Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Vote for No More Fergusons: Select…Elect…Re-elect

As Ferguson and the outcry from Newbury Street in Boston dies down, I am left with a rather empty feeling.  Of the people who protested in the streets of Ferguson or marched on Newbury Street, I wonder how many voted.  In its August 15 Monkey Cage blog, entitled “How Ferguson Exposes Racial Bias in Local Elections”, the Washington Post states that the turnout for the 2013 municipal elections in Ferguson among African Americans was 6%.  In the 2014 elections, the mayor ran unopposed, winning 97% of the paltry 1,484 votes cast.  Those 1,484 votes were out of a total of 12,096 registered voters, meaning only 12% of registered voters even bothered to vote.  And it bears mentioning that while Ferguson is 67% African American, its City Council is 83% White.

Ferguson is not an anomaly.  It is what happens when Black people don’t vote.  When a certain sector of the population doesn’t vote, its interests aren’t represented.  That’s how electoral politics works.  We can no longer rely on the tactics of yesteryear to solve our problems.  We need to embrace our full citizenship, brought to you by our mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers and VOTE.  And if we are not satisfied with the roster of candidates, we need to select someone to run and vote for them.

Instability plus anger leads to a community forever reliant on the charity of others.  Change comes from individual participation.  Talk is cheap, but real change starts with each of us participating in our local and national elections.  The only way that we can ensure that Ferguson never happens again is to Elect. Select. And Re-elect. 

Select: Find someone who interests you or that you can get interested in your issues.  Your vote should not be free, it should come with qualifiers, such as representing the interests of my community.  If you cannot find someone to support, then run for office and find someone to support you!

Elect: This year in various communities across the United States we are fortunate to have a record number of Black candidates running for office across the political landscape.  In addition, prospective elected officials of all hues are visiting our communities, asking for our vote.  If the legislative body at the municipal, state and federal levels does not reflect our communities and our needs we only have ourselves to blame.  We have to get involved, not just for federal elections but every election.

Re-elect:  We have to invest in our candidates with real capital.   From now on… the money you would spend on your Air Jordans, Coach or other swag accessories, spend on your candidates of choice and hold them accountable for your vote.  Make sure they hear your voice loud and often.  If you your elected representatives are not representing your community then start collective procedures to remove them.  And if you believe in them, re-elect them. 

So, are we in for a new day?  Will our “never again” start here?  It remains to be seen.  Although in less than two months Ferguson turned up the fire with over 3,200 new voter registrants, the question is will they vote?  In our various communities the only way to ensure that Ferguson never happens is to vote.  To your friends who don’t vote, ask:  will you vote to ensure that Ferguson never happens here?


Send this to 7 of your friends and you will have good voting luck today.

Monday, September 1, 2014

From Now On...

Happy Labor Day!

As Black Philanthropy Month closed on August 31st, our hearts are burdened by the murders of Michael Brown and Dawnn Jaffier. Two of our own, whose lives, from the day they were born until the their very last breaths, demonstrate the perilous position of Black people in American society. 

The two losses, one from within and the other at the hands of our supposed protector, point to our need to take control of our communities to create our own destiny. Jaffier was shot in broad daylight in an instance of apparent gang retaliation, allegedly by a Black man. Brown was shot six times by a White police officer whose motivation is as yet unknown.

From now on, more than ever before, we have the power to protect our family, our children, and communities.  We can no longer let people get away with murdering us, whether it is someone in and of our community, or someone charged with protecting our community. We should feel obliged to reset the conversation, and reframe the image of our people.  Whether it is Dawnn Jaffiers or Michael Brown, we must stop and take charge of ourselves and our communities!  

From now on, whether it is the media portraying our community as unruly, or philanthropy that only highlights poverty or violence, we can no longer let tragedy pimps enrich themselves on the backs of our people by telling their story of our sorrows and their salvation.  No longer may our systems, our media, and our language perpetuate the insidious racism of passive looks and demeaning characterization of our youth and, ultimately, ourselves.  In the 21st century this is unacceptable; we keep demanding more and accepting less.  This time is different -- from now on we must break through these false paradigms that are killing us. 

From now on we must join each other in supporting our youth, families and communities.  We must pick ourselves up and define our own future.  No longer can we hide behind the stereotypes that others paint on us.  We must care, nourish, develop and enhance our community through our own time, talents and treasures.  From now on we have to use Black philanthropy to take up this mantle and save ourselves.  

Now let’s get to work! 

You can join us for a local conversation of questions and solutions through philanthropy!
Sign up to join NEBIP’s Responsive Philanthropy for Black Communities Forum in Fall 2014 by emailing NEBIP your contact information - rgibson@nebip.org

Pinterest - Share pictures of our positive Black Communities with NEBIP at bcarter@nebip.org

You can help the community of Boston!
Help solve the death of Dawnn Jaffier – See something, say something to homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470.  Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip at 1(800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

You can join the national conversation about Police Brutality!
National Campaigns

Facebook Campaigns  
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-Mike-Brown/1453132474947612

Twitter Campaigns

National Social Justice Organizations

Maynard Institute:  


From now on let’s take charge of our community through civic action -- we will change the future!