It's time to be ready to act now and put in the work.  The Supreme Court has weighed in.  They have upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010.  I refuse to call it "Obamacare" because in my opinion it's a derogatory term crafted by the opposition.  

What happens next is up to us.  "Repeal and Replace" is the message coming out of the Republican camp.  There are many that feel that this issue has become the rallying cry for the Republican Party and Tea Party.  They feel that this ruling is going to be used this as a means to raise funds and mount a broad attack on President Obama.  I have no doubt that this is indeed the case.  It should be noted that there are some Democrats that are not on board with this piece of legislation either.  We should also be aware that in a recent poll approximately 46% of Americans agree with the Supreme Courts ruling and 46% disagree.  This does not translate to a mandate for health care reform.

"Do you want to take the blue pill or the red pill?" 

I'm a big fan of The Matrix. I own the trilogy and watch them often.  This was the question that Morpheus asked Neo.  Neo chose the red pill and it freed him from the Matrix.

The question for us today is are we living in a modern day matrix?   Have we become complacent and satisfied with self-gratification?  Have we allowed ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security?

We have our houses, cars, careers, and all of the gadgets that we can possibly get our hands on. We have broken most of the barriers that existed in the sixties  We have leaders in almost all aspects of industry. We even have an African American president.  We also have ALEC, voter suppression, "Stand Your Ground" laws, and no reduction in Black on Black crime.

Sometimes being socially aware and socially responsible means looking in the mirror and honestly assessing what’s on our radar as compared to what should be.  Are we following our own agenda?  Have we allowed the agenda to be defined for us? 

There are many theories as to why of all the murders of young African American men Trayvon Martin garnered national attention.  Regardless of the reason I am happy that it did because it exposed the “Stand Your Ground” laws and the influence that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has on impacting public policy at the state level.

We, in turn have held rallies, vigils, signed petitions, and did whatever we could to ensure that this case stays in the public eye.  I personally was involved in the coordination of the 1000 Campus Vigil for Trayvon Martin.  All of this work is necessary and vital.  I am proud of the work that I have done and I applaud all those that have and are continuing to press forward until justice for Trayvon has been served.   

My concern is that I don’t see a concerted effort to look in our own back yard.