It is often said that America’s “greatest generation” is that of WWII. While I don’t want to take away from the accomplishments of those people who fought against the great evils of Nazi Germany and took America into a new era of prosperity, on this day, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I want to speak on who I feel, for African Americans, is truly the “greatest generation”… those of the Civil Rights Movement. My Father, Mother, Aunts and Uncles were all very active in the Civil Rights demonstrations of the early and late sixties. I have heard first-hand about some of the hardships they endured, battles they fought, demonstrations they attended. I cannot begin to tell you know how awe inspiring it is to be RAISED by your heroes! My parents and their siblings were telling me, my brothers, my cousins and my friends about freedom rides, sit-ins, police brutality, riots, and war long before they were dramatized on TV and movies. As I write this now, it is hard not to become emotional thinking about the things the prior generation went through for their children... for their grand-children. We who now call ourselves “Generation X”, “Generation Y” or whatever, owe the warriors of the civil rights movement a debt that has not yet been paid. There is a dangerous duality in our culture now… one that has to stop. Some have continued the struggle… advancing the cause by being true to everything that is good in us… hard work, education, rising in prominence in stature by becoming teachers, preachers, musicians, lawyers, doctors, dentists, soldiers, hard charging truck drivers, corporate geniuses etc.. These are the ones who have made it possible for us to see parts of Dr. King’s dream realized… to see a Black Woman on top of the world of Media… to see an African American president in our lifetime… But we are doing a very bad disservice to ourselves and the world as a whole when we allow some us to slip into such ignorance of self, such misery and poverty, such lack of HOPE, that we EMBARRASS those that came before. Any gains we make must be tempered by our failures. We are killing each other at alarming rates! Our babies are having babies. Our top musicians are making songs denigrating our women and mocking honest work. We can fool ourselves into thinking that one type of individual doesn’t affect the success of another, but this isn’t true. Just look at how the Black Male is portrayed in the media…how we are viewed by the general population. Why is it, not matter how many suits I wear to work, someone will inevitably ask me a question about something they saw in the media about the latest Little Wayne song? We have to get back to what got us here… we have to honor the legacy of Dr. King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evars, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisolm, and our Mothers and Fathers. Men, we have to show that the best way to BE men is to kiss our daughters goodnight.. to discipline our sons … and the neighbors sons… when we see them stepping out of line. Women…prove how strong you are by showing what a strong education your children have…what a strong family unit they come from. PLEASE understand that even though we may all be Black, we don’t all think the same… Respect the differences and SUPPORT each other because we REFLECT each other. The dream was NOT suddenly accomplished with the election of a Black President. Each generation is OBLIGATED to win its freedom in its own way to support the generation that comes next. On this day, lets make a commitment to do just that. Love ya’ll, cousins (and that’s all of you!!!)…
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 15:40:19 +0000
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