Stream

Share what's new...

Text

Photos

Link

Video

Event

Poll

Sensible Politics

Donald Watson

▶ Intelligent Commentary  -  Apr 19, 2015

Middle East tensions continue to rise as the U.S. seeks a nuclear weapons deal with Iran.  Fighting recently broke out in Yemen between government forces and rebels that forced the president to flee.  Isis is also on the rise with bases in Syria,  where thousands have lost their lives in a bloody civil war with no end.  And Israel,  under the leadership of  Benjamin Netanyahu,  has built additional settlements on land it occupied during previous wars despite repeated warnings from the U.N. and  PLO.

While the situation in the Middle East is daunting and deserves the undivided attention of the Obama Administration,  what about the human rights crisis in this country involving African Americans,  which presents a threat to national security like Isis?

Fighting could break out in the United States, like in other parts of the world, if racial disparities aren't addressed.  For instance,  law enforcement, even after being caught in the act, uses unarmed black men as target practice, like in N. Charleston,  South Carolina.  Moreover,  African Americans seem to bear the brunt of frivolous traffic stops that fill the coffers of governments like Ferguson,  Missouri.  How much more can black people take,  especially youth,  before exploding into a rage like that in Syria and Egypt?

America's racial disparity extends to the economy as well.  The unemployment rate,  especially for African American males,  is usually twice as high as that of their white male counterparts due to years of social injustice,  ranging from inadequate public schools to racial profiling,  inflicted upon them by the dominant culture,  which has served to create a permanent underclass of blacks in many urban areas.  And when African Americans or other minorities strive toward self-determination like the Palestinians in Israel,  roadblocks such as unfair loan practices or voter I.D. laws are put in the way.

The Obama White House and future administrations must make a crucial decision regarding "race" in the United States.  They must tear down the last vestiges of Jim Crow, such as the mistreatment of black folks in the courts or by law enforcement officers before our beloved America becomes the next international hot spot.

Show less

3

Remembering Malcolm X

 Malcolm X,  an icon of the Civil Rights Movement,  lost his life fifty years ago to an assassin's bullet, but not before inspiring African Americans and others to fight for freedom.

As Minister of Communication for the Nation of Islam, he encouraged African American men,  many of whom had been passive on the issue of race,  to confront racism and discrimination head-on, even if it meant the loss of life like revolutionaries in other countries.  He believed all men had the right to fight for Civil Rights and to protect their communities. 

Malcolm also pressured black men to strike out on their own in business,  politics, and other endeavors, like at the turn of the 20th Century,  when black-owned institutions flourished despite harsh opposition from the dominant society.

 Malcolm X challenged African American women in this country as well.   He advised women of color not to indulge in excess as mothers or daughters and that it is not a sign of weakness to submit to one's husband or family to build a better community.  He even welcomed a woman's right to work outside the home or to become nurses,  doctors, and leaders in business and government.  He believed everyone played vital in uplifting Islam and black America. 

Malcolm X rallied African Americans by first making a 180-degree change in his life, like Lincoln, on the issue of  Slavery.  He went from being a petty thief,  drug user, and inmate to a renowned leader dedicated to racial and economic justice.  After a crucial split with the Nation of Islam in 1965  and a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca,  he formed an organization that embraced people of different races and cultures. 

Shortly after striking out on his own,  Malcolm X's life was tragically cut short, but not before he convinced women and men everywhere to stand up by taking stock of their surroundings.

Please visit my blog at  www.donaldwatson1962.blogspot.com