"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.
Lately there has been a lot of talk about voter suppression laws, its impact, and the role that ALEC has played and is playing to get these laws passed. Before I get into the importance of understanding the danger of these laws, we need to understand how this is happening and ALEC’s (American Legislative Exchange Council) role in all of this. ALEC‘s membership roll is literally a who’s who of major corporations, state, and local officials. It mission is to “ provides a constructive forum for state legislators and private sector leaders to discuss and exchange practical, state-level public policy issues”. ALEC assists in the creation of “model bills” that in some cases are the basis for the ones that are introduced during the state legislative sessions. In other words corporations are working with our elected officials to affect change. On the surface this may not sound like a bad idea, the problem is that ALEC is all about the conservative agenda. This agenda is not necessarily in our best interest. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the You Too Can Go To College Fair. This event was the brainchild of the brothers of MALIK Fraternity Inc. I must say that the fair was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. To see so many eager young men and women with a sincere interest in going to college was a heartwarming experience. Representatives from over seventy colleges and universities came to PS 46 in Harlem, NY to participate. Why are events such as this one important? Why must there be more of them? Here are the statistics for young men and women in 2011:
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EditorErnest R. Heyward is the Founder and President of the Marketplace for Social Awareness and Social Responsibility Inc. Categories
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June 2020
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