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Protesters March Past Greater Crises In Their Midst

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 28, 2007

Updated: 10/26/2007 10:44 pm

Black America has been on the march quite a bit lately.

Last month thousands rallied in the small town of Jena, La., to protest the overcharging of a group of black youths who had beaten a white classmate. Last week hundreds marched in Tallahassee demanding federal action in the aftermath of the acquittal of seven boot camp guards and a nurse in the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson.

In Tallahassee they sang the venerable civil rights anthem 'We Shall Overcome,' and there were also many signs and speeches to make those nostalgic for the 1960s feel like that spirit is alive and well.

Still, I can't help but feel that by focusing too much on these high-profile events, worthy as they might be, they are ignoring a much greater crisis in their midst and bypassing the greater problems weighing upon black communities.

While we are used to seeing the civil rights establishment attaching itself to racial controversies, it is consistently removed from issues like the high rates of out-of-wedlock births, crime, dropping out of school and educational underachievement.

I understand why. They are trapped in a 1960s-esque activist paradigm that demands that they blame 'structural' racism for every dysfunction that befalls black America. This comes, unfortunately, at the expense of effectively healing self-inflicted wounds.

Cosby Airs 'Dirty Laundry'

Enter comedian Bill Cosby, who is not funny anymore to members of the old guard. He shocked them three years ago at a celebration of the historic 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by calling out poor blacks for not taking advantage of the opportunities opened up by those who struggled to achieve equality under the law.

'What good is Brown if nobody wants it?' he asked the audience.

Cosby has co-authored a book along with psychologist Dr. Alvin Pouissant titled 'Come On, People: On The Path From Victims To Victors.' To give you an idea of what it's about, when he appeared on 'Oprah' a few weeks ago, the segment was called 'Bill Cosby Calls Out the Dirty Laundry.'

Indeed, airing 'dirty laundry' has been taboo since the 1960s, but Oprah did it at the beginning of the show, flashing the sad statistics on black children without full-time fathers in their homes, the number of black men in jail and the outrageously high dropout rate among black boys. I'm sure it made some people cringe and gave ammo to Cosby's critics who accuse him of 'blaming the victim,' but numbers don't lie.

At the end of the day, however, all of the dirt that is swept under the carpet in our community begins to bulge upward and must be addressed.

Time For More 'Call Outs'

Getting people to change their way of thinking is hard, most times frustrating work, and it doesn't have the political theater of a massive demonstration that rails against a perceived injustice. Yet that is what the civil rights establishment should have started doing by the 1970s instead of fighting the same war.

Cosby's method of choice is 'call outs,' where town hall meetings are held that encourage responsible parenting and emphasize the importance of education. It can be pretty dull and not very newsworthy, but it's the best way to bring about significant change in our homes and communities.

Yes, racism is still a reality in this nation (and if you don't believe me, I'll let you check my mail and e-mail some time). But as Dr. Poussaint pointed out, its effects are no excuse for, say, getting pregnant and dropping out school. The sullen fatalism that has become entrenched in the minds of so many must be eliminated for any real progress to occur.

We can count on there being more marches for some racial incident or injustice, but the marchers need to keep in mind that what is being ignored is more serious than what they are choosing to rally around. It's the 21st century, and we don't need reruns of the 1960s.

Joseph H. Brown is a Tribune editorial writer.

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