The State of Africa America Remix: The Excess of (Always Seeking) Redress

By Heru Ammen

Currently there is much hype and media attention focused upon African Americans and the issues that we face. In doing our part to bring attention to the aforementioned issues, the authors of the Urban Village Blog & Commentary will re-post the series we authored in 2006 entitled "The State of Africa America." In this current media frenzy regarding "Black issues" we want to participate not only in the discussion of these issues, we believe it is important to discuss tangible solutions. All too often all that we hear are the same voices discussing the same issues and offering nothing but the same tired rhetoric. It is our hope that by re-posting this series, we can move the discussion forward and focus on what we can do to actually change the dynamics affecting the culture and socio-economics of African American communities.

"If you have, as leader, to decide on the conduct of a great number of people (emphasis: mine), seek the most perfect manner of doing so that your own conduct may be without reproach. Justice is great, invariable, and assured; it has not been disturbed since the age of God. To throw obstacles in the way of the laws is to open the way before violence. Shall that which is below gain the upper hand, if the unjust does not attain to the place of justice? Even he who says: I take for myself, of my own free-will; but says not: I take by virtue of my authority. The limitations of justice are invariable; such is the instruction which every man should (emphasis:mine) receive from his father.

Ptah-Hotep

What is preventing us (African Americans) from rising and transforming? I’ve often asked that question and I’ve concluded that part of the answer to that question is that we fail to utilize the intellectual, spiritual, and political resources that we have to formulate strategies or solutions that will cause us to rise and transform. Instead, our energy has primarily been focused on what I term the excess of redress

The excess of redress is a phenomenon of propping up and fronting a platform that incorporates the art of complaining about discriminatory practices and past or current injustices. It has often been said that power concedes nothing without a demand. Let me add that power does not even concede a place at the table of public discourse and debate for milquetoast rhetoric.

The excess of redress has spawned its own industry of African American pundits, politicians, religious based orators, and other nefarious front men. These African American men and women earn millions of dollars doing nothing more than appearing on television, radio, or in the pulpit complaining about a particular injustice.They use their exceptional communication skills to discuss and complain about the latest injustice, get paid for it and then move on to the next studio, stage, march or pulpit and complain about another issue. This is nothing more than the illusion of substance in action and the reality of overt inaction. Because after the show is over, the amens have subsided, and the audience has moved on, the issue still exist and nothing has been fomented, negotiated, or implemented to deal with the immediate and long term consequences of the aforementioned issue.

It is conceivable that one day after all of the pontification, punditry, confabs, seminars, sermons, marches, books, written white papers, and speeches on the redress of past atrocities we, the African American progeny of a great and resilient people will finally solve the issues that affect our communities. I wouldn’t fade that bet though.

Taking Down Obama: The Tavis Smiley Chronicles

By Heru Ammen

Tavis Smiley recently announced that he was quitting the Tom Joyner Morning Show for as Tavis put it "he was tired and has a lot of things going on, and he feels that now is a good time to leave the show." However as noted by this writer, the facts speak differently to this issue. Tavis has been an ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton's and her campaign to become the next President of the United States. Unfortunately for him, the vast majority of African Americans and an overwhelming majority of Tom Joyner's listeners support Senator Obama and they have been very vocal about it on Tom Joyner's radio broadcast and on Mr. Joyner's website BlackAmericaweb.com.

Being a dedicated listener of Tom's show for many years I can write with certainty that Tom's listeners and African Americans in general have no problem with Tavis' support of Hillary's campaign. The problem is that he consistently and unfairly (emphasis: mine) criticizes the "O" man while giving Senator Clinton a free pass and free publicity." Many listeners feel that Tavis has gone beyond the normal boundaries of critical analysis of the candidates positions into the realm of becoming a shill for Senator Clinton and they resent that, and have let him know in no uncertain terms that they will not tolerate it.

Tavis' resignation from the Tom Joyner Morning Show is the latest episode in what has become the normal template of Obama bashing and dissing that is being utilized by noted African Americans that support Senator Clinton. Earlier this year BET founder and Charlotte Bobcat owner Bob Johnson suggested that Senator Obama was a drug dealer in his youth. The venerable Andrew Young pretty much tried to write off Obama by saying that "Obama was too young" to run for President and intimating that Senator Obama wasn't black enough. Then he went onto say that "Bill Clinton is as black as Barack... and he's probably been with as many black women as Barack, too." Although Tavis didn't stoop as low as these two gentlemen in their criticism of of Obama, he has been just as relentless in his criticism of the “O” man. Now he wants to “take his ball and go home” because the majority of African Americans don't want to play the game by his rules.

What Tavis and other noted African American Clinton supporters either don't or refuse to recognize is that Senator Obama is a legitimate Presidential candidate with a powerful resume. For Black folks, the fact that Senator Obama is an African American brings a sense of pride that is felt throughout all of our communities. However that sense of pride is secondary to the fact that it has been his character and his unique ability to articulate his vision of change that has thrusted him into frontrunner status. The American people believe Senator Obama is committed to bring Americans together to effect change and they have said so with their votes and their financial support. Senator Obama is able to articulate a vision that obviously connects with Americans of various ethnic backgrounds more so than any other candidate and that should be celebrated instead criticized.

The Obama Speech: A Spiritual Epiphany

By Heru Ammen

Racism, class, tribalism, religious bigotry; i.e., "my god and the people who believe in him are better than your god and the people who don't" and other divisive "isms" are divisions predicated upon fear. Conservative White academia and punditry have a fear of a black, brown, and yellow planet. African Americans who embrace a de-facto Black nationalist and old guard civil rights activist mindset have a fear of the now mythical white power structure that seeks to disenfranchise all African Americans. Evangelical Christians fear and believe that their value system is under attack by non-mainstream Christian beliefs, Islam, and secularism. If the truth be told, Americans of all political, ethnic, and religious persuasions have preconceived fears and beliefs that precludes many of us from experiencing and embracing the commonalities that we as humans (and Americans) all share.

We have been feeding upon fear for too long in this country. Politicians, ministers, and pundits have built their empires upon the dissemination of fear. We are pounded day after day with some type of fear; the fear of a black, brown, and yellow planet, the fear that secular values are encroaching upon Christians values and destroying America; the fear, justified or not that we did not get that job, raise, or promotion because we're black, white, female, male, gay or some other classification, the fear that most Muslims agree with and support Islamic jihadists, the fear that the mythical white power structure is out to get all black people, and the latest fear fad - the fear that Mexican immigrants will pour into this country like roaches and change America into Northern Mexico.

In reading some of the commentary, comments, and opinions in the blogosphere and MSM on Senator Obama's speech on race in America, it appears to this writer that both sides of this much needed debate missed the point. Many conservative pundits and bloggers either dismissed or denigrated what the Senator spoke about. One conservative blogger even suggested that Senator Obama literally threw his grandmother under the bus when he spoke about her comments regarding the fears she experienced regarding African American men. Left leaning blogs and commentaries generally praised Senator Obama's speech. However their praise was primarily limited to the political implications this speech will have on the Presidential race.

What both sides missed or overlooked was the spiritual message this speech was predicated upon. Senator Obama asked us to embrace our commonalities as we move forward in a national discussion on issues of race. He asked us to join with him in addressing the real concerns that we as Americans all face. He asked us to talk about inequities in our schools, the health care crisis, the war in Iraq. He reminded us that we are as strong as our weakest and most vulnerable citizens. He asked us to look at race and begin to honestly process why we feel the way we do. This spiritual message is a fundamental precept of the Christian belief system that the Senator embraces; i.e., feed the poor and teach them how to rise and transform, provide the opportunity for those that are ill and diseased to be healed, educate our children so that they will not choose a destructive path in adulthood, and love your neighbor regardless of their color, religious affiliation, or ethnic background.

This union of African, Asian, European, and Latino citizens that we call Americans are all a part of what makes America great. We are the progeny of ex-slaves and ex-slave owners, immigrants, pioneers, explorers, and indigenous natives. We are business owners, employees, inventors, athletes, scientists, and teachers. We are Muslims, Hebrews, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists. No other country offers what America offers in terms of freedom and the liberty to pursue our dreams and despite our differences, idiosyncrasies, and our imperfections we are the greatest nation in the world. This reality of America is what Senator Obama is asking us to embrace and now is the time to begin the journey to a higher plane of dialog and debate so that we can continue the process of perfecting this union of an American people.

Now a Brother Can't Even Go To Church...

By Heru Ammen

Barack Obama's association with Trinity United Church of Christ is an asset. Although a few white neo-conservatives are trying to make something out of nothing regarding this, most Americans "overstand" that Black love and unity does not equate to white hate. Nor is it the proverbial slippery slope to that end.

It's interesting to note that other cultures that exist in this country (Asians, Latinos, Jews...etc.) teach and preach the same type of cultural unity and love message in their communities, churches, temples and synagogues and their isn't any negative connotation associated with their message and that is as it should be. To this reader, its more of the same "fear of a black planet" syndrome that some whites have when it comes to anything positive coming out of our communities that seeks to empower the people that exist them.

Their has always been and probably will always be whites and like minded Afro-Saxons who will complain about the problems in African American communities (as they continue to place the blame upon African Americans for the conditions that currently exist in urban communities). What's ironic is they also complain when organizations or individuals actually stand in the gap for and create empowerment opportunities within our communities.

The State of Africa America Remix: Eliminating the Status Quo

By Heru Ammen

Currently there is much hype and media attention focused upon African Americans and the issues that we face. In doing our part to bring attention to the aforementioned issues, the authors of the Urban Village Blog & Commentary will re-post the series we authored in 2006 entitled "The State of Africa America." In this current media frenzy regarding "Black issues" we want to participate not only in the discussion of these issues, we believe it is important to discuss tangible solutions. All too often all that we hear are the same voices discussing the same issues and offering nothing but the same tired rhetoric. It is our hope that by re-posting this series, we can move the discussion forward and focus on what we can do to actually change the dynamics affecting the culture and socio-economics of African American communities.

"Inspire not men with fear, else The Creator will fight against you in the same manner. If any one asserts that he lives by such means, the Creator will take away the bread from his mouth; if any one asserts that he enriches himself thereby, The Creator says: I may take those riches to myself. If any one asserts that he beats others, the Creator will end by reducing him to impotence. Let no one inspire men with fear; this is the will of God. Let one provide sustenance for them in the lap of peace; it will then be that they will freely give what has been torn from them by terror."

-Ptah-Hotep-

Racism, bigotry, and discrimination will probably be a part of the American culture forever. Unfortunately the African American community has been and continues to be stymied by the above whereas other communities in this country thrive despite it. The above has affected us to the point that we're now experiencing an African American cultural and socio-economic implosion.

Effectively dealing with the effects of racism, bigotry, and discrimination requires the development and implementation of a socio-economic system within an infrastructure that will act as a buffer against future discriminatory incursions. Without the above, any solution proffered to counteract the cultural insurgency prevalent within our communities will fail.

The success of other ethnic groups in this country has been remarkable considering that they too are subjected to the same impediments to life, liberty, and freedom that we face. The Asian, Latino, and Afro-Caribbean communities thrive in this country. All of these cultures are victims of the same type of European aggression, assimilation and/or colonialism that devastated the African continent. Yet they succeed despite the everyday reality of racism and discrimination. A question one must ask is why do African American communities fail when other communities succeed? Let's discuss a few of the issue that I believe to impede our progress as a people.

A. Embracing Victim-hood and/or Victim Worship

I define victim worship as the inability to move beyond the pain, suffering and trauma that was perpetuated against an individual or group. As such, victim-hood becomes a de-facto religious experience complete with its own dogma and tradition of suffering, self-hatred and self-imposed limitations. We should never forget our past. However our past did not begin in America. It began at the dawn of great African civilizations in Kemet (misnomered Egypt) Nubia, Sumer, Ethiopia, and Indus Kush and continues even to this day throughout the African Diaspora.

In fact, the perpetuation of victim-hood is a direct proponent of self-hatred, which leads to violence, abusive behavior, and general mayhem. Once we begin the process of knowing who we are in terms of our history prior to the Euro-Arab hegemony, and how that hegemony affected us, we will then be able heal those wounds and move forward as a culture. Real solutions require strategies designed and implemented outside of the box that are contra-posed to the status quo of indifference and self-hatred that we now embrace.

B. What is The Status Quo?

Part of the African experience in America was our forced introduction to what I term Euro-Christianity. From an European perspective, Euro-Christianity was used specifically as a tool of European aggression, colonialism and assimilation. Initially Africans were compelled to become Christians. Many of our Ancestors complied and accepted the Euro-Christian religion as a means of survival. Those who did not were beaten, tortured or murdered as an example of "Gods will."

As the generations passed and our ancestors forgot the old ways, Euro-Christianity became the only religion that the African in America knew. Unfortunately what was offered to the slave as Christianity was designed and taught to the slave to keep him/her in bondage. We know this to be true because a people that will beat you, rape you, kill you, assimilate and enslave you are not a people that will teach you how to become free. Especially when the condition of slavery served as the primary engine that propelled economic growth in the southern states.

Those conditions still exist today. Even when the slave was freed, he/she continued to embraced and perpetuate the Euro-Christian religion and dogma that was taught to them as a slave. The main thesis of many African American churches today is still focused upon instilling fear through the worship of Satan as the enemy of God and the reward set aside in the eternal fires of hell for those that do not comply with the will of the Euro-Christian God. I believe it is time for African Americans to define Christianity (and Islam as well) from an African-Historical perspective and define it through our our thoughts, our culture and our vision of what God would have us to do for humanity. Continuing to teach the theology of a religion that is based upon fear, punishment and religious servitude will only perpetuate the slave mentality that exist within many of our people today.