Tune In
Posted by caclarkfrieson on June 18, 2006
Lately, I have been trying to figure out why it is that we African Americans are so out of tune with what is going on in our nation. Many of us think that we have really arrived.
Recently I asked several black individuals if they had read “The Covenant With Black America?”
“What’s that?” was the most frequent response I got after asking this question.
Ask the average young black male “Who is Tavis Smiley?” he can’t tell you.
Ask the average black youngster “Who was Martin Luther King, Jr. and what did he do?” they are barely able to demonstrate even a vague understanding of what M.L.K was all about, and the civil rights struggles of African Americans.
I often stop people on the street and ask, “Have you read The People’s Voice?”
Most frequent answer: “Oh, Yeah! I heard about it but I havent’ read it yet?”
“Why not?”
“Well, you know, I don’t really like to read…..”
We ought to be ashamed to let anybody hear us say that we don’t want or like to read!
Young African Americans understand that they are victimized by the judicial system, they are profiled by law enforcement, and they understand about prison, but they have no earthly idea why this is. They are unable to make the connection between a long-standing history stemming from the enslavement of Africans dating back to the 1600’s and before, and what is happening to them now.
My late father used to make a statement that would have us all rolling around on the floor with laughter. He’d say something like: “I done just made up my mind to get clean out of the Negro race!” I’m sure he really didn’t mean that. But, I think when he said that, he was trying to show how ashamed and embarrassed he would be about certain demeaning conditions that we as a race allow to persist. He would often say that we are too lazy and sorry to get up and do something about our condition, and it would almost make him want to “divorce” his blackness.
Today, I believe he would be even more ashamed of our condition. He along with many of our black icons, and leaders, would be ashamed of the conditions that we now allow to exist and persist in our race: the lack of knowledge of our history by black youth, the lack of interest in civic responsibility on the part of many of our adults; the way young black men often flee from the responsibility of fatherhood, and manhood. The way our young women are throwing themselves around sexually, and allowing the AIDS epidemic to destroy our population unchecked; the way we have allowed an unfair judicial system to imprison millions of black men all over our country.
I think that one of the biggest reasons for these problems is that we are not “Tuned In.” We are not paying attention to what is going on around us. We are too busy being materialistic and superficial, and listening to everything but what we ought to be listening to.
We have forsaken the black family, an institution that has held historical significance for black folks since the beginning of time. We have given the responsibility of child-rearing over to the after-school tutorial program, the boys and girls clubs, the schools, and juvenile court system. And we have turned deaf ears to the cries of our babies. We have forgotten that nothing takes the place of good old-fashioned parenting, and genuine love.
But, we have forsaken everything that has traditionally been near and dear to us. And for what? Jobs, homes, cars; material wealth?
We have an obligation to future generations of black youth, to tune in to our surroundings, and take notice of what is happening in our midst. We must do this, before it is everlasting, too late.
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This article was composed and written by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson, and appeared in The People’s Voice Weekly News (http://www.peoplesvoiceonline.com/). This article may be reprinted ONLY with permission from the author:
Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
email: caclarkfrieson@msn.com
322 Wilkie Clark Drive
Roanoke, Alabama 36274
334-863-4885
334-338-1149
