If Barbara Jordan was alive, this is what she would say, again
Commentary by Black Kos Editor Denise Oliver Velez
I make no secret of the fact that I think Barbara Jordan was one of the most brilliant women, and politicians of our time. She was "the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives, and the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention". She is one of my all-time sheroes.
I was driving in my car the other day, listening to my local public radio station (WAMC) and there was her voice coming through the speakers.
It was a re-run of a program recorded back in May "The Power of Words: Barbara Jordan's 1976 Keynote Address to the DNC", (58 min. audio) an interview by Alan Chartock with another favorite Barbara of mine, leftist black feminist Barbara Smith, who is currently a member of the Albany New York town council.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Smith's body of work, I suggest reading "The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom"
The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom brings together more than two decades of literary criticism and political thought about gender, race, sexuality, power, and social change. As one of the first writers in the United States to claim black feminism for black women, Barbara Smith has done groundbreaking work in defining black women’s literary traditions and in making connections between race, class, sexuality, and gender.
The hour long program, covers a wide range of topics, from the power of Jordan herself, to the rumors that she was considered as a running mate for Jimmy Carter, to Jordan's rhetorical style, black oratorical traditions, and Smith's thoughts on Hillary Clinton.
It was a very thoughtful and illuminating discussion by Smith, and what was clear was that Jordan's address to Democrats back then, still resonates today.
She described back then, where we are right now.
We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community. We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present, unemployment, inflation, but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America. We are attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal.
She spoke to the strengths of Democrats:
We believe that the government which represents the authority of all the people, not just one interest group, but all the people, has an obligation to actively -- underscore actively -- seek to remove those obstacles which would block individual achievement -- obstacles emanating from race, sex, economic condition. The government must remove them, seek to remove them. We.
We are a party -- We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future. We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. We believe that.
This, my friends is the bedrock of our concept of governing. This is a part of the reason why Americans have turned to the Democratic Party. These are the foundations upon which a national community can be built. Let all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable.
She spoke strongly about the responsibility of elected officials, our "public servants".
As we watch the hypocritical racist Teahadist attempt to destroy our system, our government and our democracy, and many of us feel discouraged, these words rang in my ears once again.
(full transcript here)
And now, what are those of us who are elected public officials supposed to do? We call ourselves "public servants" but I'll tell you this: We as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. It is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and exhort the people to uphold the common good if we are derelict in upholding the common good. More is required -- More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future.
If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If -- If we as public officials propose, we must produce. If we say to the American people, "It is time for you to be sacrificial" -- sacrifice. If the public official says that, we [public officials] must be the first to give. We must be. And again, if we make mistakes, we must be willing to admit them. We have to do that. What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.
Let there be no illusions about the difficulty of forming this kind of a national community. It's tough, difficult, not easy. But a spirit of harmony will survive in America only if each of us remembers that we share a common destiny; if each of us remembers, when self-interest and bitterness seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny.
I have confidence that we can form this kind of national community.
I have confidence that the Democratic Party can lead the way.
I have that confidence.
She ended her speech with a pointed reminder to Republicans.
Now I began this speech by commenting to you on the uniqueness of a Barbara Jordan making a keynote address. Well I am going to close my speech by quoting a Republican President and I ask you that as you listen to these words of Abraham Lincoln, relate them to the concept of a national community in which every last one of us participates:
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master." This -- This -- "This expresses my idea of Democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no Democracy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. Was driving home from school listening to President Obama's press conference - live. Had to pull over to the side of the road at one point...cheering.
I hope someone will post the video, and am sure we will have plenty to talk about in comments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately the researchers didn't seem to contemplate the reasons many black men who live in white neighborhoods may not consider it "wise"to run in white neighborhoods (especially if they have to wear a hoody). Runner's World: Black Men Less Likely to Run in White Neighborhoods.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recent research by sociologist Rashawn Ray, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, found that black men are less likely to run outside if they live in a predominantly white neighborhood. The opposite, however, was true for black women. They were more likely to be active in predominately white communities.
Ray surveyed 500 college-educated African-Americans living in urban and suburban areas across the United States in 2011 to explore why middle-class blacks were less physically active than their Caucasian peers.
“Research has shown that the higher one’s social class, the more likely she or he is to be physically active,” says Ray. “However, among blacks, social class does not explain the high prevalence of physical inactivity. Why do we see this? Without a better understanding of the barriers that lead to racial differences in physical activity among the middle class, we cannot devise effective policy solutions to combat the obesity epidemic.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lucrative industry for a new generation of hair care product suppliers. Black Enterprise: Natural Hair is Big Business For Black Entrepreneurs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Black hair has long been a lucrative business in the United States for black entrepreneurs, from Madam C. J. Walker, the first female American self-made millionaire, to former BE 100s companies such as Johnson Products, SoftSheen, and Pro-line. These companies created a market, opening the door for a score of black entrepreneurs who dominated the ranks of the nation’s largest black-owned businesses in the 1970s and ’80s.
Major corporations such as L’Oréal and Alberto-Culver also realized the value of this lucrative niche, and made inroads into the market in the 1990s by using their financial and distribution muscle. The black firms fought back through such organizations as the American Health & Beauty Aids Institute and placed a “Proud Lady” logo on brands produced by black-owned firms as a means of increasing support among African American consumers. However, the black firms did not have the resources to compete with the monoliths and were eventually acquired by these firms and turned into divisions of the majority corporations.
Today, most hair products for black consumers are no longer produced by black-owned companies—except for those in a new and growing area. Increasingly the sweet spot is natural hair products; notably, sales of relaxers have tumbled 30% between 2010 and 2012. The “pie” is the black haircare market which, according to the market research firm Mintel, is worth $684 million.
Unlike trends of any previous generation of business owners, social media has played a significant role in accelerating the growth of natural haircare. But will this new group of entrepreneurs be able to hold onto the business, particularly when an increasing number of companies, such as Sally Beauty Supply, are realizing the financial potential?
When Mahisha Dellinger ditched her relaxer to wear her hair natural a decade ago, there weren’t many products on the market designed to care for her textured hair. “The drying gels and hair sprays were not for me. Neither were the Jheri curl juice, perms, or relaxers,” she recalls. So she went online and found product recipes to make at home. As she experimented with homemade styling solutions, “I saw that other women were starting to embrace their natural hair,” the 39-year-old says.
CURLS LLC Founder Mahisha Dellinger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The shut down is hurting people outside the Washington bubble. The Root: The Shutdown's Impact on Blacks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the creeping effects of a government shutdown -- the kind that deals a soft punch at first before the full force of the problem hits like a freight train -- is the closing of Head Start programs.
Of the approximately 1,600 programs in the country that are dedicated to offering nutritional, heath, social and other services to low-income families, about 20 programs will be affected immediately because their federal grants ran out Oct. 1 and will not be renewed without a new budget. On Friday, Head Start prekindergarten classes for 864 students in York County, S.C., will be canceled. As the shutdown drags on indefinitely, more and more programs could be at risk as their grants run out.
This puts African-American children disproportionately at risk. According to the 2012 Program Facts from the Head Start program, 29 percent of the women and children enrolled in 2011-2012 were black, and almost 50 percent of children in the program were 4 years old.
Head Start participants outside Capitol, Oct. 2, 2013, protest government shutdown. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A powerful new documentary about a confrontation between Philadelphia and black radicals that claimed an entire neighborhood. Slate: Let the Fire Burn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let the Fire Burn, Jason Osder’s powerful debut documentary, opens with period footage of a soft-spoken boy with two names: Michael Moses Ward and Birdie Africa. Michael was known as Birdie as a child—he was one of several kids raised by a small black liberation group that occupied a Philadelphia row house on Osage Avenue. They called themselves MOVE, and they wanted to live without technology and without government interference. But the group and the city were constantly at odds.
On May 13, 1985, the enmity between MOVE and city officials erupted into one of the worst days in Philadelphia history. Years of demonstrations, clashes, and arrests had finally culminated in a mass eviction order and an hours-long shootout. When the shooting ended in a stalemate, the city made the unthinkable decision to drop a bomb on the MOVE row house. It ignited a raging fire. Michael and one other MOVE member escaped, but 11 others were killed, and 61 homes burned down—a working-class black neighborhood turned to ash.
I’m a year older than Michael Ward, and I also grew up in Philadelphia. I remember watching that terrible fire burn, though I was seeing it on TV, safe in my house in a different part of the city. I remember feeling sad, scared, and confused. My father had campaigned hard for Wilson Goode, who’d been elected as Philadelphia’s first black mayor a year and a half earlier. How could Goode have stood by while the police dropped that bomb, and as that fire burned?
It’s to the credit of Osder’s film that it answers these questions by gradually zeroing in on them. Let the Fire Burn offers an even-handed depiction of the racial conflict that led to the conflagration on Osage Avenue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Factory co-founded by Matt Damon and promising minimum wage, hopes to bring responsible production of high-end apparel to the country. The Guardian: Haiti's garment industry: a lost cause, or ready to change?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A T-shirt from Walmart is likely to cost at least $7. The minimum wage in Haiti is 300 Haitian gourdes a day (roughly $6-$7) and even though this is peanuts, there is the argument that paying workers even $5 a day could put factories out of business. Some workers are said to be paid as little as $3.50 a day.
T-shirt production is cheap, easy and requires little skill. Because of this and the high demand, if wages get too expensive, production can just relocate to another poor country, where costs can be kept low.
To put it simply, low-end apparel T-shirt production is one of the least attractive parts of the industry.
Industrial Revolution II (IRII) is a celebrity-backed garment factory that is hoping to bring high-end apparel and a degree of social responsibility to Haiti. Its co-founders include the CEO of Diesel Canada and the Hollywood actor Matt Damon. Production started in September.
"IRII was born out of a frustration with the lack of efficacy of traditional philanthropic and international aid programmes in Haiti, and a desire to create sustainable change through economic development and higher-value job creation" explains Rob Broggi, CEO and founding partner of IRII. According to Broggi, the Haitians want economic opportunities, not handouts.
The factory prides itself on a commitment to pay workers at least the minimum wage – there's also a bonus scheme based on the number and quality of units produced – giving the unemployed an opportunity to train and acquire new skills, increasing their future employability, and donating half the profits to community and social programmes within the country.
Earlier this year, quality-apparel brand Boxercraft announced that IRII would join its list of suppliers. It's an indication that companies are willing to move away from the mass production of turning out T-shirts on the cheap and are starting to consider responsible sourcing practices. The hope is that other brands will also see the potential in the venture and that they'll place orders with IRII for high-end clothes that might usually get produced in places like LA.
Largest camp for earthquake refugees, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The World Bank estimates Haiti's gross national income is $760. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voices and Soul
by Justice Putnam
Black Kos Poetry Editor
I had the great fortune to meet Abbey Lincoln backstage at Yoshi's in Oakland's Jack London Square in 2004. I was a little awe-struck, not so much by her fame as a jazz great, but more because of her actions and voice over all these years for civil rights. Though her albums were prominent on our turntable growing up, it was the poetry in her songs, the poetry that gave voice to the struggle of man and woman, that we spoke about in our family. It is the same poetry I give to my thrirteen year old grandson and nine year old granddaughter, as they embark on their own journey of life.
Story Of My Father
Do we kill ourselves on purpose?
Is destruction all our own?
Are we dying for a reason?
Is our misery all our own?
Are the people suicidal?
Did we come this far to die?
Of ourselves are we to perish?
For this useless, worthless lie?
My father had a kingdom
My father wore a crown
They said he was an awful man
He tried to live it down
My father built us houses
And he kept his folks inside
His images were stolen
And his beauty was denied.
My brothers are unhappy
And my sisters they are too
And my mother cries for glory
And my father stands accused.
My father, yes my father
Was a brave and skillful man
And he led and served his people
With the magic of his hand.
My father, yes my father
His soul was sorely tried
‘Cause his images were stolen
And his beauty was denied.
Sometimes the river’s calling
And sometimes the shadows fall
That’s when he’s like a mountain
That is in master over all.
This story of my father
Is the one I tell and give
It’s the power and the glory
Of the life I make and live
My father has a kingdom
My father wears a crown
And he lives within the people
And the lives he handed down
My father has a kingdom
My father wears a crown
And through the spirit of my mother, Lord
The crown was handed down.
Well sometimes the rivers callin’
And sometimes the shadows fall
That’s when he’s like a mountain
That’s a master over all.
My father has a kingdom
My father wears a crown
And he lives within the people
And the lives he handed down
My father has a kingdom
My father wears a crown
Through the spirit of my mother, Lord
The crown was handed down
Through the spirit of my mother
The crown was handed down
Through the spirit of my mother, Lord
The crown was handed down!
-- Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Lincoln -- "Brother, Where are You?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to the Black Kos Community Front Porch