Anna's fight for citizenship

Anna Cruz came to America from Mexico to pick strawberries when she was ten.  Her father moved the family to Oregon in pursuit of the American dream. She’s still waiting on papers to prove she belongs.

“I know it’s wrong, but someone had to pick those strawberries,” she says.  “Try picking a strawberry when it’s frozen.”

Cruz’s father managed the home that housed seasonal farmers from south of the border. Those farmers rose at 4:00am to head to the farm to pick strawberries.  At ten, Cruz stayed home to take care of a newborn baby. She started picking strawberries with the grownups when most girls her age played with dolls and had tea parties to pass the time away.

She started thinking about citizenship in high school.  “My counselor told me my grades were good enough for a scholarship.”  The thought of attending Oregon State University came to mind.  “Then I got the bad news.  I couldn’t get a scholarship because I’m not a legal citizen.”

Bad days followed the news that she couldn’t go to college.  She got pregnant.  A bad relationship was enough to encourage her to seek shelter in the arms of the man who would become her husband.  They moved to Durham, NC to find a life away from the strawberry fields.

She found work at a Durham restaurant.  She works hard, pays her taxes and does the hard work of a mother to keep her children out of trouble. She started a business with Alfredo, her husband.  He’s a videographer and she does photography. They are living the American dream. 

Is that possible when the DMV will not authorize a driver’s license?

“They told me I have to have citizenship,” Cruz says.  “I have to be able to drive to take care of my children and get to work.”

How long does it take to become a citizen? “They told me it will be another 5 years,” Cruz says.  “My father got his citizenship after I turned 21.  I was married, so I have to do it on my own.” Ten years have passed since her father became a citizen.

“I would like to work in the medical field,” she says. “Especially since all I have seen.” She told of experiences at the hospital of overhearing workers talk about her or others nearby. “When they ask me if I speak English I say yes.”

People are often hurt by the assumptions of others.  Cruz keeps smiling.  She wants to go to school so she can help others.  “I love my job.  I’m thankful for all I have,” she says.  “But I could use more money.  I would like to do more to help others.”

She tried to get a job at one of the Duke University community clinics.  She couldn’t get the job because she’s not a citizen.  Maybe one day she’ll go to college.  Maybe after her children graduate from high school and the paper work comes through to grant her the freedom to pursue more of the American dream.

“You learn where not to go,” Cruz says. “I can’t visit a person in jail.  I can’t go to the library because they ask for your driver’s license for ID.”  

The fear of deportation subsided when she got news from her father that they can’t send her back to Mexico.  Her case is in process.  She’s one step closer to the American dream.

“My father had an attorney that was helping on my case,” she says. “That person turned out to be a fraud.” Money was lost on the quest for the American dream.  Thousands of dollars down the drain due to the manipulative ways of those who prey on the hope of citizenship.

“The hardest part is I have never seen my mother,” Cruz says as her drive to remain positive did battle with her tears. “I talked to her once on the phone.”

Cruz has come a long way since picking strawberries in Oregon. She has a long way to go.  The goal of becoming an American citizen dominates her thoughts.  She keeps pressing to move beyond the stigma of not being an American.

Her papers remain on the bottom of a stack of others waiting to be approved.  Some consider her America’s problem - one of countless illegals who crossed the border in pursuit of the American dream.  She’s a symbol of the need for change. More than that, she’s a wife, a mother, an employee, a home owner who pays her taxes.  She stays out of trouble, and works hard to keep her children on the right path.

Like most of us, she simply wants the American dream.

Someone has to feed the sheep

“My children always had something to eat,” Rose Greene told me as she reflected on life in New York.  “There was always somewhere to go to find a meal when you needed one.  I’m giving back what I received with my children.”

Green is vice-president and the volunteer coordinator of Feed My Sheep of Durham, Inc.  The nonprofit started feeding people when Shane Benjamin, former pastor at Asbury Temple United Methodist Church, decided to meet the needs of those living near the church in North East Central Durham.  That was ten years-ago, and a group of committed believers continues to live their faith by feeding those in need of a meal.

The stress of managing a nonprofit is painted on Greene’s face.  Feed My Sheep left the safety net of Asbury Temple after 8 years when the congregation merged with the Reconciliation United Methodist Church to form the New Creation United Methodist Church.

“Asbury was a part of what we do,” Greene says. “They took up an offering every 4^th Sunday.”

A $38,000 grant received three years ago helped them feed senior citizens living in the hosiery mills.  They fed 32 people breakfast five days a week.

Now, Feed My Sheep serves 1,400 meals each month.  They feed seniors living at Henderson Towers and Oldham Mills. They also serve meals on the 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of each month for anyone looking for a meal.

They do it with four volunteer cooks. No one gets paid. They do it with no administrative office, no kitchen of their own.  They are a nomadic organization, having moved from one church to another in hope of finding a permanent place to feed the sheep.

Billy Morgan works from 6:00 am until 10:30 am every day. “I have diabetes, but I’ve been doing it since we started,” he says. “It’s my way of giving back and helping people.  I’ve been out there in the world.  People helped me.”

Most of the volunteers are on disability or retired.  It’s hard giving back when you barely have enough to feed yourself.

“Sometimes Billy may have to catch a bus,” Greene says. “I’ll get him 20 dollars.”

“I took my food stamps to buy food,” Morgan says.  “We do what it takes to make sure they have something to eat.”

There have been numerous days were volunteers took food from their homes to gather enough to feed there people.  It’s hard feeding people when there’s not enough money to keep pace of the needs.

It’s hard to keep the faith when there is no place to cook a meal.

They were housed at One Love Ministry until November 2011. The church moved out of the old Holloway Elementary School to their new home in North Durham. They church’s new location was outside Feed My Sheep’s target area.  They weren’t asked to move with the church.

They were forced out of Mt. Calvary United Holy Church when they merged with the Light House of Faith on January 17^th.

“We were in the way,” Greene says. “After painting everything in our area.  We cleaned, mopped, got a dumpster. After doing all of that, we were given 10 days to leave.”

Money was disbursed from Crop-Walks funds by DCIA during their annual dinner.  Feed My Sheep paid their debt with the Food Bank.  Now they’re doing the best they can to get enough money to feed the sheep each week.

It gets old robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“We need a home,” Greene says. “We’re doing the best we can to feed people who are unemployed and seniors who can’t eat.”

The vision of Feed My Sheep is a simple one.  It’s rooted in an old story of a man who admonished his followers to feed the sheep.  He took them to a mountain where he blessed fish and bread to feed thousands of people.  Feeding both their spirits and body came with being a disciple. 

“It’s been hard over the past few years,” Greene says.  “We keep doing what is needed to feed people.”

You would think a church in Durham would have space to feed the sheep.  Greene and the other faithful volunteers keep cooking those meals.  They refuse to give up.

Someone has to feed the sheep.

Responding to the death of a 15-year-old

I had to wait three days before I could answer the question.  “It's long past time to stop the senseless slaughter of our children!” my friend Pam Hall Purifoy posted on my Facebook wall.  “How do we begin to stop the violence?”

The question was accompanied with a link to a story about the funeral of 15-yeard-old Hadiya Pendenton. Pendleton was shot and killed on Jan. 29 about a mile from President Barack Obama’s Chicago home.  It happened a few days after she participated in the President inauguration as a band majorette. 

Pendenton’s dream of going to college was taken from her by gang members fighting over things that people like me will never understand.  She’s the last of 43 people killed in Chicago in January.  Last year the city topped 500 murders. Everyone is wondering why?  Everyone wants to know the solution to the problem.

Fourteen of the victims were 20 years-old or younger.  The youngest victim was 2 years-old.  The cross-fire of death is taking the lives of those too young to understand why it’s happening.  Purifoy’s question has been asked many times.  In Durham, NC, thousands marched to Few Gardens in 1994 to protest the murder of two-year-old Shaquana Atwater – the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 “I wish there were an easy answer but it goes beyond simple socioeconomic responses,” Ronal d White responded to Purifoy’s question.  “This thing is very deep! Black men (as a whole and down through generations) have carried a sense 'self-hate' and rejection. I could write a thesis on this one. Again, no easy answer. We need God!”

White’s response read like a community confession.  Something is wrong within the black community.  Something deep, perplexing and distressing is eating at the soul in places packed with black bodies.  What went wrong?  What can be done to stop it?

“We, as a culture, have a war mentality that's hard to break,” Cash Michaels, a popular journalist at The Carolinian offered. “We give our kids toy guns and GI Joe, sit them in front of violent TV shows and video games for hours, and then wonder why a 14 years-old boy just beat his seven-month-old sister to death! This story horrifies me, as it should all of us!”

The answers kept coming.  I read each with a booming Amen followed by rapid nods of the head.

“I dislike saying this but, our problem is with our identity. We see ourselves as broke, unhealthy, and not deserving the best,” Ernest H. Johnson states. We see ourselves through the minds of slaves rather than our true identity. Until this is repaired, and our Black colleges don't have the economic or faculty power to deal with this misfortune, then we will continue act like brainwashed giants.”

I prepared a message to add to the chat on Facebook.  My attention was diverted by the headlines from the local newspaper positioned on the table next to my cup of coffee and the poetry of Kahlil Gibran.

“A man was shot to death near a crowded mall Saturday afternoon and left in a parking lot as the shooter or shooters left in getaway Jeep that crashed into two other vehicles,” the article in the Durham Herald-Sun read. “The victim was identified as Brian Christopher Keys, 24, of Greensboro.”

“Investigators charged the three occupants of the Jeep Liberty – Monquell Davis, 19, of Lutz Lane; Deshario Mitchell, 18, of Marne Avenue; and Kadeem Johnson, 18, of Umstead Street with murder.”

Three more charged with murder- each under the age of 20. Another black man killed.  Four more families fastened to a system known for burying black boys and locking others in rooms with no promise of freedom.

Is this the meaning of let freedom ring?  Is this why Harriet Tubman went back to get more? 

 “Be not discouraged. There is a future for you. . . . The resistance encountered now predicates hope. . . . Only as we rise . . . do we encounter opposition,” Did Frederick Douglass say that for this?  Is this the reason behind the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for freedom?

Did Rosa Parks sit for this? Is this the reason behind the deaths of Malcolm and Martin?  Was the fight for freedom to grant young thugs the right to bear arms and take life?  Is this the dream of those who fought for America’s freedom when those back home fought to keep them in their proper place?

I have no answer Ms. Purifoy.  What I have is a statement.  This is a disgrace in the face of our history.  I spew shame to those who bring indignity to our ancestors.  I beg them to learn their own history.  Our ancestors are watching.

 I’m tired of making excuses for you.  I will no longer blame the absence of a father in your home.  I’m tired of lifting the defense of poor economic upbringing.  I’m sick of apologizing for actions that you refuse to be accountable for on your own. 

Do you care that so many care about you? Have you noticed us fighting for your judicial rights?  Have you seen us rebelling against the stigma that keeps you from getting work once you leave prison?  You make the rest of us look bad.  We’re judged because of you, and you lack the respect to acknowledge our hard work in preventing others from giving up on you.

You have taken this too far.  You are killing our children.  I no longer feel sorry for you.  Grow up.  It’s not your daddy’s fault.  Your mother has cried too much over you.  I’ve seen her in church begging God to deliver you from the demons in the streets.  You think your manhood is tied to your fist, gun and stare.  You’re not a man.  You’re a child with a gun.

I wash my hands from you.  I’ll be waiting when you come to your senses.  That’s what love is about.  Until then, get out of my face.  Play your games somewhere else.

I hope that answers your question.

Not all white people at Duke University are racist.

Carl, your comments about racism at Duke are correct but incomplete.  There are many Duke Students -- including White -- who fight the good fight, as does the vast majority of the administration.  As you often do, you paint with so broad a brush that it undermines your credibility as serious commentator.  In your anger and enthusiasm, you condemn many who are your active allies.  You'd be taken a lot more seriously if you could get past your inability to see your allies.  All of Duke is not racist, and no serious commentator would even imply they are.  You have the makings of being a powerful and credible voice, and I hope you will widen your narrow vision so you can fulfill your promise instead of so often shooting your credibility in the foot. I hate to see you continue to undermine your own good voice.  On the other hand, if you really think all of Duke or even most of it remains racist, then you need to do some fact checking. -David Ball

Those comments came from David Ball, a reader of my blog.  I hate to say it, but ole dude is right.  Part of learning to be sensitive to the opinions of others is being grown up enough to say you made a mistake.  Ball’s point is about making overgeneralizations.  It’s one of the points I press hard with this blog.  We should never make assumptions in a way that diminishes the worth of an entire group.

So, here it goes.  Not everyone at Duke University is a racist jerk.  The truth is most are great people engaged in the type of hard work that is moving our community toward being a loving, affirming, tolerant place.  Not everyone at Duke University is consumed with being entitled.  Yes, some come from affluent families with trust funds large enough to accommodate the needs of great, great, great grandchildren.  Not everyone eats with a silver fork, and some who do are capable of having conversation about more than where they went for vacation over the Christmas break.

For anyone to oversimplify is bad news.  It’s the stereotypes that eat at me, and often have me exploding like a packed volcano.  Trust me when I say no one gets tagged worse than black men.  Not all of us have three baby mamas, a long criminal record and rob people as a hobby.  Many of us have college degrees. 

Ball is right. I would crash his party if he made any reference that labeled an entire campus based on the actions of a few.  I hate to think what I would have said if someone asserted “all students at NCCU smoke marijuana.”  My first thought would be, so what.  That would be followed with, “no he didn’t”. From there I would have applied the traditional rhetoric – racism.

So, let me make this perfectly clear.  Some of my best friends are white.  I know, that sounds familiar.  It’s the common avowal white people give when slapped with the R label.  R is for racist for those who failed to catch up in time to get on the train.  But really, some of my best friends are white.

I’m not quite sure if that makes a difference, but I feel the need to state that given the assertion that I need to do my homework.  That statement made me feel like I failed the course on white sensitivity.  The contrary is true.  I’ve spent most of my life learning to exist in a world governed by the rules of powerful white men.  I’m not player hating on their position of power, but black folks, women and other minorities deserve medals for maneuvering around white male feelings.  You feel me?

My world is surrounded by people who learn and teach at Duke, and yes, I love them deeply.  Naomi Quinn, a professor emeritus in the anthropology department, is a member of the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club I attend.  I call her mom.  I love her like a mother.  She loves me like a son.  Owen Flanagan, a professor in the philosophy department, is co-founder, with me, of the Bums Club.  It’s for those who meet at the Bean Traders and work while looking like we have nothing to do with our lives.  I call him brother.  I love him like a brother.  He calls me brother, and treats me like he means it (insert tears).

There’s Laura Lazarus, a Ph.D. student in the political science department.  She’s an old school feminist who gives me that black woman glare whenever I say something perceived as being sexist.  Her look slaps me like my mama’s hand back in the day when I got in trouble for reason I can’t remember.  I love Laura like a sister.  She loves me like a brother.

There are others I wish I could mention.  The good news is there are too many to list on this page.  It’s part of being connected to a diverse community.  Being community is hard work.  We can only make it when we have friends who yell at us when we step over that forbidden line.  When that happens, and it takes place often, wisdom involves getting your behind back on the other side of the line.

So, I hope to see David Ball at the Bums Club.  He’s welcome to meet me at the Breakfast Club if he desires.  Those are the places that make true community. Community is made one word at a time.  Sometimes you have to take back a few words, and on other occasions you have to add a few.

So, here’s to more than a few.

Racist parties aren't new at Duke University

My son, King Kenney, knows a lot about parties at Duke University.  He made a name for himself, with his business partner Jeff Johnson, as the premier party promoters in Durham.  King shut down his business to move to Austin, TX last year.  He’s not surprised by the news of a racist fraternity party at Duke.

In between promoting his own parties, King worked the door for numerous parties attended by Duke Students.  “Whenever we did parties with Duke Students something happened”, he told me during a recent phone conversations.”

“I was there when they had black face night,” he continued.  “They say and do things that are really offensive.”

He told me about numerous accounts when he was called a nigger after asking students to leave the party.  “One time a student called me a nigger and placed his hands on me,” he said.  “Next thing I knew he was on the ground.”

The Kappa Sigma fraternity has been suspended at Duke University by its parent organization after a party that featured offensive Asian stereotypes, including straw conical hats.

“Things are worse for the Asian students,” King continued.  “White students are intimidated by Asians because they outperform them at Duke.”

An email sent to promote the party had several misspellings to suggest Asian-accented English and a meme based on the Kim Jung-il character in the movie “Team America: World Police,” The Chronicle, the Duke University student newspaper, reports.

This is not just about Asians, one party or one frat,” Ashley Tsai told the Chronicle. “This is a consistent thing happening. We want serious things to be done by the student body and the university so that this never happens again.”

Pictures posted online show people at the party dressed in stereotypical Asian-style clothing and a greeting that imitates Asian dialect.

King told me his departure from Durham was due, in part, to the lack of tolerance among students at Duke.  “People say Durham is the most tolerant city in America, but I was called a nigger more there than ever in Austin.”

He talked about the time he rammed the head of a student on a car after being called a nigger and pushed.  “They think they’re better because they attend Duke,” King says.  “I thought I wanted to go there, but this incident reminds me of why I moved away.”

King is preparing to attend law school.  Duke was on his list of places to attend, but too many memories of life in Durham make it hard for him to consider sharing space with those who play games with race.  It’s cruel.  It’s been going on for a long time.  It needs to come to an end.

Asian students say this type of thing happens all the time.  They’re right.  It happens to often to be swept under a bureaucratic rug.  It’s more than a party.  Students are playing games with race.  Those who play those games should be asked to take their insensitivity to another place.  Be it asking a black woman to thank her grandfather for picking the cotton that made a shirt, wearing black face to a party, or mimicking the culture of Asians, it must be stopped.

Durham may be a tolerant city, but that spirit isn’t shared by those who attend Duke University.  The truth may hurt, but the truth will set you free!

Signing day exposes problems with black male students

Three of the student athletes, who signed letters of intent to attend Division I schools from the 2010 Hillside High School state championship team, are playing at junior colleges.  Six are playing at Division I schools, while four others are enrolled in school, but not on a team.

Only two of the 16 who signed a letter of intent aren’t enrolled in school.  Of the 24 seniors from the team, 19 attended college, and only one failed to graduate. The promise of that signing day in 2011 is tainted by the disappointment related to all 16 not remaining connected to the school they vowed to attend; however, this story is not over.

Some may wonder why it matters.  Is it reasonable to track the progress of young men who made their mark by playing a game? Are these setbacks due to more than what shows up on the roster of a team?  What is the real story behind what happened to 16 young men who made us proud after signing letter of intents to play for Division I schools?

It matters because of what continues to haunt black men in higher education.  The story of the Hillside football team is no different than what takes place in black families from coast to coast.  An examination of other schools within the Durham Public School system will reflect numbers comparable to Hillside’s championship team.  The class of black male students that shows up on campus each year drops significantly each semester.  Sometimes it’s due to academic problems.  Sometimes it’s because of financial problems.  Sometimes it’s a lack of interest.

What sets the Hillside football team apart from the rest is the promise of a free education.  The gift of a four year free ride minimizes dropouts among students.  Black males who fail to return, for reasons other than finances, normally do so for two reasons: poor academics or disciplinary issues.

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Education, young black men are not attending, or graduating from, college at the same rate as black women. Although the absence of black men is more apparent at historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, black male students are scarce at colleges everywhere.

The national college graduation rate for black men is 33.1 percent compared with 44.8 percent for black women. Black men represent 7.9 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds in America but only 2.8 percent of undergraduates at public universities.

This education gap virtually ensures that black men will continue to have less earning power than their white counterparts and be underrepresented across a broad spectrum of high-paying professions.

Failure to obtain a college education leads to limited job opportunities, reduced earning potential, and stunted career advancement.  Those who fail to graduate face long-term economic and social implications. Without solid incomes and steady jobs, their ability to marry and support their families is hindered.  They struggle to secure credit to purchase a home or start a business. 

The report from the U.S. Department of education found that black male enrollment at Howard University declined from 3,070 during the 1994-95 academic year to 2,499 during 2009-10, while female enrollment declined by only 52 students, from 4,958 to 4,906.

While half of Howard students graduate within six years, most HBCU’s do not. Graduation rates at HBCUs are lower than the graduation rates of blacks students at white universities. At 20 HBCUs, two-thirds or more of all entering black students do not earn a diploma, and most are men.

A two year report released by the College Board in 2011 found that black and Latino men are measurable less educated than minority women and white men.  According to the report, 16 percent of Latino and 28 percent of black men age 28-34 had obtained an associate’s degree or higher as of 2008, while the comparable figure for white men was 44 percent and 70 percent for Asian men.

The report shares firsthand stories from minority men. One black student, who was enrolled as a freshman in a public university, shared disillusionment with the process.  “He remembers that all through school people told him to get good grades so he could succeed and go to college,” the author writes. “But senior year he realized it was all about money and affordability.”

Money is cited as the biggest setback in gaining an education. 16 student-athletes from Hillside High School obtained a free ride. It matters because it’s a ticket to breaking a disheartening trend among black men.  They can’t use as an excuse a lack of money to attend and graduate from college.

Each of them has an opportunity to get a head start toward building a life for themselves and their families.  We owe it to them to prepare them for what’s ahead.  They owe it to us to fulfill the promise that comes with signing on that dotted line.

No, it’s not the glory of playing football that matters.  It’s more about shifting a trend and, in the process, transforming the image related to black men.

That’s why it matters.

NAACP and Hispanic Federation fight effort to limit the size of sugary drinks

The NAACP’s New York state branch and the Hispanic Federation are coming against a NYC rule that would limit the size of sugary drinks.  The groups claim the rule will place minority-owned delis and corner stores at a disadvantage compared to grocery stores.

"This sweeping regulation will no doubt burden and disproportionally impact minority-owned businesses at a time when these businesses can least afford it," they state in court papers.  They stress the need for increasing physical education in schools as a solution.

Backers of the rule cite escalating obesity rates as justification for a move that could become the model to shift a ghastly trend.  According to the federal Center for Disease Control, obesity rates are higher than average among blacks and Hispanics. Representative from the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation acknowledge the impact sodas have on minorities, yet contend the impact on minority business owners outweigh the risk of growing obesity among minorities.

One has to question the validity of the fight against the soda rule.  You’d expect hostility from the Pepsi and Coco-Cola Bottling companies, but it’s disheartening that organizations formed to fight for the wholeness of minorities would take sides against the health of those grappling with their weight.

Obesity is rapidly becoming America’s leading public health problem.  The Harvard School of Public Health concludes that obesity is second only to tobacco in causing death among people under the age of 70 in the U.S. Obesity causes or is closely linked with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea, gallstones, kidney stones, infertility, and as many as 11 types of cancers, including leukemia, breast, and colon cancer.

Along with physical health consequences, obesity has social and emotional effects that include discrimination, lower wages, lower quality of life and depression.

The health care cost associated with obesity in the U.S. was estimated to be as high as $190 billion in 2005, and continues to rise. The cost includes money spent directly on medical care and prescription drugs. Add to this the cost of lost days of work, higher employer insurance premiums, and lower wages linked to obesity illness. It impacts recruitment for the armed services, with data showing close to 30 percent of young people in the U.S. being too heavy to qualify for military service.

“The higher rates of obesity among ethnic minority and low-income children, when combined with the adverse health effects of child obesity, are likely to produce continued racial and economic differences in health outcomes,” reports The Future of Children: A Collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and The Brookings Institute. “Preventing obesity for all children may be a way to reduce socioeconomic and ethnic health disparities.”

Given the research that links health disparities among minorities and ties to economic difference to obesity, why has the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation decided to fight a rule that could aid the people they serve? What can be said about organizations taking on issues that stymie efforts to save lives and minimize economic inequalities?

There’s truth to the claim that this rule will negatively impact minority businesses in NYC.  I’m not saddened by that.  I support minority business, yet lack compassion for those who have a business model that hinders the lives of those they serve.  As the NAACP fights for the rights of business owners, officials in NYC are doing their best to help end obesity among those addicted to those sugary drinks.

Those suffering from this rule need a new business model. Get with the program!  It’s sickening that the NAACP and the Hispanic league have failed to understand the enormity of the epidemic facing those they serve.  They should stop this battle and get on board. 

They can help by educating business owners and citizens about alternatives to sugary drinks.  They should build on what has been started.  The answer is not in court.  The answer is to shift the culture.

This drink is for change.  Raise your water and share with me in a toast to good health.

What happened to the 16 football players who signed to attend college?

National signing day is a big deal for a high school athlete.  The day has evolved over the years, with cameras to broadcast the selection of blue chip studs.

Athletics take precedent over academics. The ability to run, jump, shoot and pass overshadows the ability to excel in the classroom.  Fans obsess over the incoming freshman class.  Visions of championships linger as the announcement of approaches. The life of young athletes is minimized by the echoing cheers of those who place championships over degrees.

Lost in the shuffle for athletic supremacy are the myriad of men and women who feel through the cracks.  The exhilaration overshadows the sad memory of those who could have made it, yet failed to fulfill the promise of the day they signed their name to attend college.  Many athletes never make it past the first year.  Far too many leave us wondering what could have been if they had passed the grade.

The signing of Tyrone Outlaw, Jr. to attend the University of North Carolina – Greensboro rekindles memories of the man he’s named after. Tyrone Outlaw, Sr. was arguably the most sought after basketball player in the history of the PAC 6 athletic conference.  He shared player of the year honors with Courtney Alexander, a freak of an athlete at Jordan High School who signed to play at the University of Virginia before transferring to Fresno State to play for Jerry “The Shark” Tarkanian.

Alexander was the 13^th player selected in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.  He was named the Rookie of the Month in April that year after averaging 22.9 points per game, and was named to the NBA-Rookie Second Team.  Outlaw, in the eyes of many, was better than Alexander.  Outlaw Sr. out played Antawn Jamison in the East-West All-Star Game, and was set to play at North Carolina State University.

Outlaw, now 36, has a criminal record dating back to 1996, and is now facing federal drug charges.

It’s not what shows up on signing day, it’s what shows up in the classroom after names are signed.  The cheers from people packed in bleachers on signing day are the barometer of success after seasons of more wins than losses.   Students and parents at Durham Hillside held their heads in pride after 16 football players from the 2010 state championship team signed national letters of intent.  It was viewed as evidence of both athletic and academic prominence.  Those familiar with the travails of the school celebrated the good news of a long season of bad headlines.

It was proof of a new day.  Signing day meant a new day.  16 players headed to college.  16 reminders of hope springing from a field of unrelenting failure.  Poor academic performance.  A high dropout rate.  The presence of gangs and violence.  Both students and parents craved more than the bad news connected with the school they were proud to call their own.  The answer was football.  16 examples of good things coming from a school so many viewed as the least of these.

An undefeated season was followed by the state championship.  The championship was followed by the signing of 16 football players to attend college.  What happened to the 16?

Vad Lee, the quarterback, signed to attend Georgia Tech, and led the Yellow Jackets to a win over the University of North Carolina on November 10, 2012 at Keenan Stadium. Lee rushed for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, and passed for 169 yards and another touchdown.

Where are the other members of that championship team? Of the 16 players, only five were on the roster at the school they signed with this past football season.  Treshawn Council, who originally signed with East Carolina University, played at Louisburg College, but has transferred to play at East Carolina University.

10 players from that team can’t be accounted for on the team roster of the school the signed to attend..  Myer Krah and Jamaal Williams remain on the roster at the Navy Academy.  Derick Vereen is at Elon University and Zac Giles is on the roster at North Carolina Central University.  What happened to the rest? 

It’s critical that we refrain from making assumptions related to those who can’t be accounted for on the roster of the teams they signed to play for back in 2010.  Some may have transferred.  Others may have dropped from the roster for other reasons.  It’s a mystery, yet one worthy of solving.

We cheered with them on signing day.  Should we forget them after the promise of free educations is fulfilled, or should we question what happened to prevent them to make it to the end of the game?

The game doesn’t end on signing day.  The clock stops when they walk across the stage with a college degree.

Charges dropped against Nickerson but this will not go away

The word came to the crowd shortly after the end of the rally.  As thirty people protested the arrest of Stephanie Nickerson, a judge dropped all charges against the women beaten by a Durham police officer.

In addition to charges being dropped, the crowd was informed that Cpl. Brian Schnee resigned two days ago.  It was a small victory for those still broken upon viewing the battered face of Nickerson after Schnee decided to teach her a lesson about the power that comes with wearing a badge and gun.

Nickerson was charged with resisting an officer and assaulting a government official.  Nickerson and her supporters claim the case is about police brutality, and they demanded the dropping of all charges and the firing of Schnee.  The court ruling seemingly put to rest the battle for justice, but the fight against the police department has just begun.

The evidence against Schnee supports the charge of police brutality.  In addition to the physical evidence are three 911 calls from witnesses begging for assistance to stop a police officer from beating a female.  “3^rd caller: was arguing with PD in background…caller adv officer schnee punched her fem friend. Stating he put her friend on the ground and kept punching her in the face,” read the notes from the 911 dispatcher.  “Additional caller stating pd punched her friend in the face…addl call – anonymous – stating pd are attacking a woman…others are trying to restrain him in middle…male attacked a woman.”

Nickerson’s battered face, the witnesses, 911 calls and video evidence were enough to convince the judge to put an end to the madness.  Schnee’s departure may have been a forced resignation.  What follows is uncertain, but the case is still under investigation. 

“No is the word we learned to say when we refused our frozen peas,” Nia Wilson, executive director of SpiritHouse told those standing in the cold to protest Nickerson’s arrest. “We are taught by our teachers and parents rules, rights and laws that apply to everyone.  As we grow older we learn if you are poor, black, female or from the wrong neighborhood you live by a different set of rules.”

“This is more than a seemingly isolated incident,” says Roland Staton, first vice president of the Durham Branch of the NAACP. Staton gave status the expose the disparity of arrest and charges based on race in Durham County.

The beating of Nickerson will not go away.  Is it more than an isolated incident?  That’s the claim Police Chief Jose Lopez made after three of his police officers were arrested and charged with breaking and entering, assault and false imprisonment for pushing their way into a home in Northern Durham.  That incident was the most recent in a series of events that raise questions related to a culture of abuse within the Durham Police Department.

Protester waved at the family of Carlos Riley, Jr. as they made their way to court. Riley is in jail with a $1.5 million bond involving nine charges, including shooting a police officer.  Riley and his supporters claim the officer shot himself. 

“Charges of abuse among members of the police department has dramatically increased over the past year,” Staton told the crowd.

“Someone has offended one of our women and we take that seriously,” says Minister Curtis Gatewood, 2^nd vice president for the North Carolina NAACP. “You don’t come into our community and openly put your hands on one of our women.  Not gonna tolerate an attack on our women on the West End, or the East End. Not on the North or South side of town.  We won’t sit back as our women are being attacked.”

That’s what separates Nickerson’s case from the rest.  You can’t beat women and call it justice.  Those who are called to protect and defend women from the abuse of men can’t be caught doing the very thing others have fought to end.  You can’t place bruises on the face of women and justify it as a police strategy.  You can’t punch a woman in the face!

The charges have been dropped.  There are other pending cases that deserve public attention, but this isn’t over.  The resignation doesn’t end the fight for justice.  Dropping the charges won’t undo what Schnee’s fists painted on Nickerson’s face. 

“Chief Lopez thinks he’s not accountable to the community,” Wilson says. “He refuses to speak and answer question raised by those in the community.  We won’t stop until we get answers.”

Nickerson won’t face charges.  Schnee no longer works for the police department, but this is not over.

You can’t hit a woman in her face. I learned that lesson before I said no to my peas.

The Durham Public School System faces lawsuit for failing to protect student

The Durham Public School System is facing a lawsuit from parents upset with the handling of two incidents regarding their child.  The two cases expose potential concerns related to a lack of policies and the enforcement of policies aimed at protecting students.

“My child has a right to go to school and be comfortable,” the parents wrote in a letter sent to Eric J. Becoats, superintended of DPS, on January 8, 2013. “She should know without a doubt that the adults that have been placed in her life from the school system are here to help her at all times. This has not been the case for my child.”

The letter shares the story of an alleged sexual assault when the student was in the 8^th grade at the Durham School of the Arts.

“It took the school over 48 hours to inform me,” the letter states. “Mr. Ferguson (Michael Ferguson, assistant principal) showed us the video of the assault and I asked if a police report had been done. He told me no. At that time I went and found officer Michaels myself and called him to the office. He informed me and my husband that no one had even told him about the incident.”

“Ferguson informed me and my husband that he met with my daughter and asked her if she knew why boys did this to little girls,” the letter continues.  “He implied to her that it was her fault that she was a victim of this sexual assault. The young man was found guilty of this charge. But is that your policy? My child was a minor, and a victim, and a “man” told her it was her fault that she was sexually assaulted and he didn’t even call us to let us know until days later. It hurts to know that she didn’t even tell me because she thought this was her fault. As a result of this my child did have to have counseling.”

The second incident occurred on November 12, 2012. The student was assaulted by two students at Hillside High School.  EMS was called to the school to transport the student to the hospital.  The parents were told the student was sitting at a cafeteria table when she was hit by a female student causing her to fall and hit her head on the window seal or floor.

The parents were told an administrator rushed to the aid of the student, and assisted her to the office to be seen. 

“When I arrived at the hospital and saw the multiple bruises on ….. face and knots on her head. I kept questioning my husband (about) the story that we were told, and due to the injury, at that time, my child had no memory,” the letter states.

The parents met with school administrators who related the same story - their daughter was sitting in a chair at the table when she was hit and fell on the floor or window seal. The parents were assured it was an altercation between their daughter and another student. The school administrator told them a school official helped their daughter off the floor and took her to the office.

“When I got home, to my disbelief, a video of the fight had been sent to my child,” the parent writes.  “None of what the school had informed me was true. No one helped my child up, nor did they break up the fight. No adult helped my child while she was unconscious on the floor and had her head repeatedly stomped on. “

The parents says the video shows another student grab their daughter from behind by her head and neck “throw her down to the ground, and start stomping on her head multiple times while she is unconscious.”

“There is not an adult or law enforcement officer in sight anywhere. No adult helped my child. There was enough time for children to run over to the fight, for it to be videoed, and peers hold one student while another stomped on my daughters head, but not enough time for an adult to get to my child to assist. Not even assist her off the floor,” the parent writes.

The parents ask important questions. “What is your policy? Should administrators been in certain parts of the cafeteria to monitor for these issues? What is the role for law enforcement in the cafeteria? Do you have policies for these things?”

The parents claim the incident followed a history of bullying.  After reporting the bullying “the teacher’s solution for my child was to ignore it. This has been confirmed by the school and the teacher called me. I asked him why he didn’t report this bullying. I told him that he had an obligation to report it. He stated that he was very sorry. He stated that he thought ……would leave her alone. Is this your policy?

The student who committed the assault was allowed to return to school on January 3, 2013. The decision was made by the due process panel at Hillside High School. The decision can’t be changed. 

“It’s my understanding that the panel didn’t have the video and did have the knowledge that ___was told by ___on 11/2/12 (while I was at the school) that they jumped on my child thinking her friends would jump in and there would be a big brawl but my daughters friends didn’t jump in. The actions of ___and ___ appear to be premeditated,” the parent writes.

“The school placed ___ back in the class with my child. My daughter texted me and stated that ___was staring at her and rolling her eyes at her. I told ___to ignore it. This is the same thing the teacher said before my child got hurt the first time.  These behaviors are still out right bullying.”

“Does my child have to be hurt again?” the parents ask.

“This county spends so much money on children that are ‘troubled youth’.  Who helps the victim? Who advocates for the good child that’s the victim? My child came to me, and I couldn’t protect her before but I will do everything in my power to protect her now. It just seems to me that ignore it is not the solution.”

“I don’t know why the bullying policy wasn’t followed. I don’t know why NO adult came to my child’s aid when they all reported they were in the cafeteria when this happened. I don’t know why the parents (my husband and I) weren’t told the truth.  If the truth wasn’t known at the time that’s what you tell me.”

There are a lot of unanswered questions.  Have policies been broken?  Is this student the victim of a system that works harder to maintain its image than in protecting students from being assaulted?

We talk about the need for parental involvement in our schools.  When parents get involved, the truth comes to the surface. 

It’s like that line in that movie – “you can’t handle the truth!”

What should we do with our guns?

 

It’s difficult to contend with aging parents.  There’s the emotional drain associated with hearing changes in their voice and watching them move slower to get to the other side of the room.  Frequent long distance phone calls to inform you that mom or pops is in the hospital, again, stirs loads of guilt related to not being home to take care of your parents.

There’s a long list of things that must be done.  You find yourself between wanting to be present with your parents while struggling to keep your head above the water.  There is never enough time, money and support to bring balance to a life made fragile by the one thing none of us can avoid – time.

My recent trip back home to watch over my ailing father revealed a truck load of needs.  They fluctuated from arranging for his bills to be paid by automatic bank withdrawal, to contacting home health care agencies to find services for him when he returns home.  There are emotional needs that can’t go unmet.  I had to be sensitive when talking to my dad about renovating his home to make it easier for him to move around on his own.

Some problems go away by signing a check.  Others require patience.  Some involve being present to hold his hand when his feet are too weak to stand.

One of the biggest worries involves my father’s guns.  He has lots of them. He has collected them over the years.  He was a hunter back in the day when he was strong enough to walk on his own.  My father grew up hunting.  It was the way my grandfather fed his family.  It was more than a sport.  It was a way of life.

Those guns are a part of his life.  Each has a story.  It’s what my father did to release the burden of work.  The rifles in the gun case share space with handguns.  My father believes in his right to protect his family from intruders.  It’s a view rooted in a past that forced him to do things with his hands and guns to keep enemies away.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do with my guns,” my father told me during my visit.  “I know you don’t want them.”

He’s right. I deplore the guns sitting in the living room like furniture.  I don’t like the gun hidden near the bed.  I hate guns, and my father knows it.

I’ve hated them since the day I killed a rabbit with the gun my father gave me to prepare me for life as a hunter.  I was a natural.  My first kill scared me.  The force after squeezing the trigger was too much for a 10-year-old to comprehend.  I held in my hands the power to take life.  I knew it.  I felt it.  A part of me enjoyed it.   The other part feared the power to end life.

“Why don’t you take the guns with you,” my mother demanded. “Someone can break into the house and steal his guns.”

Her anxiety was intensified after the Sandy Hook Elementary School became known for more than teaching kids to read.  The national debate regarding the need for stiffer gun control laws demonized those who own guns.  The National Rifle Association made things worse by pitching an agenda that protected people’s right to own assault weapons. 

“No one should have the right to own an assault weapon,” my father said as we watched the news coverage from the Sandy Hook Elementary School.  “You can’t hunt with one of them.”

Guns mean different things to different people.  People like me view them as an evil that needs to be eradicated from society.  People like my father have guns because they are part of their history.  Others keep guns to kills people.  A few have them to prepare for a revolution.

I don’t know what will happen to my father’s guns.  Some are collector items.  I do know that my dad has the right to decide on his own.  I can’t take them away because of the disgust I carry for guns.  I’m tempted to, but those guns are part of his journey.  He has to decide when it is appropriate to let them go.

My father’s grapple over his guns reflects America’s tension over what to do with the same.  We each come to the debate rooted in a culture that sways opinion.  Some live in communities that require guns for protection.  Many love to hunt.  It’s a mixed bag that reminds us of the rich diversity that makes us states and people united despite our differences.  It’s tough finding consensus when we bring such complexity to the conversation.

I don’t know what to do with my father’s guns.  America doesn’t know what to do with its guns.

The answer will come.  We simply have to keep talking and listening.