I read a news feed this morning from News One titled “Divided States of America: 20 States Petition To Secede after Re-Election of President Obama. “ The opening sentence was “Some white people are really having a difficult time facing the reality of a Black president…….” They have since changed their opening sentence to “Some people are really having a difficult time facing the reality of a Black president…..” I commend them for this revision (although they haven’t corrected the hyperlink). I did not feel that the issue is totally racial and disagreed with the writer limiting it to white people. I do believe that there are some serious underlying racial overtones. The Star-Telegram reports: Hardin County [Texas] Republican treasurer Peter Morrison writes "…..Let each go her own way," demanding an "amicable divorce" from the U.S. and from the "maggots" who re-elected President Obama. Morrison is particularly angry at Asian-Americans and Hispanics who backed Obama, accusing them of voting on an "ethnic basis." "'They' re-elected Obama," Morrison wrote. "He is their president." The election is over. I suppose that some of you are extremely happy and some of you, well, are maybe not so happy. As a taxpaying citizen I have to say that this has been one of the most grueling election cycles that I've experienced so far in my voting life. If I wasn't being inundated with advertising that was mostly negative, I was overwhelmed by media pundits. So now it's time for you to get back to the business of running our country. I trust that you have renewed your commitment to being a servant of your constituents, the American people. As I'm sure you know as reported in a Wall Street Journal article your approval rating was at an all time low of 12% in August 2012. In October 2012, twenty-one percent of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing, higher than the 13% Gallup measured in September, and the highest rating in any month since May 2011. If approval ratings were an exam, these would be failing grades. Unfortunately these are not exams. This is real life. The decisions (or lack thereof) that you make impact every American citizen and there are no make up exams in life. The Encarta Dictionary: English (North America) definition for the word politician includes: I'm tired. I feel like this has been one of the longest election cycles ever and it's not over yet. On election day I will be voting for President Obama. Although I'm a registered Democrat, I'm not voting for him because I'm following the party line. I'm also not voting for President Obama because he's African-American. I'm voting for him because in my opinion he's the best person for the job and deserves another four years. One thing I have realized during this election cycle is the depths both parties must go to get their candidate elected. There are issues with both parties. There is spin on both sides. Do I fault them? No, I fault us, the American people. We have allowed ourselves to be reduced to listening to 30 second sound bites. We have allowed big money to contribute to a point of virtually running the campaigns and setting the agenda. We have become so complacent that we just want somebody to tell us what to do. We have become so focused on the national election that we forget that the rubber hits the road at the local level. Voter suppression, Stand Your Ground laws, and many others happen at the state level, we need to ensure that we are paying close attention to our local elections. Click for larger image We’ve heard the stories and seen the statistics about inner-schools and students. Low test scores, low graduation rate, high crime rate, and so on. There has been many ideas suggested and many solutions proposed to addressed these issues. In my opinion the issue has been analyzed to the point of analysis paralysis. What if the answer is hidden in plain sight? What if the answer is to present positive opportunities to our youth? What if the answer is to provide programs that will allow them to strive and thrive? What if we help them build a positive self-esteem. Brooklyn Castle is an inspiring and heartwarming film that clearly depicts what can happen when we show our youth that we care. It has been six months since the launching of the Marketplace for Social Awareness and Social Responsibility. As with any new endeavor, there were lessons to be learned and obstacles to overcome. I'm proud to say that we're still here and we're here to stay. We could not have done it without the support of our readers. On behalf of the Marketplace I thank you. Our stated purpose is to promote and support programs, initiatives, and events that address the needs of African-Americans youth. Our vision is to leverage social media to promote social awareness and social responsibility. We believe that we can create a place where information can be shared, issues discussed, and programs promoted. Sounds good but what does this really mean? |
EditorErnest R. Heyward is the Founder and President of the Marketplace for Social Awareness and Social Responsibility Inc. Categories
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