When Bill Cosby was on Larry King he said some things that were surprising, disrespectful and unhelpful to his cause.  The conversation went like this:

KING: Judge Clarence Thomas, the conservative black judge on the United States Supreme Court, Bill, says that he went conservative because he thinks that the black responsibility is to himself. He doesn't need any help. He doesn't want any help. He doesn't need that pick me up.

COSBY: And he doesn't want to help anybody.

KING: He doesn't need affirmative action.

COSBY: And he doesn't want to help anybody.

POUSSAINT: But he got affirmative action.

KING: He got affirmative action.

COSBY: Plenty of -- he got a whole lot of help and now he doesn't want to help anybody.

KING: Do you think he's hypocritical?

COSBY: He doesn't want to help anybody.

KING: I know it.

Do you think he's...

COSBY: He doesn't want to help anybody.

KING: All right.

But he says blacks don't need help, they can do it themselves.

And that's partially what you're saying, isn't it?

COSBY: Well, that's not -- yes, see partially is where you get into trouble if you're trying to put me in the room with Clarence Thomas, the brother lite.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: Brother lite.

COSBY: Larry...

KING: I'm just asking.

COSBY: No, no, no. I understand. I'm trying and Alvin is trying to reach those people who feel abandoned, who feel for so many years -- generational, whatever -- that they can't do it.

 
Cosby’s statements are a direct example of why Justice Thomas believes that Affirmative Action is a detriment and not a help to blacks.  When Cosby said “he got a whole lot of help and now he doesn't want to help anybody”, he is implying that Thomas’s achievements were due to Affirmative Action and not the hard work and perseverance that was actually required not to mention the constant personal attacks that he has endured over the years.  Justice Thomas does not want other blacks to be discounted in such a way and, therefore, does not support Affirmative Action.
 
It is also apparent that Cosby has not read Justice Thomas’s memoir as he would have understood that although Thomas was admitted to Yale via Affirmative Action he could not get a job after graduation primarily because employers did not believe that he was well educated but had been graduated solely based on his color.  That is the affect of Affirmative Action.

However, the statement that really surprised and bothered me is the “brother lite” comment.  Calling names has never helped a cause.  It is immature and ignorant. When someone calls names it is because they have nothing more intelligent to say.  I was surprised that Bill Cosby would stoop to the level of such people as Jesse Jackson as when he said that Barrack Obama was not black enough. 

Cosby said that Thomas “doesn’t want to help nobody.”  Exactly what does he want him to do?  Does he want Thomas to fight for more welfare for blacks so the government can continue to control their lives by telling them where they can live, what they can buy, when they can buy it?  Would he like Thomas to fight for more Affirmative Action so that when a black person graduates from an Ivy League college or gets a top level job at a fortune 500 company people can say, “it was only because you are black”?  Will that help the black people?  Or better yet, does he want Thomas to give a job to an unqualified black woman so that she can get her foot in the door to her career?  Uh, he tried that once, didn’t quite work out for him.

I am so tired of blacks questioning the blackness of people.  If I don’t believe in what Bill Cosby and all the other black people believe in then I’m not black.  What does that say about the black community?  It says we are all sheep that can’t think for ourselves.

It is time to stop the name-calling, stop the hate and just agree to disagree.

I love Laura Ingraham - she is the tough talking, no-nonsense, conservative talk radio host that helped start the Power to the People movement against that ridiculous amnesty legislation the democrats were trying to pass.  She is the author of two best selling books Shut Up and Sing and Power to the People.  I have both books and agree with her on 99.99% of what she says (I don’t know what the .01% is that I disagree with her on but you can’t agree with someone 100% of the time so I threw that in for good measure).  She has empowered me to make use of my vote and my dollars in helping to direct this country in the right direction.

 

When I heard about the unfair charges brought against the six high school boys in Jena, LA I thought this was right up Laura’s power to the people alley.  The DA in Jena was overstepping by charging these boys with second-degree attempted murder for a school yard fight stating that the deadly weapon used was a tennis shoe.

 

I e-mailed Laura this information as well as many other talk radio hosts and politicians hoping to get momentum to bring this unjust situation to the national stage.  I didn’t get a response and I was ok with that.  I understand that Ms. Ingraham probably receives hundreds of e-mails a day.

 

The momentum did pick-up after organizations began planning a protest march in Jena on the day of Mychal Bell’s sentencing.  As the participation levels grew to the thousands, many media outlets began to report what was happening in this small town.

 

I listened intently everyday to Laura’s show waiting to hear what her position would be on this situation.  I really believed that she would have been outraged with the charges and impressed with the power to the people moment that was about to take place with the scheduled protest march.

 

On the day of the march, Laura was outraged by a question asked of President Bush during a news conference regarding the Jena 6 protest march.  Laura believed the journalist was trying to link the problems in Jena to the Presidents administration and that sent her into a tail spin.  Her comment about the protest march was, and I am paraphrasing, I don’t know the facts of this issue but if Jesse Jackson is involved it must be illegitimate.

 

No, it was not illegitimate.  What was happening was a power to the people moment.  People across the country were outraged at the unequal justice in the case of the Jena 6.    Working families took time off from their jobs to travel thousands of miles to Jena because they were passionate about this cause.  They came, not at the request of Jesse Jackson, but because they felt there was injustice taking place in Jena and they wanted to let the DA know they would not allow it to continue.

 

So, where was Laura Ingraham? 

Currently she is touring the country on her Power to the People tour.  Her goal is to fire people up to use their voices and power to keep this country on the right path.  Isn’t that exactly what the protestors in Jena were doing? 

 

Where was Laura? 

 

Didn’t the fact that over 20,000 people from as far away as California came together to let their voices be heard warrant an informed comment from the queen of “power to the people”?  Why didn’t this protest get more than a passing rant about Jesse Jackson?  Was it because Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were involved that she couldn’t find it within herself to make a positive comment, at least about the fact that the people were demanding their voices be heard?  Or did she not think that a situation in a small town of 3,000 mattered in the scheme of things?  Who knows?

 

The protest has come and gone and I still ask “Where was Laura Ingraham?”

 

I say Power to the people anyway.

A historic moment took place on Thursday when thousands of people from across the country rallied in Jena Louisiana demanding equal justice. A march of that magnitude had not taken place since the civil rights movement.

Six months ago Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were in Selma, AL commemorating the civil rights march that took place there over 40 years ago, telling the people how much they support civil rights and civil liberties for blacks. Senator Clintons senate website states:

One of our nation’s greatest assets is the respect the Constitution affords civil rights and civil liberties. I have strongly supported, through original co-sponsorship, comprehensive civil rights legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, also known as the "hate crimes" bill, which strengthens the federal government's ability to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.

What I would like to know is where was Hillary Clinton during this rally? Did she make a statement regarding the Jena 6? I didn’t see her on television making a statement. Did I miss her? I think not.

Where was Barack Obama? Yes, he made a statement on the Steve Harvey morning show but did he make a statement on television? Did I miss him? I think not.

Where were the Republican presidential candidates on this issue? The only candidate I heard make a statement was Governor Huckabee on a talk radio show and his viewpoint was that the rally was hurting the boys and the people should allow the court system to work it out. Is he out of his mind!?

If no one spoke up in defense of Mychal Bell he could have been sentenced to 22 years in prison. If no one spoke up in defense of the Jena 6 the District Attorney would not have dropped his charge from second-degree attempted murder to second-degree battery. These young men’s lives would have been ruined.

I am not saying the candidates needed to come out and say the DA was wrong and the kids were right. No one condoned the behavior of the six teens and everyone agrees that they should suffer some kind of consequence for their actions. However, the candidates could have made a statement in support of equal justice. It could have been as easy as “I don’t know all the facts of the case but a charge of second-degree attempted murder does seem a bit extreme for a high school fight where no serious injuries occurred”

Once again this shows that the democrats are all about politics as usual, got to keep the image up, and the republicans just don’t care enough.

I am a republican, I am a conservative, I am an African-American and I am disappointed.

Who really believes in equal justice? Who really believes in equality for all no matter what race you are? The political candidates who, all of a sudden, couldn’t find the words to speak? The media who hyped this entire story as blacks against white because it made a sensational story? The media who wouldn’t take a second look until the black community scheduled a march of thousands? The conservative talk show hosts who constantly talk about the constitution and the rights we have under them but said “If Jesse Jackson is involved it must be race baiting”?

It seemed to me, based on what I saw on the news, heard on the radio and read in the on-line newspapers, that most of America saw this rally as the black people getting “all up in arms” again about something. Next thing you know, some Americans probably thought, they’ll be screaming for reparations.

CNN kept showing the white residents of Jena saying “We all get along. Our kids all go to the same school. We have never had any problems.” They failed to mention the local barber who wouldn’t cut a black persons hair because it would upset his white customers. This is 2007 isn’t it?

How come the issue of the nooses in the trees was so easily dismissed? I can understand the white residents dismissing it. They have to keep up their image as a nice, country town. However, the justice department actually said the nooses were in no way related to the fight. Are you kidding me? Those three boys who hung those nooses knew how powerful the message would be otherwise they wouldn’t have hung them. They wanted to let the blacks know that regardless of what that principle said, they were not welcomed under that tree. Regardless of the cause of the fight, the nooses were the catalyst for the tension that caused the fight in the first place. A noose, to a black person, has the same emotional impact as a burning cross or a KKK hood. I can guarantee you that the image of those nooses was in the minds of the kids when the fight occurred.

Even after the rally, as the protesters were leaving Alexandria, LA, heading for Tennessee, the police arrested two men who were continually circling around town, repeatedly driving past the protesters with nooses tied to their truck. When they searched the truck they found an unloaded gun and brass knuckles that belonged to the 18-year-old driver. The passenger, a 16-year-old boy, said his family belonged to the KKK and he had KKK tattooed on his chest.

Will you hear about this on mainstream media? I think not. I know white America wants to believe that racism no longer exists but these events in Jena should be a wake up call. Though we have made a lot of strides since the 60’s, we have a black Secretary of State, black movie stars, black Miss America, etc. we still have a lot of work to do. It seems that the Civil Rights movement passed by Jena, Louisiana. How many other small towns have been passed by? How many urban cities have regressed?

Racism has always existed and will always exist. We will never be able to create a utopia. The fight for equality will continue until the day Jesus returns.

To all my white friends who still can’t understand what all the hoopla is about, just know that you can’t understand because you are not black and, therefore, will never experience racism. Give the person who says racism exists the benefit of the doubt because it is still out there.

With all that said, I still believe America is the greatest nation on this earth and I was blessed by God the day I was born in this country.

Tomorrow is the big day.  It is estimated that as many as 40 thousand people will be descending upon Jena Louisiana to let America know that enough is enough, we demand equality in justice.  Finally, the story has made it to the national stage.  I am dismayed, however, with the attitudes of the media and the people of Jena.

 

On CNN this morning, the anchor was interviewing one of the organizers for this rally.  I wouldn’t call it an interview it was more of an inquisition.  “What is going to happen when you leave?” the interviewer asks.  “We plan to stay in touch with the Jena community to make sure that what needs to be done is followed through”.  “Oh” he says with condescension, “So you think that will be enough”.  It was more of a statement than a question.  He goes on berating the organizer leaning in as he asks “Do you know the facts of this case?”   “No” the organizer answered.  “Have you seen the face of Justin Barker?  Can you tell me you can look at his face and not see the attack as a serious attack?”  It was clear that this interviewer did not agree with this rally and perhaps thought it was another instance of black people blowing something out of proportion.

 

Now, I’m not saying that this interviewer is racist or that racism even had anything to do with his attitude toward the organizer.  The interviewer was black.  Perhaps he really did feel that it was being blown out of proportion and that is his right.  However, as a journalist, isn’t it your job to report “just the facts”.  These days, it seems that the journalists can’t tell the line between reporting and commentating.

 

The people of Jena seem to have the attitude, both black and white, that they just want the protesters to hurry up, come, and have the rally and leave.  Their main concern is that there could be violence and property damage (you know how black people are).  Yes, something like that could happen.  There sometimes is a bad apple in the crowd.  I pray that I will not have to write about any such thing tomorrow.  I have heard many of the organizers telling the people no alcohol, no drugs, no guns and no negative attitudes.

 

The people of Jena don’t seem to understand what is at stake.  This is not just about racism.  This is not just about prejudice.  It is about rescuing a town that is stuck in the days of Jim Crowe.  If we allow these boys to be sentenced to 15, 20 or even 30 years for a school yard fight, while another student who physically hit one of the boys over the head with a beer bottle but was only charged with misdemeanor battery, it would be a detriment not only to those boys and not only to that town but to America.  We don’t want any part of America stuck in the days of shame.  The fact that blacks were brought over as slaves is shameful.  The fact that blacks were made to sit in the back of the bus or drink from colored only water fountains is shameful.  However, that shame was corrected with the Civil Rights act of 1963.  It took a lot of hard work and lost lives to acquire those rights and to allow a town, no matter how small, to not live up to those strides would be shameful.

 

Everyone in every small town and every urban city deserves equal justice.  That is what this rally is about.  It is my hope and prayer that tomorrow will be a history making day for young people across the country to take advantage of their rights and make their voices heard in a peaceful manner.  May this be the first of many fights for equality in justice for all in America.

 

 

For the past month I have been attempting to bring to national attention the blatant injustice that is being perpetrated upon six black, high school boys in Jena, Louisiana.

Anyone who knows me would ask, “Tracy, why do you have to point out the fact that they are black?”  I am not one to focus on the color of skin when making a point.  However, in this case it is very important because the injustice is being perpetrated, I believe, strictly because these teenagers ARE black.

If you are not familiar with the story allow me to give you the highlights or should I say “low lights”:

v       In September of 2006, during a school assembly, a black student asked the principle if it was ok for blacks to sit beneath a tree that had an unwritten rule of being a “whites only” shade tree.  The principal said he didn’t care where students sat.

v       The next day when students arrived to school they found three nooses hanging from the tree.  The boys who hung the nooses were suspended from school for a few days and the administration chalked it up as a “prank”.

v       Racial tensions flared.  Fights began breaking out among the black and white students at the school.  The DA, Reed Walters, was called to address the black students.  It is alleged that he made the statement that he could end their lives with the stroke of a pen.

v       On December 4, 2006, a fight broke out on campus between black and white students.  During this fight, one of the white students was punched in the face, which caused him to fall and hit his head on the concrete.  He was taken to the hospital and released the same day and attended a school function that night.

v     The DA charged six black boys with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy stating that the tennis shoes one of the students was wearing constituted a dangerous weapon.  If found guilty they could serve up to 100 years without parole.  A white student who, in a previous fight, hit one of the six over the head with a beer bottle was only charged with misdemeanor battery. 

v       The DA has since reduced the charges of two of the students to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy.  This charge could carry a sentence of 10 years.

v       The first student on trial, Mychal Bell, was found guilty on all counts by an all-white jury (Jena is 85% white).  His court appointed attorney called no witnesses.  His sentencing hearing will be held on September 20, 2007.  Mychal Bell could be sentenced to serve as much as 10 years in prison for a school fight that had no serious injuries.

It is hard to believe that in this day and age there are still towns in this great nation that adhere to the old Jim Crow laws.  Those laws may not be on the books but they are still in the minds of the citizens.  Though people have the freedom to believe what they choose to believe.  They do not have the right to dispense justice based soley on the color of a person’s skin.

What is happening in Jena, Louisiana should be an embarrassment to all American’s but especially to those Americans who believe that racism does not exist.

I believe a majority of American’s want to live in a country where people are not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.  As such, the majority of Americans, not just black Americans, should stand up for the Jena 6 and demand equal justice under the law.

It would be the American thing to do.

NOTE:  Since writing this blog, the Louisiana 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the aggravated second-degree battery conviction of Mychal Bell stating that he had been improperly tried as an adult.  The DA has said he intend to take an appeal of the reversal to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The injustice continues.