Rethinking cancel culture

I could have been the face of the Me Too Movement. 

It’s a truth that forced deep introspection after I witnessed a long line of heroes bite the dust. I was forced to think critically about every move, every word – both in private and in public – I've made with women. I considered every hug. Was it innocent or inconsiderate? Was I defying safe space? Hugs during church gatherings, public forums and small gatherings – did I cross boundaries? 

The simple answer is yes. The not so simple answer is I didn't know enough to know. I’m guilty of living with and abusing being a man. I’ve used that power to manipulate women. I took it for granted. I’ve said things. I’ve done things. You get the point. 

I could blame inculturation. Men my age were groomed to be misogynistic. I didn’t know the word existed until the Me Too Movement forced men like me to endure a personal inventory of past deeds. We, Black men groomed in how to “pull” a woman, a gross term used to relate ways to convince a woman to have sex, were taught women desired bad boys. Sad. Some men continue to embrace toxic masculinity. Pathetic.

I could blame it on “it’s what everyone did.” Everyone. Businesspeople. Doctors. Lawyers. Preachers. Yes, I said preachers. A level of cool was attached to the ability to convince women to do whatever you desire. I could blame it on the culture. It's what men were taught to do. Right? Doing that absolves me of personal responsibility. Owning your own mess is the first step. Now, that's truth.

Me Too is about changing cultural variants.  It forced men to face our pathetic treatment of women. It gave women permission to relate their truth. They are sick of the mistreatment. They’re tired of the manipulation and objectification. Brothers, we got to do better. 

Message heard and received.  

There is power in being heard. It’s called “cancel culture.” There is power in getting a person fired or dismissed because of shady behavior. Exposure is the great equalizer. The Me Too Movement began a trend of accountability that has radically changed the enforcement of justice. The courts might not get it right the first time, but Twitter, Facebook and their cousins will uncover enough evidence to shame and dismiss anyone for past or present indiscretion. 

Accountability is a motherfucker. Your ass will be cancelled within hours of reported indiscretion. 

Accountability is a wonderful word. It's why masses take to the streets upon hearing news of the death of another unarmed Black person. Accountability is what people wanted the Catholic Church to offer after the exposure of their child abuse scandal. It's what people wanted after Trayvon Martin was murdered. Accountability is what people desire in the Breonna Taylor murder. Arrest the police, damnit.  

Cancel Culture is the weapon of accountability. Bang, bang. Bye Karen. 

Watching people suffer feels like the great payback. Revenge. It feels good. Joy, unspeakable joy. It helps knowing the dirty bastards got what they deserved. That’ll teach them not to mess with us, again. Right? Yes, it matters when we lock up all the dirty bastards and fire all the racist people. It matters that people receive adequate punishment for failing to live by the lessons taught when they were in kindergarten. 

But can I, please, consider my “Me Too” stress. Indulge me. Can I ask, what is the goal? What type of society are we trying to build? 

Too much? Try this. What would it look like if we all began by acknowledging not getting it right? If the ultimate goal is in re-creating society – a point of clarity that matters in this deeply ah ha moment – can we find grace enough to share our stories of not getting it right? 

If the power is in the change, can we find enough grace for people, who deserve to be cancelled, to publicly declare a desire to listen, learn and change?

For everyone who called a person Nigger, for everyone who wore blackface or took a picture in front of a Confederate flag – tell the truth. For everyone who hurled a homophobic slur- tell the truth. For every man who touched a woman inappropriately – confess it. Say it. Every anti-Semitic thought, word and deed. Every racist, sexist, homophobic insensitive act you wished never happened – tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Yes, so help you God. 

Get it out! Say it for the healing.  Say it and dedicate the rest of your life to becoming an advocate for the people you dealt pain. Own not getting it right. Own being a part of the problem. Accept not listening. Acknowledge the power of your privilege and commit the rest of your days to sitting down, shutting up and learning lessons regarding how it feels to be on the other side of shame.

I pray you do not cancel me for my confession.  

Maybe others will do the same.

ICMA closes investigation against Durham County Manager Wendell Davis: A case study in white privilege

Letting go of white privilege is knowing when to give up the fight. It involves not having to be right. It owns how implicit bias interferes with judgement.  

The evidence presented to members of the Durham Board of County Commissioners sends a clear message regarding potential bias against Durham County Manager Wendell Davis. 

In a letter dated July 1, 2020, the International City/County Management Association dismisses all charges against Davis of ethics violations submitted to the association in an anonymous complaint. The complaint was in response to the February 11 letter Davis sent to Durham County Commissioner Heidi Carter. 

The ICMA letter addressed six complaints made against Davis: 

1. 1. “You did not follow the County’s grievance policy and procedures to report your concern with Ms. Carter’s conduct toward you and other county employees; 

2. 2. You did not speak to your governing board to enable them to begin an investigation but instead chose to write a letter that was quickly leaked to the press; 

3. 3. You chose to speak openly with reporters and gave on camera interviews about the highly sensitive personnel allegation; 

4. 4. Your timing in writing the letter may have interfered with your governing body’s upcoming primary election; 

5. 5. You may have recruited former Commissioners to run for election against Ms. Carter to build a voting block on the governing body; and 

6. 6. You wrote the letter to cite during your upcoming employment agreement negotiations” 

The complaint is rooted in the assumption that Davis created a scenario of racial bias to influence the outcome of an election. It assumes white innocence at the expense of Black guilt. It implies the goodness of a white member of the board while applying the racist trope that Black people lie. At the root of the charges against Davis are underlying biases that attack the integrity of a Black man. 

 ICMA accepted the explanation Davis gave to the anonymous complaint. 

“The CPC accepted your explanation you wrote the letter to encourage Ms. Carter to reflect how her pattern of statements had impacted you with your hope there would be positive change by sharing your candid observations, “ the letter states. 

The damage created by the investigation of Davis confronts a long history of white power and privilege. The bias of Wendy Jacobs is on display in the handling of this matter. In pressing for an investigation of Davis’ motives in writing a letter to express his feelings, Jacobs challenged the credibility of a complaint rooted in the assumption of white innocence.   

This is the mistake made by the vocal supporters of Heidi Carter. Defending her innocence requires the dismissal of a Black man’s complaint. It forced the creation of a narrative stacked with unsubstantiated assumptions involving intent, backdoor conversations with former board members and a conspiracy theory to stack the board with Black members. 

Restoring Carter’s reputation came at the expense of Davis’ integrity. Her white innocence became a campaign blitz. Naming her a “good white woman” forged a narrative of Davis as an anti-education, deceitful Black man who must be stopped to protect our children. The protection of white innocence made his confession a lie. What Davis offered as a source for potential healing and growth became a declaration of war. 

The ICMA ethics committee recognized the landmines planted to address complaints made by Black people. Where does a person like Davis go to share his feelings? What are the consequences related to having enough of feeling disrespected by white people? 

“In reaching its decision, the CPC considered your continued willingness to engage in dialogue with the governing body about these matters and the county grievance procedure does not apply to those positions like yours that report directly to the governing body,” the letters states. 

It matters that Davis names how he feels. It matters because he is not alone. His letter to Heidi Carter addressed a pattern with other Black county employees. As the County Manager, Davis has an obligation to confront both real and perceived acts of racism within county government. 

How do you do that?  

Moving forward is complicated by the desire to win. It’s worse when the desire to win is rooted in assumptions of white privilege. White members of the Board of County Commissioners may find it hard to move forward due to an overwhelming desire to validate white innocence versus accepting the possibility of being tainted by their own implicit biases. 

White fragility shows up to control the narrative. Carter, Jacobs, and advocates are invested in the evolving story of white innocence. Reading Robin Diangelo’s while exhorting the vocabulary naming institutionalized racism isn’t enough to sanction white purity. You don’t matriculate to a realm beyond white supremacy. Why? Because it’s not about the people. It’s about the institutions which manifest and impose the will of white dominance.  

White supremacy controls the narrative of white innocence. It's the warning ICMA makes in the letter. 

“The CPC ultimately voted to close the case finding your conduct in the matter did not violate the ICMA Code of Ethics,” the letter from the association reads. “As you move forward, the CPC encourages you to consider your strategy and approach to engage your board members and employees in constructing dialogue to advance the interest of all.” 

Heidi Carter made a mistake that was shielded by white supremacy. Wendy Jacobs protected Carter by failing to address the letter Davis wrote. Jacobs called it “feelings being hurt.” An investigation of Carter was announced publicly. Later, it was announced Davis is also under investigation. Will that change given ICMA’s decision to close the case? 

If not, we have another entry into the long history of examples of white power and privilege. If the design is to continue the quest to protect Carter’s innocence, it comes at the expense of a Black man’s guilt.  

It all began with a discussion regarding implicit biases. After reading all those books and gathering in support of Black people, white members of the Durham Board of County Commissioners prove, again, it doesn’t matter how loud you scream Black Lives Matter when you’re working overtime to kill the reputation of another Black man.

‘LOCAL JAZZ’ INTRODUCES THE WORLD TO SAM KING WITH AN INSPIRING PORTRAYAL OF AN ARTIST AND THE MAKINGS OF HIS TALENT SPRAWLING MUSIC SERIES RETURNS WITH AMBITIOUS ODE TO DURHAM’S UNIQUE JAZZ SCENE

(DURHAM, NC—July 7, 2020) Local Jazz preemptively canceled its spring and summer seasons because of the coronavirus. Despite these necessary cancellations, Local Jazz is pressing forward in a way that advances and celebrates Durham’s jazz scene through producing a documentary centered on some of its incomparable artists. The storytelling begins with Sam King Trio at Kingfisher: a mini-documentary/fundraiser for the larger work that shares the journey of NCCU’s most recent jazz progeny, saxophonist Sam King.

Joined by fellow Eagles and area standouts, drummer Dwayne Jordan and bassist Chris Mills—and filmed at the already beloved downtown Durham cocktail bar Kingfisher—Sam King Trio at Kingfisher offers a refreshing portrayal of an artist and the makings of his talent. The remarkable set from the trio—highlighted by spellbinding performances of “Out of Nowhere” and “Juju”— is interspersed between interviews, adding dimension to the storytelling. The marriage of King’s talent and the tucked away venue are pitch perfect. As a standalone film, Sam King is well worth the price of “admission,” but the ticket purchases also support the development of a larger work that promises to be a memorable and authentic celebration of Durham’s inimitable pool of jazz talent, NCCU’s renowned jazz studies program, and the Bull City itself.

Founder and curator King Kenney elected to move up his ambitious aim of documenting “the scene” after inspiring conversations with local jazz artists and enthusiasts. Producing a documentary has always been in the works for Kenney, but now, with much needed restrictions to live performances, he deems the all-important project the most fitting response to an unprecedented moment. “For years, I’ve made the claim that ‘jazz’ is Durham’s greatest export and telling the stories of the city’s many talented jazz musicians is the best way to substantiate that claim,” Kenney shared. “Music is universally recognized as a unifying language and jazz is music’s most unappreciated conduit for impassioned storytelling. My hope is that by sharing the stories of Durham’s rising stars—along with their influences, journeys, and challenges—that people will better connect with their artistry and its power.” Based on the trailer, Kenney’s decision to introduce us to Sam King first sets a high bar for what’s to come. 

Each ticket purchased will:

• receive access to the mini-doc, Sam King Trio at Kingfisher from Monday, July 20 through Sunday, July 26
• receive an invitation to our opening night screening of the completed documentary at TBA when the world permits
• receive an invitation to the opening reception of our commemorative art installation at Kingfisher when the world permits
• offer the financial support necessary for the production of the full-length documentary

Tickets are $10 and can be found here. The film will be accessible on Monday, July 20 through Sunday, July 26. Tickets are on sale now and are only available online and in advance.

ABOUT LOCAL JAZZ
Established in 2019, Local Jazz offers performance grants, dedicated stages to experience jazz showcases on select Monday nights, and an attentive audience for jazz musicians with Durham roots. In its first season, Local Jazz dispersed $15,000 in performance grants and highlighted the talents of Ernest Turner, Shana Tucker, Kate McGarry, Lynn Grisett, Autumn Rainey, Brian Horton, Thomas Taylor, Ariel Pocock, Al Strong, Kevin Beardsley, Shaquim Muldrow, Jasmine Best, Christian Tamburr, William Ledbetter, Kobie Watkins, Annalise Stalls, Blu Thompson, and others.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
PLEASE VISIT LOCALJAZZ.CLUB

Organizers plan rally to suppoort Wendell Davis

Organizers of a rally to support Wendell Davis say the Durham County Manager is enduring treatment symbolic of a knee on a neck.

“Standing in the Gap of Wendell’s Truth” is the name given the peaceful protest planned for Wednesday, July 8^th at 11:00 a.m.  The Durham County Administrative Building is chosen as the site to demonstrate an investigation against Davis for charges he wrote a letter to influence the outcome of the election of members of the Durham Board of County Commissioners.

“We are standing in the gap for Wendell Davis due to the non-transparency and what we see as the retaliatory actions against him due to him stepping forward,” Steven Williams, one of the rally organizers, said “One thing is always certain, if an individual has to explain why they are not racist, then most likely they are indeed.”

Davis’ February 11 tree-page letter accused Heidi Carter, a white member of the Board of County Commissioners, of “inherent bias” toward him and other “people of color in general.” Davis suggest Carter’s bias was at play during a February 3 work session when she said the county would have developed a funding plan for Durham Public Schools sooner “were it not for the manager.”

Williams, who serves as a member of the Workforce Development Board, says supporters of Carter refuse to concede how Black people feel.

“You can easily identify racism by a person’s actions not by what they say.  In this case, Commissioner Carter was charged with similar accusations during her tenure on the Durham Public School Board which is public record,” Williams said. “Therefore, we are demanding a fair and transparent investigation which will avail the details of Wendell’s grievance publicly so as a community we can assist the Commissioners on deciding next steps and moving forward together.”

Otis Lyons, founder and president of Campaign4Change, facilitated conversations leading to the rally. Lyons, also known as Vegas Don for his unique approach in reaching troubled youth, says the attack against Davis is an example of modern-day lynching.

“He [Davis] is being served injustice because he stood up against racism,” Lyons said. “White liberals are trying to oust him which is nothing but systemic racism. Their goal is to get rid of Wendell, and people of color -Durham County employees will be next.”

At the end of the February 24 Durham County Commissioners board meeting, Wendy Jacobs, chair of the board, announced an investigation of all issues pertaining to Davis’s accusation that Carter targeted him with racist comments. Th room was packed with angry citizens who booed after Jacobs said she recognized Davis’ feelings were hurt.

Things got messy when Jacobs announced a second investigation during the April 27 virtually held board meeting. Jacobs said county commissioners instructed the county attorney and county clerk to submit notification regarding a second investigation against Davis.

The investigation against Davis focuses on the actions that the county manager took in the way he sent the letter as it relates to the intent in impacting the election. Durham County Commissioner Brenda Howerton was surprised by the decision.

“You mentioned two issues that you had not informed me about. One of those issues, you had not informed me of,” Howerton said during a tense exchange with Jacobs.

Jacobs recommended going into closed session with an attorney present and chided Howerton for bringing personnel matters during a public meeting.

“Don’t throw stuff out that you haven’t discussed with me,” Howerton responded.

Howerton expressed concerns about the investigation of Davis in an April 21 email. She wrote that the investigation being “pushed through” in a very clandestine way” is problematic. She said she voted against an investigation demanding resources from a budget impacted massively by Covid-19. She also questioned “how decisions are being made when all board members aren’t apprised.”

In a May 15 Facebook post, Rev. Mark-Anthony Middleton, a member of the Durham City Council, called for county commissioners to end the investigation due to limited transparency and resources caused by Covid-19.

“The proposition that at this time our commanding general would be occupied with anything other than defending us; and our elected leaders would direct precious resources towards investigating circumstances around an election that has already been certified and broke in their favor is tantamount to a dereliction of duty, and an abuse of power,” Middleton said.

The call to cease the investigation of Davis has been met with deaf ears. Organizers fear Covid-19 and the necessity of virtual meetings prevents citizens from crashing meetings to express their outrage. Prepare for a large group of protestors in downtown Durham on July 8 at noon.

They’ll be screaming about the pain of a knee on neck.