BlackSilentMaj's JumboTweets
- Booker T Washington and Whitney Young
THEIR PASSION
WAS HELPING
OUR PEOPLE
But where’s the love? © 2016
The most celebrated black leaders relied on fiery oratory to establish themselves. They were great speakers who could inspire the masses, and they could inspire them to think and act. W.E.B.DuBois, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael, fit these descriptions, not to mention Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
W.E.B. DuBois was a contemporary of Booker T. Washington and a constant critic. The two men differed on the best ways to advance the cause of Blacks. Washington’s deeds, however, did far more for Blacks than DuBois’ words.
For example, though Washington did not openly agitate for voting rights, privately he supported its legal battles. Even more remarkable, at age 23, a time many of us are focusing on the opposite sex and having a good time, Washington founded Tuskegee Institute. Just think about that —23! Very few of his critics can point to something they’ve done at age 23 that compares to what Washington did. In addition to starting Tuskegee, Washington is responsible for raising money to support Hampton Institute. He did the same for Fisk and other black schools as well.
Long before Tom Joyner made support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities a beloved cause and long before United Negro College Fund events, there was Booker T. Washington. Arguably, no one has done more for black education than Washington.
Washington was a practical man. His message to Blacks during his day could apply to Blacks today. He said, “We must not allow our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.” Sure America has its problems, he might say, but the opportunities are numerous, and those opportunities dwarf the problems.
Washington was not a black nationalist by design, yet he inspired iconic nationlists such as Marcus Garvey and others. Garvey was actually inspired by the Tuskegee model, a black college that was making a difference. Washington had become Garvey’s idol whom Garvey wanted to meet, but Washington died before they could actually meet.
Today, nearly every urban city has a Booker T. Washington business association where black business people come together and network. The essence of Booker T.Washington was his unrelenting emphasis on economic development and education. His rival, W.E.B. DuBois, agitated and fixated on political power. Political power and economic power complement each other, and we need both. But economic power is liberating for an individual and a group.
Whitney Young was often criticized by militant Blacks during the 1960s for not adopting the fiery rhetoric of the times and for not being more “militant” enough. In his own words, however, Young would say, “You don’t get black power by chanting it.” These comments were aimed at Stokely and Malcolm X to an extent.
Neither Malcolm X nor Stokely could point to jobs they help bring to the black community, but Whitney Young could. He persuaded corporations to hire Blacks. He persuaded President Lyndon Johnson to enact a “Marshall Plan” for urban areas, which Johnson used in his War on Poverty. Young also persuaded President Richard Nixon to channel money and training into the black community. As a result of his efforts, thousands of jobs were created that helped the black community.
How many jobs did his detractors help to create? Young believed in education and saw it as a prerequisite for good jobs and a quality life. He would often say, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”
DuBois, Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure) were all important black leaders in their own right. But African Americans may want to take a more realistic look at history... <<<<<< N.B from Jumbotweet: auto-truncated at 4K characters on index page - Click here or on the "view" link to see entire jumbotweet! http://www.jumbotweet.com/ltweets/view/138654 - Learning from
our mistakes
(c) 2016
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is someone who benefitted from affirmative action as a student, but who has sided against affirmative action programs as a jurist. He is someone who benefitted from the Civil Rights Movement’s accomplishments, but someone who has sided with archconservative justices hell-bent on dismantling those accomplishments.
Yet, Blacks once supported Clarence Thomas. During his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, a majority of Blacks rallied around Thomas. Ironically, Thomas succeeded Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court. Ironic because Marshall’s entire career was devoted to civil rights and advancing the cause of freedom, justice, and equality for our people. You can’t say that about Thomas.
During his bitter confirmation hearings, which captured the nation’s attention much like the O.J. Simpson trial, Thomas had to defend himself against sexual harassment charges made by Anita Hill, a former co-worker.
At the time, the black community lambasted Hill and accused her of trying to “take a brother down.” Our community was stuck in a “skin analysis” mode. We look at Thomas’ color and assumed that because he was black he would be in solidarity with the black community. That assumption was obviously wrong.
Too often, as a group, we fail to look beyond another black person’s color. We make the same mistakes in politics, business, black leadership, and elsewhere. We should ask ourselves what positive things have this person done or is doing to advance the black community. We should ask if that person’s actions are a positive, legal and moral before we give our unqualified support. This could apply to Ben Carson as well.
Looking back at Clarence Thomas and the support he received from the black community, have we learned from our mistakes?
- Have Blacks become too
self-centered, too intolerant? © 2016
Samuel K
theblacksilentmajority SM
In this country and in every other country on the planet, there are poor people. There are people who are being discriminated against for one reason or another. There seems to be a trend. We, in the African American nation, sometimes seem to think we are the only ones who face discrimination or any kind of hardship. Too often, it’s all about us and our concerns and to hell with everybody else.
Case in point. During several protests this year, black protesters blocked traffic and even kept shoppers from going about their shopping during the Black Friday and other days leading up to Christmas.
Here’s the thing. Neither the shoppers, nor those who got stuck in traffic due to the protesters, had anything to do with the issue the protesters were so animated about. But the protesters were so obsessed with their issues, they had no consideration for others. Chanting, “No justice, no peace,” they acted as if they were justified in inconveniencing others and preventing them from going about their business. Their concerns, and their issues had been elevated above those of others who did them no harm.
Similar episodes, more serious than shopping, have taken place in other cities, like Baltimore and Ferguson where businesses were burned and looted. Mind you, those businesses had nothing to do with the issue the protesters were angry about.
Unfortunately, for the protesters, their tactics can and often turns off many people who could be potential allies, and it takes the focus off of the issues they are protesting. As a result, the protesters are seen as the issue and the problem; and the issue they may have been protesting is placed on the back burner.
Protests are done to bring attention to an issue. When we protest, we want to state our issues and sensitize others to our cause. That doesn’t happen when we put our agenda ahead of the interests and well being of people who did not cause the problem. During the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s, protesters were careful to keep the focus on the cause of their protests and not to do things that made them the issue. Those protesters from the 1960s faced challenges far greater than the issues protesters today are facing.
Terrorists have an agenda. In their minds, it doesn’t matter if innocent civilians are hurt during when they carry out their agendas. All they’re concerned with is hurting or inconveniencing others who had nothing to do with the issue they’re angry about. Do we want our protests to have anything in common with terrorists?
- Let’s All Be
Snitches.
If we want to stop crime
and live in safe communities,
this is what we have to do. ©2015
1-800-Speak-Up
Snitching is another word for doing the right thing. When Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were captured, someone contacted the U.S. military, and those terrorists were dealt with. The people who told the military where to find those terrorists did the right thing.
People, in the ‘hood, who are against snitching, would have you believe snitching is somehow a betrayal of the “black cause.” No, it is they who are a betrayal to the black cause.
What if your sister or mother was brutally raped or carjacked? What if someone saw what happened? If there was a witness, wouldn’t you want that witness to tell the police who hurt your loved ones?
Every day, people are robbed, stabbed, shot, murdered, raped, or carjacked. They have loved ones, just like you. Don’t you think they also would want someone to tell the police who committed a crime against their love ones?
Thugs are the only people who oppose doing the right thing, or snitching, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. But, if you want to live in a safe and secure neighborhood or city, all of us have to man-up and woman-up. Otherwise, criminals will continue to escape justice and continue committing crimes because no one wanted to snitch.
AN EXAMPLE OF A COMMUNITY DOING THE RIGHT THING
Get this. Recently, in Macomb County, in Michigan, a 14-year-old white girl was found murdered. In response, the police received over 600 tips. The people in that mostly white Detroit suburb, who provided the tips, didn’t worry about being called a snitch. A horrible crime had been committed in their community, and they wanted the person who did it to be caught. They set a standard of decency for their community, and they were not going to accept anything less.
Why can’t urban residents be just as responsive to crime as the people in Macomb County? Are Whites more willing to fight crime than you?
CRIMINALS ARE THE REAL ENEMIES; NOT THE POLICE
Snitching is just one way to contribute to a safe community. To be totally effective, the people in the community must form partnerships with the police, and we must start neighborhood patrol groups. We cannot make the police the enemy and expect to the police to be a good partner in the crime fight. That’s delusional.
As with any profession, a small number of people may behave in less than professional ways. It’s no different with the police. What the community cannot do is allow itself to be distracted from the big picture, which is to have a safe community. When crimes occur, chances are, you won’t be calling criminals for help. You’ll be calling the police. So it just makes sense to develop a good working relationship with the police.
SNITCHING HAS BEEN USEFUL TO FIGHT DISCRIMINATION
If it wasn’t for so-called snitches, many employment and housing discrimination suits could not have been verified. If it wasn’t for snitches, racist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan could not have been infiltrated and prosecuted. So-called snitches have been used to bring down corrupt politicians and drug smugglers. The people who are against snitching, mainly the corrupt and criminal, are the only ones who benefit from a no-snitch attitude.
One of the most powerful ways to deal with crime is for people to do what’s right, or snitch, if you will. They mean the same thing. When citizens work with the police and do what’s right, their communities will become safer because the criminals won’t know who’s watching them, but they know someone is watching.
For every crook, there are thousands of good people, but good people act as if the numbers were reversed. It’s well past time for good people to stand up... <<<<<< N.B from Jumbotweet: auto-truncated at 4K characters on index page - Click here or on the "view" link to see entire jumbotweet! http://www.jumbotweet.com/ltweets/view/138651 - The N-word:
When Blacks use it
it’s insane, irrational
and indefensible ©2016
Samuel K
theblacksilentmajority sm
For every group, there’s a racial or ethnic slur that bigots love to use against them. Slurs exist for Italians, Poles, Irish, Mexicans, gays, Arabs, Asians, and Jews. We won’t mention any of those slurs because we practice what we preach.
Here’s the thing. You never hear Italians, Irish, Mexicans, gays, Arab, Asians or Jews referring to each other by the same slurs that bigots use against them. More importantly, you don’t hear those groups trying to justify the use of those slurs as some kind of term of endearment. Trust me, when bigots use that N-word, it’s hardly a term of endearment; it’s meant to be an insult.
Only in the black community do some uninformed people accept that kind of nonsense. Even Whites are stunned by the use of the N-word among Blacks.
Detroit News Columnist Nolan Finley wrote: “For a long time, the N-word was nearly extinct. You hardly ever heard it, and when you did, it hit you like a cattle prod. But the word is back with a vengeance. And it owes its revival largely to the African American entertainment industry.
“Rappers have figured out how to rhyme it with every word in the dictionary. Black comics include it in nearly every punch line. And it’s trickled down to the street. I was standing next to a young black man in the lobby of a public building the other day, and he must have used the word a dozen times while talking—loudly on his cell phone.”
The irony is that many Blacks, influence by rap, do use the N-word liberally among each other. But let a white person use the N-word, then the same word that was considered such a term of endearment is suddenly inflammatory. Let us show some self-respect. Let us think more of ourselves, and stop the madness.
Actor Terrence Howard, of Empire, believes the N-word should be used on the hit show.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Howard said:
TH: “I’m mad that we don’t say 'n--ger' in the show.
Why is TV showing something different from the reality of the world? Why is there a thing called censorship that stops people from hearing everyday talk? We use n--ger every day. It’s become part of a conversation—why aren’t we using it in the show?”
Howard may use the word everyday, but most Blacks don’t use that word with each other on a regular basis, and they would be offended if someone assumed that they did.
Fortunately, David Rambo, a writer and co-executive producer on the show disagreed with Howard on the use of the word on the show as does his counterpart Lee Daniels. Taraji P. Henson is also against using the word on the show. Good for them.
Isn’t it interesting that no other group on the planet thinks it’s cool to refer to each other by the derogatory slurs others use against them? We’re the exception.Someone once said it’s very easy to lead us in the wrong direction, but it’s extremely difficult to lead us in the right direction.
- The N-word:
When Blacks use it
it’s insane, irrational
and indefensible ©2016
For every group, there’s a racial or ethnic slur that bigots love to use against them. Slurs exist for Italians, Poles, Irish, Mexicans, gays, Arabs, Asians, and Jews. We won’t mention any of those slurs because we practice what we preach.
Here’s the thing. You never hear Italians, Irish, Mexicans, gays, Arab, Asians or Jews referring to each other by the same slurs that bigots use against them. More importantly, you don’t hear those groups trying to justify the use of those slurs as some kind of term of endearment. Trust me, when bigots use that N-word, it’s hardly a term of endearment; it’s meant to be an insult.
Only in the black community do some uninformed people accept that kind of nonsense. Even Whites are stunned by the use of the N-word among Blacks.
Detroit News Columnist Nolan Finley wrote: “For a long time, the N-word was nearly extinct. You hardly ever heard it, and when you did, it hit you like a cattle prod. But the word is back with a vengeance. And it owes its revival largely to the African American entertainment industry.
“Rappers have figured out how to rhyme it with every word in the dictionary. Black comics include it in nearly every punch line. And it’s trickled down to the street. I was standing next to a young black man in the lobby of a public building the other day, and he must have used the word a dozen times while talking—loudly on his cell phone.”
The irony is that many Blacks, influence by rap, do use the N-word liberally among each other. But let a white person use the N-word, then the same word that was considered such a term of endearment is suddenly inflammatory. Let us show some self-respect. Let us think more of ourselves, and stop the madness.
Actor Terrence Howard, of Empire, believes the N-word should be used on the hit show.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Howard said:
TH: “I’m mad that we don’t say 'n--ger' in the show.
Why is TV showing something different from the reality of the world? Why is there a thing called censorship that stops people from hearing everyday talk? We use n--ger every day. It’s become part of a conversation—why aren’t we using it in the show?”
Howard may use the word everyday, but most Blacks don’t use that word with each other on a regular basis, and they would be offended if someone assumed that they did.
Fortunately, David Rambo, a writer and co-executive producer on the show disagreed with Howard on the use of the word on the show as does his counterpart Lee Daniels. Taraji P. Henson is also against using the word on the show. Good for them.
Isn’t it interesting that no other group on the planet thinks it’s cool to refer to each other by the derogatory slurs others use against them? We’re the exception.Someone once said it’s very easy to lead us in the wrong direction, but it’s extremely difficult to lead us in the right direction.
- Scalia:
© 2016
Justice Scalia is described as a "conservative." That's often a euphemism for someone who flirts with bigotry, and it's not hard to see the connection. Scalia, an arrogant, egotistical man was madly in love with his own importance. That he will no longer be on the court is a good thing for people with progressive views.
President Obama may be in his last year, but he is still the president. He should nominate a replacement for Scalia as soon as he can. Republicans are making a truly indecent proposal. They would like the president to defer making a nomination, presumably on the prayer a Republican will succeed him. But if a liberal justice needed to be replaced, they would not be seeking a delay. They would be pushing for an immediate replacement.
If the nomination is delayed or blocked, and Hillary is elected, count on it, the Republicans would be trying to delay or block her nominee as well. It’s all dirty, extremist politics, and that is why so many people are tick off with the state of politics today. But we can’t withdraw from voting and expect things to change. We have to fight even harder.
Life is often difficult and has many challenges. Long story short, we can’t simply role over and accept things the way they are. We have to keep fighting. "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." Frederick Douglass.
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