Let Truth’s $10 be worth more than two cents

Sojourner Truth...

News in 2015 that Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman were selected to be featured on United States currency was at first blessing. Now it’s feeling more like a curse.

              The facts, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury: the front of the new $20 will feature the portrait of Harriet Tubman, whose life was dedicated to fighting for liberty. The reverse of the new $20 will depict the White House and an image of President Andrew Jackson.

              The new $10 will celebrate the history of the women’s suffrage movement, and feature images of Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul, alongside the Treasury building. The front of the new $10 will retain the portrait of Alexander Hamilton.

              The new $5 will honor historic events that occurred at the Lincoln Memorial in service of our democracy. It will feature Martin Luther King, Jr., Marian Anderson, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The front of the new $5 will retain the portrait of President Lincoln.

...Harriet Tubman. Don't confuse them.

              Initially I was overjoyed by the word that Sojourner Truth, a Battle Creek resident, would be gracing the $10. An abolitionist and women's rights activist, Truth was born into slavery, around 1775, as Isabella Baumfree in New York – a northern state (hey, just keeping it real).

              The person who claimed ownership of this cherished human being was Colonel Charles Ardinburgh. She was sold to John J. Dumont when she was 10 years old. Wonder how her mother and father felt about that? But I digress…

              Though her given name was Isabella, she referred to herself as “Sojourner,” a move said to have been made after hearing the name whispered to her from a higher power. Later she added “Truth” to uphold her mandate to preach nothing but truth to all people – especially men. Truth spent much of her career in Washington, D.C., then eventually moved to B.C. when she lived out her days.

              Why the history lesson? Perspective.

              Positioning activists of color and women on U.S. currency will suggest to a lot of folks that America has arrived, with respect to equality and social justice. Indeed, imprinting such human symbols on greenbacks that pass through the hands of people – both on our soil and around the world – carry subliminal meaning. The message? That declarations such as “We the People”, “Justice for All” and the like are factual embodiments rather than as of yet unattained aspirations.

             

Rally at Sojourner Truth Monument in Battle Creek

There’s the rub. So much of the time oppressors are soaked in their own self-centered frames of reference that reality is effectively white washed. And with it the truth.

              The United States continues to suffer from debilitating social diseases. These maladies are perpetuated, in part, by people who systematically elevate icons of justice to pedestals of reverence. In turn, they are then co-opted and appropriated so as to benefit the status quo. In the case of Truth, Tubman and other newcomers on our currency, to profit capitalism. More specifically, neoliberalism.

              As any marketing person worth their salt will tell you, when it comes to mass communication, perception quickly becomes reality. Bang it enough in print, online or on TV and fantasy becomes fact. That’s because we’re too lazy to want to discriminate between hype, opinion and fact.

              Placing a handful of individuals on dollar bills will ultimately result in the same failed thinking that resulted from the successful election of a single individual of color as president: that there’s no longer “a problem.” Sadly, nothing is further from the truth. America continues to have its collective head in the sand.

              Though the bills are still years from going into circulation, the good thing is that these nontraditional icons being placed on our money is promoting critical conversations. At least in some quarters. Conversations related to racism, sexism, poverty and other social ills plaguing us. I’m encouraged by that. By all means continue these discussions. At the same time, let’s not allow small wins like new small faces on dollar bills distract us from the big picture challenges facing us.

Follow J.R. on Twitter @4humansbeing or contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.

Martin Luther King is more than his "I Have a Dream" speech

One of these men was 5'7" - the other was President

Quick: what was the age of Martin Luther King when he was assassinated? Simple question - one that can easily be sourced via Google or any other search engine.

The answer might surprise you. Once you know, keep it in mind. So that when his name comes up in conversation you can remind others of the incredible work this man engaged in during his youth.

Yes, his youth.

Most everyone who knows the King name is familiar with his dreams of peace and unity. But he was younger than most think. And in terms of legacy, I suspect there are generations of people (young and old) who are barely (if at all) aware that he stood for so much more. And that he took action in the name of all who are vulnerable - no matter their identity (race, gender, ability, social class, etc.).

See the short commentary by Michael Eric Dyson on the whitewashing of Dr. King's legacy.

King was arrested upwards of 20 times and assaulted at least four times. His home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, and through all this, he emerged as this nation's premiere civil rights leader.



Click to see/read Michael Eric Dyson's take

And let's keep it real: yes, he was a person who was flawed and made mistakes. But that only proves he's human - like the rest of us.

He emerged on the world stage while in his 20s. A young black man influencing American culture. At the age of 35, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He spoke truth to power. Just a few short years later, he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Please, whenever his name comes up (and not just during the national holiday in his name), share Dr. King's age when he was killed. The goal? To remind everyone, young and old, what can be accomplished (and what is being achieved) by folks of all ages. And that there are young bloods out there who are putting their own lives on the line in the name of social justice. It's happening today. We just have to recognize...

It Takes a Village to Build a Village

It’s recited by many that it takes a village to raise a child. New Level Sports (NLS) is taking that mantra to heart, literally, with development of a three-year project that’s been envisioned for years. Now that it’s happening, time for the community to step up and residents to get off their sofas and step out.

              The vision? The Youth Village. It’s an ambitious, five-acre, multipurpose complex situated on the western edge of downtown. In its final form, the Youth Village takes up fully one-city block, and is chockfull of resource facilities to activate the mental, physical and spiritual (not religious) potential of boys and girls.

              The Youth Village gives Battle Creek youth not only hope, but also opportunity. And we’re not just talking jobs. The higher purpose of this ambitious project is to “define, manifest, live in, prosper in and pass on an ever evolving vision to succeeding generations,” according to NLS Director Chris McCoy, who’s also Pastor of Faith Assembly Christian Fellowship.

              For nearly 15 years New Level Sports, a nonprofit youth support service, has successfully served urban youth and their families across the region. More than 10,000 of them over the years, according to its website newlevelsports.org. In that time, NLS has motivated countless kids to fruitful life, education and career success. And not just kids of color.

              Not one to rest on his laurels (nor shrink from social justice issues), McCoy launched into the Youth Village project with unbridled passion. A capital campaign kicks off with a weekend of programs and events Friday May 20 through Sunday May 22. The goal is to raise $3 million to support the project’s three-phase development plan.

              The Youth Village stands on five proverbial pillars: Education, Personal Growth, Arts, Enterprise, and Sports. The project seems to align well with the two-year-old BC Vision initiative currently happening. Indeed, it complements rather than competes with other existing systems (i.e., schools, service agencies, businesses). That’s because of its holistic approach to developing children; it reclaims a way of being we seem to have lost – at least in lower income communities that have been stripped of so many resources all in the name of economic austerity.

              The Youth Village is different. Think Boys & Girls Club on steroids.

              From an early childhood development center & 24/7 childcare facility (not all jobs are 9 to 5), a youth garden and youth-operated micro businesses (screen printing, embroidering, catering), to a “dream lounge” & career center, and multi sports complex – the Youth Village is a young person destination with purpose.

             

Youth will be trained by instructors in business, entrepreneurship, development, cultural and community planning and personal growth development. It’s amazing to watch kids who once felt hopeless begin to discover and unleash skills, abilities and talents previously untapped within them.

              Pie in the sky? No, a slow burn. I’ve been watching McCoy cobble together support for this vision for years. See, it takes a village to build a Youth Village. McCoy says the project provides a progressive, clean and actionable path to enact positive changes in the minds of our youth. For us, by us. Hallelujah.

              Anyone remember ice skating on the “duck pond” at Irving Park? Everyone chipping in to sweep off the snow in order to skate? It was a collective endeavor for the common good that brought a lot of folks together. The Village Project offers a seasonal outdoor rink for that purpose – and I’m referring to more than the sweeping part.

              Back to adult residents and living room couch politics. Armchair quarterbacking works well when it comes to watching sports. Backseat driving is effective if you’ve got a GPS ap on your phone. But experience has proven that marshalling social change from the sofa doesn’t work. Neither does merely writing charity checks from behind an office desk or at the kitchen table – no matter how many zeros there are behind that first numeral.

              Just like growing food, community change happens when we step out the front door, roll up our sleeves and dig in. And I don’t mean telling other folks what to do. Instead it comes from asking what needs to be done and joining it.

              McCoy believes every young person, despite their background, has the ability to achieve their goals and dreams. I do too, given the proper early childhood foundation and access to resources. Lakeview and other outer lying communities have those things. Working together, we can make them available on the Northside too. At the Youth Village.

Follow J.R. on Twitter @4humansbeing or contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.

Stop Celebrating Violence and Focus Instead on Family

Back in April of this year, in less than a week, four public school systems in Calhoun County were hit by threats of mass violence. The culprits? Youth. Children. Our kids.
What in the hell is going on?

It’s tempting use the F word instead. The situation is that serious and makes me want to holler.

The “peaceful” Calhoun County school districts in Pennfield, Harper Creek, Lakeview and City of Marshall were each affected. Another threat was made a week earlier in neighboring Galesburg-Augusta schools.

Bomb threats? The specter of mass shootings in our schools? In mere a handful of days our local schools have been threatened with mass violence — by our children. The fact that none of the incidents led to injury or death is a blessing. The reality that a cluster event like this even occurred, though, is an omen.

So many superficial questions are being asked. Did schools systems do enough to prevent these threats? Did they respond appropriately? Was law enforcement response quick enough? Are appropriate consequences for the perpetrators being doled out? Are we over-reacting?

Hopefully folks will get around to asking the kind of questions that dig at the root of the matter. The sad fact is that what tends to happen when such events occur is we tiptoe around the issue. We source our “inner sitcom.” That is, we sit around “thinking” about causes and solutions that can be conceived, discussed and neatly wrapped up in half-an-hour.

It’s what most of us do when it comes to noodling on deeply complex, systems-related issues. Matters like poverty, sexism, racism, ableism, patriarchy — the list is long and infamous.

Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook. What happens at these faraway schools quickly fades into the recesses of our minds, like hysterical amnesia. Hidden from our consciousness.

Yet these and other horrific events fester like a dormant virus inside us — incubating, until the next act of outbreak of violence occurs.

Then we parade the syrupy rhetoric — “Gosh what a tragedy” — pronounce tepid calls-to-action — “Somebody needs to do something” — and proclaim fear-based solutions —“We need more guns.”

Instead of plowing into our hearts for empathy when thinking about what’s happening, we instead poke about the barnyard, scratching at the surface, like intellectual chickens.

Makes me wanna holler.

             

Because what’s happening is that important. It’s a societal crisis of epidemic proportions. The stakes are high, and we were lucky this week. In this community, at least. Think an act of mass violence and destruction can’t happen here? Wake up. Time to invoke the F-word.

What in the family is going on?

Family, as in father, mother, children and relatives. Family as in close, connected friends swarming to love, comfort and support each other and our youth. Family as in closely knit neighbors watching out for each other and our kids.

Family as in parents, teachers and administrators coming together to seek insightful understanding. For the purpose of acting in the best interest of students — beyond reading, ’riting and ’rithmatic. With everyone doing their part — beyond the walls of our schools and into our collective community. Not just Pennfield, Marshall, Harper Creek and Lakeview. Everywhere.

It’s time to come together and think — really think — about our society and where it’s headed (or maybe where it’s arrived). Mayhem-driven television & movies, carnage-propelled video games and venomous social media. The wanton use of violence (from bullying to bombs) to address personal and societal woes has become celebrated doctrine.

And it’s no laughing matter. Even kids should know that.

Let’s find the courage to talk about what our babies are learning is acceptable in our so-called civilized society and why. Let’s get at the root cause of it all. It’s in everyone’s best interest and the human thing to do.

J.R. Reynolds is a Battle Creek-based nonprofit consultant, writer and leadership coach. Follow him on Twitter @4humansbeing or contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.

Celebrate Jackie Robinson Day for the right reasons

Jackie Robinson swung for the fence in more ways than one

April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day. It’s an annual date I celebrate with reverence. Not because it honors the first African American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Instead I recognize this day because it symbolizes a lot of the things that are right about America. And wrong.

              Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson became the first African American to play in the majors during the modern area. He shattered the baseball color barrier on April 15, 1947, when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This historic moment pivoted American sensibilities.

              Earlier this month, in an apparent effort to atone for the emotionally brutal treatment of Robinson during his visits to the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia city council issued an apology. It came in the form of a resolution and delivered to the wife of the late MLB Hall of Fame player, Rachel Robinson.

Robinson possessed a fierce poise and demand for respect

              According to a Philly newspaper, the resolution stated in part that the City Council recognizes, honors and celebrates April 15, 2016, as a day honoring the lifetime achievements and lasting influence of Robinson. The resolution also speaks to the racism he faced as a player while visiting Philadelphia.

              Back in the sports world, Major League Baseball announced this week that it’s boosting its financial contributions to the Jackie Robinson Foundation and expanding its partnership with the organization.

              According to reports, the commitment includes funding 30 four-year Jackie RobinsonFoundation scholarships. That’s one scholarship representing each MLB team. A $1 million contribution is also being made to the Foundation’s Jackie Robinson Museum project.

              The gesture is a relatively small one in light of baseball’s foul treatment of black athletes in earlier years, but nevertheless commendable.

              The National Association of Baseball Players, the first organization governing American baseball, was formed in 1867. Black athletes were banned. Records are sketchy, but according to Negro League Baseball, several African-American players may have been active on the rosters of white minor league teams in the late 1870s.

Behind every successful man...

              In historical context, the possibility of black persons in baseball at some level is somewhat conceivable. Consider: just after slavery was abolished in 1865, the Reconstruction Era was witness to significant social and political revolution – when ideals associated with the American Dream included formerly enslaved black people.

              A significant number of African Americans were elected to local, state, and national offices. Some perspective: at the beginning of 1867, no African American in the South held political office. Within four years, around 15 percent of Southern lawmakers were black – a larger percentage than in 1990, according to author James M. McPherson in 1992’s Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution.

              In Southern states between 1870 and 1876, there were 633 black State Legislators, two black U.S. Senators (in Mississippi!) and 15 black U.S. Congressmen. This, according to author E. Foner (Reconstruction: America's unfinished revolution, 1863–1877).

              Then the walls came tumbling down. Hateful and murderous policies, sanctioned through government backed Jim Crow laws of segregation and discrimination, obliterated early reforms toward racial equality. So much for the American Dream.

              Two steps forward, one step back.

              This history lesson is important, to America and baseball, because it set the tone for what was in store for folks like Robinson - the first persons of color in their respective fields. Like many, he was mythologized (as was Dr. King) as a black man who passively turned the other cheek in the wake of racism. In reality, like Dr. King, Robinson was a fierce agent of social change who used his celebrity to speak out against discrimination.

              With the stroke of a pen Robinson became a Brooklyn Dodger and first black man in Major League Baseball. That was just the beginning. He, along with his family endured a heinous racist gauntlet. Robinson’s middle passage to acceptance was pocked by unimaginable acts of loathing and prejudice and discrimination – all because of the color of his skin. Color many white people today insist they do not see.

              Instead of claiming to ignore a person’s distinctive attributes (like color), why not instead hold those differences close. Use it as a means to reclaim all the wonder and diversity of human beings. Ultimately, it’s what binds us together. The fear is what tears us apart.

Follow J.R. on Twitter @4humansbeing or contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.

Say it Loud: He’s Black and I’m Proud

Eye on the prize

Until my two-year-old son is old enough to self-identify racially, I’ve declared him black. I’m raising him African American. Socially and legally. This, despite him being half white. Why? It’s in his best interest. But it’s not without serious, sometimes deadly challenges.

              Being black in America has a bad rap. This, according to media, history books, government policy and even statistics. We’re the collective punching bag of mainstream society.

              It’s open season on black youth. It’s okay to shoot first and ask questions later. We’re guilty until proven innocent. We’re viewed as a physical threat if we raise our voices in anger. Or throw up our hands to surrender. There’s more.

              We’re subjected to suffocating inequities, racism and discrimination, then told by its very architects, “It’s not really that bad” or “It’s just your imagination.” The result: many of us internalize our ongoing subjugation. We enact verbal and physical expressions of self-loathing, borne through generations of being assaulted repeatedly by unbridled oppression.

              Then we’re blamed and shamed for not keeping up with the rest of society.

              Being a person of color in the United States – especially black – comes with many unearned and undeserved socioeconomic penalties. We all know the numbers. Or maybe we don’t.

              With respect to health and wellness indicators, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are all statistically off the chart for African Americans, compared to whites. In primary education, scores trend lower than other races. And when it comes to jobs, guess who’s rates of unemployment eternally tops the charts? Black folks.

Everyone has skin in the game

              So why would a black father like me enthusiastically claim “African American” for his toddler – a moniker that’s historically stigmatized by so many? After all, my son’s mom is white so alternatives exist. Among them: “biracial”, “multiracial” and “other”.

              Anybody remember, “A Boy Named Sue”? The poem was written by Shel Silverstein and made popular by the hit Johnny Cash song in 1969. It tells the tale of a boy whose father named him “Sue” so that the youth would grow up tough. And like a boy named Sue, being black can instill grit in a place where “white is right”.

              There’s another, more important reason I declare my son African American. Pride. I’m proud to claim a racial identity that has survived the brutalities of yesterday’s slavery, Jim Crow and challenging today’s racist systems that include mass incarceration. Proud to associate him (and myself) with a culture that has withstood generations of physical and psychological violence, appropriation and other abuse perpetrated upon it, yet endure. Indomitably resilient and defiant. Bloodied but unbowed.

              Black actor Taye Diggs not too long ago proclaimed his half-white son to be “mixed race.” This, after penning a children’s book, “Mixed Me." Good for him. According to reports, Diggs hopes his book will help his son and other mixed race children realize they don’t have to choose black or white but embrace both races equally.

              That aspiration is reasonable. It’s vital to claim one’s entire identity (race, gender, orientation, abilities, etc.) in order to live in whole and complete ways, for reasons of mental as well as spiritual health. (I’m currently on my own personal journey to more fully embrace my African, Native American and Irish identities.)

             

All strapped in for the ride of his life

I also recognize there are governments, institutions and individuals in this country that systematically define blackness visually, often assigning economic, social and legal penalties along the way. This is America’s reality; one that must be reckoned with.

              Amid such enduring color bias, his mother and I are arming our brown-skinned son with a robust sense of racial and cultural self. An emphatic image to start; one rooted in reality but also acknowledges prevailing adverse illusions that present barriers for people of color. A sturdy platform on which to germinate and then evolve identity.

              When he’s older I will support, nurture and promote whatever way he chooses to identify. Until then I will say it loud: he’s black and I’m proud.

Follow J.R. on Twitter @4humansbeing or contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.

Time to Take Collective (as Opposed to Individual) Approaches to Food Access Issues

It's a crying shame so many people lack access to good food

There’s a problem in our food system and it’s a big one. It centers on access and equity. Access to good food and the equitable availability of it. And between the two of them it’s killing us.

              According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 111 million people in the U.S. are obese. That’s more than a third of all adults and almost 20 percent of children and adolescents.

              Obesity is not experienced equally. According to CDC reports, 35 percent of African Americans are considered obese. Among Native Americans, it’s 30 percent, with Latinos also weighing in at about 30 percent. With white Americans, the number drops to 24 percent.

              This all speaks to poverty and hunger, something that at first glance appears contradictory, carrying unhealthy body weight and being hungry. Again, it all boils down to access and equity.

              Folks with a high enough income tend not to believe access to good food is a problem. Many assert that anyone can get food if they really want it. There are stores, farmers markets, government programs, food banks, pantries, you name it. If a person’s obese, it’s their own fault.

              But it’s not that simple.



There's a big difference

              The food movement is ripe with an ethic of individualism. Whether it’s a concern about obese people choosing to eat fattening food or a permaculture farmer who wants to live “off the grid” and grow her own food, the underlying theme is an individual’s relationship to food.

              Yet with few exceptions, this perception of individualism is a farce. We live in a culture driven by systems. Driving those systems are corporations, which are about as far from individualism as you can get.

              What we have are collective problems. This raises questions of equity. What’s fair? Who has what, how much and why? Put another way, who doesn’t have what and why?

              In this community, it’s a fact that persons of color make up a statistically disproportionate number of residents earning low wages. Food experts refer to many communities of color as being “food deserts.” It’s a term coined by the federal government and defines a geographic area in which there are few if any grocery stores. Depending on which agency, the distance is one or two miles.

              A couple miles isn’t a big deal. Unless you have a several bags of groceries and have to walk because you don’t have a ride. Or have to tote them on a bus that doesn’t pass near your home. Or must shuttle there and back a taxi. Or have small kids with no sitter. So much for access.

Good food is fresh, green and affordable

              A review of studies by Policy Link discovered that only eight percent of Blacks live in a census tract with a supermarket, compared to 31 percent of whites. That’s sobering information. It’s also a clear indication of racial inequity.

              Here’s the “good” news: the term “food desert” is actually a misnomer. There’s plenty of food. The convenience stores, fast food joints and gas stations all have it. It’s just the majority of the food is processed versus organic. It’s also high in fat, salt and sugar – all drivers of poor health outcomes. Hence the unequal rates of obesity.

              To top things off, the term food desert conspires to portray these communities as negative, unproductive places, when in fact many thrive with backyard, church and community gardens. Not enough food to feed the entire community but still. The unflattering perception fosters and perpetuates inequities, perceived and real.

              It’s time to focus on solutions that make collective changes, instead of blaming the individual. Let’s act beyond creating alternatives or niches for small, privileged groups of persons, and examine and remove policies and practices that result in food system injustices. It’s the equitable thing to do.

 Follow J.R. on Twitter @4humansbeing or contact him at 4humansbeing@gmail.com.