Yesterday, I chose to do something that I rarely do, engage those critics who never have anything good to say about me or my efforts, even though they have benefited greatly from my work. I actually enjoyed the exchange. As I shared with my cousin who asked that I not do this, I believe what my elders taught us; that the moral laws of responsibility require that we sometimes respond to such nonsense when we hear it. Too many leaders remain neutral when they should be vocal. They routinely straddle the fences that that serve as barriers to freedom, liberty and justice that they should actually be working to tear down. Their silence may preserve our freedom, but it does nothing to advance our liberty. Sometimes, situations require that we not just be vocal, but really loud and very persistent. Yet, we have somehow convinced ourselves that silence wins victories. That silence wins equality. Wins freedom. Wins Justice. For ALL. We have convinced ourselves that the long way forward will at some point stop us from falling so far behind. That we dont have to reinvent the wheel, a wheel that was never made to our benefit in the first place. If I had remained silent when I returned to Madison in 2010, and worked to preserve what we had, I know that our city and my people would not be in the position they are in now to turn a corner and make a real difference. And my wife and I would still be earning above $200k together each year rather than half that. But we all have a choice. Without liberty and justice, freedom is not only temporary, it can be depressing. Being free to shop at stores where none of the owners look like me, and being able to buy diamonds from a jeweler whose distributor paid the people look like me peanuts to excavate, doesnt lift my chest or my head, and certainly doesnt make me feel free. I believe that the absolute best things we can do for our children is to show them how healthy opportunities and outcomes they can be created with their own effort and their own hands, AND with the helpful assistance of others. Black children, in particular, need to learn and see that they can create their future with their own hands. Sitting at other peoples table is not a bad thing, but making your own table where those same people can sit with you produces a feeling of strength and value that all of us should benefit from and be able to hold our heads high to. But they need to see that from their parents and people who look like them, too. If seeing is believing, then we are recognizing the manifestation of that in Wisconsin right now. What is in place in our state and our local communities that should motivate Black children to want to be successful? What are they seeing that they can strive towards? Poverty. Despair. Inequality. And we wonder why they are upset. Its why I just keep digging, and plowing and continue to try to build. I hope the children who are watching will benefit from what I create, and from seeing that something great and positive can actually come from it. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” ― Desmond Tutu and “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 13:07:43 +0000
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