Note to Ben Carson: Don't talk about slavery

Ben Carson must be practicing surgery on his own brain.  It’s the only thing to excuse his recent remarks about Obamacare.

"It’s the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery," Carson, who retired from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, said at the Values Voter Summit in Washington. "It is slavery, in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government. It was never about healthcare. It was about control.”

Did I hear a reference to Master beating slaves in Carson’s tone? Did he compare Obama to Lincoln for having the audacity to let God’s people go?

It’s almost always wounding when a person uses slavery to illustrate a contemporary affliction. It’s even worse when a black man pulls that trick from his conservative bag of foolishness. I won’t blame Carson for spending most of his time reading books on the human anatomy.  God knows he’s earned respect for his work as a neurosurgeon. All props to the dude for separating conjoined twins joined at the head.

Everyone has their weakness. It’s best to stay in your lane. In other words, Carson gets F’s in American History and street credibility. 

He’s no black role model. I say that not because of his abhorrence of Obamacare. Carson isn’t the only black person grappling to find the merit of the plan pushed by the nation’s first black President. He has every right to align with conservatives to defend an agenda that best serves his personal goals.  Do you Bo, but, for God’s sake, and out of respect of OUR ancestors, please don’t minimize the impact of slavery by comparing it to Obamacare.

You get no stupidity pass when it comes to this. One has to ask, is becoming the darling of the conservative wing of the Republican Party worth the forfeiture of the black boys and girls who viewed you as a role model?  Are the standing ovations worth losing the tag of great blacks in American history? Welcome to the bench with Clarence Thomas and others who sold their soul for white affirmation.

Even more disconcerting are the underlying implications related to what Carson said.

"It is slavery, in a way, because it is making all of us subservient to the government. It was never about healthcare. It was about control.”

So, Obama has forced Americans to become subservient to the government.  Obama is the anti-Lincoln who implemented a policy that has subjugated not only blacks, but every citizen of this country.  A black man did that.  Obama is our Master, and all of us are his slaves.

Carson’s argument serves as the most forceful claim that we are living in a post-race society.  Carson has pushed a button held by those fearing the aftermath of a black President – slavery has been reversed.  It took a black man to say it. The fight against Obamacare is about control, but not the type of domination alleged on the surface of Carson’s statement.

The teabaggers fear being controlled by a black man.

Master Obama is coercing them to make bricks out of straw. Run to the North Star where freedom lives.  Run fast now. Massah Bama got a big whip.  We gonna be free. We gotta fight, but they working on our liberation.

Sorry Uncle Ben, you can’t play with those emotions.  This is not a post-race society.  The flame of hate still burns Uncle Ben.

So, get on the bench with Clarence Thomas and Herman Cain.  It’s going to be a long time before you get to play with black folks.

Home not home, but it's good to be home

It’s my sixth day in Columbia, MO – almost a week.  It all seems so surreal

Home isn’t home yet. The house is the same as when I left Columbia 30 years ago.  The furniture is the same. The first television my pops purchased is parked in the living room. It doesn’t work.  It serves as a reminder of when color television came to replace black & white.  My old Bose 501 speakers are surrounded by old cassettes.  Many are recordings of my former radio show on KOPN FM.

Maybe I’ll make a return to radio.

Maybe I’ll…

There’s something special about cleansing.  It comes with both good and bad – like cleansing your colon.  You have to drink the bad and wait for the movement before you feel the benefits of flushing out all that junk.  I know, I know – too much information. That’s the way this feels.

The good news is the news that it’s good for you.  Good health requires that we suck it in, take our medicine and wait for the results.  Did I mention I’ve already lost 5 pounds?  A lot has been lost since leaving Durham, North Carolina to move back home.  I’m still waiting for the things I’ll gain.

Most of my clothes are stacked on the floor in the bedroom.  I haven’t found time to move the clothes in the closet to the garage.  I have six boxes of clothes waiting to be shipped here from Durham.  There’s no room for them.  That describes my life here – there’s no space for my life.  I simply have to find a way to make it all fit.

I still read the Durham Herald-Sun, the News & Observer, the Durham News and the Independent Weekly.  I rise every morning at 4:30 am to begin my day.  After reading newspapers and writing in my journal, I prepare my pops breakfast.  After feeding him, giving him his meds and confirming his schedule for the day, I do my best to find time for me. 

Just a little. 

Soon, it’s time to cook lunch.  There are doctor appointments almost every day.  The nurse comes to the house three days a week.  The phone calls come in daily from my sister and mother.  They’re concerned about my pops big toe.  His doctor is considering amputation.  Pops says he’s prepared for the worse.  He keeps smiling like it’s no big deal.  I know the truth.

He’s tired. After two open heart surgeries, a bout with cancer, an aneurism, enduring a diabetic coma, bacterial meningitis and numerous strokes, he has every right to be tired. After countless visits to the hospital and rehabilitation centers, his journey makes me tired.

He keeps smiling.

Over 1000 insulin syringes are stuffed in a closet.  They are packed in with the other medical supplies shipped monthly.  They keep coming despite the fact pops has more than he will ever use.  The company that sends them knows Medicare will pay the bill.  A short look in the closet solves the riddle of why Medicare is losing money.

A company called Signature Foods delivers meals for the week every Thursday.  The frozen meals are packed in the freezer.  They can’t be good for you.  I refuse to accept they’re the best option.  I’ve been searching for a Whole Foods and local gardens.  My pops loves the frozen meals.  I’m begging him to stop drinking milk, but his doctor tells him to drink three glasses a day.  I talk to him about eating less meat and eating fresh vegetables.  I feel the coming of a civil war.

I haven’t had coffee since my arrival.  I broke away for two hours on Tuesday to visit the editor of Inside Columbia Magazine.  She offered to contract with me to write for the magazine.  The managing editor at a local newspaper meets with me next week.

I did go to church on Sunday.  I felt out of place.  The church is 50 yards from my pops house.  I preached my first sermon there in 1979.  I counted 5 people I knew.  I walked home after the service and asked God what it all means.  God didn’t answer my question. 

It’s time to cook pops lunch.  I have to call his doctor and ask about the IV that wasn’t removed from his arm when he left the hospital on Saturday.  The nurse at the doctor’s office told me the people at the wound clinic were supposed to remove it on yesterday.  The people at the wound clinic told me it wasn’t there responsibility.  They said they were only advised to take care of my pops foot.  It’s been an hour since the nurse said she would call me back.

Maybe I’ll get out later today to get a cup of coffee.  Maybe I will meet new friends at the coffeehouse.  Maybe I’ll…

I’m praying pops blood sugar drops before he eats his lunch.  It was 238 at breakfast.  It’s been as high as 382 this week.

Did I mention that Uncle Cecil died on yesterday?

Welcome home.

 

Final footsteps

The walk seemed different this time.  Each step reminded me that it all is coming to an end.  Soon, I will say goodbye.

The house is empty.  Everything inside was given away.  My only possessions are books, music, art and clothing. My car has been sold.  Only my footsteps and public transportation can get me there.

One step at a time, I’m searching for friends to say goodbye.

The urge to cry hit me again as I approached Ninth Street. Memories of conversations with friends came to me as my steps brought me closer to the coffeehouse known as my office.  I looked inside in search of Sydney before opening the door.  My urge to hug my friend quickened my steps.

She wasn’t there.

The list in my mind exposed a roll call: Owen, Laura, Sarah, Tony, Dave, Lillie, Hillary, Hannah, Charlotte, Pam, Allison.  Names kept coming like graduation day.  More tears.

Will I be able to say goodbye to all my friends?

I paused to catalogue the list by location.  A list of friends at the Beyu Caffe, a list of members of my Saturday Breakfast Club that meets at Parker & Otis, and another list of friends from the Blue Coffee Café. A list of friends I met in Church, and a group of activist friends.  I formed another list of friends who are musicians, poets and visual artist.

Too many friends to count.  Will I be able to say goodbye to all my friends?

I considered days of sadness made better by the hugs of friends.  Each friend holds a place made special by a keen awareness that something was needed in those moments.  Each friend offered a place for me to expose the bitter pain of brokenness.

Glenda, Janice and Betty – they were there the day I wept too hard to preach.  Compassion Ministries of Durham – they prayed with me, affirmed me and allowed me to cry when I could no longer pretend to be strong.

I felt my body quiver as the list expanded. Each name evoked the memory of a weak moment followed by laughter.  I closed my eyes as faces began to replace the names of those with love deep enough to keep me moving.

I will say goodbye to Durham on October 5. I moved to Durham in 1988 to attend divinity school at Duke University.  Since then, I have served two churches, written for numerous local publications and used the pen and pulpit to fight for justice and peace.

I arrived as a champion of the black faith tradition.  I saw all things colored as black and white. I found no need to promote interfaith and interracial dialogue.  I framed God and the work of the Church in ways that limited interchange.

My friends changed me.  They continue to mold me by exposing the hypocrisy of my thinking.  They help me grow by revealing the face of God in things beyond the activity of the black church.

My sadness in leaving Durham isn’t because of the numerous fine places to eat.  It’s not the blooming downtown district surrounded by other pockets of prosperity.  It’s not the emerging jazz scene and other cultural activity like the Art of Cool Project and the Bull Durham Blues Festival that makes it hard to leave.

It’s the people. It’s the diversity. It’s a community willing to grow.

I’ll take a few more steps before my column comes to an end.  Until then, I’m looking for friends to hug one last time.

I’m headed to Columbia, MO to take care of my parents. A big chunk of me will remain in Durham.

A love like this never goes away.

 

Places in Durham I will miss

Join Carl W. Kenney II at the Beyu Café to say goodbye on Sunday, September 22 from 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm.

Leaving Durham is much tougher than I thought.  I knew it would be hard to say goodbye to the city that helped mold me into the man I have become.  Shucks, I don’t even recognize the dude who came to Durham in 1988 to attend divinity school at Duke.  He got lost in between pretending and self-discovery.

I get on a plane headed to Columbia, Missouri on October 5.  My life will transform into something unlike I’ve known before.  I’m certain I’ll find new battles to wage.  I’m not so sure about who will partner with me in the quest for justice.  I’ll take it one day at a time.

Until then, I reflect on Durham.  The past week has been rapt with personal reflection of the people and places I will miss.  Many have reached out to share their hope and regret.  Others have told me they will be present on Sunday for the farewell party at the Beyu Café.

The Beyu Café.  They don’t have one of those in Columbia, Missouri.  There’s so much I will miss.  So much that I will never be able to replace.

It’s what makes Durham unique. 

So, I came up with a list of the places I will miss the most.  Each has more than a few special memories.

10. Blue Coffee Café.  This one makes the list because of Gwen.  I love that woman.  I love her faith and determination.  I love that she fought through the tough year’s downtown to stay in business.  I love that she has a business in the heart of downtown that has become a hub of all forms of activity. 

9. Duke Gardens. The garden has been my get away spot since I landed in Durham.  Many poems have been written there.  I’ve often imaged getting married there, but, dot, dot, and dot.  Insert missed opportunities.

8. The Carolina Theatre.  It would be higher on the list if Connie Campanaro was still there.  We formed the type of bond that made me aware of the power the arts has in changing minds.  I may miss Connie more than the theatre, but great memories were formed there. Oh yeah, I feel in love there.

7. Bull Durham Blues Festival.  I remember the old days when the festival was held at the Durham Athletic Park.  Everyone was there.  I always left thinking, “this is what makes Durham special.”  I crave the festival returning to its glory years.

6. Bimbe Festival.  I first attended the festival in 1992 when Carl Washington, former director of Durham’s Parks & Recreation Department, asked me to attend to pour libations.  Washington became my best friend until his death.  I attend each year to remember and reflect on his passion for social justice and our friendship.

5. Beyu Café. One day Dorian Bolden, the owner of Beyu, shared his vision for Beyu.  At the time he was working as a barista at Alivia’s at Brightleaf Square. I listened, but filed the conversation in a pile with other pipe dreams.  Did he prove me wrong!  The Beyu Café has become Durham’s hotspot for live jazz.  I love the place because of Dorian.

4. The Regulator Bookshop. John Valentine and Tom Campbell, owners of the Regulator, have been good friends.  They keep both of my books on the shelves and offer consistent encouragement when they see me on 9^th Street.  They give meaning to “support local.”

3. Parker & Otis. It’s the place we gather for our Saturday Morning Breakfast Club.  What can I say?  These folks have both changed and saved my life over and over again.  They have loved me through tough seasons.  To say I love them is an extreme understatement.  Members include: Mike Woodard, Naomi Quinn, Heather Linton, Pat Hoffman, Chuck Watts, Amy Laura Hall, George Vaughn, Ken Duke, Bill Goldston, Al Thorn and Pete Eastman.

2. Sincerely Yours Salon.  Glenda Jones, owner of Sincerely Yours, maintained my locs (not dreadlocks.  They are not dreadful) from the beginning until the end a few months back.  The process of locking my hair led to an internal transformation that redefined my life and ministry.  Glenda loved me through the process by offering support and insight that will be missed.  Our friendship, like my hair, is proof that some things may be cut from your life, but the things that matter the most never fade away.

1. Market Street Coffee House. Also known as my office, the former Bean Traders on 9^th Street is the home of the “Bum’s Club”.  The club was formed by me and Owen Flanagan, the James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Neurobiology at Duke University.  Members of the club are those who give the impression that they are bums while producing great work. Flanagan is that brother from another mother.  We refute the notion of race and talk about differences in hue.  After my surgery, Flanagan took me into his home to take care of me.  My greatest regret in leaving is that Owen is in China teaching until Christmas.  My office defines me like no other place.  There are so many friends there – too many to count.

Each place is connected to people.  That’s what I will miss about Durham - the love and support of a community.

Durham is home, and nothing can take that away.

 

Is George Zimmerman payback for OJ Simpson?

I’m beginning to think George Zimmerman is the white community’s payback for OJ.

If it don’t fit, you must acquit, has been replaced with stand your ground.  The former isn’t as catchy, but you get the drift.

Both cases came down to the interpretation of law and lack of evidence.  Both left you feeling ole dude got away with murder.  Both also left a foul taste after everything was said and done. The taste never went away.

Both cases concluded with a collective yell – “We gonna get ya sucker!”

In other words, it’s not over yet.  You can feel the blood oozing through the veins of people Hell bent of finding Zimmerman guilty of something – anything.  If not for the murder of Trayvon Martin, dude must pay.

Sadly, in the cases of both Orange Juice and Zimmy, you only have to wait a few days for them to expose their naked behinds and dirty laundry.  You would think Zimmerman would hide under a rock and shout “Thank ya Jesus” until his wheelchair is too rusty to move, but nope.

Instead of finding religion, Zimmerman has been accused of threatening his estranged wife and her father with a gun.  Days earlier, Shellie Zimmerman had filed for divorce.

George got off for standing his ground, but Shellie is not standing by her man.

"He's in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying 'step closer' and he's just threatening all of us," Shellie Zimmerman said in a 911 call.

Shellie later said she never saw a gun, and no gun was found.  She says she won’t press charges, but police aren’t ready to dismiss charges.  Police say video of the alleged dispute on Shellie’s damaged IPad could determine if charges are filed.

Although Shellie and her father claim they saw no gun, WKMG TV reports that Mar O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney, says Zimmerman had a gun holstered to his body.

I question the judgment of carrying a gun after the case. What’s the point? Does he want to prove a point, or to find someone else to intimidate for waking while black?

It’s that type of poor judgment that led to the murder of Trayvon.  With people already itching for a fight, why carry a gun? Why get stopped, on multiple occasions, for speeding? Why destroy recoded evidence?

“He then accosted my father then took my iPad out of my hands. He then smashed it and cut it with a pocketknife, and there is a Lake Mary city worker across the street that I believe saw all of it," Shellie said in her 911 call.

Shellie brings her own set of matching bags to the party. On Aug. 28, she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor perjury and was sentenced to one year of probation. She had been accused of lying about the couple's financial situation when she testified at George Zimmerman's bond hearing in June 2012.

This may be a marriage arranged by the birds of a feather flocking together club.  You would think both would lay low and allow the smoke to settle instead of finding their way back in the news.  Go hide.  Take a vacation.  Move to another state.  Get plastic surgery, grow a mustache, become an organic farmer, teach yoga, meet the Dali Lama and promote world peace.  Do something different than carrying a gun and starting a domestic dispute.

The other option is to end up like the Juice.  Those crazy ways will catch up with you sooner or later.

Isn’t that what insanity is - doing stupid things while expecting a different result?

I forgot.  That doesn’t apply when you get away with murder.

Considering Syria on the anniversary of 911

Photo courtesy www.policymic.com

I love America.  I believe in the old red, white and blue, but something didn’t feel right.

It was the day after those planes landed in the World Trade Center and sent the buildings tumbling killing 2,996 people.  It was one of those days you will never forget.  You can’t forget.  There is no way to forget.

I was driving East on Angier Avenue waiting for the stop light at the intersection of Angier and Driver Street to turn green.  I turned the radio to 107.1, Foxy 107, to listen to the Tom Joyner Morning Show.  I needed some comedy relief to prepare me for another long day of serving people with a myriad of problems.

What I heard wasn’t funny.

Tom Joyner told the story of the planes crashing into the building.  It was a somber moment that forced me to pull off the road as my heart began beating too fast to keep pace.  A list of people came to mind – people I know who worked at the World Trade Center. 

I kept listening.  The worse was still to come.  Words like terrorist attack and names like Ben Laden made it the worst day of my life.  I sat frozen in front of the Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church for more than 30 minutes after finding the strength to drive the rest of the way.

What followed was a national response that swung between national pride and the desire for revenge.  I didn’t know how to feel.  I was much too vulnerable to trust what came out of my mouth.  None of us knew what to feel, think or do.  So, we found a symbol to purify rage and stir hope.

We picked up the American flag.

What an amazing symbol of solidarity and strength.  It was a statement of pride and determination that offered what the nation needed as we all pondered the next step.  But, was it enough?  Could we trust a response that pitted America against the rest of the world?

Was it appropriate to limit our voice to the lyrics of “God Bless America”?  What about the rest of the world?  Was there room in the national vocabulary for banter that included the human conditions of people around the world?  Was the bombing of the World Trade Center more than a symbol of American pain, or was it a reminder that Americans are susceptible to the type of agony that hounds people around the world?

Was 911 Americas wake-up call after decades of living with the assumption of security?  Had we taken too much for granted?  If so, was the waving of the flag our way of reminding the world that America will repay those who stab us in the back when we least expect being attacked?

Much has been learned since 911.  We learned there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  Many are willing to concede we went to war against the wrong enemy.  The war on Iraq accelerated national debt that led to a major financial crisis.  The war in Iraq forced a regrouping of the Taliban inside Pakistan.  Afghanistan troops led numerous offenses against the Taliban but failed to defeat them.  By 2009, a Taliban led government began to form in Afghanistan with a mediation court.

Then came the Arab Spring.  A wave of riots, and civil wars in the Arab world began on December 18, 2010. Rulers were forced out of power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Civil uprisings erupted in Bahrain and Syria with major protest in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Sudan.  Minor protests have occurred in Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Western Sahara and the Palestinian Authority.

The Arab spring is prompted by dissatisfaction with local governments reflected in wide gaps in income levels, dictatorship, human rights violations, political corruption, economic decline, unemployment, extreme poverty and increasing food prices.

In April 2011, the Syrian Army was deployed to quell the uprising, and soldiers fired on demonstrators across the country.  After months of military sieges, the protests evolved into an armed rebellion. Opposition forces are composed of defected soldiers and civilian volunteers. In 2013 Hezbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian army. The Syrian government is further upheld by military support from Russia and Iran, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia transfer weapons to the rebels.

Estimates of deaths in the conflict range from 83,260 and 110,370.

Enter the United States.  Congress in considering entering a war against Syria after President Bashar al-Assad killed more than 1,400 people, including more than 400 children in an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack outside Damascus.

Is this time to wave the American flag?

It’s dreadful watching people die.  We all want this war to end.  The site of children dying due to the exposure of chemical weapons is horrific.  We all want to see it stop.

But the larger question for Americans is how many innocent people will die if we bomb Syria.  Is the potential for greater damage possible after the launching of bombs aimed at helping rebels end the reign of the Ba'ath Party?

Today is the anniversary of 911.  What have we learned since that day?

I’ve learned an important lesson.  When you decide to get in a fight, be sure it’s the right fight.

Otherwise you end up making matters worse.

Black staff member request "white only" greeters at Charlotte, NC church

Makeda Pennycooke

When you get to the pearly gates you want to be met by the best.   According to Makeda Pennycooke, executive pastor of operations at  Charlotte’s Freedom House Church, the best are white people.

Pennycooke, who is black, sent an email to church volunteers stating "first impressions matter" and that the congregation wanted "the best of the best on the front doors."

The staff member at the North Carolina church requested that “only white people” serve as greeters. 

"We are continuing to work to bring our racial demographic pendulum back to mid-line," she continued in the email. "So we would like to ask that only white people be on the front doors."

WBTV reported the story after Carmen Thomas, a member at the church, approached the station out of outrage. Thomas told WBTV Pennycooke wants to attract white people to the church.

"Freedom House believes in a diverse relationship within its membership, reflecting the larger community in which the church resides, doing life together as a church representative of everyone -- culturally, ethnically, economically, and generationally,” officials at the church told WBTV.

The church website reveals only two blacks on staff – Pennycooke and Tracie Frank, the communications director.  The desire for diversity is not reflected in the church staff.  The recommendation for “white only” greeters speaks volumes related to the goal in limiting black attendance.

Most troubling is how Pennycooke was used to communicate the “white only” policy.  Her comments reflect a level of self-hatred common among black people who serve in positions of power on a predominately white staff.  Pennycooke seemingly has issues with her own race.

Central in the discussion regarding Freedom House are the underlying messages that promote an agenda antithetical to authentic diversity.  The church is led by Troy and Penny Maxwell.  The Maxwell’s left Richmond, Virginia to start the Charlotte church in 2002. There’s nothing on the church website to support the church interest in diversity.  The lack of black staff and local efforts to promote unity give the impression that this church isn’t interested in black membership.

The sad part is how Pennycooke is used as the scapegoat.  She is not the pastor of the church.  Her role is an administrative function.  Troy and Penny Maxwell haven’t spoken in defense of Pennycooke.  They have apologized, but one is left believing Pennycooke was used to promote an agenda that markets the church as one for “white people”.

The problem is with her being on staff.  How can she stay given an email she was probably forced to send?  Do you really believe she did so without orders from above?

This story gained traction because Pennycooke is black.  The message from most accounts has been about a black pastor informing membership that “only white” people can serve as greeters.  The assumption is that Pennycooke holds a significant leadership position in the church.  You’re left thinking this is a black congregation hoping to land more white members.

Not true.  This is an overwhelming white congregation using a black woman on staff to keep other blacks away.  This church isn’t willing to share leadership with blacks.  The truth is they have no obligation to do so.  I have no problem with their desire to keep black people away.

My problem is with people who pretend they desire diversity when they don’t.  Yes, it would be more like Jesus to open the doors to all people, but are they ready for what happens when blacks show up in large numbers.

This is another example of a black person being used to promote a white agenda.

Lesson learned? Stay away from churches that pretend to affirm you.

50 years later: I'm still waiting for the dream

I still have a dream -that was my first thought today upon reflecting on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech 50 years ago. 

I’m still dreaming.  Yes, it’s easier to envision the end of the journey, but we’re not there yet.

With all the talk about this being a post-racial America, it’s easy to relegate the celebration of King’s speech as ratification that racial preference, discrimination, and prejudice have faded since the march. Many are quick to point to the election of Barack Obama as President and the acceptance of interracial marriage as proof that King’s dream has arrived.

The notion of a post-racial America rose after the Pew Research Center conducted a poll in collaboration with National Public Radio that indicated that 39% of blacks felt they were better off than five years ago.  The poll, conducted in 2010, revealed an increase of 19% from the previous poll taken in 2008.

The Pew poll led to a fury of research on the subject of a post-racial America.  Roy H  Kaplan wrote The Myth of Post-Racial America: Searching for Equality in the Age of Materialism In 2011. The Obamas and a (Post) Racial America?, by Gregory Parks and Matthew Hughley, Walter Rodgers’ A year into Obama’s presidency, is America post racial?, and Michael Tesler and David O. Sears wrote Obama's Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America.

For many, the election of Barack Obama proves the United States in no longer hindered by institutionalized racism.  Blacks fighting for their fair share of the American Dream can no longer blame their inferior state on structural racism, but can only blame themselves for the massive dysfunction that prevents their advancement.

Can you feel the spirit of post-race in the air?

The view of a post-racial America is reflected in radical shifts in public policy.  The conception of post-race justifies recent setbacks in voting rights and affirmative action by the US. Supreme Court. It has consequences related to numerous actions by the North Carolina General Assembly.  Is it possible for the election of a black man to undo all the hate and institutionalized bigotry that has haunted America in only five years?

Its clear most Americans don’t know how to feel about race.  We want to believe we are living in a post-race era; however, is there enough evidence to suggest we are past the assumptions we all make because of race?

Or, is it possible that issues facing black Americans have been pushed aside as America deals with a load of other isms.  Have Americans grown tired of the talk related to black inclusion, placed it all on the backburner and given attention to other concerns?

That’s the argument made by Bob Woodson, head of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise.  Hood, speaking before the Republican National Committee celebration of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, says he’s unhappy that gay, immigrant, women, and environmental issues have moved to "the front of the bus" ahead of issues facing poor black Americans.

“You never hear any talk about the conditions confronting poor blacks and poor people in general,” Woodson says.  

Woodson’s views seemed out of place until he took issue with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for their criticism of George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin, while failing to speak on the murder of Chris Lane in Oklahoma.  He called them "moral traitors,"

“We should pray for the families of these people just as we do the family of Trayvon Martin,” Woodson says.  “We should not wait for a white face before we get outraged. Evil is evil, whether it wears a white face or not. I’m sorry to be the skunk at the garden party, but I think if Dr. King were alive today, he would step on some of these sacred issues.”

Woodson received a standing ovation for his speech.

Is anyone surprised by the response of the GOP?  Isn’t Woodson endorsing the concept of post-race?  Woodson’s rhetoric exposes the difficulty of discussing race while assuming a post-race culture.  The presupposition of post-race is easily refuted by the claims made by those advocating for its usage.

Woodson argues that black issues are placed on the backburner and then challenges others who have placed them on the forefront. He attacks those fighting for the rights of other groups while questioning the moral integrity of those engaged in dialogue to keep people focused on the needs and concerns of black people.

Woodson isn’t alone in communicating an inconsistent message.  It’s all the result of wishing for and craving the fulfillment of that dream.  We all want it.

As much as I want it, I’m still waiting for the dream

George Zimmerman will ask Florida to reimburse $300,000 in legal expenses

I was just getting over George Zimmerman’s acquittal. I was ready to move on. After a long inhale, followed by a short exhale, I had released.

Now I’m mad again.

After lengthy diatribe regarding faults with Florida’s “stand your ground” law, I was willing to concede the jury’s verdict had more to do with the reading of the law versus embedded racism. My attention slowly shifted to the law versus the players.  I began to see the acquittal of Zimmerman as a way to expose a wide range of problems with the criminal justice system.

I’m mad again.  I‘m outraged.  Yes, the wound just reopened.

After the turbulent aftermath of the jury’s decision to let Zimmerman walk after shooting Trayvon Martin, you would expect humility.   You would expect Zimmerman and his star studded defense team to respect how the case dealt a deep blow to the nation’s communal consciousness.

Get this.  Zimmerman is about to ask the state of Florida to reimburse him for as much as $300,000 in expenses he racked up to pay for his defense.  Zimmerman and his attorney’s claim he deserves to be reimbursed because he was acquitted of second-degree murder.

Zimmerman's request is based on a Florida law that says a defendant who's acquitted isn't liable for costs associated with his or her case. It must be approved by a judge or a clerk. Attorney fees for the defense team wouldn't be part of the motion.

The request is troubling for multiple reasons. To begin, the amount of the request reveals the price tag to win a murder case.  Zimmerman’s attorneys are seeking refunds for money spent on fees for expert witnesses and court reporters for depositions, travel and other expenses.

One is left pondering how much it took to defend Zimmerman.  What is the actual cost after considering the legal team’s pro bono work in the case?  How much does it cost to win when the odds are against you?

The Zimmerman case disturbs me due to how it unearths the influence economics plays in the court of law.  The scale of justice s weighed not by the evidence, but by the cash placed on the scale.

But, it’s the request that troubles me in this situation.  Zimmerman’s legal team has the right to demand reimbursement for expenses. It’s common practice in cases involving second-degree murder.

Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney, told the Orlando Sentinel he's been paid nothing by Zimmerman but has kept billing records. O’Mara took the case on a pro bono basis, and now wants to be paid for he expenses he incurred to defend his client.

Can’t blame him for that.

With that being said, wouldn’t the wise move be to not push for the reimbursement?  Wouldn’t it serve the purpose of national healing for Zimmerman and his attorneys to concede enough damage has been done?  Couldn’t they simply walk away rather than forcing the state to pay for the trail?

Can’t we let this rest?  Just because you can doesn’t make it right.

Finally, should state taxpayers reimburse attorneys for expenses related to those cases that the prosecutors can’t prove? Is this a form of punishment for bringing the case to trial? How are expenses applied when the accused is forced, due to economic restrictions, to use a public defender?

Conclusion? The system is designed to support those with massive resources.

Mad again.

Saying goodbye to Durham after 25 years

Dorian Bolden, owner of the Beyu Café, has offered his space for a farewell party.  Join Carl W. Kenney II to celebrate his time in Durham on Sunday, September 22 from 4:30-8:00 pm.  Beyu Café is located at 335 W. Main Street. Due to limited seating, please Email: Malachi@Beyucaffe.com

36 days and counting.

The clock is ticking down on my time in Durham.  I’m leaving the place that has been home for 25 years.  Yes, it’s hard to say goodbye.  No, I didn’t want to leave.  I have no option but to leave.

I’m headed to Columbia, Missouri to take care of my dad, work on getting my recent novel published, finish writing the next novel and think seriously about what will be next.  I consider this a time away from the chaos to listen to the wind after moving too fast to hear my own heartbeat.

My decision to leave comes out of a deep obligation to take care of both of my parents.  Aging has not been good on my father, and he needs the love and support of his son.  Going home may not be best for me, but it is the only option given the variables facing me.

My departure comes after 11 years of attempting to recreate myself. I came to Durham to attend divinity school, establish myself as the pastor of a local church and to build long term relationships with the people in that church.  Things didn’t quite work out the way I hoped.

I’m glad they didn’t.

What happened was transformative.  I could blame a few key people for introducing me to the real work of social justice.  My studies at Duke University and the Princeton Theological Seminary forced me to connect my theology to the work of faith.  Oftentimes, I was left troubled at the activity of the Church.  That work seemed maligned by a need to maintain the influence of the Church as a corporate entity.  I became more politician and businessman, and attempted to find a way to be genuine in the exercise of my faith.

Yes, it came with a price. 

My release from the inner battle came when Bob Wilson asked me to write a column for the Durham Herald-Sun. Ironically, my first column was printed on my birthday, July 20, 1997.  My column appeared every Sunday on the editorial page until I decided to leave in 2005 to work for the Independent Weekly and the News & Observer-Durham News.

My columns have shaped my identity.  The combination of ministry and column writing has forced me to ponder questions and topics that mandate the pondering of accountability.  Much deeper than the desire to keep others accountable, the real issue has been in maintaining my own accountability to what I preach, teach and write about.

This has been a mission of learning.  It has also been one of sacrifice.  The hardest part has been fighting the urge to remain silent.  That combined with my commitment to never take a side, to stand on the outside as much as possible and to fight the temptation to refrain from writing due to the possible negative consequences that come with alienating people, has been a constant scuffle.

I’ve grappled long and hard with the assumptions people make.  My ministries – writing and pulpit – have attempted to expose the implications that come with standing in privilege.  I have refused to be defined by what others imagine due to what they see.  I am more than a black person.  I am more than a man.  I am much more than a Christians.  I’ve fought to maneuver a place of security by establishing a home within a community obligated to endorsing the agenda of a group. 

We all have positions of privilege that require being checked from time to time.  This truth has taught me a lesson about political systems.  They are, at the root, formed to negotiate positions of power and privilege.  Most are designed to promote and protect group and self-interest, and, more often than not, others are left demoralized by their agenda.

My work has forced me to maintain a level of personal accountability.  I’ve evolved over the years, often coming back to apologize for a misguided opinion.  Growth demands a willingness to separate oneself from their thought process.  We all should create space to rise above words rooted in limited information. 

I’ve learned the difference between a person’s opinion and that person.  I’ve discovered a community of hurting people.  Many serve as key leaders.  Some are hurting for reasons beyond their control.  Others suffer because of their mistakes.  All of them need a place to heal.  Healing is often preceded by a willingness to change.

Accountability.  That is the word that has molded my life and work.  The shift for me came after pondering the real significance of that word.  Accountability is about making decisions consistent with your personal mission statement.  It means being willing to stand and speak, even when doing so causes serious harm due to the people impacted  by those words and actions.

My move back to Missouri is for a season.  I’m not sure how long I will stay.  I do know the desire to Pastor is bubbling within.  As I wait for congregations to decide on my worthiness to serve, I continue to write.  I continue to fight for those unwilling or unable to speak.

I may return to Durham someday.  I’ve learned that it’s best to walk in faith.  Doing so means allowing the energy of the universe to lead the way.  I do know that leaving Durham is not a farewell.  Love has kept me here this long.  To all I love, distance will not change that.

I like to think of this as the continuation of a journey.  Each step is a lesson in life.  The blessing is in walking with those I call friends.  It’s not where you walk; it’s the people who hold your hand along the way.

Thanks for holding mine.

 

Colin Powell most recent to slam North Carolina lawmakers

Hey North Carolina, It’s time for a reality check.

What are you thinking, the rest of the nation is asking.  Most fail to understand the justification behind numerous actions.  Why is it all necessary? Why change things when nothing needed to be fixed?

Former U.S. Secretary of State and retired General Colin Powell is the most recent person to offer state leaders an old fashioned spank down. Speaking on Thursday at a gathering of top state business leaders in Raleigh, Powell attacked legislators for radical changes in the states voting system.

Powell said the state had a “fine system” before the passage of the photo identification law signed by the governor. 

Powell said he was speaking as a Republican. He said the party is turning off a block of voters that they need, and the states who forced voter restrictions witness an outpouring of black and Hispanic turn out at the polls.

Powell isn’t the first from outside the state to blast North Carolina’s Governor and state legislators.  Bill Mahr challenged Jay Z to use his considerable wealth to buy the state during the August 4 episode of Real Time.

Comedy Central’s comedian Stephen Colbert took stabs at North Carolina during the July 30 episode of The Colbert Report. He discussed the General Assembly passing a bill that removes the requirement that charter school teachers have a college degree.

“Great move,” Colbert says. “Who better to teach fifth grade than a sixth grader? It’s still fresh in his mind!”

 Colbert even discussed the state’s barbeque sauce.

“Who makes barbecue sauce with vinegar?” Colbert says. “That’s what you use to clean a toilet, and when I say toilet, I mean Charlotte.”

 Feeding on the ridiculous, Colbert mentioned a bill that would make it a felony to expose one’s nipple for the purposes of arousal.

 “So, North Carolina strippers: be sure to wear a sign on your chest that reads, ‘For Educational Purposes Only,’” he says.

 Colbert’s called those bills foreplay in comparison to a bill allowing those with concealed guns to bring them into bars and onto playgrounds.

 “Guns will make the whole playground experience much more fun,” Colbert says. “Instead of ‘duck, duck, goose,’ you can just play ‘duck, duck, duck!’”

North Carolina’s General Assembly and Governor have become common fodder in the New York Times. The editorial board at the Times wrote The Decline of North Carolina on July 9.  The editorial criticized state leaders on a wide-range of decisions.

“Republicans repealed the Racial Justice Act, a 2009 law that was the first in the country to give death-row inmates a chance to prove they were victims of discrimination,” the editorial states.  “They have refused to expand Medicaid and want to cut income taxes for the rich while raising sales taxes on everyone else. The Senate passed a bill that would close most of the state’s abortion clinics.”

On August 18, Albert R. Hunt’s A Sharp Turn to the Right in North Carolina was published in the New York Times.  Hunts perspective was presented as the Bloomberg View.

“For more than half a century, North Carolina has been progressive on education and public investments, and pro-business — witness the celebrated Research Triangle between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill and the financial center in Charlotte — with less racial strife than other Southern states,” Hunt began.

“As Republicans took full control of the state government in Raleigh, there has been a shift to the right. Taxes for the wealthy have been slashed, and spending for education and programs that benefit the poor has been cut. Abortion has been restricted, and guns rights expanded,” Hunt says.

“We’re turning back everything that made us different from other Southern states,” Hunt quotes Jim Goodmon, the chairman of CBC New Media Group and owner of the Durham Bulls Minor League baseball team. “With this shift, economic development is broken.”

Hunt cites other North Carolina business leaders regarding the state’s radical shift.

“Ronnie Bryant, the chief executive of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the area’s top economic development recruiter, recently complained to The Charlotte Observer that all the efforts of recent years to promote Charlotte as a business center ‘have been negated in the last few weeks’,” Hunt says.

Everyone seems to agree that North Carolina is headed in the wrong direction.  Despite the massive attention that has the nation believing the state wants to resurrect Mayberry, the Governor and those legislators are too bullheaded to shout uncle.

Look for more national embarrassment for the next three years.