The Crisis In Black Unemployment

On March 2^nd of March, Representative John Conyers of Michigan (D) introduced the Full Employment and Training Bill.  This Bill has major significance for individuals that have been out of work for more than ninety-nine weeks, especially minorities.

The passage is of particular interest to this writer since no one within the Obama Administration chose to introduce the necessary legislation to end the disparity in the national unemployment statistics for Blacks – a glaring disappointment.  The unfortunate truth in the United States is that Blacks are always at the head of the class with regard anything negative in national statistics.

The Urban League has now gone on record in addressing this matter.  The John Conyers’ Bill will, with hoped for support, solve the re-tooling of all of America’s unemployed.

Making Race a Factor

I am totally upset at the methods being employed by the Republican Party to garner a win in this General Election. I am going to attempt to convey my thoughts without inciting a riot, a point that I believe is being represented in the latest antics from the McCain campaign.

I frequently ask those tending to demonstrate racial bigotry by their actions this question… why do you have to resort to that mentality to convey your thoughts? The racial bigotry in America is based entirely on fear and hate! I can even venture to say that racial bigotry from Whites is fear driven while racial bigotry from Blacks is hate driven. Why do we do it? Is it necessary? How can we get around it? These are questions that I have asked myself for all of my life; from the time that I realized that others were upset that I was different from them, and at sixty-four years of age I still don’t have the answers. I know that I want it to stop in my lifetime. I hope that I am not alone.

Humans can be so nasty when it comes to respecting the feeling of others. Inflicting pain on someone that you fear or hate is the first line of attack, not defense. Usually this type of pain is introduced by the use of derogatory words. I refuse to use any of them here, but I can convey my thoughts by asking you one question. I want you to grab a pencil and a sheet of paper and take a test – be honest, don’t cheat! You must write, in five minutes, all of the racial words and slurs that you can recall. It does not matter whether you habitually used these words, or not! What matters is whether you have ever heard, or been in a situation where you were exposed to these words. The more derogatory words that you can write, the more exposure you have had to these words. Be honest!

What I have found out about this test is that Whites are capable of writing down more derogatory words than any of the other racial groups. More derogatory words can be traced to origins within the White race. I then asked myself why?

Until most recently, generationally speaking, all of the actors in the movies and on television were White. The hero wore a White hat. The maiden in distress was White. Curly, Larry and Moe were – you guessed it, White! If Blacks appeared in any movie, or television they were depicted as ‘Ya sir boss’ folks with little, or no mental faculties. They did dumb stuff and their eyes bugged out when something startled them, or they said silly things like ‘feet don’t fail me now’! These were depictions of Blacks in the worst light. Who made the movies and television programs – yeah… the same guys!

All of the advertisements in newspapers and in magazines were made by Whites for whites with little regard for the perceptions that would be drawn from these depictions by the viewers of this product. The people used in these advertisements were tall, pleasing to look at, and seem to not have a care in the world. Psychologically, America built on its history of having never before treated others with respect. Even within the Caucasian race there were instances of racial bigotry – the Italians took the weight in those instances. We know what happened to the Japanese to end World War II. Why didn’t we ‘nuke’ Germany?

It would only seem natural that since Blacks were never respected – slaves, and what have you, the only conclusion one can draw from any association with Blacks was that they are shiftless, no-good, dumb guys that have no redeeming values, hence the promulgation of derogatory words was made justifiable. When you consider that Blacks are responsible for the following: air conditioning, the traffic light, blood transfusions, rotary engine, cotton gin, and more; how is it possible for anyone to have less than a total admiration for Blacks? The answer is simple, White America has never read about the accomplishments of Blacks and they never will if those in a position to facilitate the enlightenment of America refuse to give credence to Black inventors - Black people!

Is Senator McCain a personification of racial bigotry in America? I hope not, but he has habitually made racial comments in every venue that presented an opportunity for him to do so with impunity. He has admitted his propensity to degrade all peoples; he has even degraded his wife, let alone other women and people with different ideas about sexuality. The contradiction is noticed in his willingness to embrace those that kept him in captivity for the better part of six years, in fact; he has defended and spoke fondly of his captors. Yet, he has been known to call Asians ‘gooks’. It brings to immediate attention a person that is at odds with himself regarding his respect for others. Are we looking at a person that is a clinical example of multiple personality disorder?

McCain has said that he would go to any length to defeat his opponent in the political arena. Does that mean that it is alright to put forth lies that only misinform, as well as, incite the behavior of his followers to shout words that bring terror to most Blacks, words that conjure memories of a period in American history that is indeed most shameful and extremely painful to recall. It is unconscionable that Senator McCain or anyone else should freely and without forethought create and promote this type of atmosphere in America today.

If America is ever going to survive the real issues that face ‘us’ we cannot allow this type of behavior to permeate the election of a candidate to the highest office of the land. We cannot allow the leader of the most powerful government in the free world to be represented in the person of John Sidney McCain. Would you want a person that has disgraced, through verbal indiscretions, a significant majority of the populace of the United States – of the free world?

Of course there will be those that see nothing wrong with this type of behavior, and to these people, I direct this opinion in hopes that you will look deeply into the mirror and reassess your values of humanity – please do this?

The Motivation to Vote...

I have been eligible to vote since nineteen hundred sixty-two. My first voting experience was from a point of true novice. As a registered voter in the parish of Orleans, I did not receive any advance instructions on how to use the voting machine, not even from my parents! My decision to vote was nursed by the religious dedication of my parents who never missed an opportunity to vote. My parent’s determination to vote was an example that I felt that I had to imitate. It was not until much later in my life that I began to understand the real significance of voting and what one vote actually could do.

Voters are the silent majority; the most powerful voice that makes no noise when spoken. The act of voting is painless; its cost is nothing, and yet so many people ask themselves a question that one should never ask of themselves – I am only one person and my vote does not count anyway! If you have ever asked yourself that question; it is because you have never taken the time to understand the significance of voting. Many people know and use the adage – the pen is mightier that the sword, but few people attach the same significance to – one vote, one voice. The general elections of 2000 and 2004 should give you pause to think through your reluctance to vote. There are other reasons why you should never fail to exercise your right to vote. I have enumerated some of them here, but the threat is always present under different disguises!

Taxation without representation – The Boston Tea Party was the first instance of rebellion by a group of people based on a rejection of authority without representation. In rebelling against the tax placed against them, the rebels did the most primal of actions that humans always do – they elected a leader from amongst themselves. As recently as the opening of this year’s Congress, Washington D.C. still does not have the right to be represented in Congress. The 23rd amendment of the Constitution says that all people of the Republic should have the right to be represented in Congress. Though the conception of Washington D.C. as a place of neutrality by our forefathers was admirable and necessary, the fact remains that all citizens of the United States have the right to equal representation before Congress.

I point out this inequality because it highlights the continuous struggle for the right to be heard by all citizens. It also points out the struggles that currently exist for voters country-wide. It is documented that many voters were turned away from the voting polls in Florida, Ohio, and a number of other States because of the most absurd of reasons – time was up, and the polls had to close; address of record is not current, and purging of the voter rolls were reasons that voters lost their right to vote.

In hearings held before Congress after the 2000 general elections, Mary Frances Berry testified to the following:

The Commission found that the most dramatic undercount in the election was the nonexistent ballots of eligible voters, who were turned away, or wrongfully purged from the voter registration rolls by various procedures and practices. State officials failed to fulfill their duties in a manner that would prevent this disenfranchisement. A combination of restrictive statutory provisions, wide-ranging errors and inadequate and unequal resources in the election process denied countless Floridians the right to vote. The disenfranchisement of Florida's voters fell most harshly on the shoulders of African Americans. Statewide, based upon county-level statistical estimates, African American voters were nearly ten times more likely than white voters to have their ballots rejected in Florida. On a statewide basis, while presidential election, African Americans cast about 54% of the ballots that were rejected in the election. Before and during the election state and county officials were aware of several key factors that ultimately contributed to the disenfranchisement of qualified voters.

There was a disturbing dearth of quality controls at many levels of the Florida election system that resulted in a wide range of errors, including the insufficient provision of adequate resources. Large numbers of voters in Florida experienced frustration and confusion, which resulted in the denial of their right to vote or to have their vote counted. The state's highest officials failed to fulfill their duties in a manner that would prevent this disenfranchisement. The election system is the engine that drives the participation of citizens in our democracy through the exercise of the precious right to vote. Regrettably, Florida officials with responsibilities for the operation of the election system were asleep at the switch.

That these voters were intimidated and denied the right to vote in Florida, and a number of other municipalities in other States, is real and scary. Intimidation is a fact that has been documented. The Republican Party is guilty of numerous instances where the rights of voters has been placed at risk by zealous individuals who are more concerned about reducing the voter rolls of those voters who may be registered as Democrats then in maintaining the rights of voters overall. It is the opinion of this writer that the right to vote is continuously under assault, and should remind each of us that this ‘right’ is always in jeopardy – the struggle is forever. Blacks, in particular, should remember the significance of the the Civil Rights struggle because of this ever present danger to our freedom. Of those who have been persecuted in regard to their right to vote, Blacks and Latinos, by far lead the list of those most likely to experience a loss of the right to vote.

I have always said that the right to vote is more important that the right to life. If you are not willing to die for the right to vote, then you have lost the right live. If you are challenged at the voting polls, your immediate reaction should be to stand up and fight because if you never reach the polling booth for that election, the opposition will have won.

In keeping with the motto of New Hampshire, “Live free, or die”, brave men have offered the supreme sacrifice in pursuit and the protection of the right to vote. Live free, or die.