Speak Out!

How many times have people crossed the street in your lifetime? Tried to catch a cab late at night in New York or any major city? Ever got lost in a neighborhood that was not black? What was the reaction of the local neighborhood residents?

Oprah always quotes Ms. Angelou’s famous words about “When a person shows their face to you, Believe It”!!! This is so true and especially in this time of integration. Example of this is Supreme Court Justice Thomas. It is a public fact that he is in a Bi-racial marriage, but if he was to raise any Bi-racial children in the way in which he has ruled from the bench, the Urban League would be in a world of trouble. This is not to criticize him, but only to depict that he appears to rule as a Black Man without a backbone strong enough to stand up for what is right and good for America. So what black people see is that it is like instead of making America Proud as a Black Man in such Prestige American position, he seem to go along in order to get along. This intimidated conduct only jeopardizes the constitutional structure of America. It is so true, he is no Thurgood Marshall!!! Marshall did not do what was best for Black People; he applied the laws without personal opinion, and he did what was in accordance with the Constitution of the land.

We must remember in integrating in marriage that our Fore Parents accepted that there were some good white folk and some bad ones too. They also knew that there were some of us that just did not want to be known for the Blackness within. This combination of an integrated couple could reap disaster for an integrated child’s Black Culture side. This does not only have to be with an integrated child only. It can happen with children who are raise around another Culture, but are not taught to embrace their innate selves. Glover & Goldberg demonstrated this in a movie, I believed called, “The Good Fences.”

So the concern is valid and it's important to put into place legal requirements (one would be a clear and valid verification of past work history done with Moving Ahead a Black organization) that the person that's being advanced into any organization has the same Mission Focus as the Mission. There would even be skepticism surly about Thomas, Rice, or Connerly(?).

It is a proper time and place for certain questions, if the question was really asked, because their are also some new Spanish-speaking people, Republicans, evangelical conservatives, and even intimidated Blacks showing their faces and hating against the progress of Black people, Liberals, Democrats, and anybody that does not support their belief or may believe differently from them in America.

Hmmmm...What is Black Enough? It is whatever your mind takes you. I will say take a look inside yourself. Tavis is doing so much for "our" communities, and he is entitled to what he believes. I am a supporter of Mr. Barack Obama, not because I expect him to focus on my being of color issues, but because he speaks on the issues with hope, not just for my generation, but for the future generations.
Lisa

I agree with the commenter who cited Dr. DeGruy Leary's book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. It is indeed required reading for all those who call themselves Black and descendants of slaves in this country. That book will free a great many people from their self-dillusional states. Thank you Tavis for your commentary on Tom Joyner's show Tuesday. I did get it. And, you are right on target! God Bless.

What is Black enough? Now that's an intelligent question, not. Only we as individuals know if we are black enough. We have to be true to ourselves as individuals. We are a huge community, who does not always agree from one social point to the next, that's a good thing. You already know this as a people. No one can re-make us in order to accept to us. We can work anywhere and we are the most adaptable people when necessary. Just look at yourself internally.

As for as Senator Obama's comments. For me, we want equality, we want to be treated fairly, given the same opportunity as the next person from tech worker to CEO. As slow as it may be, we are making strides and accomplishing much. For a long time, whether you like it or not, inclusion has been a goal and in some cases a reality.

We have a candidate that's looking for inclusion and action from the people. Not just the African-American community but all communities; that sounds like inclusion too me. Remember, for those Republicans out there and those that did not participate in the last two elections. President Bush said he was a uniter not a divider. President Bush's cabinet reflected an across the board gender and ethnic diversity. President Clinton's cabinet the same.

Senator Obama knows that if he's to win the election then he will need the votes of all Democratic Americans. The pressure to succeed will be heavy if he wins. If he fails if elected president, then there will be such an excuse and an outcry to not elect another African-American President for some time.

Electing him president will not solve the discrimination that exists in our country. If we elected Hillary Clinton as president it would not solve the discrimination that exists in our country.

We need to address this problem and look for ways to fix it. The return on our investment (ROOI) starts with us.

What is Black enough? What a question, not.

I am ashy black so being black enough has never been one of the questions I dwell on, and since most of my friends are at least one shade lighter than I am, this is not a question that I have to deal with often.

Commitment, however, is another matter. If Senator Obama is committed to the cause of service above all, then he well do well in his endeavours, including that of being President, if he is so elected.

What I find very disturbing is the notion that, if you are black, then you must support him. It is the freedom to choose that will enable us to make the right choice. In the same way that all blacks are expected to support Senator Obama, then Senator Clinton should expect all women to support her, and in that case not only will she be president, but a woman will be president for the foreseeable future. Rev Jackson said on Monday that if every member of the Black Caucus be compelled to support Senator Obama, that would put us right back to the place we are trying to get away from.

Let us be smart and stop bashing folks over the head for support. If your message resonates with our hopes and aspirations for our families, communities and our people we will support you.

Alice Bitting - YOU ARE COMPLETELY MISQUOTING SENATOR OBAMA. I listened to the interview and he said if he ONLY focused on the issues that face Black America he would not get elected. By the way, he has focused on some of the issues that face Black America. Most of our issues, however, WILL NOT be fixed by a president or any elected official. OUR problems will be need to fixed by US.

Well first of all, I think the term "black enough" is just wrapped up in nothing but ignorance...no matter how you look at it and we as black folk really need to move on. It's been 400 years already! How long does it take to get our minds right?

And as far as Tavis and Barack are concerned, I wouldn't jump all over Tavis and say his SOBUs have been fruitless. If anything it's making black folk THINK on how to make the much needed changes for our community cause ain't nobody else doing for us; if anything they are still sitting back in a dimly lit room smoking the OOOWEE to come up with new ways to keep us down. And it takes time, it won't happen overnight but at least Tavis is getting the ball rolling. If he doesn't like some things that Barack is doing, then that is his prerogative; he is a journalist and expressing his opinion is just what he is going to do. I know he has said Barack declined to meet at the summit but he did have a good discussion with Barack on his show. Trust me, I don't think Tavis has "Barack-on-the-brain" as many of you seem to think.

I believe the intent of the Urban League's interview question was to find out the overall world view and intentions of the interviewee, whether she was going to contribute to the advancement of African Americans and the company or contribute to the fortification of white supremist paradigm. However, the question was worded inappropriately and the issue could have been addressed in a series of questions whose answers would have given an overall insight of her intentions.

Being 'Black enough', I assume, refers to the way in which one views the world as it relates to the Afrocentric perspective. This is an issue because if one is African American in the position of power he/she can very well become what they call a 'symbol', that is, an African American in a position of power that does nothing for the Black community because his/her world view is not Afrocentric but Eurocentric. That is an issue that we as African Americans must be cognizant of because we can very well be oppressed and exploited by our own people.

It's only black people who constantly use the ignorant term "Black Enough". Black people need to get a grip and get over these hang-ups.

On a another note to Tavis - please stop all the Obama rants because he's not available for your event. Leave the man alone and support him as he continues to campaign. He can't be at two places at once.

I am so sick of this question of who's black enough. Who determines that? If a Black person speaks well, then they're talking white. If they move up the "success" ladder, then they think they are better than others. I think the people who ask this question are dissatisfied with themselves and their lives.

If you aren't living up to your capabilities, don't try to bring others down. We all have the same opportunity to excel; it's just a matter of how well prepared you are and how much of a desire you have to do it. Desire, not ability, is what separates average people from ones who excel, and the proof of that desire is in how they pursue things.

True motivation comes from within. Barack has that desire and motivation. He has a goal and his pursuit of that goal is evident. As MLK Jr said in his "I have a dream speech", he wants his kids to be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We should all take note of that.

Tavis spoke on the TJMS (2.12.08) on what it takes to be a free black man. Every one one of the reasons he gave, Barack Obama embodies that. Barack doesn't have to attend a State of the Black Union or answer to Tavis Smiley's ultimatums to prove that he cares about black people. He will not be a savior for all black people and putting that burden upon him is unfair, but electing Mr. Obama for president puts him in a position to better help our community. How many SOBU summits has Tavis had? What has come out of them? How many presidential candidates that have attended, (if any), actually done anything for our plight?

Putting Blacks in key positions in Washington is good, but what about the poor and disenfranchised? I still see redlining in my community; I still see higher prices in my community than white communities; I still see a higher number of foreclosures in my community; I still see a disproportionate number of black males in the penal system.

Has the plight of black people really changed by him having these summits? If the question of being black enough can be asked, can the question of being too black be asked also? If you love your black people so much, why were you absent in Jena or from the case of Genarlow Wilson in Ga? This perceived divisiveness from you is detriment to our community.

People usually don't like what they can't have and hate on what they can't emulate. As a free black man you can endorse whomever you please, but please don't try to discourage others from voting their candidate of choice. Black people aren't naive or stupid. We are smart enough to see through the BS of some politicians. We are able to look at the candidates, research and make a thorough assessment of where they stand. Also, Mr. Smiley, you speak against Mr. Obama's inspirational talk. You insinuate that inspiration doesn't help our people; inspiration gets people moving and doing things and working together. Issuing ultimatums only divides. MLK Jr was an inspirational speaker and look what he did. He brought about CHANGE, so why can't Barack's inspiration do the same.

Maybe some black people who would otherwise just sit back, finally WAKE UP! To quote you on the TJMS; "Tom Joyner doesn't speak for me and neither does Sybil." Well, you don't speak for me either, Mr. Smiley. I do that well enough on my own. Seems like you haven't been taking your big boy pills lately, free black man.

"Black Enough", I guess they really did not know her dedication to the cause or her motivation for working in this type of organization. I work in the law enforcement field, and there are officers that I work with that are not "Black Enough" for me. "Black Enough" is caring just a little bit about doing and saying the right thing to your people and not selling them out because they did not grow up like you or they are living in a bad neighborhood. "Black Enough" is saying what needs to be said in front of other people, be it black or white.

Let us be honest, we all know people who are not "Black Enough". Unfortunately, that's why we have been programmed from slavery. Read Post Tramatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy Leary. Peace,

I really believe as Dr Martin Luther King stated, we as Blacks each need to sign our own names to the Emancipation Proclamation.

We need to free ourselves.

To even suggest there is a litmus test for "being authentically Black" comes from a myopic cultural and educational background.

Believe it or not, not ALL Blacks grew up poor, without a father present, were Baptist, drank Kool Aid or even ate fried bologna sandwiches (yuk!). But if that is your limited cultural experience, you can begin to believe ALL other Blacks live similarly.

Blacks are just as other races, a mosaic of beliefs and lifestyles. African Americans are Buddhists, vegetarians, enjoy the opera, and yes even hockey.

We are also at the same time, Afrocentric.

It is past time for Blacks need to free themselves from the MANY cultural norms and ways of believing that keep them subjugated. One of which is to suggest only a particular set of circumstances or background determine your "Blackness".

Alice, you can hitch another wagon if you like, but Obama was right. He can't run as "Black America's" presidential candidate and still win. Obama can't win the support of the collective majority through polarization. That doesn't mean he's not sensitive to the social and economic issues affecting African-Americans. For example, among other things, Barack Obama is a huge proponent of strengthening civil rights enforcement and ending sentencing disparities in our criminal justice system.

Black enough is some people's way of saying I will not support you. I feel as though you do not live up to my standards. The sadness that surrounds this statement has no merit and it clearly gives us a mental evaluation on the person, or people who embrace this question. It is sad to say that people will not accept others for who they are; instead, they will embrace them on what they want them to be.

Black enough, African enough, or whatever, when God created us, that was enough. I guess in simple terms everyone should look at themselves and figure out who they are, not who people want you to be. Get off the rollercoaster of confusion. One day someone tells you you’re cute, the next day someone says you’re ugly, you’re too dark, too light. If you continue to let people define what God has already approved, then yes you deserve to be on that rollercoaster of confusion.

I decided long time ago as an African American woman, I will swallow rejection as my motivational pill, but I be darn if I let someone transform me into his or her image and likeness. Heck I can only be after one likeness and that is God’s likeness. Therefore, I cannot be what people want me to be; I must be FreeToBeMe.

It is as if people look at you and in their mental capacity, they began to recreate you in their minds. You will be a naïve prey to dance your way into that net. One thing I know about my faith and me, when you believe in you or something, it is virtually impossible for someone to tell me otherwise.

Does black enough come in shades of color, numbers or what? Is dark number one, two, three an indication that you are becoming black enough? Does the urban language play a part? Is living in poverty, strangled by struggle an indication of being black enough? Does low level of expectation qualify you as being black enough? I am trying to define this black enough thing. Does it mean we all stick to an oath of going nowhere? Do we get the gold tooth, or the teeth-missing image, followed by slacky pants with guns in our holsters, ready to shoot anyone who looks at me wrong or step on my brand new snickers by mistake? Is that being true to the game? I’m becoming dizzy; let me get off the ignorant train to nowhere and come back to reality where everyone should strive for the good in life, regardless of what people think of you.

What people think of you is not as important as what you think of yourself. If you think less of yourself, you will accept less in life. You do not have to be a millionaire to look in the mirror of life and be happy with what you see. Most people with money are not happy. Once you get all that you want in life (material things), you pause for a moment and realize there is something missing, that little thing call LOVE. Without love, what good is life? So asking the question about what God created, to me is a form of self-hatred.

Money, power, greed = foolishness. This is the kind of foolishness that makes people loose their self worth. People will loose their identity just to be in that status quo line to be accepted. How much more poison will Black America accept before they realize their worth? How many more people will Black America let define them before they wake up and take control of the ship? SELF WORTH, what does that really mean? Embrace SELF WORTH, without the exchange of a dollar bill behind you, and see what you come up with.