An Obama-nation on Black Fathers and Black Responsibility

Seems that if black folks can't take a little heart-felt and good-spirited criticism from legendary black comedians, then they should definitely look forward to it coming from the White House. That is if Barack gets in. For Father's Day, the presidential hopeful made a speech at Chicago's largest black church blasting black America on a number of its social ills. Among those: black fathers who won't except responsibility and raise their children.

"They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it."

And the pathology of underachievement and mediocrity:

“Don’t get carried away with that eighth-grade graduation... You’re supposed to graduate from eighth grade.”

In a New York Times, piece on the speech reporter Julie Bosman made an observant note that on the campaign trail last February Obama took a mostly-black audience to task on the issue of nutrition:

“I know how hard it is to get kids to eat properly,” Mr. Obama said. “But I also know that folks are letting our children drink eight sodas a day, which some parents do, or, you know, eat a bag of potato chips for lunch. Buy a little desk or put that child at the kitchen table. Watch them do their homework.”

Now, don't get me wrong. I, too, think the panacea for what ails black folks, in part, is a healthy dose of do-for-self and take-responsibility-for-self. But I find it very interesting that there is no—and will be no— uproar from black public intellectuals over Barack's very public chastisement of those in the black lower class. Especially from Michael Eric Dyson, who's based part of his hype around publicly browbeating Bill Cosby for the infamous pound cake speech. After all, there's no difference from what the Cos' said and what Barack is saying...Or is it? Is it that since he's running for president and Dyson is one of his celebrity supporters. (And, oh, there's no book money to be made or street cred in trashing a black man who might win the highest office in the country.)

Either way, it's been every interesting to see the growth of the get-off-your-asses-black-people-movement that seems to be catching on in the 21st Century (thanks, Million Man March). It's gonna be even more interesting to see the public reaction to a black man living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue saying, "Niggas, please get it together."

Hoping Obama Kills Hip-Hop

With all the pundits projecting what an Obama White House might mean,Slate blogger Mickey Klaus hopes it will mean the death of hip hop:

Will Obama Kill Bling? Mary Battiata thinks maybe. ... Now that she mentions it, I kind of hope Obama's election will kill off much of hip-hop, at least the gangsta-inspired parts. But just killing off bling and gangsta fashion would be a start. ...

The comment was Klaus's reaction to Mary Battiata's piece in the Huffington Post where she hopes Obama's conservative fashion sense will trickle down to young, Negroes on the corners with their baggy pants and their underwhelming sense of self to inspire them to step-up their wardrobe. Like popular black politicians or civil rights leaders have EVER changed black fashion with a wave of their hand? ( Martin Luther King's suits or hard denim outfits didn't set off any fashion trends). That's because the civil rights movement was a political movement. Now the black power movement...that set off trends. Huey and Bobby and the Panthers nationalized the "righteous nigga on the corner" look with black leather blazer, scruffy afro, and the no-joke facial expression. Ron Karenga and Us set off the African garb craze and Kawanzaa. The Black Arts Movement changed the direction of black poetry and play wrighting. That's because black power dealt with culture. And it was culture that would not only trickle down to the black masses, but would cross over to the white majority (one result would be Radical Chic—thanks Mr. Wolf— and the other would be white folks "giving five" and hip-bumps on the Flip Wilson Show). The cultural exchange, along with that good ole civil rights legislation would give rise to the promise of Jesse Jackson becoming the first serious candidate for pres.

Which brings me to my point. As much as folks want to continuously bash hip-hop and the colored generation(black and brown) that spread it, they need to also understand that the popularization of that movement is what helped make an Obama possible. What initially set Obama's primary run a blaze was a new generation of young white folks, weaned on NWA, Public Enemy, Tupac, Snoop, and the urban souls of black folks. For this new generation, the idea of an African-American running things wasn't foreign (hell, young blacks have been telling them how to dress and speak for over 15 years) and they could totally relate to the idea of a black politician saying, in a sense, "keep it real" (forgive me for using a deathly overused term). This discussion could be looked at from a multitude of angles, but I don't have the time right now (maybe another entry). But the influence of hip hop on the phenomenon of Obama has as many positive effects as the negatives folks want to heap on it.

Somebody Scream, The Radio show, Is Coming Back For the Takeover

Sorry, I haven't posted since Barack's "presumptive nomination. It wasn't that I was so overwhelmed with the victory, I just had my hands full with my newborn son (is 3 months still considered newborn...Hmmmm). But anyway...Just got word that WBAI will be doing another Hip Hop Takeover weekend on August 30. And, as a part of the the block of programming, I will, once again, be hosting my hour-long talk/music mix show, Somebody Scream (yes, I named the show after my book. Gots to cross promote.) Since this year's theme of the HH Takeover will be the election—politics basically—my show, in between the mix of classic hip hop musak, I will have a high-powered panel of guests to discuss much-anticipated presidential contest and OOOOOObama. Given that I've fashioned my show into a kind McLaughlin Group for Generation Hip Hop, guests will be writers and scribes of the generation. Currently, I'm firming out my list of in-studio guests, and when I get the details hammered out, they will definitely be posted (if you have questions you might want asked and answered please feel free send them to me).

As this is the second installment of Somebody Scream, I want to give a shout-out and another huge thanks to DJ Max Jerome for making my show possible. After twice having me as a guest on his Last Hip Hop Show (also a part of the HH Takeover), he suggested I have my own show. He got me to shake hands with the right person, and Viola! In a business where folks are always hoarding the blessings, it's great to meet folks who helping you make the connection....And lastly, I want to thank Mimi Valdés Ryan, Michael A. Gonzales, and Chloé Hilliard for adding their voices to the first installment of my show.

Stay tuned....

Obama Knocked "Em Out!

As has been the case with Obama's run for the nomination, history just keeps getting made. And with his win of the Democratic nomination for president, the ultimate historical moment occurred (next to actually getting elected). It was a moment where common sense trumped race, where a deep and genuine need for a new direction overcame the well-worn script of a political dynasty and divisive tactics of race used by white politicians. I'll have more to say during the presidential race. Right now, I'm speechlesss.....

Crack is Wack, But So Were Crack Laws

The Washington Post Magazine profiles former drug dealer Michael Short, putting a face on the unfair drug laws of the 1980's.

As he navigated traffic from his girlfriend's house in Charles County and boarded the subway to Capitol Hill, he braced himself for the inevitable questions, the scrutiny of his crime, the dissection of his punishment. His commutation had taken half a dozen years to materialize and, by Mike's calculation, had shaved only six months off the time he would have served. He had spent more years in prison than many murderers.

He arrived at the basement room in the Rayburn House Office Building a half-hour early and looked around, taking in the raised dais, the plaque that said "Ways and Means." He might have spent this drizzly morning at the Greenbelt health club where he had recently landed a job as a personal trainer. Instead, he was here, wondering what was meant by the term "majority whip" and hoping that he wouldn't stutter.

The room slowly filled with the most sympathetic crowd he would encounter all day: lawyers, ex-prisoners and advocates who believed that federal crack cocaine laws were unfair and had gathered to lobby for new ones. The subcommittee hearing would not take place until afternoon; this was just a practice session to give Mike and other lobbyists some last-minute pointers. Someone handed him a big red button that said, "CRACK the disparity," a reference to the vast difference in prison terms to which crack and powder cocaine offenders are sentenced. He pinned it to his shirt.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas who has introduced a bill to remedy the disparity, walked to the lectern. An imposing woman in an emerald green suit, she wondered aloud what America's founders would have thought, had they been able to look into the future and see how many times the country fell short of its ideals.

Click here for the rest.

Bombs Over McClellan

On Monday, President Bush’s former spokesman, Scott McClellan, will be a best-selling author, adding to the canon of insider criticism of the administration. But will he be willing to put what he knows in the service (REAL service) of the public. Friday, McClellan, said he’d be willing to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on a host of issues being investigated (the intelligence leading to the Iraq War is the doozy).

But I tend to believe, if he does testify, he is not going to give any valuable information that would incriminate Bush, Cheney, or Rumsfeld. If his interview with Wolf Blitzer is any indication, McClellan won’t totally admit to any definite wrong-doing, especially his own. (As the White House spokesperson, he was responsible for keeping up the lies). And when Blitzer asked McClellan if he was willing to apologize to the American public for going along with the Bush administration’s misinforming the public about, among other topics, the War, he skated nervously around the words “I’m sorry.” Though he did include the words “I talk about in my book” in explanations throughout the interview. Which leads one to think this new behind-the-scenes look at a woefully deceptive president is more to sell books that to serve the public

Kickin' and Screamin' to Blog

I was late in getting a fax machine in the early 90s. I was late to the Internet in the late 90s. I was late to get a cell phone (two years ago). And I was late seeing the power (and the lack thereof) in a blog. But as with all things techy and new fangley, I see I must join the ranks, and have officially joined the ranks. And now my chatter becomes part of the incessant chatter and the billions of voices in the world who feel that what they say and think matters. So here I am..... And, oh, by the way, some of what I say has been put in a book. Of course, my first entree would tell you to check it out. But, I promise, from here on out I have more than a book to impart to you. This is an only an introduction.......