Leap Day Hype

Making a Giant Leap 

     Today is Leap Day. It occurs every four years, but I feel that this year is a very important Leap Year.  This year America faces a decision that on the surface seems easy, but is proving very difficult.  This Presidential Election is more important than any election in recent history.  No, this is not a political piece, I Feel the Bern but this isn't a giant campaign ad.  This year's election has lots of candidates who varying ideals and even more varying ethics and morals.  This year's election will be a battle for the soul of America.  We are going to make a decision as a nation about how we want to be seen on a national stage.  

Making America Great Again

     If you don't understand or are disillusioned about what this means I implore you to look at the recent events that have transpired.  Donald J. Trump has received the endorsement of David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.  Let's take a moment and think about that.  Notwithstanding Trump's refusal to denounce the endorsement, the fact that David Duke believes Donald Trump represents his interests is terrifying. If you are judged by the company you keep, then we should take a close look at the company you attract.  Normally, I respect everyone's opinion whether or not I agree with it, but in this case enough is enough.  If you support Donald Trump currently, you are seriously lacking perspective or you are a person with hatred in your heart and that is something that is between you and whatever deity you recognize, but you need Jesus.  I normally try to keep my personal religious views out, and present all the evidence to support my opinion, but this is an editorial so you can just deal with it. 

          Making America Great Again means Making America White Again.  Personally, that is not in my best interest.  I refuse to be subjugated and treated even more like a second class citizen. America is a long way from equality, but electing Donald Trump as President feels reminiscent of Jim Crow. It’s time for America to get off its ass and do something.  #AnyonebutTrump is what’s going to get him elected.  We need to stand up with one clear voice and shout down the voices of hatred, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, class-ism, color-ism, prejudice, cultural division, and every other negative spirit that has possessed this country for too long. Donald Trump’s presidential campaign seems to be the embodiment of all these spirits and ideals and it’s time out for that. 

This is a public denouncement of Donald Trump and his followers (at this point it’s akin to a cult and we should treat it that way.)  America doesn’t need you or your archaic and ignorant ideals.  America needs someone who will act in its best interests and in the best interests of its people. 

 Take a Giant Leap Forward

#FeeltheBern

Beyonce is just a symptom, not the problem.

Symptom of a Much Larger Problem 

Black Panthers

     So there are people who are under the impression that Beyonce's latest video and Superbowl performance and music video are calling for violence against the police and against white people in general.  The only person who knows for sure what Beyonce meant by her video and performance is Beyonce.  Did you know that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party (BPP)?  Also, did you know that the original name of the BPP was the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.  They advocated armed patrols of black neighborhoods monitoring for police brutality in Oakland, California.  They did not endorse open violence against whites or the police, but they did not agree that non-violence was going to provoke anyone into taking the Civil Rights Movement seriously.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party

The main message of the Black Panther Party was to reclaim the masculinity of the Black Man.  Also, they merely exercised their 2nd Amendment rights which doesn't make them criminals . . . unless everyone who practices open carry is a criminal.

About Beyonce

     So Beyonce was making a statement of black solidarity.  If you haven't seen Formation, then you should watch it.  If you don't understand it, then have someone explain it to you.  Formation is a video about what it's like growing up as a black Female in the South.  The lyrics are few, but they all mean something.  Ask a black female what people say about how they look.  They will comment on the quality of their hair, or their nose.  Formation also speaks to Beyonce's heritage and her lifestyle.  She mentions her "baby heir" with "baby hair" and that even though she is quite wealthy, she is still quite country and carries hot sauce in her purse.  Formation is an anthem about what it means to grow up black and how even if you become wealthy you still have your heritage and don't forget where you've come from.  This is also a message to everyone that even if you grew up poor, country, or in the streets you could be "a black bill gates in the making."  

     There are images in this video that people find unsettling.  They think that Beyonce on that police car is advocating violence against the police, but that was a picture of the police car sinking in the flood waters of Katrina, because the video takes place in New Orleans.  The most powerful image is that of the little black boy break dancing in front of police and graffiti that reads stop shooting us.  Whether or not you agree, I believe it is ignorance if you don't recognize that there is a problem with blacks being disproportionately shot and killed by police officers.  This video comes on the heels of many criticisms that Beyonce has been getting about being silent on the current racial tensions in our country.  

https://youtu.be/vX_Vzl-r8NY

Rising Racial Tensions

     Now there is a rising tide of racial tensions in this country that no one wants to acknowledge.  There are two reasons for this:  (1)  Talking about race makes you uncomfortable or (2) You think the time for talking has long passed and it's now time for action.  I personally don't believe meaningful lasting social change can come about without open and honest dialogue first.  That means no finger-pointing, no name-calling, no blame gaming, just open and honest dialogue with a defined goal and defined parameters.  

     In order to get to that point, both sides have to understand some things.  White people: privilege exists, you are the only race that can be racist because racism is prejudice + social power ( the power to affect social change).  Black people: just because white privilege exists doesn't mean white people didn't have to work for what they have, Also, just because you can't be racist doesn't mean you can't be prejudiced and act based on that prejudice.  It just means your actions don't have the affect of social change or the backing of a societal institution.  This doesn't make you any less prejudiced or make any actions you do any less harmful.   Once both sides come to that understanding and can grasp why the other side often feels attacked and dismissed or demonized, meaningful dialogue can begin.  Both sides also have to be willing to set things aside, concede points, and actually want to make progress.  Neither side can play the victim if neither side is willing to come to the table in the spirit of reconciliation.  Deep wounds don't heal on their own.  They fester and get infected.  Doing nothing and trying to pretend like nothing is wrong does not solve anything.  If anything it makes blacks feel marginalized and like their concerns aren't being taken seriously. 

An Open Letter to those who Support the Confederate Flag (in all its incarnations)

Unabridged Thoughts on the Confederate Flag Issue:

     I truly do not understand why people have a problem with taking down the Confederate flag and my university's student body refusing to fly the Mississippi State Flag because of the Confederate flag symbol apart of it.  I would love the reasoning behind it, but no one can give me a legitimate and logical argument for supporting the Confederate flag. Believe me, I have heard "it's heritage, not hatred." I've heard "I'm just honoring my ancestors who fought, bled, and died for the Confederacy." I've heard "it's freedom of expression, and my Constitutional right."  The truth is that it is heritage, but a heritage steeped not necessarily in hate, but in the subjugation of blacks and the belief that they were inferior.  After the Confederacy, the symbol was hijacked for use by hate groups, because the traditional symbols of those hate groups were ruled prima facie evidence of hate.     You can honor your ancestors, but actually honoring them.  Hang their uniform in your home.  Pass down the stories of bravery and heroics that they have.  Teach your children that it's okay to fight for your country, but also teach them what they should be fighting for.  Many of you will ultimately see me as trying to tell you how to honor your ancestors, but I'm merely offering you suggestions that do not immediately illicit feelings of inferiority, repression, and hate from others.   While you have a Constitutional right to freedom of expression, that speech and expression cannot be deemed hate-speech.  The Flag is not considered prima facie evidence of hate speech, but when a group of people get together and decide that it is being viewed as such it becomes hate-speech.  Perception is reality and no matter what you personally may believe, in a democratic society the majority decides the rule.     Personally, I believe that politicians in the south have politicized this issue; therefore, giving those who have truly racist intentions a cover.       I know not everyone feels this way, but I urge those people to consider the old adage: "you are judged by the company you keep."  Not too long ago the Ku Klux Klan picketed Ole Miss for removing "From Dixie with Love" 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/21/kkk-rally-at-ole-miss-kla_n_366475.html

They came a second time when the University decided to rename Confederate Drive and Coliseum Drive after some advice from outside sources that said the University's reputation and future revenue streams were suffering because of it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/01/ole-miss-confederate-racism_n_5642823.html  

They came a third time when the student body petitioned the Associated Student Body for the removal of the state flag because it bears the Confederate Flag as apart of it. 

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/10/16/ole-miss-students-rally-remove-state-flag-campus/74046586/     
This is the same KKK that rallied to protest the removal of the Confederate Flag over the South Carolina Statehouse. 

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/confederate-flag-furor/kkk-rallies-south-carolina-statehouse-defense-confederate-flag-n394631    
     No matter what your political affiliation is, I think we can all agree that Ku Klux Klan has a history of racism, hate, violence, and fear mongering that cannot be ignored, reformed, or changed.  Anyone who chooses to associate with the KKK implicitly agrees to be associated with this grisly history.  These are the same people that believe that the Confederate flag should be a symbol that flies over the South until the end of days.       I urge you to not be someone who recites the rhetoric of a political party, your parents, friends, or co-workers. I urge you to think for yourself; observe how people react on both sides of this issue; listen to how the flag makes people feel.  Speaking of feelings, I personally feel that the flag is a symbol of a defeated rebellion no one who considers themselves an American citizen can hold allegiance to it. 

     "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  

That Republic defeated the Confederacy.  As an American I am apart of that Republic, not the Confederacy.  For those of you who continue to revere and support the symbols of a forlorn rebellion consider me your enemy.  I am an American citizen and a proud Mississippian.  The South will rise again, but not THAT South.  THAT South is dead. THAT South is defeated. The South that will rise again is MY South. MY South is the one who speaks out against ignorance. MY South is the South that wants to educate its people so that we can rise together instead of off the backs of one another.  That is MY South. That is MY Mississippi. That is the future that I want to be apart of, and hopefully you will join me, because if you're not apart of the solution, you're apart of the problem.