Tag Archives: Race

EDUCATION, RACE

Truly A Frightening Time: What Texas Republicans Assault on US History Means for Our Right to Think

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I guess that the passage of House Bill 3979 in Texas offers yet another piece of support to the axiom that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The recent actions of Texas state senators seeking to expand restrictions on discussions on current events and racial matters in the Lonestar State’s classrooms should sound alarms for American educators seeking to illuminate the minds of our youth. Apparently, Texas Republicans believe that the introduction of substantive classroom discussions regarding America’s tumultuous racial past and present will lead to irreparable damage to the minds and self-esteem of White children.

I must give it to Texas Republicans that the intellectual sleight of hand that they are using to fortify historical politico-economic monopolies that were in place prior to John Hancock boldly signed the Declaration of Independence is an impressive charade. Consider the following steps that have propagated a grand educational lie to naïve Whites; a populace with a vested interest in participating in this intellectual injustice.

  1. All parties agree that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is taught at the collegiate level.
  2. Yet, CRT is a catchy and easy-to-remember slogan that must not be discarded as it has significant utility.
  3. The CRT slogan is an Excalibur that Republicans used to cancel all efforts to discuss racial inequities in America’s K-12 schools.
  4. Republicans used CRT to denounce any mention of past and present racial inequities.
  5. The CRT slogan has been used to further morph America’s contemptuous racial past in an unprecedented manner.
  6. Texas Republicans have taken issue with heretofore givens such as
    1. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s., March on Washington Address — an example of Critical Race Theory and must be banned.
    2. Caesar Chavez’s legacy — yet another example of trying to browbeat White children and must be banned.

I am sure that you get the picture. Anything that even threatens to turn a critical eye toward the methods that Whites have used in the past or are currently using to entrench themselves as powerbrokers is off-limits for classroom discussions.

Texas Republicans’ determination to dictate what is and is not permissible in K-12 schools reveals them as dictators seeking to brainwash citizens by crafting educational curriculums that paint them as superior to others. Any resistance to these Nazi-like plans occurs under the threat of economic devastation for already impoverished educators. This is what totalitarianism looks like in its early stages.

If only the verbiage found in House Bill 3979 that “diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective” were applied throughout the course of American education, opposition to the actions of Texas Republicans would be unnecessary.

If the above statement were adhered to, I would no longer encounter undergraduate students who have read The Diary of Anne Frank and not The Autobiography of Malcolm X. If educators were not forced to adhere to a curriculum created by self-promoting politicians with little knowledge of anything in the realm of education, my students would learn that Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a man of flesh and bone and not see-through. Perhaps my students would realize that James Baldwin is the most significant social critic this nation has ever known and not the missing sibling of Alec, Daniel, Stephen, and William.

As a historian that has studied racial matters for decades, I understand the slick maneuverings of Texas Republicans seeking to extend the unjust reign of their ancestors and therefore have no expectation that they will give one inch to those opposing their tyranny. Their type prefers to rule in hell than to serve in heaven.

Rest assured that they are nowhere near finished with their drive to whitewash American history. If unchecked, these dastardly rascals will continue until American history is unrecognizable. Freedom-loving educators will no longer be a need to assert that figures such as David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Maria Stewart, Malcolm X, and Assata Shakur should be included in history/social studies curriculums because no one will know about their contributions to the world. This is a scary time, my friend, a frightening time for anyone who values their right to think for themselves.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

 

 

RACE, SPORTS

The Hypocrisy Continues: Why Many of Those Criticizing Stephen A. Smith are Guilty of Harboring Similar Thoughts on Race

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We have seen this before, and there is much to be learned.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has once again proven that those speakers who prefer theatrics over discipline will eventually allow their loudmouth nature to write a check that their ass can’t possibly cover. As I mentioned above, we have seen this situation where Stephen A. Smith, the noted ESPN loudmouth, allows his emotions and misplaced enthusiasm to write a check that his ass can’t possibly cover. The most apparent sign of bouncing such a check appears to be addressing a national audience and apologizing for the statement. Smith’s lack of discipline was displayed when he attempted to walk back the following comments spewed at Japanese baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani.

I understand that baseball is an international sport itself in terms of participation, but when you talk about an audience gravitating to the tube or to the ballpark, to actually watch you, I don’t think it helps that the number one face is a dude that needs an interpreter, so you can understand what the hell he’s saying in this country.

The backlash to Smith’s comments was swift. The uproar was so significant that his superiors forced Smith to apologize to the entire Asian and Asian American community.

The irony of a Black man hurling familiar vitriol is ironic. Yet, it also provides an opening for American citizens who have been basted in racial/ethnic identity politics to take a peek in the mirror.

For some reason, Stephen A. Smith’s misspeak aimed at a non-White person led me to what I consider to be an essential question about race/ethnic identity and power in a nation where a White numerically superior population has terrorized their adversaries.

The question is as follows.

Is it possible for African-Americans to form alliances with other non-White groups who have endured different variants and levels of prejudice, discrimination, and institutionalized racism within the United States of America? Can a good case be made for non-Whites to join together to overthrow a White majority that has historically monopolized anything worth having due to their numerical superiority?

It seems a simple proposition for Black, Brown, Red, and Yellow people forming an unprecedented coalition to disrupt White folks politico-economic monopolies. Fortunately for Whites, what Fred Hampton, Co-Chairman of the Chicago Branch of the Black Panther Party, characterized as a “Rainbow Coalition” has never occurred.

Where political expediency and sophistication would prove beneficial to all non-Whites, historically-based racial animosity has sat like a heavy stone, much like the boulder that Sisyphus repeatedly failed to push out of the valley. For those interested in figuring out why such a coalition has never formed, it appears that each of these groups learned that xenophobia was the most reliable currency in this foreign land called America. Additionally, it is difficult to argue against the reality that new arrivals, regardless of their race/ethnicity, quickly realize that there is political and economic strength in numbers. Most importantly, the most reliable rally point for any group in this increasingly diverse nation is racial identity, not Class. Unfortunately for numerically superior poor and working-class people, regardless of their racial/ethnic identities, Race/ethnicity has always trumped Class. Not even the economic misery wrought by greedy Capitalists during the Great Depression lessened American’s allegiance to the existing system.

The above realities leave me with no choice but to tip my hat to W.E.B. DuBois, the most extraordinary mind ever developed by the American academy, for his cryptic prophecy delivered in The Souls of Black Folk. According to DuBois,

The problem of the twentieth-century will be that of the color line – the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea.

Although rarely spoken about in the public arena, DuBois’s projection held throughout the 20th Century and will most likely continue through a significant portion of the new millennium.

It is time that American citizens held an honest discussion regarding matters of race and ethnic identity. Although cliché to say, it is the only path to even a tiny hope of extinguishing the smoldering, yet rarely articulated in public, hatred of groups actively competing for what they erroneously perceive to be limited politic-economic resources.

So, I must tell you that I am unsurprised by Stephen A. Smith’s statement about Ohtani, nor his desperate attempt to save his career by denouncing himself a day later. I can guarantee you that the majority of freedom-loving Americans who still enjoy America’s favorite pastime had little to no problem with Smith’s words. I honestly believe that you would hear similar commentary if more Americans did not consider it tantamount to career suicide or a smooth path to pariah status. However, a cautionary refusal to take a public stance on a controversial matter for the sake of self-preservation is a quantum leap from having the demons of xenophobia, misogyny, and racism exorcised from one’s soul. The nirvana of a post-racial America is nowhere on the horizon for either you or me.

Rest assured that a significant portion of the angry horde that rushed to condemn Stephen A. Smith’s comments harbor similar feelings. The only difference between them and Smith is that they are too savvy to utter such things in front of a national audience; their judgments are stated only behind closed doors. We must remember that the exercise of restraint or silence when discussing contentious racial matters in public, an ability that I doubt Smith will ever master, is not synonymous with the absence of bigotry or an embrace of racial equality.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

 

African-American Males, African-American Men, African-American Women, Black Males, Black Men, Black Women, RELATIONSHIP

Is the High-Earning Millennial Black Male Invisible to their Female Counterparts?

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A convincing argument could be made that Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man is the greatest novel ever written.

I must tell you that Ellison’s unnamed protagonist is “invisible” throughout the entire book for those who have never read this timeless text. Now I do not want you to get the impression that he is see-through as lacking a body; his invisibility results from those around him not being able to see. Everyone he encounters “sees only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination.”

Ellison’s Invisible Man is no different from millions of Black male millennials living without anyone, especially their Black female counterparts, ever seeing them.

While those on the Right engage in public political propaganda about Critical Race Theory, millennial Black men are facing an unexpected opponent. Young Black men between the ages of 25 – 40 have been rendered invisible. Nearly eighty years after Ellison’s brilliant construct, millennial Black men fit perfectly into it.

If nothing else, the familiar cries of Black women regarding the absence of suitable Black suitors are convincing, particularly to those who have never reviewed relevant data. The “Amen corner” that so eagerly joins into any discussion that culminates with the denigration of Black men has never needed any data to condemn their targets. The evidence base is purely anecdotal evidence provided by a segment of bitter mothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, and friends that serves no purpose other than convincing Black millennial women that there are no suitable marriage-minded Black males. This recycled allegation has reached urban legend status.

The primary problem with the unceasing denigration of millennial Black men is that there is not a shred of evidence supporting the allegations. When one focuses on the plight of educated Black women categorized as millennials, by far the loudest town criers regarding this matter, an interesting portrait arises. If considered seriously, the existing data would mute what has become standard verse for far too many, certainly not all, educated Black women making over $50,000. According to PUMS (2019), when one focuses on higher-income Black millennials, many Black men above the $50,000 income level as their female counterparts. It appears that millennial Black women have inherited a familiar dodge that they cannot find someone who is “equally-yoked” (financially) to build a life with from previous generations of embittered Black women.

When faced with such facts, one can only wonder what excuse millennial Black women who have dominated public conversations will use to explain their difficulty finding an equally-yoked, gainfully employed Black male.

The above information should spotlight what appears to be hopelessly single millennial Black women making over $50,000. If provided the opportunity, I would ask these Black women the following questions.

  • Do you think that your single status is due to Black men deciding that you are not marriage material?
  • Where did you get the idea that there were no equally-yoked marriageable Black men?
  • Have you ever considered that the pessimism that so many millennial women wear as a badge of honor actually an allergen to the gainfully employed equally-yoked Black men that you claim to desire?

Although painful to admit, it appears that yet another generation of Black women has been socialized to be doubting Thomas’ regarding Black suitors. Unfortunately, so many of these women have allowed the experiences of their disenchanted predecessors to be pressed atop their own.

Unfortunately for millennial Black men, it appears that Ralph Ellison’s construct shockingly applies to them. Although frightening to consider, one has to wonder if there is anything that Black men could or should do to break through the glacier-like ice that encases the hearts of so many of their female counterparts?

All of this makes one wonder if the fact that only 25% of Black women will ever marry leads them to abandon the present course that appears to be inspired by the experiences of a group of disenchanted embittered Black women instead of a numerically superior group of Black women who managed to remain married to Black men for decades.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

#ManhoodRaceCulture  

African-American Women, Black Girls, RACE

Is The Sha’Carri Richardson Saga a Cautionary Tale for Young Blacks Throughout the Nation?

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When I heard that Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended from the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the presence of THC in her system, I was saddened as I, along with the rest of Black America, wanted to see her bring home the gold medal. Considering all of the blows that Black America receives daily, such a moment would be yet another display of black excellence in the face of domestic and global racism. If nothing else, Richardson’s success would verify that the world I reside in, the one where Black people are at the top of the game regardless of the venue, is as real as real can get. In this world, Black people are the most important factor in how their lives unfold.

I realized long ago that many Black folks live in a much different world than the one I just described.

From afar, I have noticed that this alternative universe that so many Blacks exist in is filled with people who pursue excuses that absolve them from their all responsibility for failure. My glimpse of such a view guided my expectations that legions of Black folk would rush to social media and any other medium to do their dimwitted best to absolve Richardson of all responsibility for actions that have cost little Black girls a much-needed celebratory moment following her earning an Olympic Gold Medal. A momentary embrace of a banned substance has resulted in a three-month suspension that has been reduced to one month. Unfortunately, even the shortened suspension will prevent Richardson from competing in her signature 100-meter event, if not all events.

Anyone above the age of forty has seen this sordid tale of a notable Black athlete, actor, or politician fall from superstardom; it has occurred so regularly that it may be time for us to consider it an inevitability. What makes these situations so frustrating is that nearly all of them could have been avoided if even a modicum of common sense and discipline had been used. Yet, it never fails that legion of Blacks will rush forward with an emotionally charged effort aimed at blocking the consequences that the fallen star’s impetuous decision-making has earned.

Moments such as this one reverts my mind to age-old wisdom shared by my immediate predecessors, who repeated the mantra that in this white country, Blacks are “going to have to work twice as hard to get half as far.” One does not have to look far to find within that slice of wisdom that our ancestors believed that we were the most important factor in our success or failure. Within the Black community that I was raised in, such wisdom was standard teaching for Black children who would need confidence and a plan to avoid the snares and traps that had obstructed the path to success for more Blacks than one can imagine.

Unfortunately for Black America, it appears that at the present moment, many in our midst believe that life happens to you. Such a reactionary perspective will certainly curtail, if not prevent, them from experiencing success. One needs to look no further than the litany of Blacks who have rushed to defend Richardson for her misstep. Not even the fact that the fallen track star’s decision to take ownership of her actions, as indicated in the following statement, has prevented the excuse-makers from seeking to block the consequences of her actions.

I would like to say to my fans and my family and my sponsorship, to the haters, too, I apologize. As much as I’m disappointed, I know that when I step on that track, I don’t represent myself, I represent a community that has shown me great support, great love.

Although this is a disappointing situation, it should not be used to display the usual excuse-making that many of our people use to avoid the consequences of our actions. Doing such is a missed opportunity for Black youth to understand that there can be both positive and negative consequences to their decisions.

During this moment, Black youth must be told that they have countrymen who will oppose them and actively seek opportunities to derail them from the path to success due to their skin color. So, they must learn the do’s and don’ts of success when dealing with opponents who would love nothing more than to see them fail. The saga of Sha’Carri Richardson should be considered yet another cautionary tale that Black excellence can be compromised when a lack of knowledge and wisdom meets the absence of discipline.

Black youth need to understand that not only do their actions have consequences, but there are troubled waters that reckless behavior will lead them into that not a single Black person possesses the power to extricate them from.

A sad yet unfortunate reality. But this won’t be the last time we see this situation, especially if we keep trying to make excuses for actions that we could have easily avoided.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

#ManhoodRaceCulture

 

 

African-American History, RACE

Thoughts on White America’s Reaction to Vanessa Williams’ Singing of the Negro National Anthem aka How Embarrassing Things Can Be When A People Are Ignorant Regarding History

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In a nation where the vast majority of citizens are borderline historically illiterate, most Americans know the following historical phrase.

If you don’t like it here, go back to (fill in the blank).

Depending on what was occurring in this nation, there are several countries that would be correct answers if placed in the above “fill in the blank” spot.

Let’s be honest about this matter, it is White people who are the conveyors of such abrasive talk. I have heard many Blacks ask “Where did these people come from?” I laugh at such a question because if you search any map, you will never find White land. I like to ask people who insist that White is an actual identity the following questions.

If the Irish are from Ireland and the French are from France and the Germans are from Germany and Brazilians are from Brazil, wherein the hell are White people from?

My point is that Whiteness is a social construction that serves as a rallying point for a diverse population of Europeans that allows them unfettered access to political power and economic might; not to mention the ability to craft laws to serve their interests. There is strength in numbers after all.

The fact that the above is rarely discussed in the public arena does not make it any less true. In the moments following World War I, new immigrant groups like the Irish, Polish, and German were forced by more powerful Whites to suppress their ethnic identity in favor of a largely undefined White identity that provided them a path to political power. It is ironic that there is no better display that today’s Whites have become the tyrannical monsters they often rail against than on Independence Day.

This year’s annual display of White America’s demand that all citizens conform to their value system and priorities or “Go back to Africa” are the public attacks on former Miss America Vanessa Williams; yes, these White folks are attacking the first Black woman to represent them by winning their pageant. Williams’ performance of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” a song commonly considered the Negro National Anthem at PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” has offended a legion of freedom-loving White patriots. What follows is a sampling of White American Patriots’ reaction to Williams’s performance of the Negro National Anthem.

  • We have one national anthem (Steve Cortes – Newsmax)
  • Vanessa honey, a BLACK national anthem is something a Black African Country would have, not a country like America that exists for everyone. (Lavern Spicer – Fl. Politician)
  • Separate, but equal. MLK would be proud. (RR Cooper)
  • There is only one national anthem. This is segregationism pure and simple. Shame on @JoeBiden if he doesn’t demand an end to this racist activity. (US Col. Rob Maness)
  • Is it possible to have a “Black National Anthem” and still expect to have unity?
  • I 100% refuse to recognize the black national anthem. We are one nation, under God and indivisible. There are no separate national anthems.

There is a popular saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This axiom was at work when the British had their boot on the neck of what would eventually become the first Americans. Today, the descendants of the aforementioned colonists, joined by the descendants of new immigrants who fled or were ejected from their European homeland become a totalitarian force that demands all others conform to their worldview. This brazen display of non-acceptance of the Negro National Anthem in the midst of a national celebration of freedom drips with irony. If nothing else, this should serve as definitive proof of why it is so crucial for racial matters to be taught in this nation. There is obviously an entire White population, children, and adults, who have lived entire lives ignorant to diverse perspectives.

I, along with droves of other historically literate Blacks, tired long ago of the uphill battle of teaching Whites about the cavernous errors in their thought patterns and ways. We have little sympathy for those who do not recognize that their political viewpoints and questionable reading of history have made them authoritarian figures that demand all others adopt their priorities or leave. The pervasive ignorance engulfing so many Whites at the present moment prevents them from realizing that they are seeking to expel Blacks who have done more to build this nation than any of their ancestors.

So, it is with great privilege that I address my fellow countrymen with the following statement.

If you do not like the singing of the Negro National Anthem or the rich cultural diversity that non-White groups bring to this nation, you could always go back to whatever part of Europe that your ancestors hail from; that is, if they would have you. After all, I am sure that the leaders of your homeland had good reason for expelling your ancestors in the first place.

Lift every voice and sing…

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021.