0 "... Our Flag Was Still There..."

By: Marvin DeBose

Picture: Twitter @FergusonAction 

Activist Bree Newsome takes down the Confederate Flag from outside of the Statehouse in Columbia, Sc.

So when are people going to decide to stop lying to defend the Confederate flag?

Over the past week, amidst the controversy surrounding that flag, what I've realized is that there are mainly three types of people who defend the Confederate flag:

1. The person who doesn't know history...

I know many of these people who have either grown up seeing this flag at grandma's house, or they simply think its just cute flag that represents country/rural pride. They might not mean anything by it. But the issue is that they are oblivious (sometimes, willfully oblivious) to history as well as what that flag symbolizes (I'll elaborate on that in little bit)... But they aren't off the hook either, because ignorant can't always be an excuse.

It's one thing to be ignorant, but its another to be ignorant on purpose, and willful ignorance to injustice is the worst form of cowardice.

2. The person who knows the history behind it and doesn't care.

They'll say: "Get over it, its 2015... People are too obsessed with the past."

Well, seeing how this flag was created in the early 1860s, as a flag for the Confederacy, which lost the war, the fact that people are still passionately defending it shows that the past still matters to a lot of us.

Do people realize how insensitive is it to tell people that they are "obsessed with the past" when people are proudly waving a flag that was used a symbol of terrorism against them for the past 150 years?

This is a part of the problem

They'll say: "People who are angry about this don't know history... Not everything is about race!"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that they do know their history, that's kind of what this whole controversy is about. If I didn't know history, I'd just think the Confederate flag is just cool-looking flag with an X on it. Obviously, thats not the case.

And anyone who says that the Confederate flag has nothing to do with race clearly fell asleep through 4th grade Social Studies.

Of course, its about race, and racism. This country was built on the concept of race. As I once heard, "Racism isn't a chapter in America's history it's in the whole book." Learn your history.

3. The person playing who is clearly playing dumb about what that flag means.

They'll say: "It's about Southern Pride"

Well when we say "Southern" what "South" are we talking about here?

Are we talking about South Philly? The South Bronx? South Beach?

...Oh, we're talking about the good ol' US South. The Deep South, Dixie. The South which was (and in some ways, still is) home to slavery, segregation, the KKK and many other forms of interpersonal and institutional racism.

... And that's not new information for any of us.

But, what exactly is this "Southern Pride" that this flag represents? Whose "Southern pride" are we talking about? Are we talking about Black people's Southern pride?

I wouldn't think so, seeing how when the flag was created slavery was still legal... and many of the people who waved that flag at the time fought to defend slavery.

And if that flag is all about Southern pride, how come I've seen so many of them in so many Northern States? I've lived in Pennsylvania my whole life, and I've been to the South many of times. Surprisingly enough, the first time I saw a Confederate flag was in northwestern PA hanging from someone's pickup truck in a small town.

Now, I'm no geographer, but I'm pretty sure Pennsylvania isn't considered the "South", so why are we so hung up on this "Southern" pride?

A friend of mine described it that the flag as represents "Ancestral pride".

"Ancestral", huh?

Well "Ancestral" means "ancestors", and if we're talking about "ancestors" in the context of the Confederate Flag... You get where I'm going with this?

Even William T. Thompson, the designer of the modern-day Confederate flag noted what it stood for:

"As a people we are fighting maintain the Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause."—William T. Thompson (April 23, 1863), Daily Morning News

So let's be honest with ourselves about what this flag means.

... And don't be fooled when you see those Black people that Fox News finds (or hires) with their Confederate flag hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers and lunchboxes.

Black people too, can sometimes be ignorant of the racist history which that flag symbolizes and are strategically used as media mascots, shown to mask to the true history behind the flag.

Do you know why the Confederate flag is still a part of our culture? It's because the concept of white supremacy is still a part of American culture.

Of course the flag coming down doesn't mean that "racism is over", nor does it mean that the mentality that it was created to represent is gone.

But it's damn sure a step in the right direction.

0 What Charleston Means

Photograph by Lissa D'Aquisto, courtesy of City of Charleston

(The Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC)

By now, many of us have heard of the horrendous acts which occurred in Charleston, SC in which a gunman opened fire in the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, killing 9 people.

Media outlets and pundits have already described this incident as “incomprehensible” and “unbelievable”.

I would’ve agreed with them… that’s if I hadn’t already known what country I was living in.

One survivor of the incident recalled the gunman, a white male saying to the members of the congregation, “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country — and you have to go.”

Where does rhetoric like that come from?

I'll tell you: It comes from our schools, it comes from our media, and our politicians. It comes from family members and it comes from our history. This type of deep-rooted hatred doesn’t come out of nowhere. 

This was not an isolated incident.

But we live in a world where we seek the easy way out, where there’s no time for the discussions which force us to look at ourselves as a society in a critical light.

In the days to come, the media will seek to humanize the gunman, and almost instinctively, people will seek to paint him in a sympathetic light with comments such as, “he’s still a human being” or “he was a good kid who a bad decision”.

We’ll see the same empty, surface-level talk about gun control, mental health and how we all “need to pray together”.

People will shout, “Let’s let all of the facts come out” and “It’s not about race!” And ultimately, the conversation will go back to the victim-blaming, diversionary rhetoric of “Where’s the outrage about Black-on-Black crime?”

However while when unarmed black men are victims of state-sanctioned violence, the conversation changes, it becomes more interrogative, you’ll hear, “Well, he wasn’t an angel” or more commonly, "He was a thug!"

This is a society in which a 21-year-old white male can kill 9 people and be captured alive, but a 43-year old black man accused of selling cigarettes can get choked to death.

This is a society in which people are vocal to criticize protests and riots based on racial violence, but are quiet about racism itself.

We live in a society in which you are more demonized for talking about racism, than you are for practicing it.

This is a part of the problem.

A culture of racism creates racial terrorism… And until we can be honest with ourselves about that, we’re just talking in circles.

0 Seinfeld & The Culture of Political Correctness

PHoto CREDIT: ROBIN MARCHANT/GETTY

By: Marvin DeBose



“So what's the deal with all this political correctness?”

That's a question that actor/comedian Jerry Seinfeld may have been asking after a recent interview in which he discussed the difficulty of performing as a comedian on college campuses due to what he believes to be a culture of political correctness.

In an interview with ESPN radio, Seinfeld stated, "I don't play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, 'Don't go near colleges. They're so [politically correct].'... They just want to use these words: 'That’s racist'; 'That’s sexist'; 'That’s prejudice.' They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

This statement was interesting to me for numerous reasons, for one, I’m a big fan of Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld's sharp, observational humor and ability to find the absurdity within our everyday lives is a talent which few comics have been able to pull off successfully, and for so long.

But an even bigger reason that these comments stood out to me was because Seinfeld typically steers clear of controversial issues in his comedy. That’s when I asked myself, "How well does Seinfeld really know what's 'racist' or 'sexist'?"

Then I thought back to his response last year when an interviewer pointed out the fact that most of the comics which appeared on his web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, were white males:

“This really pisses me off... Who cares? Funny is the world that I live in. You’re funny, I’m interested. You’re not funny, I’m not interested. I have no interest in gender or race or anything like that... It’s more about PC nonsense.”

Seinfeld seems to mean well... but the issue is that he fails to realize is that his perception and worldview is largely based on his experience, which happens to be the experience of privilege. 
Now when I say "privilege", I don't necessarily mean "rich" or "wealthy". I’m talking about the institutional, systemic advantages which come from being a member of the group which has power in our society.

More specifically, Seinfeld is a 61-year-old white guy who grew up in the suburbs, and privilege as it pertains to being a white male in America is more complex than people think.

For example, one of the potential benefits of privilege which Seinfeld grew up with based on being white was the luxury of not having to think too deeply into racial representation in the media. When you grow up in a world where you are surrounded by people who look like you, you don’t really pay too much attention when other groups of people aren’t present because, in your mind, that’s the norm.

This is especially true for Seinfeld, who grew up in the 1950s and 60s in Massapequa, NY, a town in Long Island, which is still one of the most racially segregated regions in the country. Even Seinfeld himself recently noted on his web series that he hadn't even met a black person until college.

Ultimately, Jerry Seinfeld’s privilege as a white male in America can be summed in two words which he said: “Who cares?”

When institutional racism is not your experience, you have the option to not care about race. As a male, you have the option to not care about sexism, because sexism is not your experience.
However, if you're a woman, you live with the effects sexism... regardless of if you “care about it” or not. If you're black, it doesn't matter if you care about racism, you live it.

Of course, this isn’t a problem with Jerry Seinfeld specifically; the real issue lies in the fact that often, complaints about “political correctness” come from a place of privilege, and are dismissive and used as a means to criticize people for being offended, rather than examining why they are offended.

Some people may point to the fact that black comics like Chris Rock spoke about political correctness as well:

“I stopped playing colleges… they’re way too conservative… Not in their political views… but in their social views and their willingness not to offend anybody. Kids raised on a culture of “We’re not going to keep score in the game because we don’t want anybody to lose.” Or just ignoring race to a fault… You can’t even be offensive on your way to being inoffensive.”

The difference here is that Rock’s critique of political correctness is rooted in what he sees as America’s fear of discussing taboo topics such as race, gender, class and sexuality. Seinfeld’s critique is more about America bringing up those topics too much—Big difference.

But the question remains is there a culture of political correctness in our society?

Yes and no. 

I see more of a growing culture of sensitivity rather than political correctness, but I believe that is just because we a counteracting a deep rooted societal culture of extreme insensitivity. We are fighting against CENTURIES of insensitivity toward people for their race, gender, nationality, religion, sexuality or economic status. Our political correctness is only a byproduct our society’s history of social irresponsibility.

So of course such sensitivity comes as a shock to us… Our society was insensitive since its inception!


However, from the perspective of a comedy fan, I believe that we have to pay attention to the context of what someone says. Words are powerful, but it’s the context behind them which give them power.

Of course we have the right to be offended by a joke, but I think it’s more important to analyze why comics say certain jokes, what experience is behind them, and what makes certain people laugh at them and other not laugh.

As the great comedian Lenny Bruce once said, “The only honest art form is laughter, comedy. You can't fake it.”

0 McKinney, USA

By: Marvin DeBose

It looked like a scene out of the 90s TV show Walker Texas Ranger; a cop running toward the camera at full speed.

But it wasn't a TV show it was a viral video showing a police officer in a suburban community responding to a reported disturbance in the area. Within the first few seconds of the video, Corporal Eric Caseboldt, a 40-year-old Navy veteran, who had been with McKinney police for 10 years, is seen on the video running at top speed  down chasing an unseen perpetrator.

At first glance, it almost seems as if he might be chasing a suspect who is armed. 

Then the camera pans right, and the officer returns back in view of the camera, and reality sets in, the officer has a hold of the suspects.

Those "suspects” whom Caseboldt was chasing are swimsuit-clad teen African American boys, most of them appearing to be no older than 15.

“Don’t make me fucking run around here with 30 pounds of goddamn gear on in the sun ‘cause you want to screw around out here,” he yells to the young boys, while pushing them onto the ground, forcing them to sit.

In the background, a group of teenage girls are heard yelling, inquiring about why these young boys are being accosted by the police. Caseboldt responds by telling the girls to leave.

As the girls begin to back away from the scene, Caseboldt grabs one 15-year-old girl by the arm and slams her on the ground, pinning her down with a knee in her back and her arms behind her. Two other young teen boys in the area rush over to the girl’s aid, as the officer is becoming increasingly rough with her, and in response, the officer pulls his gun on the boys, and consequently, they back up.

Cpl. Eric Caseboldt grabbing a 15-year-old girl

The sensible person might ask: What type of crime elicits such a brutal response for unarmed civilians – children in swimsuits at that?

Well, that's a question for us all to ask ourselves.

As much as people will try to attribute this incident to “one bad apple” or “the ways of the South”, this problem is much bigger than just this one incident, and much more deep-rooted than Eric Caseboldt, police brutality and even Texas.

This is connected to issues that are deeply embedded in this nation's history and culture of exclusion and racialized fears.

McKinney is a predominately White small town north of the Dallas area and has been growing in the past 30 years, gaining an influx of more Latino and African American families. But these demographic changes aren't necessarily accepted by everyone. 

Texas has a reputation for what are known as sundown towns, which are purposely all-white communities, usually suburbs outside of a metropolitan area, that have been openly hostile to the presence of non-White ethnic groups in their towns throughout history, especially at night.

These areas practiced housing discrimination, passed laws aimed to reduce the presence of “outsiders”, and oftentimes, these towns would commit acts of violence against various ethnic groups within the area. 

Such towns were known have signs near them on major roads with ominous messages to non-White travelers warning them, "Don’t let the sun set on you in this town.”    

How does this tie into McKinney, TX? Well, McKinney is a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in North Texas, which is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US.

Interestingly enough, North Texas is a region home to many notorious Sundown Towns as well

There is Irving, a town west of Dallas, in which oral histories note that blacks were to be out of the area by nightfall. There is also Sunnyvale, a town 45 minutes south of McKinney, whose residents fought vehemently to prevent “low income housing” from being placed in their town by passing zoning ordinances and a 1971 town council resolution banning apartments from the town.

Such signs were seen on billboards, in newspapers and in many other strategic places as late as the 1980s

There’s also Highland Park, a suburb only a half hour away from McKinney, which, after Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, preferred to send its few black students to school in Dallas rather than allow them to attend school in Highland Park. Highland Park is still known for its strict exclusionary rules for "outsiders". 

Although McKinney itself doesn’t have an explicit written history of being a sundown town, the culture of xenophobia and racial exclusionary tactics which contribute to sundown towns are still prevalent there.

In fact, in 2008 the City of McKinney was sued by a housing nonprofit organization for standing in the way of the development of public housing for mostly Black and Latino low-income families on McKinney’s predominately White west side, which is where the pool party incident occurred.

And what sparked this whole pool party incident? It was an altercation that occurred when a white female resident of the area reportedly made racial slurs toward some black teens in the pool area and told them to “go back to their Section 8 housing".

What we have to understand is that issues like this don’t happen as mere isolated incidents, they aren’t simply a result of “a need for police reform”, they aren’t deviations from the norm, because in America, systemic racism is the norm.

The police officer, Eric Caseboldt, knew exactly what he was doing when he chased after those boys and forced that young girl to the ground, he was making an example out of them. Why? Because, to him, they represent a threat. 

And what response did he get from members of the West McKinney community after the incident? He and the police department received a poster saying, "Thank you, for keeping us safe."

"....Keeping us safe?" From teenage kids at a pool party? What does such as response that say about that community? What does that say about us as a society?

These children may have not have been arrested or charged with any crimes, but they have been sentenced to a life of coping with the traumatic experience of being treated like criminals when their only crime was being in a town that never wanted them there in the first place.

Their only crime was their existence. As was Trayvon Martins and countless others.

Whats sad is that many black youth face the same criminalization every day, and some don't get to go home to their parents when its all over. What even more sad is that there were adults members of the community present who stood and approvingly watched the whole thing. 

Some may lazily attribute this incident to being “The way things are in The South." But, as Malcolm X once reminded us, “As long as you are South of the Canadian border, you’re South.”

This country needs to take a serious look at why we treat each other the way that we do. We need to reexamine why we view other taxpaying Americans as "outsiders" in their own country. We need to look at why believe in the concept of inherent criminality for an entire race of people.

Most importantly, we just need to start asking "why?"

0 "What Would Dr. King Think?"

By: Marvin DeBose

He's our convenient hero. We see him in old grainy footage from the 1960s smiling, marching and giving speeches.

When people yell slurs at him, he is unfazed. When attacked physically, he is calm.

People see him as America's symbol of peace and racial harmony. He's our go-to Black leader for any words of wisdom that address social issues, such as race, but aren't too controversial (Sorry, Malcolm X).

Of course, I'm talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who's seen as our our happy-go-lucky, turning-the-other-cheek, loving-his-enemies, courageous leader.

We typically think of him within the context of the last few minutes of his 1963 "I have a dream speech" where he speaks of being a time where people can be judged by the content of their character rather than their skin color. He talks optimistically speaks of being "free at last"... And usually that's where our memory of Dr. King stops.

But what happened after the "Dream"? What happened up until Martin Luther King's death in 1968?

Photo credit: Uptown Magazine

Truth be told, Dr. King was not as much of the beloved all-American that he is portrayed as being. Throughout much of his life, more so in the last five years of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. was vilified. He was called a "troublemaker" by some, an "agitator" by others, and "The most notorious liar in the country" by the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. Why?

This is because Martin Luther King was a figure who was peaceful, but incredibly defiant to the social order of this country. He was always growing and evolving, and he was even becoming more radicalized in his approach in his later years.

He spoke against U.S. militarism, he advocated for reparations for Black people, he led protests for housing discrimination in the North and South and he worked to organize for poor people calling for a redistribution of wealth.

His optimism toward American racial equality even changed as King, in his later years, would refer to his "dream" of racial equality as "turning into a nightmare" in the US.

In the last speech of his life, King's tone of optimism even seemed change as he spoke of "some difficult days ahead".

Fast forward, to 2015, America has found a purpose for Dr. King now that he's long gone, America's media machine has helped to paint a new picture of King. We've ignored his more controversial quotes and views and created some passive, ever-optimistic, non-threatening figure used mostly a means to chastise, pacify, or even silence Black people who are angry in times of social unrest.

When the uprisings in Ferguson happened, I heard, among many King references, "This isn't Dr. King's dream!"

In the week since the riots in Baltimore have occurred I've seen more Martin Luther King references on social media than EVER.

All of a sudden everyone is a Martin Luther King biographer:

"You know, Martin Luther King wouldn't support this"

"Martin Luther King is probably turning in his grave" 

"What would Dr. King think about this?"

Well, a better question is "What did Dr. King think?"

Let's look at history, because in 1967, Dr. King actually told us what he thinks about riots:

"I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention."

As we can see, Dr. King understood the function and meaning behind riots in America. He didn't necessarily condemn or support them, he just understood them for what they were. He didn't go into a long speech on nonviolence, he just told us that riots are rooted in deeper societal issues which we ignore.

Many people who read this may continue to utilize MLK's quotes whenever they feel the need to tell Black people how to feel about social injustice, but must pose the question:

Where are all of these MLK quotes when police kill unarmed people? Usually, I don't see too many people telling police about "Loving your enemies".

Where is that peacefulness when it comes to our view of any person in our prison system, do we "love our enemies" in the penitentiaries?

Where is this MLK-like desire to work toward racial understanding when we ignore the racism which exists around us everyday?

Where are the MLK quotes when we talk about war?

Who are we to we exploit the legacy of Dr. King in order to condescendingly play moral judges to people who have been raised in a society void of a moral conscience.

If we want to promote Dr. King's legacy the right way, maybe we should be less focused on criticizing a riot and more focused of eliminated the social ills which lead to a riot.

Maybe we should be helping to organize people to create more positive forms of political activism.

Maybe we should examine why so many riots occur in poor neighborhoods...

...Or maybe that's too much work.

If we aren't prepared to do the work to understand the real problems, if we don't have a love those people who riot, the same kind of love which we tell them to have, then we have no right to use that Dr. King's words as a tool to shame anyone.

For such use of his words are empty, hollow and meaningless, and serve as a mockery of all for which he lived and died.

2 Ferguson: The Product of Deferred Dreams

By: Marvin DeBose

Since last summer, I've begun to realize that American history often repeats itself.

In the past few days since the decision regarding Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson to not be indicted for the death of Mike Brown, I've realized that many of us live in different versions of the United States of America.

More importantly, the past few days have shown me that, its that there are still a lot of us who don't understand that the American experience is very different for different people. And history shows that a great deal of people's experiences in this country are dictated based on race, class and gender.

But depending on which America one lives in, that might not be seen as the truth. So if you've never experienced racism on an institutional level, you might be more inclined to look at a discussion of racism as being excessive or unnecessary.

Or if you've never had to deal with sexism on a structural level, discussions of it may confuse, or even anger you.

The point is, there's still a lot of experiences that Americans live/have lived that we don't learn about. There's a lot of history of which we are unaware. There is a lot of pain and suffering which people have endured, and unless we are willing to listen to the voices of those in pain, their pain will be recurring.

Yet, far too often, we become dismissive of those who seek to connect the present to dark history of the past to the events of the present. We write these people off as being "divisive"or "angry".

Society often paints a picture of them as disingenuous trouble makers without even realizing that they may have just silenced an important conversation which needs to happen more.

Without even realizing it, we've been taught to shun those who talk about harsh realities of this country. Those who speak of things such as racism, sexism, homophobia and classism are sometimes looked at with scorn and contempt. Surprisingly, this scorn and contempt, doesn't always come from hateful people, it often comes from people's discomfort with discussing such things, however, through discomfort there can be growth.

We'll attempt to shut these people up by saying things like, "We're all the human race, end of story." but the truth is, in America, certain members of that human race are still treated in a subhuman manner, and we have a moral obligation, not only as Americans, but as human beings to acknowledge it, address it, or at least be open to learning about it.

It isn't your fault that different forms inequality such as racism, classism and sexism exist in America, you didn't create it, none of us did, but we are all connected to it. It isn't a problem to acknowledge these problems, however, it is a problem to act oblivious to inequality and shut out those voices of pain as if silence will make it disappear.

America doesn't need silence, America needs healing, and I believe that the first step to healing is listening and learning. Many times, when we do decide to talk about these issues, we become too focused on making sure our personal opinions are heard, rather than the people who are dealing with the pain or the people who are upset. Our ego makes us go out of our way to tell others whose experience we have not lived on how they should feel about the pain they have experienced, or how they should react to situations in which they feel that there was an injustice.

We have to understand that situations like the upheaval in Ferguson don't come out of nowhere, they aren't isolated incidents of random anger, they aren't examples of misplaced aggression, they are rooted in a deep, dark history of structural inequality.

The Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes explained it best when he questioned the consequences of "a dream deferred" in his poem Harlem; that dream being equality in the nation which pledges to "liberty and justice of all":

"What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore and then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load...

...Or does it explode?"

What we're seeing in Ferguson is an explosion of historical frustration, an explosion of pain and second-class citizenship. It's an explosion from a flame that was lit centuries ago.

The question is, what role will you play in this time in history?

0 "It's Not About Race"

By: Marvin DeBose

For all of the people who are on the whole "it’s not about race" and "Well, looting is wrong too" campaign in regards to the death of Mike Brown, I'm going to challenge you.

I challenge you to look at things from outside of your own perspective. Maybe to you this isn't about race because you've never really HAD to analyze racism... Or maybe you didn't WANT to.

Yet, for Black people in America, especially those from lower-income areas such as Ferguson, Mo. and parts of the St. Louis area, racism is omnipresent. It's in the schools, in the courtrooms, in housing and and even jobs. So when people talk about the role of race in the Mike Brown situation, whether they are right or wrong, they're not "jumping to conclusions", "playing the race card" (Whatever that means) or trying to generalize a whole group of people. They are speaking from AN EXPERIENCE; they are speaking from a history of inequality.

And although some think of racism as something that only exists in extremes (hate groups), or  that "Reverse racism" is the problem, or that it isn't possible for racism to be a big problem in today's America, I'm sad to say that these assumptions are largely incorrect.

I'm not arguing with anybody, I'm not debating anyone. Because honestly, I'm tired of explaining my experiences to people... and frankly, I don't HAVE to, but I do it because it is necessary.

I don't just talk about racism for the sake of debating. I don’t just talk about race because it’s a “hot topic” in the media. I talk about these things because they are a part of my life. When you're a "person of color" in America, you'd BETTER start talking about/understanding how racism works... Because it may save your life.

Even, when I make a post on social media where I jokingly talk about race, there's pain behind that.

So when people are so quick to shout “stop making it about race” or "it's not about race" to people who have repeatedly dealt with racism, it's actually kind of condescending, and pretty insensitive & dismissive of the lived experience of millions of people.

Let's make one thing clear: AMERICA itself is "about race". The social construct of race is one of the things which built this nation. It shaped our history, and influences our present. Racism is so deeply ingrained in our social fabric that to say that something like this "has absolutely NOTHING to do with Race" is almost disingenuous.

The concept of race, despite it being a social construct, has directed influenced the lives that we live today. Period. Everybody knows that... The problem is that not everybody is ready to admit that.

No, I'm not saying "let's blame everything on racism".

I'm just saying let’s not act like the concept of race is so foreign to our problems in America. The situation in Ferguson, Mo. is the product of a racism which America bred. Read about the history of race relations in the St. Louis, Missouri area and tell me otherwise.

So, when you hear people talking about the role of race in a situation and you don't understand why, or you're angered by it, I challenge you to just LISTEN to them.

Don't debate them, don't try to diffuse their anger, don't try to tell them what's racism and what's not.

Just LISTEN to them… You might learn something.

1 Maya Angelou: The World's Griot

Photo credit: Biography.com

Maya Angelou 1928-2014

By: Marvin DeBose

In West African culture, the griots, storytellers who often employed the use of poetry and music, have historically been seen as some of the most highly valued members of society. These people were seen as walking history books, full of lessons to impart upon a village. Maya Angelou was a product of this rich tradition.

 For most people, simply hearing that name, “Maya Angelou”, brings words to mind such as, “Wisdom” and “understanding”. Her presence was associated with poise, and grace, and her words were filled with truth and love.

Although many people simply associate her with her countless insightful quotes and thought-provoking poetry, what made Maya Angelou truly remarkable were not just the beautiful, poetic words which she spoke, it was the rich life which she lived.

Born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, but raised in Stamps, Arkansas, Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson, lived the life of a true renaissance woman.

In her early life, Angelou was widely known for her immense talent in the performing arts. She was renowned calypso performer, which is a form of Afro-Caribbean dance and music and also spent time working as an actress and a playwright, who toured internationally starring in shows such as “Porgy and Bess” and writing plays such as “Georgia, Georgia”.   

Angelou also worked internationally as a human rights activist, working with Martin Luther King Jr in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as well as with Malcolm X in the Organization of African Unity.

Angelou would also spend years living in Ghana, working as a freelance journalist.

Most notably, Angelou was a world-renowned poet and author. Her thought-provoking writings touched on controversial topics like race and gender, as well as universal themes such as love and parenthood. She is seen as one of the most significant writers in American literature. Her raw, yet profound autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, was ranked by TIME magazine as being one of the top 100 most influential books written in the English language.

Although she has departed from us in the physical form, her words, her wisdom and her spirit live within the hearts and minds of people all over the world.

To many people, for some whom she didn't even know personally, Angelou was a mentor, a mother-figure, and an adviser. Oprah Winfrey commonly cites Angelou as her “mother/sister”. Even comedians such as Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock were known to go to her home in North Carolina to seek her advice.

Angelou once even disciplined rapper Tupac Shakur, whom she worked with in the movie “Poetic Justice”. Angelou witnessed Shakur about to get into a fight on the movie set and she pulled him aside and brought him to tears by asking him, “When was the last time anyone told you how important you are?' Did you know people stood on auction blocks and were bought and sold so that you could stay alive today?'”

Moments like that are testaments to the fact that Angelou was much more than a few witty quotes online, it shows how she was much more than a poet, actor and a playwright. She was a leader whose example helped to bring out the best in other people.

There are many words which can be associated with Maya Angelou's remarkable legacy; however there is only one which suits her best:

“Phenomenal”.

0 Dick Gregory: A Living Legend

By: Marvin DeBose

Before Dave Chappelle, before Chris Rock, and even before Richard Pryor, there was Dick Gregory.

Comedic legends like Rock, Chappelle and Pryor are well-known for their ability to make audiences laugh while creating a dialogue on sensitive social issues from an honest, African-American perspective. Their ability to combine wit, a humorous sense of irreverence along with storytelling to discuss these issues in front of a mainstream audience is often seen as something fairly new.

Yet Dick Gregory was touching on these issues long before Pryor became a star and before Rock and Chappelle were even born.

Dick Gregory

He was born Richard Claxton Gregory, on October 12, 1932, in St. Louis, Missouri. Born to a family of six children, raised by a single mother, Gregory grew up in poverty for much of his early life and also faced a great deal of discrimination, growing up in Jim Crow-era America.

Yet, his experiences of poverty and racism would develop what he would become as an adult.

Despite the hardships he faced early on, Gregory had a remarkable career as a student-athlete.He excelled at track, to the point where he earned a scholarship to Southern Illinois University, where he set school records in track and received the school's Outstanding Athlete Award in 1953.

However, Gregory's career as a track star was put on hold when he joined the army in 1954. But it was here where he officially got his start in comedy, performing in, and winning, many Army talent shows.

He returned to college after two years of being in the army, yet dropped out due what he felt as the university's lack of interest in his academic success, and more of an interest in his track career.

So, in the late-1950s, Gregory moved to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy, yet it was no easy feat. So Gregory worked for the U.S Postal Service while performing in various Chicago clubs.

Eventually, Gregory got his big break in comedy when, in 1961, he was hired by Hugh Hefner to perform at his Chicago Playboy Club.

From here, Gregory's career took off. His witty and social conscious sense of humor pertaining to major issues of that time, especially race and class, along with his signature calm, yet charismatic, deadpan delivery made him a hit with American mainstream audiences.

He'd go on perform on major shows of the time, such as The Tonight Show with Jack Paar, a job which, interestingly enough, Gregory initially declined numerous times in his career.

Despite the ability of The Tonight Show to catapult the careers of young comics, Gregory's reasoning behind not performing on the show was based on the fact that Black comics were never allowed to stay as guest on Paar's show after their performances.

It wasn't until Paar personally called Gregory and agreed to change the standards of the show that Gregory decided to perform on the show. Although this performance would boost Gregory career and introduce him to a national audience, he began to put a great deal of focus and energy into another passion which he had which was social activism.

At the same time as Gregory's rise in comedy in the early 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement was on the rise in America as well. Gregory, a man who grew up facing racial discrimination and often candidly discussed it in his act, was naturally drawn to the movement.

He spoke at and participated in numerous rallies and protests throughout the South and developed a close relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He toured to raised money for activist groups such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was arrested for his protests numerous times.

Gregory (left of center) marching alongside Dr. King in Mississippi  in 1966.

Gregory would even run for political office. In 1967, he ran for mayor of Chicago against Richard Daley, and, in 1968, he even ran for U.S. President. Although, he lost both races, his activism and civic engagement continued throughout his life.

Gregory at a press conference along with Muhammad Ali

Not only was Gregory an activist and outspoken critic against racism and poverty in America, in the late-60s, he became a vegetarian as well as an advocate for fitness and nutrition. Later in his late he would strongly advocate eating raw fruits and vegetables and he'd become known for participating in fasts as a part of his activism.

Gregory would also go on to write countless books and become an entrepreneur, selling numerous health products, and also serving as a nutritional consultant.


Today, at the age of 81, Gregory continues his activism, his health advocacy and his comedy, all with his signature wit and social-awareness which has stood the test of time.



His commitment and willingness to sacrifice his career for the issues which affect everyday people has set an example for countless entertainers.

Not only is he a pioneer for entertainers, for comedians, or for African-Americans. Dick Gregory is a pioneer for what it means to be a human being who is willing to risk his livelihood, as well his life, for his principles and his commitment to a better life for all people.

0 Reinvent Yourself... Like Sinatra Did

By: Marvin DeBose

"Reinventing yourself" is a concept which I first became familiar with as an 18-year old, reading Robert Greene's classic book, 48 Laws of Power.

Greene, who wrote a chapter called "Recreate Yourself" discussing the importance of being able to change, grow and craft your image in an ever-changing environment. At first, I couldn't fully grasp the concept.

I thought, "Why should you have to recreate yourself are if you're already confident in yourself and your abilities?"

But as I grew older and became more aware of the constant change going on around me, it made more sense. Reinventing yourself doesn't mean being inauthentic or changing what makes oneself unique. It's more of a matter of growing, improving, adapting and gaining new skills in order to stay fresh in an ever-changing world.

Photo courtesy of radiospirits.info 

Reinvention is a topic of which, particularly, many entertainers and artists have become familiar. As time goes on in the changing, unstable world of entertainment, where trends, styles, and even attitudes come and go, stars must be able to grow, develop and keep up with the times. Artists who do the same thing over and over and don't transform or improve their craft often fade into oblivion. An entertainer who best demonstrated the power of reinvention was none other than Frank Sinatra.

In the mid-1940s, Sinatra was at what many people perceived to be as the pinnacle of his career. He'd performed in front of thousands of screaming, fainting, mostly teenage female fans all over the country. He'd been in numerous films which were quite successful. His concerts were so popular that they were known to nearly cause riots. He was a predecessor of what was to come in American popular music.

Yet, as the 1940s came to a close and the 50s arrived, things began to change in Sinatra's career. He starred in a string of unsuccessful films and his appeal as a heartthrob to teen audiences was starting to wane. By 1950, the boyish, youthful appeal which Sinatra once used to his advantage seemed to be gone.

Sinatra, who was by now in his mid-30s, no longer represented youth, he was balding, he was married and his years of smoking and drinking slowly took a toll on his youthful appearance. He had also suffered a hemorrhaging of his vocal cords, altering the one thing which made him a star in the first place; his voice.

Soon, he was dropped from his record label, and amid struggles in his personal life, he fell into a deep depression. Journalists began to write him off as a "has-been" as new, younger singers began to take some of his shine.

Yet, an opportunity sprang up. A WWII-based film called From Here to Eternity was seeking someone to fill the role of a rebellious, heavy drinking, Italian-American serviceman; a role which fit Sinatra to a T. However, this serious, more dramatic role was drastic change from many of the more musical, romantic, typecast roles Sinatra was used to in the '40s. Yet, he realized that this role would be a chance to reinvent his career and his image.

Sinatra eventually got the role and ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, and that twist of fate opened the door for a changed, new and improved Frank Sinatra.

This unexpected dramatic performance caused many to be take him seriously as an actor, and he regained some credibility in the entertainment world. He also earned a record deal with Capitol Records and slightly changed his sound, largely due to his work with composer, Nelson Riddle.

Out went the youthful singer who performed in front of screaming teens, and in came the older, more seasoned star who performed for sophisticated crowds in venues like Las Vegas and acting in major films.

Photo Courtesy of nbcnews.com

Sinatra would go on to have a legendary career in both music and film and make his mark on the entertainment industry.

But this is not just a story about Frank Sinatra. As we approach the year 2014, this is about YOU.

Since the world is always growing and changing, there is a constant need for us to adapt to these changes and expand our skills.

For example, in the world of academia, many universities have to reinvent themselves to adapt to a new, more diverse, technological generation of students.

In journalism, writers are reinventing themselves to keep up with the evolving field by gaining skills in audio and video production, social media, and photography.

Whether it is in our personal or professional lives, change is something that is constant, and it often shows us that we all face challenges and it reveals to us our deficiencies.

The question is, in what ways will you work to reinvent yourself? What skills will you gain, what new challenges will you take on, how will you adapt to change?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

2 Political Labels... and what Really Matters

By: Marvin DeBose

"The liberals are ruining this country", "those conservatives are idiots", "the Republicans are trying to take over", "the Democrats are trying to take control"... Sound familiar?

This polarized, adversarial political rhetoric is something that I see nearly every day. Yet, with so much talk of political groups in this country, it makes me wonder, what do these political labels even mean?

Better yet, what do the people who use them think that they mean?

When you get a chance, ask a few people, "what is a conservative?" Then, ask a few people "what is a liberal?"

What's a Democrat? What is a Republican?

Don't look for Webster's definition, don't look for the political science definition. What are the people's definitions?

Most likely you'll get a wide variety of answers. But with such a wide variety of differing political viewpoints, one must ask, "Why do we need to put these labels on ourselves and others?"

Why does there need to be "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys"? Why do we need to have a "pick your team" mentality?

How about for a while we just forget those labels, let's forget being a "liberal", "conservative", "moderate", "libertarian"... Let's try being human beings with OUR OWN opinions for a quick minute.

Instead of watching political pundits and listen to them tell us what/how to think, let's try developing opinions based on critical thinking, analysis and an understanding of context.

Most importantly, let's forget judging people's character based off of their political views. Let's judge people's character based on more important things, like their love for other human beings.

I know that idea might sound scary to some people, but I think it's worth a try.

Instead of getting into what someone believes in politically or what button he/she presses on election day, let's ask this: Does this person exemplify a love for human life—ALL of human life?

By human life, I'm not just referring to Americans, I'm talking about a love for ALL human life. I'm talking about human life in places like Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I'm talking about love for young people living in the dangerous streets of The South Side of Chicago. I'm talking about love for people who are incarcerated, people who are addicted to drugs, people on welfare, people who are homeless, as well as for people who are wealthy.

I'm talking about love for Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Agnostics, Atheists, Deists and all other faiths and beliefs.

I talking about love and a feeling of kinship people from all walks of life.

Now, if a person truly believes in that kind of deep love for humanity, then that's a person who's stands for what I for.

After all, isn't that what really matters?

0 No, "Mexican" is NOT a Halloween Costume

By: Marvin DeBose

Despite what some people may think, I'm no party pooper.

I know that Halloween is coming up and you want to have a good time.You want your costume to be memorable, you may want to get a laugh, but you might want to think twice before you buy that sombrero for your Halloween costume.

I've been in college, I heard about the parties where people dress up as different ethinic groups whether its a "South of the Border" party or a "hood" party. I've seen the pictures of people on Facebook wearing sombreros and fake mustaches.

But this is bigger than just "Mexican costumes".

Making a costume out of any racial or ethnic stereotype is not funny, it's not clever, and it's never been. In fact, it's offensive, especially to those who are members of the group which you attempt to portray.

...And having a friend of that racial or ethnic group who thinks that your costume is funny (or pretends that it is) doesn't make it cool either.

So that means we don't need to see any of this...

Or this...

Or any of these...

And none of this either...

Now, usually when people get called out on these of costumes for being offensive, there are a common set of responses they'll give:

1) "But, it's just a character, it's for fun!"

Well a ethnicity, religion, race shouldn't be a "character".

When people make "characters" based off of cultural groups, they use stereotypes and create caricatures of the group in question. Therefore, you're likely to already be in the wrong when you decide to wear that costume. These kind of costumes are pretty much walking billboards saying, "Hey, stereotypes and prejudice are hilarious!"

Plus when you make a group of people into a caricature, without even realizing it, you dehumanize that group of people. How? Because you promote the concept of racial/ethnic characters rather than individuals.

2) "Well, I'm not racist..."

Just because you don't hate the race/ethnicity that your costume portrays, that doesn't mean that your actions aren't racially offensive.

Arguments of "I'm not racist, my mailman's black" or "I'm not being offensive, I shook hands with an Iraqi man once" are dismissive of the behavior in question. That's about as silly as someone saying, "I'm not sexist, my wife is a woman!"

When someone calls you out for racially insensitive behavior, that isn't meant to say that you are a horrible person. It's meant to critique (and hopefully correct) your actions which are hurtful.

Being ignorant of how you offended someone is understandable. After all, we aren't all really taught to be culturally sensitive. However, it's how a person goes about correcting that behavior that shows their true character.

3) "Why are you worried about stuff like this, it's just Halloween, can't you take a joke?"

People who say things like this are a part of the problem too.

Just because something doesn't offend you doesn't mean it shouldn't offend others. If you don't understand why something is offensive, just ask why it's offensive. But telling people what to be offended about and not be offended about is offensive and condescending in itself.

 See: EMPATHY

Instead of simply saying "it's just a joke", lets ask these questions:

Why do people want to dress up and make a joke out of being another race/ethnicity so bad in the first place?

...and...

Why do people find these costumes to be so funny that they're willing to risk offending people just to wear them?

4) "Why can't I paint my face Black?" 

You can research this one on your own... You know how to get to Google don't you? Look up "Blackface".

My Point is... 

Get creative with your costumes. Be funny. But don't go for cheap laughs dressing up as a racial or cultural stereotype.

Like I said, I'm no party pooper. But when the "party" consists of making a joke out of racial and ethnic stereotypes that hurt people, quite frankly, that's a party that deserves to be pooped on.

2 Philly Native Lives His Dreams at BET

By: Marvin DeBose

September 18th, 2013

Frank 'Franky J' Jenkins, BET Correspondent

The lights are on, the cameras are rolling, and a young man with the tall, lanky build of a basketball player, clad in a retro, red 76ers snapback cap and a blue polo shirt, takes the stage—not an actual stage though. In this case, the stage is a street corner.

“This is BET’s 106 and Park top ten countdown, we’re going into another video right now, stay tuned,” the energetic young man says.

He is animated with lively body language as he announces the next video, pausing between phrases and using his hands to accentuate nearly every word, “Lotus Flower Bomb, Wale, Miguel, let’s go!”

But this is just a YouTube video, more specifically, it’s 24-year-old Frank “Franky J” Jenkins’ audition video for the popular BET music video show, 106 and Park back in 2012.

The video has about 1,800 views, far less from what Franky J was expecting.

“My video was not popping,” he says, with a mixed tone of both reflectiveness and humor. He didn’t make the cut for the auditions, yet, that wouldn't be the end of his journey.

Franky J wanted to be a host in some capacity ever since he was a kid. He grew up in North Philadelphia, around 7th and Diamond Sts, gaining inspiration from former 106 and Park host AJ Calloway, as well as Philly DJs and radio hosts such as Pooch Man, Tasha McKee, Mikey Dredd and Uncle O.

He reminisces on how his upbringing in a tough city like Philly shaped him and pushed him into his career.

“It could be discouraging… sometimes people don’t see your visions and your dreams,” he says. “But, it played a big role in my motivation because I wanted to see better and I knew there was better.”

Franky J’s motivation pushed him to pursue his dreams at all costs. At the young age of 17, he was already a host for a local Philly music show, Urban Xpressions.

During his time as a young host, he experienced many of the hardships of the business which further molded him.

”I remember not having the money to go [and cover] shows,” he says. “I used to walk to shows, nothing could stop me from going to a show.”

Franky J went even further in pursuing his dream when he attended Community College of Philadelphia, where he majored in Communications. There, he polished his writing skills, which he sees as an highly significant skill in his career.

“My writing wasn't on key so I would jot things down on pieces of paper until I knew how to set them up [properly],” he says.

Honing his ability to write in a structured manner sparked his growing interest in writing TV shows. It even led him to write the format for Kitchen Music, a cooking show which was one of the first shows he ever wrote.

Yet, Franky J still had dreams to make it big, after he submitted his video to BET for the 106 and Park host audition in 2012 to no avail, he thought he’d have to get back to the drawing board and rework his strategy, but eventually, he'd see things change.

In January of 2013, he received a message on his Twitter account from a woman who left her number claiming to “have an opportunity” for him.

Franky J called her number, yet there was no answer, nor was there a voicemail message. However, the number soon called him back, and on his caller ID, he saw: BET Networks.

“I was still in shock that BET called me,” Franky J says. “[The BET executive] said ‘drop what you’re doing, pack up, we’re gonna bring you out to New York’."

He had been selected to audition for a new BET show, set to premiere in 2014.

After his audition, Franky J finally got the news from the executive. “She told me, ‘You’ve got the job, you aced it,'” he recalls.

Yet, the next thing which he would hear would blow him away even more.

“She asked me, ‘Why are you so nervous, you don’t look nervous in your video?’“ Franky J says,  “I said, ‘What video?’”

It turned out that someone at BET had got a hold of his audition video from 2012 and got it into the hands of some powerful people.

“She said, ‘My boss [Stephen Hill, BET president of programming] saw your video and requested for you to come here,” he says. “She told me that [Hill] said, ‘I don’t know why, but I like this kid.’

Since then, Franky J has been signed to work as a host/correspondent for the BET show, for which he auditioned, that is set to premiere in 2014.Yet, In the short time that he’s been with BET, he’s already had some quite unforgettable experiences, one of them happened early this year.

On the day of the New York premiere of Beyonce’s autobiographical documentary, Life is But a Dream, in early 2013, BET was looking to get correspondents to cover the event. Yet, most of their hosts had already left for the day, except for Franky J.

The BET staff got him dressed up and ready for the star-studded Red Carpet, where he’d get his first real taste of what it’s like to be a BET correspondent.

“My first interview was with [producer and R&B star] The-Dream,” a fact which he saw to be ironic in itself. “I was interviewing The-Dream, while living my dream, all on the red carpet for Beyonce’s Life is But a Dream.”

That night, Franky J got to interview a variety of celebrities from Russell Simmons, to even Beyonce herself.

Franky J interviews Beyonce at the premiere for Life is But a Dream 

Yet, he'd run into one star whose presence presented a once in a lifetime opportunity; Oprah Winfrey.

“She was finishing up with her last interview and security was trying to sweep her away,” Franky J says. “But I yelled to her, ‘Oprah, let me get 2 seconds of your life!’

That phrase caught Oprah’s attention and allowed him to get an interview with one of the most well-known people in the world.

Of course, Franky J credits occurrences like these, and much of his success, to years of hard work and determination, but he also attributes much of his success to his faith.

“God is everything,” he says.  “I wouldn’t be anywhere without him and I couldn’t get through anything without him.”

These days, Franky J, the once local teenage TV host from North Philly, lives in Brooklyn, NY., and has goals such as hosting the BET Awards as well as writing and producing shows.

Despite his already impressive experiences, he says the fact that he’s beginning to live his dreams hasn’t really hit him yet. Yet, he stresses the importance of having a dream.

“Believe in your dreams, we get these visions for a reason, it’s because that’s what we’re supposed to be doing in life.”