Options For NBlack People/title> </head> <body bgcolor="FFFFCC" text="000000" link="33EE00" alink="33EE00" vlink="33EE00"><h1 align="center"><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><b>What Options Are There Truly For Black People in America?</b><br><br></font><img src= "fist.jpg"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br><i>1968 U.S. Olympic Champions Tommie Smith and John Carlos took a stance for civil rights at their Medal ceremony and were expelled from the games. Back in America , their families received death threats and Time Magazine ran a photo of the Olympic logo with the words, "Angrier, Nasteir, Uglier" instead of the traditional "Faster, Higher, Stronger." Smith and Carlos are now recognized around the world for their courageous stance and regarded as "Olympic Champions of Civil Rights."</i></font><br><br><h1 align="left"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">A brother of mine, known as the <i>Prisoner of Love </i><b>(Special Guest on the Onion Horton Radio Show -WFFX 1490 AM from Monday - Friday, 6-9AM),</b> has a saying that goes: <i>"Black people were brought to America for 3 reasons: to serve, to entertain and to keep their mouths shut."</i> His philosophy is premised on the reasoning that if a Black person were to go outside of those 3 specific purposes, they would quickly come to realize the consequences of doing so. <br><br>To illustrate his point, Pris' said, "Take any one of our Black professional athletes for instance. They can make millions of dollars a year doing what the White team owners want them to do, because the owners are making unfathomable money off of them. If that Black athlete were to say to the White team owner, 'You know, I don't like the way that my people are treated and I think that I'm going to take stance about it,' there would be a serious problem for that Black athlete. As long as the Black athlete's mouth is shut, he will be allowed to make his money and enjoy what the owner let's them have." <br><br>Pris, as he is often called, is a man of tremendously original thought and his profound logic makes one wonder, <i>What Options Are There Truly For Black People in America?</i> <br><br>In President Barack Obama's campaign, the theme was Change. The hope for real change motivated the vast majority of us to take unprecedented political actions like talking in depth about candidates, attending rallies and even voting. But, when you examine the idea carefully, are politics a real answer for Black people? <br><br>Onion Horton has said time and time again, on his radio program, that the Black politicians lack the ability to do anything about the condition of Black folks in this city or anywhere else. Onion often says, "We know that you're outnumbered 16 White Aldermen to 12 Black on the Board in St. Louis. We know that you're outnumbered in the U.S. Congress 393 to 42 and in the Senate 99 to 1. We know all of that. But if you would just say, 'I've tried to get something for Black people, but the White folks just ain't gonna let us have NOTHING,' then that would be better than lying and saying, 'I'm gonna make something better for Black folks'. You can't make anything better, so just admit it!" <br><br>Thinking of Onion's perspective reminds me of how the RiverCity Examiner's phone rang over and over with calls from Black contractors who couldn't believe that Congressman Lacy Clay had praised the inclusion on the I-64 project and 1 week later, the NAACP released a report (obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and Missouri Sunshine Law), which revealed that of the $198 million in stimulus funded contracts awarded by MoDOT, only $2.7 million (1%) were awarded to minority contractors. Many believed that in the wake of the NAACP's release, Congressman Clay should have held a press conference to condemn the newly disclosed disparity. "That wouldn't make the problem any better, but at least the people would know that Clay had concern for our plight," said Makal Ali of the African American Business Contractors Association (AABCA). Makal's organization, with Anthony Shahid (Tauheed Youth), spearheaded the July 13th, 2009 demonstration and had been speaking out about the grave disparities long before the NAACP released the report. <br><br>Most Black people that RCE staff have spoken to believe that Black politicians are not the answer. "They usually to get something for themselves, something for their families and friends (provided that they get their kickback)," said Darren Brown (24) of St. Louis City. "They know that they can't change anything, because they'll never have the votes to change anything. I don't even bother to vote. It's all bull." <br><br>Darren's mindset is likely shared by the numerous Blacks in the city of St. Louis that failed to turn out to vote for Irene Smith or Maida Coleman in their runs against Francis Slay for Mayor. Darren believes the Aldermen and Committeemen were 'on the take' as he also believes the same of the <b>Black Clergy Coalition</b> who he watched on our website at <b>(http://www.rivercityexaminer.com/clergy.html)</b> in their secret meeting with Slay. So to Darren, and many, many other blacks obviously, politics are not a viable option for Black people. <br><br>That brings us to religion. Is this the possible answer for the problems that plague Black People? I believe that Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most brilliant man in American history. As a Christian minister fighting for the rights of the Black man in a majority White country, whose majority of religious body also worships Jesus, Martin was able to pose a powerful question, "If you believe in Jesus as I do and you live the idea of his word, then how are you too not sickened by the plight of the negro in America?" It was this truth that brought the world sympathy and therein was the answer for Black people. <br><br>Unfortunately, with King's death, this reasoning seemed to die as well. As did King's plea for Blacks to "Never lose the unity that has been achieved through this movement." <br><br>So, is <b>unity</b> the answer? To me, it seems the only option. It would appear from findings like those released by the NAACP, the ruling by the Supreme Court in the New Haven Firefighters Case, the President's "Stay In School Speech" being banned by certain schools and so many other blatant indications of a return to pre-civil rights America, that there will be no choice. <br><br>That <b>unity</b> would aid tremendously in the </b>National Black Boycott</b> movement that is getting underway. It calls for Black athletes and entertainers to stop their purchases of lavish luxury items and live moderately like every other Black in America and all Blacks to scale back consumption to a pre-civil rights level. The idea has merit and I'm certain that it is one for this day and age that would make Martin and Malcolm smile. </font><h1 align="center"><hr> <font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://rivercityexaminer.com/">Home</a><br> </body> </html>