FOOD FOR THOUGHT It is important that we respect History and not allow the arrogance of naive offenders to try to excuse their ignorance under the grounds that the history of people of African descent is some kind of peripheral undertaking. It is that level of indifference and ignorance that continues to shorten Black peoples life span. On June 4, 1965 in a speech that President Johnson delivered to the graduation class at Howard University, he framed the concept underlying affirmative action, asserting that civil rights laws alone are not enough to remedy discrimination: “You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying ’now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please.’ You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, ‘you are free to compete with all the others,’ and still justly believe you have been completely fair… This is the next and most profound opportunity-not just legal equity but human ability-not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result.” In the same year this southern White President would issue Executive Order 11246 requiring all institutions that contract with the federal government to “take affirmative action” toward prospective minority employees in all aspects of hiring and employment. Most of America did not think it would work. The Jim Crow Laws, segregation and blatant racism had rendered most Black people attempting to function in a predominately white work environment,impotent scared apologetic mummies, doing what they had to do to attain these new well paying jobs. This period will go down in History as one of the most brutal on Black workers. The Best and Brightest Black processionals were stuck between two groups. One was mean men and women as supervisors who were afraid to supervise this new black army of competent men and women. How could it be that these people who went to public schools, victims of segregation, partial causalities of the inner cities of America rise from the ashes, retain their Blackness and solidarity to civil rights tolerating racist managers perplexed with Black folks bilingual genius. They did everything everything they could to break us and still we rose. So they then started to hire broken, scared folks who ingratiated their new masters and every chance they got they took a stab at the resident Black progressive, making sure the masters knew they were not down with those kind. Though most of them have now retired, there are remnants of them all around us. These gatekeepers that search firms identified and convinced the dominant group that these folks would manage the house and betray progressive development. Those who slipped throughout the cracks and found themselves standing on the same stage would face constant attacks from both sides. On occasion they would defend themselves but that was always interpreted as Black on Black Crime. We will be victorious. Our Father will continue to shepard us. The truth must and always will be the law of the land. And we will tolerate those broken by this system who are always afraid when they see their shadow. The truth will be the truth until the end of time.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 05:35:21 +0000
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