MCJ March 18, 2015 Edition

COMMUNITY

JOURNAL

INSIDE: THE RETURN OF SIGNIFYIN’!

VOL. XXXIX Number 34 March 18, 2015

The Milwaukee

PULSE OF THE COMMUNITY Photos and question

by Yvonne Kemp

Question of the Week:

“What do you think about the 47 Republican senators from the U.S. Senate sending a letter to the Iranian government and undermining President Barack Obama?”

TONY COURTNEY: “It’s showing total disresepct to the office of the presidency and the American people who believe in democracy.”

RACHAEL WOODS: “I think it is very disrespectful because he (President Obama) is the man in charge. He is our president and he deserves everyone’s respect.”

DARRIN REASBY: “I am not shocked at all. At the end of the day, they still see him as a Black man and not the President of the United States.”

SHERRY HILL: “I think the letter sent to Iran by the 47 “Republican senators” was not only unprecedented, it was underminding and circumventing the authority of the president and the powers granted to this office by the U.S. Constitution. This was no accident. It was intentional and should be outed for what it is as un-American.”

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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

(Left to Right below): MPS Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver, Juan Cabrera, Superintendent, El Paso Independent School District, TX; Michael Hanson, Superintendent, Fresno Unified School District, CA; Richard Carranza, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District, CA; and Barbara Jenkins, Superintendent, Orange County Public Schools, FL. They are seen on the White House lawn after their meeting with President Obama.

MPS Sup. Driver among urban school leaders to meet President Obama on the state of education Compiled by MCJ Staff

MILWAUKEE--Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Darienne Driver, was among 10 other urban school district leaders to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House Monday.

The president and school district leaders discussed efforts to strengthen educational opportunities for students in city schools.

“I am grateful for the opportunity we had to share the progress urban districts are making, to share the innovative practices we are putting in place to accelerate our growth and to reiterate our support for being accountable for student achievement,” said Driver in a MPS press statement following the meeting.

“It was also an opportunity to express concern about the proposals to reauthorize Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that would reduce funding for many of the highest-need, highest-poverty districts in the United States.

Saying MPS was proud to join with other CGCS participants in serving all students, Driver said any new plan must help move the nation’s neediest students forward— not backward.

“If the choice is between not doing harm or doing harm, it would seem self-evident that the current waiver system will have to remain in place until a bill can be passed that responsibly supports all our students.”

During the meeting with the president, Driver and the other school district leaders provided a number of examples of programs that have made the most of federal funds provided to high-needs districts in ways that improve outcomes and opportunities for students. For MPS, that includes the district’s Commitment Schools effort, which is showing early signs of progress.

In its first year, the Commitment Schools initiative is aimed at transforming underperforming schools into high-performing schools through increased resources to support school-specific rigorous academic and behavioral interventions with the ultimate goal of achieving greater college and career readiness.

Driver also shared with the president how MPS partnered with the General Electric (GE) Foundation to develop scalable and sustainable in-house models of innovative learning that can now share best practices with other schools.

“I spoke about our efforts to implement the rigorous Common Core State Standards and to increase the inte-

Our Interruption

MEN MEN EMPOWERING MEN MEN

“I am grateful for the opportunity we had to share the progress urban districts are making, to share the innovative practices we are putting in place to accelerate our growth and to reiterate our support for being accountable for student achievement.”

--MPS Sup. Darienne Driver (shown above with MPS student) about her meeting with President Obama

gration of science, technology, engineering and math,” Driver said. “I also shared how we are beginning to work with the College Board to improve outcomes for our young men of color through the president’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative.”

The MPS superintendent agreed with the president on the need to focus—as MPS has done through its Commitment Schools process—on providing low-performing schools with the tools they need to be successful.

“I also agree that investment in our students with special needs and our students who are English language learners is critical to our overall success.”

Driver said the message of the group to the president was that urban districts are making steady progress and implementing efforts to accelerate that growth.

“Any efforts to shift funds from high-need districts to less needy schools—as some ESEA reauthorization proposals would—risks reversing that progress. As the president said Monday, continuing to invest in our children is something worth fighting for.”

By Dr. Ramel Smith, “The Blaquesmith”

Before I address a predominantly White audience on issues of diversity and race, I try to establish a common ground of mutual frustration and pain.

For example, I will speak of that day, December 7th, which lives in infamy in the heart and minds of many Americans.

I speak about that day, September 11th, which we will always remember and never forget.

These single days of terrorism had a lasting effect on our country. Many Americans lost “There was an their lives. Many Americans were outraged. interruption, but Many Americans wanted harsh and immediate actions to those terrorists that attacked there was not a Americans on American soil. destruction. An Then, I ask “Why are the descendant of involuntary immigrants often told to forget interruption, is an about the great evil of the middle passage and unwanted delay and slavery?”

Our country can, rightfully, remember spe- unnecessary pause. cific days of terrorism when the casualty numbers were in the thousands, so how can It impedes progress. anyone be expected to forget about the cenIt delays progress. turies of emotional, physical and sexual cruThe resiliency and elty that was exacted upon millions?

Even after the 13th Amendment abolished strength of our this barbaric institution of slavery, how can we ancestors is what not think about the educational inequalities, gave birth to Maya financial exploitation, and mental cruelties and that were still enacted upon their descenAngelou’s angelic dants. And, how can we be expected to forget words ‘Still I Rise.’ when we are still reminded in this present day of our second-class citizenship?

Beaten but There was an interruption. Our ancestors were stolen and sold as mere commercial unbroken. Bloodied goods. There was an interruption. As brother but Malcolm stated, “we didn’t land on Plymouth unbowed.”

Rock, it landed on us.”

There was an interruption. Individual and family lives, forever, in West Africa, the Caribbean, South America and North America were inhumanely altered. There was an interruption. Our ancestors were forced to lose all remnants of their culture and identity.

There was an interruption, but there was not a destruction. An interruption, is an unwanted delay and unnecessary pause. It impedes progress. It delays progress. The resiliency and strength of our ancestors is what gave birth to Maya Angelou’s angelic words “Still I Rise.” Beaten but unbroken. Bloodied but unbowed.

Captives but not conquered. Our spirits stand in unison and cry in a foreign tongue with Cinque who implored the judicial system of America to “Give us Free!” My loved ones, is Denmark Vessey or Nat Turner any different from the great patriot Patrick Henry, who stated “Give me liberty or give me death!”

These revolutionaries understood, people will interrupt and inconvenience you-- for their convenience. Like Frederick Douglass, we must be willing to interrupt the plans of others, especially when they don’t have our best interest at heart. Like Harriet Tubman, we must have the resolve and will to let others know they are being rudely interrupted and must help them learn how to move past the distractions.

We live in a society today, where people pride themselves on the ability to multi-task.

These are people who have acquired a skill on how to continue positive progress on a specific task while being mired with the duties and obligations of many other distracting tasks. Our ancestors, and other enslaved populations from civilizations past, have had to develop this skill for survival. We cannot let interruptions deter and distract us from accomplishing our goal. Yes, there are savage inequalities that exist within the educational (continued on page 7)

Black Love, Black Marriage is Still Alive EDITOR’S NOTE: Sunday, March 22, is the national observance of Black Marriage Day, which celebrates and bolsters the institution of marriage in the Black community. Because of this special day, we are reprinting an article first run in 2013 written by MCJ editor and his wife, who will again be holding their Black Marriage Day event on that same week, Saturday, March 28 at Brentwood Church of Christ, 6425 N. 60th St., starting at 2 p.m. Go to the Religious page to see more information in our Relgious event section. Or visit BrentwoodCCM@yahoo.com, or go to the Black Marriage Day Page on Facebook under, Christian Couples Ministry.

FIRST PERSON

By Thomas and Clarene Mitchell First printed in May of 2013

On Saturday, March 16, the day before the national Black Marriage Day event observed across the United States celebrating the virtues of holy matrimony in the Black community, we held our third annual event, which coincided with the national observance.

The attendance at Brentwood Church of Christ was impressive.

We attracted couples of varying ages and years of marriage, from six months to 57 years.

Also in attendance were our youngest daughter and her fiancée.

We hope they were encouraged by the event and what the older couples shared as to what makes a marriage work—and that it is work. As Evangelist Barry L. Gainey, the featured speaker at our

Black Marriage Day event, stated, “When you say I do, believe me you will.”

But it’s also a labor of love we married couples who are committed to this centuries old institution wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

So you can imagine our consternation when we read a story in a recent Sunday edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS).

On the front page of that issue was a story about the economic decline and racial division hampering the rebirth of a city that was once the “beer capitol of the world,” and “the machine shop of the world.”

The story partly blamed the economic decline and slow turnaround on— of all things—disturbingly low numbers of Black married couples in the city!

The statistics for Black marriage in Milwaukee may indeed be extremely low, especially in comparison to other metropolitan areas, but Black love, and Black marriage is still alive and is still a desired value in our community.

The article’s author neglected to mention this, let alone the various indicators that have led to the racial divide and decline in Black marriage in Milwaukee… and nationally.

As a matter of fact, the writer should have included the history of Black marriage in America. That would have been a lot more

(continued on page 5)

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 2

THE THE PULSE The WHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHEN OF YOUR COMMUNITY

Free bilingual healthy shopping program to be held on March 28

The bilingual Healthy Shopping on a Budget program will be held at Forest Home Library, 1432 W. Forest Home Avenue on Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m.

This program will be presented in English and Spanish by Molina Healthcare. The Healthy Shopping on a Budget program is free and open to the public. Molina Healthcare’s Bilingual Community Outreach Coordinator will provide information about how to shop smart and healthy, while staying within a reasonable budget. Alderman José G. Pérez encourages all residents to attend.

“This is a great opportunity to learn how to maximize your budget and maintain a healthy diet,” Alderman Pérez said.

More information is available on the attached flyer.

Committee to take up appointment of Dr. Fred L. Crouther to Fire and Police Commission

The Milwaukee Common Council’s Public Safety Committee will take up the appointment of Dr. Fred L. Crouther, the latest mayoral appointee to the Fire and Police Commission, at a meeting on Thursday, March 19 at 9:00 a.m., at City Hall, room 301B, 200 E. Wells St.

Members of the public are invited to attend, submit written questions for the appointee or make a brief statement if they desire.

Dr. Crouther is the pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church on N. 38th Street and a longtime advocate for civil rights, disadvantaged populations and disabled people. He’s been a resident of Milwaukee since 1964, and is involved with organizations including the NAACP, the YMCA and Milwaukee Inner City Congrega-

ELECTION WATCH 2015

WHY VOTE IN THE APRIL 7 ELECTION?

The winner for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice will serve for TEN (10) YEARS. Many cases will come to the court in that time: Civil Rights, education, workers’ rights, voting rights, and Milwaukee’s freedom to govern itself rather than let unfriendly politicians in Madison decide. Vote for Wisconsin Supreme Court The Chief Justice, who is the leader of the court and of our judicial system, should have the experience and wisdom that comes from long service. Turning the position into a prize for the party in the majority would make the court even more political than it is now.

Leaders from the president to school board affect our lives and we need to use our votes to choose the ones we think are best, because we deserve the best.

Every voter•Every election•Every time!

April 7 Election•Milwaukee Ballot•Contested Offices (For full ballot with all offices to check your registration, go to myvote.wi.gov)

These offices are nonpartisan, so no parties will be listed with the candidates Ann Walsh Bardley Wisconsin (Incumbent) Supreme Court James P. Daley (Challenger) Justice Bradley has voted for public employee rights and against voter ID while on the court.

MISSING!

The community is asked to be on the lookout for Margaret Byrd, a 65-year-old Northside woman who has been missing for three days. Her family describes her as being basically helpless, due to her mental illnesses.

She is bi-polar and schizophrenic. The family says any information or help from the community would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone sees her, they are asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department's non-emergency line at 414-933-4444. You can also call the Byrd family at 414-2419814 or 262-293-3921.

Free haircuts offer positivity, mentorship on “Barbershop Mondays”

Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II is encouraging residents to take part in Safe & Sound, Inc.’s Barbershop Mondays, an initiative to provide free haircuts every Monday for youth and men, age 12 and older, at barbershops across the 15th Aldermanic District.

Today’s Barbershop Mondays session will go until 6 p.m. at Project Respect, 2730 N. 27th St. In line with Safe & Sound’s mission of uniting residents, youth, law enforcement and community resources to build safe and empowered neighborhoods, H.O.-M.E Team (Heroes Operating In Milwaukee Everyday) has been created as an initiative to promote neighborhood connectivity, positive youth engagement in the community, and project-based opportunities for creativity and leadership development. The H.O.M.E Team is conducting the Barbershop Mondays effort, Alderman Stamper said.

“The free haircuts on Barbershop Mondays are meant to facilitate mentorship, networking and communication opportunities wh-ile also boosting self-esteem,” Alderman Stamper said. “The barbershop setting is recreated as a way of imparting positive knowledge, connections and ideas on youth and men who can then carry that forward.”

In exchange for grooming services, patrons will sweep their own hair and add their names to a contact list for community service projects like lawn care, snow removal for elderly, and neighborhood cleanups.

Barbershop Mondays will involve local barbers from various barbershops, men from AMANI and other neighborhoods, and will also offer mentorship opportunities, and help bridge generational gaps between young men and adults.

For more information or to see how you can be a part of H.O.M.E Team, please contact Damien Smith at (414) 788-8085 or Damien@safesound.org.

Milwaukee School Board District 2

Milwaukee School Board District 3

District 10 County Supervisor Special Election (Formerly represented by David Bowen)

Jeff Spence (Incumbent)

Wendell J. Harris, Sr. (Challenger) Michael Bonds (Incumbent)

Stephany Pruitt (Challenger) Supreme Moore Omokunde Solana Ramos

Referendum Question (Explanation)

Should we change the Wisconsin constitution to have the state’s Supreme Court justices elect one of their members to be Chief Justice, rather than the method used for 125 years that makes the longest serving justice the Chief?

Yes or No? Voting NO means that EXPERIENCE will still decide who is Chief Justice, not the political beliefs of the justices in the majority.

Early Voting

March 23-April 3, Mon. to Fri. only•8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.•City Hall, 200 E. Wells, Room 501 Questions? Call Milwaukee Election Commission, 286-3491 Above information provided by My Vote Wisconsin

tions Allied for Hope.

His appearance before the committee is the latest step in Dr. Crouther’s appointment to the Fire and Police Commission, following a series of public meetings during which interested citizens were able to learn more about his background and ask questions. After the Public Safety Committee takes up the matter, his appointment may be scheduled for and confirmed by the next meeting of the full Common Council.

PERSPECTIVES

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “You can’t hate the root and not the fruit.

You can’t hate Africa, the land where you and I originated, without winding up hating you and me.”--Malcolm X

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 3

When Did the Black Police and Black residents Community Stop Dreaming? must respect and work MCJ EDITORIAL

together to win the peace for our community

Let there be no confusion....we need police officers, we respect police officers and our community needs good police officers. Our safety, our protection, the employment of quality police officers enhances the strength of our communities.

Over the years, MCJ has frequently honored officers whose service epitomize good policing. Others will be honored this year as we highlight: “ Men Who Empower Men”.

They demand our respect.

The death or the shooting of an officer is met with the same pain and grief as is that associated with the death of people from the community, such as Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.; and in our own backyard with the Dontre Hamilton shooting by a Milwaukee police officer last April.

There should be no celebration when an officer is killed.

And certainly there is no celebration when another man, woman, or child is funeralized due to shootings, ambushes, or disregard for life.

People who take the law into their own hands warrant arrest and a trial in front of a jury of their peers. And officers who use deadly force require the same.

Unjustified actions cannot be condoned. It takes respect from both sides. Many police officers execute that sensitivity as they approach citizens within the African American community. Residents from our community are most often the ones who call for help....they make up many of the 911 calls placed. So protection is expected and sought.

Just as every citizen cannot be lumped into one blanket, nor can every police officer. It takes a keenly trained officer to address problems, regardless of ethnicity.

Mental health issues, domestic relationship issues, crime, drugs, flagrant abuse of the laws of our society are all part of a poice officer’s training.

Seasoned officers learn to address these issues with professionalism while still executing the law. Most citizens seek that professionalism, regardless of race or community geographic.

Regrettably, the stereotypes, the subtle under-currents can influence attitude, responses and actions of a person, even police officers. That’s what we have to improve, to reconcile, to ameliorate within the community and the police force. A culture of “innocent until proven guilty” is a desirable given from officers and the community. One’s actions should dictate, not an automatic presumption of guilt or attack because of the color of one’s skin.

The recent Department of Justice report spoke to some of these preponderances. Ferguson is not every community.

However, it clearly describes a lot of communities. We cannot condone misbehavior. Within our power, the police community and the residential community, working together, is the solution of changing attitudes and outcomes.

Let us jointly work toward that end. No blanket assumptions about our community and no blanket stereotypes of our police officers. We need each other..we must respect each other. The legacy of the late Milwaukee Police Sergeant Felmers Chaney is called upon today.

He would be a perfect intervener if he were alive today (and albeit, a little younger). May his soul forever rest in peace. But those whom he trained, those he lead, let us hear from you.

THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNAL 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.

One of the greatest men that the world has ever known is the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. author of the “I Have a Dream” speech. His dream was not some thoughtless wish that one makes before going to sleep. This is about the highest level of accountability. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a fighter.

He was definitely not the pacifist that is being depicted by the media today. Dr. King cared very deeply for his people and he put it all on the line for all of humanity, America, and specifically Black Americans. Dr. King’s dream wasn’t about going to sleep and hoping that things would change – just the opposite.

He worked, fought, struggled, and paid the ultimate price with his life. The “dream” is a metaphor for a vision; a vision that was communicated to him by the Creator when he did sleep.

Many people in religion say that dreams come from three places: The subconscious; the Creator; or the Devil. Dreams have also been credited by many artists as being the source of their creativity and are often deeply symbolic. I believe that Dr. King’s dream for the Black man in America came from his conversations with God. Dreams represent one of the most mysterious and interesting experiences in our lives. There has always been a keen interest in the analysis and interpretation of dreams. Dreams play a very important role in our human existence and evolution.

While we forget most of our dreams, there are times that our dreams become pivotal and definitive moments in our lives. I’m very fortunate to be able to dream every time I fall asleep.

In fact, in many cases especially during the day, I only know that I had fallen asleep because I would have a dream. I never have bad dreams or nightmares – my dreams are usually about my work, family or our people.

In my dreams, I’m usually confronting the daily challenges of my life and many times I will see the solution in my dream. There have been many times these solutions are the best course of action for me. Dreams are powerful and none was more powerful than Dr. King’s dream.

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”(Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1963) These words and this dream drive my every spirit and when I have a moment to think about it, it fill my eyes with tears (my eyes are full right now). These are not the words of a pacifist – these are the words of a prophet, a genius, a champion and a freedom fighter – a person who was connected to a higher power (God).

Dr. King’s dream is the vision for all humanity and Black people are part of that humanity and deserve to derive the benefits that Almighty God bestowed on the crown of His creation.

What has been done to Black people by white people is immoral and just wrong. I can only think of one reason why this not only happened, but why it and last as long as it did (300 years).

It was for the love of money. The love of money (i.e. power, wealth, influence, control, etc.) has corrupted people to the point that people will do almost anything to get money.

The enslavement of millions of Black people was motivated by pure greed and a deep and

poisonous love for money. There are many struggles by both individuals and groups and the “good guy” doesn’t always win, at least in this dimension.

The good guys in this case are those that are being oppressed. One group can inflict pain and oppression over another group without any apparent consequences. This was the plight of the Black people in America for the past 400 years and it continues to be motivated by the love of money which is masked under a false pretense, superficial, and most ignorant positon like skin color. This falsehood is fed to the masses to keep us from seeing the real reason why we practice hate – its greed.

If we have any faith in the natural order of things (God), there have to be real consequences for the foul actions of people. There are some who believe that there is a heaven and a hell.

Heaven is for those people who uphold the laws of God and hell is for those who don’t. While this is a very simplified interpretation of heaven and hell, it doesn’t take away the reality that the fight of right versus wrong or good versus evil is real amongst men. Freedom isn’t free; sometimes peace (i.e. justice, right, equality, etc.) can’t be achieved without a fight and/or a struggle, and Dr. King’s dream was about taking on this fight and destroying the myth of racial superiority. Why? Because we are all the same under our skin. We all are born and not one of us will escape death. We all have to breathe oxygen and eat to sustain ourselves. Therefore, we are all human and have the same fate as all other humans. Along the way, division, which was intended to be a human strength and a beauty, was magnified by an evil spirit (devil) and made human superiority (white) and human inferiority (black) that has been supported through a number of institutions (i.e. family, religion, law, etc.). The reality is that the most superior amongst us are those that are the most helpful to humanity.

I asked you, “Who can determine who their parents will be? If you can control this, then you can control the color of your skin. You, like me, had nothing to say with who your parents are. So, this argument is moot. However, just like there are higher levels of good, there are lower levels of bad and this dynamic is what life is all about. This is the challenge of human life. Humanity must prevail.

“Failure of Integration” panels attracting growing support in national schedules

(continued on page 7)

By Taki S. Raton

President Obama, the first family, civil rights veterans and others approached the Edmund Pettis Bridge on the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” (Getty Photo)

President Obama reminds us we have come a long way since “Bloody Sunday,” but we still have a long journey ahead

A week ago, I posed the question as to why organizers of the commemoration of

By Mikel Kwaku Osei Holt “Bloody Sunday” referred to it same reason they didn’t attend the movies “12 Years a Slave,” or “Jackie Robinson.” as a “celebration”?

Ask them where they were on this day, and you would

SIGNIFYIN’

Several days later, on the anniversary of that defining day in American history (March 13, 1965), President Barrack Obama answered my query.

Standing at the entrance of the Edmund Pettis Bridge, the nation’s first African American president proclaimed to the 40,000 assembled (and millions watching on television) that the country owed a debt to those warriors for justice who braved brutal beatings to bring the world’s attention to Jim Crow and bigotry in a country that touted itself as a beacon of democracy and “justice for all.”

“We gather here to honor the courage of ordinary Americans willing to endure billy clubs and the chastening rod, tear gas and the trampling hoof; men and women who despite the gush of blood and splintered bone would stay true to their North Star and keep marching forward toward justice.”

Lying in my hospital bed minutes after being treated by an African American physician who probably would not have had the opportunity to serve save for the sacrifices of Black and White civil rights activists, I hung on every word uttered by the nation’s first African American president.

From my perspective, Obama’s declarations on race relations were among the most insightful of his term. They, no doubt, made many White Americans nervous, if not guilt ridden.

That fact was illuminated by the absence of but a handful of Republican politicians. Also absent were any high profile actors in the American drama of racial politics in a land whose script is in stark contrast to the tenets on which this nation was formed.

They were absent from the symbolic march for the

probably get an answer similar to the response you would receive if you asked them why they didn’t attend any of a thousand demonstrations in recent years that called for an end to profiling, an inequitable criminal justice system or educational apartheid.

But to those honest enough to accept the truth, the president declared: “In one afternoon 50 years ago, so much of our turbulent history—the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war; the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow; the death of four little girls in Birmingham and the dream of a Baptist preacher—met on this bridge.”

What the marchers encountered was not the extended hands of true Christians or patriots committed to the tenets of our Constitution or Bill of Rights, but instead they faced riot-geared state troopers armed with 300 years of entrenched bigotry and racial hatred.

The reason for the Selma march, conceived as a nonviolent demonstration to draw attention to racial injustice and the denial of basic rights—including the right to vote—was dubbed by the shocked media that covered the event as “Bloody Sunday,” a name rooted in the conduct of those state troopers and “God loving citizens” who viciously attacked the peaceful marchers, including women and children.

I’m not sure if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s belief that “love can conquer hate” is true, but the televised display of bigotry shocked the nation, and the world, prompting an outcry that ultimately resulted in civil rights legislation and executive orders to protect subsequent marchers.

Equally important, Bloody Sunday forced preachers (continued on page 5)

This would be one of those moments in life’s journey where this writer finds himself deeply grateful that he has had the instinct, consciousness and foresight to maintain a set posture on one issue for so many years in his writings, presentations and classroom instruction.

For it is the responsibility of the present, of the living, of the adults to critique, analyze and if necessary, move towards the correction of illcharted social patterns such that the future – the children – will not inherit mistakes and errors of the adult past.

The issue to which is herein addressed – that ill-charted past error – is, to paraphrase our esteemed scholar ancestor Chancellor Williams, that integration as we have practiced this social experiment, has become a key element in the cultural compromise and self-destruction of the Black community.

Social integration from the 1970’s to the 2015 present has positioned the Black man, his culture, his community, his institutions, his race, his children and his future into a state of dependency, helplessness, and inferiorization. Quoting the late warrior scholar ancestor and former Washington, D.C. School Superintendent Dr. Barbara Sizemore, “Under integration, nothing all-Black could ever be excellent.”

So nearly for the last 45 years, the Black man has been rendered into a state of cultural, social, professional and even civilizational mediocracy, generic invisibility and non-beingness, operating under the precept that neither he nor his children are to ever rise above, beyond, or apart from the standard of Euro/White. After all here in 2015, we don’t want to risk being or appearing as Dr. Claude Anderson’s remarks in one of his tapes - “Too Black.”

And this is where one of the criti-

(continued on page 6)

RELIGION

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 4

Creflo Dollar is further proof that ‘prosperity gospel’ is full of false profits

Creflo Dollar

OPINION

by Javier E. David

On Friday morning at the gym (a unique ecosystem that often forces you to watch things on television you otherwise wouldn’t), I happened to catch a glimpse of a reality television show called “Thicker Than Water” that focuses on the trials and travails of Christian musician and minister Ben Tankard and his family.

The show’s airing of dirty laundry, and the Tankard clan’s penchant for the material, made me wonder about the multimedia age’s effect on Christian worship — which seems to be jumping the shark on a routine basis.

Virtually at that very moment, Creflo Dollar’s name began trending on

Twitter. In a day that will likely live in infamy for his World Changers Church, the good reverend issued a bold plea for $65 million dollars. Not to feed the poor, or perhaps protect Christians being persecuted and murdered in other parts of the world, mind you — but to name and claim a new Gulfstream G650 (one of the most elite planes on the private jet market).

You see, Rev. Dollar’s last plane had engine troubles, and now his movement needs that G650 so that World Changers “can continue to blanket the globe with the Gospel of grace.” Apparently, that monumental task can’t be accomplished flying commercial.

At the risk of mixing religious metaphors (and with preemptive apologies to my Jewish friends), Rev.

Dollar’s fundraising request — which it should be noted was quickly removed from its website after it caught fire on the Internet — is the very epitome of chutzpah.

Like many of the adherents of the so-called prosperity gospel, it would also appear Rev. Dollar has had his Oral Roberts moment.

For the benefit of those who may not remember, a brief history lesson is in order.

Oral Roberts was a preacher who, alongside the likes of Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker and Pat Robertson (in varying degrees, they were all progenitors of the mega-church that played a major role in birthing the prosperity gospel movement), pioneered the very lucrative televangelism model in the 1970s and 80s.

Roberts had flamboyant and outright

Brentwood Church of Christ’s Christian Couples Ministry to hold 5th annual Black Marriage Day event March 28

Christian Couples Ministry (CCM) of the Brentwood Church of Christ will hold their 5th Annual Black Marriage Day Event on Saturday March 28, 2015 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm at the church, 6425 N. 60th Street, Milwaukee, WI. The theme of the event will be Respect the Ring.

The event will include entertainment by jazz vocalist Cassandra McShepard and Evangelist Steven Thompson, Minister of the Central Church of Christ, will provide an inspirational message.

At each event, special honors are given to the most newlywed couple and the one that has been married the longest. A dessert social will be held immediately following the program.

Black Marriage Day is a national observance on the 4th

Sunday of March that celebrates marriage in the Black community.

This event is open to everyone who believes in and supports the value of marriage in the Black community; this includes singles and individuals from all cultures.

Tickets are $20 per person and $25 for two, tickets can be purchased in advance at Herb’s Hair Studio, 4800 N. Hopkins Street or at the event.

For questions, please contact Thomas & Clarene Mitchell, event organizers, at 414-736-1546 or brentwoodccm@gmail.com.

The Black Marriage Day Event Facebook event page is a source for more information as well.

Comedy show at Brentwood to benefit scholarship fund

Brentwood Church of Christ’s Lois M. Chapple Scholarship Fund presents: “Laugh To Educate” Comedy Show, featuring comedians D-Rock and Marlin Hill, for one night only, March 21, 2015.

Doors will open at 7 p.m. Brentwood COC is located at 6425 N. 60th St. The cost of admission is $10 per person. Concession items will also be sold during the event. All proceeds raised from the show will go towards the Chapple Scholarship Fund.

Spring Revival at Prince of Peache Baptist Church

Prince of Peace Baptist Church will hold a Spring Revival April 12-14, starting each night at 7p.m. The theme of the revival is, “Revive Me, O Lord” (Psalm 80:18-19).

The guest preacher will be Clinton D. McFarland, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga. There will be three devotional speakers each night of the revival: Pastor Robert Angel, Redemption Fellowship Baptist Church; Pastor Ripton Stewart, Transformation Temple Christian Church; Pastor Kenneth Cutler, Greater Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Prince of Peace is located at 3701 N. 35th St., Steven R. McVicker is pastor.

For more information, call 414-444-6700.

distasteful methods of raising money that often involved visions from God of massive capital campaigns. One day in 1987, Roberts told his followers that God would “call him home” unless he received $8 million.

In case you were wondering how the story ends, he eventually got more than what he needed to remain in his mortal coil — at least until his passing in 2009.

Never mind the fact that, as a man of God, you’d think Mr. Roberts would have embraced the idea of The Creator calling him home.

Also besides the point is the idea that something as inherently mortal as money could sway the judgment of God. Rev. Dollar’s Gulfstream appeal recalls the Roberts incident because both requests were so audacious, self-serving and completely out of step with reality that you can only shake your head in disbelief, or laugh at the preposterousness of it all.

Except, of course, that there’s nothing funny about it. Dollar’s big money request was atrocious, both from a fiduciary and public relations perspective.

Churches are in fact non-profit organizations and have a real responsibility to raise and spend money wisely.

The fact that a pastor was able to entreat his parishioners for a $65 million IOU speaks volumes about the competence of those entrusted with the church’s finances (disclosure: your writer actually sits on the Board of Trustees for his own church). Not to mention that invoking the term “ministry” in a solicitation for a private jet is a gross misuse of the term, to say the least.

Without realizing it, Dollar has managed to detonate a new improvised explosive device (IED) under the prosperity doctrine, which has always been theologically suspect and seems as if its primary concern is to make its adherents rich rather than (continued on page 8)

BREAD IN THE WILDERNESS

Acting on Behalf of Others

By Fr. Carl Diederichs, All Saints Catholic Church

Dear Sisters and Brothers, For those of us who observe the forty days of Lent, this Sunday is already the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of the holiest weeks of the year—Holy Week.

The readings from scripture for this Sunday are: Jeremiah 31: 3134, Hebrews 5: 7-9, and John 12: 20-33.

Jeremiah speaks comforting words to us: “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” And then the punch line: All from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.”

In John’s Gospel we hear Jesus speaking to some Greeks who said to Philip: “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” And when they met Jesus he said to them: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” These Greeks were probably shocked by His words. He was speaking about His own death.

Jesus said these words not too much before He would die, a grain of wheat that would then bear much fruit. And after He died He would be lifted up and draw everyone to Himself.

We who claim the name Christian are now the beneficiaries of Jesus and His mission and ministry. The question the Greeks asked, we need to ask: “ We would like to see Jesus.” And we too will be shocked by His words to us: We too must be like a grain of wheat and die to ourselves so that we will produce much fruit. And the fruit we produce? That is to be determined by how we actually hear His words.

If we remember Jeremiah’s words, God’s covenant is within us, written on our hearts. And the covenant calls us to die to self so we are able to live for others. When we do this we will be fulfilling the questions of the Greeks; we will be showing Jesus to others by the way we talk to them, love them, treat them, go out of our way for them and by how we include them in our life and good works. This will be especially true of the most needy in our world and neighborhood.

When we act for others, we will reach out beyond our comfort zone and show anyone we meet Jesus who is the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.

BLACK MARRIAGE DAY

(continued from page 1) interesting to read than cold, meaningless statistics that only fueled the fires of misinformation and myth, as well as illustrate the negatives of our plight as a people through the centuries in this nation since we set foot on these shores in chains.

Despite the naysayers and their statistics, next to the Black church, the institution of marriage (and its inevitable off-shoot, family) is one of the most powerful and important institutions in Black America.

It is—in our opinion—the reason for our continued survival as a people on these shores from the “curious institution” (slavery), through the oppressive American Apartheid system known as “Jim Crow,” to today’s supposed “post-racial” society of the Obama era.

Marriage and the fuel that drives the institution—Black love—is still important and is experiencing a revival in America, as evidenced by the annual Black Marriage Day recognizing its importance to us.

But it wasn’t always easy…and still isn’t given the statistics and the unfortunate action of some of our folks.

What the author of the MJS article neglected to include was the impact of slavery on marriage and Black love.

During slavery, Africans were denied the right to marry in the eyes of the law, according to a Black wedding guide book titled, Jumping the Broom

by Harriet Cole.

According to Cole, slaveholders considered their captives to be not human, only property that could be bought and sold. As such, they had no rights.

It was further reasoned by the “massah” that if slaves were allowed to marry and live together, they might “find strength in numbers that could lead to a revolt,” Cole wrote.

Fortunately, our ancestors didn’t let enslavement keep them from expressing love…or getting married! Our ancestors creatively and secretly used the African rituals taught to them from early childhood to express love and marital unity right under the eyes of Whites.

Our ingenuity created the tradition of “jumping the broom.” The broom, according to Cole, held “spiritual significance for many African peoples, representing the beginning of homemaking for a couple.”

Cole wrote a woman of the Kgatla people of southern Africa would sweep the courtyard of her in-laws one day after the wedding “symbolizing her willingness and obligation to assist in housework at her in-laws residence until the couple moved to their own home.”

Thus during slavery, with the permission of the slave owner, before witnesses and to the beat of talking drums (until, according to Cole, they

“Yes, we do love as Black people.

Despite the nagging myths of our people being consumed by the physical expression of love (which isn’t love but lust)...Yes, we do love as Black people despite modern day systems that work to destroy our family units.”

too were outlawed for being instruments of indecipherable communications for the enslaved), a couple “would pledge their devotion to each other and finally would literally jump over a broom into the seat of matrimony.”

That tradition—and countless other heretofore lost or forgotten acts from the Motherland—have been revived within the last 10-plus years and are finding their way back into Black weddings as a symbol of unity between a Black man and Black woman.

In fact, we incorporated this tradition into our wedding in 2009 and proudly have our broom framed and on display in our home.

And though methods of enslavement were used to set Black men and women against each other, we still— despite the brainwashing—still loved…and love each other! We have done this—and continue to do this— because of our strong spiritual base borne from African traditions and mixed lovingly with the Christian principals regarding matrimony we adopted and stubbornly hold dear.

Yes, we do love as Black people.

Despite the nagging myths of our people being consumed by the physical expression of love (which isn’t love but lust).

Yes, we do love as Black people despite modern day systems that work to destroy our family units. Many of us remember the movie Claudine from 1974.

We can quickly recall this movie mostly because it showed how the welfare system forced Black women to choose between loving a Black man and being able to get the welfare benefits she needed to put food on the table. The welfare system forced Black women to fend for themselves, just as slavery did when Black men were sold away from the women that they loved.

We do love, despite the dire news stories of domestic violence between “co-habitants” or reports, editorials and essays on the widening chasm separating Black men (viewed as nothing more than unfeeling “playas” who use love as a weapon for sexual gratification with no concern for the “consequences” they help produce); and women (looked upon as angry, bitter and alone, struggling to care for those “consequences” without the help, support and love of the individual who helped produce them).

We’re more than myths, stereotypes and statistical numbers that increase the coffers of bureaucracies while leaving us bereave of any assistance to eliminate the negatives that continue to weigh us down and slow our progress as a people.

The roots of Black love run deep, as Lerone Bennett Jr. chronicled in his 1981 Ebony article, The Roots of Black Love: New research underscores strong bonds of Black concern.

He noted, “As a matter of hard historical fact, the true story of Black love – love colored by, loved blackened by the Black experience – is the exact opposite of the tradition myth.”

He went on to note that “Black love was denied legal sanction and support and the Black family was systematically violated.

“For more than 200 years, slaves were violently denied the right to marry legally, and slave masters violently and repeatedly separated husbands from wives and children from parent.”

How can a people who are just a few generations removed from legalized slavery be freed from the lingering impact of these systematic barriers?

The MJS reporter could have asked the couple he noted in his article (Rev. LaHarve Buck and his wife who have been married for close to 50 years.) what makes their marriage strong and long-lasting (he didn’t).

Instead of just the narrow view of bleak statistics, the highlighting of couples such as the Buck’s is needed to give hope and encouragement to those who are in a relationship— or single—yet struggling with the decision to take the next step and “jump the broom”.

He might have been surprised by the answer: “Love and friendship”— with the emphasis on love. Love is that aforementioned fuel, the foundation on which the institution is built… and must be built if it is to withstand the harsh realities of life and living that we expect, but are rarely prepared for.

Love, remembering the lessons of our history, and applying both in equal amounts will continue to revive the institution of marriage and increase the numbers of those living “happily everafter.”

Indeed, the social conditions for Milwaukee Blacks must improve.

When our society truly fosters justice for all, equal access to resources and opportunities, there will no doubt be increases in Black marriages.

SIGNIFYIN’: We have come a long way since “Bloody Sunday,” but we still have a long journey ahead

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 5

(continued from page 3)

and politicians, teachers and tea party members (yeah, they were around 50 years ago), millionaires and minions to come to grips with the reality that was illuminated by the police (mis)conduct that filled black and white television screens from California to New York.

America was shocked, and foreign nations questioned the proclamations that this country was indeed the home of justice and democracy. Russia denounced America’s blatant hypocrisy. South Africa applauded the acknowledgement that apartheid was not limited to that racist government.

Of course, Selma was not the only scene of a racist response to freedom, and police complicity in upholding a system of legalized bigotry.

Around that same time of the Selma march, I was met with bricks and racial epithets when I joined the NAACP and civil rights icons Vel Phillips and Father James Groppi as we peacefully marched across the 16th Street viaduct. Our quest was passage of an open housing ordinance.

(Yes, young brothers and sisters, up until a few years ago, Black Milwaukeeans were not allowed to live beyond the artificial boundary of Keefe Avenue, Juneau, 27th and Holton Streets).

Appropriately, Obama didn’t ignore the wave of police shootings of unarmed Black men, which is highlighted by the unbelievable turn of events in Ferguson, MO, Milwaukee, New York and, most recently, Madison, WI. While exonerating the police officer involved in the killing of an unarmed Black man in Ferguson, Obama’s Justice Department issued a scathing report on the city’s police department and its criminal justice system. Not only was the police department accused of maintaining blatantly racist policies, but even the courts were complicit in a racial profiling scheme.

But don’t be naïve to believe Ferguson is unique.

While I can’t prove the MPD is using its station to fill the city coffers as is the case in Ferguson, I have long contended the city’s overnight parking ordinance is a tax on the poor.

Moreover, several reports have shown our neighboring suburbs disproportionately single out Black drivers for tickets. Oh yeah, even law enforcement acknowledges state drug laws are weighed against Black Milwaukeeans, a major reason Wisconsin has the highest Black incarceration rate in the United States.

“Just this week, I was asked whether I thought the Department of Justice’s Ferguson report shows that, with respect to race, little has changed in this country,” the president said.

“I understand the question, for the report’s narrative was woefully familiar. It evoked the kind of abuse and disregard for citizens that spawned the Civil Rights Movement,” he continued.

“Equally important, Bloody Sunday forced preachers and politicians, teachers and tea party members (yeah, they were around 50 years ago), millionaires and minions to come to grips with the reality that was illuminated by the police (mis)conduct that filled black and white television screens from California to New York.”

“The president, however, rejected that “nothing” has changed in terms of race relations since Bloody Sunday (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).

“What happened in Ferguson may not be unique, but it’s no longer endemic, or sanctioned by law and custom; and before the Civil Rights Movement, it most surely was.

“We do a disservice to the cause of justice by intimating that bias and discrimination are immutable, or that racial division is inherent to America,” he declared.

Of course “a common mistake is to suggest that racism has banished, that the work that men and women went to Selma is complete (was in vain) and that whatever racial tensions remain are of those seeking to play the ‘race card’ for their own purposes.

“We don’t need the Ferguson report to know that’s not true,” he declared.

Evoking, as he did several times during his speech, the gospel of Isaiah and other prophets, the president concluded: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.”

President Obama’s speech was not as insightful as I would have hoped, but he went further than he has in the past to forcibly open America’s eyes to the reality of race relations in America.

Ironically, a report released within days of the Selma march revealed 52% of White Americans believe bigotry is a thing of the past. That means a majority of Americans are either foolish, ignorant or blind.

Things are better in America than they were when I was growing up, but the journey left is still a long one. And we should remind those who think legislation can end bigotry, that you can’t legislate attitudes.

In case you haven’t heard, I’ve been in the hospital for over five months. A strong case can be made that my repeated medical setbacks can be linked to the assumption that Obama’s words, and the civil rights advocates’ work, have fallen on deaf ears. Hopefully, I’m wrong, but…

Hotep

“Failure of Integration” panels attracting growing support in national schedules

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 6

(continued from page 3) cal errors of our past has surfaced over these 45 years hence and we need to be clear about this understanding. It is not herein positioned that we should not access or not exercise the right to access mainstream corridors. It is not herein positioned that we should not live and work amongst others.

This is not a legal discussion, but one of culture, community and future.

The civil rights act of July 2, 1964 outlawed discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex or national origin and ended racial segregation in “public accommodations.” This edict is not in dispute.

But what is in question is the quality and substance of our living present and of our participation in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in the institutions serving our communities and of our status as a people on the national stage in relationship to other groups - particularly peoples of color - since the 1970’s where much of the de-segregation laws were implemented. And also to be clear, de-segregation and integration are two separate entities.

What again is in question is how the Black community has interpreted this concept of de-segregation, via social integration, and what traditional tried and true practices, norms, values and institutions were compromised and discarded – by us – in this process.

Specifically, this discussion is an issue of culture, family, group economics; of how we raise our children, the socialization of our youth, the stability of our central city communities, perceptions (or misperceptions) of our history, our proper placement on the world stage of time and achievement, the quality of our future, and just who we are (and are not) in relationship to other people just to mention a few.

One primary arena where we were in error is that in America’s multicultural pluralistic society, it is demanded and expected that each respective group take care of and be responsible for its own families, communities, children, institutions, culture, nation, and race no matter the current reality, conditions, or the nature of any unique historical circumstance.

Citizenship, group civility and self-respect start with who you are as a people, with the best of what you have been and with the promise of the continued cultivated best of that through your progeny which you can become. It is therefore the responsibility of each respective group to nurture, protect and eternalize the perpetuation of their unique exemplar racial characteristics onto their children.

Carter G. Woodson 82 years ago quite plainly observed this concept in his 1933 work “Mis-Education of the Negro” when he posited that, “The difference or races, moreover, is no evidence of superiority or of inferiority. This merely indicates that each race has certain gifts which others do not possess.

It is by the development of these gifts that every race must justify its right to exist.”

As with all cultures in America and throughout the globe, Black “Old School” during Reconstruction and Jim Crow would ensure that its membership was raised with what this writer terms the quality of Dual Cultural Mastery (DCM).

It is the responsibility of the community, of the adults, of the family and of the community based institutions that the cultural membership love and master their unique Way; love who they are; love their unique talents, skills, gifts, and genius; are raised with a high, positive, and healthy sense of self-esteem, self-identity and self-ideals such that the cultural members – and in particular their young – will be raised with concrete and unwavering traits of identity, purpose, direction: respect for themselves, for their elders and for others.

This first line of DCM also provided what Dr. Francis Crest Welsing calls a Cultural Immune System (CIS) or Cultural Grid (CG) which – like in all

other groups – act as a cultural, emotional, psychological, and spiritual barrier from negative influences and as a protective insulator within a society that may be hostile, fearful or discriminatory towards others who are different.

This is the first phase of DCM. The second phase of DCM is mastery of the broader mainstream pluralistic society into which the ethno-cultural membership must work, participate, compete, socialize and by choice, perhaps, live.

Thus, the basic ingredients, unique nature, laws, sensitivities, standards, qualities and expectations of the broader society must be taught within each respective ethno-cultural membership communities ideally before member arrival or active member participation in mainstream domains. This is the second line of Dual Cultural Mastery.

In order - master, love and embrace the best ways of your culture of origin, of your kind first, and second, master the ways of the dominant system of which you are to become a part.

At the most minimum of levels, the young must be prepared and should be expected to enter mainstream society with the traits of positive and acceptable human interaction; proper decorum in regards to dress, speech and attitude; civil cooperation; work ethic preparedness; entry level competency mastery; competitive skill sets, and social orientation towards the onward flow of humankind ideals.

The individualized practice of social integration within the Black community relative to our collective responsibility to our own literally destroyed all of the above. By 1987, any and all traits of unified Black “Old School” values and practice relative to DCM was completely absence and abandoned by the Black social integrant in our nation’s central city communities.

And this is merely only one example of the horrible consequence of African American social integration into Euro-American society – the individualization of our people and the abandonment of our social responsibility to our collective racial membership, particularly to our children and youth, and indeed the abandonment of our social responsibility as a respective unique culture in relationship to others in the broader mainstream arena.

I mean really, how does American society and its groupings of cultures view Black people today, especially the Black male?

So why is this writer grateful that he has maintained this posture on social integration for so many years?

Because now there are multiple national Black voices on this issue attracting a growing number of young listeners joined by elders who are now claiming their stance but heretofore have not had the vehicle to address in their heart what they knew was wrong.

On Sunday, December 28, 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a panel was convened at Elm Grove Baptist Church to a well-attended audience to address the question: “How has Integration Affected Black Businesses and the Black Family?” Panel members included Dr. Ava Muhammad, Louis Ali, the Irritated Genie and a host of other prominent leaders from our nation’s Black community.

One such program participant was Bobbie Clarke from Baton Rouge. She was a guest on my “MenThink” Harambee Radio & TV broadcast on Thursday, January 15, 2015. On the question of the de-segregation of public schools for example, she commented: “Why would you want to give up a classroom environment of and by your own where your children are getting a good education, where they are loved and respected and send them to a classroom where they are hated, disrespected and despised? It does not make any sense.”

She adds that during this school de-segregation or integration era, “The number of Black youth who are not graduating from high school is shameful.

We have never seen this trend before.”

And the multiple Black voices continue to grow. Coming up on April 3, 2015, a panel will be convened to explore the question: “How Has Integration Failed Us?” Presented on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in the Blackburn Auditorium, panelist will include Sis. ZaZa Ali, Dr.

Wesley Muhammad, Bro. Louis Ali, the Irritated Genie, Dr. Rigaly, and Malik Farrakhan.

Printed event descriptor questions include: Did Black people during the 1960’s march for equality or for integration? Are Black children better educated under the socially engineered idea of integration? Do Black contractors received more contracts under integration? Do Black people own more land, businesses and property under integration? Do Black politicians respond to the needs of Black people better under integration? What is the state of Black marriages under integration – are we losing the ability to bond with the opposite sex? Has the health status of Black people improved under integration?

Are Black people more spiritually moral under integration? What is the solution?

A similar future panel is additionally being organized for a presentation date in Jackson, Mississippi. And Milwaukee is on the short list for possible scheduling in the coming months.

Bro. Louis Ali of the Hot Black Coffee Party (HBCP) out of Baton Rouge says of his co-effort in organizing these events on integration’s failure in the community that, “The Black business infrastructure has been destroyed. How was it destroyed? When was it destroyed? The quality of education for our children has greatly diminished. The Black family structure has been seriously weakened. We can no longer properly discipline our children. Our youth are killing one another in yet still increasing numbers. What is the common denominator of these and other occurrences enveloping our communities?”

He adds that, “These occurrences all happened around the same time and parallels exactly in intensity to the degree in which African Americans were socially integrated into American society. We want to raise the question with these panels, ‘Has integration worked for Black people in America?’”

The Rev. Clarence Lumunba James, Sr. from Chicago in his 2009 title, “Lost Generation or Left Generation – The Loss and Recovery of Black Families,” writes that, “Never before in the history of the human family has an entire group of people discarded their own ‘Way’ in order to imitate another group and thereby become someone other than themselves.”

What exactly happened to Black people from the time of the death of Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968, or from the time of the attack on the Black Panther Party during nearly the entire year of 1969? Was there a plan to weaken the Black family - Black male/female relationships and the rise and development of Black manhood in particular as we move into the 70’s?

How is it that the Black community lost total control over the socialization, education and development of Black children from the 1970’s onward? What happened to the economic infrastructure of the Black community from the 1970’s into the 2015 present? Why are our children killing one another? What is the impact of social integration on these occurrences during this span of time?

We must have the courage to raise, respond and properly address these and other inquiries affecting the welfare of our people and for the future of our children. These panels now moving around the country is an excellent beginning.

We cannot move forward unless we know what happened to us in the past.

As again, Chancellor Williams shares with us: “To be ignorant of history is to be ignorant of what you are trying to do now. History will show you where we have been, how we arrived where we are, whether we have traveled the best routes. And, it will indicate – if we pause long enough to reflect – the best route to travel on from this point in time.”

African Centered curriculum model staff development specialist Taki S. Raton is an adjunct college instructor and host of his own Thursday evening radio show, “MenThink” on Harambee Radio & TV. A writer and lecturer on African American male issues and African World Historiography, he can be reached for presentation and consulting inquiries at: blydendelany@yahoo.com.

Our Interruption

(continued from page 1) system for far too many of children; but, remember the times when our ancestors risked harsh beatings—and even death—for trying to learn to read. Yes, there are glass ceilings that prevent us from getting to the top of the corporate ladder; but, remember the times when there was no ladder or economic opportunities at all.

Yes, there is still evidence that we have second class citizenship; but, remember the times when our ancestors counted as threefifth of a man or soulless chattel.

My loved ones, there was an interruption for our ancestors; but, there was a revolution before the destruction. Do not be fooled into thinking temporary gains are permanent or will continue to grow without true struggle. Our ancestors gave us a blueprint how to march on through brutal injustices. Our ancestors taught us how to keep on keeping on. If we fail to listen and learn, we and our children, for generations to come, will enter a new

UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING (continued from page 3)

There is but one world and one people. There is no superiority of one people over another based on the color of one’s skin. What distinguishes one group from another is their good and bad deeds – this is the only measurement. Will good (knowledge) prevail or will bad (ignorance) prevail? This is the fight that Dr. King waged for most of his short adult life. This was his dream and his vision. Dr. King’s dream (vision) has been the mantra of the Black community since we arrived here on the first slave ship stripped of our culture, dignity, humanity, and our freedom.

We have withstood, time and time again, many real challenges that threatened our very existence. From the nearly 350 years of torture, brutality and inhumane treatment known as the American institution of slavery, the demoralizing structural and systemic inhuman treatment under the racist Jim Crow laws to the institutional racism of today that traps nearly 45 million Black people in a near permanent substandard economic position, the collective dream and vision was to sacrifice and fight until victory was ours.

This is the same dream and spirit that kept millions of our Black ancestors hopeful that someday we would be free; someday we would be able to vote; someday we would control our own destiny. No one is going to do this for us. We must do it for ourselves.

DREAMS ARE THE FOUNDATION FOR VISION AND HOPE. “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly,” wrote Langston Hughes. If you just go by the numbers, the Black community in America is in real and serious trouble. Unfortunately, time is running out for the Black community to come up with a solution that will begin to put them back on track. Unless this happens and happens quickly, Blacks will become a permanent underclass in America (I estimate that we have about 20 years). While the current outcomes are astronomical and daunting, they don’t take into consideration the anemic challenges that our pipeline will produce.

Unfortunately, our problems will get worse. The ignorance about the Black man’s struggle in America is all but lost amongst the current young generation and those that were born in the 40s and 50s are dying and when they go, we would have lost the last survivors of those who lived during segregation and KKK terrorism.

For those born during this period knew - they knew who was the enemy of the Black man. Today, with racism being ostensibly invisible the struggle is different and requires a different type of trained mind, which many of our young people don’t possess. Our young people are under severe oppression and trauma but without knowledge of their past, they are unable to mount an effectively strategic fight, resulting in potentially severe internal doubt and pervasive hopelessness.

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are being stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only.” We cannot be satisfied as

slavery, a new Jim Crow. Or have we already blindly been led to the slaughter? Have we failed to see the backward movement because we are intoxicated with sports, entertainment, drama, gossip and other corruptible materialistic goods? Family, I am guilty. I have been intoxicated by the American Dream. However, the quiet beauty in the temporary interruption is I have the ability to refocus. Let us not lose the ability to effectively multi-task. Let us not grow weary and faint. Let us not forget the dark history of our past. On the contrary, let us be more than conquerors and mount up with wings as eagles as we soar to our glorious destiny.

Finally, let us understand that expediency is an issue and we must act with the fierce urgency of now.

Family, when you feel beaten down, lethargic, and just sick and tired “of being sick and tired” and are ready to abandon hope, I invite you to remember our ancestors who entered the door of no return and endured the middle passage. My maternal grandmother, Momma Daisy always use to tell me “Baby, I’m kicking, just not high.” When it’s hard to keep kicking, remember those who kept kicking when they were in literal chains packed as human sardines and shipped away from their homeland. My loved ones, let us all refocus and understand we can’t stop kicking, not until victory is won!

Selah. Ashe The BLAQUESMITH long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream." (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.., 1963) Like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which was constructed by the German Democratic Republic that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany – the work that was done to remove the Iron Curtain wasn’t the end, it was the beginning of the real work. Discussions immediately began for an emergency merger of the German government and economies. On May 19, 1990, the two German states signed a treaty agreeing on an economic and social union with the Deutsche Mark replacing the East German mark as the official currency of East Germany. Despite many challenges, the process of unification moved ahead and today Germany has a welldeveloped trade system which includes both import and export services and is rich in terms of skillful, talented and educated employers, which helped the German economy to become pioneers in manufacturing industries over other countries in the world (i.e. machinery, vehicle, electronics, chemicals, etc.).

Over the past 50 years, the Black community has become sissified because of very minor gains. The turbulent 60s, which included the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wasn’t the end – it was the beginning of the real work to be done. The movement produced some gains but nothing enough to really address the alarming disparities that Black people face as a result of where we started in America. Did we think we were going to reverse issues that took hundreds of years to develop in one decade? The 60s produced landmark federal legislation but the struggle wasn’t over, instead it was just the beginning. America has grown up a little, but not much. No longer is open racism acceptable, but racism is still alive and well, engrained in all of America’s systems.

Where is the fight today and who is waging it? Yes, racial bigotry and prejudices have been challenged openly, but massive levels of bias remain; discrimination is rampant, and racism is alive (powerful people are able to implement their racist views). Today, with nearly 50 years of social inactivity our community is asleep. This is why our challenges are growing and not diminishing.

We continue to be damaged by inferior housing, inferior education, inferior food, and inferior thinking. Our inferior thinking is tied to a fundamental belief that someone else is going to do for us (especially those who have amassed a fortune from our conditions) what we must do for ourselves. Why is it that every fight Blacks have fought for freedom and civil rights in the country has been absolutely rejected and defended against by the white establishment? Not one gain that we’ve achieved in this country was a gift; all of them were hard fought wins.

During those struggles, we lost time, wealth, dignity, and many times our lives for these very basic gains. Even today, instead of achieving more, many of our previous gains are being rolled back.

Our disconnection from our past, our inability to understand Dr. King’s dream (vision); and our inability to dream has significantly contributed to our hopelessness and collective paralysis. As a group, we’ve taken our eyes off the prize, especially the most educated and successful amongst us who, in their efforts to be accepted, have been assimilated.

Rahim Islam is a National Speaker and Writer, Convener of Philadelphia Community of Leaders, and President/CEO of Universal Companies, a community development and education management company headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Follow Rahim Islam on FaceBook(Rahim Islam) & Twitter (@RahimIslamUC)

KALEIDOSCOPE

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 7

the MCJ lifestyle & entertainment section

Credit Restoration Workshop – Are you looking to buy a home, a car, improve your credit score or improve your quality of life? Come join us at Greater Springhill Missionary Baptist Church 3801 N. 20th St Milwaukee, WI. For more information call us at 888-588-2341. Free to the public.

Do you need help with: Finding a job, getting trained for a job, developing job skills, earning a GED, getting back in to school, getting in to college, finding ATODA services or legal issues? It’s time to do it NOW. If you are between the ages 16 and 23 you may be able to get help with these services listed previously through the WCS Community Improvement & Job Training Program. To learn more please call Ward Jenkins at 414-788-3063 or Torre Johnson at 414-234-0663 or stop by the Holton youth & Family Center at 510 E. Burleigh St. Milwaukee, WI. Sign up to Join BECKUM STAPLETON LITTLE LEAGUE. Boys and Girls ages 415 years old. Tee Ball 4-6 yrs, Minor 7-8yrs, Majors 9-12 and Junior 13-15yrs.

Fees $100.00 per child (includes raffle tickets).

All parents/guardians must bring a birth certificate and three documents proving residency, or one document supporting school enrollment. Contact Cassandra Frazier at 414 - 372-5794. For more information visit www.beck-

FROM THE BLACK

By Tony Courtney

umstapleton.com. Beckum-Stapleton is celebrating their 51st year. Opening day is Saturday, May 2, 2015. Sign up every Saturday, March 21st and March 28th at the Little League office 911 W. Brown St. Dedicated to Black Women That Got Black Men’s Backs – Brothers sponsoring Black women to be recognized in the Milwaukee Community Journal Newspaper edition should have their $25 per woman fee in by Tuesday, March 24.

This is your last opportunity to participate. Call Tony Courtney at 3742364. Take time to sponsor Black women that have or has had your back.

Grandmother, Mother, Wife, Fiancee, Sister, Cousin, Aunt, Business Partner, Employer, Employee, Organizational Head.

Creflo Dollar is further proof that ‘prosperity gospel’ is full of false “The idea of a pastor askprofits ing for $65 million to buy a

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 8

City of Milwaukee hosts Career Fair

The city of Milwaukee hosted a career fair for city residents inrterested in learning about the different career opportunities available in the public service sector. The career fair took place last week in the City Hall rotunda.

(Photo by Yvonne Kemp

Birthday pool party

Ayahmi Johnson (show at above photo on the left in pool holding beach ball and wearing hat, suspenders and fake mustache was given a Birthday pool party at Nicolet High School in Glendale.

(Photos by Yvonne Kemp)

(continued from page 4) jet creates the false impresspiritually mature.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong sion that God’s blessings with being wealthy, yet there’s something particularly egregious with can be purchased. In addipeople who do so at the expense and tion, it completely mocks manipulation of needy people.

That is particularly true of preachBiblical instructions for ers who use a position of service to enrich themselves on the backs of tithing and offering. For the credulous, lower-income worshippers. With prosperity gospel preach- countless number of small ers, you can’t help but wonder if they congregations — whose want believers to gain material goods for the express purpose of making leaders don’t have Gulfthemselves richer. stream jets, fancy cars or Requests like the one made by Dollar are pernicious for a host of big houses at their disposal reasons. It makes Christianity an easy target for skeptics and makes it — parishioner giving is their all but impossible to spread the good news in a world being rent asunder sole means to pay their bills by strife and bad news. It’s a synand remain afloat.” drome epitomized by one observer as “Big Box Christianity,” which in truth is a perversion of religious doctrine.

What proponents of the “name it and claim it” theology — to the extent it can be called that — don’t realize is that their interpretation of scripture is simplistic at best and duplicitous at worst.

It feeds on the angst of people who are often desperate to improve their lives and circumstances. It mocks the notion of a kind and benevolent God who, contrary to popular opinion, doesn’t behave like some sort of cosmic version of Ed McMahon gifting checks from American Family Publishers on random families.

The idea of a pastor asking for $65 million to buy a jet creates the false impression that God’s blessings can be purchased. In addition, it completely mocks Biblical instructions for tithing and offering. For the countless number of small congregations — whose leaders don’t have Gulfstream jets, fancy cars or big houses at their disposal — parishioner giving is their sole means to pay their bills and remain afloat.

For most church goers, tithing and offering is a serious expression of their commitment to their faith, their God and their congregations. It’s virtually identical to any donation one would make to a secular charity or cause. They should have a reasonable expectation that their hard-earned dollars won’t be misused or for that matter spent on lavish or frivolous indulgences.

Rev. Dollar’s manipulative call for money was not only made in bad taste and even worse judgment, it was a profound disservice to his congregants.

At this point, those under his stewardship really should consider whether they want to entrust their spiritual development to a man who pulls such an absurd stunt.

Javier E. David, a longtime contributor to TheGrio, is weekend editor for CNBC. He can be found tweeting about a broad range of interests, including music, movies, popular culture and Steelers football, at @TeflonGeek.

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The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 9

The Milwaukee Community Journal March 18, 2015 Page 10