captured? Or, maybe political prisoners? Do rappers who call us N’s and our women B’s think that’s acceptable to anyone other than the ignorant and foolish? After using those denigrating adjectives, I heard one on Jamie Fox’s satellite station say the he was a “child of God.” Which God do you know who permits fools to defame and denigrate His people? And for that matter, since Jesus was/is Black, is He a nigger? Does taking down the Confederate flag remove hatred from bigots’ hearts? Is it racist to always root for the Black family or individual on a game show? Would it be racist when Whites root for a White family or individual? Does it tick you off—as it does me—when a motorist slightly in front of you makes a sudden left turn from the right lane; neglects to turn off his signal light after a turn; speeds through a yellow light as it turns red; or emerges from an expressway on-ramp doing 25 miles an hour? Is the safest place to be when one of those urban terrorists start shooting to stand right in front of them? Most of the 17 children, who have been shot by accident, were not the target of the one doing the shooting. Why is Donald Trump the leading Republican presidential candidate? Are 20% of Republicans really those stupid, racists, misogynistic and homophobic party members the leaders of the “Grand Old Party” want you to believe doesn’t exist in their party? Why did supporters of Bernie Sanders, the most liberal and supposedly most progressive candidate in the race for president, criticize members of Black Lives Matter for questioning the presidential candidate about his position on racial injustice? Maybe the answer to that question is rooted in the fact that being liberal or progressive doesn’t make you liberal or progressive. Or as Dominque Hazzard puts it, “Why are they freaking out online and yelling at racial justice protesters for being rude? Well, part of it is good, old-fashioned White progressive racial condescension, racism—and part of it is typical establishment liberal animus towards the disruptive protest tactics that actually formed the basis of modern progressivism.” Hmmmmmm….makes you think, doesn’t it? Along the same lines, do Republicans realize they have not won the majority of the woman’s vote since 1988? Why do people say ‘o’ when they should say ‘zero’ (the number, not the letter)? Do you have to bless food a second time for late guests? And do you say thank you a second time when someone holds the interior door for you after they held the exterior door for you? Where would we be today if Marvin Pratt had won his bid for mayor, Lena Taylor had won the county executive race and Gwen Moore had been talked into running for governor? Now THAT should make you go Hmmmmmmmm! Hotep.
Universally Speaking
(continued from page 3) community and it was definitely not to be used to empower Black people. If you did that, that’s when you came to realize that your power was temporary. In many respects, you’re doing exactly what was intended when it was decided that Black people could read and be educated. You would become supporters of a system that oppresses your own people. Many on this track are steeped into assimilation almost to the point that they are no longer recognizable. Yes we have had some of the greatest human beings that have lived and provided leadership to the Black community, but there is no infrastructure that exist that keeps their message and activity alive - not in a historical context but in a “agent of change now” context.” Why is it that we don’t have any schools, universities, organizations, foundations, etc. that continue the works of our great leaders? We don’t have them because, the Black man hasn’t developed them and unfortunately, the competition has thousands and thousands of organized infrastructure to continue the legacy of the American institution of slavery and its number one commodity white supremacy and Black inferiority.” Because we lack real understanding of the Black man’s plight, we minimize and underestimate what the struggle is all about. Black people who don’t know their history will minimize the role that any one current institution can and has done to perpetuate white supremacy and black inferiority. Marcus Garvey once said that a people who don’t know their history, is like a tree without roots. Trees that don’t have roots don’t live long nor can they compete with the trees that have deep roots. Trees with deep roots are able to extract the most from both the earth and the heavens (balanced) and have the best chance to experience the best life. Trees that have no roots just die and so our community is reflective of the “walking dead”, not having the intellectual ability to fight for and sustain PEOPLE POWER. This is why, even today, there is no definitive response about anything negative being articulated by anyone, including the American media. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 9
“We shall overcome” what was he talking about? He wasn’t talking about just segregation, he was talking about overcoming the power of white supremacy and its ability to implement its will and cripple minds through black inferiority and the group paralysis that it has done to us, he was talking about securing power – enough power to control your own destiny and to win. He was talking about positive change for the Black man through a heavy dose of self-knowledge, self-respect and a renewed love of spirit, beauty and greatness for all Black people. There are many definitions of power but the one I prefer to use now is having the ability to cause or prevent an action, make things happen. The power we need now is the ability to take the millions of Black families and Black children out of poverty; the ability to halt the mass incarceration of Black men; the ability to build back the bond between Black men and women; the ability to own our economic destiny and future by securing nearly $14 Trillion dollars that is owed to the children of the enslaved Blacks; the ability to halt the alarming killing of unarmed Black men by White police officers; and the ability to tell and teach our own story so that future generations of Black people can be inspired and empowered to compete and win for the one of the coveted economic seats at the table of life. This power will not be given to us; in fact, the power is being used against us. For everything we see taking place against the Black man in America, there is a powerful force that not only allows it but supports it and our task is to wrestle that power away from those that seek to do us harm and into our hands so that we can give our community social, physical, financial, economic, and emotional relief. The great Fredrick Douglas said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress” and “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” This is about PEOPLE POWER. Almost every day and sometimes all day, I hear members of the Black community saying “we should do this” or “we should do that.” We should be addressing the issue of trust in the Black community; we should be spending our money collectively; we should be treating our women better; we should boycott this or that; we should be embracing our youth, etc. There is never a strategy that can gain “traction” on the idea being discussed. In some strange way, we make these statements
believing that someone else is going to do something for us. Is that part of our paralysis? Is this a symptom of a bigger issue? I say absolutely, yes. This is like people walking past filth every day and all they do is complain that the filth stinks. It’s not pretty. It’s bringing down the quality of life. It’s creating havoc for so many people and why won’t somebody pick up the filth? Not only is the filth not being picked up, it’s growing and our response is to complain more. But, who is going to do it? Who is actually going to pick the filth up? Now that the filth (problem) has grown, no one person or one organization has the capacity to fix the problem. Now, because the problem has grown, any solution will require a higher level of capacity. There is no one organization or ideology or concept that has the capacity to address the problems facing the Black man today, because all of the issues are extreme and all of the issues are interrelated. In the nearly 50 years since the civil rights movement, many of this generation have yet to reference any active or successful movement. Hopelessness prevails. In many ways, this hopelessness can be understood as the “millennials” are saddled with another issue. They fundamentally do not understand that we do not live in a post-racial society. Given the spiraling out of control of every negative demographic facing the Black community, it is obvious that that our community seems unwilling or unable to mount a collective offense. You have to conclude, if you are honest, that something is wrong, seriously wrong with our community. Did our ancestors bargain for this? Our ancestors are rolling over in their graves because, not only do we have to contend with structural issues that prevent the self-determination of Black people, we must now face what we are doing to each other. I contend it is not what they are doing to us; it’s what we’re not doing. All too often, the answer to what must be done to correct this injustice is left in the hands of those most responsible for creating the problem. Who created these problems of millions of Blacks living at or near poverty while millions of Whites live in absolute wealth? It reminds me of the analogy of you sleeping and a rat starts to bite your head. You don’t say, “Mr. Rat can you stop biting my head?” If you are sane and normal, you do your damnest to kill the rat. The Black community must take the lead in resolving the problems that it faces and can no longer ask anyone to do it for them.
The Newspaper with its Finger on the PULSE of YOUR Community!... In Print and On Line! YOUR MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL
The Milwaukee Community Journal August 19, 2015 Page 10