Why we should recognize Black History Month (Community Voices)
Bobby Seale on trial
A decade or so ago, when I was freelancing as a stringer for a San Francisco-based newspaper, I wrote a series of articles in honor of Black History Month.
I think I did about four articles in total, one a week.
I can’t remember all of them now, but one was on the Last Poets - the poetical
forefathers of rap, who arose out of New York’s Black Arts scene in the ‘60s and went
on to influence hip-hop’s first generation of emcees. The group had gone
through several personnel changes over the years, but they were not only still
among the living, they were still performing live.
Anyway, at the end of the
series, I spoke to my editor on the phone.
“Thanks for doing the series,” she
said. “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have had anything for Black History
Month.”
I still remember that conversation because its implied inference was clear: The paper had no plans on covering African-American culture on a regular, ongoing basis and thus had little use for an African-American writer interested in covering those topics regularly.
A couple of years ago, I noted with interest the coverage afforded BHM by another SF newspaper - who I had once been a regular contributor to - before its editorial stewardship changed and its freelance budget was slashed. Its approach was somewhat clichéd, if not predictable: each day throughout the month, they profiled a notable figure in black history.
Besides the fact that management had white members of their staff do the write-ups, what was more problematic was the fact that every single person they profiled was dead. The unspoken message was that black history was no longer being made and furthermore, that the services of African-American writers were not needed to note the contributions blacks had made to American history.
This year, as the month of February neared, I posed the question at an Oakland Local editorial meeting: "Are we doing anything for Black History Month?"
OL’s editorial brain trust - a regular multicultural melting
pot - came up with some interesting responses, which I’ll paraphrase: black
history should be a daily, if not monthly, occurrence and thus shouldn’t
warrant any special coverage. Besides, there is no way to cover BHM without
sliding into media tokenism; every year, the same people get recognized: Dr.
King, Rosa Parks, maybe Crispus Attucks if we’re lucky.
Also, OL people said,
there’s a generation gap now. Black history attracted national interest in the
immediate aftermath of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements and during
the ‘70s, when “Roots” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” - both
landmark, if not groundbreaking, programs - aired, but didn’t seem so important
from a national perspective in 2011.
Plus, acknowledging black history was
maybe more important for older African Americans, who had lived through Jim
Crow laws and separate-yet-equal societal standards, than it was for younger
folks, who have Obama, Lil’ Wayne and Jaden Smith as role models.
And, while
we’re on the subject, what about Asian history or women’s history? Shouldn’t
we be addressing those topics year-round, too, rather than singling them out for
special coverage?
These were all valid, well-reasoned, points. Still, one need look no further than the now-infamous remarks by Republican Congresswoman (and possible 2012 Presidential candidate) Michele Bachmann to illustrate why recognizing Black History Month is important.
Speaking to an anti-tax group in Iowa , Bachmann insisted, “it didn’t matter, the color of their skin” in a comment about immigrants coming to America - something the approximately four million African descendants shackled and subjected to forced servitude, savage beatings, rape and/or watching their family members being sold down the river might have disputed, back in 1860.
“Once you got here, we were all the same,” Bachmann continued, apparently unclear on the concept of historical discrimination against not only blacks, but Latinos, Asians, Jews and the Irish.
The writers of the Constitution, Bachmann insisted, “worked tirelessly until slavery was no more” - a curious statement, considering that not only did Thomas Jefferson and George Washington own slaves, but slavery wasn’t abolished until long after all of the founding fathers were dead.
Furthermore, as CNN’s Anderson Cooper noted, the Constitution itself states that slaves were considered “three-fifths of a person.”
Is the Tea Party reinventing history?
Interestingly, as a Congressional candidate in 2006, Bachmann dissed multiculturalism. And in 2008, she told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that Barack Obama “may have anti-American views.” She’s also blamed America’s economic collapse on “minorities and communities of color.”
The unfortunate fact is there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans who not only think like Bachmann, but believe every untruthful word she says. Regardless of your stand on Tea Party politics, I think we can all agree that reinventing history, ignoring key aspects of it or simply making up your own “facts” is just plain wrong.
Bachmann might be a worse-case scenario, but she’s also a huge argument in favor of BHM, which counteracts highly-erroneous accounts of American history, which at best amount to historical revisionism and at worst, revel in willful ignorance.
In fact, the abolition of slavery is directly linked to the creation of Black History Month. The 13th Amendment was passed on Jan. 31, 1865 – which is one of the reasons why February was chosen to celebrate freedom from oppression and the accomplishments of black Americans.
So, let’s look at BHM objectively, shall we?
On the plus side, it recognizes not only the moral virtue implicit in the 13th Amendment’s passage, but the historical, cultural and societal contributions of black folks in America, counteracting historical revisionists such as Bachmann.
On the con side, BHM often doesn’t go far enough - we’ve yet to see a Criterion Collection edition of “Mandingo” released.
And while Ms. Parks’ valiant story is often retold, I can’t recall offhand ever seeing a biopic of other African-American heroines like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman or Madame CJ Walker.
Furthermore, there’s an inherent conceit, if not hypocrisy, in a company like Budweiser sponsoring the “Great Kings of Africa” series – an equally offensive act as Elizabeth Taylor portraying Cleopatra, Yul Brynner playing the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses or the Kemetic architect Imhotep being depicted as an evil, undead villain in the more recent "Mummy" movies.
In America., Blacks remain a demographic minority
Part of the problem is that, despite the broad cultural contributions of African peoples to American society, black people remain a demographic minority. This is especially true in media circles and the entertainment industry.
It goes without saying that the few black-owned outlets which do exist, such as TVOne and BET, have far less innovative programming than PBS. But if it makes sense for PBS to commission “Eyes on the Prize” for its BHM programming, why can’t BET do something similar, on a monthly, rather than annual, basis?
Another problem is the way black history is taught in schools. It recently came to light that a large number of elementary school textbooks had hundreds of factual errors, among them the myth that black slaves fought on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
When black history is covered in schools, it tends to lightly skim the subject without going into detail, nor identifying any real topics for critical thinking. Indeed, it wasn’t until I got to college that I was able to learn anything of substance about Plessy v. Ferguson, the Black Panthers, Shaka Zulu or Goree Island.
As for the generation gap, I blame the de-literacization of our society more than anything else. For someone like Frederick Douglass, a man who was born a slave, literacy represented the greatest freedom available at that time, if not freedom itself. Douglass was savagely beaten for daring to have books. Yet he went on to become a free man, the first black American author of note and a symbol of the abolitionist movement.
Sampling music carries a legacy
This is a point which should not be lost on the hip-hop generation. Indeed, we can look to rap music itself as one of the factors keeping black history alive and relevant. The practice of sampling, for one thing, has introduced the works of older musicians to younger listeners. I myself found out about Isaac Hayes through Public Enemy, though the generation after me might know him not as the author of “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” (aka “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”), but as the voice of Chef on “South Park.”
Furthermore, rap songs such as Run-DMC’s “Proud to Be Black,” the Jungle Brothers’ “Acknowledge Your Own History,” and Boogie Down Productions’ “You Must Learn” and “Why is That?” established the concept of edutainment through songs, which drew directly from history for inspiration.
Queen Latifah’s “Ladies First” struck a chord for feminism, which still echoes today. In addition to groundbreaking singles, rap albums like Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back," "X-Clan's To the East," "Blackwards" and "Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. I" all referenced black history as an integral part of America's cultural canon.
Even Too $hort, a rapper not immediately recognized for positivity, had his best-selling single ever with a remake of Donny Hathaway’s “The Ghetto” – a song which addressed inner-city conditions in a real, non-condescending way. Another rap song, which seems particularly relevant during BHM is the Coup’s “Not Yet Free,” a reminder that there’s still quite a ways to go before the intent of the 13th Amendment can be fully upheld.
If we don’t recognize history, that history will eventually be lost
What it comes down to is this: If we don’t recognize history, that history will eventually be lost. That’s why the need to note Black History Month seems crucial, if not critical, in a city like Oakland, a place where so much black history has happened over the years.
Oakland is the birthplace of the Black Panthers. It’s the town where Too $hort, Hieroglyphics, Goapele, Keyshia Cole, D’Wayne Wiggins and Hammer all started their still-ongoing musical careers.
It’s home to literary genius Ishmael Reed as well as community activist and Port Commissioner Margaret Gordon, cycling organizer Jenna Burton and comedians Marc Curry and W. Kamau Bell. We have black cowboys, black longshoremen and (at least for now) a black police chief. And, did you know that the P-Funk “Earth Tour” live album was recorded in Oakland?
Black history is integral to Oaktown
Black history is an integral part of Oakland’s history; the reason there are so many amazing barbecue joints, for instance, is because so many black people migrated from the south in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and brought their culinary traditions with them. There’s also the musical and cultural history of Seventh St. in West Oakland, which at one time was known as “the Harlem of the West,” or of Sweet’s Ballroom, which hosted jazz greats such as Count Basie in the ‘30s.
Then there’s the dance history. The “robot” dance was created at Fremont High School in 1969, for example and in 1990, Oakland rap group Digital Underground came up with the “Humpty Dance,” which presented millions of people with a “chance to do the hump.” New dance styles are still being created to this day, like the “Turfin’” phenomenon, which began at Youth UpRising in East Oakland.
Oakland has a legacy of Black empowerment as well
I tend to focus on arts and culture, but Oakland has made significant changes in society and the political arena, too. The Panthers created the nation’s first free breakfast program and were instrumental in advancing the concepts of speaking truth to power and what is now known as restorative justice.
During his 1969 trial, for instance, Bobby Seale told a judge "you begin to oink in the faces of the masses of the people of this country," one of many outbursts for which he was subsequently manacled and gagged. Yet after completing a sentence for contempt of court, Seale ran for mayor of Oakland in 1972, narrowly losing the campaign, yet establishing a political power base, which ultimately resulted in the election of city's first African-American mayor, Lionel Wilson, in 1976.
In 2001, our own Congresswoman Barbara Lee was the only politician who dared to openly oppose the Iraq war after Sept. 11. And let us not forget the Longshoreman’s Union, who stood in solidarity when two dockworkers were killed by police during a 1934 strike - and have remained united against police violence and racism ever since, protesting, among other things, Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, South Africa's apartheid regime and most recently, the Johannes Mehserle verdict.
It’s for all these reasons that we should honor Black History Month, particularly Oakland’s contributions to black history.
TAKE ACTION:
Who are African-Americans whose history you wish to honor and think shoud be remembered at this time? Share in comments, please.
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I think it is time to put Black History Month to bed. Black History is not something that happened in a vacuum. It is a history of Black people in America and should be taught in conjunction with history. If you want to have a separate course that focuses on the civil right movement or some other topic fine. But honestly, I am tired of people trotting out the 3x5 cards to read the brief bio of Dr. Bunche, Dr. Drew, Granville T Woods, Dr. Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, etc. It is time to end it. Stop the madness!!!
Monica, did you read the article?
There are still plenty of reasons why BHM should be celebrated, some of which i outline above. Integrating Black History into mainstream educational curriculums is a good idea, but it's not likely to happen anytime soon. Just being realistic.
Perhaps the way BHM is taught in schools needs to be revised and updated, but BHM is also a time when media outlets who don't normally cover African American topics do so (though they could do a better job of that as well). And there are a lot of other cultural events which happen at this time which add to knowledge and awareness overall--which makes us all a better, more egalitarian society. No one is stopping you from going beyond the "tired" 3x5 cards and creating a way to freshen up BHM so that it reflects a continuum. Maybe you need to figure out how to make it have more meaning for you, because putting BHM to bed, as you suggest, won't stop the so-called "madness," just increase the ignorance. watch the YouTube clip of Michele Bachmann if there are any questions.
Bachman is an idiot. You are not going to rid the world of idiots. And anyone with half a brain knows what she is saying is nonsense. We do an extremely poor job at teaching our children critical thinking skills but even today's schoolchildren know that blacks were enslaved, Japanese interred, Chinese forced to build dams, etc.
I am glad you recognize that the current method of devoting a month to black history is outdated. The methods need to change. I attended school pre-BHM celebration. It was part of the history one learned at home from a book, which one checked out of a library.
It used to be that all we read in school were DWM. Times changed. Now, kids read DBM, LBW, and a host of others. We changed once and we need to change again. I said it before and I will say it again - the idea of a month devoted to BH is archaic and needs to change.
Having Obama, Weezy and Jaden Smith as role models is a problem (for me at least). And any suggestion that due to their fame Black History Month is no longer necessary amounts to garbage.
I do really appreciate your point about the misperception that you have to be dead to be of importance. Why wait until I'm dead to put me on a white-t or hoodie? Nonetheless, there are greater Black Oaklanders who this current generation doesn't know existed.
I could extrapolate, but why waste time. Here's a list of interesting African people in Oakland history (past and present):
Delilah Beasley* - First Negro writer for the Oakland Tribune, she also wrote "Negro Trailblazers of California" in 1919
Thomas L. Berkley* - Attorney, Founder of the Oakland Post newspaper, and first African American to serve on a Port Commission
Robert Maynard* - former Editor and Publisher of the Oakland Tribune and became the first African American to own a major metro daily
Chauncey Bailey* - former Oakland Post editor, co-founder of OURTV
Chuck Johnson* - Founder of Soul Beat (TV) in 1978, two years before the then-Black owned--now owned by Viacom--Black Entertainment Television (BET) was created.
Or a younger media maker: Charles Johnson w/ "Wake Yo' Game Up"
Niema Jordan, co-founder of 38thnotes.com
Pendarvis Harshaw, Howard University student and Youth Radio alum
Tasion Kwamilele - Howard student and Oakland post writer/columnist
and of course two heavyweights:
Davey D - he's been in Oakland long enough for us to claim him (like we claim 2pac)
and Eric K. Arnold, who I learn something from everytime I see him or his name
These are just people involved in media, and I didn't include cartoonists like Morrie Turner and Emory Douglas, photographers like Kamau Amen Ra, Gene Hazzard, Z'Ma Wyatt, journalists like Wanda Sabir, Kiilu Nyasha, Jesse Douglas-Allen Taylor, JR Valrey, Michele Fitzhugh Craig, and videographers like Idris Hassan, Sean Kennedy and Yakpazua "Yap" Zazabo and a whole host of other people I either forgot, their roots are elsewhere or I'm to ignorant to know they exist.
That you did not learn more about Plessy v. Ferguson etc until you got to college says more about the poor quality of education than it does about the need for the continuation of BHM. Teaching to the test has dumbed down America. Hopefully, we will end this failed experiment and actually start teaching children.
reginald, thanks for that list! i appreciate the time you put into compiling that.
Reginald, thanks for the list!
Eric, excellent article. You made some poignant remarks that, at least for this reader and writer of history, particularly, Black women's history, give weight and crediblity to your argument why BHM is so important. My biggest concern was with Monica's comments, and I don't intend to go back and forth with the reader as they are entitled to their opinion. But putting BHM to bed would ultimately put Black history to rest. This is not something I would be willing to accept, I know you wouldn't. I don't agree that our kids know that much at all about slavery, the internment of Japanese Americans, Chinese Railroad workers, or for that matter, the Bracero Program. In many of our classrooms, American History in general and the histories of other people of color in particular, have been dumbed down.
Yet, Monica didn't seem to get your point, and I got the strong feeling that perhaps she is suffering from a kind of self-hatred that would cause her to make such a ridiculous statement in the first place. I do hope that I am wrong, because this would be so tragic. Yes, BHM is important, we do need to broaden our perspective and be more inclusive of the histories still taking place, honor and recognize our brothers and sisters still experiencing the Black experience in America. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children.
The following best describes how I feel about BHM, " I am petitioning against it because Black History is too monumental, remarkable, and significant to NOT be a regular and consistent part of EVERY curriculum worldwide as a Year Round inclusionary topic."
No Rochelle putting BHM to bed would not put BH to bed if people taught inclusionary history and people demanded history books be inclusive. Perhaps it is you who has not gotten the point. Perhaps it is you who is suffering from self-hatred.
Right now the conversation is oh it is February we need to do something for the black folk. I would much rather the conversation be year round so that it becomes part of the everyday. Putting BHM in a box to be discussed once a month pretty much guarantees it will be a second class subject. Black History is American History and it needs to be explored in that context.
I would prefer that high schools do as colleges and devote full term courses to the subject as cramming centuries of a people's history into a month is not teaching; it is checking off a box.
======
Hmm, Johanes Mehserle does not strike me as a case of police brutality. It was more like a tragic series of events with a fatal outcome and two families whose lives are permanently destroyed.
well, this is getting interesting.
thanks for your comments rochelle.
you raise an interesting point: would ending BHM effectively end black history?
unfortunately, yes, in all likelihood. the way it works now, black history is not something our educational system really wants to deal with.
monica makes a good theoretical point about inclusionary history, but,let's face it, Western civilization has been about excluding history ever since the Greeks studied geometry (and other sciences) in Egypt. why would it change now, unless it was forced to do so?
i see BHM as an important precedent in history overall being more inclusionary and correcting some of the fallacies. African Americans as a people were denied history, as well as literacy, for centuries --which is one of the main reasons why BHM was created in the first place (see Corey Olds' essay on OL for more context here).
Monica, i sense a lot of unease around BHM coming from you. my suggestion would be to ask yourself, what can you do to make it a year-round topic? Complaining is one thing -- action is another.
also, as far as what the conversation is, there's more than one. Part of BHM is black people recognizing and acknowledging their own history, as was evident last night at the Joyce Gordon gallery's graffiti art exhibit, which traced a lineage of urban hieroglyphics all the way back to Kemet. more on this later...
ps let's just agree to disagree on the Mehserle shooting. my feeling is the outcome could have been different and wasnt inevitable by any means. if you feel that an officer shooting and killing an unarmed man in the back, who was laying on the platform, doesnt constitute police brutality, you are entitled to your opinion. but others can and will disagree with you. there's certainly a historical context of police violence against the black community, so we'll have to include this in any sincere and honest attempt at inclusionary history, won't we?
I have no unease about BHM, but I am glad everyone is ready to diagnose me. I do not teach students, and I do not have children. While I may not agree with the concept of one month devoted to BH, I am not that vested in it to make changing it my primary mission in life. I have noticed that over time the methods used to teach and what is taught have changed. I am not sure why those in the business of rearing and teaching children can't force additional changes as it applies to "other" history. In Portland, parents are fighting for language immersion learning in first grade. Maybe parents and teachers need to rise up regarding the "others."
The school I attended once trafficked in DWM but if you look at the English curriculum today you will notice something more diverse. But then again, I attended a prep school not subject to pesky state testing requirementa, State of Texas white washing of history books and a whole host of issues plaguing public schools. The movement away from DWM was started by a LBW but the cause was championed by LWM. In order for our children to receive a well rounded education that explores the contributions of all Americans, we are going to need similarly strong advocates pushing for more expansive and inclusive courses, text, and curriculum.
I am not alone in my take on the JM/OG situation. Not all black people see this as police brutality. If you listen to the tape, it is clear that JM did not intend to shoot his gun.
Yes, there is a historical context for violence but if we reduce every incident to a race incident we risk ignoring the truly race driven issues and that would be a travesty. Including JM/OG in the discussion of inclusionary history is true and proper because it allows us to have an open discussion about this incident in the context of police brutality against Black Americans. Does this case fit that mold? If not, why? If so, how? Is it possible that 2 black individuals can see that incident and have a completely different take on those events. What about white American do they automatically jump to this a race issue because of past wrongs? If we focus on race, do we miss the issue of training? Could this event happened had the officer been black? Is it fair for one black individual to say to another that you are entitled to your opinion but speaking for the rest of black America you are wrong in your interpretation. I would hope that 2 black Americans would be able to respect each other's opinion.
So yes, JM/OG belongs in the discussion but not just because of the police brutality.
monica, thanks for sharing. you raise some interesting points. anyone else care to comment?
I'm inclined to agree with Monica, but not for the reasons listed.
As a child of BHM, and now an adult, I've seen no benefit for the Black community in my lifetime. We already know "separate is not equal" and yet we choose to use this method to teach??? And truth be told, Black history should be addressed as the blending of many ethnicities, which is a far more interesting tale than the current mythology. IMHO the Black "story" is the most American of histories, blending the histories of nomadic Asians (Native Americans), West African slaves, and Anglo Saxon settlers.
It is the interweaving of OUR histories that will serve us far better than in an isolationist method. Additionally, the interweaving of histories encourages questions and fact checks from all parties as each ethnicity comes to the table with their own myths and folklore. What a way to teach critical thinking!!!!
(I say this from experiencing a Thanksgiving, during grad school, where the table included French, Algerian, Turkish, Pakistani, Indian, British, American (Black and White), and Mexican classmates. It was a lively, thoughtful discussion, to say the least, where I learned more about MY history from the discussions of THEIR history than any textbook could have offered.)
In addition to my abhorance of isolationist practices, it saddens me to see Black history reduced to slavery, the equal rights movement, and rap stars. This, for lack of a better term, white washes the talents and contributions of Black community members.
Where are the scientists, legistalors, CEOs, and academics in BHM?
They seem to have disappeared. Why is this a problem for me?
It is a problem for the younger Black generation. Where are the role models? In Rap music? In professional sports? These industries are little more than beauty pagents where few win at the expense of many.
It pains me each time I look out into my classroom and see terrific and beautiful minds being lost to media myths. Who will be building the economy to support me as I age? I will need smart physicians, lawyers, accountants, scientists, and business people to support both the economy and my aging generation.
But I digress.
My original comment, that BHM does not help the Black community, exists due to my experience as a college instructor and as a child of BHM. I see no real gains in the understanding of Black history by other ethnicities, nor gains in esteem or motivation within the Black community in the last +25 years.
Surely we should have seen some benefit in +25 years???!!!!
I agree with everything "Is this necesssary?" wrote. It is the lack of any noticeable benefit of the BHM method that truly troubles me.
Really great comments, is this neccessary! Monica and Eric, I learn from all of you in this discussion, Thanks.
hmm, no benefit whatsoever to BHM? that's a big assertion, as well as a problematic one, mainly because the alternative, as proposed by Monica, would be even less beneficial to the black community, as well as Americans in general.
but let's take that statement at face value. because of the precedent set by BHM, we now have:
so, apparently, there is no benefit to any of those communities, either.
while the notion of the black experience being the most "American" and inclusive of interaction with other ethnicities' histories is not without validity, blaming BHM for a flawed, pre-existing educational system is simply unfair. And expecting BHM in and of itself to correct all the deficiencies in our educational system is simply unrealistic.
The merits of inclusive, fully-integrated history (rather than the isolationist method) is one which should be discussed among teachers, educators, and school department administrators. essentially, you are talking about a complete overhaul of educational curriculums with regard to history, a concept which is much bigger than BHM as a topic. again, if the system itself is the problem, eliminating BHM won't fix that. and getting rid of BHM as it stands now won't help black kids to gain understanding of their own culture.
I'm all for creating new models and methods. Complaining, not so much. From a pessimistic perspective, the glass can always be seen as half-empty. Luckily, the converse is also true.
you also write: "it saddens me to see Black history reduced to slavery, the equal rights movement, and rap stars," lamenting the omission of CEOs, scientists, academics, legislators, and other white-collar professions.
Looking past the fact that my essay above mentioned Imhotep--a scientist, doctor and architect--and Madame CJ Walker--the first African American female CEO -- as well as Bobby Seale and Public Enemy, i'm going to have to be straight-up with you:
That in itself is a reductionist/revisionist view of history, since some of the people involved in the civil rights and/or Black Power movements were academics, such as DR. King and Huey P. Newton (who earned a Ph.D). And, many black legislators, from Barbara Lee to Bobby Rush, have ties to the CR/BP movements.
To paraphrase EPMD, "So Wat Cha Sayin?"
On the academic side, I did neglect to mention folks such as Ward Connerly, but it should be easy to understand why he, and other Uncle Toms, weren't included in my essay.
You also reduced hip-hop--a culture--to rap--a term of co-option--which allows you to downplay the contributions it has made, which have been very significant over the last 25-30 years. for one thing, hip-hop has produced not only education and knowledge about black history, but CEOs, professors, technological innovators, and a wealth of cultural contributions to America's lexicon.
you may not realize it, but MC Hammer's parachute pants or Humpty Hump's nose are just as much of a historical artifact as a Yoruban ritual mask or a Senegalese djembe.
as for sports, well, one need only look to Jack Johnson, Jesse Owens and Muhammad Ali, not to mention the 1968 Olympic track team, for inspiration.
the one thing of value i find in your comments is the fact that you were able to derive your own personal meaning from your thanksgiving dinner.
ultimately, that's what we all need to do: find our own meaning in the wide expanse of American history and American culture. Black History Month is simply one means to that end.
ps, as far as rap and academia goes, i find it ironic to say the least that Dr. Cornel West was fired from Harvard by Larry Summers for making a rap album. But if you think hip-hop isn't intellectual, you've been brainwashed into watching channel zero.
need proof? watch the above videos by KRS-1/BDP, who addressed the reductionist view of history and the need for improvements to the educational system back in 1989. Listen to the words, particularly on "you must learn." Basically, is this necessary, KRS is specifically addressing almost every single point you made, 22 years before you even wrote what you wrote. Now tell me that rap music or hip-hop culture isn't educational.
Do you really think BHM is instilling in today's black youth any sense of pride? These YBB walk around with jeans sagging, trying to act all gangster, and talking about pimping girls. If they actually spent anytime time reading about black history and understanding what a proud people we are, then maybe they would take some pride in their appearance and look like they belonged to someone and more importantly stop disrespecting the very people who gave them life.
PS: I am guess 22 years ago, "Is this necessary?" had similar thoughts you just didn't know him.
Eric,
My comments were not directed at your essay (which I did notice contained a variety of educated folks), rather my experience as a student and as an educator where the topics during BHM were force fed, rather than allowed to evolve naturally in the process of education.
As far as the list of "months", I looked it up, as well, prior to your response, as I could not tell you anything about the "other" months. But let me ask you --- Do your friends know the other months? Can they rattle them off the way every eight year old knows Feb is BHM?
No. And Why?
Because the other "months" were an appeasement to the other groups. That is not progress. Progress is gains in average income, home ownership, education, and life expectancy. Have you seen any of those statistics improve in the last 25 years?
Maybe if we addressed the topic of education, on which we both agree, we could see improvements. Yes, the whole educational process needs to be revamped.
Regarding the topic of Rap/Hip Hop, as a business professional with a couple of fancy degrees and having managed portfolios in excess of $1B, I have a VERY good idea of how the money flows within the Hip Hop world. It isn't as profitable as you'd imagine. It also presents itself as a get rich quick scheme, which does not serve to reward long-term planning, the pursuit of education, and the understanding of risk within our youth.
{And for the record, I was listening to rap when you were in diapers, so yes, I'm aware of the relevancy to pop culture and enjoyed NWA before they sold out. I found some of my old pirated cassettes the other day. FUN! Back in the day, it WAS a great educational and cultural tool. Once White kids in the Midwest became the largest purchasers, Hip Hop became irrelevant to me.}
I realize Hip Hop/Rap is your "thing". That's cool. (Science and business are my 'things', so I do get your passion. )
Unfortunately professional sports do not do much to support your cause. Yes, the three you mentioned are truly inspiring, but the current sports industry is nothing more than an extention of the Entertainment industry and as destructive as Rap w/r/t manufacturing and maintaining negative stereotypes of Black men (and women). As you know, Black men are SO MUCH MORE!!!!!!!
The likelihood any decent high school athlete will become a professional athlete is extremely small and filled with risk at every turn. How many young men place 100% of their hopes in professional sports only to end up without a decent education and a lifetime of pain due to injury?
{In fact, I use this example in my classes to teach decision theory, statistics, and risk management. It is a fabulous real world example, IMHO.}
Again, I have yet to see the benefits from BHM. Can you show me how BHM has directly improved in average income, home ownership, education, and life expectancy withing the Black community?
necessary, i am a member of the hip-hop generation, this is true. however, i sincerely doubt you could have been listening to rap while i was in diapers, as there was no recorded rap music prior to 1978. I was in 6th grade when "Rapper's Delight" came out, btw.
I'm going to take your condescending comments with a grain of salt, since your insistence on erroneous assertions pretty much invalidates much of your viewpoint. I do find it interesting that you think you know so much about me.
You want to imply that there's nothing scientific about hip-hop culture, which is patently false--why, just this weekend, i attended a discussion about the relationship between graffiti art and Kemetic science, such as sacred geometry--which happened to be a Black History Month event! So once again, the actual factual experience trumps what you think you know.
in addition to making a bunch of straw-man arguments--such as upholding BHM as somehow being responsible for the lack of economic development in the black community (rolls eyes), not the inherent inequality of capitalism with regard to minority communities and the clear double standards of our educational system--you say a few other things which aren't truthful as well:
you say: "[Rap/hip-hop] also presents itself as a get rich quick scheme, which does not serve to reward long-term planning, the pursuit of education, and the understanding of risk within our youth."
that's just false. unlike the real estate and stock markets, hip-hop has never, ever presented itself as a get-rich scheme--i dare you to show me just one example supporting this assumption--while "rap music" is the invention of white-owned music labels who exploited the pioneers who created the culture as a way to promote peace and get away from gang violence (true fact!).
Furthermore, just to give you one example, E-40--who owns several Fatburger franchises as well as a successful indie label and has had a career stretching back to the late '80s--has explicitly stated in his music, dont buy an $50,000 car before you buy a house. And, while 40 doesnt hold an MBA, i daresay he understands the concept of risk far better than one such as yourself, portfolio and all.
Unlike Bernie Madoff, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, 40 created a financial empire built not on lies, deception, and exploiting legal loopholes which allow white-collar crime to go unpunished, but precisely from explaining the concept of risk to an urban, inner-city audience--which is now stretching into its 3rd generation.
At the end of the day, Madoff will reside in jail for the rest of his life, while 40 currently lives in Blackhawk. Who are you gonna trust?
As for not rewarding the pusuit of education, i already linked two BDP videos which are evidence to the contrary--are you just going to ignore their existance while you reminisce on your good ol' days of listening to NWA? Or do you need further evidence?
Do we need to talk about J-Live, an emcee who teaches elementary school, or Dawn-Elissa Fischer, an assistant professor in Black Studies at SF State? Shall i again reference Dr. West, who employed rap as an educational tool? Or Michael Eric Dyson, Mark Anthony Neal, S. Craig Watkins, Raquel Riviera, Tricia Rose, Jeff Chang, Bakari Kitwana or the other academics who have integrated hip-hop into their scholarly works? Do i really have to go there?
Do i need to discuss Public Enemy's groundbreaking album It Takes a Nation of millions to Hold Us Back--which served as a textbook primer on black history for subjects not taught in school, such as the FBI's Cointelpro program targeting Malcolm X and Dr. King? Do i need to mention that hip-hop's interest in the Black Panther Party resulted in the mid-90s resurgence of Panther history, including the Mario Van Peebles movie.
If you think that's irrelvevant because white kids in the midwest--who dont get the chance to interact with diverse populations--picked up on hip-hop and learned from it, think again. It's been said before, but without hip-hop paving the way for multiculturalism in America, we might not have ever had an African American president.
Maybe you missed the boat, but that doesn't mean it didnt already sail.
And, as far as long-term economic development goes, did you know that to this day, Hammer sells between 20-25k units of "Can't Touch This" weekly? That's besides his tour income, his dance jam website, and his involvement with Silicon Valley's tech industry over the last 15 or so years. btw, Hammer never went to business school--he began his career scalping A's tickets as a youth outside the Oakland Coliseum. so, don't knock the hustle. and don't hate the player, hate the game.
we can also look at other artists from the bay, who have gone the indie label route and created long-term solvency for themselves--such as Mystik Journeymen, Too Short, Zion-I, Blackalicious, Hieroglyphics, etc.
so tell me, what other industries have black folks created besides hip-hop in the last 25-30 years in which this is even possible? you want a black CEO? look at Puff Daddy, Jay-Z, or Russell Simmons.
And you want to say this culture is "irrelevent." i think that's where your problem lies, Mr. Risk Management. You fail to recognize the value of Black History because you yourself are in denial of it.
The fact is, without the economic opportunities which hip-hop has created for underserved communities, the situation would be far more dire. Even a miniscule understanding of reality should make this clear. Hopefully, i have given you something to ponder in-between rounds of golf and sips of Pinot Noir.
LOL, I don't drink Pinot and I don't play golf. Not my world, my friend.
You may be older than I'd guessed, but since I was listening to "Rap", which was not even called Rap at the time, prior to 1977 on a radio station called XHRM, your coursework on the history of Rap/Hip Hop seems to be incomplete.
I stand by my knowledge of business, statistics, and in the conversations with my students. They are the future and, as I've repeatedly been forced to explain, there are far more economic opportunities in accounting and finance than in Hip Hop. It is a fact.
I can assure you that the following Black CEOs employ more Blacks than the three you listed:
Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO, Amex
John W. Thompson, Chairman, Symantec
Lloyd G. Trotter, Director, Pepsi
{And I use P.Diddy as an example of bad money management, so he probably wasn't the best example of CEOs for you to choose.}
Regarding the creating of an "industry", I disagree. Creation of a genre, yes, I'll give you that, but the music industry is about distribution, not production, hence all these oldsters needing to go out on tour to make some quick cash. Distribution is still controlled by a relatively small group of companies which is why Garth Brooks made such a stir when he leapfrogged the distributors and did a deal directly to WalMart. Look what has happened to him since. Not much.
As you may have guessed, I side with Dr. Cosby in my thoughts about how much the Black community has lost in the last 30 years, after huge leaps in the 60s and 70s.
Do I blame BHM for the loss of traction? No. But has BHM helped in ANY area? Can you name one statistic the effort and, yes, monies, has helped? Normally an investment requires a return (ROI), are we, as a community, investing appropriately?
Is our nation investing appropriately? That is all Monica and I are asking.
Oh, and not to throw to much of a wrench into the equation, how are you going to feel in 2050 when Whites are now a minority and they want their own month? Seems a little crazy, right? The logic of dividing and editing history does more damage than good, IMHO.
Eric,
Did I read correctly that Russell Simmons is someone who should be respected? Is this the same Russell Simmons who brought us the Rushcard?
Hello, black folk you loved my DefComedy Jam, I bet you will love my debit card. "Build financial freedom" (and make me millions) off your ignorance.
well-played, necessary. now here comes the parry-thrust.
1) even if you were listening to rap on the radio before rap music existed as a genre--which wouldn't make it rap, would it?--it doesnt change the fact that there was no hip-hop on wax prior to the Sugarhill Gang in 1978, nor that i wasn't in 'diapers' as you put it when hip-hop began to spread past the Bronx.
in actuality, West Coast hip-hop history actually predates hip-hop as a culture, since pop-locking/boogaloo and graffiti had been going on for decades before Kool Herc played his first breakbeat, and there was a mobile DJ tradition dating back to at least the 50s and 60s, as well as a live music tradition which goes back to the 20s and 30s. the oral tradition--from which emceeing sprang--is evident in not only the street culture of hipsters, musicians and hustlers, of which Oakland had many, but also in the social activism of Seale, Newton, and Cleaver, all excellent orators. That's five elements right there.
2) very few black cultural icons have been created from the world of accounting. just sayin'.
i dont want to spend a lot of time refuting a response to a point i wasnt even trying to make initially, but the world of finance gave us sub-prime mortgage loans, which have had a similiar effect on the black community as crack cocaine. again, just sayin'.
3) thanks for listing some black CEOs. however, investing in corporate America has never been good for black people, as a people. just sayin' (yet again).
4) Creating something out of nothing and building up independent entrepreneurship is a path to success, if done properly. when you think about it, aside fromt he strictly cultural and historical aspects, much of the long-term development which has come about via hip-hop has come through the reclaiming and utilizing of technology by inner-city folks and underserved communities. I dont see AT&T or Verizon trying to ensure increased access for these communities; in fact, they are doing the opposite.
5) like it or not, Rapper's Delight created a hip-hop industry. At first, the players were small indie labels, many of them black-owned. Within a decade, much of this territory had been muscled in on by major labels, such as Jive/Zomba, Columbia, RCA, Time-Warner, EMI/Universal ( and later Sony). You are wrong about what the music industry is about--controlling the means of distribution as well as being in collusion with retail and broadcast media (commercial radio)--which in turn affects production.
If my record "I'm Young, Gifted, Black, and Positive" won't get any traction because a corporate label-backed record called "I'm a Thuggy Gangsta With a Gun, Bitch" is eating up all the spins, then i can either try to change my content or find an alternative means of getting my product out there.
A lot of this has changed recently with the collapse of retail and the rise of the Internet. Because major labels can't guarantee retail placement nor radio spins any longer, and MTV no longer plays music videos, the only thing they can offer is distribution. But if you're a proven indie label like Hiero Imperium or SMC, you can get major distribution--through Koch, Red Ant, or even Universal--you can get that same distribution on your own. this is why the indie road to success has proved viable, because you need to sell 500,000 units at $1 per CD to make $500k. OTOH, at $8 per CD--which is what indies get by eliminating the major label middleman, you can arrive at that same figure selling just 62,500 CDs. That's why a lot of former major label artists are broke and Hiero owns a building in East Oakland. see how that works?
6) There is no reason why Garth Brooks should ever be mentioned in a discussion around Black History Month. just sayin...
7) re: Dr. Cosby. maybe his Jello commercials are to blame for the losses of black education since the 60s/70s. LOL. or maybe its the destruction of the black middle class through urban planning--i.e. gentrification, putting freeways in the middle of communites, shady financial dealings by banks, etc.--and the introduction of crack cocaine by persons other than those who became the biggest casualties (hello).
8) I'm not sure comparing BHM to a financial term is an appropriate metaphor. In order to do that, you would have to put a value on history, which, by definition, is invaluable.
9) It kind of goes without saying that white history is all year long. and, hey, how about those reruns of "friends" and "seinfeld"? But since you posed the question, i'll answer: hopefully, by 2050, we will have the type of culturally-inclusive history Monica proposed in our educational curriculums, and this will be a non-issue. If you're somehow thinking i'm an advocate of isolationist history, you haven't been paying attention. I'm actually more concerned about people like Michele Bachmann and the Arizona governor, who seem to be responding to the changing demographics of America with either revisionist tactics or hate-based legislation.
10) "is our nation investing appropriately?" i think i'll let Tupac answer that one: "they got money for wars but can't feed the poor."
@monica: if you're searching for black CEOs, you'll find more in the hip-hop world than in the corporate world. just sayin'.
Eric,
I noticed you did not disagree of my assesment of Simmons. He will sell you out in second to make millions for him. I refer you to the legislation for financial reform. You railed against Countrywide but ignored the devil in your bed.
In truth, a number of factors gave rise to the sub-prime mortgage. Politicians of both parties trying to find ways to accelerate homeownership among brown and blacks is high on the list of factors. The reality is decades of redlining, undereducating, etc is not going to be undone over night. You were sold out for a vote. If you really want to increase home ownership, you improve education and outcomes. People with an education have unlimited earning potential.
monica, you're right i don't disagree with you about Rush. nevertheless, he is a black CEO.
you are also right that decades of redlining and other dubious practices is not going to be undone overnight. I'm not sure i would blame the politicians over the lenders themselves for creating the crisis. But the sad truth is that it wasn't the foreclosed homeowners who got a bailout, it was the fraudulent financial institutions--which is why i find the notion of propping up accountants as role models, as necessary suggested, particularly irksome.
I wish you were correct about education equalling unlimited earning potential, but that's not exactly right. Yes, someone with an advanced degree, generally speaking, has a wider possibility of gainful employment than an uneducated person. But you also have to look at job growth and job losses, sector by sector.
Take a look at UC Berkeley, which is embroiled in a fight over executive pensions and golden parachutes at the same time it's claiming poverty which will once again result in layoffs and, most likely, raised student fees. Community colleges have also cut back on teachers and/or eliminated entire departments.
Still think an education equals unlimited earning potential? Where are all those Humanties and Philosophy majors going to go? and, btw, when universities cut departments, who do you think gets it the worst? hint: Ethnic Studies.
OTOH, there is still growth in a lot of areas of the tech sector. Unfortunately, we outsource many of those jobs because we don't have enough skilled engineers. As far as the minority community is concerned, they make up the majority of small business growth over the past decade, which also makes up an overwhelming percentage of all new jobs created. Yet only a fraction of those businesses use e-commerce, which could speed up economic development even further, not just among these businesses, but also in the communities where they are located.
It's for those reasons that i dont advocate granting further gov't subsidies of corporate interests, who tend to be about squeezing every ounce of profit margin they can, even if it means downsizing workers, putting out inferior products, or providing poor service and/or poor customer service. just imagine if AT&T spent their advertising budget on eliminating dropped calls for iPhone users.
OTOH, if we uphold hip-hop's success stories as a model of innovative entrepreneurship by individuals and small businesses, we might just identify a new economic development model which actually works in today's economic climate, in which a Ph.D isnt enough to ensure you a job, much less a B.A.
If i'm a kid who loves rap, plays video games and is good at computers, would it be better for me to earn a four-year degree in liberal arts at a major university--racking up 10s of thousands of dollars in student loans--or learn how to build websites and do multimedia B2B stuff in my community, which requires much less economic investment and a shorter overall time commitment, since a year or two at community college would be all i'd need to be an HTML programmer?
also, if we want to increase home ownership, we need more affordable housing, period.
All housing is affordable if you have the income. As you have not defined affordable housing I am not going to enter into that can of worms. But suffice it to say, if more people devoted themselves to more productive endeavors they could probably afford a decent home. Graduating high school with barely an 8th grade education is not going to make home ownership easy.
As much as I dislike government's hand interferring with the market, the outcome would have been much worse had they not done anything. If a person knows enough not to send money to the Nigerian prince, then they should have known enough not to fall for one of the various shaky loan products. I suggest people spend more time reading about John Rogers and less about Diddy at HU. The only ones who truly deserved a bailout were the ones who did everything right and then got caught in the mess. Giving a sub-primer borrower more money would not have done them any good.
I did say education offers unlimited earnings potential but stopped short of saying it must be a college degree. The reality is less than 33% of the Americans over the age of 25 have a 4yr degree. An educated person has options. A high school graduate with a 4th grade reading comprehension has very few options. The sector losses are somewhat irrelevant. A person who has a demonstrated ability to learn can transfer his skills to a new sector and learn the business.
Obviously, not everyone is college bound and I don't believe everyone should attend. I think if a person has the ability to create wealth through other means, then I am not going to stop them. I am more troubled by the ne'er-do-well kid who spends all day playing video games but doesn't realize that he could create his own.
People define small business many ways. Are you referring to the guy who opens up the grillz store or are you referring the person who opened an Investment Mgmt firm or something in between? Grillz will make the owner a pretty coin but he certainly it isn't providing anything of value to the buyer and is in fact harming the buyer.
Residents of California have been oversubsidizing tuition at the UCs for far too long. Parents and students should bear a greater portion of the expense. If Berkeley wants to compete with the Harvards and Stanfords for ranking and prestige, then they need to accept it will come at a price. Either raise the tuition to cover more of the expenses or increase the number of out of state students. But this is really a separate discussion.
I disagree on the new economic model.
Yah, what she said. ^
"The sector losses are somewhat irrelevant. A person who has a demonstrated ability to learn can transfer his skills to a new sector and learn the business."
i dont know whether that's naivete or optimism speaking but i'm reminded of Reagan's cheery explanation of trickle-down economics.
let me give you an example of why sector losses aren't irrelevant. you may be too young to remember this, but in 1996, the mare island naval base closed in vallejo, displacing thousands of African Americans, many of whom had never held another job and were in their late 40s-early 50s. the resulting impact on the city of vallejo led directly to its declaring bankruptcy in 2008; between 2009 and 2010, the school district laid off almost 350 people, while increasing class sizes and decreasing the quality of education.
many of the former mare workers were unable to transition to other jobs. some went on government assistance; others tried to maintain their homeownership by taking out sub-prime loans and eventually lost their family homes. meanwhile, the children of vallejo received substandard education and in some cases, turned to the only profitable new sector available--selling drugs--which in turn raised rates of violent crime and incarceration. (E-40 actually refers to this in the song "1-Luv")
so basically, that sector loss impacted not just the african american community, but an entire city across the board, which has yet to dig itself out from that.
that's why sector losses are not irrelevant. you can't transition to a job which doesnt exist, and older workers in particular dont have an easy time learning new skills.
i do agree that UCB is a seperate conversation, but i dont think that parents and students should be paying for executive perks, not quality education.
That is a nice story; I question just how much of it is true. I mean is it possible that the excessive benefits package contributed to the bankruptcy.
Actually, what you described was the loss of an employer. You did not indicate what the people did. It is possible that they could have found a new job with a different employer. (Did you see the State of the Union Address? A woman spent her life in the furniture business but when the jobs went to Vietnam, she obtained skills to work in biotech.)
To attract quality professors, etc one needs to pay them. I will say that the State of California, the counties and other municipal units have a history of making pension promises that they can not keep (or more correctly should have never made) but once made you need to pay for them. Tuition it is not a terrible word.
monica, you're welcome to do further research on the impact of mare island's closure and its economic impact on vallejo and learn the truth for yourself. it was more than just an employer. referencing the state of the union address anecdote? that's more of a fairytale than a reality for many displaced workers. also, the executive pension debate is over--get this--executive pensions, not teacher salaries. maybe you should take a tip from joe friday on dragnet: just the facts, ma'am.
also, did you mean to say 'tuition it is not a terrible word'?
and just curious, how do you think the tuition hikes you propose will impact african american university enrollment?--last time i checked, Cal's was down to 3%
Eric,
Are you saying that administrators, deans, chancellors, provost et. al are not required to run schools? Pensions are part of the compensation package. I will rarely disagree with a worker who extracts the most compensation from an employer but the employer should never have been so generous.
How do I propose black families pay for these tuition hikes? The same way I did - borrow and work, my parents borrowed, I borrowed, find a job on campus, and scholarships. I should not be subsidizing it. Furthermore, you save along the way.
I edited my initial thought, but here is what you need to know: Our little black brothers and sisters are probably better off applying to private schools. Despite what appears to be higher price tag, private universities can be less expensive due to available money.
Fact, like Oakland, Vallejo had a revenue problem. When the market tanked, revenues tanked. A city needs cash flow to pay the bills. I am not saying the entire Mare Island tale is a fabrication but base closure was announced in the 80s. People had time to learn new skills.
Are you saying that administrators, deans, chancellors, provost et. al are not required to run schools?
no. that's not what i said. but they are overpaid in light of the university's current budget issues. it's not fair to students to continue these perks at a public university which is already among the top schools in the nation.
also, you didnt asnwer the question about the economic impact of tuition hikes on the enrollment rate of african american students.
and, the base closure was announced in 1993.
Regarding the base closure, I was referring to the program which was announced in the late 80s. I question the cause and effect in your story because except for a minor dip from 1995 - 1997, Vallejo revenue was steadily rising. I don't have unemployment rates for this time period but it would be interesting to see how they compare to the national average. MI transfer payments appear to drive up city revenue beginning in 2000. Vallejo revenue in 1993/1994 $83MM; in 1999/2000 it was $115MM. The unfunded pension liability is $195MM. Tax revenue continued to rise following the close of MI. The city of Vallejo had fundamental problems that had nothing to do with MI.
Compensation should not be determined by the budget. By your logic, when the state is flush, we should provide platinum benefits. Compensation should be determined by market forces. And I would argue that they should probably be tempered by what the employer feels that they could sustain over the longrun.
As to A-A students, I do not know the reasons why students do not apply to UCs. I will say that based on available aid, it is possible that a private school is now cheaper to attend. I think all students need to be more willing to take out loans, seek scholarships and work. Parents also need to take out loans. Don't the UCs set aside spaces for top performing Cal HS students. Do well in high school and attend a UC.
Regarding the base closure, I was referring to the program which was announced in the late 80s.
yes, but Mare Island wasn't designated for closure until 1993. Hence, your suggestion that workers there would somehow have time to find new jobs BEFORE they knew that theirs would have been eliminated would require psychic telepathy of a precognitive nature to be rational and logical. So it's hard to accept the rest of your argument as being valid, since you began with a flawed premise.
The city of Vallejo had fundamental problems that had nothing to do with MI.
I don't doubt that vallejo had fundamental problems, but the mare island closure contributed to them for certain. That base had been there since 1854, so to say it was just an employer misses the point, which is that its closure irrevocably impacted vallejo's identity, as well as its economy. Now, if we're going to theorize that the city could have done more to transition displaced workers--the majority of whom were African American--and anticipate the problems to come, then i would say that would be a valid speculation.
It's also logical to say that the MI closure took a while to impact the city. and that the transfer payments may have been somewhat of a red herring, obscuring the economic crisis which vallejo found itself in, to the point where it had to declare bankruptcy.
regardless, the main point i was trying to make is that it's not so easy to just learn new skills and find a new job, as you suggested. The jobs have to be there, for one thing.
By your logic, when the state is flush, we should provide platinum benefits.
No, that's not what i'm saying. I don't think platinum benefits should be extended to civil servitude or the public sector, period. This includes the University of California. But it also extends to Oakland. Much of the city's current budget deficit is a result of an overly-generous benefits package which is out of line with the current state of the economy.
Mayor Quan did the right thing by voluntarily taking a 25% pay cut--recognizing that being a mayor is a privilege--but the larger looming issue is the OPOA's refusal to pay into the pension plan like all other city employees. That's a big reason for the police layoffs. Other cities, like San Jose, are in similar straits. Bottom line is, we can't afford it if we also want to have basic services like libraries and parks & rec.
Your logic regarding education is also flawed. You suggest that AA students are attending private schools. Except Stanford et al. is not less expensive than UCB. So you're flat-out wrong there. In actuality, AA students who do graduate from high school are attending commuity colleges, and sometimes transferring to universities to receive degrees.
You also say that parents should overburden themselves with debt while UC executives continue to get ridiculous compensation packages. No offense, but that's insane thinking, utterly illogical. Executive compensation has nothing to do with the quality of education, since we're not talking about teachers, but administrators. If their argument is that public sector jobs should offer the same perks as private sector jobs, i say, let them go to the private sector. also, these same parents are already struggling--some of them are facing foreclosure, working multiple jobs, etc. A top-heavy system only benefits those at the top and necessitates that people at the bottom work more and get paid less, while people in the middle get squeezed from both sides. In the long run, it's just not sustainable, hence the current recession.
Public institutions of education are predicated on the notion that education should be a right of all citizens. Raising tuition at public universities to the level of private universities (in order to pay for golden parachutes, perks, and excessive executive, not teacher, compensation) will not result in underserved communities attaining higher education at an increased rate; it can only result in the opposite.
Similarly, your assertion that students just need to do well in HS to get into college is an overly simplistic view which ignores the very real problems with public schools, which have been underfunded ever since Prop. 13.
all of these factors are reasons why new economic models, such as individual entrepreneurship, small business development, tech training, etc., are viable, if not the only options, for underserved communities. If you have a choice to attend a university resulting in the accumulation of 25-50k of debt with no guarantee of a job vs. the option of having a small business which can be economically solvent, what makes more sense?
we've gotten pretty far o/t, but in any event, getting rid of black history month wont improve our educational system.
"No, that's not what i'm saying. I don't think platinum benefits should be extended to civil servitude or the public sector, period. This includes the University of California. But it also extends to Oakland. Much of the city's current budget deficit is a result of an overly-generous benefits package which is out of line with the current state of the economy."
Again, you have tied compensation to the state of the economy. The compensation package has nothing to do with the state of the economy. The compensation package (salary, benefits and retirement) should be determined by the work and market forces, i.e. the supply and demand for the service.
It may seem counterintuitive but minority enrollment at private schools can increase even while minority enrollment at public university declines despite the tuition differential. Private universities have access to money that public schools don't. Private schools such as Harvard and Stanford have huge endowments. To ignore the attn of the IRS they make huge sums of free money available to individuals in certain income brackets. This is why I always encourage the students I work with to apply to private universities. Problem is most A-A don't know this.
I also know people (black and white) who will do the community college for two years before transferring to either a private or public university. Again this is typically done to minimize the overall cost but there could have been other reasons - family, grades, etc. People been doing this for decades so I am not going to lose sleep over it today.
Plenty of parents take out loans to fund their child's education. Plenty of children take out loans to fund their education. Plenty of students find scholarships and jobs to pay for expenses. I had loans at 7 and 8%, a work study position, and worked as an RA. So don't tell me it can't be done. People choose not to do it. Parents make sacrifices. Maybe it means the family takes fewer vacations, parents tape their shoes, and forego a new car. You have a child you have some responsibilities - clothe them, feed them, keep her off the pole, and educate them. You do whatever it takes to do this.
My chief issue with Berkeley is people and that includes (the state, the admin, the prof, and parents) wants it to compete with Harvard and Stanford. Fine. That being the case people need to accept that the people involved will want to a similar salary. And you need to get real, the university is not going to operate without deans, chancellors, provost etc so stop trying to classify them as mean executives. These people will probably want compensation comparable to their peer group. Whether the system is structurally imbalanced is subject for a different discussion.
Your argument education debt versus business is flawed. You are only looking at the short run. Further, you fail to make explicit that the business could just as easily fail. (I will give your credit for your clever use of language.) Going to school is not just about the education it is about the network. Still both experiences have merit.
CA public schools may very well be the armpit of the public school system, but the state university system does guarantee placement for the high achieving few. That is a public education is being made available to the masses as you suggested.
I am glad you have come to realize that Hip Hop entrepreneurship is not a new economic model. Long before Russell Simmons, black men and women were sole practioning doctors, lawyers, accountants etc. I strongly support non-college tracks because the reality is not every one needs to nor should every one attend college.
When the officials announced the base closure program, they also announced potential bases. So to say that individuals could not prepare before 1993 is an outright lie.
Yes, I would say that any city that relies on either one industry or a dying industry needs to find additional employers. The race of the employees is irrelevant.
One can not learn new skills if they don't try. I don't know if the employees tried to learn new skills; I have worked with older employees who learned new skills. I think it is a generalization to say that older people can't learn/have a hard time learning new tricks.
I am glad you have come to realize that Hip Hop entrepreneurship is not a new economic model.
Monica, please don't put words in my mouth. You obviously have your opinions, and that's fine, but i've said what i needed to say.
peace.
I am not sure I put words in your pen.
The question is have you been compelled to think differently about BHM, not so much to the point where you are willing to change your view but maybe see it from a different perspective. Have you engaged in conversations with others about this topic not so much to validate your opn but to see it from a different perspective. If not, try it, you might get some interesting responses. I know I did.
More importantly, I hope you have at least learned a little about how college tuition works and will join me in advising young students of color to apply to private schools. If not please send them my way because I will show them how it is less expensive.
PS: Most of the lesson on college tuition was not for you, but for those who don't have an older sibling, dad, mom, 2nd cousin once removed etc to teach them about college financing. Maybe one day they will remember, hey I could be the first in my family to attend Harvard and it won't cost my parents a penny.