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From the civil rights movement to the election of President Barack Obama, Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root's editor-in-chief, presents a time line of the highlights of African-American history. See how far we've come and how far we've yet to go. To see this feature, please click on the following link.
* I am a Christian. I believe in God. I believe in heaven. I believe in hell. I try to live my life according the teaching of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I succeed in doing this. Sometimes I do not.
* I believe that my Lord is my Savior. My Lord has saved my life. I am nothing with Him. I am nothing without His will. All of the blessings I have in my life come from my God and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am not afraid of death because I have put my life in the hands of Jesus.
* I am not perfect. I am a sinner. I know this. My goal is to be a better person today than I was yesterday. On Judgment Day, when I am standing in front of St. Peter, I want St. Peter to say come on in.
* I bear no ill will toward those who believe in other religions or who believe in no religion at all. That is there right. That is their choice. I do not think the beliefs of these people are any threat to me or my family.
* Yes, I would like for these people to know the peace and happiness that comes with being a Christian. I will be there for them if they decide they want to make a change in their lives. Still, I respect their decision to go another way.
* I am an American. I believe in the Constitution. I consider the Constitution to be the greatest document ever produced by man. America is the greatest country in the history of the world. Period. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either jealous of America, jealous of not being an America or a fool.
* As a Christian and an American, I also believe in the Separation of Church and State and the First Amendment. I do not believe our society is harmed in any way, shape or form by keeping government and religion separate. This includes government displays of religion, mandatory prayer in school and/or the posting of the Ten Commandments in our schools and in government facilities.
* As a Christian parent, I do not believe it is the job of the school to teach my child about religion. Teaching my child about religion is my job as a parent. Nor do I believe that the practice of school prayer or the posting of the Ten Commandments in a school or in a government facility is a magic bullet that keeps people, especially young people, on a straight and narrow path. Again, that is my job as a parent.
* I also do not believe religion, namely Christianity, is under attack in America. This is a silly claim. America is a Christian Nation. America has always been a Christian Nation. America will always continue to be a Christian Nation. Believing in the Separation of Church and State will not now or ever change this fundamental fact about America and American society.
* As a Christian I get upset over children going to bed hungry every night, economic injustice, the exploitation of people and the suppression of human and civil rights are among the things. I do not get upset about America's practice of the Separation of Church and State. No, this is not a contradiction.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/21/11
* Brother Malcolm X was assassinated today. Those of us who have studied his life know we should follow his example. No drugs. No violence. Take care of your family. Get an education. Make God the focus of your life. Take care of your community. Keep the politicians honest. Don't let your past control your future. Be the best you can be. Control your own destiny. Yes, these are examples we can all live by.
* In an interview with CNN on Sunday, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld had this to say about President Barack Obama.
"I think he has made a practice of trying to apologize for America. I personally am proud of America."
* Rumsfeld went on to say this about President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.
"Well, he had not accomplished a thing when he got the Nobel Prize. It was given to him on hope. Had to have been because there wasn't anything that he'd done. He'd been in office 15 minutes."
* Seriously, does anyone really pay attention to anything Donald Rumsfeld has to say these days. If anything Rumsfeld should apologize for his blunders in Afghanistan, the unnecessary Iraq War, the botched War on Terror and for being the worst Secretary of Defense in modern times.
* As a teacher, I know two things. I know I am going to work long hours. I know I am not going to get paid for all of the hours I work. That is just the way it is when you are a teacher.
* Still, what state governments across this country are trying to do to teachers is insulting.
* Politicians across this country say they want quality schools with quality teachers working in those schools.
* Yet, those same politicians are cutting education budgets, which leads to increases in the classroom student/teacher ratio and cuts to teacher's salaries across the board.
* Again, as a teacher, I know two things. I know I am going to work long hours. I know I am not going to get paid for all of the hours I work. That is just the way it is when you are a teacher. However, I get angry when politicians try to run a game on me.
* Last Thursday, the Noel C. Taylor Learning Academy in Roanoke, Va., alternative education program, had a Black History program. The Black History program called, "Why My Black Is Beautiful," was outstanding.
The Roanoke Times newspaper and WBDJ Channel 7 covered the event.
* Several NCTLA students appeared on the 11 o'clock news and got their pictures placed in the Roanoke Times. One of the students who was featured in the newspaper picture was told by another NCTLA student, "This is going to mess up your rep." I could only shake my head.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/18/11
* This cartoon is from the website, www.Biggovernment.com run by Andrew Breitbart. The cartoon was drawn by James Hudnall and Batton Lash.
FUNNY OR JUST PLAIN GOOFY? YOU DECIDE
* The cartoon is supposed to be funny. Well, some conservatives think the cartoon is funny, anyway. But, we all know what passes for conservative humor these days.
* I have got to give it to some conservatives. You know, the nutty ones who will believe anything. Once they sink their teeth into something, they're like a dog with a bone.
* First, the nutty conservatives claimed Barack Obama is a Muslim. Then it was Barack Obama was not born in the United States, therefore, he can't legally be President of the United States. And let us not forget the, "Obama is a socialist who is ruining this country with his socialist ways," claim.
* Now, nutty conservatives have turned their to Michelle Obama once again. First, it was her comment about finally being proud of being an American during the 2008 Presidential campaign. I knew what she meant. So did the millions and millions of Black folk living in America. We grew up knowing that Black folks were second class citizens in spite of the advancements they have been made in Civil Rights since Jim Crow. We knew that we had finally achieved first class citizenship with the success of Barack Obama.
* Then it was nutty conservatives screaming Michelle Obama was a racist because she used the term, "Whitey," in a speech. It turned out that Michelle Obama said, "Why did he. . .," which on a bad recording of the speech sounded like, "Whitey."
* Now this. What is her crime? The nutty conservatives are mad that Michelle Obama has the audacity to want kids to eat healthy foods. The nutty conservatives are saying, "The nerve of this woman." Why? Because of these folks conservative mindset, or lack there of, Michelle Obama is telling our children what to eat.
* Further more, the nutty conservatives will say that Michelle Obama is telling parents what they should feed their children. Further more, this is a blatant attempt by the United States Government to take over the kitchens of America by telling parents what they should be feeding their children and by telling American children what they can and cannot eat. The nerve of this woman. Oh, those nutty conservatives.
* I keep telling myself that no one can be as stupid as these nutty conservatives. Sometimes I wonder if these folks have tin foil covering their homes to keep out the gamma rays. Maybe these folks are waiting for ET or Sarah Palin or both to phone home.
* It would be funny if it weren't so sad. These types of conservatives, the nutty ones, give normal conservatives and conservatism a bad name.
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/16/11
* I am not worried about not seeing NFL football in the fall, even though I get the feeling that NFL owners do not want to make a deal with the NFL players anytime soon. The owners are smart in dragging out the process for making a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL players.
* By dragging the process out as long as possible and by not making a new CBA deal, the NFL players will eventually cave, saving the NFL owners a ton of money, possibly a billion dollars. And we all know, that as far as money goes, pro athletes, with the exception of Major League Baseball players, cannot stomach missing a paycheck for a prolonged period of time.
* If I were a betting man, I would say there will be a NFL lockout. The fans will blame the players for the lockout. The lockout will be settled in time to play a "regular" NFL season. The Super Bowl will be played at its scheduled time. The NFL owners will laugh all the way to the bank.
* I may be in the minority, but when picking the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011, the voters got it right.
* The Miami Heat is thinking about changing its name to the Miami "Need," as in, "we need help to beat the top NBA teams because we do not have a bench or a real big man." The "Need" will continue to choke when playing against the NBA's top teams.
* I know it has been 10 years, but I still miss Dale Earnhardt. No, I was not an Earnhardt fan, could not stand him. My favorite driver was anyone who beat him, especially my boy Jeff Gordon. But, I respected him. NASCAR just has not been the same since his death.
* Tiger Woods is not over the hill. Tiger will be back and will be better than ever.
* Spring is here. NASCAR is back and this week we will be saying the 4 most beautiful words in the English language, "Pitchers and catchers report."
* The Cards should pay Albert Pojols what he wants. Pojols is the only player in Major League Baseball who cannot be overpaid at any price, even at $25-$30 million-a-year.
* My O's of Baltimore will finish above .500 this year. It will be the Phillies and Red Sox in the World Series. The Phillies will win the World Series in 7 games.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/14/11
* If the situation in Egypt proves anything it is this. 1) You can have a revolution without firing a gun if you have the will of the people. 2) When young people make up their minds to change a government, that government will be changed. 3) President Obama knows what he is doing when it comes to foreign policy.
* Although we cannot say for sure what is going to happen in Egypt in the long run, one thing will ring true. When the new government in Egypt takes hold, the United States will look pretty good. Instead of supporting a corrupt dictator in Hosni Mubarak, President Obama supported the right of the Egyptian people to engage in non-violent peaceful protest. That non-violent peaceful protest was successful. The Egyptian people will not forget and America will be better off throughout the Middle East because we supported the Egyptian people.
* Also, by supporting the Egyptian people in their revolution, President Obama took away the main weapon radical Muslims have used to justify their hatred of the United States. No longer will radical Muslims be able to say the United States supports corrupt leaders/government over the will of the people, that the United States puts profits over people.
* Could things still fall apart in Egypt? Yes. Have things really changed in Egypt? Not yet. Does Egypt have a lot of work to do? Yes. But, if things go wrong in Egypt, the United States will not get blamed for those failure as the United States is being blamed for the problems currently in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* If the new Egyptian government models itself after Turkey, everything will be fine. If not, stay tuned. The Muslim Brotherhood is lurking in the wings and cannot be underestimated.
* From CNN.com, conservative Rick Santorum took issue with President Obama's handling of the revolution in Egypt at the CPAC this past weekend. According to Santorum,
"What does the president of the United States do? He sides with the protesters. I am not suggesting that we shouldn't side with the protesters, but what message are we sending to countries around the world who are friends of ours (that) when things get tough we walk away?"
I guess Santorum has never heard of the Declaration of Independence. Either that or Santorum loves failed, corrupt dictators.
* The poor and the middle class are getting screwed with Republican cuts to government. Folks, it is not 1960 anymore. We have to be active in government or get screwed.
* When it comes to the budget and budget cuts, the Republicans are nothing more than snake oil salesmen. How can anyone mandate a tax cut for the rich that add trillions to the deficit in the long run yet cut programs for the poor and the middle class?
* The state of Mississippi is thinking about issuing a specialty license plates honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest is one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan. Mississippi honoring Forrest is like the Germans honoring Hitler. There is no difference.
* Mason Adams of "The Roanoke Times" newspaper asked me to comment on a story he was doing on City Manager Chris Morrill and his first year as the city manager of Roanoke, Va. Here are my comments.
"I heard a lot of good things about him before he took over. And I must say I think Chris (Morrill) is doing one hell of a job. There is a new openness and a new trust to what is going on in the city. It is no longer business as usual where the good people of Northwest and Southeast get the leftovers while the good parts of Northeast and Southwest get fat, juicy steak with all of the fixings. He doesn't play favorites between the city's different quadrants, treating each section of the city more equally than in the past. My only worry is another city is going to snatch him up."
WE THE PEOPLE
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/11/11
* Conservative Republicans are meeting this weekend at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC. For those Republicans attending the conference who are thinking about running for President in 2012, this year's CPAC amounts to a job interview. Yet, who are the real Presidential candidates who want to run this country and who are the wanna-be Presidential candidates who are talking about running for President in order to make money, money, money for themselves? Who is real Presidential candidate? Who is a fraud Presidential candidate? Let's see.
* Sarah Palin: Fraud Presidential candidate. She cannot win the Republican nomination. She cannot win in 2012. Palin is nothing more than a media sensation. Still, miracles in politics can happen. If Palin is the Republican nominee in 2012, President Obama will win in a historic landslide.
* Newt Gingrich: Real Presidential candidate. He can win the Republican nomination. He cannot win in 2012. Gingrich is too conservative, too likely to put his foot in his mouth and has way too much baggage. If Gingrich is the Republican nominee in 2012, President Obama will win in a landslide.
* Donald Trump: Fraud Presidential candidate. Trump cannot win the Republican nomination. He cannot win in 2012. Trump has nothing to offer other than being a personality who is addicted to seeing himself in the media. Trump is just taking up space.
* Mitt Romney: Real Presidential candidate. He can win the Republican nomination. He could win in 2012. Romney is "Mr. Flip/Flop." No one knows what Romney really stands for, including himself. However, given the Republican hatred toward President Obama, Republicans may be willing to give Romney a free pass on his past flip/flops, including Romney's flip/flops on Obama's health care legislation. If Romney is the Republican nominee in 2012, President Obama will win a close election.
* Jeb Bush: Not a Presidential candidate, not yet, anyway. Still, Bush can win the Republican nomination next year. He can win in 2012. If Bush is the Republican nominee in 2012, the 2012 Presidential election is a toss up. However, I see Bush waiting until 2016 or later to run for President. Bush knows he has an easier path to the White House the longer he waits to run for President. Write this down. Jeb Bush will be President of the United States one day.
* Mike Huckabee: Real Presidential candidate. Huckabee can win the Republican nomination. He cannot win in 2012. Huckabee is simply too conservative. Plus, Huckabee may want to remain a member of the media instead of running for President in 2012. If Huckabee is the Republican nominee in 2012, President Obama will win a close election.
* Tim Pawlenty: Real Presidential candidate. He can win the Republican nomination. He could win in 2012. If Pawlenty becomes the Republican nominee in 2012 and can unite the Republican Party, President Obama will win a close election.
* Michelle Bachmann: Fraud Presidential candidate. A Tea Party favorite, Backmann cannot win the Republican nomination. She cannot win in 2012. Again, political miracles can happen. If Bachmann becomes the Republican nominee in 2012, President Obama will win in a historic landslide.
* Haley Barbour: Real Presidential candidate. He can win the Republican nomination. He cannot win in 2012. Barbour is too conservative and suffers from "Foot in Mouth" disease when talking about the Jim Crow South, claiming that segregation wasn't as bad a people said it was. Still, Barbour is a unifying factor in the Republican Party who can put together a very strong national network and national campaign staff if he decides to run for President in 2012. If Barbour becomes the Republican nominee in 2012, President Obama will win the 2012 Presidential election by a comfortable margin. However, it will not be easy.
* I am not surprised Virginia Senator Jim Webb has decided not to run for re-election in 2012. Webb never looked like he enjoyed being a United States Senator. What's next? Look for former Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello, an Obama favorite, to fun for the Virginia Senate seat against former Va. Governor George Allen.
* I only have one word to describe Republican Rep. Christopher Lee of New York who just resigned from the House of Representatives due to a sex scandal; IDIOT.
* Look for the military to take over in Egypt. As I said on THE ARTIS BLOG last month, the dominoes are beginning to fall in the Middle East. Will true democracy finally come to Egypt? No, and that's a good thing. The last thing the United States and Israel needs in the Middle East is the Muslim Brotherhood running Egypt, the Middle East's largest country. In the short term, the military take over of Egypt isn't a bad thing. In the long run, we'll just have to wait and see. The question we really need to ask now is, "Who's next?"
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/9/11
* Some were surprised by my remarks on FACEBOOK about a racist incident that happened to me last Monday night at the Franklin Road K-Mart in Roanoke, Va. They shouldn't have been.
* Here is what I wrote. "I got treated like a nigger at the Franklin Road K- Mart in Roanoke, Va. tonight when 4 workers RAN to watch me because they thought I was a thief. I will rot in hell before I spend 1 cent in K-Mart again."
* Yes, not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 Franklin Road K-Mart employees literally ran through the Franklin Road K-Mart. They literally ran through the store to the electronics department in the Franklin Road K-Mart because they thought I was a thief trying to steal something. I should say they thought I was a Black thief trying to steal something.
* But, I was cool. I did not curse anyone out. I did not throw a fit. I did not get arrested. I did not throw a punch.
* I also did not give the Franklin Road K-Mart in Roanoke, Va. any reason to treat me like a nigger.
* With the exception of wearing a baseball cap and some New Balance running shoes instead of my dress shoes, I was still wearing the clothes I wore to school that day where I work as a teacher. As my wife asked me when we got into our car after the incident, "Jeff, if you were going to steal anything, where did they think you were going to put it?"
* Before going to the electronics department at the Franklin Road K-Mart, I asked a Franklin Road K-Mart employee where the electronics department was. When was the last time a thief walked into a store and asked a store employee where the department was that he was going to steal from? When the lady asked me if I wanted her to walk to the electronics department with me, I did not think anything of it. I should have.
* You see, to some, I fit the profile. Regardless of dress, regardless of education, regardless of the money I make, regardless of the way I talk, I am a Black person in America. To some, that is the profile. Some will disagree with me. Some will say I have a chip on my shoulder. Some will say, "Jeff, we have a Black President. Let it go."
* And that is the problem. When it comes to dealing with racism in this country, we let it go. Oh, we talk about the problem of racism in America. We say we should do something about the problem of racism in America. But, we do not address the problem of racism in America.
* Through the years, I have had a number of racist incidents happen to me because I fit the profile. Liberals have been racist offenders, too. Once, the Roanoke County Department of Social Services tried to take my children away because they did not feel a Black man married to a White woman should be helping to raise her White children. And I know I will have racist incidents happen to me until the day I die.
* Some like to say we live in a post-racial America since we have a Black President. Those people are only fooling themselves. I am sure the people at the Franklin Road K-Mart in Roanoke, Va. feels they did nothing wrong Monday night as they tried to make sure I was not a thief robbing them blind. I should say a Black thief robbing them blind. They are only fooling themselves.
I just know that because of racism, I fit the profile at the Franklin Road K-Mart in Roanoke, Va. That said, As I will rot in hell before I spend my hard earned money at K-Mart ever again. No one treats me like a nigger.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/7/11
* You will not see me celebrating the 100'th birthday of Ronald Reagan. Frankly, I see nothing to celebrate.
* Reagan was not a great President. He was not a good President. He was a popular President. Reagan was a likeable President. This is an important distinction. Popularity and likeability have nothing to do with true greatness, especially in a President.
* Reagan was also a lucky President. Some like to say his economic policies set the stage for America's economic revival in the 1980's. I say Reagan's economic policies helped set the stage for America's economic collapse in 2007-2008. Simply put, Supply-Side Economics, so-called "Trickle-Down Economics," does not work. Supply-Side Economics will never work. De-regulation coinciding with Supply-Side Economics is nothing more than a recipe for economic disaster as we have seen.
* Some say Reagan's policies led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. I say the Soviet Union put itself in an economic situation that was doomed for economic failure; that Soviet satellite countries eventually bled the Soviet Union's economy dry, causing the Soviet Union to collapse from within. We must also not forget that Soviet economic policies since the time of Joseph Stalin were a joke, that no country in the history of the world could have survived the Soviet Union's economic incompetence.
* I will give Reagan credit on two things. Reagan made America feel good about itself. After Viet Nam, Watergate, gas lines and the Iran Hostage Crisis, Americans were feeling lower than low. Reagan told us America has nothing to be ashamed of, that America was still, "that shining light on the hill." I will give Reagan credit on the arms control measures he took with the Soviet Union.
* However, we cannot forget that Reagan was soft on terrorism. Reagan's sad response to the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983 and the Iran-Contra Scandal clearly show this.
* We cannot forget that Reagan declared war on the poor by cutting social programs and job training programs. Reagan stereotyped and scapegoated the poor by blaming the poor for all of their problems. According to Reagan, the poor were poor because they wanted to be poor, people out of work were out of work because they were too lazy to work and people on welfare were on welfare because they could steal free money from the American tax payer without having anything to worry about.
* We cannot forget that Reagan put a smiley face on American racism. According to Reagan, racism was a thing of the past. According to Reagan, there was no racism in America; only people who blamed the White man for all of their problems and people who cried racism to make money. Reagan even went so far as to cut the budgets of those government agencies responsible for investigating claims of racism and discrimination in this country. Even as he signed the bill making the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a holiday, Reagan fed into the lie that Dr. King was a communist, in spite of the fact that there is no evidence showing Dr. King was ever a member of the Communist Party.
* Those who love Ronald Reagan are trying to re-write history through amnesia. They will not mention that Reagan was a Christian man who courted the Religious Right, but, was divorced and did not go to church. They will not mention that Reagan was a conservative who raised taxes several times. They will not mention the explosive growth of American government during his Presidency. They will not mention the explosion in government spending, government debt and government deficits that happened during his Presidency. They will not mention how a supposed honest man lied to the American people in the Iran-Contra Scandal.
* No, I will not be celebrating the 100'th birthday of Ronald Reagan. Frankly, I have better things to do.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/4/11
SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW BLACK HISTORY? TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF BLACK HISTORY BY TAKING THE FOLLOWING BLACK HISTORY TEST. (3 POINTS FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER.)
I. PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
In 1926, historian (1) ______ began (2) ______. It is celebrated in the month of (3) ______ because of the birthdays of two important people, (4) ______ and (5) ______. In 1976, this event became known as (6) ______.
WORD BANK FOR THE ABOVE:
A. Negro History Week B. Black History Month C. February D. Abraham Lincoln E. Frederick Douglas F. Carter G. Woodson G. Booker T. Washington H. March I. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
II. PUT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS IN THE CORRECT ORDER:
A. The 1964 Civil Rights Act becomes law. B. Slavery begins in America. C. The Emancipation Proclamation is signed. D. Barack Obama is elected President of the United States. E. The Civil War Amendments are passed.
III. MATCH THE FOLLOWING EVENT WITH THE YEAR IT HAPPENED:
A. 1619 B. 1776 C. 1857 D. 1863 E. The late 1860's F. 1877 G. 1896-1954 H. 1896 I. 1954 J. 1955 K. 1955-1965 L. 1963 M. 1964 N. 1965 O. 1976 P. 2008
13. ______ The Supreme Court decides in the "Dred Scott Case" that slaves and free Blacks have no Constitutional rights.
14. ______ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his "I Have a Dream" speech at The March on Washington.
15. ______ Barack Obama is elected President of the United States.
16. ______ Slavery begins in America.
17. ______ The Supreme Court decides in "Plessy v. Ferguson" the concept of "Separate But Equal."
18. ______ Negro History Week becomes Black History Month.
19. ______ When was the Jim Crow Era?
20. ______ When were the Civil War Amendments are passed?
21. ______ Reconstruction Ends.
22. ______ The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins.
23. ______ When did the Civil Rights Movement happen?
24. ______ Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.
25. ______ The Supreme Court decides in "Brown v. Board of Education" that school segregation is Unconstitutional.
EXTRA CREDIT
26. Who is Margie Jumper?
27. Who is Oliver Hill?
28. Who is Henrietta Lacks?
29. Why are these three people important to Roanoke, Va.?
30. How many slaves did the Emancipation Proclamation actually free? What was Abraham Lincoln's original plan for the newly freed slaves?
31. Who is Adam Clayton Powell?
32. Who is John James Audubon?
33. Who is Nina Mae McKinney?
BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/2/11
* Last week, in an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Maureen Downey in which Arne Duncan, the U.S. Department of Education Secretary, said, "We need more Black men in classrooms."
* In her article, Downey wrote, "Think about this: Only 1.7 percent of the nation's 4.8 million public school teachers are Black men. Most Black boys may never be educated by someone who looks like them, and sadly, some African-American boys will never experience a Black male role model in their public school classrooms."
* I couldn't agree more. We need more strong Black men in the classroom. However, this question needs to be asked first, "Why don't more Black men become teachers?"
* I can give four major reasons for the Black male teacher shortage.
* First, Black men can make more money doing other things in other fields. Men want jobs where they can make money. Teaching is different. Teaching is not about making money. When you look at the average yearly salary of a college graduate with a BA or BS degree and compare that to the average yearly salary of a teacher, there is no comparison. A teacher makes thousands of dollars a year less than your typical college graduate. For many men, Black or White, the reduction in pay that comes with becoming a teacher is just too much to deal with.
* Second, we say we want strong Black men in the classroom. Yet, we then turn around and complain when those strong Black male teachers demand academic excellence from their students by making their students come to class on time, by their making students do their school work and by demanding their students be accountable for their actions and act like they are supposed to act while they attend school. This is especially true when students try to make the teacher the scapegoat for their own shortcomings in the classroom.
Frankly, if I had a dollar for each time someone said I was too hard or too demanding on my students through the years, I could retire. Some men learn to live with this inconsistency. Some men say, "I don't have to deal with this inconsistency. I can do something else."
* Third, Black teachers, male and female, always seem to get the so-called "problem students" and the "challenging classes" that White teachers generally don't. This can eventually lead to burnout causing Black teachers to leave the teaching field. Black males thinking about going into the teaching field know this causing many Black males say, "No thank you," to the possibility of becoming high priced babysitters.
* Fourth, many Black men don't go into education simply because they don't want to deal with the disrespect that comes with being a teacher in the classroom, especially when those students being disrespectful are Black. I've had many a male friend tell me, "Jeff, I don't know how you do it. If one of those kids talked to me like that, I'd be arrested. I thought about becoming a teacher. But, those kids are off the chain."
* I am a Black male teacher. I love my job. I look forward to going to work everyday. But, I also understand why Black men say, "No thank you," when it comes to getting a job in education.
* Teaching isn't an easy job. To be a successful teacher you must be, among other things, a student's father, mother, sister, brother, friend, counselor, financial advisor, banker, advice guru, self-help guru, drill instructor, sounding board, psychiatrist, psychologist, sage, crisis intervention specialist, probation officer, policeman, preacher and advocate. You must have these skills in addition to being an expert on the subject matter you are going to teach. And this is on a normal teaching day.
* Yes, I would like to see more Black male teachers in the classroom. But, before we say we need more Black male teachers, we need to understand why Black men aren't going into the teaching field.
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU SOON
THE ARTIS BLOG
2/1/11
A MESSAGE TO THE BROTHERS
As Black History Month begins, I have a message to my young Black brothers out there. Stop being your own worst enemy. Stop getting involved in the American criminal justice system. Stop making babies you do not want to take care of. Stop flunking out of school. Stop chasing unrealistic dreams. Stop thinking you cannot be successful because you are Black, poor, or come from a single parent household. Stop thinking that racism will always hold the Black man down. Stop blaming the White man for all of your problems. Start thinking that the only things keeping you from becoming a success are the limitations you place on yourself.
There is no excuse for the numbers we have in the Black community when it comes to the rates we have in the area of crime, teenage pregnancies, absentee fathers, students dropping out of school, unemployment and underemployment, the HIV/AIDS and a host of other problems that adversely and disproportionately affect the Black community, especially when the solutions to these problems are so readily available.
It starts with self. Believe in yourself. Do not base your own self worth on what others are telling you. Understand that those who say you are no good because you want to succeed only say so because they do not want you to succeed. This includes family members and friends who do not want you to succeed because your failure makes them feel better. Do not fall for this “crabs-in-a-barrel” mentality where people do not want you to be successful because they cannot be. Simply put, do not let anyone crush your dreams.
Next, you must realize that you can do nothing without an education. It doesn’t matter if you can run as fast as a horse, jump out of a gym, sing like a bird or throw a baseball100 mph. Without an education, you are doomed to being controlled instead of being in control. After all, that’s what life is all about isn’t it, being able to do what you want when you want?
As your generation says, “It’s all about the Benjamins.” You need to understand that the most important thing you have to get in your life is get a good education. Education holds the keys to being successful in life. The more education you have, the more Benjamins you will make.
I hear a number of you young brothers talking about being “hard.“ You take pride in your ability to beat someone up, fire a gun or disrespect young girls who should know better. Your vocabulary consists of words that should never be used in public. Brother, let me tell you the truth. Being “hard” isn’t being a man. Being hard just makes you expendable.
Let me tell you something else. The most dangerous Black man in America doesn’t carry a gun. He carries a book. He takes care of his family. He avoids the American criminal justice system. He takes care of his community. He works for positive change. He doesn’t work for the chump change many of you get from an illegal hustle.
No, Brother, I’m not passing judgment on you. Sometimes, the truth hurts.
