Let’s Get Busy Living

“Tomorrow is not promised to anyone… you only have today.” This is what I was taught from my youth as a way to view life in general.  However and most of the time we forget or take for granted what we have.   Believe me… I have been around a while, traveled to a number of countries while in the Navy… and what some people complain about… is nothing.  Just trade your place in America with someone else from another country and you will see.   In many countries around the world it is pretty rough and I don’t think some of us would be able to survive or get accustom to living without all of the modern conveniences.     

So much of what we are accustom to does not exist in other places around the world. The average American enjoys traveling on paved streets, drinking clean water, walking in the park, taking a shower, air conditioning, shopping in a grocery store, a visit to the mall, museum, a nice restaurant, and children attending a nice school, and in house plumbing and… you get the picture.  It is truly a stark contrast in lifestyles and cultures.  Of course that does not mean we live in a perfect country, far from it, and yes, we still have quite a few issues to work on.  We can never turn our heads from the high level of gun violence, poverty, voter suppression, homelessness, joblessness, underemployment, abuse, war on drugs, greed and racism.     

What is truly amazing about people from around the globe is the fact that regardless of where you are from, we all share a common humanity and a desire to have a livable wage job, live in peace, and enjoy life, our families and friends.  However, this is not the case and it seems that we are always chasing after what we desire and not taking the time to enjoy what we have.  For most people this is the greatest dilemma, to always want something that is out there and not really enjoying the present moments and to be thankful.    Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, once the president of Morehouse College (1940-67), Atlanta put it this way …. “It’s not what you keep, but what you give that makes you happy.”  And so here we are, my suggestion is simple… let’s work together to overcome our differences and make our world a better place.  Are you with me?   

Making It Happen

We have all heard it said once and a while that there are a lot of great ideas out there.  Of course that is the problem…“they are out there.” First of all, where is out there? Secondly, who is looking? And finally, what should be done?  These are just a few of the questions that have to be answered.    

Most of us would agree with the assessment that there are a lot of things that need to get done to ensure a better future for the next generations.  This is especially true for those living in urban America.  This includes cleaning up the environment, rebuilding neighborhoods, creating sustainable employment, enlarging political tents, expanding health and wellness initiatives, improving educational institutions and providing better housing.  And this is just a short list. 

If you want to make something happen, even in our modern society, it takes concern people who do not mind leading people with a purpose.  Today, more community based advocates are needed to help in the process to make our communities and streets better and safer.  In most cases there is so much that is out of place that it does not take long to find any issue worth getting involved with.  Of course, one will have to be ready to deal with pushbacks, confrontations and the misunderstanding that come as part of the reality.  When cultural, institutional and business norms are being affected…the heat, temperature and risks just increase.            

We all can agree that in this 21^st century a lot of things need to be done for the wellbeing of our communities and nation… and to get it right.  And of course the sure complexity of our American society, its structures, systems of government on various levels, the board landscape of educational institutions… change and reform is hard to take.   Nicholas Butler Murray, (1863-1947), a former president of Columbia University and Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1931, offered this insight on leadership… “there are three kinds of people; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”  The question for us today, where does each of us stand? 

Back To Our Future

“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”  These were the words once spoken by Edmund Burke a noted author, orator, political theorist and philosopher in Great Britain.   Those words are ringing so true today in the 21^st century as never before.  The echoes and legacy from America’s past have reemerged and many of us are appalled at what we see happening.

 

A new generation has emerged with a set of values that is reflective of a pervious era.  Even though we have made progress in many ways in our nation, the overarching results still remain the same.  Today, these remix of values with a modern twist continue to pledge the greatest nation in the world.  There are no more slavery ships, trading blocks, branding irons, or whipping posts, and chains, but the tentacles of that era have reached far into this 21^st century.           

 

In her book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Joy DeGruy Leary points out that the ongoing legacy of slavery, it’s the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual traumas that African people endured for hundreds of years.  She further cites that the descendants had to endure on going trauma for another century after the Civil War.  The effects of these long term traumatic experiences of de-humanization and crimes against humanity continue to impart African Americans today.  In defining these experiences she goes on to say that is a condition that exists when a population has experienced multigenerational trauma resulting from centuries of slavery and continue to experience oppression and institutionalized racism.      

 

It seems to me, that in order to move forward in finding some workable solutions to the many problems that exist in African American communities today, there is a need to come to grips with our past, its history, struggles, to talk about it, remember its lessons, a day of atonement… in order words we must learn to “heal our brokenness.” Some have made it out … but the work is far from over… for there are still countless others who are still trapped in a cycle of self-destruction, self-doubt and limited opportunities.  This effort requires all of us to share in helping those who are lost and can’t find their way out.   The time is now… our future awaits.  

 

A Cure for Insanity

“Just let me get this straight…” So you want me to give up my right to vote, to not have a livable wage job, to not have social security, to be homeless, no affordable health insurance, no quality education, raise my taxes, live in a tough neighborhood and on mean streets…and then don’t say anything about it.  Well, don’t hold your breath too long on that one.    

While living in one of the greatest and wealthy nations in modern times, I see the dismantling of a way of life that has been the “gold standard” for active engagement throughout the world.  But on the other hand, we have the most people in prisons, a high unemployment rate, a gun culture that is out of control, a high dropout rate in education, glass ceilings for people of color and women in top public and private sector jobs and a lack of representation in local, state and national governments.  It is clear that as Americans, we are still dealing with the “race” factor and certainly this is not in the best interest of county that wants to remain the global leader.     

It is just unbelievable today, that there are many people in our society who by their actions want only to have things their way and to keep “the other” people out.  It’s like a sub culture complex that continues to exist in spite of the reality of what is happening on the streets of America, and people are hurting.  It appears that and in so many ways that the well off and those who have found a way to make it to the top of the wealth ladder… feel no obligation at all to help others who remain living in adjective poverty. 

Most of what I have just said is about “abnormal” behavior.  It does not make any sense at all, it is insane.  From my perspective, I know that some people grew up in, were forced into and have become trapped in “abnormal situations.”  And when people are in abnormal situations, they cannot make a “normal decision.”  And when the normal decision that needs to be made is being viewed through the eyes and minds of a person who has been affected by what is “abnormal,” then things get real ugly soon.  You get my point.  And getting out of this “new normal” takes a strong will, soul searching or an act of God.   In this case, the price tag for the cure is just some “common sense.” 

Beyond the Dream

It has been fifty years since the March on Washington when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in front and on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  This event occurred on Wednesday, August 28, 1963.  It has been estimated that 200-300,000 people participated in that march and stood on the National Mall to hear Dr. King.  

This march included people from all corners of American society, races, ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status.  The march itself was more than just making a few speeches, statements and holding signs; it was reflective of a national movement for equal rights in every aspect of American society. This march is widely credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Acts (1964) and the Voting Rights Act in 1965.  

The “I Have a Dream” speech has become one of the most profound and moving public speeches in American History and the world.  The speech provided a vision and embellishes the hopes of African Americans and other minority groups who have been locked out of the main stream of business, politics and social change.     

Since that time and until now the speech continues to be a manifesto for a movement that has evolved over the decades in numerous ways.  Even though some progress has been made on various fronts over the past 50 years, there is still much work to be done.  Everyone has not enjoyed the benefits, freedoms and opportunities that were spoken of by Dr. King on that day.   For many in the African American community are dealing with breakdowns in the family, rising poverty rates, low wage jobs, high incarceration rates, drop outs, no affordable health care, drug abuse, mental health issues and poor housing.   

 
In a real sense the speech continues to point the way, provide inspiration and serve as a reminder that what we are seeking is within reach.  Our struggles help us to become a little stronger and wiser, regardless of the odds.  Even though the cracks in modern life are enormous, the essence of the speech continues to spark considerable debate and provides a pathway to more promising and brighter days.   I hope that the dream will never die during my generation and that the new emerging generations will find the courage to continue the work in making the dream a reality for all. 

 

Lifting the Veil...

All across America there are countless number of statues that have been erected that reveal much about our nation’s past.  Each statue offers a point of reference in the collective conscience of our nation and pays tribute to a time, event or to a person that has made a significant contribution in society.   Of course some people do not see all statures in the same way as I do and… yes, some statues do spark a lot of debate about their meaning.  All the same, these statues for good or bad, remind us of who we are, where we have been and what we have done in the American experience.  

One of the most significant statues in my opinion in America is in Tuskegee, Al on the historical campus of Tuskegee University.   It is called “Lifting the Veil of Ignorance.” This status is a depiction with Booker T. Washington, the founder, lifting a cloak from the head and body of a young man who is symbolized as a terrified slave.  In the slaves hand is a book which represents education and who crouches on a plow and anvil, representing tools of agriculture and industry.   This unique bronzed statue was designed by sculptor Charles Keck and erected in 1922. 

This amazing statue has stood for nearly 90 years and has come to symbolize the link that exists between Tuskegee’s past to its future.  In a sense it displays the dream of one man in his quest to lift African Americans by providing a quality education that shows the way to a better life.  The statue only provides a mere glimpse into what the legacy of Booker T. Washington was about.  It in no way tells the full story of his journey, hopes, dreams, struggles, and failures.  But it does provide a spark to continue the debate about the value of technical education in a modern society.  This statue by far has stood as an undaunted reminder that there is still a lot of work to do, even in the 21^st century.  

We all can learn a lot from this noteworthy statue of our past, it continues to stand for something and a bench mark of greater and better things to come.  Milwaukee, like so many other major cities in America is looking for answers to improve the academic achievement of black youth, especially black males.  Perhaps some of those answers can be found not in the present, or future, but from the distance past, when the odds of getting a college education at all were truly a miracle.  Maybe, just maybe… Booker T. Washington had it right all alone… there is still a need to help lift the veil.  And in his own words, he stated “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”    

The Price of Dignity

"Man! the cost of everything is going right through the roof…can you believe this!” This is what I heard during a recent visit to the grocery store in my community.  It came from a man while he was going down one food isle than another.  It sounded like he was having a hard time understanding why the cost of food commodities was going up and up.  And to his defense he was just thinking out loud and reflecting on his displeasure at how expensive food was becoming.   

Like this man, many of us are in the same state of mind and feeling the same way.  For most of us we are having a hard time seeing how to get ahead when our wages are not keeping up with inflation, hours being reduce, limited overtime, cuts in health and other vital benefits.  In a real sense most of us are just happy to just have a steady job these days, especially since the economy has not fully recovered.         

There certainly has been a lot of belt tightening over the past few years and it seems that we have a few more years to go.  It also appears that those in government do not fully understand what the average person and family is going through each and every day.   It gets even more challenging when we see that a lot of people in upper management of companies are receiving big salaries, bonuses, and golden parachutes upon their retirements or when they move on to another company.       

The picture does not get any brighter for those trying stay in the middle class and it certainly more dismal for those of us who are the working poor.   The odds seem to be always against us, never getting a break, just holding on and just struggling to keep our heads above water.   Remarkably the hardest thing to come to grip with in life is to learn how to remain true to one’s values, beliefs and that with hard work and determination things will work out somehow.   I was taught by my parents and forefathers that your true self will always remain the same, regardless of what happens or will happen in your life. The greatest strength a person can show is to always keep one’s head high when others are losing their.