Tag Archives: Mansfield Ohio

African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive, MRCi

“We are sending you to represent us!!!” My path to success in life as dictated by my parents aka I had very little say in this process.

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Oftentimes, the most difficult subjects to speak about are the most personal ones.

So, I must tell you that when the co-host of our weekly MRCi (Manhood, Race, and Culture interactive) meetings (tonight suggested that I address the topic of how I arrived at professional and life success, I was a bit frightened. This subject forced me to revisit my upbringing and seek some understanding of the path that I was sometimes dragged across against my will.

In many ways, this topic put me in a corner whose only escape would occur by revisiting my upbringing and the environment that my parents intentionally created — please join us tonight (February 11, 2021) at 7:30 (EST) — 6:30 pm (CST) for a discussion regarding the tactics and environs that Black parents from Mansfield, Ohio, created for their son to arrive at success.

Please join MRCi (Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive) tonight (February 11, 2021) at 7:30 (EST) — 6:30 pm (CST) for an important program on how parents can create a context to usher Black boys toward success in this thing called life.

RACE

No Sacred Cows: Why I Must Respond to those who Criticized My Words Against a Select Few Pastors in My Hometown of Mansfield, Ohio

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I always knew that there were some “sacred cows” within Black America. Meaning issues or people that are never to be discussed or addressed publicly in an unfavorable light. I now have no doubt that local Pastors fit that definition perfectly. The fallout from my earlier posting convinces me that regardless of what they have done, they are never to be negatively addressed in public; even if they committed their offense in the public arena.

The response to my earlier post has been polarizing and horrific. Although the responses and communication that I have received have been evenly split among supporters and detractors, it has been revealing. What follows is a sprinkle of the comments that I have received on-line and off-line from friends and strangers.

  • “You must have lost your mind, talking about a Pastor in that way.”
  • “I’ve never read anything so disrespectful and mean. I was shocked that a black man would say such things.”
  • “I guess that you have been sent to cause dissension in Mansfield.”
  • “We don’t need that kind of talk. We are here to build each other up and not tear each other down.”
  • “I’m glad that your mother is not here to see what kind of man you have become.”

Not a single detractor disputed the offensive words and ideas spewed into the public arena by a few, certainly not all, black pastors.

From my perspective, these men of God disrespected the entire black community by offering the following commentary to a local reporter. I’ve chosen to not put the names next to the quotes because many of you are way too sensitive. However, what follows is a fair representation of their viewpoints on race and being black in America.

  • To state systemic racism is causing disparate health outcomes is not being honest.
  • I do not want any part of this resolution if it leads to defunding the police. I adamantly oppose that.
  • The root cause of racism is sin not skin.
  • Just because a negative outcome exists does not mean it is correlated to race. The resolution cites statistics and leaps to conclusions about adverse social and health outcomes. The only leap I am willing to take is a leap of faith in God’s Word. This issue is spiritual and deals with the heart, period.

Although I now realize that there is a sizable population of Black Mansfield who will automatically give a pass to local men of God despite their refusal to represent the interests of those who fill their collection plates on a weekly basis. This foolish decision guarantees that the pain and suffering of local blacks will be needlessly extended. However, God is good all the time and for every critic that contacted me, a host of others countered their negativity and urged me to continue speaking the truth.

Truthfully, I remained uncertain as to if I would engage those whose words were intended to silence me as their rebuttal rested on irrational emotion not a single fact. Not a single person even attempted to question the validity of the quotes. The deciding factor in this response flows from several great Pastors and local leaders (Washington, Johnson, Jordan, and Heckard) who I witnessed representing Black Mansfield regardless of the risks to their safety, popularity, or reputation. Of all the things that I learned from these men, Luke 12:48 —  To Whom Much Is Given, Much is Required stands out. As a person who has been raised within a true community that paved the path for me to not only secure five degrees from THE Ohio State University but also lecture on four different continents, I have certainly been given much. As a believer in Christ, I am compelled to fulfill the above scripture.

It is the memory of the aforementioned men of God, the love of Black Mansfield, and a desperate desire to see the pain and misery of my home community ended that drives every word that I am writing. So, if this communication causes me to be considered an outcast or some sort of a pariah within my beloved community, I care not. My concern regarding the immediate ending of the suffering of black women, children, babies, men, as well as poor and working-class people regardless of race trumps such petty concerns. Trust me when I say that it is this purpose that prods me to dole out support and criticism as needed; I have no sacred cows. Even if they speak from a pulpit on Sunday.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

 

 

 

POLITICS, RACE

Mansfield, Ohio: The Home of the Sambo Preacher

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My reading of history indicates that in the period following American chattel slavery that it was common to find that the only literate person in the community was the local preacher. It was his ability to read that made him the liaison between whites and downtrodden blacks. This tradition of the preacher being the representative for Black America lasted for a full century as evidenced by the centrality of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to the modern civil rights movement.

It is difficult to argue against the fact that “Passa” has served as the spokesperson for Black America for far too long. If I did not know any better, I would be convinced that mastery of subjects from legal battles to history was an accompaniment to the “call” to preach.

There may have been a period when it was sensible for “Passa” to represent an illiterate and largely uneducated population surrounded by white terrorists such as the Ku Klux Klan and Knights of the White Camelia. The black preacher was called on to be a good shepherd by standing strong for the seemingly helpless sheep that relied on them for wise counsel and courageous leadership.

As I reviewed recent reports of a select group of Negro clergy members in Mansfield, Ohio, I could not find an ounce of courage or a mustard seed of faith. I am alluding to the Negro preacher’s public resistance to the recently proposed resolution to study the impact of institutionalized racism on the health of local blacks. As I pondered what I read, the voice of The Notorious B.I.G. whispered the following lyric into my ear. “Damn, things done changed.”

Although I was not totally surprised by the absence of wisdom and the unadulterated display of cowardice by Mansfield’s black “Passa’s” in the face of white power, I was still taken aback to see Reverend El Akuchie, a Negro preacher at Godsfield House of Prayer and the Executive Director of the Richland Community Prayer Network, scratch his head and buck his eyes as he reassured powerful whites by telling them to

Hush yo’ mouth regarding that doggone Black Lives Matter mess. No suh’, not here. Rest assured that I am on the case.

This good Negro Reverend did his best to assure local white powerbrokers that Black Lives Matter is a worthless political movement and anyone advancing black interests are scum.

BLACKFACE1

I am sure that you agree that the only thing worse than a single Sambo preacher who dances to entertain whites the moment that they appear, is two such Negroes. You know the type of Negroes that I am speaking of. The type who is so afraid of whites that they will blame any and everything under the sun for black suffering other than discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and institutionalized racism. According to this Negro, black suffering “…is spiritual and deals with the heart, period.” From all appearances, it appears that Mansfield has become a haven for Sambo preachers passing themselves off as “Passa’s”. As if the buck-dancing of El Akuchie was insufficient to quell the rapidly rising anger of local whites, here comes Elder Moe Hill to double-down on the initial Minstrel performers chicanery.

Minstrel Moe Hill of Grace Evangelical Free Church shudders to think what will become of the city, the nation, heck the world if any of the monies used to employ officers who have failed to serve as a significant deterrent to local crime is shifted into social services to aid Mansfield’s socioeconomically marginalized citizens; a move that would aid whites as well as blacks. According to the Negro Moe, “I do not want any part of this resolution if it leads to defunding the police. I adamantly oppose that.” The problem with “Elder” Moe’s position is that nowhere in the resolution is there a single call for the defunding of the police. Apparently, Negro Moe thought that he could curry more favor than El Akuchie by defending whites’ from invisible threats. In many ways, it is humorous that Sambo Moe is in such a rush to fight against anything that his infantile understanding of racial matters can conceive.

Equally puzzling is Negro Moe’s insistence that racism is not Black America’s problem. According to this preacher, the problem holding black folk back is sin. Apparently, the good Negro Elder believes that Black America’s salvation is found in them humbling themselves and returning to the Lord. Although I realize that he does not know any better, this Negro actually stated the following. “The root cause of racism is sin not skin. Society will continue having these issues until we finally seek Bible-based solutions.” I would love to ask this Negro how much more church and praying is needed for Black America to rise? His juvenile point is not only laughable but one of the most reliable signs of a Sambo preacher who is more afraid of white folk than he is of the God he proclaims to represent.

It is time that these Negro preachers take their own advice and return to God and ask for some semblance of courage when in the company of powerful whites. Passa, trust me when I say that the perspective of the vast majority of local whites will not become more favorable because you bow your head, shuffle your feet, and tell them “don’t worry boss, I’m on it. Ain’t gon’ be no darn racial mess here. We’s happy with da way things are.” You could even scratch your head as you display your patented cowardice and selective use of scripture; your oppressor’s view of you will never change.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

POLITICS, RACE

Why I Am So Ashamed of My Hometown of Mansfield, Ohio: What Plantation Politics look like in the New Millennium.

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It would be a half-truth if I said that anything that occurs in my hometown (Mansfield Ohio) shocked me. In a word, the town is antiquated. Its physical appearance was antiquated enough to serve as the backdrop for The Shawshank Redemption with minimal if any, alteration. Modernity by-passed Mansfield, Ohio, in a host of ways.

The recent decision by the Mansfield City Council to vote against a resolution proposed by the group Voices of Change, Activism, and Leadership (VOCAL) is a fair representation of local political leaders. Consider for a moment that the embattled resolution sought to classify “racism as a public health crisis.”

Nothing more and nothing less.

According to local reporters, the eight-member Mansfield City Council was evenly divided on the resolution (4-4), an occurrence that allows Council President Cliff Mears to cast the deciding vote. Shockingly, Jason Lawrence, one of only two city council members cast a vote against the resolution.

In all fairness, Mansfield is a fairly typical representation of small towns throughout the nation. Such places are ruled by a white power structure that has worked for decades, if not centuries, making connections that guarantee that its power quotient is not only everlasting but also strong enough to resist the actions of insurgents regardless of their race/ethnicity.

Make no mistake about it, in places such as Mansfield, Ohio, the only way to get ahead is to curry favor with long-standing powerbrokers by displaying your willingness to extend their politico-economic monopolies; those who resist the local power structure will suffer dire consequences. Such is the only logical explanation behind Jason Lawrence’s crucial vote that prevents an official study of the impact of racial bias on the lives of Black people.

It appears that Lawrence has read the writing on the wall regarding available paths to success in small-town America and chosen to display his utility to local white powerbrokers by fighting against the best interests of local Blacks. It appears that the myopic view of Council President Cliff Mears has mesmerized Councilman Lawrence. According to Mears,

What I see is our residents going out of their way to embrace our diversity of races and cultures, and getting along just fine. Are there prejudices? Disparities? Yes. Is it at crisis proportions? Not in my view.

I can accept Mears’s observations as such perspective is typical of white powerbrokers’ view of the voluminous suffering that occurs behind closed doors within Black America. Make no mistake about it, the socioeconomic suffering occurring within not only Black America but also to the vast majority of poor and working-class non-blacks is hidden from white elites. However, the relative invisibility of the impact of economic inequality does not lessen its impact on impoverished Americans. According to Mears,

We should all be proud to live here in Mansfield. I see its residents getting along, helping each other, communicating openly, and welcoming each other into their homes regardless of race or culture. That’s the Mansfield I see, that I live in.

I am convinced that from Council President Mears’s perspective, “the Mansfield I see, that I live in” is greeting card worthy. Unfortunately for the vast majority of residents, this view is a flawed portrait filled with cavernous blind spots that hide the misery and suffering of non-elites, regardless of their racial or ethnic identity.

Make no mistake about it, this is a missed opportunity for Mansfield, Ohio, as it held the potential to uplift a significant segment of its population. One of the most pernicious evils associated with racial bigotry is White America’s failure to recognize that an educated and economically strong Black America is good for America. This inability to recognize the indispensability of Black America in efforts to “Make America Great Again” sits at the core of white powerbrokers’ resistance to measures such as the one mentioned above. In the world that such people live, Blacks and poor whites are a nuisance that is best unseen and unheard.

In the end, I do comprehend what led white council members to fight against the proposed resolution, they have existed in a world where the misery pain, frustrations, and suffering of blacks never reached their ears; now in regards to Jason Lawrence, I have not a clue as to what he was thinking as he was born and raised within the black community. Sadly, I doubt that he has a clue as to why he voted against the resolution either.

Only in America, I tell you. Only in America.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.