Category Archives: POLITICS

POLITICS

Not Totally Clarence’s Fault: Why There Is More Blame To Go Around Regarding The Ending of Affirmative Action than Justice Thomas

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I am unsure if anyone with an ounce of common sense is surprised that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the use of Race in student admissions. In a 6-3 majority ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the use of Race in school admissions “violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Most progressives understood long ago that this ruling was inevitable.

It was a foregone conclusion that Clarence Thomas would vote against using Race in school admissions. There is no need to rehash that Affirmative Action was a prerequisite to Thomas’ access to higher education that positioned him for an opportunistic climb to the Supreme Court. Once he arrived on the Court, Thomas displayed an insatiable desire to block the path he traveled for fellow Blacks in a legendary manner. Simply put, Thomas has repeatedly proven to be no friend of Black America.

The most troubling aspect of Clarence Thomas’ position as a Supreme Court Justice flows from his uncanny yet reliable penchant to operate without considering historical context. On the surface, Thomas’s place in the recent decisions that “the color of a person’s skin is irrelevant to that individual’s equal status as a citizen of this nation” is a reasonable interpretation of the 14th Amendment. Unfortunately, his position flounders when placed within a larger context of racial conflict that began in 1619 when the first “half-free” persons of African descent arrived in the Jamestown Colony.

The level of historical illiteracy one must be constrained by to ignore Race as the most influential determining factor in a citizen’s fortunes in this land is astonishing. While it is theoretically correct that “the color of a person’s skin is irrelevant to that individual’s equal status as a citizen…” everything, and I do mean everything, about this discussion changes when the descendants of enslaved Africans enter the conversation. I fear that the present emotional furor regarding the Affirmative Action decision will cause my people to unwisely place total responsibility for the ruling on Clarence Thomas’ puny shoulders because he is not solely to blame for the ending of Affirmative Action.

In many ways, this regretful moment began when Civil Rights Leaders allowed the narrative surrounding Affirmative Action, a non-monetary reparations program intended to repair Black injury caused by institutionalized state-sponsored racial discrimination (Jim Crow, Black Codes, Racial Discrimination, Prejudice, etc.), to expand inexplicably and needlessly cover non-Black “minority groups.” One can attribute this unwise decision to political naivete or an astounding inability to advance Black rights with the necessary seriousness.

During the identity-politic-driven 1960s, multiple groups, from the LGBTQ+ to Feminist groups trained within the Civil Rights Movement, branched off and advanced their political agendas. The historical record shows that they successfully applied lessons learned during the Civil Rights Movement. Regardless of non-Black groups’ propagation of suffering and marginalization, their suffering pales compared to Blacks, the foremost victims of state-sanctioned discrimination from America’s founding.

Black political leaders have often refused to emphasize that Blacks were the only intended beneficiaries of the government initiative during Affirmative Action’s creation. Instead of demanding that the programs remain focused on Blacks and explaining why this must occur, they inexplicably worked to include other groups with no claim to the program. Maybe Black political leaders thought they were being politically savvy by forming alliances with other “minority” groups and collecting political currency to use later. I am bewildered that the above political leaders would vacate one of the few advantageous political positions Blacks have ever possessed. In hindsight, it is evident that this move to include others was a miscalculation as it is a “minority” group that led the charge to dismantle Affirmative Action when it served their interests.

In the end, the narrative that the blame for the decline of Affirmative Action must be solely laid at the feet of Clarence Thomas is a false one that allows a host of other culprits to be acknowledged for their role in dismantling Affirmative Action. This was not a good day for Black America as it once again displayed Black political leaders’ comprehensive ineptitude. Yet, Blacks will again fail to hold their political leaders accountable for their failings due to a stupefying political illiteracy that guarantees their marginalized status for yet another generation.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2023

 

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African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, EDUCATION, POLITICS

A Few Thoughts Regarding Why Many Black Men Will Not Be Voting In This Year’s Election: It’s A Missed Opportunity

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Y’all telling me that I need to get out and vote, huh, why?
Ain’t nobody black running but crack-kers, so, why I got to register?
I’m thinking of better shit to do with my time!!!!!

Andre 3000 (OutKast)

 

The criticism hurled at Black males always increases during political season. One could set their clock by it. Politically engaged Black men realize they are destined to be blamed when a candidate such as Stacey Abrams loses while receiving little of the celebratory kudos when Barack Obama ascends to the Oval Office.

As with most things involving Black men, the injection of their presence into political discussion problematizes matters exponentially. Predictably, much discussion about Black men and the franchise occurs without their input. We are frequently relegated to lab mice commented upon by political talking heads.

If only the political pundits that speak with unwarranted authority resting on little more than copious amounts of historical illiteracy regarding America’s convoluted racial history abandoned such foolishness, they may learn that Black males’ non-participation is attributable to the perceived irrelevance of American politics. Far too many poor and working-class Black men have been positioned in a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation. OutKast’s Andre 3000 insightful lyric that he is “thinking of better shit to do with my time” sums up many Black males’ view of the worthlessness of political engagement.

It is difficult to argue against well-known data that highlights Black men lagging behind their contemporaries in a host of areas such as:

  • Educational Achievement
  • Life-Expectancy
  • Income
  • Incarceration Rates

When one considers that we are all conversant on the myriad issues facing Black men, it is time that we begin searching for solutions to the above societal maladies.

The most crucial question facing Black America should revolve around Black men’s inability to recognize that their past, present, and future plights are inextricably linked to the political arena.

Unlike many of my contemporaries, I place the blame for Black males’ withdrawal from the political arena at the feet of Black America. I fully realize that it is a contentious thought to place the blame for Black male struggles in the political arena at the feet of our kind; however, such an assignment is the only one capable of alleviating the matter. Put simply, if we don’t own this problem, we will never take the definitive steps to mitigate it.

As has been consistently stated by those interested in uplifting Black males, “no one is coming to save you Black man.” Hence, we must educate our own in regard to history, politics, culture, economics, etc. Relevant education is the only path capable of reversing the unfortunate pattern of Black men ignoring the political process. I am sure that you agree that an absence of understanding regarding politics guarantees Black America will continue to reap the worst things this society has to offer.

The onus is on Black educators to teach, re-teach, and teach important life-saving material to their brethren. Yet, those in desperate need of such illumination also have a responsibility to listen and learn from those experts who are willing to teach.

We must never forget that “WE ALL THAT WE GOT!!!!!”

 

POLITICS, RACE

Here We Go Again: The Looming Battle for Affirmative Action — It Does Not Look Good For Black America

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There may be no more difficult lesson to teach Blacks than the following one. The battle for racial equality will never end. ­The struggle will never end, but Blacks must also be mindful that opposing forces threaten their “victories” every moment. The concept of an irreversible gain in the American political system does not exist—anyone doubting the above needs to look no further than the anticipated reversal of Affirmative Action. The Affirmative Action issue landed in front of Supreme Court Justices 44 years ago with the Regents of The University of California v. Bakke.

The looming threats to Affirmative Action display why Blacks must be more vigilant regarding Black political and legal gains. Hilary Clinton’s failure to get Blacks out to vote during an uninspiring Presidential bid will serve as the foundation for decades of challenges to hard-fought legal rights gains for Blacks and many other groups in the new millennium. The above-anticipated challenges guarantee an uphill battle for the foreseeable future.

The long-term consequences of Donald Trump’s Presidency extend further than white supremacists and conspiracy theorists’ public appearances. The most significant accomplishment of the Trump Presidency was the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Please make no mistake; today’s overwhelmingly Conservative Supreme Court will dismantle what were always tenuous rights regarding Indigenous people, the LGBTQ community, and other people of color. The most violent assault the U.S. Supreme Court can execute against Black America is the dismantling of Affirmative Action. The dreaded moment that politically astute Leftists feared was inevitable is upon us.

Only the politically naïve are shocked that the present debate over Affirmative Action nearly seven decades after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision that desegregated American schools is occurring. All surprised by this latest attack fail to recognize that a central pillar of this nation is white America’s determination to turn back the hands of time opportunely.

Challenges to Affirmative Action from places such as Harvard University and the University of North Carolina will eventually mute race as a factor in collegiate admissions. This issue of how impactful race should be in the college admissions process has been debated around for decades by Supreme Court Justices. Over time, we have witnessed opinions pivot from race being permissible to it now being a mere “plus factor” during the selection process. I fear that this latest manifestation of the U.S. Supreme Court with its three Trump nominees will deal the final blow to Affirmative Action.

Trust me when I say this is an awful moment for Black America. Yet, Black organizations and leaders have said little about this colossal development. There may be no more frustrating element to working on behalf of my people than prominent Blacks and the organizations they head remaining silent in the face of disaster. The looming attack on Affirmative Action may not be sensational enough for such people.

Yes, the battle for Affirmative Action is not as shocking as white law enforcement officers’ unjust killing of a Black man on American streets. No dramatic footage is associated with significant issues such as Affirmative Action, gerrymandering, and red lining. However, the consequences of such measures appear on the dashcam and body cam footage of law enforcement officers murdering an unknown Black man, woman, or child.

It is past that Black America abandons being so reactionary to sensational media-driven occurrences and applying a strategy toward being politically educated and astute because the failure to do so will result in Black America continually losing against well-organized adversaries. The old saying goes, “if you do what you always did, you gonna get what you always got.”

Let’s work to get racial equality; that would be different for Black America.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2022

 

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You can always contact me at ManhoodRaceCulture@gmail.com with ideas and issues that you would like to have addressed.

 

 

 

African-American History, POLITICS

Have The Chickens Come Home to Roost?: Why Contemporary Black Activists Behave as if They Have No Understanding of Revolutionary Struggle

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In August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson, the character Doaker issues the following quip about time and how there is no way to stop it. According to Doaker, “Time go long, time go long.” For each of us, “time is the only thing that God ain’t making no more of.” Yet, questions regarding the evaporation of time rarely extend beyond biological deterioration; as we age, our bodies change. A student’s comment pushed me beyond that limited understanding of the impact of time.

During a recent discussion of Marlon T. Riggs’ Ethnic Notions, for a reason I cannot recall, a failing that I attribute to the impact of time on my mind, I was responding to a student’s question of “What occurred after JFK was killed in Dallas?” I proceeded to mention Kennedy’s vice-president Lyndon Baines Johnson’s, commonly termed LBJ, impact on Black America by signing the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965). To my dismay, an unknowing student raised his hand and asked, “What does LeBron James have to do with this?” Initially, I did not understand the comment. However, after a few moments, I realized this young man associated the initials LBJ with NBA superstar LeBron James, not President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

 

I place the blame for such disassociation from the US History record on a host of culprits whose actions ensure that Black youth will fail to achieve the success levels of their parents or even grandparents.

Not a semester expires where a student does not attempt to drive home the silly notion that any occurrence before 2000 is “back in the day” and irrelevant to their tenuous present or uncertain future. The inherent dangers of such thinking disassociate African American youth from a past filled with vital information regarding survival strategies their ancestors used to weather the storms of life in a nation that many call a white man’s country.

Not a semester goes by that I am not saddened by African American students’ historical ignorance and illiteracy. Beyond the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks, Black students tend not to know other Civil Rights icons such as Bayard Rustin, Fannie Lou Hamer, or even a surface-level understanding of Black Nationalist icons Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, or Assata Shakur.

Truthfully, when I see one of my young charges with a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of Tupac Amaru Shakur (2Pac) or Christopher Wallace (The Notorious BIG), my spirit is lifted. However, when I realize that something as familiar as a T-shirt purchased from Target is no reason to believe that the one it adorns is politicized or revolutionary-minded.

Conservatives have successfully executed long-range goals to control what books are allowed in the libraries of American classrooms ensuring that African American children will continue languishing in a worsening purgatory locked away from their documented historical past. Making matters worse, Black organizations that should be opposing such attacks remain mired in ineffectual reactionary protests that fail to even hint at liberating Black America. Present-day activists can’t teach aspiring young activists about revolutionary struggle because relevant experience displays how little they know about the activity.

I agree with Huey P. Newton’s assertion that the revolution belongs to the young. However, I fear post-Civil Rights activists and groups’ failure regarding how to fight leaves aspiring new millennium activists with the necessary tools.

Far too often, Black activism presents itself as a one-trick pony of reactionary public protests and riotous behavior. Opponents of Black rights must react with glee when they see the old playbook and strategies in the hands of a new generation. Those who seek to increase their freedom quotient by snatching away Black rights have also used a predictable yet highly effective playbook that goes as follows.

  • Donate money to political campaigns.
  • Volunteer for political campaigns.
  • Run candidates that view the world through your lens.
  • Holding the elected officials’ feet to the fire once they’re elected.

As stated above, this is a familiar playbook that any group, regardless of Race/ethnicity seeking to increase its access to power, has implemented for decades.

One can only wonder when unfortunate Black traditions such as phrase-mongering, rioting, and reactionary activism give way to tried-and-true uplift activities that other groups have implemented to ascend out of their marginalized socio-economic position. Such activism is effective yet, considered relatively mundane as it is devoid of public performance and theater. If Black leaders abandoned their propensity to talk so much and modeled a traditional grassroots activism, the African American collegians that I lecture to daily would have some understanding of from whence they come and an inkling of where they should head.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2022

 

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You can contact me at ManhoodRaceCulture@gmail.com with ideas and issues you would like to address.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY, POLITICS, RACE

A Shameless Motley Crew: How the Absence of Morality is Fully Displayed Yet Again by Republican Senators

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Fifty-five years ago, Thurgood Marshall, a top General in Charles Hamilton Houston’s brigade of young Black civil rights attorney whose victories across the South reminds the historically literate of General Ulysses S. Grant’s scorched Earth policy throughout Confederate lands, sat through Senate confirmation hearings to become this nation’s first Black Supreme Court Justice.

During an extremely contentious hearing over fifty years ago, a group of White segregationist Senators did their best to stir up constituents’ fears by evoking the imagery of Black Civil Rights and Black Power activists battling White law enforcement officers seeking to prevent a violent revolutionary overthrow of America. Even the politically unsophisticated were capable of recognizing the insinuation that if Thurgood Marshall, a relatively Conservative Black man in his own right, were confirmed that anarchy would reign in American streets.

The unfair characterization of Marshall was not the subtle “dog whistle” that many term such moments. Public attacks on Marshall were unfair intentional mischaracterizations of a man who had served as one of Charles Hamilton Houston’s foremost “levers for social justice.” Over half of a century ago it was Thurgood Marshall being raked over the coals by ardent segregationists via an argument tailored to stoke White folks irrational fears, today it is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson being dragged over similar coals by a more sophisticated yet equally evil intentioned cadre of Republican Senators.

Yesteryear, White segregationist Senators argued that if Justice Marshall were confirmed, the White man would no longer stand a chance in a nation founded by their ancestors. Today, a slicker talking yet similarly intentioned cadre of White Senators are doing their best to evoke thoughts among their supporters that if Judge Jackson, the princess of Critical Race Theory and pedophilia according to the alluded Senators, is confirmed White society is doomed.

I am sure that you understand my refusal to rehash the demonically inspired intentions and words of U.S. Senators Cruz (R-Texas), Cotton (R-Arkansas), and Blackburn (R-Tennessee) in this brief space. Trust me when I say that volumes could be written about these individuals who are devoid of an ounce of logic, honesty, or credibility. I long ago decided that I would no longer participate in discussions that hold as much promise as talking to the wind.

Yet, I have tired of the lackadaisical manner that Democratic Party leaders respond to the never-ending attacks of a segment of the Republican Party that do not even seek to hide their racial bigotry. These Republican political leaders such as Rafael Edward Cruz aka ‘Ted’ Cruz are interested in nothing more than the continuation of far too lengthy political careers. Things have gotten so bad that in regards to the spineless Rafael Edward Cruz that it would be no stretch for one to hear the following conversation.

  • Person A: “Did you hear what Cruz believes?”
  • Person B: “No, I haven’t spoken to him in the last hour.”

Unfortunately, in America, the racism virus that breeds irrational thoughts and fears has infected a sizable portion of our White countrymen and caused them to consider any semblance of the sharing of politico-economic power to be a significant threat to their privileged status. Last year that threat was the Black Lives Matter Movement, this year it has been the ominous threat posed by Critical Race Theory, at the present moment it is the looming confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson; only the Lord knows what the next fabricated threat will be.

The time has come for Democratic Party leaders, yes, that means both members of the Congressional Black Caucus and their White colleagues to take a bold step forward with well-deserved counter-attacks against political opponents that highlight their devotion to racial bigotry. Such a pro-active strategy is bound to be more effective than the silence so many of our elected officials substitute for substantive political strategy and leadership.

Make no mistake about it, America is at war with itself, however, the lines of war are less about Race and more so about those who believe that the creeds of this nation should apply to all citizens versus those who do not.

Which side will our democratically elected political officials support?

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2022

 

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