Provident1898 and the Durham History Museum to discuss Black Capitalism: Lessons from Soul City

 

Lew Meyers remembers the days when Floyd McKissick, Sr. carried a vision for a city built and occupied by Black people.

In 1969, McKissick proposed Soul City, a community in Warren County, NC, to invest in Black businesses focusing on the development of Black economic power. Meyers served as the Executive Director of Soul City.

Meyers joins Floyd McKissick, Jr and Dr. Charmaine McKissick-Melton, children of the legendary civil rights leader and director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to discuss the impact of Floyd Sr’s unfilled dream at Black Capitalism: Lessons from Soul City on March 30 at Provident1898. The event begins at 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Nishani Frazier, associate professor of history and American studies at the University of Kansas, will join Meyers and the children of McKissick’s legacy. Floyd Jr follows in the footsteps of his father as a former North Carolina State Senator and Charmaine is a former associate professor at North Carolina Central University.

McKissick envisioned three villages housing 18,000 people with jobs in industry, retail, residential housing and services. Soul City promised a place to work, go to school, shop, receive health care and worship on Sunday morning. A place for Black people to prosper in a community removed from limits imposed by institutionalized racism.

The vision preceded the collective pleas of the Black Power Movement. It emerged before Black Power became a slogan and “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” became the anthem of resistance for Black people. Soul City received a grant of $14 million in 1972 from HUD. North Carolina added $8 million in resources before Senator Jesse Helms attacked McKissick vision of Black capitalism.

Meyers, also McKissick’s son-in-law, will join in a family conversation regarding what happened to the once bold vision of Black capitalism. The decline of Soul City in 1975 is the result of several factors – a dwindling national economy, negative press coverage aligning Soul City to the separatist rhetoric of the Nation of Islam and the criticism of Helms and other politicians.

What happened to the vision in support of Black capitalism?

The dream for local Black economic development began in 1898 when John Merrick, the son of a slave, joined with investors to form the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association. The business of the company increased from less than one thousand dollars in 1899 to a quarter of a million in 1910. The discussion on Black Capitalism: Lessons from Soul City is held in the building symbolic of the potential of McKissick’s dream.

As Carl Webb, one of the owners of Provident1898, walks through the space he helped create to manifest the ongoing dream of Black capitalism in Durham, questions linger.

What happened to Soul City?

Why is it so hard for Black people to build beyond the vast disappointment of the promise of McKissick’s vision?

Can we resurrect Soul City?

Please use this link to register: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-capitalism-lessons-from-soul-city-tickets-593220166487?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

 

  

City Council member DeDreanna Freeman says she will always fight a bully

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Durham City Council member DeDreanna Freeman says her profanity-filled outburst after a recent city council meeting is her response to the actions of a bully.

 A reporter with WRAL recorded on camera an argument between Mayor Pro-Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton and Freeman after members of the city council discussed censuring Monique Holsey-Hyman for two alleged inappropriate actions.

“Get off of me, get off of me. This is how you treat Black women,” Freeman yells in an argument revealing deep hostility between the council members.

“Because I made her. Because I made her,” Middleton responds. 

“She can think for her fucking self, just like every single woman here” Freeman fights back in an exchange that has people wondering about what else happens behind closed doors.

“There will never be a time when I watch a person attempt to take a woman down and not say something,” Freeman said in an interview after the altercation. “If there was an investigation to prove a censure, I would be the first in front of the line, but when you accuse a person with no evidence, I will always defend a person.”

Holsey-Hyman is accused of offering support to a developer in exchange for a campaign donation. In a statement prepared before the reading of the resolution to censure Hosley-Hyman, Mayor Elaine O’Neal said the alleged action will be referred to state law enforcement and could lead to criminal consequences.

Councilwoman Jillian Johnson wrote and introduced a resolution to censure Holsey-Hyman for allegedly engaging a city staffer to work on her campaign. Middleton, Johnson, Leonardo Williams and Javier Caballero support the resolution.

O’Neal does not support the resolution.

“Last night, I did receive a draft of a resolution from a council person that had my name down as a signee. From my understanding, a resolution had never been signed and I ask that my name be removed from that resolution,” said O’Neal. “I also admonish anyone who uses my signature in a manner that I didn’t give you permission for to know you do not have permission to do that.”

Blurred lines and potential conflicts of interests

Holsey-Hyman often sides with O’Neal and Freeman against development proposals that require the approval of the city council. Freeman says the move to censure Holsey-Hyman is Middleton’s payback for refusing to follow his leadership.

“There’s something to be said about a group of people who call for social justice while refusing to protect the rights of a Black woman,” said Freeman. “They’re not looking for an actual investigation. They got what they wanted. They have four votes and pushed right through it.”

Freeman says a real investigation may require consideration of potential misconduct of every city council member.

“If they want an investigation. Investigate everything,” said Freeman. “I’m Ok with you censuring me. I’m gonna stand right here and support this Black woman.”

Middleton is rumored to be dating Karmisha Wallace, chief of staff in the city manager’s office. The allegation raises latent conflict of interest issues with profound implications related to the management of the city.

It matters that Johnson, a Black woman, wrote and read the proposed resolution to censure Holsey-Hyman. Freeman’s profanity-laced attack, combined with Middleton’s response, places Black women in the center of a conversation involving what it means to protect the hearts of Black women.

Is this a story about accountability or is this a story involving who manages power on the city council?

While at it, ask yourself, what does it mean to make a Black woman?

 

 

 

Black Men Matter: Durham Public School Board to select a new member

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Commentary- It matters when a Black man is in the room.

Black men matter. Black men matter.

Black men are dying. Black men are caught within a vicious cycle that is complicated to understand. It matters when Black men show up because problems related to Black men are too vast for most people to fully understand.

It is why I weep whenever I consider the current state of the Durham Public School Board of Education. There is no Black man on the board. Not one.

Can I repeat, Black men matter.

Members of the current board vote on Thursday, March 15 to replace Matt Sears, a white man, after he resigned on Jan. 31 to join the Durham Public School Foundation. Sears accepted the job after voters elected him to another term in May, giving the board the power to select his successor.

The process smells like week old fish – funky. The developments leading up to Sears exit from the board reveals activity tainted by politics, conflicting interests and questionable ethics. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it stinks.

Xavier Cason left the school board to become the new Director of Community Schools and School Transformation. Sears is Director of Partnership, another position created and filled by a school board member. Not illegal, but it is funky.

Four candidates have emerged to fill the vacant seat. Apryle Lawson Daye, a real estate agent and paralegal, Jessica Friedlander, a mentor at Duke TeachHouse, Jessica Carda-Auten, a public health researcher at UNC and  Kevin Primus, a local business owner, teacher and coach.

Primus is a Black man. His background and experience protrude above the rest. He has education credentials. He has experience. He is a parent of Durham Public School students. He has dedicated time in service to the Durham community.

Did I mention he’s a Black man?

Some members of the board may say it doesn’t matter. They may push for a less qualified candidate with a pitch promoting the narrative of a better fit. They may talk about board chemistry. They may suggest there’s more to the selection than what can be seen on paper and what is heard during the interviews. They may tell us to trust their judgement more than our gut feelings.

There is a deeply inherent problem when a Black man isn’t chosen because of the assumptions of the powerful people in the room. There is a message which transcends the story line of group cohesion. It involves what we instruct Black boys about what it takes to sit at the table. It involves the integrity of a process aimed at selecting the best qualified person for any position.

The actions of board members matter as much as the curriculum taught in classrooms. Integrity matters. It matters when Black men are chosen because they deserve to sit in the room. It also matters when they aren’t selected because of politics more committed to controlling the room.

It matters when Black boys see a Black man on the school board. It matters when Black men are represented to undo stereotypes about Black men. Beyond teaching the way, we need systems committed to equity, inclusion and accountability.

“Professor Kenney, I’m so glad to have you teaching this class,” a Black male student at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill said after class. “You are my first Black male teacher. Ever.”

The truth startled me. I considered my own story. My first class with a Black man teaching didn’t happen until my sophomore year in college. The absence of Black men impacts the identity of Black boys. It matters when Black men show up in rooms to display unlimited possibilities.

Black men are not looking for special treatment. We are not looking to be selected because we are Black men. We simply do not want to be dismissed when we are the most qualified in the room. We do not want to hear excuses for not being chosen. We desire being chosen because it is the right thing to do.

Black men work hard to be seen and heard. In a school system with enormous problems related to reaching and nurturing Black boys, we refuse to accept a narrative that excludes the significance of our presence.

Kevin Primus is a Black man.

Yes, that Black man matters.

And, yes, he is the most qualified person in the room.

 

Chris Rock and the slap that triggers rage

Rev-elution returns after a hiatus to discuss the Chris Rock Netflix comedy special. Support local, Black owned, Black focused, independent journalism  with a contribution to at: Cash App ($CMizzou) or Venmo (@Carl-Kenney-1)

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So, can I offer a confession? Thanks. Take a seat and rest your mind.

 

"Selective Outrage", the Chris Rock Netflix comedy special, triggered me. It opened old wounds that I’ve spent years and too much money in therapy to overcome. Watching Rock on that stage reminds me of how difficult it can be to deal with trauma when doing so demands onloading personal feelings in public view.

 

I am sad that “we,” the consumers of art, require this type of display. I lament anyone forced to address their rage due to an unspoken obligation to feed the curiosity of folks consumed with rumors and stuff that ain’t none of our business.

 

I recognize that look on Rock’s face. I understand wanting to be left alone to heal from the shame of being slapped for doing your job. I recognize that strut aimed at keeping pace with a heart beating too fast after a year of hearing your name tendered for twitter feed.

 

It is safe to say it comes with the paycheck. Reports claim Netflix contract pays Rock $40 million to expose all that pain. Let the one among us willing to say no to all that cash to cast the first stone. Is the payday enough to resolve the agony of the slap?  Who wants to turn the other cheek?

 

Yes, it comes with the job. Yes, people get paid to share their rage. Yes, it is what the public desires. Sadly, folks crave watching others bleed.

 

I understand the fascination. I watched it. Since watching it, I have read what people have to say. “It isn’t funny.” “Rock is disrespecting women.” “He needs therapy.”

 

Duh! All of that may be true, but help me understand. How do you get to the other side of pain when everyone demands hearing you help them take a trip into your personal business?

 

My direct response, after reading the slew of comments on social media, regards it ain’t none of our business. True; however, this is what happens when our business gets interrupted with a slap changing our Oscar night celebration. We witnessed it. We heard it in real time – the Prince slapped Rock proving he “Hates Chris.”

 

We, the viewers of this mess, believe we deserve an explanation. It happened to Will and Jada, their children, Venus, Serena, and Rock. It happened to Questlove, the winners, nominees and the people who produced the show. Yup, it happened to you and me – all of us were harmed by what happened a year ago this week.

 

All of that is true, but no one, and I mean no one, experiences the rage related to that night more than Chris Rock.

 

So, after that long introduction to place my feelings within context, let’s talk about my trigger. Yeah, the one that felt like gunfire on my face after being slapped by the leaders of a congregation. That hurts. Like Rock, I continue to hear Gospel tunes ringing in my head.

 

It is not the first time I have been slapped. Brock slapped me when I was 14. He was six years older. He broke his hand after bruising my face. I have endured being slapped over a dispute regarding a girlfriend. Love triangles are painful for a variety of reasons. Ouch. Been there. Done that.

 

Being slapped is common. What hurts more is being slapped for doing your job. What hurts more is being slapped in public view.  What hurts even more than that is being slapped in public view while having to take the punch because doing otherwise only makes matters worse.

 

Let me make it clear for the people who don’t understand Black folks religion. I got slapped by the church, in public, for doing my job. I got slapped for following my call – like telling a joke – and watched people share opinions related to the validity of the slap.

 

The church slapped me for expounding a theology of inclusion. They slapped me due to a divorce and unfounded rumors regarding things that ain’t none of their business. They slapped me for promoting and protecting the ordination of women in ministry. They slapped me for writing columns rooted in the message of Jesus and extending the work of the Church to include the needs of the least among these.

 

I’m triggered after hearing faith leaders scream, “keep our church name out of your mouth,” followed with a slap of rejection.

 

Watching Chris Rock on that stage triggers so many emotions. Like, my screaming, “I am not a victim”. Like, the desire to share what no one has the right to hear. Like, the movement of a wounded man who seeks to use comedy to inspire and heal.

 

And how can they tell jokes when there’s so much rage?

 

And how can they preach when the slap of rejection still hurts decades after shame consumes every step they take?

 

Triggering is a mothersucker.

 

Inhale, exhale, release.

 

I repeat, I am not a victim!