MONEY AND BLACK POWER

Using Wealth to Effect Change

By Mildred Robertson

As I struggle with the reality of America’s socio-economic condition in 2016, I am appalled that our national and political discourse is eerily reminiscent of the 50s and 60s when majority culture Americans clearly embraced a racist system that brutalized and dehumanized blacks and other minorities.  

Many in our nation are clearly agonizing over this symbol of 21^st century oppression; the authorized targeting of black Americans and other minorities by our system of justice. It appears simple enough to agree that a man, woman or child should not be executed  for trivial infractions such as driving with a busted tail light, playing in a park, or simply walking to the corner store for a drink and some skittles.

Black people are amazed, and perhaps shocked, that so many people cannot see how the unfettered slaying of blacks for non-violent (or non-existent) violations is wrong, and deserving of punishment for the perpetrators. We have been amazed that people equate the call for justice against police who brutalize our citizens to an assault on the police who truly protect and serve.

We have been amazed that the majority culture is somehow surprised that someone got pissed off enough to pick up arms against the police. (Please do not start a twitter feed about this statement. I am in support of effective, compassionate fair policing, and value those who do a good job.)  Surely thinking individuals had to know that some in our society would become so desperate for justice in the absence of any, that they would attempt to make up and execute their own justice.

But violence is not the way. I believe we have the power to make meaningful change in our society.  All of us... every one of us!

As we wrestle to find strategies that will turn our community and our country around we must ask, what can make a difference for young minorities growing up in this hostile society.   How can we make it better?  The answer is already here, in our own community! The way to independence, justice and social equality is monetary.  That is the key.

We can continue to appeal to the conscience of America , but we must understand that many in our country have no conscience. We can look to our religious leaders, but find many of them are simply demagogues.  We can look to our political leaders, but discover that many are corrupt. We can and should pray, but God expects us to do our part.  The big question becomes, “what is my part?”

We must begin to strategically use the massive amount of dollars that pass through the black community to provide the leverage necessary to effect social change. According to the 2016 Nielsen Report, black households earning $75,000 or more per year are growing faster in size and influence than whites in all income groups above $60,000. If we were an independent nation, our spending power would place our Gross Domestic Product at the 15^th largest economy in the world. The report goes on to say that marketers need to take note and market to this growing demographic.  And that is where the power lies.

We must take those dollars and make them work for us. We can effect social change by supporting those entities that are fair and equitable. More importantly, we must deny our dollars to those entities that support the continued subjugation of blacks and other people of color.

Do not be deceived, Black communities used to thrive, boasting their own banks, grocery stores, theaters and service providers. But in the early 20^th Century the majority culture went to great lengths to destroy this budding economy, as evidence by the destruction of Black Wall Street in Tulsa Oklahoma and other such communities around the nation.  They understood the power that economic independence offers. In fact, that is why many of our political leaders are preachers, or own their own businesses. This financial freedom allows an individual to be authentic, without fear of economic ruin. 

The next great movement will not be a political third party, or a grassroots organizer, or even a movement such as Black Lives Matter. The next harbinger of social change is the realization by blacks and people of color that they already have the power to effect change and secure justice. Once we look in our pockets and decide to strategically utilize our wealth, we will be able to make meaningful, lasting social and economic change.

In the famous words of James Carville…”It’s the economy, stupid!.”

Hate Speech Ruling America's Political Discourse

By Mildred Robertson

Words matter.

If that were not so, the Founding Fathers would not have put specific protection in the Constitution for free speech.  The Bible would not have stressed that talk can do tremendous good or evil (Psalm 12:4) and that “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28).

Unfortunately, Americans have missed the nuances of how the civil liberty of free speech is supposed to work for the greater good. Free speech was granted to us not to allow perverted politicians to stir up political turmoil and hatred among classes of people, but to ensure that even the least powerful among us would have a voice.

That perversion, fueled by hate speech in the highest political arena, has driven an unprecedented wedge between people of different ethnicities, cultures genders, religions and sexual orientations. We are all pushed to choose a side.

While the investigation is still underway, it appears that some people in Dallas chose a side. I believe that the investigation will show that the perpetrators of these acts were frustrated by the inaction of this nation on the hundreds of unjustified killings of black men, women and children for minor infractions that would probably not have resulted in arrest for a white American. Please understand that I in no way condone the police killings in Dallas; but I understand how a young, frustrated African American might arrive at that decision.

It is a story we have heard over and over again, and the result is always the same. We say a prayer.  We have a march. And next month, another black man, woman or child is needlessly gunned down for no apparent reason, other than being black.  And that voice that the Founding Fathers protected for us is nowhere to be heard.

 We are bombarded daily by a media that has lost its way; filling our airwaves, newspapers and magazines with the opinion of this pundit or that one. They pull out the rap sheet on any victim of a police shooting, and post a mug shot rather than a graduation picture. News is rarely reported these days, and if it is, it is because social media has forced it. This is the very same media for whom the Founding Fathers crafted a special protection in our constitution.

 Words have created an image of the black man that makes the world fear him, regardless of his station in life, the way he carries himself, how much money he has or how much education he gains. It does not matter to America. It does not matter to the police who have been called to protect and serve, not just white America, but me too. That is why there is a “Black Lives Matter” movement, because someone has to change the conversation.

 Listen to the words. . . . There is no threat in them.

 Saying “Black Lives Matter” does not mean that blue lives don’t matter, because they do. It doesn’t mean that white lives don’t matter—they do. It does not mean that brown lives don’t matter. Brown lives also matter.  It would be wonderful for us to say “ALL LIVES MATTER” and for that to include my black self, my son, my brother…but heretofore that has not been the case. 

The fact is, words matter, and America needs a new lexicon.

IT’S NOT JUST DONALD TRUMP—THE MEDIA IS OUT OF CONTROL

By Mildred Robertson
June 8, 2016

I sat last night, and watched in disbelief as MSNBC and other news outlets disenfranchised millions of voters by announcing Hillary Clinton as the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Presidential Party.  This election season has given pause to thinking Americans. The system is broken. We must do something to bring this democracy back into balance. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am a Hillary supporter. I was pretty sure she was going to win. Those who had been doing the math expected this as the final outcome. But to call it before millions have even had the opportunity to cast their vote is a total overreach on the part of the media.

This last turn of events is only one in a long list of perversions to the election process that, I believe, is fueled by the media and threatens our very freedom. First there was the 11-ring circus that was the Republican Primary where the multiplicity of voices gave rise to the carnival barker that is Donald Trump.

Had the Republicans been able to field an array of qualified candidates who intelligently debated the serious issues that face our country, we might have gotten a serious presidential contender that offered a realistic alternative to the Democratic nominee. Instead, we got a presidential primary reality series orchestrated by a television personality whose arrogance is superseded only by his proclivity to lie and misrepresent both himself and his opponents. This was facilitated by the media who used the entertainment value of a Donald Trump candidacy to boost ratings, with little thought given to the impact of this free coverage on the democratic process. No other candidate could have afforded to buy the time that was freely given to Trump to espouse his stupidity, hatred, bigotry and racism, which unfortunately, was embraced by millions of Republicans.

For ratings, the media allowed Trump to suck up all the air in the room, leaving no space for thoughtful, meaningful debate. Each news day has been dominated by his most recent outrageous antics, with few media questioning either the veracity or the news worthiness of his statements. Now, in the 11^th hour, some media have stepped up to challenge Trump, but it is too little, too late.

And then there is the Democratic Primary. Neither Bernie nor Hillary has gotten much attention, until now. Oh, there was momentary coverage when someone attacked Hillary for this, that or the other. Bernie got some airtime when he claimed unfairness in the Democratic Party Primary process, but for the most part, neither has received much media play as it relates to their basic platform.

For the media, it is all about personality and perception…seldom about substance. If it is not about Benghazi, emails or Bill—if it doesn’t involve raging against the system or millennials who are disenchanted with the status quo, then it’s just not going to get airtime.  Media coverage has focused on what separates us, what vexes us rather than issues that will impact our future and determine our path in a world facing many serious challenges.

Our nation must address issues associated with global warming, nuclear threats, social unrest, aging seniors, childcare, equality for women, minorities and others outside social norms.  We have no time for “must see TV.”

The freedoms given the media were provided to ensure the free exchange of ideas, a fundamental tenet of a free society. As one trained as a journalist, I understand the sacred nature of this provision in our Constitution. But what the modern day media has done with the freedoms afforded it by our Constitution is nothing short of sacrilegious.

I certainly fear government intrusion into the inner workings of the media. But somehow, someone must determine what is true journalism and what is entertainment. It is, I believe, unethical for the media to cause millions of Americans to feel that their votes are irrelevant. When ratings become more important than democracy…when being the first to break a story is more important than the impact that breaking news will have on millions of Americans, it appears to me that the media have fallen short of the lofty expectations of our Founding Fathers. 

In journalism school they taught us that there were some situations where it was not alright to speak. We don’t generally print the names of rape victims, or children involved in crimes. We don’t broadcast the name of a murder or accident victim before the family is notified. We don’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater.

Isn’t that what happened last night? Could this announcement not have waited until the polls closed today?  Of course it could, but not if you wanted to be first. 

It is my prayer that those states casting their ballots today will not be deterred by media whose desire for ratings is the sum total of what they have become. I hope that voters cast their ballots despite the unethical, ratings hungry behavior of some media. Every vote counts, regardless of what the media says. It must for our democracy to stand.  

Election 2016 – Hard Choices

Let’s be adult – it’s not about marbles

By Mildred Robertson

I am a Hillary supporter. I believe, that with all her knots and bruises, she is the best person in the field to follow the path President Obama has so appropriately charted for America. Hillary believes what I believe. It is not something that I have to turn to the media pundits to figure out.

She believes in universal health care.  I know that, because I heard her voice call for it, first, long and loud, back when her husband first took office.  Her record will show that she has an understanding of the impact of things like child care, pay equality and paid leave on not just the women of our nation, but our entire economy.

She believes a woman should have sovereignty over her own body, and that every human being in this country should be treated with respect.  She knows the Black community often doesn’t get a fair shake when it comes to the legal system, employment, education, and a myriad of other factors that help to continue and widen the economic gap between people of color and the rest of America and she wants to do something about it. She knows that Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are not charity, but an essential part of what makes us a civilized nation and provides an essential safety net for countless Americans who otherwise would languish in utter poverty.

She knows what it takes to lead. She has done it in the chambers of Congress and in the board rooms of countless heads of state world-wide. Whether it is foreign policy, health-care,  the support of historically black colleges and universities, voting rights, or sensible gun laws, Hillary and I agree on many things.

She is Hillary, not Bill. She did not sleep with Monica Lewinsky.

She is Hillary, not Bill, she did not institute the current prison system. 

Does she always tell the truth?  I don’t know.  Do you?  Does she get paid well for what she does? Certainly! Isn’t that your goal in life as well?

I do know that if the media dug around in my past as they have hers, they would probably come up with a thing or two that would make me look somewhat unattractive. I do not always make the right choice. Sometimes, over a 30-year span, I get new information or a new perspective, and sometimes I simply change my mind. How about you?

I want to vote for Hillary in November. That doesn’t mean that I think she is perfect, but I believe she is the best prepared and positioned candidate to be the 2016 standard bearer for Americans who want to move this country forward.

However, if Hillary does not win the Democratic nomination…if Bernie Sanders comes out victorious in July and successfully captures the nomination, I will NOT take my marbles and go home.  I will gladly walk into the voting booth on November 8 and cast my vote for Bernie Sanders.

I understand that Sanders speaks to many Progressives in a way he does not speak to me. I understand the fervor. After all, I was a die-hard Obama fan when folks were saying “Obama who?” I know what it means to see something in a candidate that no one else sees, and to passionately believe that the person can make a difference. So I get it.

What I don’t get, is the decision by many Sanders supporters to vote for Sanders or no one. When you look at it up close, you could change all the “she believes” in my previous statements, and write “he believes” and there would be very little daylight between the two.

The opposition is another story entirely. Any Republican candidate put forth thus far spells disaster for this country and every part of the Progressive agenda. For any Progressive supporter to opt out of this election because his or her preferred candidate fails to gain the Party nomination is immature, short-sighted and dangerous. 

Remain in play.  

Defeat the REAL enemy. 

That enemy’s name is neither Bernie nor Hillary.

Donald Trump…Bullying his Way to the White House

By Mildred Robertson

This election season has been nothing, if not entertaining, as we watch Donald Trump bully his way to the White House. It is disturbing to think that such a flawed character could claw his way to the top of the Republican heap, and even more disturbing that the media and, apparently, millions of Americans have allowed him to do so.  His cheap theatrics have made him a media darling and the late night show’s punch line.

That is all well and good if we are talking about the fall television line up.  But folks, we are talking about a clearly troubled personality’s possible ascendance to the highest office in the world. To place the delicate negotiations of U.S. foreign policy, the sensitive issues of personal freedom vs. social good, or the pressing issues of economic stability in the hands of a megalomaniac is unthinkable.

It appears, however, that it is something that every American must think about. Because in November of 2016 a man who has no respect for women, minorities, the poor, and effectually, anyone who is not him, may well take the reins of this great nation and have the opportunity to drive us into the ground.

When we examine this situation, several questions immediately come to mind: How did we get here?  Who is at fault? What can be done about it? And if he wins; “What next.”

Let’s first play the blame game. Clearly, Donald Trump is a creation of the media. It is my belief that he started this journey as a publicity stunt; his goal, to raise his visibility and embellish his brand. But once he began the process and garnered millions in free publicity and an equal number of dissatisfied voters (idiots) who were willing to support him, I believe Trump realized that the presidency might possibly be within his reach. Once having reached that conclusion, he began to make more and more outrageous statements, filling the 24-hour news cycle with Trumpisms. His followers also fed the media machine by being thugs and beating up any who dared to protest Trump’s racist, sexist rants.

Under the guise of journalism, the media hung on his every word, noting that now Trump was the legitimate front-runner in the Republican Primary. Even though the media now timidly accepts its role in Trump’s ascendancy, there is little it can do. The genii always refuses to go back in the bottle.

Well, now that we know how we got here, and who to blame, what can we do to stop Trump’s rise to power. First, Americans are going to have to stop acting like spoiled children who must have their way despite the consequences, and take a good, serious look at our country. Between the gloom and doom the Republicans have been preaching since America elected a black president and the media’s proclivity to only tell the bad news, Americans have come to believe that we are in dire circumstances and about to teeter over the brink of disaster.

The facts simply don’t bear that out.

Under this administration businesses have added 13.7 million new jobs, unemployment has fallen to 5%, and 17.6 million Americans have gained health insurance…all accomplished with a congress that fought these policies tooth and nail[i]. And that’s just a short list of accomplishments.

That is not to say that there are not critical issues that still need to be addressed. But all-in-all, America is on a much more solid footing than when Obama took office 8 years ago.

So be dissatisfied if you must, but also be realistic about the basis of your dissatisfaction. The unease felt by millions of Americans has much more to do with race than it has to do with social, economic and political progress. And that is what Trump is tapping into.

So I challenge Trump supporters to be honest. Are your racist roots so deep that you would allow them to strangle common sense and hand over the White House to a power-crazed despot such as Trump?

As Americans we must stop the name calling, the racist and sexist epithets and concentrate on what it really means to make (keep) America great.  Although the Founding Fathers were also flawed human beings who apparently did not clearly understand the words they penned… “All men (people) are created equal.” We each do have inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our country was founded upon the belief that people with differing opinions…lifestyles…life choices…religious beliefs could live together under the rule of law; each maintaining the purity of his or her personhood while supporting our nationhood.

I believe that to be a fact. I implore each American citizen who walks into that ballot box in November to lay aside petty differences and concentrate on what will truly make America strong.  Failure to do so will result in unrest, anarchy, and possibly the demise of our nation as we know it.  This November can mark a beginning, but regrettably, it may also mark the end.

A post Donald Trump America is not one I wish to envision, much less experience.

 

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[i] www.cbsnews.com/news/obamas-top-10-accomplishments

American Dream Hijacked by Hatred

By Mildred Robertson

I am undone by the times in which we live.

The other day as I lay on a massage table the Masseuse said the muscles in my back were extraordinarily tight, and asked me what the source of my stress was.  I chuckled to myself as I thought about my life and the times we live in.

I thought about my inbox full of political campaign propaganda, all asserting that their respective candidate is the answer to my prayers.  None of them are.

I thought about the nightly news and the ridiculous Republican campaign that is so absurd it would be practically laughable, were it not so frightening.

I thought about a Facebook post that compared the vitriolic Hitler with Republic front-runner Donald Trump. I shuddered at the comparison because it rang true. It occurred to me that this man, like Hitler may rise to power, fueled by blind hatred and misdirected anger; a hatred and anger that will surely result in the downfall of our nation if it is allowed to run rampant.

I am undone by the times in which we live.

It appears to me that the entire nation is red-faced and belligerent, just like Donald Trump. That is why he has been able to gain traction, because so many look in his face and see themselves…even though the majority of Americans are nothing like Trump…except for the hate.

America hated the Indians. Their sin…they stood between the European immigrants and the land that they wanted to claim as their own.

America hated the African. Why… to justify the injustice done to that mighty race by snatching its future from its shores, raping its women, emasculating its men, destroying its family structure, obliterating its culture, denying its humanity and building an empire upon the back of its labor.

America hated the Hispanics.  Why…because they came and worked jobs Americans would not, took pay that Americans refused, and then had the audacity to attempt to reap the benefits of their labor by becoming a part of the American society.

I am dismayed that a performance by Beyonce elicits a nationwide backlash, but what appears to be the lifeless body of Sandra Bland hanging in a jail cell is not cause for alarm.

Our nation has been hijacked, not by Blacks, or Hispanics or any other minority, but by a group of unthinking, racist, self-centered and miserable human beings who believe that the bounty this land has to offer is not enough to go around. We are being held hostage by a small group of powerful men who are manipulating the mindless masses to destroy opportunity for all except for the few of them. And the masses do not even know that they will be left standing outside the gate with the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Asians and all others not born to privilege and wealth. You cannot reason with a man who has no reason.

And so, I am stressed. I do not see an answer. I am undone by the times in which we live.

Super Bowl Excesses

Super Bowl Excesses Demonstrates Nation's Misaligned Priorities

By Mildred Robertson

Before I start my rant about Super Bowl excesses, let me give full disclosure. I am not an avid sports fan. My brother was a jock, and my father was an enthusiast, and, back in the day, there was only one TV in the house…you get my drift. Sports all day, every day.

So it is not unusual that, when given access to four televisions in my home, not one is tuned to an athletic channel. So much for the entertainment desert that was my youth.

Even if I had not been sports traumatized as a youth, I nevertheless would be appalled at the Super Bowl fervor that engulfs our nation every year. At first it was just the advertising budget.

I get that Super Bowl exposure can launch a company into the stratosphere, but millions being spent on 60 second spots, no matter how dramatic or star-studded, just seems ridiculous to me.  Call me crazy, but Beyonce’s butt, or Bieber’s chest don’t’ figure into my decision to buy one product or another.

Then there is the price of the tickets. That someone would pay upwards of $5000 to $10,000 for a weekend of entertainment is patently ludicrous. Particularly in light of some of the social challenges our world faces.

If everyone caught up in this Super Bowl fervor were to expend just $1 in a collective fund, how many hungry children could we feed or clothed; how many homeless might we house; how many underprivileged kids could we send to college? How many Flint Michigan residents could we give water filtration systems?  I am a humanities major…someone do the math.

I am not knocking football, sports or entertainment. I just think we have our priorities mixed up when we choose to expend so much of our resources on so frivolous a pursuit when there are so many pressing social and domestic challenges that go sorely underfunded.

Watch the Super Bowl. Enjoy the half-time activities. Wear your favorite team colors. Eat, drink and be merry. There is nothing wrong with that.

My question is this…can you bring that same kind of passion to everyday situations that require our attention?  Can you justify funding infrastructure or healthcare, or college tuition like you justify paying $5000 for one Super Bowl seat?

Just know that, where we lay our treasure…that is where our heart lies.