Herman Cain: Why His Candidacy is an Insult to Black America

Allow me to share a secret that is often said in black and brown communities. Parents often tell their children that in order to be successful and rise up in America, they must aspire to be better than white people. And when I say better I mean better in every way. Better in intellectual ability, better in style of dress, better in mannerisms, simply better. This edict is told across socioeconomic lines, from the barrios of Los Angeles, to the projects in the Bronx, to the shacks in Alabama. It is a clarion call for black and brown people to strive harder and push themselves further than their white counterparts. Then and only then, it is believed will they ever be able to be on equal footing. This being the case, Herman Cain is an insult to every black and brown parent who has told their children to be better.

During President Obama's rise to the presidency there was a feeling amongst many people, regardless of race, that there was something intrinsically good about his candidacy. Here was a man who had superior intellect, amazing rhetorical genius, a pedigree that allowed him to be one with the brothers in the hood, while at the same time comfortable in a room full of the smartest and most successful minds in the world. Here was a man who clearly listened to his mother and family, who I am sure instilled in him the edict of being better than those around him, regardless of race.

When I look and hear Herman Cain speak I ask myself, where has this country come in the past three years. While I admittedly know very little about Cain's academic pedigree, there is nothing in his presentation that says to me that he is worthy of the highest office in the land. Some of his statements would be laughable if not for the fact that he sincerely believes what he is saying. Not to know the President of Uzbekistan is one thing, but to refer to the country as "Ooze becky becky becky stan stan" is not only disrespectful to that country, but also disrespectful to the office of the Presidency. To not know that China has had nuclear weapons since the 1960's and make the statement that they are now beginning to aquire the means to make said weapons shows a wanton disregard for basic world history. It is as if he revels in his stupidity and lack of knowledge and clear unpreparedness to be on the world stage.

Why does he continue to rise in the polls? I sincerely believe that the Republican party, comprised predominantly by white people have some deep issues that they need answered. Some people say that Cain's rise is a "flavor of the month" move by the GOP who aren't enthralled with any candidate on the ballot. Let's not be so superficial. I believe that the rise of Cain speaks to two angles of the Republican party. There is a clear anti-intellectual movement amongst the base, indicative by the rise of Sarah Palin and now Cain. I believe that there is also a huge racial component when it comes to Cain. Republicans have for too long wanted to court a viable black candidate. By courting a viable black candidate they could then begin to sing the song of inclusion, even though the main musician would be but one face in an overwhelmingly white crowd. Cain plays well to both of those visions.

What Repblicans need to begin to realize is that Cain's candidacy inevitably hurts race relations in the United States. To many people, regardless of racial background, his candidacy is a mockery and a display of minstrelsy in the highest order. Among black circles Cain is referred to as "Uncle Ruckus" the character from Boondocks, not only because he has a striking resemblance to him, but because like the character from the cartoon series, Cain's views are at best comical and at worst are antithetical to the success of people who have long been disenfranchised in this country. Watching his rise (one that continues even though he has been accused of sexual harrassment) tells black and brown people that what our parents told us growing up isn't true. If you flip flop on the truth and show no real gravitas or intellectual capacity to debate and voice your thoughts then maybe some good old conservative person will support you. If you show that you can appeal to the senses of a conservative party that has alienated racial minorities for the past thirty years, then they will say that racism is a thing of the past, essentially ignoring how their own policies have continued to institutionalize it.

I had a visceral reaction to watching Cain sing at the National Press Club in Washington DC this week. At first I wasn't sure what it was that made me bristle and literally get nauseus. It then dawned on me. Watching Cain sing harkens back to the days when blacks, men in particular, had to literally perform for their survival. Minstrel shows were prevalent in the early 1900's and were often the only way that black actors could make a living to support themselves. Replace the venue, time and occassion and I ask you what is the difference between a minstrel show and Cain's candidacy. I guess the curse of Cain is inevitably a curse on all of us.

Homicide Rates Jump for Blacks in NYC: What does that mean?

In today's edition of the New York Daily News it was revealed that for the 2010 year the homicide rate for black people jumped 31% while the homicide rate for whites dropped 27%. There is a lot in this data that is shocking on its head. One of the main things that shocked me is the fact that 25% of NYC's population is Black while 67% of the victims wee black. Even more shocking was that black males between the ages of 15-29 make up 3% of the city's population but a whopping 1/3 of all homicide victims. Having this data is sobering and informative but the larger questions we need to answer are why is this data so and what do we do with it?

It is clear by this data that black people killing black people is an epidemic. The fact that the Centers for Disease Control labeled gun violence and deaths amongst each other as a national epidemic, not unlike cancer and AIDS is sobering. I believe that the economic downturn that occurred over the past few years has acutely affected the black community, especially among black men. Black men, especially those in the 15-29 demographic face considerable economic and educational hardships that white people as a general group do not face in the same ways.

One of the large issues that exist as well is the lack of gun control laws in NYC. It is literally easier to procure a gun in NYC than it is to find a job. High powered weapons, extended magazine clips and weapons that do more damage at a quicker rate are all over the place. I believe that as long as purchasing gnus remains a deregulated industry then the rates of murder, especially amongst black people will continue to be high.

I am willing to believe that the murder rates from 2010 should serve as a sober reminder of just how much of a crisis black on black violence is, especially amongst the younger segment of our population. In certain African countries, generations of younger people are being wiped out by the AIDS epidemic. In America, it is safe to say, that a generation of young black men are being wiped out by gun violence. Where do we go from here? Who knows?

Vybz Kartel and the Deeper Impact of Skin Bleaching

Now I am sure that all of you who follow dancehall music have been paying attention to the recent controversy surrounding dancehall artist Vybz Kartel and the images of what appear to be lighter skin that have circulated in the media. There is so much that can be said about these images but what I want to focus on is the larger message that is being said by Mr. Kartel's actions.

Now let's be clear. The idea of bleaching one's skin is not new to the black community. Since slaves came to the new world there was a systematic way that blacks were brainwashed to believe that white skin is better. Whether it was the story of Ham that were told to blacks to justify the institution of slavery in a religious context, to the clear favoritism that was shown to lighter skinned slaves, often referred to as house slaves, much of that impact filtered down through generations of black existence in this world. It's of utmost importance to remember that the reason slaves had different skin tones was primarily due to slave masters and slave wives sleeping with and raping slaves.

The creation of skin lighting chemicals came about during the early 1900's. Over the course of the century these chemicals became more and more popular. Towards the latter part of the century bleach creams became very popular in Africa and in the Caribbean. I myself was surprised to see how pervasive these chemicals were on my travels to Kenya in 2000. Not only were they popular but they were marketed on African television much like hair care products and perms are marketed toward women of color in the United States (there is a clear similarity that is not lost on me here).

I believe that the impact of slavery but more importantly western ideals of beauty sifts through peoples psyches and souls like osmosis. It is so strong that often times we don't even see it. There is something deeply concerning when a man or woman who has been blessed with whatever skin God gave him decides that he wants to be lighter and more white. It happens too often. But even sadder is the fact that younger people look up to more famous people who do this and thinks its ok. I can only hope that the discussion that is being had surrounding Vybz creates a larger discussion around beauty and what it truly means.

The Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell: What it Means for Diversity

I know its been a while since I have written. Sometimes life comes in the way but I am back and in full effect. There has been so much to write about but I feel this is the perfect time to come back on the scene.

Yesterday President Obama signed legislation banning the military policy historically known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I could not be more happy for this development, not only for those in the LGBT community but for this country as a whole. I was a child when President Bill Clinton passed this legislation. As a young kid I didn't know what it really meant at the time. As I got older and began to make my own opinions about things in life, this was one of the most blatantly hyprocritical pieces of legislation that America had on its books. There is something very wrong with a country that is supposed to be founded on the premise of men and women being created equal having a law on its books that didn't allow for members of its armed services to participate fully and equally in the ranks of its military. To ask a man or a woman to potentially die for a country and a principle that didn't fully recognize their humanity is incredibly hard to fathom. What made this policy even worse was that we often ask our servicemen and women to go into battle in countries that already view America as a negative country. How could this be.

In the battle for full and equal human rights in the United States of America, the repealing of DADT will be looked at as just as significant as the passing of major Civil Rights legislation during the 1960's. Often times people try not to equate Civil Rights in the 1960's with modern day movements, but there is no doubt that they are all related. Even listening to our President yesterday, I could not help but feel that we were on the right side of history much in the way that many who were alive during the Civil Rights Laws being passed felt that they were on the right side of history. I believe that we as Americans can all feel that the goal of equality and the creation of a more equal union while still a way off, is closer to reality.

Glenn Beck and his Disingenuous Rally

Let me be clear from the onset. I do not believe that the Tea Party is intrinsically racist. Nor do I believe that Glenn Beck is intrinsically racist. But I do believe that there are elements of the Tea Party and elements of things Glenn Beck has said in the past that could lead one down the path to assume that both are racist.

With that said I have a problem with Glenn Beck's rally in Washington DC today. I fully support his right to have a rally and march, much in the same way that I would support any organization wanting to do the same. I have supported the Nation of Islam's Million Man March and have even supported the rights of KKK members to hold rallies as well. But what concerns me the most is the clear co-opting and usage of Martin Luther King Jr. as a central image in Glen Beck's rally today. The reason I feel that the use of King is in poor taste is because much of what the rally claims to be simply is a perversion of everything King stood for.

Glenn Beck stated that it was merely coincidental that his march fell on the anniversary of King's famous I Have A Dream Speech. He then took this point further by saying that since it was a coincidence that maybe it was divine powers that aligned the event and the symbolic day together. Are you serious? Glenn Beck claims to be a historian and to his credit is very well versed in dates and history. There is no way that one can believe that he was unaware of the significance of August 28. Furthermore do not forget that August 28 holds significance to the current president as well since August 28,2008 on the 45th anniversary of MLK's speech he officially became the Democratic nominee for President and delivered his acceptance speech to a crowd of close to 100,000 in Denver. I am 100% positive that Beck knew of this. Denying that he was unaware of any of this history seems short-sighted at best and down right lying at most.

My bigger problem with the rally is that it perverts what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for. MLK never would have supported the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan as is proven by his increasingly outspoken views on Vietnam before he died. While he probably would have supported the troops and wanted to see them come home, his view on war in general would have been much less enthusiastic than Beck and his supporters want to portray. Furthermore much of what King believed in was creating a diverse America whereby people of all races could live in an equal society. There has been nothing in Glen Beck's past that seeks to unify people of different ethnicities. Remember this is the same man that stated on television that he believes that President Barack Obama, who is himself half-white, has racist views toward white people. King himself must have rolled over in his grave upon hearing not only this blasphemy, but the blasphemy that today's rally claimed to represent.

I spent some time looking at footage from today's rally and the March on Washington in 1963. Above anything what seemed to stand out was how different the crowds looked. Today barely a person of color could be seen amongst the crowd. In 1963 while the vast majority of the crowd was black there was a sizable white population as well. This to me clearly shows that Beck is not fooling anyone when he claims that he as well as the Tea Party are not racist. While the movement itself may not be, the elements that are in it definitely are. If that wasn't the case then people of all colors in sizable numbers would stand out publicly and privately in support of it. Frankly that has not been the case.

I have no issue with Beck holding his rally. But all it seems to show is his disgustingly tacky, potentially racist, and perverted way of looking at not only this country's present and past but ultimately the future of what he wants America to look like. If only Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive to see what was going on....

My personal apology to Shirley Sherrod: A Teachable Moment

I would like to apologize to Shirley Sherrod. Not on behalf of this country that is so obsessed with race that we don't take the moment to look at the larger context of what a person says. Instead once we hear slightly offensive commentary we take it at face value and not look at the entirety of a person's statement or being. I don't apologize for an Obama administration that is so race sensitive that they were willing to fire a woman who did nothing wrong except for showing the true nature of humanity by learning from her past experiences and letting it shape her future. I don't apologize for the conservative media that has tried since the beginning of this presidency to use race as a prevailing factor in attempting to undermine not only the Obama agenda but Obama himself by using Jeremiah Wright, Henry Louis Gates, the New Black Panther Party, The Tea Party and now Shirley Sherrod to appeal to the inner racial stereotypes that we all tackle and fight each day. I apologize for none of these groups or people. I apologize for myself. As a person who has seen the effects of people jumping the gun and taking words and actions out of context, I should have been more keen on catching this when it occurred on Monday. Unfortunately I was not. I supported Ms. Sherrod's initial resignation much like Ben Jealous of the NAACP and many other groups, both for the advancements of all races, and those against. And for that simple moment of lapsed awareness on my part I am sorry.

I can only hope that at the end of this ordeal we as a country can learn how deeply ingrained race and racism is in our hearts, minds and actions. Even those of us who fight day in and day out to transcend the negative implications of its effect on us often times lose the battle. I believe that what Ms. Sherrod said was one of the most honest depictions of what racism can do to people at certain points in their lives. I for one have had moments where I have done and said things that was not indicative of my true feelings of and for other groups and people, but were said in anger of what I and people like myself have experienced for hundreds of years. Does that make these actions correct? Absolutely not. But have I learned from them and with time been more accepting, caring and careful of how I look at situations? Absolutely. At the end of the day I dare anyone of any race, political agenda, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or any other demographic to tell me that they have not had similar moments. I will stand before them with complete conviction and call them liars. Because it is human nature, on a subconscious, or conscious level to have these emotions at times. It is what we do with these moments that ultimately judges our individual and collective character.

Ms. Sherrod comes from a family with a painful and historic journey. Her father was murdered by the KKK when she was young. Her husband was a founder of SNCC, one of the most important groups during the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Sherrod herself helped obtain money for black farmers who were oppressed by the same department that she works for. Yet with all of these trying times in her life where she could simply exist in a cloud of hate for people that do not look like her, she was able to transcend that. We can all learn a valuable lesson from her, her speech to the NAACP and her subsequent actions since this issue broke last week.

Let this be a lesson to us all. Let us learn to continue to work on our own issues, with the hopes of being able to transcend the painful past of our history, while not forgetting it, but embracing what it means today. Most importantly let us learn that looking at the complete picture of things serves us all well in the end. Thank you Shirley Sherrod for all you have done and will continue to do in the advancements of all people. And for those who do not see it this way may the goodness in all humanity, find in you the good graces that you can not find in it.

Jesse Jackson and The Merits of the Slave-Owner Sports Analogy

Jesse Jackson sure has hit a nerve with his most recent press release about the open letter that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert released criticizing Lebron James. On the surface Jesse Jackson may seem to be a bit far-flung in saying that Gilbert is acting as if Lebron James is a runaway slave and he is a slave master. But digging deeper reveals a level of uneasiness with the way the situation has been handled that has even left me wondering about a lot of things.

I have always believed that modern day sports has clear similarities to slavery. While athletes, more often than not black and brown ones, make exorbitant amounts of money, their livelihoods are often inextricably tied to the whim and fancy of owners, almost all white, who are making considerably more money. If athletes fall out of favor with ownership they are often shipped out without any consideration of how that may impact their lives. I see no difference in this sort of ownership and what occurred during slavery when slave owners would own the rights to their slaves and sell and barter them as they seemed fit. Please realize that the slave owner dynamic is not something that only exists in sports or can only happen with people of color. In almost any profession where you are beholden to an owner of a company this dynamic can occur.

Please lets not forget that the value of the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped by almost $200M since Lebron was drafted by them seven years ago. In more general terms looking at the racial makeup of athletes in any professional sport aside from hockey, the percentage of people of color playing on the field is extremely high, while the number of owners, executives, and coaches are fairly low. While the NBA has done a very good job diversifying its management rankings proportionate to the players, there is still work to be done.

Going back specifically to the comments made by Jackson, there is one segment that is worth exploring. Jackson states that "by saying that he (Lebron) has gotten a free pass and that people have covered for him way too long, Gilbert suggests that LeBron has done something illegal or illicit." This is an interesting aspect to be discussed. For all intents and purposes while Lebron was a Cavalier, no one ever had negative comments to say about him. I find it very interesting that the day he decides that he wants to leave, there now is this maelstrom from the Cavaliers organization that Lebron is somehow a bad guy or is complicit in some behavior that is wrong. While Gilbert may not like his decision, his comments are simply out of touch with the reality of the situation.

Furthermore Jackson makes an outstanding follow-up to those who may defend Gilbert calling James out by stating "if he believes that LeBron quit in games 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, then, why did he fire the coach? If he believes that LeBron intentionally quit...why did he pursue him and offer him an additional $120 million to stay in Cleveland?" It seems that as bad as Gilbert wanted to paint Lebron as, he was still ready to hitch on to the bandwagon of his prized horse and ride him yet again. Or should I say he was ready to get Toby back to the plantation because he knew Toby could reign in more cotton than the rest of his slaves. I guess Toby saw better pastures on the other plantation in South Beach (I am only being partially sarcastic.)

I compare the Lebron James situation to the Brett Favre situation. While I believe there are clear differences in each, the level of passion, and subsequently the level of hate that the Cavs fan base feels compared to the Packers fan base is very different in this situation. At the end of the day the result was the same. Brett Favre was the face of Packer country for over a decade before he unceremoniously exited the franchise and ultimately played for the archrivals. While he is clearly disliked in Green Bay, I do not feel as though he is hated nearly as much as Lebron is. There needs to be some level of understanding why Lebron's jerseys are being burned in effigy while Favre wasn't. Why is the owner of the Cavs more angry than the owner of the Packers? Essentially both players did the same thing. But by no means is the reaction of each side similar at all.

Whether you agree with Jessy or not the fact that his comments struck such a strong nerve this morning is proof enough to me that there is some validity in his arguments. People do not get upset unless deep down there is a reason for that anger. Lets not just throw away Jackson's commentary. While it may sound ridiculous on its surface digging deeper allows us to have a more robust conversation on how vestiges from our past inherently impact our present and help shape our future.