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The Dove Counter-balance IQ Test (Updated Version)

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In 1968, African-American student Adrian Dove was excoriated by his professor and colleagues regarding a subpar performance on an IQ Test; legend has it that Dove’s performance landed him in the region of mental retardation. Angered by this experience, the industrious Dove set out to prove a seismic point to all around him regarding culturally biased IQ Tests. From this young man’s perspective, these tests did not measure intelligence, rather reflected how similar the test-taker was in cultural perspective as the creator of the test. He created the following IQ Test and distributed it to his classmates who all performed worse than he had on the initial test.

Keep in mind that the issue of IQ and Standardized tests will become a hot-button issue in the wake of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka, Kansas) decision. A few of the major questions that were being bantered around the nation by White power-brokers were the following?

  • Are Blacks intellectually inferior to their White counterparts?
  • Is the Black mind capable of learning as rapidly and retaining information as the White mind?
  • Is poor testing on Standardized Tests (ACT /SAT) a sign of Black intellectual inferiority?
  • Is it possible for Blacks to gain entry and complete coursework at Predominantly White Institutions?

This matter became a frontpage issue with the arrival of Allan Bakke and the State of California’s attempt to implement “Affirmative Action” strategies to diversify their medical school classes. Bakke’s argument was a simple statement of “In the Federal Government’s rush to include Blacks, they failed to understand that it meant excluding more deserving (meaning higher performing)  students.”

What follows is a modernized Dove Counter-Balance Intelligence Test. A major portion of our discussion regarding Affirmative Action.

NAME:

TIME:

THE COUNTER BALANCE INTELLIGENCE TEST

  1. A “handkerchief head” is:
    (a) a cool cat                                                  

(b) a porter

(c) a Uncle Tom                                             

(d) a hoddi

  1. Which word is most out of place here?

(a) black                                                         

(b) blood

(c) gray                                                          

(d) spook

  1. A “gas head” is a person who has a:
    (a) fast-moving car                                        

(b) “process,”

(c) habit of stealing cars                                

(d) long jail record for arson

  1. “Bo Diddley” is a:
    (a) game for children                                     

(b) down-home cheap wine

(c) down-home singer                                    

(d) new dance

  1. “Hully Gully” came from:
    (a) East Oakland                                            

(b) Fillmore

(c) Watts                                                        

(d) Harlem

  1. Cheap chitlings (not the kind you purchase at a frozen food counter) will taste rubbery unless they are cooked long enough. How soon can you quit cooking them to eat and enjoy them?
    (a) 45 minutes                                                

(b) 2 hours

(c) 24 hours                                                   

(d) 1 week (on a low flame)

  1. What are the “Dixie Hummingbirds?”
    (a) part of the KKK                                       

(b) a swamp disease

(c) a modern gospel group                             

(d) Deacons.

  1. If you throw the dice and 7 is showing on the top, what is facing down?

(a) 7                                                                

(b) snake eyes

(c) boxcars                                                     

(d) 11.

  1. “Jet” is:
    (a) an East Oakland motorcycle club            

(b) a gang in “West Side Story”

(c) a news and gossip magazine                    

(d) a way of life for the very rich

  1. T-Bone Walker got famous for playing what?
    (a) trombone                                                  

(b) piano

(c) “T-flute”                                                   

(d) guitar

  1. “Bird” or “Yardbird” was the “jacket” that jazz lovers from coast to coast hung on:
    (a) Lester Young                                            

(b) Peggy Lee

(c) Benny Goodman                                      

(d) Charlie Parker

  1. Hattie Mae Johnson is on the County. She has four children and her husband is now in jail for non-support, as he was unemployed and was not able to give her any money. Her welfare check is now $286 per month. Last night she went out with the highest player in town. If she got pregnant, then nine months from now how much more will her welfare check be?
    (a) $80                                                            

(b) $35

(c) $150                                                         

(d) $100

  1. “Money don’t get everything it’s true.”
    (a) but I don’t have none and I’m so blue      

(b) but what it don’t get I can’t use

(c) so make do with what you’ve got             

(d) but I don’t know that and neither do you.

  1. How much does a short dog cost?
    (a) $0.15                                                         

(b) $2.00

(c) $0.35                                                         

(d) $0.05

  1. Many people say that “Juneteenth” (June 19) should be made a legal holiday because this was the day when:
    (a) the slaves were freed in the USA             

(b) the slaves were freed in Texas

 (c) the slaves were freed in Jamaica             

(d) the  slaves were freed in Ca.

  1. The saying that “He’s Clean” means?

      A.        Fresh out of the shower                     

B.        Not carrying drugs

      C.        Well Dressed                                     

D.        Extremely smart

17. Who wrote The Road to Riches?

      A.        Kool Moe Dee                                   

B.        Big Daddy Kane        

      C.        Ice-T                                                  

D.        Kool G. Rap

18. Who performed a soulful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the NBA All             Star Game?

      A.        Prince                                                 

B.        Marvin Gaye

      C.        TLC                                                    

D.        Al Green

19. Who was the first woman to run for the U.S. Presidency?

      A.        Shirley Chisholm                               

B.        Hillary Clinton

      C.        Jane Goodall                                      

D.        Susan B. Anthony

20. What religious leader was known as “The Charmer” during an earlier music       career?

      A.        Malcolm X                                         

B.        Louis Farrakhan

      C.        The Honorable Elijah Muhammad    

D.        Father Divine

21. The lead rapper for Public Enemy was?        

      A.        Chuck D                                             

B.        Flavor Flav

      C.        KRS-ONE                                          

D.        Paris

22. The first person to say “Black Power” during the 1960s was?

      A.        James Brown                                     

B.        Al Green

      C.        Stokely Carmichael                           

D.        Willie Ricks

23. Which artist is closely associated with the P-Funk

      A.        Shock-G                                             

B.        George Clinton

      C.        Big Baby                                            

D.        All of the Above

24. Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in

      A.        Baltimore                                           

B.        Harlem

      C.        Marin City                                         

D.        Oakland

25. My dogs are barking means

      A.        My feet are sore                                 

B.        My feet hurt

      C.        My shoes are too tight                       

D.        All of the above

26. Which group made “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”

      A.        Public Enemy                                    

B.        Busta Rhymes

      C.        The Last Poets                                   

D.        Sister Souljah

27. “Are you waiting for my arm to fall off?” Is a classic line from what movie?

      A.        School Daze                                       

B.        Lady Sings the Blues

      C.        Mo Better Blues                                

D.        Sparkle

28. The father on Good Times was named?

      A.        Jerry                                                   

B.        JJ

      C.        James                                                 

D.        Bookman

29. Jim Brown was a famous?

      A.        Athlete                                               

B.        Movie Star

      C.        Political Activist                                

D.        All of the above

30. Drez is the lead rapper in what group?

      A.        The Lords of the Underground          

B.        Black Sheep

      C.        X-Clan                                               

D.        Digital Underground

31. Nassir Jones’ first album was titled?

      A.        Stillmatic                                           

B.        Illmatic

      C.        Automatic                                          

D.        Too Tragic

32. Who song “I Will Survive”?

      A.        Whitney Houston                               

B.        Yolanda Adams

      C.        Gloria Gaynor                                    

D.        Hezekiah Walker

33. What was Muhammad Ali’s former name?  

      A.        Sonny Liston                                     

B.        Cassius Clay

      C.        Joe Louis                                           

D.        Carl Johnson

34. Malcolm X was a member of which organization?

      A.        Nation of Islam                                  

B.        OAAU

      C.        Muslim Mosque Inc.                          

D.        All of the Above

35. Michael Ray Richardson was a?

      A.        Boxer                                                 

B.        Pugilist

      C.        Politician                                           

D.        Basketball Player

36. The lead singer of LTD was?

      A.        Jeffrey Osborne                                 

B.        Luther Vandross

      C.        Teddy Pendergrass                            

D.        Prince

37. “Freeway Ricky Ross” garnered fame as a?

      A.        Drug Dealer                                       

B.        Corrections Officer

      C.        Rapper                                               

D.        Race Car Driver

38. Bruce Leroy was

      A.        The Last Dragon                                

B.        A Political Leader

      C.        Bruce Lee’s son                                 

D.        Sho’ Nuff

39. Marvin Gaye recorded many songs with whom?

      A.        Diana Ross                                         

B.        Gladys Knight

      C.        Tammi Terrell                       

      D.        Michael Jackson

40. Billy Dee Williams was the spokesperson for what?

      A.        Malt Liquor                           

      B.        Candy

      C.        Love                                       

      D.        Wine

 
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How Black America Can Reverse The Deplorable Tradition of Black Students Disengagement from Black Writers

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From the moment that African-American Studies Literature Professor Dr. William Maurice Shipley uttered the question of

“Don’t you have your own traditions and stories? Or will you simply rest on the creativity and imagination of Europeans?”

I realized the unbridled power the piercing inquisition held.

Dr. Shipley’s inquiry was a recitation of a similar call poised by W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey to Black writers, musicians, and artists who would create a glorious era that historians today term the Harlem Renaissance. This call to arms remains for Black writers, musicians, and artists to this day.

As an African-American Studies Professor, I cannot tell you how disenchanting it is to encounter students whose limited exposure to books, thoughts, and ideas can be traced to haphazardly created reading lists that are absent every Black writer. Making matters worse is the reality that if these students were left to their own devices that they would not have engaged a single Black writer. Hence, it is understandable when not a single student of mine has ever heard, let alone engaged the works of any of the following writers.

  • Richard Wright
  • Toni Morrison
  • Walter Mosley
  • Alice Walker
  • James Baldwin
  • J. California Cooper

Obviously, my sadness and disappointment at this deplorable situation will never address this issue.  

I will not spend this space addressing indefensible “school reading lists” devoid of a single Black writer. I’ll leave such tasks to others who choose to waste their time arguing with foolish educators. Better use of this space and my time is the issuing of potential solutions to address the systematic erasure of Black writers from the alluded to “reading lists.”

My path is a straight one whose success hinges on the involvement of parents and the larger Black community; please understand that this issue, along with so many others, requires neither White approval nor participation.

While addressing the plight of young Black males, noted educator Jawanza Kunjufu posited that “What you do the most you will do the best.” In many ways, Kunjufu’s observation refutes the familiar refrain that there is something intrinsically wrong with the minds of Black children and shifts the narrative toward a more productive argument that our youth must turn their attention toward academics versus narrower paths of success such as sports and entertainment.

Kunjufu’s succinct assertion explains why professional sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL are predominantly Black. There is no room to debate that historically it has been the sports arena where Black youth have spent the bulk of their time. It therefore makes sense that it is what they “do the best.” Although many bemoan the concentration of Blacks in the sports and entertainment industries, such criticism blocks a silver-lining regarding this matter. A person devoid of the baggage of bigotry will realize that success in that arena definitively proves that Black excellence is possible against even the extremest of odds.

When one considers that Black youth are no different from others in the following way. They have been gifted with various interests and abilities that need to be planted, nurtured, and eventually harvested by a loving community. There is no more assured path to the success desired for Black children than their immersion in the works of Black writers who have illuminated a glorious past and point toward a yet to be written future.

Towards developing the minds of Black children, it is imperative that every Black parent develops a reading list of Black literature for their children and actively participates in the reading process. I can attest that such is the path to producing lifetime readers possessing an inextinguishable intellectual curiosity.

If nothing else, the inundating of Black schoolchildren with Black writers will save educators such as myself from moments where we wonder if we are making any progress in this uphill battle to uplift Black America via education.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.    

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The Matter of Silence: A Call for Action

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Now, I do not want you to get the impression that I abhor silence. I do not. I have intentionally carved out portions of my day to be in a word, silent. I guess that is not entirely correct as that silence is routinely broken by Jazz pianists such as Red Garland and Ryo Fukui. I find it strange that the same silence that provides comfort has the ability to transform into something that I abhor.  

I am certain that you understand that as an African-American Studies Professor at a Historically Black University that silence from students communicates a series of unfortunate realities that serve as the foundation for much of Black America’s suffering.

My students deafening silence regarding matters ranging from the contributions of Africans to the Jamestown colony through the impact of Reaganomics on Black America communicates an educational deficiency not easily overcome. Although often ignored during discussions of what is best termed a non-representative American educational system, the initial intellectual curiosity inside of every child is slowly eroded via years of “instruction” with little to no utility to Black life. In all fairness to my students, I often wonder if it is possible for them to remain interested in History or any other academic endeavor that never includes anything substantive or relevant to their experience.

Unlike the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the American educational experience that shapes and informs the opinions of African-American schoolchildren seems to avoid racial matters “by any means necessary.” The alluded to lengths include

  • The exclusion of African-American authors addressing matters revolving around Race and identity.
  • The crafting of a historical narrative that keeps the contributions of Blacks on the periphery of issues that they were fully involved in.
  • The continuation of a non-representative ill-equipped faculty and culturally illiterate administration that has little awareness that their presence is offensive to those they have been entrusted to “teach.”  

When combined with a disengaged cadre of parents who have foolishly decided to trust that public schools will educate their children, the above inadequacies serve as a reliable deterrent to the progress of African-Americans via traditional avenues of improvement such as educational achievement and the continuation of the deafening silence that envelopes the Black and Brown youth who populate my courses.

I am sick and tired of this silence. I pray that there are others in my number who are willing to do something about it.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

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Why Black Schoolchildren MUST be Exposed to Serious Black Writers

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From the moment that my African-American Studies Literature Professor Dr. William Maurice Shipley uttered the question of

“Don’t you have your own traditions and stories? Or will you simply rest on the creativity and imagination of Europeans?”

I realized the unbridled power the piercing query held.

Not only was this question an inquiry that served as a call to arms for writers, musicians, and artists who would create the Harlem Renaissance but it also serves as a call to today’s Black writers.

As an African-American Studies Professor, I cannot tell you how disenchanting it is to encounter students whose extremely limited exposure to books can be traced to a haphazardly created reading list forced on them by some “teacher” who failed to include a single Black writer on their “reading list.” The vast majority of my students have never heard of the following writers.

  • Richard Wright
  • Toni Morrison
  • Walter Mosley
  • Alice Walker
  • James Baldwin
  • J. California Cooper

Obviously, my sadness solves nothing.  

I will not spend my time addressing “school reading lists” devoid of Black writers as it is incapable of solving the unfortunate situation. I believe that better use of this space is the issuing of solutions to reverse the systematic erasure of Black writers from the developing minds of American schoolchildren.

The path to addressing this deplorable situation is a straight-forward one that hinges on parents and the larger Black community. Despite what many may think, the development of Black children is an endeavor that must include the entire community. It is this process that allows those that love Black children to put action to their hopes and dreams.

While addressing the plight of young Black males, noted educator Jawanza Kunjufu posited that “What you do the most you will do the best.” In many ways, Kunjufu’s observation refutes the familiar refrain that there is something intrinsically wrong with the minds of Black children while illuminating a path to academic success.

If one extrapolates Kunjufu’s assertion, it becomes easy to understand why professional sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL are predominantly Black. The sports arena is where they have spent the majority of their time and therefore “do the best.” Although many bemoan the concentration of Blacks in the sports and entertainment industries, such criticism blocks the silver-lining that it definitively proves that Black excellence is possible despite the long odds of success in sports and entertainment. The conquering of such odds speaks volumes about Black excellence.

When one considers the plethora of interests of Black children, we must busy ourselves creating avenues of success grounded on a rich history of Black excellence. There is no more assured path to such goals than the inundating of Black schoolchildren with Black writers who have illuminated both a glorious past and pointed the way toward an unbelievable future. It is imperative that every Black parent develops a reading list of Black literature for their children and actively participates in the reading process. I can attest to the fact that such is the path to having children who are lifetime readers possessing copious amounts of intellectual curiosity.

If nothing else, the inundating of Black schoolchildren with Black writers will save educators such as myself from moments where we wonder if we are making any progress in this uphill battle to change the world via education.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.    

African-American History

KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON: WHY I AM SO INSPIRED BY A PHOTO TAKEN ON THE WHITNEY PLANTATION

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Eric Morris is one of my dearest friends in the world. In many ways, our lives have been on parallel tracks. We attended the same schools, however never sat in the same classrooms as he was a year my senior, the same church, and our beloved mothers actually sat next to each other every Sunday on the same pew, listening to the same word of God via the Rev. Archie Johnson and the Rev. Dr. Johnny R. Heckard.

Yet, we are opposites in regards to our personalities. While Eric is an extrovert capable of engaging anyone, I am solidly in the camp of ambiverts, an introvert around unfamiliar settings and people and an extrovert around close friends and a few family members. I’ll tell you the truth. There were times when I thought that Eric’s life mission was to poke, prod, and provide commentary regarding everything that he encountered, particularly my stoic demeanor.

I remember the following question as if it were presented to me yesterday. In his joyful, yet inquisitive manner, Eric articulated the following.

Man, let me ask you something. Why are you so serious You don’t drink, you don’t smoke, all that you do is read, write, and think. Hell, what do you do for fun Many you are way too serious about life. 

Of all of our thousands of verbal exchanges this inquiry stands as a prominent memory for a host of reasons. Within this question I found a description of myself — I have actually never had a drink of alcohol or smoked anything (I was frightened by what would occur if I used any type of drugs because addiction runs in my family), yet it simultaneously show that even my closest friends never realized that my actions were aimed at fulfilling a directive my mother and the surrounding Black community provided early in my life. If I had to put this directive in words, it would be stated in the following way.

You are our soldier and your primary duty is to engage and defeat the adversary at every turn through any methods available. This is a life’s work that will only be accomplished via the total dedication of your life.    

I will tell you the truth; there is not a period in my life that was not dedicated to fulfilling this Herculean task. I was motivated by the fact that there was work to do, people to save, others to inspire, and the sacrifice of my life was not too big of an ask.   

This calling serves as propulsion for my lectures and the unyielding demand that I be referred to as DR. JAMES THOMAS JONES III. Despite what many may think about the fact that I will not respond to anything other than Dr. Jones, the truth of the matter is that this demand flows from an interaction with an elderly Black lady who approached me on my campus and related how it lifted her spirits to see that “Black folk are now called Doctor this and Doctor that. Y’all keep on keepin’ on. I love it!!!!!!!”

This pivotal moment in my life has risen to the forefront of my mind due to my own “keep on keeping on” moment. I recently viewed a group of medical students from Tulane University posing for a photo on the Whitney Plantation. Sydney Labat, one of the students in the photo, provided the following caption for the powerful moment.  

Standing in front of the slave quarters of our ancestors, at the Whitney Plantation, with my medical school classmates. We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams.

I can only speak for myself in stating that there is no more fulfilling occurrence than when a student reaches a significant marker in their lives be it graduation, entrepreneurship, marriage, etc. and continues a path of ascension that I know makes our ancestors say “Keep on keepin’ on.”

I salute these future medical doctors and all young people for their steadfast determination to engage and conquer the many obstacles standing between their current station and ultimate destination. I pray that they remember that this entire world is in desperate need of their contributions and counting on their success as it serves as yet another dose of wind that educators such as myself will use to stay afloat in the arduous struggle to continue the historical struggle to throw up roads to success where there has previously not been any road or light.

Keep on keepin’ on y’all.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2019.