BLACK ANGER: 40 YEARS AFTER MARTIN

Dr. Martin Luther King

Four hundred years after we were kidnapped and brought to America against our will, we are still not good enough. Through slave labor America has become the greatest country on the face of the earth but black folks are still seen as the last, the least and the less. First, we were sold out by our brothers and sisters for what would add up to today as pennies on a dollar. In 2008 there are some who are still selling us out for pennies on a dollar. Yes, there were “Spooks Who Sit by the Door” in Africa. Little has changed since we were brought here by boats and ships from the most beautiful Continent in the World. Instead of second-class citizens we are now third class citizens behind America’s “New Negro”—Hispanics.

Many of our ancestors were among thousands and thousands who never made it to the shores of America. On the high seas an illness or a defiant look from a slave could mean a watery grave on the bottom of the ocean. It is by far the worst lost of life in American history, there are no comparisons.

The Powers-To-Be in America are often heard asking the question, why can’t American blacks pull themselves up by their boot straps like the Jews? How can we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps if we don’t have boots? Or many can be heard saying “Black folks need to get over slavery and reparations.”

I am getting over slavery and reparations but I can’t get over the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Malcomb X, President John Kennedy and his brother Bobby and forty years later we are still singing “We Shall Over Come.” I can’t get over the lynching of Emit Till, or four little girls blown up while attending church, Megar Evers gunned down in his driveway by cowards, black and white civil rights marchers in Selma and Birmingham, Alabama bitten by dogs, fire hosed, by Jim Clark and Bull Connor and their redneck cops beating on human heads as if they were drums. Let us not forget the three young men in Mississippi two black and one white brutally murdered while trying to register blacks to vote or the black brother dragged to his death behind a pick-up truck by racist rednecks in Texas. The evening television news was our witness. These hideous acts took place during the life times of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barrack and Michelle Obama, Louis Farrakan, Condoleeza Rice, Barry Bonds and yours truly. We should forgive but never forget. Our anger has been earned. Racism is as American as “Apple Pie.”

Jews who were more despised by European Americas than blacks infiltrated American society by changing their names and blending into the landscape. Changing our names and passing for white would have been very difficult. Our dark skin, broad noses, thick lips and big butts would have given us away every time. In 2008 that has not stopped some blacks with dark skin, big noses, thick lips and big butts from thinking they are white. They think money can change the racist attitudes of rednecks like O’Reilly, Don Imus, Pat Robertson, Russ Limbaugh, etc. Not in our life time.

I have always found it amazing that in American history lore there is the claim that Christopher Columbus discovered America. My question, how can you discover a land that is already occupied by Native Americans? The land was taken by Europeans who raped, robbed and killed Native Americans and then made them “The Bad Guys” in the movies of Cowboys versus Indians. After stealing the land they boarded ships to the continent of Africa to hijack slave labor to build their homes and harvest their crops, FREE labor.

Most history books written by the Powers-To-Be fail to mention that we are descendants of Kings and Queens and not hoodlums and thugs. According to them there is a “New Bad Guy” in town, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barry Bonds, Louis Farrakan, Barrack and Michelle Obama. This sister and her brothers have no record of theft, murder, rape, trafficking drugs or white collar crime, but they are being held to a different standard.

There are some in media led by racist radio and television talk show host Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly who believe that Obama is guilty by association. I have been a broadcaster in talk radio and television for over three decades and Bill O’ Reilly is as racist as they come in so-called major media. Barrack’s position not to appear on O’Reilly’s television show is to be admired and respected. Who needs him?

Just like our ancestors were sold out by their own people, O’Reilly has black caddies like Juan Williams of Fox News and former BET founder Bob Johnson to support and carry his racist baggage. Juan and Bob have plenty of company in black media. They can easily be found resembling “The three little monkeys” sitting on the fence hearing no evil, speaking no evil, seeing no evil and writing no evil. Their names are too many to mention for this column.

Some blacks would have us believe that former President Bill Clinton was Black America’s first

Black President. If you ask those same blacks to name one piece of legislation that he passed while in the White House to enhance the growth of Black America they will take on the posturing of “The Three Little Monkeys.” There are black folks who would have us to believe we owe Bill and Hillary. I wonder why? Could it be because Bill was seen on the Arsenio Hall television show playing the saxophone, or seen in New York City at Sylvia’s Soul Food Restaurant eating fried chicken or having the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin in concert at the White House? There is an old saying “People who don’t stand for something will fall for anything” meet Juan Williams and Bob Johnson.

Senator Barrack Obama is one of the most qualified men in America to be the next President of these United States. If you need further proof check out the man occupying today’s White House. The only thing Bill O’Reilly and his spooks that sit by the door can find to disqualify Barrack are the angry sometime sermons of his minister, Jeremiah Wright. What happen to the First Amendment, freedom of speech provided for all in the Constitution? Then there is Michelle Obama and her revelation saying, “I have never been so proud to be an American as I am now standing here today.” Suddenly those words makes her a traitor and unpatriotic? How many times have you or I seen shameless acts perpetrated by Americans on others that have made us ashamed to be an American?

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice recently told the editors and writers of the Washington Times that “America has a birth defect.” She criticized the very founding of the nation, saying ‘it is not a very pretty picture. See, we had slaves. Descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that.” Was the Secretary of State being a traitor or unpatriotic? I don’t think so!

Dr. King must be turning over in his grave to see the sad state of our schools, health care, and unemployment in our inner-cities. Our black churches and publicly held offices are dropping the ball while being overrun with ministers and politicians resembling the corner pimp.
I don’t think Dr. King gave his life to have a Black man voted in as Mayor of the Nation’s Capitol and then watch him hire a female Asian-American to run a school system that is 90% black. The new Chancellor Michelle Rhee has never held an administrative position in a school system.

Fenty then hired a white female Chief of Police and her second in command is a white female, since their hiring DC has become "The Wild, Wild West." When was the last time you heard or read where a white male was gunned down on our city streets? Men dying by gun violence in the streets of DC for 2008 has been 90% black.

Mayor Fenty's chief of staff is white, and his Fire Chief is white. Washington, DC is a city with a black population of better than 70%. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Administrated staff is 90% white and gay. Black men in America are some of the best and the brightest but they must not be feeling very good about themselves right about now in Mayor Fenty's Washington, DC. Where does a black child look for a role model in the Nation’s Capitol that looks like him or her?

We have been in this country for over 400 years but Congress and the Senate re-visits the Civil Rights Act every 10 years to make sure Black America’s Civil Rights are protected. We have to prove we are worthy every ten years? Brother, are you angry yet?

There has always been justice and just-us in courthouses around America. The Justice Department should change its name to Just-Us Department. One of the best examples is American prisons, they house more inmates (2.1 million) than any other country in the World. Blacks make up only 12% of the entire American population but we are 41.2% of the prison population. Young black men are in the most danger of falling prey to this unequal system of justice. One third of them between the ages of 15 to 29 years is under supervision of the courts or is in jail.

Prisons in America are BIG business and are listed on the Wall Street Stock Market. They are being built all over the country (most underground) and the Wardens are all white millionaires. Their number one customer is----young, gifted and black. Jesse Jackson a Martin Luther King confidant described black America’s progress best when he said, “First class jails and second class schools.” Black children are dropping out of school twice as fast as white children. This helps makes us the last, the least and the less.

When we start to talk about double standards let us take a look at America’s favorite past time---baseball. The great Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947 as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1972 Curt Flood of the St. Louis Cardinals challenged baseball’s plantation mentality. He challenged the Reserve Clause. The clause restricted players from moving freely from one team to another. The league was made up of 26% black players when Flood challenged the Reserve Clause. In 2008 black players in Major League Baseball are at an all-time low 7%.
The average salary of a Major League baseball player in 2008 is three million dollars. Therefore, it is probably no coincidence that black players are being phrase out. Like Martin, Jackie and Curt died in the prime of their lives fighting racism in America. Are you angry yet?

Those same misguided black politicians who help closed down a badly needed DC General hospital in the Nation’s Capitol celebrated Opening Day at the new stadium smiling for the cameras. The hospital served and saved the lives of thousands of black folks in the Southeast and Northeast corridor of the Nations Capitol for decades. The politicians who are evidently baseball fans could not find a few million dollars to keep open a life and death facility. When all is said and done they will have to come up with over 700 million dollars to pay for a new baseball stadium for a team that rarely finds its way into the win column. Are you angry yet?

Barry Bonds is the greatest all around baseball player to ever play America’s favorite pastime. Last year he broke the Major League Baseball record for homeruns. He surpassed the legendary Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron on the all-time list. Opening day he could not find a job in baseball. He has been accused of using steroids. There is no concrete evidence that he did. During the time he was accused there was no law in baseball against using steroids. Without a snitch the Powers-To Be have no case. But that has not stopped Bill O’Reilly and his spooks that sit by the door from circling the courthouse like sharks. Barry is now being accused of lying under oath according papers filed in court proceedings. In the meantime he is sitting on the bench of Life waiting for a call from some courageous owner who needs a Designated Hitter in the worst way. Something is wrong with this picture.

I will never forget watching 60 Minutes on CBS television years ago and Morley Safer was interviewing Arthur Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell is the founder and Artistic Director of the legendary Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City. During the interview Mr. Mitchell seem to be frustrated by the fact he had to beg for money from the system to keep his fledging theatre afloat. Mr. Safer looked him directly in his eyes and said “You sound like you are angry.” Mr. Mitchell never missed a beat, his response, ‘You show me a black man or woman in America who is not angry about the state of Black America and I will show you a black man and woman who need to see a psychiatrist.’ I could not have said it better myself.