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Name: Pastor Ray
Location: Merrillville, IN
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Black Uplift Discovered in Rich History

Posted by Pastor Ray on Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:00:00 AM
During the Democratic National Convention, set on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, my focus drifted to the rich history of black people in America. Black delegates were, as I was, extremely proud of this historical moment. Yet I began to wonder about the philosophical similarities or differences between black leaders like Senator Obama, Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Each has stood for what they believed to be the authentically black position of their day. The question I will address in this three-part series, is whether the past leaders would agree with positions espoused by current black leadership. To examine this, one must juxtapose the historical record of quotes and books by past leaders against current ideas emanating from black leaders of today.

Frederick Douglass, a former slave, embodied early black leadership in America. Escaping in 1838, Douglass rose to prominence as an abolitionist in the 1850’s and continued until his death in 1895. In his 1865 speech before the Annual Anti-Slavery Society, Douglass describes his philosophy concerning the uplift of blacks in America when he states, “Everybody has asked the question. . ."What shall we do with the Negro?" I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are worm-eaten at the core, if they are early ripe and disposed to fall, let them fall! I am not for tying or fastening them on the tree in any way, except by nature's plan, and if they will not stay there, let them fall. And if the Negro cannot stand on his own legs, let him fall also. All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone! “

Douglass seems committed to black uplift as the result of individual responsibility, occurring in an atmosphere of unencumbered opportunity. This is fascinating when considering that Douglass lived in an America that provided miniscule opportunity for blacks to succeed. Opposing this position seems to be the mantra of current black leadership.

Senator Obama said while in Gary, IN, “I think it's time we had a president who doesn't deny our problems or blame the American people for them but takes responsibility and provides the leadership to solve them”.

This position by Senator Obama commits the resources of the Presidency to solving the problems of Americans. Should this be the task of the President of the United States? If so, then perhaps we should include this responsibility in the presidential oath of office. We could remove the part about upholding the Constitution and defending us from all enemies, both foreign and domestic; replacing those words with the promise to pay all my debt, educate my children and myself, abort children on demand, allow people to enter America illegally, and pay for it all by raising taxes on the most successful of us.

Americans would never stand for this, yet it is interesting to see ideas of success compared with one another. Douglass’ position not only works for black Americans, but for all Americans.

The Constitution does not guarantee equal success, but does guarantee equal protection and equal opportunity. To expect that we should all succeed applying various levels of personal industry is like saying every horse should win just because he is in the race.
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Brother Can You Spare Some Change?

Posted by Pastor Ray on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 4:00:00 AM

It is clear that American politics has been for some time now the theater of the ridiculous.  Confronted with the ubiquitous media frenzy surrounding each election cycle, we as voters have the arduous task of trying to decide for whom to vote.  Yet one theme is common in all elections – change.  We love to hear that word.  Notice the excitement and passion that elevates in you when you hear someone seeking your vote for public office promise you change.  We are enamored with the concept of change.  Every challenger says we need change, although all he or she intends to change is the nameplate on the office door.  Sometimes we do not even need or want change, but it is like the security blanket we have grown fond of over the years.

Why is the American body politic so obsessed with change?  My thought is that we are so accustomed to being spoiled by our political leaders that we expect them to really improve our lot in life.  After all, we seem to prefer caterers not problem solvers.  Many of us believe our government is established to “make things better” for us.  Never mind the fact that I did not finish my education, quit every job that I had because the “boss did not like me”, decided to be a recreational drug user, engaged in sexual promiscuity, and feel like I am “owed” something because of the suffering my forefathers endured in an America very different than today; I want my elected officials to improve my life.    Have we become a nation of people dedicated and committed to having someone else be responsible for our improvement?  If that is the case, at least we could give these elected folks a bit more with which they can work their change magic. 

I happen to think that real positive change only comes when you and I decide that we are not satisfied with the decisions we have made and determine to alleviate the consequences by applying a different set of decision-making criteria.  For example, at this point in my life, having lived through the disco revolution, and the rise, fall and subsequent rise again of the Afro; I decided to go back to college.  I needed change, not just change that I could believe in, but also change that by the grace of the Almighty I could make happen.  I did not call my government to see what their contribution to my effort would be, nor did I expect a check saying, “Hey, let us pay”.  I expected to study hard, save my money, change my spending habits to accommodate my goal, and then reap the reward of my endeavors. 

That is not to say that every person will have the same level of success.  It simply means that for real change to occur in America we must all aspire to the same level of effort.  We must stop coddling those who fail to try, and help those who extend themselves beyond their limitations, refusing to release their dreams to the sea of self-pity.  As Jack Nicholson said, “we can’t handle the truth”.  Is life tough? Yes.  Is it sometimes unfair? Yes.  However, it is equally affirmative that this country offers more opportunity to all people than any in the world.  If we cannot succeed at trying, then we will certainly fail at succeeding.  Let us refrain from blaming others for our failures in order to perpetuate their guilt and begin to build solid futures by harvesting our own untapped potential.  Perhaps we all can believe in that change.

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What The (Blank) Was The Good Reverend Thinking?

Posted by Pastor Ray on Friday, July 11, 2008 12:00:00 AM
Jesse (the Good Reverend Jackson) has done it again. This time he made an off color, crude remark about Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee for President of the United States. In the past, Rev. Jackson has been “caught” making derogatory statements about Jews, with his “hymie-town” comments. The question I ask this time is “what was Rev. Jackson thinking?” I know that he quickly apologized for his desire to rid Sen. Obama of some of his body parts, but one cannot help but wonder where the Rev.’s mind was when his mouth went in motion.

In my opinion, Sen. Obama represents what Jackson cannot stand, that is someone who has captured the affection of Democrats, both white and black. Rev. Jackson especially seems to be put off by a candidate from his home base of operation (Chicago) who did not ask for, nor apparently needed his blessing to become a player in the national Democratic Party, and the eventual presidential nominee. In addition, Rev. Jackson appears upset that blacks would gravitate to someone who in Jackson’s estimation has not “paid his dues” in the so-called fight for Civil Rights of which Rev. Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton consider themselves to be the unelected leaders.

In the world according to Jesse, in order to get any “play” with the people one must have the “street cred” and “battle wounds” of the “Movement”. Sen. Obama does not fit this profile, in fact at the outset of Obama’s campaign; many believed he was not “black enough” to have his message resonate with black voters. (Boy, were they wrong!) Rev. Jackson in a moment of weakness could not hide the perceive insult from Sen. Obama, which directly cut into Rev. Jackson’s honey pot. That is keeping black folks victims of a racist white power structure. In Jackson’s mind, how dare Obama suggest that black men be responsible for the children they sire! Doesn’t Sen. Obama know that black fathers who fail to rear their offspring are just reacting to another case of “the man keeping us down?” In this crisis of foot in mouth lies the real Rev. Jackson, a man who desires to parlay a message of victimization while enriching himself as the guru of all things racist in America.

Although I remain very leery of Sen. Obama and his liberal policies that ultimately could keep blacks dependent on the government for like forever, I must agree with his sudden stance on personal responsibility and the effectiveness of faith-based organizations in addressing social ills, especially in urban areas. One would think that the “good Rev.” would be “down” with this since he runs a non-profit known as Operation PUSH. The problem for Rev. Jackson is that faith-based initiatives with government funding stand the chance of undermining his efforts to be the big fish in a small pond. With government financing, other organizations that are actually addressing community ills would be financially viable to compete for private corporate dollars, which currently fuel Jackson’s Operation PUSH. This competition is not welcome in all things Jacksonian.

Though it is difficult to witness the decline in significance of a man who has accomplished some good in the effort to balance the American psyche as it relates to race, I am buoyed by the fact that the argument for responsibility among my fellow black Americans is thrust to the forefront of this presidential campaign. Imagine if John McCain had said anything about responsibility among blacks. He would have been vilified and castigated into political oblivion by the media. Even though it was Senator Obama who raised this issue in his Father’s Day address, the issue was first thrust to the spotlight by Bill Cosby several years prior. I wonder where Dr. Eric Michael Dyson, who blasted Cosby for his comments about black responsibility, is on Obama’s remarks about the same subject. Does Dyson, like the Rev. Jackson, believe that to talk about black responsibility is “talking down to blacks”? Dyson is an Obama supporter and has been for some time. The fact is it has been and still is now time for a debate about responsibility in the black community among those who really care and are not using this opportunity for self-advancement.
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Confessions of a Sellout

Posted by Pastor Ray on Sunday, June 01, 2008 12:00:00 AM
The informal definition of sellout on http://www.dictionary.com/ is “a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor”, and “a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement.” I was shocked to learn that in certain circles among my own people and culture, because of my written opinion of the controversy surrounding Sen. Barack Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, I am a “sellout”. I must say that though I knew that any opinion that did not promote the victimization of black people, and actually put forth some logical thought as to a possible reason for Dr. Wright’s comments, would not be welcome among those who make their living off the hurt of those they claim to represent.

Since the time that my comments were printed, I have had opportunity to reason that perhaps shock should not have been my first response to the label of sellout. In fact, a more reasoned and logical response would be sadness. I have become sad by what inevitably continues to be the ruin of honest and perhaps logical debate in the black community, our emotion. All too often, we assume the emotional response without clearly seeing how that response affects our hopes in the end. It is true that emotion is one of the gems of being human, but it can also be an albatross when it interferes with clear thinking. Just ask any person who has followed their heart into a love relationship, while their head pointed out the obvious red flags. My concern is that many of my people have embraced the role of victim because it is an emotionally satisfying position. As a victim, one can always look for someone else to rescue or come to the aid of the cause, while we tend to expect little of the victims in uplifting themselves.

If I am to be a sellout, I should perhaps begin to share that to which I am sold out. As a Black man, I am unconditionally sold out to the uplift of all people, regardless of their skin color. That being said, I do see the lion’s share of my efforts being spent among my own community as I try to convince my brothers and sisters not to live as victims of this society, but as those who take advantage of the tremendous opportunities for advancement not available to our fore parents, and for which they shed their blood. It is to this end I am committed; the injection of reason into the argument of race relations in America. Apparently, this is offensive to those who seem to have no real desire to solve our problems and foster understanding between all people of goodwill. Instead, they find some twisted honor in attacking the character and legitimacy of those who fail to share their beliefs. As evidence, I offer the castigation of Bill Cosby by Professor Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, who lambasted Dr. Cosby for saying there were some problems we need to address in the black community before we start blaming whites for all of our problems. Again, this type of thinking by a professional intellectual as Dr. Dyson amazes me because it assumes the victim mantle proudly, which is his right, but it also refutes as illegitimate any who disagree.

Furthermore, I confess to selling out to the day when we as black people begin to use the power of our vote to advance an agenda that actually benefits us. This is a lesson that seems easy for some groups to embrace for other ethnic groups, but difficult for those of us who use our heart to determine what to do with our vote. This all too often is nothing at all. The election of the next president serves as example to this painful reality. Moved by the emotional appeal of Senator Barack Obama is where I find myself because of the tremendous sense of history and pride for all Black Americans. The opportunity for my children to connect to the President on a new level is not lost on me. Yet when I examine the policies of Senator Obama, the reality is that many of his proposals will not bring the uplift needed for black Americans, especially those in economically challenged areas. For example, Senator Obama is opposed to school choice for parents. This means that parents who are unable or cannot afford to move from communities with failing public schools have the unfortunate and often catastrophic choice of sending their children to chronically underperforming schools. In Gary, this means that there are very few options for parents, yet Senator Obama’s position page on education mentions nothing about opening up choice for parents like those in Gary. In fact, most of his proposals concerning education require additional government spending on education. In addition, to those who believe money is the problem with schools in economically challenged areas, the fact is that in 2005 Gary(Indiana) Community School Corporation spent $2000.00 more than the state average per student in operational costs. (Source: www.schooldatadirect.org)

In addition, I am sold out to using the pulpit for the express purpose of preaching a gospel that does not poke fun or ridicule those who may have different political or social ideas than me. The recent comments by St. Sabina Catholic Church pastor Father Michael Pfleger have cast a dark shadow over the role of religion in discussing social policy. If the best we can do with our preaching is mock candidates that we do not support, then perhaps it would be best to remain silent. The honest discussion of the positions candidates have publically declared is helpful and informative, but insensitive personal attacks belittle the high calling of the ministry. Rather than encourage people to take advantage of opportunity, Father Pfleger bought into the victim mantra and oiled the machine that maintains the pain of a people needing to embrace freedom.

Finally, I will proudly wear the label of sellout if it means that I am committed to introducing and maintaining critical thinking as an element of uplifting people. This not only applies to black people, but all of God’s children. If we are truly to explore issues of race in America, then fellowship of all humankind must be our ultimate goal. This is the goal to which Dr. King was committed and for which he gave his life. Those of us left to uphold this honored legacy must refrain from labels such as “sellout”, “Uncle Tom” and “oreo” in reference to those whose real desire is to see all advance to their full God-given potential.
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