November 29, 2012
BH 426
Lewis Reed, president of the city's Board of Aldermen last month announced his candidacy for St. Louis mayor. He is challenging incumbent Francis Slay who is seeking his fourth consecutive term in office. Slay was first elected in 2001, defeating incumbent Clarence Harmon and was easily re-elected in 2005 and 2009. My question is will next year’s race reflect the bitterness of some of the past struggles for control?
Some analysts believe this could become one of the hottest contested races in recent St. Louis history. Will race and ethnicity be relevant to the determination of who will occupy room 200 in City Hall?
The role of ethnic identity and how it frames the formulation of policies related to education, employment, housing, and public policy should not play a part in the upcoming contest, but it will.
Racism is always beneath the surface of political life in St. Louis and the fact that another African American is today a serious contender for the mayor’s office will undoubtedly bring out many African American politicians and longtime activists citing the legacy of hundreds of years of slavery, racism and oppression.
Some will bring to mind that Mayor Richard Hatcher hosted The National Black Political Convention in Gary, Ind., on March 10-12, 1972. It marked the first major gathering of diverse minds and agendas in Black politics, and inspired countless numbers to participate in the electoral process, and many will make the argument that it is again time for a positive change, while others will stress they will not allow the city’s race-based policies to be put in the spotlight.
Will the voters ask, while taking on the city's toughest challenges, which will be the most passionate about effective government? Will past contests have an influence in 2013?
From the archives of The St. Louis American, let us review some of the city’s most important elections involving and relating to the city as a whole and particularly African Americans.
In the March 17, 1977 edition, Farley Wilson wrote of “The Three-Ring Political Circus Has Race for Mayor in Turmoil”. It referred to Congressman William Clay Sr. entering the race for mayor as a write-in candidate supporting comptroller John Bass after his primary loss to Jim Conway. A peace deal was brokered by the late State Senator J.B. ‘Jet’ Banks.
In the Feb. 2-8, 1989 edition Sharon Green reported that Zaki Baruti and Clifford Wilson persuaded Ron Gregory to withdraw from the mayor’s race to allow Mike Roberts to challenge incumbent mayor Vincent Schoemehl. This edition also told of the withdrawal of Clifford Wilson from the comptrollers race to allow Virvus Jones to seek the office held by Paul Berra.
The Jan. 23-29, 1997 edition of The American featured Alvin Reid’s headline ‘Bosley and Harmon Talk-the Talk as campaign heats up’. The story described the tension between the two campaigns and centered some objections by Harmon of Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr. using the MLK Celebration as a political forum.
Will Slay become the first mayor to be elected to a fourth full four year term? He has the support of County Executive Charlie Dooley and Congressman Lacy Clay.
As an African-American and former member of the aldermanic black caucus, will Reed prevail in the city's predominantly black North Side and recapture the support he held in some white and middle-class wards south St. Louis?
Voters must decide between two men with fairly similar political viewpoints, but different leadership styles and faults.
Whether or not a controversy affects voter turnout will be evident after the election in March. In the meantime, it only adds to the growing cynicism surrounding political views locally.
The city is facing economic, crime, health and labor problems and it is important that whoever wins, they must come up with an agenda on how to unite the people and face these challenges. I can’t wait for March.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Tuskegee, Alabama! What a Great City!
October 25, 2012
BH 425
I hope this column presents an absorbing, yet a disturbing and timely glimpse into the history of African Americans in and around Tuskegee, Alabama.
Tuskegee was the name of a tribal town of the Creek Indians. It was also the name of at least two Indian tribes, one living in central Alabama and the other in Tennessee.
In the early part of the past century, Tuskegee was a city where whites passed laws that segregated, divested and disfranchised African-Americans. Laws that were enforced with violence and terror.
Nevertheless the city produced and established a momentous measure of pioneering achievement in American history, and a defining role in the growth of the country.
Our African American ancestors have suffered many unfortunate events such as The Tuskegee Experiment, where between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted an experiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. These men, for the most part uneducated sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease they were suffering from or of its seriousness. They were told that they were being treated for “bad blood.”
By the end of the experiment, 28 of the men had died directly of syphilis, 100 were dead of related complications, 40 of their wives had been infected, and 19 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis. The Tuskegee Experiment shows the impact of government propaganda and lies. Its impact lingers on society in general, and its influence on African American culture both in years past and today creating doubt as to who can be trusted.
Despite the discovery of penicillin in the 1940s and the civil rights movement that engulfed the Tuskegee area, and in the face of debates over questions of morality of this research raised in the 1950s, the study continued until 1972.
Tuskegee has been an important site in various stages of African American history. It is where, in 1881, Dr. Booker T. Washington, one of the foremost African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries founded what is now Tuskegee University.
As a young man in 1872, Booker T. left home and walked 500 miles to Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Along the way he took odd jobs to support himself. He convinced administrators to let him attend the school and took a job as a janitor to help pay his tuition.
In 1896 Dr. Washington invited Dr. George Washington Carver to head its Agriculture Department. Carver taught there for 47 years.
Dr. George Washington Carver, developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton, and became legendary for researching and experimenting with new uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans, pecans, and other crops.
Carver headed Tuskegee’s agriculture department, and conducted most of his research at Tuskegee from 1896 until his death in 1943.
He once said “how far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong because someday in your life you will have been all of these."
Many contributions of Black Americans from in and around Tuskegee have influenced our culture, enriched our society with their achievements, and shaped the history of the United States, such as, The Tuskegee Airmen.
Tuskegee is where nearly 1,000 Black military aviators were trained at a remote compound near the city of Tuskegee, and at Tuskegee Institute. As a result of this “Tuskegee Experiment” 450 Black fighter pilots were trained under the command of Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
Their squadrons flew more than 15,000 raids on 1,500 missions and shot down 112 German aircrafts. Together, they earned one Legion of Merit, one Silver Star, several Distinguished Unit Citations, 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, many Purple Heart medals, 14 Bronze Stars and 744 Air Medals. They fought for a country that classified them as second class citizens, or at times, denied they were citizens. They fought to prepare a new generation to live in a diverse, free world.
In 2007, as a group they received a Congressional Gold Medal for their service during World War II. Like many all-black units, their excellence was not officially recognized until years later.
We often hear that we are all equal, but action speaks louder than words, particularly when a white person’s death is referred to as a tragedy, while the death of a black person is a statistic.
From the book The History of Black Achievement in America, it states ‘against all odds, American blacks have created great art and science. They have fought heroically in every American war. Against all odds, black men and women have worked endlessly to secure their own freedom and equality. The untold Story of blacks in America is a 350-year saga of incredible achievements. This is that story.’
Dr. Carver gave us another quote saying “since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible’.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
BH 425
I hope this column presents an absorbing, yet a disturbing and timely glimpse into the history of African Americans in and around Tuskegee, Alabama.
Tuskegee was the name of a tribal town of the Creek Indians. It was also the name of at least two Indian tribes, one living in central Alabama and the other in Tennessee.
In the early part of the past century, Tuskegee was a city where whites passed laws that segregated, divested and disfranchised African-Americans. Laws that were enforced with violence and terror.
Nevertheless the city produced and established a momentous measure of pioneering achievement in American history, and a defining role in the growth of the country.
Our African American ancestors have suffered many unfortunate events such as The Tuskegee Experiment, where between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted an experiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. These men, for the most part uneducated sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease they were suffering from or of its seriousness. They were told that they were being treated for “bad blood.”
By the end of the experiment, 28 of the men had died directly of syphilis, 100 were dead of related complications, 40 of their wives had been infected, and 19 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis. The Tuskegee Experiment shows the impact of government propaganda and lies. Its impact lingers on society in general, and its influence on African American culture both in years past and today creating doubt as to who can be trusted.
Despite the discovery of penicillin in the 1940s and the civil rights movement that engulfed the Tuskegee area, and in the face of debates over questions of morality of this research raised in the 1950s, the study continued until 1972.
Tuskegee has been an important site in various stages of African American history. It is where, in 1881, Dr. Booker T. Washington, one of the foremost African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries founded what is now Tuskegee University.
As a young man in 1872, Booker T. left home and walked 500 miles to Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Along the way he took odd jobs to support himself. He convinced administrators to let him attend the school and took a job as a janitor to help pay his tuition.
In 1896 Dr. Washington invited Dr. George Washington Carver to head its Agriculture Department. Carver taught there for 47 years.
Dr. George Washington Carver, developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton, and became legendary for researching and experimenting with new uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans, pecans, and other crops.
Carver headed Tuskegee’s agriculture department, and conducted most of his research at Tuskegee from 1896 until his death in 1943.
He once said “how far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong because someday in your life you will have been all of these."
Many contributions of Black Americans from in and around Tuskegee have influenced our culture, enriched our society with their achievements, and shaped the history of the United States, such as, The Tuskegee Airmen.
Tuskegee is where nearly 1,000 Black military aviators were trained at a remote compound near the city of Tuskegee, and at Tuskegee Institute. As a result of this “Tuskegee Experiment” 450 Black fighter pilots were trained under the command of Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
Their squadrons flew more than 15,000 raids on 1,500 missions and shot down 112 German aircrafts. Together, they earned one Legion of Merit, one Silver Star, several Distinguished Unit Citations, 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, many Purple Heart medals, 14 Bronze Stars and 744 Air Medals. They fought for a country that classified them as second class citizens, or at times, denied they were citizens. They fought to prepare a new generation to live in a diverse, free world.
In 2007, as a group they received a Congressional Gold Medal for their service during World War II. Like many all-black units, their excellence was not officially recognized until years later.
We often hear that we are all equal, but action speaks louder than words, particularly when a white person’s death is referred to as a tragedy, while the death of a black person is a statistic.
From the book The History of Black Achievement in America, it states ‘against all odds, American blacks have created great art and science. They have fought heroically in every American war. Against all odds, black men and women have worked endlessly to secure their own freedom and equality. The untold Story of blacks in America is a 350-year saga of incredible achievements. This is that story.’
Dr. Carver gave us another quote saying “since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible’.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Dr. Woodson's Nightmare
BH 424
September 27, 2012
Recently on my daily radio program I noted that three of the seven African American students in the media classes that I teach at Webster University were disruptive and inattentive. While four are brilliant, attentive and anxious to learn, these three are completely opposite. One of the troubling episodes we discussed on the program occurred on a day that it was announced in the daily newspaper that another predominantly black school district will probably lose state accreditation.
This is disturbing because of the long term implications not only for the students, but for their families, the region as well as the impact on local and national politics, for uniformed students are usually not forward-looking about how their actions will influence their future and perhaps yours and mine.
I have many times in my columns used quotes from Dr. Carter G. Woodsons’1933 publication “The Miseducation of the Negro”, but what is even more profound and intricately more informative is the introduction in the book.
A portion read: ‘The most imperative and crucial element in Woodson's concept of mis-education hinged on the education system's failure to present authentic Negro History in schools and the bitter knowledge that there was a scarcity of literature available for such a purpose, because most history books gave little or no space to the black man's presence in America.
Some of them contained casual references to Negroes but these generally depicted them in menial, subordinate roles, more or less sub-human. Such books stressed their good fortune at having been exposed, through slavery, to the higher or white man's civilization. There were included derogatory statements relating to the primitive, heathenish quality of the African background, but nothing denoting skills, abilities, contributions or potential in the image of the Blacks, in Africa or America.
Woodson considered this state of affairs deplorable, an American tragedy, dooming the Negro to a brain-washed acceptance of the inferior role assigned to him by the dominant race, and absorbed by him through his schooling’.
The youths of the race were Woodson's particular concern because he recognized that it was with, the boys and girls that Mis-education began, later crystallizing into deep-seated insecurities, intra-racial cleavages, and interracial antagonisms. All of these factors have been discussed over and over in the immediate past, by historians, sociologists, psychiatrists, and laymen, but Dr. Woodson, and a pitifully small number of others, had pointed the way a full generation earlier.
What is frightening to me is that I am certain the three students I mentioned earlier will have no desire for self improvement, to help others, or even to register to vote or participate in the electoral process. Their minds, their future and their votes will be wasted. And that is a critical problem. In the forthcoming elections, every vote counts.
From the Web Page “Your Vote Counts” it verify ‘voting in any type of election, from local elections to Presidential primaries, provides an important way to voice your opinions regarding elected leaders and overall policies; voting also helps you decide your own future by electing a person who might reflect your own views. The ability to vote exists as one of the most cherished Constitutional Rights that many fought for, marched for, and died for over the centuries.’
Could these three students make a difference in the November elections? Would their votes support the candidate that will help them survive? How and when will they be convinced that education is the key to their survival, and their opportunity to fulfill their dreams and ambitions?
I am convinced Mitt Romney was referring to them and maybe their parents when he stated “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what these are people who pay no income tax. My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
I do not know what high school my students graduated from but I think they are from one of the unaccredited institutions that I mentioned earlier.
In 1935 W.E.B.DuBois wrote: ‘ race prejudice in the United States today is such that most Negroes cannot receive proper education in white institutions. Many public school systems in the North where Negroes are admitted and tolerated but they are not educated, they are crucified.
These three young people did not have to endure what Dr. Dubois described, but somehow their conditions are worse. They do not appear to have a dream or a vision of success. Are they spoiled or misguided?
The four who are studying, conscientious and dutiful may look forward to an industrious and creative life with many monetary rewards. The three that I focused on I am sad to say, I am not so sure.
I hope all of my students will have a productive future and I hope they will get involved in the electoral process and register to vote, and personally I hope if they do not vote for Mr. Obama, they will cast a vote against Mr. Romney. It’s my personal opinion and desire.
I sincerely hope the inattentive three will stop wasting my time, their time and their parents’ money and become the great leaders they are able to become.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Resurrecting Community Pride
August 23, 2012
BH 423
During the modern day civil rights movement African Americans were proud and energized. We encouraged our family and friends to pick up trash while walking in their neighborhood. We were also asked to report any suspicious activity along their route, sidewalk problems that would affect pedestrians, missing or damaged street signs, pot holes in streets, and any other issues that made our streets unsafe and unattractive.
We were full of pride.
We were especially uplifted walking or driving on streets, boulevards and avenues that reflected the names of our heroes and heroines. It was a movement that produced a new black cultural identity and were strutted black and proud. After 1968 we were particularly pleased with thoroughfares bearing the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
But that was then.
It is hard to believe that on April 4, 2012, forty-four years after Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, the city finally dedicated a street named in his honor.
More than 900 U.S. cities have streets named after King. The largest concentration is in the South, led by Georgia which, according to an article by Derek H. Alderman of East Carolina University in the New Georgia Encyclopedia, has more than 70 roads named after the Atlanta native. History is often bound up in street names and when the majority of these dedications were made the streets and neighborhoods had a vision of perpetual care with immaculate interest. But what happened? How did the dream of honoring the civil rights idol deteriorate? What happened to the pride of honoring Dr. King? How did these places in so many communities decline to conditions that have become the foundation of jokes and disrespect?
The comedian Chris Rock famously advised, 'If a friend calls you on the telephone and says they're lost on Martin Luther King Boulevard and they want to know what they should do, the best response is ‘Run!’. Is that funny or pathetic?
One magazine defined streets named for the martyr as: ‘A street in every major American city, commonly inhabited with large amounts of unemployed African Americans. In most cities among the top ten streets involved in gang shootings, drug busts, car thefts, and older white women and blacks of all ages’. How dismal is that?
But there is a movement to restore the streets and roads bearing Dr. King’s name. It is called ‘Beloved Streets of America’.
Headed locally by Melvin White, Kawana Williams and Barry Jarmon, the organizations missions is “bound by a united vision, Beloved Streets of America fosters collaboration among individuals, groups, and organizations and generates resources to revitalize and conserve streets bearing the honorable name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”.
White said ‘we envision a future wherein every street within the United States of America bearing the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is vibrant, beautiful, and prosperous.”.
Melvin White in a guest column in the American wrote : ‘A fight in the parking lot on 3100 MLK ends in the shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Cleveland, Ohio. Police in Oakland, CA are looking for suspects as shots were fired in the 2900 block of MLK; one person wounded and taken to the hospital. In Milwaukee, WI, at the corner of MLK and North Avenue, a victim, 28, is killed in apparent robbery attempt'.
These are so familiar stories of violence and poverty that echo across St. Louis and across America. Another familiar story is that these crimes all happened on streets named after our hero, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Why is it that a legendary figure like Dr. King is associated with so many crime-ridden, poverty-stricken areas that plague our nation? This is not fitting for a man who devoted his life to uplifting people and building community partnerships
Beloved Streets of America is out to change the perception of these MLK streets from being unsafe and dilapidated to beautiful and prosperous.
Beloved streets of America is a St. Louis-based non-profit organization that fosters collaborations among individuals, groups and organizations and generates resources to revitalize and conserve streets bearing the honorable name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is sponsoring Race to Revitalize: The National MLK Street Initiative. We aim to bring investors back to the community, start educational programs for youth, promote safety on the streets, bring culture back to these neighborhoods, create jobs, educate about the importance of green technology and more.
That’s why August 25 is so important. That’s when the inaugural MLK Legacy Walk will take place. We will meet at the St. Charles Rock Road Metrolink station at 8 a.m. this Saturday. The intention of the event is to bring city, county and all races together to bring these streets and King’s legacy the respect and honor they deserve. Help support this very important National movement. Let us all join the race!’
There is hope and perhaps again when we venture in any city or village or town that has a road, street or any path bearing the name MLK or Martin Luther King, we will feel good and swell up with glee and delight.
Let’s make it happen.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
BH 423
During the modern day civil rights movement African Americans were proud and energized. We encouraged our family and friends to pick up trash while walking in their neighborhood. We were also asked to report any suspicious activity along their route, sidewalk problems that would affect pedestrians, missing or damaged street signs, pot holes in streets, and any other issues that made our streets unsafe and unattractive.
We were full of pride.
We were especially uplifted walking or driving on streets, boulevards and avenues that reflected the names of our heroes and heroines. It was a movement that produced a new black cultural identity and were strutted black and proud. After 1968 we were particularly pleased with thoroughfares bearing the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
But that was then.
It is hard to believe that on April 4, 2012, forty-four years after Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, the city finally dedicated a street named in his honor.
More than 900 U.S. cities have streets named after King. The largest concentration is in the South, led by Georgia which, according to an article by Derek H. Alderman of East Carolina University in the New Georgia Encyclopedia, has more than 70 roads named after the Atlanta native. History is often bound up in street names and when the majority of these dedications were made the streets and neighborhoods had a vision of perpetual care with immaculate interest. But what happened? How did the dream of honoring the civil rights idol deteriorate? What happened to the pride of honoring Dr. King? How did these places in so many communities decline to conditions that have become the foundation of jokes and disrespect?
The comedian Chris Rock famously advised, 'If a friend calls you on the telephone and says they're lost on Martin Luther King Boulevard and they want to know what they should do, the best response is ‘Run!’. Is that funny or pathetic?
One magazine defined streets named for the martyr as: ‘A street in every major American city, commonly inhabited with large amounts of unemployed African Americans. In most cities among the top ten streets involved in gang shootings, drug busts, car thefts, and older white women and blacks of all ages’. How dismal is that?
But there is a movement to restore the streets and roads bearing Dr. King’s name. It is called ‘Beloved Streets of America’.
Headed locally by Melvin White, Kawana Williams and Barry Jarmon, the organizations missions is “bound by a united vision, Beloved Streets of America fosters collaboration among individuals, groups, and organizations and generates resources to revitalize and conserve streets bearing the honorable name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”.
White said ‘we envision a future wherein every street within the United States of America bearing the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is vibrant, beautiful, and prosperous.”.
Melvin White in a guest column in the American wrote : ‘A fight in the parking lot on 3100 MLK ends in the shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Cleveland, Ohio. Police in Oakland, CA are looking for suspects as shots were fired in the 2900 block of MLK; one person wounded and taken to the hospital. In Milwaukee, WI, at the corner of MLK and North Avenue, a victim, 28, is killed in apparent robbery attempt'.
These are so familiar stories of violence and poverty that echo across St. Louis and across America. Another familiar story is that these crimes all happened on streets named after our hero, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Why is it that a legendary figure like Dr. King is associated with so many crime-ridden, poverty-stricken areas that plague our nation? This is not fitting for a man who devoted his life to uplifting people and building community partnerships
Beloved Streets of America is out to change the perception of these MLK streets from being unsafe and dilapidated to beautiful and prosperous.
Beloved streets of America is a St. Louis-based non-profit organization that fosters collaborations among individuals, groups and organizations and generates resources to revitalize and conserve streets bearing the honorable name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is sponsoring Race to Revitalize: The National MLK Street Initiative. We aim to bring investors back to the community, start educational programs for youth, promote safety on the streets, bring culture back to these neighborhoods, create jobs, educate about the importance of green technology and more.
That’s why August 25 is so important. That’s when the inaugural MLK Legacy Walk will take place. We will meet at the St. Charles Rock Road Metrolink station at 8 a.m. this Saturday. The intention of the event is to bring city, county and all races together to bring these streets and King’s legacy the respect and honor they deserve. Help support this very important National movement. Let us all join the race!’
There is hope and perhaps again when we venture in any city or village or town that has a road, street or any path bearing the name MLK or Martin Luther King, we will feel good and swell up with glee and delight.
Let’s make it happen.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Pride or Shame?
July 19, 20112
BH 422
Recently there has been a lot of discussion with reference to a six year old child rapper from Florida named Albert Roundtree, Jr. who is featured in a sexually explicit video called “Booty Pop”. The video recording portrays the youngster as a pimp surrounded by scantily clad females shaking their buttocks in Albert’s face.
It is depressing and heartbreaking that many problems in our community that I and other journalists and bloggers continually write about do not go away and often the crisis does not get any better. Who would think that as much dialogue and debate the public has held relating to indecent and lewd videos that someone would have the audacity to exploit a six year old child and turn him into a porn star? Is this artistry or could it be considered child abuse?
Rap music has been at the center of the controversy, and while some argue First Amendment rights, artistic license and music reflecting the reality of life, others argue crass commercialism by "artists" and the music industry, and a total disregard for social responsibility. At a Senate hearing on "The Social Impact of Music Violence" the late Dr. C. Delores Tucker, founder and chair of the National Political Congress of Black Women stated "no corporation should be allowed to exist if engaged in activities that contaminates, poisons and infects the minds of children".
The website Helpguide.org indicates child abuse as more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse might be the most visible, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse and neglect, also leave deep, lasting scars. The earlier abused children get help, the greater chance they have to heal and break the cycle rather than perpetuating it. By learning about common signs of abuse and what you can do to intervene, you can make a huge difference in a child’s life.
I have brought his matter to our attention many times before. A few years ago in this column I asked has mass media such as rap music videos and so-called gangsta’ movies eroded our ideas of privacy and dignity in a way that makes self-respect more difficult to attain? Are students today more at risk because of self-destructive behavior, such as promiscuous sexual expression, drug use and violence?
A review of child welfare research by The American Psychological Association suggests that children of color and their families experience poorer outcomes and receive fewer services than their Caucasian counterparts.
Pediatricians with a specialty in adolescent medicine are keenly aware of how crucial music is to a teen’s identity and how it helps them define important social and sub-cultural boundaries. One study found that teens listened to music an average of 40 hours per week. I would assume six year olds would listen to nearly as much.
During the past four decades rap lyrics have elicited the greatest concern, as they compound the environment in which some young people increasingly are confronted with pregnancy, drug use, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases, injuries, homicide and suicide although proponents of free expression through the arts, maintain it is certainly not clear that this type of presentation of violence and sex leads to risky or copy cat behavior.
But there is hope. What do we know of little Albert’s parents or guardians? Are they aware of the consequences of their actions? Do they the history and struggle our people? Do they care? Is this exploitation or an expression of their child’s talent?
African American fourth graders with higher levels of racial and ethnic pride were found also to have higher academic achievement measured by reading and math grades in school and standardized tests, says the Penn State researcher who led the study.
Dr. Emilie Phillips Smith, associate professor of human development and family studies, says, "Parental racial and ethnic pride was also related to children's achievement in the study. In addition, children, whose teachers exhibited higher levels of racial-ethnic trust and perceived fewer barriers due to race and ethnicity, showed more trust and optimism. Children living in communities with higher proportions of college-educated residents also exhibited more positive racial-ethnic attitudes."
Do you have an opinion? Will little Albert grow up to emulate the denigrating behavior of Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and T-Streets? Might he appear in their videos such as “Money-Cars –Clothes and Hoes” or in a film with Serious Pimp and Kush Kingdom? Or maybe he wants to be in Kokanes’ video ‘U Hear Me”.
Or will his role model be President Barack Obama, or maybe attorney general Eric Holder, or Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King or the man who was known as Malcolm X? Does he or other young black innocent youths have a chance? Please express your opinion.
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Respect for Mr. Obama!
June 21, 2012
BH 421
The late Rodney King asked the question ‘can’t we all just get along’? It’s a great question, especially in this season of political unrest.
As the Romney and Obama campaigns advance, lies and defamatory material continue to spill from the Mitt Romney camp and infiltrate the campaign in order to gain attention of the electorate and discredit the president.
Mr. Obama recently opened his ‘African American’s For Obama’ campaign offices and released his operations first national radio spot targeting African Americans. The advertisement features the sung refrain, “We’ve got your back. Mr. President, we’ve got your back.” An Obama campaign official said that the campaign has gone up with ads on urban radio stations on matters such as Obama’s jobs plan, but that the new round of ads is the first specifically focused on African Americans, and within moments, the hate mongers and his enemies pounced on the president and his campaign.
Immediately the dirty tricks, the unethical, duplicitous and slanderous fabrications began oozing from the Fox Television Network and right wing radio and television talk show hosts. As you must know, in my opinion, the Republican Party, and Mitt Romney in particular, manufacture irrelevant, cruel and incorrect rumors or outright falsehoods designed to damage or destroy the president and his re-election efforts. The Republican parties’ negative ads used against Mr. Obama contribute to voter cynicism and apathy and are manipulative.
The Human Rights Education Association tells us “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democratic rights and freedoms. In its very first session in 1946, before any human rights declarations or treaties had been adopted, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 59(I) stating "Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated."
Freedom of expression is essential in enabling democracy to work and public participation in decision-making. Citizens cannot exercise their right to vote effectively or take part in public decision-making if they do not have free access to information and ideas and are not able to express their views freely. Freedom of expression is thus not only important for individual dignity but also to participation, accountability and democracy. Violations of freedom of expression often go hand in hand with other violations, in particular the right to freedom of association and assembly.
And the ACLU declared “Freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition; this set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression. The Supreme Court has written that this freedom is "the matrix, the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom." Without it, other fundamental rights like the right to vote, would wither and die.” But does this give Romney, the Republican Party and antagonists of the president license to deliberately lie?
And how can anyone justify repeatedly disrespecting the President of the United States?
The St. Louis American and other news outlets reported that President Obama was interrupted by a reporter shouting questions during his statement on immigration policy changes in the White House Rose Garden , and Barbara Espinosa, radio host of Arizona’s “Hair on Fire” called President Barack Obama the nation’s “first monkey president” live on the air.
It’s no secret that Mitt Romney’s campaign team has been making an effort to reach out to black voters but does Romney actually thinks he is able to turn African Americans against President Obama?
His latest attempt at reaching African American voters is the hiring of Tara Wall, a former newscaster, Republican National Committee senior adviser, George W. Bush appointee, and conservative columnist and deputy editorial page editor for the Washington Times. She was hired recently as a senior communications adviser to the Mitt Romney campaign to handle outreach to African Americans.
Romney also recently visited a poor black eighborhood to hear the concerns of local educators and community leaders in the streets of West Philadelphia but dozens of neighborhood residents shouted, “Get out, Romney, get out!”
The president’s radio ad emphasize “now, it’s time to move forward and finish what we started together. We have to show the president we have his back.”The spot also includes clips of Obama pledging to voters on the campaign trail not to cut back on health insurance for the poor or elderly or on programs such as Head Start to pay for upper-income tax cuts.
Do we have the president’s back?
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web at www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: HYPERLINK "mailto:berhay@swbell.net" berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
BH 421
The late Rodney King asked the question ‘can’t we all just get along’? It’s a great question, especially in this season of political unrest.
As the Romney and Obama campaigns advance, lies and defamatory material continue to spill from the Mitt Romney camp and infiltrate the campaign in order to gain attention of the electorate and discredit the president.
Mr. Obama recently opened his ‘African American’s For Obama’ campaign offices and released his operations first national radio spot targeting African Americans. The advertisement features the sung refrain, “We’ve got your back. Mr. President, we’ve got your back.” An Obama campaign official said that the campaign has gone up with ads on urban radio stations on matters such as Obama’s jobs plan, but that the new round of ads is the first specifically focused on African Americans, and within moments, the hate mongers and his enemies pounced on the president and his campaign.
Immediately the dirty tricks, the unethical, duplicitous and slanderous fabrications began oozing from the Fox Television Network and right wing radio and television talk show hosts. As you must know, in my opinion, the Republican Party, and Mitt Romney in particular, manufacture irrelevant, cruel and incorrect rumors or outright falsehoods designed to damage or destroy the president and his re-election efforts. The Republican parties’ negative ads used against Mr. Obama contribute to voter cynicism and apathy and are manipulative.
The Human Rights Education Association tells us “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democratic rights and freedoms. In its very first session in 1946, before any human rights declarations or treaties had been adopted, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 59(I) stating "Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated."
Freedom of expression is essential in enabling democracy to work and public participation in decision-making. Citizens cannot exercise their right to vote effectively or take part in public decision-making if they do not have free access to information and ideas and are not able to express their views freely. Freedom of expression is thus not only important for individual dignity but also to participation, accountability and democracy. Violations of freedom of expression often go hand in hand with other violations, in particular the right to freedom of association and assembly.
And the ACLU declared “Freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition; this set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression. The Supreme Court has written that this freedom is "the matrix, the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom." Without it, other fundamental rights like the right to vote, would wither and die.” But does this give Romney, the Republican Party and antagonists of the president license to deliberately lie?
And how can anyone justify repeatedly disrespecting the President of the United States?
The St. Louis American and other news outlets reported that President Obama was interrupted by a reporter shouting questions during his statement on immigration policy changes in the White House Rose Garden , and Barbara Espinosa, radio host of Arizona’s “Hair on Fire” called President Barack Obama the nation’s “first monkey president” live on the air.
It’s no secret that Mitt Romney’s campaign team has been making an effort to reach out to black voters but does Romney actually thinks he is able to turn African Americans against President Obama?
His latest attempt at reaching African American voters is the hiring of Tara Wall, a former newscaster, Republican National Committee senior adviser, George W. Bush appointee, and conservative columnist and deputy editorial page editor for the Washington Times. She was hired recently as a senior communications adviser to the Mitt Romney campaign to handle outreach to African Americans.
Romney also recently visited a poor black eighborhood to hear the concerns of local educators and community leaders in the streets of West Philadelphia but dozens of neighborhood residents shouted, “Get out, Romney, get out!”
The president’s radio ad emphasize “now, it’s time to move forward and finish what we started together. We have to show the president we have his back.”The spot also includes clips of Obama pledging to voters on the campaign trail not to cut back on health insurance for the poor or elderly or on programs such as Head Start to pay for upper-income tax cuts.
Do we have the president’s back?
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web at www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: HYPERLINK "mailto:berhay@swbell.net" berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
Monday, May 21, 2012
The President!
May 24, 2012
BH 420
I have been troubled by the recent debate because President Obama made his public announcement of his approval for same-sex marriage. Should it have created feelings of alienation or social isolation? Even though Obama's endorsement of gay marriage has placed some black pastors in an awkward position perhaps they should adopt a policy of “don’t ask-don’t tell” in the black church and end the argument.
Some Black voters and many black churches have long opposed gay marriage but they must realize that same sex marriage is not the issue, but marriage rights are the issue. As I discussed with Bob Law recently, African Americans must understand that it is alright to disagree with the president on certain issues, and yet support him.
A disturbing matter for me is some African Americans will say ‘the president is taking us for granted’. Don’t you understand we must be taken for granted? Romney takes white people and the Tea Party for granted.
It is distressing that president Obama will be criticized if he supports Black people and black agendas other than speaking at the NAACP and Urban League dinners and conventions. If he created a program designed specifically for the African American community, he will be accused of ‘playing the race card’, although Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and others opposing Mr. Obama inject some form of racism in their every word and action. It is a race thing and we should be truthful and honest. Why handicap the president?
‘Racial and Ethnic Identity and Development’ by Alicia Fedelina Chávez, Florence Guido-DiBrito state: Individuals often must filter ethnic identity through negative treatment and media messages received from others because of their race and ethnicity. These messages make it clear that people with minority status have a different ethnic make-up and one that is less than desirable within mainstream society.
Ebonya Washington noted white Republicans and Democrats are less likely to vote for their parties' candidate when she or he is Black, so who is really playing the race card?
Do you recall the president’s speech about race on March 18, 2008? He said “unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.
I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave-owners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”
It's time for black Americans to set aside our differences and prioritize our goals and agendas, and support the president. Mr. Obama will understand. Do you think Romney cares about you?
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
BH 420
I have been troubled by the recent debate because President Obama made his public announcement of his approval for same-sex marriage. Should it have created feelings of alienation or social isolation? Even though Obama's endorsement of gay marriage has placed some black pastors in an awkward position perhaps they should adopt a policy of “don’t ask-don’t tell” in the black church and end the argument.
Some Black voters and many black churches have long opposed gay marriage but they must realize that same sex marriage is not the issue, but marriage rights are the issue. As I discussed with Bob Law recently, African Americans must understand that it is alright to disagree with the president on certain issues, and yet support him.
A disturbing matter for me is some African Americans will say ‘the president is taking us for granted’. Don’t you understand we must be taken for granted? Romney takes white people and the Tea Party for granted.
It is distressing that president Obama will be criticized if he supports Black people and black agendas other than speaking at the NAACP and Urban League dinners and conventions. If he created a program designed specifically for the African American community, he will be accused of ‘playing the race card’, although Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and others opposing Mr. Obama inject some form of racism in their every word and action. It is a race thing and we should be truthful and honest. Why handicap the president?
‘Racial and Ethnic Identity and Development’ by Alicia Fedelina Chávez, Florence Guido-DiBrito state: Individuals often must filter ethnic identity through negative treatment and media messages received from others because of their race and ethnicity. These messages make it clear that people with minority status have a different ethnic make-up and one that is less than desirable within mainstream society.
Ebonya Washington noted white Republicans and Democrats are less likely to vote for their parties' candidate when she or he is Black, so who is really playing the race card?
Do you recall the president’s speech about race on March 18, 2008? He said “unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.
I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave-owners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”
It's time for black Americans to set aside our differences and prioritize our goals and agendas, and support the president. Mr. Obama will understand. Do you think Romney cares about you?
Please listen the Bernie Hayes radio program Monday through Friday at 7am and 4 pm on WGNU-920 AM, or live on the Web @ www.wgnu920am.com.
And please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24.
I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
Be Ever Wonderful!
Hotep!
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