We need more than a King Day...

Today is the day set aside to mark and to celebrate the birth of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. It is a day rife with significance for even a cursory examination of Dr. King's life and legacy displays a touchstone of faith in action, courageous protest, and scholarship...

But we must be careful to not allow King as 'symbol' to outweigh or overshadow King's 'substance'. For Dr. King was, at his best, a soldier... An exemplary and incredibly gifted soldier. Not the first, nor the last, but one who took his place among the thousands who have stood up against ignorance, inequity, and intolerance, and waged peace with his very life. 

His life was an action. His legacy was his work. His words were and remain powerful, not because they were simply well chosen, but rather because they described the act of creating freedom - the act that he dedicated his life to...

So it is important that as we honor King, that we not honor his words while neglecting his work. For if I were a farmer, who had dedicated my life to tilling the soil, planting, and harvesting, so that my family and community could eat. If I were to pass away, I would hope that I not be honored by people telling tales about the great crops I had once grown, or telling stories about how wonderfully they once ate, or singing hymns about what a wonderful farmer I once was... I hope that I would be honored by those who loved me and who believed in the worth and significance of my actions, picking up my hoe and rake, and continuing the work that I started.

And that is why today I say we need more than a King 'Day', we need a King 'Commitment'. A commitment that transcends the fleeting recognition that the "struggle continues". A commitment that is larger than the annual recitations of the I have a Dream speech. A commitment that compels us, in whatever way our time and circumstances allows, to do something inconvenient that will help somebody. To stand up and right just one wrong. To speak up one time, when it would be so much easier to simply remain silent.  To offer encouragement to one youth who is going down the wrong path. Or simply to help somebody keep the faith, when the weight of the world starts weighing them down.

Just one thing - then another...

And if we each do that, we will all be one giant step closer to rebuilding the 'beloved community' that Dr. King gave his life for...

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Back to the Future... again

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. ~Sun Tzu

A friend of mine recently took a trip to a vacation spot down South. While there, he took some time to visit a number of historic sites, museums, and monuments. He was excited when he returned to talk about all of the things he had learned. Among them was the idea that the South had actually engaged in the Civil War to fight back against the Federal Government for encroaching upon the rights of the States. While he did understand that there were some underlying issues as well, he seemed sure that the war was in essence about the Government over-reaching, and that the Confederate Soldiers were simply fighting to be left alone so that they could live their lives as they saw fit.

For Clarity: He didn't arrive at these ideas after having a conversation with some random guys at a bar... this was what he 'learned' after visiting historical sites and monuments in the South and taking the official tours... Nevermind the fact that the supposed "right" that the Southern States were willing to fight and die for, was the "right" to keep Black people locked in chains and to treat them like beasts of the field in perpetuity. According to these federally funded Park Service tour guides, the newly remixed Civil War was fought over Slavery Federalism.

Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi (a potential Presidential candidate in the 2012 elections), was recently in the news after boldly asserting that the old Mississippi Citizen's Councils were actually Anti-Klan organizations who helped integrate the schools. Nevermind the fact that the Citizen's Councils (which live on to this day as the Council for Conservative Citizens) actively sought to stop the passage of ANY Civil Rights related legislation or ordinances, worked tirelessly to maintain segregation, and used economic pressure to keep Blacks and others from demanding change. In the latest upgrade to history, even the bad guys were good guys.

Texas recently voted to approve new Social Studies standards for their textbooks which, because of the sheer volume of textbooks they purchase, will affect schools around the country. In the newly revised history of the Country, Thomas Jefferson wasn't one of America's great political philosophers, America is not a Democracy, Joseph McCarthy was right, Ida B. Wells and WEB DuBois were merely "muckrakers", Shirley Chisholm is no longer to be considered a significant political leader, Gen Benjamin O. Davis is no longer to be considered a WWII Military leader of consequence, and there was and is no "separation of Church and State"... Things like the Eugenics Movement, the Tuskegee experiment, Black Wall Street, the Cointelpro, the Children's march, etc., never even happened   ...anymore.

In April, Governor Bob McDonnell enjoined all Virginians to join in him a celebration of the "shared history" of the Confederacy.

And just YESTERDAY a group gathered in South Carolina to host a formal "Secession Ball" where participants watched selected clips from the infamous pro-klan film "the birth of a nation" and celebrated the history of the confederacy and South Carolina's decision to secede from the Union so they could continue to enslave their black people without any pesky government interference.

Also consider recent shifts in language... I've been writing for the last couple years about how our language concerning Race has been changing. The definition of racism, which used to connote the use of power and/or influence to benefit or harm someone on the basis of their race, has been altered. The far more common usage of the term now denotes the act of speaking about or dealing with race in any detailed or deliberate manner. Therefore, someone who talks about race is considered race-ist. For a far more detailed description of this shift, please read: Racism vs Race-ism.

Now why do I bring these things up?

Because these items when considered individually generally evoke the same responses... "This shows that there is still work to do", and "this shows we have to stay vigilant", etc... But considered collectively I believe we are witnessing something else. In the so-called "Culture Wars", we are being flanked...

History is being rewritten to attribute pure motives to all parties. Atrocities are being erased. Our leaders are being maligned, minimized, or erased. Men responsible for enslaving, beating, lynching and selling, countless Africans, and who waged war against their own Government for the freedom to continue to do so, are now being openly celebrated; their causes ennobled; our protests distorted. The very terms we used to describe the most egregious acts of bigotry and hatred are now being redefined through common usage to apply to those who fight against injustice. And to what end?

I began this post with a quote from Sun-Tzu, who taught that by the time you witness the opening salvo, the battle has already been decided. He taught that the epitome of excellence in battle is to destroy your opponents resistance without fighting.

I believe we are witnessing an attempt to do just that. To erase misdeeds so that no one and no institution is accountable. To create and promote a narrative of a self-correcting society that bends towards fairness and equality on its own, and that has no need for muckrakers or race-talkers. To sterilize the past so that in the present we lose the ability to recognize "ill-gotten" gains. And ultimately to destroy our social struggle by retroactively making it historically insignificant.

The Truth MATTERS. History is not some political football to be passed back and forth, changed or altered to confer benefit or loss... History is the story of what happened. It is the record. It is the Truth. It is the foundation of our culture and worldview. History informs our present as we shape our future...

But what if you could change it?

What if you could rewrite it and give people an alternative interpretation of the present? Could you then impact the type of future we would create?

History is a weapon...  We better damn well wake up and fight for it.

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Bishop Long as a metaphor: Why together we must break the silence on abuse...

I have struggled for a couple weeks with how I would approach this subject... You see, I have strongly felt a check in my spirit, a calling to speak out on a crisis within our community, but I just hadn't found the words. But now I have... This is not about Bishop Eddie Long - This is about us, and all the bishop long's we've tolerated in an indefensible silence.

Now with regard to Bishop Eddie Long, I don't know if he is guilty or innocent. Truthfully, I didn't know anything about him prior to these recent accusations so my point here is not to cast aspersions upon him. The justice system will ferret that out... But we've been too silent for too long about the sexual victimization of young girls and boys within our community. And I for one, will not remain silent any longer.

Rather than deal with Bishop Long the Reverend, I'd like to take a look at Bishop Long as a metaphor. Consider a man held in high esteem. Well regarded, and well known. A man holding a position of influence and one who used that influence to serve as a mentor to youth within our community... But even as he made his positive offerings to the community, he was victimizing the very children he purported to mentor.

This is not an isolated incident. This is not an uncommon anecdote. Too many children within our community are subject to acts of sexual molestation or abuse and we as a community need to speak out about it.

Through our work and my contact with youth, I am alarmed by the vast number of children who harbor terrible stories about the times their trust was betrayed and their innocence attacked. I have been equally pained to learn of the men, most of well repute, who selfishly scar the lives of our youth. These stories are scattered all around us; unchecked, unchallenged, they are our collective secret...

But no more.

Now I certainly realize, that this is a complicated psychological issue, and certainly not one that could be easily solved with a public awareness campaign. But I also know that the first real step to making a change is that Somebody has to stand up and say "Enough". We need to stand up for the safety and well-being of our children. No more young girls should have to endure this. No more young men either... Our Juvenile detention facilities and jails are filled with former victims of abuse: people who've struggled unsuccessfully to process and deal with their victimization. Our relationships are suffering, our family units are in free fall, and the monsters remain among us.

Now I don't know how this fits into the work of the NAACP. Our mandate is very clear and our mission is unambiguous. We are an organization that is dedicated to protecting people from the effects of bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination. I am as proud to be a part of that work today as I have ever been. But I also recognize a greater mandate. That we are ALL called to stand up and be protectors of our children and of those who can not protect themselves. And on this count, we are falling short.

I am a Civil Rights Warrior. But we can not be so concerned with defending our civil rights that we neglect to stand up for our children's Human Rights.

That is why a couple weeks ago I sat down with Pastors Reuben Eckels, Micheal Tyson, and Kevin Graham, along with NAACP Youth Director Kenya Cox, and TKAAM Executive Director Prisca Barnes, to have a conversation about how we could begin a community dialogue around the issue of ending the abuse. I don't know what form the campaign will eventually take - but I know its time to say "Enough".

If you have suggestions, ideas, or just want to be a part of the change - please drop me a line either by email or on Facebook, and let's end the silence...

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Remembering Freedom this 9-11

The year was 1991... I was a Spec 4 in the United States Army serving out a tour at Aviano Air Base in Northern Italy. Our unit was deployed to Diyarbakir Turkey to serve as a part of a mission called "Operation Provide Comfort". Our job was to fly sorties into Iraq and rescue the Kurdish refugees who had taken refuge in the mountains. We would go into Iraq, load dozens of Kurdish refugees into our CH-47 helicopters and fly them back across the border to waiting medical facilities and camps which were being operated by the French and other participating nations.

Within our tent city, there were Americans, Germans, Dutch, French, and Spanish troops, all being hosted by the Turkish Government on a Turkish Air Base. All working together to save the lives of Kurdish people from the war that had engulfed their country.

I was perhaps the only Muslim soldier in that tent city, or so it seemed, and that made me quite a curiosity for the Turks. When word spread that there was an American Muslim soldier on the base, I was invited to accompany our Turkish hosts to meet various members of the Turkish Military. I was even assigned a driver so that if I ever wanted to go to the local mosque, all I would have to do was ask, and my transportation would be arranged.

Over time, I developed a number of close friendships. One family in particular, Dohan and his son Oshgur, who worked on the base selling carpets and other various souvenirs, would cook or purchase dinner for me every night during my last month or so in country. Hadji, a local jeweler who had moved to Diyarbakir from Istanbul, crafted a beautiful engagement ring for me to give to my then girlfriend, and sold it to me for a mere pittance. And of course there was Hanif, the taxi driver, who would always show up to eat dinner with us, and who would offer - almost every night - to sneak me off the base to go hang out downtown  if I wanted...

While I never tipped off the base with Hanif, I was able to make a few short trips downtown during the course of my stay. I was able to visit and attend prayer at the Grand Mosque in Diyarbakir (One of the oldest in all of Turkey). And while I was still quite the curiosity, the warmth and welcome was undeniable. Perhaps the most contentious moment came when I was thrust into a spirited "debate" with some young men who claimed and believed that Vanilla Ice was the 'Best rapper in America'.    

We were at war - But we weren't filled with hatred. We knew who we were fighting... And we knew it wasn't everybody; it wasn't a war against Middle Easterners, it wasn't a war against Islam...

But of all of my experiences during the war, there is one that stands out above all... One moment that offered me a clarity that I will always cherish...

One day I was able to visit a mosque across the border into Iraq. It was very small and there were probably 10 to 15 men inside offering prayers... After making wudhu, I settled near the rear of the room, dressed in BDU's and began offering my prayers. Though I tried to remain completely focused, I couldn't help but notice that a man sitting maybe 10 feet to my right front was turned completely about and staring at me. I wasn't fearful, he wasn't giving off those kind of vibes, but it seemed to be a far more intense curiosity than I'd experienced at either of the Turkish mosques I'd attended.

When I finished praying, the man came and sat right beside me, knee to knee. He introduced himself and extended his hand. He was a local Doctor who lived and worked in the area. We shook hands and I introduced myself as well. After introducing myself, he looked at me inquisitively and asked, "Are you an American?" 'Yes', I replied... Then he asked, "then how can you believe in God?"

...

I've often thought back to that moment and that question... Far more frequently as of late, because it made clear something that I hope to never forget. You see, he had come to believe that we as American's were a bunch of Godless savages. Not because he was a hateful or terrible person; but because he was misinformed and his ignorance was manipulated to serve the interests of others. JUST AS MANY OF US have come to believe that Muslims are Godless savages... It doesn't mean we are terrible people or hateful bigots; but we are also misinformed. And just as Saddam's regime manipulated the ignorance of many, fomenting an anger and divisiveness that he was able to bend to his service, we here are subject to the same manipulations, the same distortions, and the same divisiveness, deployed with the same design of providing short-term political benefit to the unscrupulous. Even in our self-righteousness, we are still the same.

Now I won't bore you with the standard fare; platitudes about how the majority of Muslims are peaceful people or any of that... Because the truth is, some Muslims are certifiable saints, and some are assholes. Some are great examples of humility and piety, and others are plum crazy. And the same can be said for all people - that we all are, simply, people... "Muslim" is not a category for a different type of human, neither is "Christian" or "Jew". We are just people who differ in our beliefs about events that transpired thousands of years before our births. We adhere to different religious traditions and follow different paths that we each hope will lead us to the same divine affirmation of the one Holy God. And that's ok...

While encouraging that young Doctor to reject the distortions and manipulations he was being fed, I made a personal commitment to do the same. So this 9/11, I will celebrate my freedom. Not Dr. Laura's freedom to say 'nigger', not the Phelps' freedom to protest funerals or burn the flag, not Pastor Jones' freedom to burn the Qur'an, nor New Yorker's freedom to build or protest a community center...

This 9/11, I celebrate my freedom from Fear. I celebrate my freedom to reject the childish notion that the whole world is comprised of 'good guys' and 'bad guys'. I have no need for a Boogeyman. I am not afraid of your totems. I refuse to hate others because you say I am hated. I choose to exercise my freedom to see people as individuals. I choose to exercise my freedom to love and to worship with whomever and however I please.

19 evil men attacked our Nation on 9/11 killing 3,000 Americans... but their hatred shall not infect my heart. They may have changed the landscape in New York, but they will not change my character.

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What happens to a dream deferred?

47 years ago, the NAACP, the SNCC, the SCLC, CORE, the Urban League, and A Phillip Randolph came together and led the groundbreaking 1963 March on Washington. The organizers and host organizations each spoke eloquently to the needs and concerns of our community, but certainly the day belonged to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On that day he delivered his "I have a dream" speech" which is considered by many to be one of the greatest speeches ever recorded.

"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."

For far too many, the entire speech, the march, and Dr. King's legacy as a whole, is simplified and reduced to that single line. It is a beautiful sentiment to be sure, but when taken as a summation of King's mission and message, the "Dream" itself is diminished. Dr. King said so much more... He spoke not only to his dreams and aspirations for the nation he wished his children to inherit, but he also spoke quite eloquently and often about the obstacles and conditions we would need to overcome to get there.

"...one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

Dr. King went on to speak until his death about the need to challenge racism, discrimination, militarism, religious bigotry, and poverty. In fact, on the night before his assassination, Dr. King spoke in Memphis, where he was organizing a campaign on behalf of sanitation workers. In that speech he said to the many Reverends in attendance:

"it's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do."

But what of us now?
On this day of celebration, many will lay claim to the mantle of Dr. King and the movement. Many will pronounce their intent to "restore" it or "reclaim" it or otherwise... But as we sing and celebrate, let us not forget that just last month, shortly after President Obama announced a $1.25 billion settlement for black farmers who were found to have faced overt discrimination by the USDA in the eighties and nineties, Congress refused to authorize the money. The Senate stripped the funding for the Pigford II settlement and several other programs from a bill that appropriated more funds for our war efforts.

Let us not forget that in Gainesville Florida, Muslim religious scriptures are being burned in the name of God. In Cobb County Georgia, Hartford Connecticut, Chicago Illinois, Morton Grove Illinois, and Mayfield Kentucky, permits to build Mosques are being denied or revoked. And in New York City, where even an Islamic community center is seemingly subject to a popular vote, on Tuesday of last week, a 43 year old cab driver from Bangladesh was asked if he was a Muslim. When he stated that he was, the passenger pulled out a knife and cut his throat.

Let us not forget that we are now in the 9th year of our longest war, with no end in sight, EVEN as our schools are laying off teachers, growing class sizes, and consolidating buildings due to the lack of funds.

Let us not forget that the victory in Brown vs the Board of Education which stated that separate was inherently unequal and had no place in public education, is routinely and ubiquitously undermined by those seeking to withdraw children into racially homogeneous enclaves, aided by State and District Courts...

Let us not forget that after the bailouts, and the loans, and the stimulus funds, OUR wealth has been redistributed to the rich, while THEIR pain and loss was redistributed to US.

Let us not forget that 5 years after Katrina, many from the lower 9th STILL are without their homes.

Let us not forget that a study released in March of this year showed that the average median wealth for a single Black Female was only $5.00

Let us not forget that according to a report recently released by the Schott foundation, the National graduation rate for Black males is only 47%, and in some States like New York, it is as low as 25%.

Let us not forget that within many of our inner cities, a culture of resignation and under achievement have taken root; animating our young men with a spirit of hopelessness and discontent which allows them to take and trade young lives with neither forethought or remorse.

Let us not forget that in cases like Ricci vs DeStepano, Gross vs FBL Financial Services, Iqbal vs Ashcroft, Phillips vs Ford Motor Company, and Citizens United vs the FCC, the courts have attacked and deliberately weakened existing Civil Rights law making it increasingly difficult to hold corporations and institutions accountable for violations against common citizens.

Let us not fail to notice that with each passing day our national dialogue becomes increasingly shrill and coarse, and as we retreat to our lesser and more tribal selves, we move further and further away from the 'Dream' we each seek to honor.

Honoring King requires more than our sharing his quotes, reciting his speeches, retracing his steps or displaying his likeness... We honor the messenger by carrying the message, and right now, as badly as ever, our society needs to hear it...

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Real Stories: Child Welfare

This is the first in our new series of "Real Stories". These are actual cases, sent to us by real complainants, with specific requests for publicity. In all cases, the names will be redacted, but the cases will be evaluated and processed, and updates will appear here on the blog as they occur...

Hello. I want my story if at all possible and maybe someone will hear me out on how much love I have for my children and I hope you are the one that will get this posted for me in the paper. So here is my story...

My name is XXXXXX XXXXXXXX and I am from Wichita, Kansas. I have 2 boys that have was taken from me by the state back in 1999 due to me oversleeping when my oldest got outside by himself. The boys now are 14 and 12 years of age. With me fighting for almost 2 years I lost my rights to my children due to not following directions, having a bad attitude, and having a job as an dancer at the time. The courts found me "indeemed unfit", never found me guilty of abuse or neglect. 11 years has passed and I have changed my life around completely I am not a dancer, my whole attitude has changed, I go to church, I am working at the hospitals here in Wichita has a PCT and going to school full time to get my RN degree. My oldest son has found me on facebook and contacted me wanting to come home with me has stated he has been treated badly in the foster homes and has switched from foster home to foster home because he cant get along with anyone. He is having these behaviors because he feels unwanted and not loved and he knows his mother loves him and he wants to come home. He has no stability in his life and never know what is going to happen next. This is why he is having all his behaviors. I have contacted Youthville and told them that I want to seek out on getting my children back and I had to do a few things to get them back. I did as they told me to do and they are still making excuses for me not to get my children back into my life and its not right. I did a clincial assessment for them and it showed that I should be an accepted adoptive resource to get my children back. There should not be any reason why I cant get them back and still they are trying to make up excuses why I cant have them back. It makes me think that they do not care about my children all they care about is making money off my children. Its not right at all. Both boys want to come home and they should be able to come home to there mother because I can give them stablility and real love that they have been craving for so many years that they was getting it. 

Please help me get my story out there please. 


XXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXX

Ma'am, you will be contacted by our Legal Redress team shortly...

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Mixing Metaphors: A new way to organize around community issues

Invariably when rolling out new community initiatives or when inviting new people to come and join in an ongoing effort, some will remark that a given initiative or effort treats "the symptom and not the disease". In fact, so common is this critique that it has taken on the appearance of common wisdom. After all, it would be foolish to spend all of one's effort or energy on a mere symptom right?

I have two problems with this metaphor.

The first is that on a practical level it functions as a rolling justification for inaction. In a purely theoretical sense, practically ANY initiative can be labelled as a "symptom"  as some previous or more foundational culprit can almost always be identified. Much like the never-ending game of questioning "why" we each played as children, we wield this critique as a defense for inertia, repeatedly questioning "why", asking what caused the phenomena we seek to address...

If we say we'll address the drop-out rate, some will ask, "but why are these young boys dropping out?". And we might answer that many feel an alienation from the school and from academics at large, and some fail to understand or appreciate the importance of education for their lives. And were we then to craft an initiative dealing with connecting children to education, still others would ask, "but why are these children alienated from benefits of education?" And we would answer that; and so the dance would continue until finally we reached an answer that was so theoretical, so philosophical, or so foundational that it was beyond our capacity to solve. Then, we swiftly return to our status quo; handfuls of volunteers attempting to move community wide initiatives without the necessary levels of support; many of our best and brightest thinkers and theoreticians settled home on their couches satisfied that they've avoided a potential waste of their time by identifying the weaknesses in the latest planned effort; meanwhile, leagues of our children continue to fail.

The second problem I have with the metaphor is that it is misaligned with the conditions that we are seeking to address. The metaphor of "symptom and disease" implies that there is a correct order in which our community's problems must be addressed. It further implies that there is limited value in addressing issues outside of their proper sequence. This 'proper sequence' is fluid; a moving target that must identified and re-identified on an initiative by initiative basis prior to any level of engagement. Our acceptance of this idea has led to thousands of hours of meetings, symposiums, and theoretical discourse on the 'nature' of various problems without any corresponding action plans. Simply put, unless and until we can agree on the origins and root of the problems, we don't act. As a consequence, we meet over and over again to discuss the problems when a fraction of that time converted to action could yield positive results. In this sense, I think this metaphor has failed to serve our interests.

I believe it's time for a new paradigm...

I have another more useful metaphor that I believe is better aligned with the challenges facing our community. Instead of linear and sequential "symptom and disease" imagery, consider the imagery of an avalanche or rock slide. In this paradigm, there is still an original cause or 'prime mover', but identifying that prime mover is of less importance than identifying and addressing those issues that will have the most immediate and consequential impact. When a large rock has been displaced and begins to fall down the side of a hill, if it's progression is not halted, it will dislodge additional rocks that will then fall creating their own distinct threats. The new threats are not linked or dependent on the rocks that dislodged them, they are wholly independent, and may not be resolved by focusing on solely on rocks that fell earlier in the sequence. If we then turn to theoretical inquiries as to which falling rock is the prime mover, then the destructive force will continue to metastasize, with each rock dislodging others until it becomes an avalanche, finally outstripping our capacity.

Reconsider my aforementioned example: Let's begin with children's sense of alienation from school. This sense of alienation and lack of 'connectedness', if not addressed directly, will continue to deepen as a unique problem. As it deepens, it will simultaneously spawn and/or contribute to new problems such as the academic achievement gap and the drop out rate. The drop out rate, if not addressed directly, will continue to deepen as a unique problem while simultaneously contributing to rates of criminality and unemployment. Criminality, when not addressed, deepens as a unique problem while simultaneously contributing to declines in the quality of life for community residents and declining property values. High rates of unemployment contribute to poverty rates and increased reliance upon social services. Reliance upon social services, high rates of poverty, criminality, and unemployment recombine to form a new threat as they alter and shift cultural norms. And so on and so forth with each problem contributing to additional problems. And even if the Prime Mover could be identified and eliminated, that alone would not stop the progression of the hundred other rocks now in motion.

Now this is not to suggest that we should not be strategic; to the contrary, we absolutely must... But in the avalanche model, each problem should be evaluated to determine its potential impact on the community, not its sequence. And in the avalanche model, there are no problems that are insignificant or that should be ignored. Each problem merits a response lest it be allowed to deepen and spawn new and more complex problems. The avalanche model abandons the limited 'surgical' approach of the "symptom-disease" metaphor, in favor of a collaborative "all hands on deck" approach to effectively dealing with social ills. It also (IMO) correctly identifies the real cost of apathy and inaction. This new model is my offering to our collective discourse... What do you think?

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The Constitution vs The Civil Rights Act: Is Racial Discrimination protected free speech or a violation of law?

Congressional Candidate Rand Paul recently ignited a firestorm when he suggested that while he personally opposes racism and discrimination, he believes that private clubs, restaurants, and businesses should be allowed to make their own decisions about whether or not they would discriminate [Link to Video]. He went further to suggest that outlawing discrimination restricts the freedom of speech provided by the constitution and that if we say that that private business owners must serve people of all races, then we must also require that they serve patrons who are armed as well.

*Sidenote* Candidate Paul was NOT insinuating that the black or minority patrons would be armed, rather he was making an abstract and somewhat hyperbolic argument that if minorities have the "right" to attend any facility then gun owners should as well...

As the news cycle progressed, a cry came from conservative side of the spectrum that the claim that Dr. Paul offered a tacit defense of racial discrimination was overblown and politically motivated. Rand Paul himself has described the charges as a "red herring". However, the charges are firmly supported by Dr. Paul's previous statements. For example: in 2002, Dr. Paul wrote a letter expressing his opposition to the 'Fair Housing Act' which read in part, "A free society will abide unofficial, private discrimination even when that means allowing hate-filled groups to exclude people based on the color of their skin." He has also come out in opposition to the Americans with Disabilities Act during an interview with NPR in which he opined that issues of discrimination should be handled "locally".

But it would be a mistake to treat these arguments as an extreme position. In fact, Rand Paul has merely demonstrated his firm commitment to the libertarian philosophy. And while Libertarianism is certainly too small of a political movement to significantly impact American Policy on its own terms, the "Freedom from Government" philosophy at its core has certainly become more mainstream with the ascendancy of the Tea-Party groups and the Republican Party's anti-establishment push to the Right. A thread of this line of thinking can even be seen in the Supreme Court where the court recently used the equal protections clause of the 4th amendment to challenge the disparate outcome protections of the Civil Rights Act in Ricci v DeStephano. Shortly after the ruling, Justice Scalia reportedly said that he wished he could review the Civil Rights Act itself. Seen through this lens,  we should be clear that Rand Paul is not the issue, nor is he a monster or an anachronism, he is just someone who was willing to publicly defend and articulate the Libertarian philosophy out to its logical conclusions.

Rather than attacking him, we should challenge his argument. He has articulated the libertarian belief that the rights of private ownership should not be abridged. He has also argued that discrimination in a private business or enterprise is an act of free speech and therefore should be protected. In stating his personal disdain for racism and discrimination and his claim that he personally would not frequent a business that practiced discrimination, he alluded to the libertarian belief that the Free-Market system can and will self correct against racism and discrimination without Government intervention: That good and decent people will simply refuse to do business with people who discriminate and that combined with the cost incentive to serve minorities and others will simply 'drive the racists out of business'.

It is a sound and coherent argument, but it is simply wrong. It is perfectly logical in its abstract form. But the weakness of the argument is that it does not consider a critical and fundamental fact; Racism is irrational.

You can not craft successful social policy based solely on theoretical models because Racism is not bound by the laws of reason. Simply put, there are enough people who ARE willing to frequent those shops and businesses to provide a livable wage to the owners, and racial bias is sufficiently strong in some to lead them to forgo even the promise of higher profits through increased business. When discrimination was treated as a local issue, discrimination was commonplace. For as long as discrimination was not treated as a matter of law, discrimination flourished. The markets did NOT correct it. The markets Could not correct it. It was corrected mitigated only by the law.  To argue otherwise is to demonstrate a historical myopia and perhaps some degree of insensitivity to the real-life consequences of such a nonchalant social acceptance of racism and inequity.

If racism and discrimination are abhorrent as Dr. Paul has stated, then it's simply not enough to decry the practice when prompted. It's simply not enough to promise a symbolic solidarity that you might personally choose to avoid a business or institution that YOU had the right to frequent unfettered and without limitation, while they literally barred others from their door. If racism and discrimination are abhorrent, if you find them evil, if they are a blight on our society, then commit to stopping them. These are not theoretical issues. We can not wish them away. There is no scholarly or philosophical middle-ground. We either tolerate them or we don't.

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Changes coming to the Wichita NAACP Blog

I started the Wichita NAACP Blog a couple years ago with the intent of providing a space to discuss and promote initiatives of the NAACP. I sought to make it an organizational space rather than a personal one, with a primary focus on events and initiatives. While I will continue to use this space as a platform to share that type of organizational information, in the coming weeks and months I will also begin to include more 'perspective' pieces as well.

I believe that it is imperative that we within the organization do a better job of communicating not only the "What", When", and "How" of our efforts and initiatives, but also the "Why". So in addition to our usual descriptive pieces, we will spend more time delving into the philosophies and opinions that under-gird our efforts. Now, what you won't see are pieces about articles I just read from another news source or what I think President Obama should do now... We will not become just another insta-pundit talking head site. But we will endeavor to grow this space into more of a hub where we can discuss not only the current events but also the ideas that influence them. Sometimes you'll agree and sometimes you won't, but when you don't, I hope you'll be willing to share your comments and thoughts...

I hope you enjoy...

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