Striving Toward Greatness
By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on January 13, 2016
The month of January kicks off a series of commemorative events that begins with the nation’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and ends with Black History month in February. This is the season when black elected and appointed officials come out of hiding and remind us of the courage and determination Dr. King, Ralph Abernathy, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Roy Wilkins, Julian Bond, Malcolm X, and a host of other civil rights activists demonstrated as they fought tirelessly against engrained racial discrimination in the South during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and often at the expense of great personal sacrifice. Today’s officeholders will fight each other for front row seats on the dais of these events and for front line positions in commemorative marches throughout our communities. For many, it will be the first time we have seen them in public settings since this time last year or the last time they ran for office.
I personally knew Dr. King, Rev. Abernathy, Rosa Parks, Roy Wilkins, Julian Bond, and many others in the struggle for freedom and equality for African-Americans. I respect and appreciate the sacrifices they made for millions of other blacks to participate fully in the fabric of American life as equal members of society. They were always striving toward greatness and they motivated me to demand the same in my life.
These brave souls were big on the history of blacks in America, but they were not too big on spending inordinate amounts of time and energy on commemorative events. Instead, they were constantly organizing mass protests and working on an agenda to liberate blacks from the sweltering heat of racial opposition, hate crimes, and the indignities of daily racial discrimination. They were immersed in the practice of liberation through direct action. They lived and died challenging the status quo that dehumanized us. Theirs was a display of courage under fire.
Today’s officeholders, for the most part, offer us nothing more than commemorative speeches and a steady stream of feel good rhetoric. If they have a substantive agenda to advance and protect equal opportunity in America, it must be a silent one because they never discuss it in public. When was the last time you heard a black public official openly advocate for (a) black economic empowerment, (b) parity in educational funding, (c) equal opportunity in government procurement contracts, (d) the delivery of urban revitalization capital to blighted neighborhoods, (e) job training and expanded employment opportunities for black communities, (f) access to capital for black businesses, (g) infrastructure development in black communities, and (h) law enforcement practices that respect the lives of our children. When was the last time you saw a bank branch, major grocery store or shopping mall open in a black community.
Why don’t today’s black public officials use this year’s commemorative events to tell us what they are doing to advance equal opportunity in America? Judging from their silence on the issues that are choking the life out of black communities across the nation, you would not know that we have black public officials in America.
When today’s officeholders take public stands, it usually has to do with efforts to raise their salaries or enact regressive legislation for corporate special interest groups. More often than not, these officials are constantly stalking these companies to get free airplane rides and/or complimentary tickets to entertainment and sports events in and out of their political territories.
There are only a few exceptions to this disturbing trend. For example, Montgomery County, Alabama Probate Judge Steven Reed is the only black public official in Alabama to blast the lawlessness of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore’s efforts to deny equal rights to same-sex marriages in Alabama. State Representative John Knight (D-Montgomery) is the only black elected official who has publicly criticized Alabama governor Robert Bentley crusade to dismantle the monumental educational and funding gains made by historically black Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University under the 35-year old Knight v. Alabama college and university desegregation case. Longtime Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders (D-Selma) is the only black public official who wages an unrelenting and continuing fight every year to make “Bloody Sunday” a relevant chapter in our national voting rights experience. A handful of other dedicated black public officials support these men behind the scenes.
In 2015, the world saw a magnificent celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march in Selma, Alabama. More than 120,000 attended the weekend of commemorative events. Foot soldiers mingled with dignitaries from the public and private sectors. The theatrics and photo opportunities at the 50th Anniversary celebration knew no bounds. The cinematography was simply breathtaking.
All of the celebrities and visitors are gone from Selma now. The celebrations are over. Selma is back to normal. It is once again a city in a permanent state of distress. It is poor, black and neglected.
Why?
Because black public officials, as a whole, are no longer striving toward greatness. More and more, they have morphed into political hustlers who strive toward theatrics and who work hard at expanding a state of self-aggrandizement that leaves the black community adrift in a sea of hopelessness.
When will someone – anyone - address the state of black America? When will our public officials regain a respectable measure of courage? When will they once again strive toward greatness?
By Donald V Watkins
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