Taking A Stand

It is remarkable to witness the emergence of numerous non-violence protests all across America.  Some could say that these are throwback concepts or “old school” from the days and times of the civil rights movements of the 1960’s and beyond.  Nevertheless, it is a welcome site to see such things in real time through the use of various media outlets and through social media.   In so many ways the ability to see things unfold in real time without being there is helping us to transform our families, schools, neighborhoods, nation and world. 

The rise in recent protests and more has ignited a passion in all of us that things have to change.  There is no more room for the “status quo” or same as usual practice which allows for some sort of lethal response being used to a perceived criminal behavior or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  This movement is growing and has become multicultural at its base and is spreading like wild fire throughout America.  In addition, this movement is gaining new levels of foot soldiers that cross all socioeconomic barriers, including professional and college sport teams.  These new waves of advocates are letting their voices be heard through wearing t-shirts, donations, demonstrations and social media.   

What gives us considerable hope is that these new movements are helping us to review policies, practices and various laws in serious ways.   It is also helping us to identify gaps and breakdowns in systems.   Additionally, it is helping to ensure transparency, which will allow for significant changes to be made.   In addition, it is creating a new level of community engagement and bringing new partners to the table for open discussions in solving some of our community more complex problems of unemployment, affordable housing, homelessness, mental health care and poverty.   
          
In the end and I hope that we each take the opportunity to join in with some of these moments, for our great democracy and its core values of freedom, fairness and justice hang in the balance.  Our nation can only rise up to its true potential when its citizens truly participate in making America a place where everyone has a voice.   And taking a stand with the right values and a clear moral compass is what makes all the difference in the world.  What do you think?            

Dr. Andrew Calhoun, can be contacted at andrewiiicalhoun@gmail.com, Twitter #AC53, Facebook, or call 414-571-5015.  You can hear Dr. Calhoun each Sunday at Grace Fellowship Church, 3879 N. Port Washington Rd. Milwaukee 414-265-5546.  

Finding A Way Forward

A lot of people did not see this coming... a new and younger generation rising and picking up the cause of free speech and active protest in the wake of so many things going awry.  Today more and more people are letting their voices be heard and marching for various causes.  Some of the things that have people upset are the ongoing and endless debate about immigration, voter suppression tactics, minimum wage increases, equal pay for equal work, affordable housing and now... community policing.  

The recent series of shootings by police, a choke hold and the use of deadly force that was caught on camera are sounding the alarm.  And to make matters worse, no criminal indictments.  This new generation is not going to stand around and take this without people and a system being held accountable.  They see a system that is broken; police militarization and a growing culture of indifference among those who are sworn to protect and serve the communities of color.     

These recent events have exposed the underling reality of what prejudice looks and feels like, especially towards Blacks and people of color in general; Black men and boys in particular.  I know we have our own issues of Black on Black crime and that needs to be addressed as well.  But the treatment by those in law enforcement and being paid to do so... should be better and needs to improve.  

Many of us know that policing is a tough job and there are times in which things can get lost in the fog of situations, reactions and emotions.  To be fair, our community needs effective policing, but there are limits to everything.  Additionally, these recent events have uncovered that a number of rules of law and processes have become outdated and additional training standards need to be put into place that reflect good bearing, discipline and multiculturalism.  

However, I see those issues as well as other issues connected to a number of failures in our society, and... we need to work on them too.  There is a need to improve our community with better paying jobs, reduce homelessness, more affordable housing and reducing the high levels of poverty.  And perhaps we will see a lesser need for expanded policing.  What do you think?            

The Elephant In the Room

For nearly all of us, our journey through the American experience continues to remind us that many things from our past are still a part of our current reality.  The transition of a lot of this venom has been etched into laws, policies, cultures, minds and hearts.  These kinds of things helped to set the tone and the agenda for what would come next.  The aftermath or enduring legacy is what we are fighting and dealing with today.  This manuscript of the “New Jim Crow,” is in full living color, close up and on display.  A lot of us are shaking our heads, rubbing our eyes and covering our ears and all the while saying... “I can’t believe this is happening,” ... again! 

It is fully apparent that there are a lot of people, especially some “old heads” who are still caught in the past, can’t let it go and move on to doing something more constructive.  They are forever stuck in the past and are so engrained into a mindset in which they only see life through shades of gray and not in the colors of humanity.  This kind of ideology is at the epicenter of why we cannot “push and pull” our county out of poverty, injustice, war, discrimination, health care, crime and lawlessness.  The outliers, impact and all the outcomes are pointing to the fact that the problems in our society goes much deeper and is more widespread. 

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that a lot of people need to step back, refocus and retool in how to do the right thing.  Many of us have lost or were never told of the lessons of our history, the American experience.  If we never learned anything from history, we are bound to repeat it again, again and again.  So, here we are again and some of us did not get the memo or missed that history lesson altogether.

At the core of it all is “racism.”   For it is racism that reflects a state of mind that believes that one person, race or group is better than another.  It is the belief that members of one race possess abilities and characteristics specific to that race and because of those differences one must distinguish it as being inferior or superior to another race or ethnic group.  This leads to the widespread issues of prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against others of a different race is based on a general belief that one’s own race is superior.  Racism is real and no matter what standard you use to determine the merits of a particular situation... it is still the elephant in the room.   What do you think?            

A Time To Give Thanks

Beyond all the reality of living in one of the best countries in the world, there will always be opportunities to make improvements to make it even more a land of possibilities.  Besides the ongoing political debates on immigration, health care, crime prevention, affordable housing and employment, there is a need to take a time out to remember the significant of this time of year.  As this Thanksgiving Day is upon us, it is time to focus on the importance of this time with the celebration of family, history, heritage, good food, and faith.

The celebration of Thanksgiving dates back several centuries and is recognized as a national holiday is several countries.  It is generally observed as a time in which to celebrate a good harvest at the end of the planting season.  Of course the true meaning of Thanksgiving has been lost over the decades and the day has evolved into a number of other things including shopping, football and parties.  It is also looked upon as the start of the Christmas holiday and Advent season.    

In the heart of most Americans, Thanksgiving is one of those special times in which families come together to share some quality time, great food, offer prayers, catch up with events, take pictures, play games and reflect upon what it means to be family. The time honored guest at these gatherings is turkey with stuffing, along with yams, pumpkin pie, ham, rolls, vegetables and cranberry sauce.  If it was a “soul food” thanksgiving dinner, there may be a number of other additional side items including greens, chitterlings, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, peach cobbler, ice cream, mash potatoes, barbeque ribs and chicken.             

This is also a time to focus on those Americans, members in our congregations, the homeless who are living in shelters, under bridges, on park benches, inside cardboard boxes, cars and in manmade shelters.  There will always be those in our great nation who have fallen on hard times, out of work, mentally ill or down on their luck and just need a helping hand.  This is a time to show compassion, good will, spiritual values, and to demonstrate our true humanity.   If we forget who we are and what it means to live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, then we also have forgotten all those who have gone on before us and helped us to be who we are today.    What do you think?            

Pushing The Envelope

The more you think that we are making process in our country, the more things remain the same, especially in terms of discrimination, wealth disparity, gun violence, high rates of unemployment and the percentage of people and families living in poverty.  This is just a short list, but we all know the list is long and continues to grow.  If you have the time, one can just pick a cause and find more work to do then they think.   What makes the situations even worst is that many people and organizations are not focused on being the champion to address an issue, they are either just trying to monitor the situation, do what they can, ill-equipped to fully address the issue or just look the other way.  In either case scenario, instead of reducing the high levels of a particular issue, many community problems continue to fester and grow.  

To make things even worst is the amount of rhetoric being spewing out through the media on particular issue... and of course without a solution.  So much of it is just talk and always with a negative spin.    If you listen to it long enough it can become intoxicating, additive, polarizing and leads to more inactivity.   As a result it is becoming more of the same, say what you want to say, do what you want to do and blame everyone one else for the condition.  This is not some new philosophy that just began today, it been around a long time... 

It may surprise you, that there are many who subscript and buy-in with this kind of thinking. They catered to this home grown wisdom and believe that the people who espouse this mind set have a right to push it to the limits and to see how far they can go with something without getting caught.  But like all things in life... what goes around also comes around.  Too much foolish talk can turn people off and they will begin to look for another voice of reason, someone that will speak and represent them.     

What is needed today are people who are willing to “stretch the limits,” of what is possible.  To go further in believing and doing; changing the outcomes of residents, building stronger communities that mean something, and to inspire another generation to believe once more in the American Dream.  It is the ability to innovate, inspire others to believe and doing something that wasn’t previously though possible.  And for good measure, they begin to ... set a new standard of excellence.   If we are going to make a profound different than we need to know how and when to push for the right causes and let the record speak through our compelling arguments that our best days are always in front of us.   What do you think?            

Rocking The Boat

There is nothing more important than having a good reputation, image and message, especially if you want to... go somewhere and be somebody.  In this modern fast pace social and political climate in which we live today, it is hard to keep everything in check.  A person or organization must be careful of what they say and do.  With the ability to fact check on what you say, background check on who you are, reference check on who you associate with, and a credit check on how you pay back what you borrow, this has become an age of increase accountability.  Of course, you have to keep in mind who wants to know and why... that can be a cause of concern as well.   

The most interesting question of this new era for anyone who wants to be out front and leading, is how do you navigate these “waters and waves” to achieve success?  Along with this understanding and more interesting process after overcoming the first obstacle, is how to develop a winning game plan to deal with the numerous challenges that will come in the near future.  One has to also develop an attitude, mindset and strategy that helps them to remain focus, balance and adaptable as the times and social landscape changes and pivots.   

Today, there is so much exposure to information about things, events and people.  It is sometimes too much to handle or put your hands around.  It can also be information that is ongoing and evolving with no end in sight.  And with people having instant access to information, data, research, commentary, opinions and news feeds 24/7, it is a wonder if any of us are able to do anything without someone noticing.  Just a few minutes of fame with a bad spin can turn out to be a nightmare that turns your aspirations into ashes. 

Well, here are my two-cents on things that need to change in our community... and this may cause some problems, because this may change a situation which most people do not want to change.  Let work on reducing youth poverty with 4 out of 5 Black and 2 out 3 Latinos youth in Milwaukee living in this reality, reduce gun violence (it takes more than putting more law enforcement on the streets), expanding Medicaid and Medicare for the poor and elderly, build more affordable housing and let’s stop the political gamesmanship.   Well let me stop here... this might be too much to handle... for this wave might turn the boat over.  For loose lips might sink ships and careers.   What do you think?            

A Few Good Advocates

It can never be understated that a lot has been lost over the past few decades in terms of social awareness, justice, political gain and economic development.   Nowhere has those affects been more profound than upon African Americans and other people of color.  The planned and rapid changes in policy, laws, governance and due process has set back many of the gains of the civil right movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Today, there continues to be attempts to reverse or restrict the rights of all Americans, especially those who are the most vulnerable.  These rights include voting, civil, employee, human and women.

On the board horizon there seems to be far fewer advocates in urban communities to speak out on issues affecting residents.  Even more striking has been a noticeable loss of mentors, village elders and mothers to assist in the personal growth of the upcoming younger generations.  With this perspective, a number of views have emerged as to why.  In one view, the ongoing shifts in society have resulted in more dysfunction within families and with that advocates have been more focused on those issues.  Another view point has revealed a loss of social consciousness of what it takes to keep communities connected and growing.  Yet another view point highlights a loss in the development of grass root leadership, which has been a hallmark of how neighborhoods have been able to sustain their identity over the decades.      

The loss of community minded advocates has made a significance impact on the quality of life within most neighborhoods.  This loss has led to issues of translation, transition and transformation.  When a community loses it ability pass on the gifts of dialog, culture, skill and heritage from one generation to another, the future of that community will be one of struggle and distance.  At the center of a growing and striving community are persons and organizations that stand ready to assist residents to enjoy a great place in which to live, work and play.    

With too fewer advocates on issues, many urban communities have been adrift and unable to keep those in public office accountable to the growing needs of residents.  What is needed today is a renewed call for people to step up to the plate and become advocates on the issues that are affecting their neighborhood in general and those that affecting the larger community.  Making it all possible is that people need to look beyond their personal agendas and see the world through the lens of those who are suffering in silence.   What do you think?