NAACP: A New Day

L-R: Ravi Perry(President), Calvin Hill(Third VP), Andrea Park(Second VP), NaTonia Trammell(Secretary), April Slater(Asst. Secretary), Veronica Thomas(Treasurer), Elizabeth St.John(Executive Board Member), Dorothy Ware(Executive Board Member), Cedric Arno(First VP)

Today marked a new beginning for the NAACP in Worcester, which has laid dormant for over 8-years.  Well, that all changed today with elections taking place at the Worcester Public Library.

What struck me as a huge plus, was the fact that the people that attended the meeting and elections were from various walks of life and showed just how diverse Worcester is.

There were women and men of various racial backgrounds, and people, genuinely, wanted to know what the National Office of the NAACP was planning to do with changing the perception that the NAACP was only for Blacks.  While the National Office has a game plan of what's going to be done on the national level to change those perceptions, there's a void at the local level that will take creative minds and a willingness by the local chapter to do things differently.

Allow me to share the background of the NAACP:

The NAACP was formed partly in response to the continuing horrific practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in Springfield, the capital of Illinois and resting place of President Abraham Lincoln. Appalled at the violence that was committed against blacks, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard, both the descendants of abolitionists, William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American (including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary Church Terrell), signed the call, which was released on the centennial of Lincoln's birth.

And with a principal objective,"to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through the democratic processes."

I'm sure I'll post some other articles about the NAACP, the upcoming meetings and opportunities for you to become an active member of the chapter.

Here are two videos that I filmed with my phone.

Announcing the winners of the elections:



Swearing in of newly-elected members:

NAACP: 'Drive to 50' (Worcester Reactivation)

The NAACP, whose roots are deeply intertwined in the fabric of Massachusetts, celebrated its 100-year Anniversary last year on February 12, 2009.


Today, with the heightened awareness of race and ethnicity, not only in the United States but the entire world, we need a platform to have conversations along these lines, and those involving the myriad of issues facing people from all walks of life.  The NAACP is a place where everyone is welcome and encouraged to discuss topics such as the economy, joblessness, homelessness and education.

At the dawn of the 20th century, a group of black and white people -- men and women, Jews and Gentiles -- issued "a call for a national conference on the Negro question."

Tomorrow, December 8, 2010, from 6-9 PM at the Crescent Cafe (located at 69 Canterbury Street) the NAACP Worcester Branch will be holding their "Drive to 50".  

Membership:

Adult members - $30.00
Youth members- Ages 20 and Under - $15.00


This is an opportunity to reestablish the NAACP Worcester Chapter as a vehicle for improvement of the economic, educational, political and social justice status of people in Worcester. 

Justin Barrett: The Officer is NOT a Gentleman

When word got out about Boston Police Officer Justin Barrett's comments about Dr. Gates, Jr. and the incident involving Cambridge Police Officer James Crowley, I had a feeling that it would be hard for Office Barrett to prove why he should keep his job.

Well, he was fired by the Boston Police Department on Friday.

Kweisi Mfume: The Conversation

I guess the Former NAACP President and U.S. Congressman had some interesting things to say, and I wonder if those that attended got some "gems" from his speech?

If you read the 2 comments that have been posted on the article on the T&G, it leads me to believe that people aren't open to listening, and, while disagreeing, realizing that LIFE is political.

Well, let's see how a speaker such as David Wilson is received when he visits WSC on Feb. 25th to talk about race in America.

Black History Month: Mixed Feelings

I've known Black History Month, which began as Negro History Week in 1926, by Carter G. Woodson, since I was 4-years old. Growing up in a largely Black, West Indian community, it struck me as comical that I was learning about what Blacks had faced in the South, and even what the slaves had faced in the Virgin Islands.

It wasn't until I was in the third grade that it started to make sense and I began to appreciate the contributions by so many determined and selfless Black people. Still, I was perplexed because there were so many contributions made by White, Yellow and other folks, that I struggled to understand why another person would look down on another human being for being 'different'? It took alot of explaining and patience on my parent's part, and, certainly, on my grandparent's part, having been born in 1920 in the British Virgin Islands.

Still, today, some argue that Black History Month should become a thing of the past, because the United States has the first bi-racial (some would argue and say Black) President.

Some see Black History Month or as officially proclaimed by President Obama on Februar 2, 2009, "National African-American History Month.". Obama called for," all people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African-American history."

While Black History Month has become a fixture in schools, some would ask if we still need to celebrate it in the new century?

Some would argue that Black History Month should be eliminated because it does nothing more than promote division, because of the stain of guilt that many Whites feel. Does this hinder people's growth of accepting differences and having frank conversations about them? Some would say that it does.

So, as I write this on the first day of February 2010, I write this knowing that it's important to know the history and give voice to those that struggled and even died, so that I can write such a piece, as a Black man.

As a race of human beings, we have to learn how to have those uncomfortable conversations without jumping to conclusions; we have to allow human beings to be just that, human beings.

Education, open dialogue,s willingness to learn and think beyond the self is key and that goes for Black, White, Yellow and Brown. We are, after all, One Nation Under A Groove!

Haiti: The Hate and the Quake

This article was shared with me and I found it very interesting on two points: (1) I actually studied the history of Haiti while in grade school as part of Caribbean History, which I didn't learn until much later that only folks who lived in the Caribbean studied Caribbean History, and (2) that France has used their power to keep their foot on the neck of the Haitian people for many years and the United States of America played a large role in enforcing and applying more pressure.

Date January 17, 2010
Brief BY SIR HILARY BECKLES

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES is in the process of conceiving how best to deliver a major conference on the theme Rethinking And Rebuilding Haiti.
I am very keen to provide an input into this exercise because for too lo ...


BY SIR HILARY BECKLES

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES is in the process of conceiving how best to deliver a major conference on the theme Rethinking And Rebuilding Haiti.
I am very keen to provide an input into this exercise because for too long there has been a popular perception that somehow the Haitian nation-building project, launched on January 1, 1804, has failed on account of mismanagement, ineptitude, corruption.

Buried beneath the rubble of imperial propaganda, out of both Western Europe and the United States, is the evidence which shows that Haiti's independence was defeated by an aggressive North-Atlantic alliance that could not imagine their world inhabited by a free regime of Africans as representatives of the newly emerging democracy.

The evidence is striking, especially in the context of France.
The Haitians fought for their freedom and won, as did the Americans fifty years earlier. The Americans declared their independence and crafted an extraordinary constitution that set out a clear message about the value of humanity and the right to freedom, justice, and liberty.

In the midst of this brilliant discourse, they chose to retain slavery as the basis of the new nation state. The founding fathers therefore could not see beyond race, as the free state was built on a slavery foundation.
The water was poisoned in the well; the Americans went back to the battlefield a century later to resolve the fact that slavery and freedom could not comfortably co-exist in the same place.

The French, also, declared freedom, fraternity and equality as the new philosophies of their national transformation and gave the modern world a tremendous progressive boost by so doing.

They abolished slavery, but Napoleon Bonaparte could not imagine the republic without slavery and targeted the Haitians for a new, more intense regime of slavery. The British agreed, as did the Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.
All were linked in communion over the 500 000 Blacks in Haiti, the most populous and prosperous Caribbean colony.
As the jewel of the Caribbean, they all wanted to get their hands on it. With a massive slave base, the English, French and Dutch salivated over owning it - and the people.

The people won a ten-year war, the bloodiest in modern history, and declared their independence. Every other country in the Americas was based on slavery.
Haiti was freedom, and proceeded to place in its 1805 Independence Constitution that any person of African descent who arrived on its shores would be declared free, and a citizen of the republic.

For the first time since slavery had commenced, Blacks were the subjects of mass freedom and citizenship in a nation.

The French refused to recognise Haiti's independence and declared it an illegal pariah state. The Americans, whom the Haitians looked to in solidarity as their mentor in independence, refused to recognise them, and offered solidarity instead to the French. The British, who were negotiating with the French to obtain the ownership title to Haiti, also moved in solidarity, as did every other nation-state the Western world.

Haiti was isolated at birth - ostracised and denied access to world trade, finance, and institutional development. It was the most vicious example of national strangulation recorded in modern history.
The Cubans, at least, have had Russia, China, and Vietnam. The Haitians were alone from inception. The crumbling began.
Then came 1825; the moment of full truth. The republic is celebrating its 21st anniversary. There is national euphoria in the streets of Port-au-Prince.

The economy is bankrupt; the political leadership isolated. The cabinet took the decision that the state of affairs could not continue.
The country had to find a way to be inserted back into the world economy. The French government was invited to a summit.

Officials arrived and told the Haitian government that they were willing to recognise the country as a sovereign nation but it would have to pay compensation and reparation in exchange. The Haitians, with backs to the wall, agreed to pay the French.

The French government sent a team of accountants and actuaries into Haiti in order to place a value on all lands, all physical assets, the 500 000 citizens were who formerly enslaved, animals, and all other commercial properties and services.
The sums amounted to 150 million gold francs. Haiti was told to pay this reparation to France in return for national recognition.

The Haitian government agreed; payments began immediately. Members of the Cabinet were also valued because they had been enslaved people before independence.

Thus began the systematic destruction of the Republic of Haiti. The French government bled the nation and rendered it a failed state. It was a merciless exploitation that was designed and guaranteed to collapse the Haitian economy and society.

Haiti was forced to pay this sum until 1922 when the last instalment was made. During the long 19th century, the payment to France amounted to up to 70 per cent of the country's foreign exchange earnings.

Jamaica today pays up to 70 per cent in order to service its international and domestic debt. Haiti was crushed by this debt payment. It descended into financial and social chaos.
The republic did not stand a chance. France was enriched and it took pleasure from the fact that having been defeated by Haitians on the battlefield, it had won on the field of finance. In the years when the coffee crops failed, or the sugar yield was down, the Haitian government borrowed on the French money market at double the going interest rate in order to repay the French government.
When the Americans invaded the country in the early 20th century, one of the reasons offered was to assist the French in collecting its reparations.

The collapse of the Haitian nation resides at the feet of France and America, especially. These two nations betrayed, failed, and destroyed the dream that was Haiti; crushed to dust in an effort to destroy the flower of freedom and the seed of justice.

Haiti did not fail. It was destroyed by two of the most powerful nations on earth, both of which continue to have a primary interest in its current condition.
The sudden quake has come in the aftermath of summers of hate. In many ways the quake has been less destructive than the hate.

Human life was snuffed out by the quake, while the hate has been a long and inhumane suffocation - a crime against humanity.

During the 2001 UN Conference on Race in Durban, South Africa, strong representation was made to the French government to repay the 150 million francs.
The value of this amount was estimated by financial actuaries as US$21 billion. This sum of capital could rebuild Haiti and place it in a position to re-engage the modern world. It was illegally extracted from the Haitian people and should be repaid.
It is stolen wealth. In so doing, France could discharge its moral obligation to the Haitian people.

For a nation that prides itself in the celebration of modern diplomacy, France, in order to exist with the moral authority of this diplomacy in this post-modern world, should do the just and legal thing.
Such an act at the outset of this century would open the door for a sophisticated interface of past and present, and set the Haitian nation free at last.

Sir Hilary Beckles is pro-vice-chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, UWI.

Here's the link to the article in the Nation News (Barbados newspaper).

Remembering Dr. King, Jr.

"Ignorance breeds fear, fear fuels hatred and hatred feeds the ignorance." D. Wells

Around the Block

If you turn on CNN or any world news news channel, you'd think that there is no other news to report than the comments made by Senator Harry Reid or former baseball player, Mark McGwire.

I'll start first with Mark McGwire. I've believed for years that Mark has used steroids. Anyone care to remember the "Bash Brothers"? C'mon Son, you knew Mark was juicin' way back in the late-80's and into the '90s.

Senator Harry Reid said what he said, and while people will be upset and call for the man to be raked over a pit of hot coals, he said what many Americans have said, will say or thought. Race is always going to be relevant in this world.

Shoot, I know some Blacks (Yes, I do use the term Black in this day and age) who, if you asked them to honestly comment about President Barack Obama, would have some more poignant words to describe our 44th President.

So in 2010, we have to do better and know that our differences make the world better.

President Clinton on President Obama & Health Care Reform

Having heard what President Carter said about race affecting how folks view President Obama's proposed Health Care Reform, now we have President Clinton joining the conversation and he does make some valid points.

Does race play a role in the reaction that many have to President Obama's proposed Health Care Reform? I say that it does, to a small extent, but the bigger issue is the fact that there are many that oppose President Obama's Health Care Reform plan, but haven't taken the time to read the first 200 words or the CliffsNotes version to understand the program.

Ignorance is not bliss.

The "N" Word by Jonathan McCoy

I think I received an email from my mother, who was having an issue opening and viewing the video, so I did a quick conversion and was able to check out what it was she was trying to watch.

What I viewed is one of the more powerful video clips from a young man, Johnathan E. McCoy, who shared his thoughts about the use of the "N" word.

When we say that the children are the future leaders of this world, I hope and pray for more human beings such as Johnathan.

Microsoft: Advertising gone wrong

I guess the folks behind creating this advertisement for Microsoft thought that a brother of darker skin hue would not sit well with the Polish business constituents?

Simply stated, Wow!!

The African Simpsons

The Simpsons, which has been on the Fox Network for soon-to-be turning 20-years, has a new show that is being aired in Angola on an African channel.



There are folks that are up in arms about the African Simpsons, and then there are those that can care less.



Well, we'll have to see how this plays out and whether Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton join the fun. Knowing both Jackson's and Sharpton's history with The Fox Network the sparks should start flying in 3....2......

Mass Perceptions

Living in Massachusetts, having grown-up in the Virgin Islands, always invokes the question of, "Why did you move here?", well sometimes I do ask myself that same question.

I know more than a handful of people that either grew-up in Massachusetts, attended college, graduate, law or medical school and enjoyed their experience, to some extent.

Being either Black or Hispanic living in Massachusetts means that there's a history of desegregation and racial tension that is sometimes very palpable. There was the Racial Imbalance Act of 1965, which led to the creation of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program, which opened the flood gates of racial tension of late 1960s, and we can't forget the image that was captured on April 5, 1976, by photographer Stanley J. Forman, then a photographer for the Boston Herald American, that continues to plague Boston. The attack of Ted Landsmark by Joseph Rakes with the American Flag, is still remembered as being a sore spot in the Commonwealth, and was aptly titled, "The Soiling of Old Glory".

So, through many tensions, some major incidents were put on public display for the United States and the world to see; all presented Boston as a city that is not kind to Blacks and Hispanics nor very welcoming, to say the least.

Fast forward to July 16, 2009, and we have the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest by Officer James Crowley, because a neighbor reported seeing two men attempting to break-into a house in Cambridge, MA. Yes, the audio tapes have been released by the Cambridge Police Department and Lucia Whalen, the person that called Cambridge Police to report the suspected break-in, was vilified in the news and media, is now viewed as a concerned citizen, rather than a "racist, nosy neighbor".

President Obama's comments, made at the end of a press conference that was scheduled to address the proposed health care reform bill proposal, were very telling and understandable from my vantage point because I, too, thought Officer Crowley and the arresting officers "acted stupidly" for arresting Mr. Gates, Jr. in his own home, for which he provided identification that proved that he lived there.

On July 30, 2009, the "Beer Summit" took place at the White House between Officer James Crowley, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Vice President Joe Biden and President Obama. Cooler heads seemed to prevail and some talk about the incident took place where, we hope, each person left having learned something from one another.

Now, there's the matter of dealing with Officer Justin Barrett, who sent an email to his National Guard colleagues about the Gates, Jr. and Officer Crowley incident and referred to Mr. Gates, Jr. as a "jungle monkey".

Officer Justin Barrett's comments don't end there. We now know that he sent an email to Yvonne Abraham, a Boston Globe columnist, disagreeing with the opinion piece she wrote regarding the Gates, Jr. arrest and wrote that Gates, Jr. was a "banana-eating jungle monkey." and that she, Ms. Abraham, should serve him," I like a warm cruller and hot Panamanian, black. No sugar."

There is only so much negative news that one can put up with, and, as of late, there seems to be a plethora of negative news, particularly news that involves race and social status.

With the myriad of so-called reality television shows, it's no wonder why websites such as YouTube.com and Vimeo.com have become so popular for children and young adults to post videos of themselves doing things that, in my day, we would be ashamed to have shown or seen by our parents and friends.

Lately, I've been watching alot of national news, but every night I am drawn to watch the local news to see if there's a story that I may have missed in reading on Boston.com or Telegram.com. Nine times out of ten, it's the evening news is "old news" and I gather little new information from it.

When I'm asked about Massachusetts and what it's been like for me to live here, I always catch myself saying that it's "Nice", but what does "Nice" really mean? It means that it's a good place to live, and if you like the constant change in weather, along within close proximity to cities such as Providence, RI, Hartford, CT, and New York City, then it's a good place to live.

Having grown up on the islands of St. John and St. Thomas, Cape Cod is not attractive to me. My favorite part about Massachusetts is the fall foliage, because there is nothing in the world quite like it and I can see God's hand at work.

The winters can be tough, and, especially after this past winter, I ask myself more frequently what I'm doing living in Massachusetts. But the beauty of it all is that I know when my family and I are ready to pack it in, we have some very good locations to pick from.

So, if you ask me about Massachusetts, I will say that it's "Nice", but don't take it the wrong way. It's just Massachusetts has a long way to go to shake off the perceptions that have haunted it for many years and I highly doubt those perceptions will be changing anytime in the near future.

Beer Summit

It all goes down this evening in Washington,D.C.--the Beer Summit with
Officer James Crowley, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and President Obama.

The media will not be able to broadcast it live, but I'm sure we'll
see some pictures from "the meeting" that will be on the evening news
and on various websites/ blogs.

Cheers!

Stupid is what stupid does

And Boston Police Officer Justin Barrett can be labeled "stupid" for sending an email to his National Guard friends that labeled Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as a "jungle monkey".

So, just when you think we're moving on and having open discussions about race and class due to the Officer James Crowley and Henry Gates, Jr. incident, some not-so-smart people write emails or post comments on Boston.com similar to Justin Barrett.

Let the conversations continue!

Wailing on Whalen

Lucia Whalen, the woman that placed the telephone call to the Cambridge Police Department to report the possible break-in taking place at Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s home, is now being barraged with telephone calls at her place of employment, Harvard University.

I'm pleased to read that she would like the 911 calls released to the public, so that everyone in Massachusetts and the media will hear that she never used race when she placed that telephone call. It's being reported by Boston.com.

Change Is Inevitable

The Republican National Committee is banking on Michael Steele turning
things around for the RNC, but can the first Black Chairman be the
beacon that so many think he is? That, as they say, is the one
hundred million dollar question.

Steele has been very critical of President Barack Obama's election and
even stated that Governor Deval Patrick's election was more of a
cultural phenom than political ideas.

Some political analyst see Steele's chairmanship as a retort to the
Democratic party's strategic placement of key politicians over the
past 6-years.

When Steele was elected, he quickly "laid the smacketh down" by firing
the entire RNC staff and made some big promises for the turnaround. He
even went as far as to say that he was going to bring the "the hip hop
generation," into the GOP. (Yeah, right!)

Can a Black man that is galavanting for the GOP bring ethnic and
racial groups to the party? I certainly don't think so, as the message
of the GOP doesn't appeal to many Hispanics, Blacks, and the
frustrated Whites who will quickly state that President Bush was the
worse President the United States has ever had.

Well, we'll have to wait and see if Steele becomes "that dude" and
leads the RNC against Governor Patrick, as he runs for relection next
year, and Obama in 2012. He's even been so bold as to state that, "It
will be interesting to see what happens in 2012, when the novelty of
having a black president has worn off."

At least we know we're going to be a part of yet another historic
event in the United States of America!

LSU Fans & Racism

If you're a Black person that is contemplating moving to New Orleans, this will certainly make you think twice about moving there and certainly not a place that you'd

like to raise a family. (Editor's Note: I have lived in New Orleans and have family that reside in the city.)

Listen to the responses of these LSU fans as they answer the question regarding the Government demolishing projects in the City of New

Orleans and their thoughts on subsidized housing.

A legacy being built

Mr. Ballentine at Reparations: The Blog for Economic & Political Empowerment wrote a great piece honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as we celebrate the 40 year anniversary of his assassination.

Please take a few minutes to read Reparations Means Truly Honoring Dr. King's Legacy.

MLK: I have a Dream