Eric Holder is the Man!

For those of you who don't know, there has been quite an uproar recently over Attorney General Eric Holder's recent remarks regarding race and racism. During a speech to Department of Justice employees, the new attorney general called America a nation of cowards because of our collective refusal to have REAL dialogue about race relations with people who don't look like ourselves. He went on to assert that many Americans self segregate and on the weekends or weeknights immediately resort to hanging out with their comfortable group of friends, who often times look like them. Immediately there was a public outcry, saying that Holder's remarks were insensitive, racist, and downright uncalled for. Most of this outcry has come from the far conservative right. But forget what all the political pundits and talking heads are saying, what is really at the heart of the issue?

First off, American's need to grow tougher skin. Holder did not call any individual a coward. He was referring to our collective refusal to talk about the state of race relations in America. There is an unhealthy assumption that a dialogue about race or racism has to be a negative thing. Our country has made great strides since the civil rights movement, and not simply because there is a Black man sitting in the oval office. But really pause to think about Holder's comments, Holder is not calling people who don't have serious conversations racists. If he were then that allegation would implicate 90% of America. I often don't have serious conversations with my multicultural group of friends. Does that make me racist or a coward?

In this politically correct society, an allegation of racism, sexism or any other bias is really hurtful. America has been plagued by these problems for so long that they are now a taboo subject to even mention, let alone have open and honest dialogue about. We all have our prejudices one way or another, its apart of being human and living in a society still recovering from hundreds of years of legalized and widespread white supremacy. But if the shoe doesn't fit, then don't where it.

The vast majority of American's are not racist. This is a fact to be celebrated and not ignored. Americans are so obsessed with being politically correct and with being accepted that they jump on anyone who seems to be upsetting the status quo. In short, the cowardice comes from society at large and not necessarily at the individual level. An honest dialogue could open people up to perspectives that they may not have seen before. As I mentioned before, many Americans already are diverse in their relationships and associations so having honest dialogue shouldn't be a far stretch. More importantly, the dialogue could dispel certain myths that many Americans have, pseudo-truths or outright lies like, "there are more African Americans in prison than in college" or "All Asians like and are good at math" or "All White people listen to Coldplay". On a more serious note, an honest discussion could help address real societal problems like the continuing racial disparities in educational achievement, socio-economic status, and the infamous justice system.

America has come a mighty long way in race relations. But there is still work to be done. Holder is simply trying to facilitate change, not step on the toes of every self-righteous and patriotic American. After all, we can all benefit from having some friends that don't look like us.

What Inauguration Means to Me

The entire world is in desperate need of a change. With our country in the worse economic downturn since the great depression, golbal terrorism threatening innocent lives, continued problems with racial inequality and violence, and various global enviornmental and health concerns it's obvious that something needs to be done.

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States was nothing less than a historical occasion. The country has spoken and it is ready for a change. To think that we have come from Jim Crow and lynchings to a Black man in the oval office in the span of 50 years is both uplifting and a testament to the progress our nation has made.

While there is undoubetdly still work to be done, lets not miss the importance of the moment. It is fitting that Obama will be inaugerated on January 20th, just a day after we celebrate Dr King, the man who shared his vision of love and equality for all people some 46 years ago. In the midst of our celebration, we must remember that Obama is not the end all to our nation's problems. He can't do it alone.

Now the rest of America must rise to the occasion and once again show that they are a resilient people, capable of greatness the likes of which this world has never seen. America needs leaders now more than ever. It needs strong men and women who are unafraid to stand up for what is right and just. Everyone is no doubt wondering if Obama has what it takes to carry the load, but the real question is, are we doing our own part to help make change a reality?

Reaction to a Tragedy

While the rest of us were bringing in the new year with family and friends, eagerly anticipating everything that 2009 had to offer, an African American male in California was not so fortunate.
Oscar Grant, a 22 year old African American, was shot and killed on New Years Day in Oakland, California. The whole incident started when Bay Area Rapid Transit police (BART) responded to a fight at one of the metro stations. Once the fight wsa broken up, BART officers detained and handcuffed the three African American males, including Oscar, who had been in the scuffle. Video taken by several witnesses on their cell phone cameras show Oscar involved in a brief struggle with officers. Then while he was handcuffed and lying on his stomach one officer came and placed his knee on the man's head. Then another officer, 27 year old Johannes Mehserhle, pulled out his gun and shot him once in the back. The cell phone video showed the reaction from the stunned onlookers. Mehserhle himself appeared to be in shock, placing his hands on his head and looking around at the other officers. The other officers looked at him in disbelief. Several seconds pass before anyone attempts to give Grant any medical attention. He died a short time later.

Since then, there has been rioting and protests over the killing in the city of Oakland. Johannes fled to Nevada because of death threats he recieved after the killing. Within the last few days the officer was arrested and charded with the murder of Oscar Grant. It remains to be seen what will happen at the trial.

At this point there are more questions than answers. What started the fight that the officers responded to? What were the officers and Oscar Grant saying to each other while they struggled? Why did Mehserhle find it neccessary to draw a gun on an unarmed man? One thing is for sure, the video doesn't lie. While all this was happening the other two suspects were just sitting there handcuffed. No one else was struggling, no one attempted to run away. Oscar himself was unarmed and already handcuffed and pinned by an officer. Even if he was resisting, the use of a gun in this case was an unlawful and unnessesary escalation of force. And what about the officer's apparent surprise over the shooting? Mehserhle had been on the force for two years so this wasn't his first night on the job. The gun's safety should have been on. Better yet, the gun never should have been drawn.

It is important to remember that the entire story still hasn't been told. No one has yet interviewed Mehserhle to get his side of the story. The tragedy of the entire episode can't be overstated. Oscar leaves behind a wife and a little kid, a family that will never see their husband and father again. Meanwhile the community is out for blood. Several people have been arrested in the past few weeks for rioting and destrucion of property.
All of this could have been avoided if cooler heads would have prevailed. Even as an optimistic writer who thinks that race relations have come a long way in this country, there is obviously still work to be done. Police brutality is not a new phenomonon, but it is certainly one that statistics show disproportionately impacts minorities. Did Oscar die because he was Black? Was it because Johannes was White? These are not easy questions to answer.

Obviously the vast majority of police in America would not have acted in the way this officer did. Nor can this automatically be totally attributed to racism on the part of the officer. There could be many other factors that were responsible for this unauthorized use of force. Whatever the reasons though, it makes you wonder what it means to be a young Black man in America, especially when your life could be on the line. Our hearts and prayers are with the family of Oscar Grant. As to the question of Mehserhle's guilt or innocence, I can't say. That is for a jury to decide. What do you think?

Lessons from Hollywood

I'm sure almost all of you have heard about the Chris Brown and Rihanna incident by now. There are already many rumors about what happened. Did he cheat on her? Did she give him an STD? I'm not writing this to point the finger at Brown and to condemn him as a terrible person, even though I've lost all respect for the man. While it is true that most of what you hear on tv and the internet is probably not true, we have to look at the facts.

The LAPD has confirmed that a fight, rather a one sided beating took place on a street in downtown LA. Apparently the pop star couple had a disagreement that quckly escalated out of control. Rihanna's injuries were serious. She had huge bruises on both sides of her face and a bloody nose. She claims that Brown hit her several times closed fisted. Brown has no reported injuries from the incident and has been released on $50,000 bond pending his court appearance on March 3rd.

But it is more important to take a look at ourselves and our communities. Brothers the numbers are not good. The number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Black females experience intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males experience intimate partner violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races.

What gives? Is our collective image of manhood so perverted that we have to dominate our women in order to feel good about ourselves? To be fair, the survey where I got this data said that women and men are equally likely to swing first. But come on, the average man is more than capable of handling himself without resorting to violence. If she is tripping then just walk away. Because the sad truth is that, morality aside, the fastest way to lose your freedom, career, and future is to get locked up over a domestic dispute. No matter what really happened, people will usually side with the female, and with good reason.

We should be able to handle ourselves responsibly. Obviously it is wrong to hit any female, but it saddens me to see the statistics on what is happening to OUR women. 22 times more likely to be victims than women of other races? It's time to take a stand. We must never raise our hands in anger to any woman. We must also not be complicit if we know of a situtation where someone is being abused. Its time to break the cycle and stand up for what is right, or the American justice system will fix the problem for us.