tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472036603659432182024-02-02T10:33:29.143-05:00Author R.L. ByrdAuthor R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-21578925559561880072016-10-20T12:46:00.000-04:002016-10-20T13:29:47.436-04:00Why Sing the National Anthem When We’re Still Chanting<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b>“I Am a Man” . . . “Fight
the Power” . . . “No Justice, No Peace” . . . “I Have a Dream” . . . “We Shall
Overcome” . . . “Can’t We All Just Get Along” . . . “I am Trayvon” . . . “I Can’t
Breathe” . . . “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” . . . “Black Lives Matter”. </b></h4>
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They're all slogans sparked by injustices. From the 1968 “I Am a
Man” slogan protesting the neglect and abuse of black Memphis sanitation
workers to the 2013 “Black Lives Matter” slogan protesting the abuse and
killings of blacks by public officials and private citizens. Sadly, people-of-color
have been chanting these and similar slogans for decades; fighting injustices
for well over a century.</div>
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Now, generations after “I Am a Man,” people-of-color are now
chanting “Black Lives Matter” and saying “No” to the National Anthem. Why? It’s
a question with its answers deeply imbedded in the bowels of American history.
Answers, America either refuses to acknowledge (or perhaps wishes to forget) or
have willfully turned a blind eye to. Unfortunately, my family, like so many
others, are a part of that history (shameful as it is) and choose not to
forget. That shameful Pandora box reopened—for all the misery and evils to be
uncovered—when I went back to a place from my childhood (Metter, Georgia) and
reacquainted myself with relatives I hadn’t seen in twenty years.</div>
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A visit prompted by my need to find out more about a story—theft
by deception, white supremacy, racism, murder, revenge, family flight, loss of
wealth—passed down from one generation to the next. Its gravity sinking in when
the Black Lives Matter and National Anthem debate came into question: “Why
Black Lives Matter?” people asked. “It should be All Lives Matter!” they
shouted. “I dare Kaepernick not show his patriotism by not standing for the
National Anthem.” Responses leaving many dumbfounded since, in all of America’s
history, one can easily argue that it has seldom, if ever, been about All Lives
Matter; hence the many slogans, chants, and protests from black Americans from one
generation to the next.</div>
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Former mayor of Atlanta, Andrew Young, in his foreword within
Walter White’s autobiography “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-White-Autobiography-Thrasher/dp/0820316989">A
Man Called White: The Autobiography of Walter White</a>” noted that there was a
time in US history where law enforcement was in synergy in the
murder-by-lynching of people-of-color.<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
They ignored, enabled, and encouraged murder directed against blacks, and anyone
(whites included) who supported Black civil rights.<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Today, those who quietly, or actively support “Black Lives Matter” like
Kaepernick, have not forgotten this; nor the Negrophobia, Negro laws, or the treatment
of Blacks before, during, and since this time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And with each black and brown death prompting protests and
outrage, the question of “Why Black Lives Matter” was broken down into its
purest form when I sat down with my 80-year-old cousin (a retired Georgia
teacher) who reminded me that, “. . . back then, our [black] lives really didn’t
matter much.” She shook her head and looked me dead in the eyes and started to
tell the story of the lynching of my great, great uncle <a href="http://www.maryturner.org/database.htm">Claxton Dekle</a> (pronounced Dee-cul).</div>
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The year was 1917. Woodrow Wilson was president and
Nathaniel Harris, a confederate army veteran, was the Governor of Georgia. Fifty-four
years had passed since slaves were emancipated but blacks lived in trying, if
not, disparaging times. People of color faced obstacles from all directions; from
the federal to state and local governments; from within all branches of the judicial
system; in public transportation, accommodations, education, housing, and
employment; as well as navigating all forms of bigotry and hate from their very
own countrymen—white, US citizens. “It was an awful time,” she told me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUfkivbsqXHGfiWLmWD8w_e_B6H4Jq_fz4RxSgHBOzu8v2APpqpwTgGVgkJB6GO4CoE5gJDGVoutrASWXdaruQCEL37L-ZnoXzLCUYVTF7z6R9N243JV14UanyereHu4afg9DllfpX8FK/s1600/Black+Men+Women+and+Children+Text.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUfkivbsqXHGfiWLmWD8w_e_B6H4Jq_fz4RxSgHBOzu8v2APpqpwTgGVgkJB6GO4CoE5gJDGVoutrASWXdaruQCEL37L-ZnoXzLCUYVTF7z6R9N243JV14UanyereHu4afg9DllfpX8FK/s320/Black+Men+Women+and+Children+Text.png" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>During this time, President Wilson (pledging allegiance to the “Negro” cause
during his presidential campaign) alienated the very black voters that
supported his presidency by following the South’s practice of race segregation
in the federal government; all while promoting democratic liberties and human
rights abroad. Many blacks were <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/opinion/what-woodrow-wilson-cost-my-grandfather.html?_r=2">demoted</a>,
denied employment, or lost their jobs as a result. The 18-million-dollar
block-buster movie of the era “<a href="http://www.filmsite.org/birt.html">Birth
of a Nation</a>,” with its incendiary and racist propaganda, vilified blacks and
glorified the Ku Klux Klan; prompting the Klan’s resurgence and legitimizing
their existence (keeping blacks in their place); setting the tone for the terrorizing
of blacks for decades to come. Race riots were common; and the <a href="http://www.blackpast.org/aah/east-st-louis-race-riot-july-2-1917">East
St.</a> Louis, Missouri Race Riot, on July 2<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">nd</span>, was one of the bloodiest race riots of the year. Black men, women, and children were beaten, shot to death, and lynched as their businesses and homes were burned by a mob of white citizens. Six-thousand blacks fled the city and policemen and the national guard were cited for either turning their heads or participating in the attacks.<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a>
Black men and boys (females as well), for financial gain, were constantly
targeted and charged with petty or trumped-up charges by local and state law
enforcement to supply businesses and private citizens with cheap labor. Often aided
by the courts, they were sentenced to work as <a href="http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/home/">convict laborers or
laborers in the debt peonage system</a>. Black newspapers and magazines
reported the laborers’ plight, grievances, as well as the emotional and
physical pain and suffering endured while trapped within the two systems; such
as the case of four black minors, all under the age of fifteen, reportedly made
Alabama state prisoners for allegedly stealing a bicycle.<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[iv]</span></span></span></a>
Black women and girls were criminally assaulted by white men, with little
recourse; their voices and rights muted as their attackers were seldom
prosecuted. Black men, women and children were murdered-by-lynching for the
smallest infractions; including frightening a white person just by their
presence as in the reported case of a Starksville, Mississippi man lynched
because a white woman was frightened by seeing him approach her.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_edn5" title="">[v]</a></span></span></span><br />
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Despite the horrific circumstances and seemingly unsurmountable
challenges of the time, my family had amassed a sizeable amount of land in
Emanuel (now Candler) County Georgia. The family had obtained the American dream
of the time: 40 acres and a mule.<br />
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However, another mule was exactly what was needed to help
plow the growing acreage and great, great-granddaddy Henry Dekle (uncle
Claxton’s father) told Uncle Clax to buy one from a local white farmer. Uncle
Clax went into Metter, Georgia and bought the mule, however, upon returning home,
it was discovered that the mule was blind. He was told to go back and either
get another mule or get the family’s money back. When Uncle Clax returned the
mule, the farmer would neither take the mule back or return the money; although
knowing that the mule was blind when he sold it. As a result, an argument
ensued and it’s reported that the farmer hurled “nigger” insults and attacked
uncle Clax; in turn, uncle Clax defended himself in a time where it was death
to insult or question the word of a white man; let alone cause one physical
harm. When Uncle Clax (according to the Atlanta Constitution—not the most kind
or unbiased newspaper towards people of color) was getting the better of the
farmer, two white bystanders came to the farmer’s aid.<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_edn6" name="_ednref6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[vi]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
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the lynching annals is that Uncle Clax was lynched for murder on December 15. She
told me, “From my understanding Clax killed that man—might a killed two or
three others—he got away and went home.” When uncle Clax returned to the farm
and told what had happened, a mob had formed. They took him and lynched him (with
no rights to a trial) as that was the typical punishment for killing a white
person (justified or not) during the day. As he hung, the enraged mob riddled
his body with bullets. I asked my cousin what happened afterwards and she
clasped her hands and held her head down, “They told me they drug him through
Metter [for all to see]. . . . After they drug him for so long, it was one
white man that told them [the mob] if they didn’t untie that man from that [buggy]
and give him back to his people—because he was already dead—that he would start
shooting. So they finally untied him and gave him to his people. . . . While
they were having the funeral, those white people went to the grave and they
meant to kill the whole family. They were hidden in the woods. And this other
white man that made them untie [Clax] went to the church and told [the family],
‘Don’t y’all go to the cemetery because they plan to kill all of y’all.’”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The family took heed to the warning and took the necessary
precautions; scouting the area and waiting until the following morning to bury
uncle Clax. To save the family from further harm, granddaddy Henry and his
brother, uncle Benjamin Dekle, changed the family’s name to uncle Benjamin’s
wife’s maiden name and left the area (as so many blacks did when their lives
were in jeopardy) as there was no protection from the local authorities as they
were often known to be, as Mayor Young indicated, in synergy in the
murder-by-lynching of blacks. And although tax-paying citizens, and above all else,
US citizens, they were afforded no protection or rights from the local
authorities or government, and had little-to-no recourse at the state and
federal levels; they were on their own. A once hard-working and proud family
forced to leave decades of hard work and prosperity behind because their lives
were not as important as the man’s whose skin tone lacked pigmentation. I
listened to my cousin talk about the hard life the family endured afterwards
and the bitterness that evolved as a result, and I understood, in its purest
form, why the ‘Black Lives Mater” movement exists: For far too long black lives
have been dispensable to white America. And although great strides have been
made in the lives of blacks since the lynching of uncle Clax, one must
recognize that although the evils, ills, biases and prejudices of yesteryears
have been abated in some areas, they still run deep and rampant in others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So when I hear people (Caucasians, Latinos, Asians, even African
Americans) say that All Lives Matter in response to Black Lives Matter, I hear
the many slogans and chants from previous and present generations tell a different story. I
hear America’s history tell a different story. I hear my family’s history tell
a different story. The words “All Lives Matter” undoubtedly expressed by those
who haven’t had a loved one hung, burned alive, riddled with bullets, weighted
down and drowned, dragged behind a car, incarcerated for profit, raped and or sodomized,
disenfranchised, experimented upon, tortured, terrorized, denied justice and
basic constitutional rights, and forced to live in constant dread and fear
with, more-often-than-not, no one to be held accountable. But for those who do
remember, the “All Lives Matter” diatribe (although theoretically correct in a
perfect world) are just words; words far from being the truth in the imperfect
world we live in.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;">Author</i><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;">, R.L. Byrd</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;">Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://richardleonbyrd.com/project-h-u-s-h/" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a><br />
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<h4>
<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Links:</span></span></span></h4>
<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">White,
Walter. "Foreword by Andrew Young." Foreword.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>A Man Called White, the
Autobiography of Walter </i></span><i><span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">White</span></i><span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">. Athens,
GA: U of Georgia, 1995. ix-x. Print.</span></div>
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">Ibid, ix</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="edn3">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[iii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">Wang,
Tabitah C. "East St. Louis Race Riot: July 2, 1917 | The Black Past:
Remembered and Reclaimed."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>East
St. </i></span><i><span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">Louis
Race Riot: July 2, 1917 | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed</span></i><span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">.
BlackPast.org, n.d. Web. 01 Sept. </span><span style="background-color: #f1f4f5;">2016.</span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[iv]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">DuBois,
W.E. Burghardt, ed. "Crime."<span class="apple-converted-space"> <i>The </i></span><i>Crisis</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Jan. 1913: 118.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <i>The
Crisis</i>. </span>Google Books.
Web. 8 Aug. 2016.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_ednref5" name="_edn5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[v]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">DuBois,
W.E. Burghardt, ed. "Courts."<span class="apple-converted-space"> <i>The</i> </span><i>Crisis</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>May 1912: 11.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Crisis</i>. Google Books. Web. 8 Aug. 2016.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/R.L.%20Byrd/Documents/R.L.%20Byrd,%20LLC/Dekle%20Family/Black%20Lives%20Matter%20Explained_Claxton%20Dekle_Final%2009-19-16.docx#_ednref6" name="_edn6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[vi]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background: rgb(241, 244, 245);">"Lynching Comes Close on Killing in Metter: Negro Who
Shot Three White Men Riddled with Bullets by </span><span style="background-color: #f1f4f5;">Mob."</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Newspapers.com</i><span style="background-color: #f1f4f5;">.
The Atlanta Constitution, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. </span><span style="background-color: #f1f4f5;">2016.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background-color: #f1f4f5;">16 Dec 1917, Page 7
- The Atlanta Constitution at Newspapers.com</span></div>
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Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-40892583928764472032016-03-14T15:39:00.000-04:002016-03-14T15:53:01.939-04:00Overcoming Racism When Working While Black<div class="MsoNormal">
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When I read the article, “<a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/working-while-black-engineer-executive-david-price-fought-racism-and-won">Working
While Black: From Engineer, to Executive, David Price Fought Racism and Won</a>,” it reminded me of a recent Boys2Men visit, when at the end of my visit—briefcase in hand feet pointed towards the door—a young man entered the
Executive Director’s office (quite emotional) shouting that he had just quit
his job. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Director’s
response: <i><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Oh my god</span>! <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Why</span>?! Do you have another job lined up? Because if you don’t, that’s crazy!</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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His answer: <i>No. No
job lined up. I’ll get another job, though. I’m not worried about that. . . . I
just can’t continue to be treated the way I’m being treated—disrespected and
devalued. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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I didn’t even need to ask how he was being disrespected and
devalued, because as a black male, I already knew. I knew from my grandfather and
father’s experiences. I knew from my fraternity brothers, coworkers’ and friends’
experiences. I knew from the many forgotten stories told within our annals
of history; like that of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/opinion/what-woodrow-wilson-cost-my-grandfather.html?_r=0">John
Abraham Davis</a>, one of many lives destroyed by the bias and racist rhetoric of the day. I knew from my own experiences working in corporate America.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Noticeably upset by his answer, the Director started shaking
her head and raising her voice (out of love and concern) and before jumping
in, I stood there and listened as he poured all of his frustrations out; throwing justification, after justification, against all of the Director's reasoning. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“So, let me ask you something,” I told him. “How much were you
making before you quit?” He told me. Then I asked, “Now how much are you making
now; now that you’ve quit?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Nothing,” he answered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You shouldn’t have quit your job,” I told him. “They broke
you down and won; now you have nothing to show for it . . . only your pride.
And last I checked, pride won’t put food on the table or pay your bills.” And as quickly as I uttered the last word—bills—a <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">heatwave</span> shot all through my body; spreading from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. <i>How hypocritical of you</i>, I told myself because,
not too long before, I was having the same melt-down: Another black man tired of the bias and racist shenanigans within the workplace. I too was about to quit a job (with
no backup) because I felt trapped, disrespected and devalued. And just like
him, I was looking for answers, or at least some type of confirmation to walk away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before making a decision I could very well regret, I took an
extended weekend to assess my situation and found myself recounting different, yet similar, situations throughout my career, like: The manager who asked the
lone black intern architect, how do you design for black people (like we’re any
different from anyone else); or the staff and vendors who don't won't to deal with you because of the color of your skin (just like in the article); or my favorite, the "he scares me" diatribe from the older white workers that have never met or talked to you—they just only know you by your race; or the senior executive director, during a meeting, questioning the lone black staff member why he should even be working
among them and tells him that he doesn’t know why he was hired (they were doing just fine without him); or the many other incredible racist and biased comments (and actions) endured working as a person of color, many too egregious to share here. So yes, without even knowing his situation, I
understood his discontent and plight. And unlike the article in which Price attributed his success to his company's "championing" his plight in a sales environment with shortcomings, many of us don't have that "champion" that will champion our cause in light of the hardships we face as "working while black": For us, we'll work through the hardships, without raising issue, and our journey will go with us to the grave; like that of <o:p></o:p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/opinion/what-woodrow-wilson-cost-my-grandfather.html?_r=0">John Abraham Davis</a>.</div>
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And don't get me wrong, working in America for anyone (male or female, journeyman or U.S. president) can have its challenges.
But, working in America as a person of color, especially a black
male, carries additional weight. You have to be conviction free (those with legal convictions have a harder journey), twice as sharp, and exhibit
exceptional qualities and character to excel in positions others (white males) would excel in with mediocre skills, and in some cases, legal blemishes. And sadly, I had to come to the realization that wherever you're "working while black," each workplace, although the culture and
business dynamics may differ, will have the same type of people who hold similar ism's and biases because of your skin tone. One can only hope that where there is a lacking of sensitivity or diversity, compensation will come in the form of a strong system (and commitment) to
combat active and passive racism and biases. </div>
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Now, meltdown free, I have a greater understanding (and admiration) for what my elders had to go through. They stuck with the job (no matter how
menial or degrading) and their work ethics, drive, and commitment, despite their
circumstances, speaks volumes to who they were—<i>strong black men weathering adversarial storms beyond their control</i><i>.</i> They, and the many men before them,
paved the way for me to be who and where I am today. So, despite my challenges, I didn't quit. I
had to continue in their footsteps; add <i>my mile</i> to the road we seemingly must travel. </div>
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As for the young man, turns out that he hadn’t truly quit; he was
testing the waters and looking for confirmation for quitting. He just needed a
little guidance, well, more like a swift kick in the right direction. Unfortunately for him, he's just one of many that will travel down this road. I’m just glad he
had somewhere to go (talk it through) as so many of us don’t have that “champion" to help, guide, and fight the shortcomings we face "working while black."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, 'palatino linotype', palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;">Author</i><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;">, R.L. Byrd</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-indent: 48px;">Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project%20HUSH.html" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: georgia, utopia, 'palatino linotype', palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a></div>
Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-38006697544517737682015-06-16T00:39:00.000-04:002015-06-16T00:47:36.905-04:00Remembering Lynn; reflecting on one of my life's biggest regrets.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydTvhjRkAaE3jjqC0MZCoEgxO_7AjR4eeq3vYNmxiUwMXMU4cPIU7EIXqChQX5eK28mZTYxAy9NEphGs8C5hudzA5oMmah7UYT4yL5-gzvujlX3e7JL7Fc0aHLksRSyMSGf3ZSVpq2Red/s1600/AIDS-HIV+Ribbon_RLByrd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydTvhjRkAaE3jjqC0MZCoEgxO_7AjR4eeq3vYNmxiUwMXMU4cPIU7EIXqChQX5eK28mZTYxAy9NEphGs8C5hudzA5oMmah7UYT4yL5-gzvujlX3e7JL7Fc0aHLksRSyMSGf3ZSVpq2Red/s400/AIDS-HIV+Ribbon_RLByrd.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #444444;">It’s <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">amazing</span> how we meet some people in our
lives, move on (loosing contact), and never know how much their life’s journey
has, or will impact our lives someday; and in turn, they’ll never know how much
their lives have inspired ours. </span></b></h4>
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". . . unbearably warm is what it was." One of those uncomfortable, Alabama summer mornings—the ones where sweat pours down your back while standing in the shade—the very first day, of many weeks, of that way too early PhysEd class for new Tuskegee University students. As I scoped<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> out the crowd with my sidekick Chris P., my eyes landed on this attractive, dark-skinned sister with a short haircut wearing this sweat-suit with a scarf tied around her neck—which dressed it up a little.</span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was something about her: When you looked</span></span> at her, your mind would go, <i>Mmmm</i>. When you spoke to her, you would think, <i>okay, intelligent and classy</i>. And when you got to know the real Lynn Chamberlain, you knew the girl was going places. S<i>he's going to make it big one day, </i>I always told myself; but I also knew there was a hidden agenda, and we teased her about it: She was looking for a husband.</div>
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<i>Fastforward several months</i>. In the middle of the year, Chris had moved back to New
York; and at the end of the school year, I had transferred out too; the three
of us going our separate ways, losing contact.</div>
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Eight years later, my degree on the wall, I was living (well,
more like happily struggling) in Atlanta, Georgia. On one particular night, I was flipping through the TV channels as
I did little odds and ends around the apartment, and stumbled across the Essence
Awards; Halle Berry and Sinbad were hosting. Not too soon afterwards, I heard a familiar
name that matched a familiar face, “What?!!" I yelled out, smiling. "Well I be damn! I
knew that girl was going places!” And dropped everything to hear what good
things Lynn and her mother (Marilyn) had done to land them on the awards show. But what followed wasn't anywhere close to what I had in mind; as a matter of fact, it tore me the hell up instead. I’ll <i>never </i>forget it. The whole
experience forever engrained in my memory as her mother, in this strong yet
pain stricken voice, emphatically told the Essence audience, “I wanted to kill him.” Chills flooded my chest as my heart dropped; dropped straight down to the pit of my stomach. “What?”
I kept questioning; like the TV was going to answer me back. “Lynn? Pretty ass
Lynn from Tuskegee? . . . HIV positive?"</div>
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I sat down on the arm of the sofa and just shook my head; my mind going back to those eighteen and nineteen year old Tuskegee kids who we were smiling, laughing and mapping out our lives—the last time we spoke, in the parlor of Tantum Hall, she wanted to pledge Delta Sigma Theta, and I was going to pledge Alpha Phi Alpha.<br />
<br />
In complete and utter disbelief (mumbling "damn" over and over as I stared at the TV) I didn’t move until well after her mother’s tribute played out
about her HIV/AIDS work and establishing Marilyn’s Manor, a house for HIV
positive women on Lynn's behalf—I could see why Lynn admired this lady so much. And with the tribute mainly focused on her mother's philanthropy/social work, I really wanted
to find out more about Lynn’s situation; how she was doing and coping. </div>
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In the days that followed, I did my research and uncovered a journey I wouldn't have wished on my worst enemy, and felt the
need to reach out (I'm sure others felt the same way as well). But how do you reach out to someone that you hadn’t spoken
to in almost a decade? (Fear can be a terrible thing, you know.) And a day didn’t
go by that I didn’t think about the situation, and reaching out to her. But with each day I procrastinated, the need to reach out grew
fainter, and fainter, until the days turned into weeks, and weeks into
months—my window of opportunity (in my opinion) closed. But knowing what I know now—the rough and
incredible journey that she went through—not reaching out (however
uncomfortable or uncertain the conversation would have been if I did) has
become one of my biggest regrets.</div>
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Although many of the articles about Lynn (and her mother) appear
to be gone, there are still some out there; here is one from the LA Times, <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1995-06-16/news/ls-13744_1_years-aids-home" target="_blank">"The Changing Face of AIDS: 'I Sat At Home For The Next Three Years Waiting to Die': Lynn Chamberlain, 25, Los Angeles"</a>, and one from Hello Beautiful, <a href="http://elev8.hellobeautiful.com/74757/living-with-and-dying-from-hivaids-chronic-diseases-series-part-1/" target="_blank">"Living With and Dying from HIV/AIDS (Chronic Diseases Series, Part 1)"</a> published <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">posthumously</span>. </div>
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I’m just glad, in the end, Lynn found that person to share her
journey with; finding the husband we always jokingly said she went to Tuskegee to
find.</div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;">Author</i><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;">, R.L. Byrd</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;">Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project%20HUSH.html" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a><br />
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Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-32278285165144794032015-05-31T01:45:00.000-04:002015-05-31T08:08:05.831-04:00Never Forget Tulsa<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Today, May 31st, marks the 94th anniversary of the destruction of Greenwood; the African-American suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma reportedly destroyed by a mob of some 10,000. </h3>
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Living in Tulsa, and going to <i>North Tulsa</i> (the black side of town known as Greenwood) to church and to get my haircut, I couldn't fathom North Tulsa being anything but what it truly was: A desolate, lifeless area that sorely needed some sort of economic development in the worse kind of way—a far cry from the hustle, bustle, and wealth of <i>South Tulsa</i>. So imagine my surprise (and bewilderment) when I heard people talk about, and compare, Greenwood to the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills, California. <i>What?</i> I kept asking myself as I looked around at the small, unassuming, delapitated houses and buildings. "Are you lying to me?" I asked, everyone, with a raised brow. Because never in a million years could I (or anyone else for that matter) imagine that this modern-day Greenwood could have EVER been anywhere, close, to the likes of any part of Beverly Hills. But in 1921, it truly was the African American version—Negro Wall Street as they called it because of its wealth and prosperity.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>In the North, whites don't care how high you climb as long as you don't get too close. In the South, whites don't care how close you get as long as you don't climb too high.</i>" — Unknown </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And that's exactly what Greenwood had done—climbed too high. It was the wealthiest black community in the United States, primarily as a result of the oil boom, and it was loathed and hated because of it. Accounts have it boasting:</span></div>
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15 Grocery Stores<br />
2 News Papers<br />
2 Public School Systems<br />
4 Drug Stores<br />
2 Movie Theaters<br />
A Bus system<br />
A Central Business District along the Greenwood corridor touting legal, medical and various professional offices, retail shops, and hotels.<br />
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which came to an abrupt end when a white female accused a 19-year old black male of rape. And on May 31, 1921, the jealousy, hostility, and Tulsa's racially charged atmosphere came to a boiling point when the deadliest race riot in the United States began; and Greenwood burned to the ground. Walter White's account <a href="http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5119" target="_blank">"The Eruption of Tulsa": An NAACP official investigates the Tulsa Race Riot</a> published in the <i>Nation</i>, on June 29, 1921, chronicles the history of what led up to the riot, the riot itself, and some of the atrocities committed against innocent black civilians. Reports have the destruction (real estate and property losses) estimated at $1,800,000; which today is estimated at close to 30 million. <b>Of special note: None of the survivors, or their descendents, were compensated by insurance companies, the city of Tulsa, or the state of Oklahoma.</b></div>
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In the continual efforts to ensure we never forget Tulsa, Oprah Winfrey's network, OWN, as reported by the <a href="http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/tv/tvtype-oprah-winfrey-network-announces-miniseries-on-tulsa-race-riot/article_e5b49b24-bb4b-11e3-a0e0-001a4bcf6878.html" target="_blank">Tulsa World</a>, is scheduled to produce a mini-series about the event, starring <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/octavia-spencer-20724237" target="_blank">Octavia Spencer</a> as journalist Mattie Clay (the race riots told from her perspective). </div>
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For a visual narrative of the Tulsa Race Riots, take a look at the two-part Youtube series by reporter Tim Estiloz, told by survivors and descendents of the riots.</h3>
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Part 1 - Tulsa Race Riots: Survivors and Descendents Recall</h4>
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Part 2 - Tulsa Race Riots: Survivors and Descendents Recall</h4>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QHVQEk8fi2M/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QHVQEk8fi2M?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.</i>" — George Santayana</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">And although we should never forget the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, we should also not forget the many other racially charged riots, including:</span></div>
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Wilmington, NC Race Riot of 1898</div>
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<a href="http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/atlanta-race-riot-1906" target="_blank">Atlanta Race Riot of 1906</a></div>
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Springfield, IL (1908)</div>
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East St. Louis, IL (1917)</div>
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<a href="http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/segregation/p/The-Red-Summer-Of-1919.htm" target="_blank">Red Summer Race Riots of 1919</a>, involving 26 cities, with hundreds of deaths and thousands left homeless and wounded.</div>
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Rosewood, FL (1923)</div>
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Detroit, MI (1943)</div>
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<i style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;">Author</i><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;">, R.L. Byrd</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-indent: 48px;">Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project%20HUSH.html" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 48px;" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a></div>
<br />Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-19179831317946732202015-05-20T15:02:00.000-04:002015-05-20T16:33:54.144-04:00Unspoken Truths<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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“Damn! So you’re saying that even
if we do, do what’s right, we still have an uphill battle?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Sad but true, DK." Quentin threw his hand up. "And another thing: I didn’t know if you caught this, but there
was a show—I forget the name—where they had a black male and a white male apply
for the same position. Similar in credentials, but the white male had a long
criminal history and the black male had no criminal record. Guess who got the
job?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Damn, man. They would rather hire
a criminal over a good brother.”</div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">“Just some things we see in the
business, man. I tell my clients, when they encounter this, to keep their chin
up and move on. It probably wasn’t the place where they would want to work, or
where they would have a chance of being successful anyway. . . .” — <i>Black
Coffee </i>excerpt<i>; </i>Chapter 21, The Plagues</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #660000;">Unspoken truths; dangerous ground for those that deny its existence; precarious circumstances for those that face its danger. </span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9JF1C5LRr-bsJtiYF5z2q7slbZTPgrIdPMokbWeP09TvKNUld8PHM_eSxUENolDZ2YjeqheMGqMwVUCyWAIQpX8r6ic40RdMqRdTsmMR_bAbPKiruBJ8S-FShCih9kdbFxZ1vm3dTQhE/s1600/iStock_000014448356_Copyright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9JF1C5LRr-bsJtiYF5z2q7slbZTPgrIdPMokbWeP09TvKNUld8PHM_eSxUENolDZ2YjeqheMGqMwVUCyWAIQpX8r6ic40RdMqRdTsmMR_bAbPKiruBJ8S-FShCih9kdbFxZ1vm3dTQhE/s320/iStock_000014448356_Copyright.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/alex-mit</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 48px;">Are there two sets of hiring standards for men? </span><br />
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The excerpt describes what many of us already knew or may have experienced at some point in our life or career: Stereotypes and Biases in the workplace; especially in hiring practices—one of many unspoken truths. That's why the Council of State Governments, Justice Center's article, "<a href="http://csgjusticecenter.org/reentry/posts/researchers-examine-effects-of-a-criminal-record-on-prospects-for-employment/" target="_blank">Researchers Examine Effects of a Criminal Record on Prospects for Employment</a>," comes as no surprise. It just validates the truth that so many, especially men of color, face during their quest for gainful employment.</div>
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Outside of the fact that the report (based off of a 3-year University of Arizona study) focused, primarily, on the impact of having a criminal record when seeking employment; the reasearch found that individuals with criminal backgrounds were viewed by employers as having <i>poor attendance</i>, <i>substance abuse issues</i>, and <i>relational problems</i> with their employers. <b>But the most noteworthy finding (one of three key findings) was that white men, <i><u>with</u> criminal backgrounds</i>, received better employment responses than black men <u>with no</u> criminal background.</b></div>
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With this in mind, one must ask: If a white male, hired with a criminal background, is viewed as having substance abuse issues, employer/employee relational concerns, and poor punctuality and attendance problems; what are the <i>biases</i>, <i>stereotypes</i>, and<i> logic</i> that would "prevent" an employer from hiring a Hispanic or black male (with similar credentials) without a criminal background?</div>
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<i style="text-align: left;">Author</i><span style="text-align: left;">, R.L. Byrd</span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project%20HUSH.html" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a></div>
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Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-16260883291617523052015-05-08T10:31:00.000-04:002015-05-08T10:47:33.815-04:00Affirmative Action vs. Conservative Principles<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Affirmative Action and Ending
Raced-Based College Admissions</span></b></h2>
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<b>What was the "Conservative Principle" that was the basis for former Governor Jeb Bush to end race-based college
admissions in Florida’s colleges and universities? </b>This is the question I had after reading Robert Samuels’,
Washington Post article, “<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-bush-order-florida-universities-cope-with-shrinking-black-enrollment/2015/04/06/82d1e574-bcfe-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html" target="_blank">After Bush order, Florida universities cope with shrinking black enrollment</a>.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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As the article states, Governor Bush’s executive order
(similar, in part, to <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/California_Affirmative_Action,_Proposition_209_(1996)" target="_blank">California’s Proposition 209</a> and <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Washington_Affirmative_Action_Ban,_Initiative_200_(1998)" target="_blank">Washington’s Initiative 200</a>) would 1) uphold conservative principles; 2) end race-based
admissions; and 3) help minorities as a result. Let’s review these three: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>1: The Conservative
Principle Concerning Affirmative Action<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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It’s been noted that most Conservatives oppose <a href="http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/affirmaction.html" target="_blank">Affirmative Action</a><b> </b>policies. They believe
giving special treatment to members of a certain group (race, sex, ethnic,
etc.) is not needed in regards to education, employment, contracting, and other
areas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>2: Ending race-based college/university
admissions; <u>or a plethora of reasons not to</u><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Race is, and has always been, an integral part of our being.
“The fabric of our lives” as the saying goes. A fabric interwoven into the red,
white and blue that majestically flies over the landscape of this land; from
the Atlantic, to the Great Lakes, to the Gulf of Mexico, to the Pacific and
beyond. To reject and deny its existence denies the suffering, struggles and
battles that so many have endured (and continue to endure), like: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/dred-scott-case" target="_blank">Dred Scott’s</a>
fight to become a free man in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/60/393/#annotation" target="_blank">Scott v. Sandford</a>; a case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that because Scott was
of African descent, people of African descent (<i>whether free or slaves</i>) could
not be, nor were intended to be, citizens under the U.S. Constitution and held
no legal rights—a ruling later discarded by the thirteenth amendment (abolition
of slavery) and fourteenth amendment (birthright citizenship for all).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.biography.com/people/web-du-bois-9279924" target="_blank">W.E.B Dubois</a> (a founding
member of the NAACP) and <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/booker-t-washington-9524663#!" target="_blank">Booker T.Washington</a> (founder of the Tuskegee Institute) championing for <i>full civil rights</i> when Southerners would
only guarantee “basic” educational and economic opportunities (and protesting
discrimination within the same “basic” educational and economic opportunities the
Southerners guaranteed); as well as protesting, and championing the end to, lynchings
and the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/jim_crow_laws.htm" target="_blank">Jim Crow Laws</a> of the South. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley,
Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise
McNair of the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/birmingham-church-bombing" target="_blank">Birmingham Church Bombing</a>; <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/emmett-till-507515" target="_blank">Emmett Till</a> and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/opinion/seeking-justice-for-george-stinney.html?_r=0" target="_blank">George Stinney</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">, two of many children who died for
senseless reasons</span>; and the thousands of others who lost their lives
simply based on the color of their skin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The thousands of men, women and
children (<a href="http://womenshistory.about.com/od/civilrights/fl/Virginia-Durr.htm" target="_blank">Virginia Durr</a>, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Hosea
Williams, Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, Malcolm X and a host of others too
lengthy to name for this article) who contributed to the Civil Rights era of
the 1950’s and 60’s to end discrimination and racial segregation; all of which
lead to the Civil Rights act, Voting Rights Act, Fair Housing Bill and other cures
to the disparities faced by blacks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Understanding where African Americans have come from, the
struggles and tumultuous journeys to get to where we are today, and how much
further is needed to go is pivotal for any “true leader” involved in public
policy making. Additionally, understanding the Conservative Principle, and its
impact, is equally important. And, yes, I would concur with Conservative
thinkers that everyone should stand on their own merits when it comes to
education, employment, contracting and the like; but that’s only if the playing
fields are level. But as a senior, business executive reminded me, “The playing
fields are never level [especially for women and racial minorities].” <b>Can one
truly think that 50 years of progressive movement, since the 1960’s Civil
Rights Act, can erase 200-plus years of denied freedoms and unfair treatment?</b> Until
one walks in another man’s (or woman’s) shoes, I can totally understand the Conservative’s
basis of not being able to comprehend or understand the brevity of such an
argument—if one chooses to try to understand it in the first place. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Conservative Leaders (well, all leaders for this matter) should
embrace the <a href="http://www.isharelight.com/the-stockdale-paradox/" target="_blank">Stockdale Paradox</a>: Confronting the brutal facts about the current reality of one’s
environment. Had Governor Bush <i>confronted
the brutal facts</i> about the <i>current
reality of his environment</i>—the existence of racism, sexism, bias-based
injustices, and the disparities within the educational system —he may have had
a different outlook (or vision) concerning his decision to end race-based
college admissions by executive order; but I applaud his optimism. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>3: The end of
race-based admissions would help minorities <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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As with California’s Proposition 209 and Washington’s
Initiative 200, both of which saw URM (<a href="http://www.top-law-schools.com/urm-applicant-faq.html" target="_blank">underrepresented minorities</a>) enrollment plummet at their flagship universities, Florida is now
(as the article suggests) dealing with the same impact at its flagship
universities—declining black enrollment. Now in a conundrum, the universities
are trying to figure out how to increase URM enrollments; but how do you do
this when you continue to guarantee spots to the top 20 percent of high school
graduates from a <i>warped and biased educational system</i>? How does this “pool of
graduates” help your cause, better yet, Florida minorities; especially when the
state has such a poor minority graduation record? Mr. Samuel’s article (and
data) appears to indicate that it has done exactly the opposite; negating and dismissing
the state’s brutal fact about its <i>current
reality</i> as noted in the Tampa Bay 2011 article, “<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/florida-ranks-at-bottom-for-graduation-rate-of-black-men/1157972" target="_blank">Florida ranks at bottom for graduation rate of black men</a>”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Perhaps the executive order would have been better served by
not restricting opportunities for those where the playing fields are <i>not</i> level, but by establishing ways to
improve and retain Florida’s graduation rates where the playing fields <i>could be</i> level. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The basis of the Conservative Principle and the relevancy of
Affirmative Action today, have fueled many a great debates. However, one must
be cognizant of the fact that Affirmative Action policies and practices were
put in place for a reason; a reason accepted by individuals who understood the <i>brutal facts about their environment</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Author</i>, R.L. Byrd<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project%20HUSH.html" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.3999996185303px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a></div>
Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-11881632258311551702015-05-07T10:31:00.000-04:002015-05-07T12:57:05.582-04:00What I've learned from Baltimore<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Far from Dr. King’s Beloved Community</span></b></h2>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
lesson has not been learned. History is Continually Repeating Itself. </span></i></b></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMjsyOttha5CbddxQWjWgVVPYD1VayXvhZhRIikI3Q0fG3iW8Ate6DEImqBK_VXV3rdUpEzfKPJKe4F47Tglj-Csp3W60a-KgBG8BrVO49XlgrKQbAF1TLdEkxLKpF9VagQGa-1O34KrV/s1600/iStock_000001794340_Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMjsyOttha5CbddxQWjWgVVPYD1VayXvhZhRIikI3Q0fG3iW8Ate6DEImqBK_VXV3rdUpEzfKPJKe4F47Tglj-Csp3W60a-KgBG8BrVO49XlgrKQbAF1TLdEkxLKpF9VagQGa-1O34KrV/s400/iStock_000001794340_Large.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: iStock.com/jwilkinson</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy#sub4" target="_blank">The Beloved Community</a>, first coined by 20<sup>th</sup> Century philosopher-theologian
Josiah Royce and popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a community
guided by the principles of nonviolence; a community where brother and
sisterhood (of all races) would replace racism and all forms of bigotry,
discrimination and prejudice; a community where hunger, poverty and
homelessness would not be tolerated. However, as I watched the burning, looting
and demonstrations in Baltimore, I realized that we’re far (so, so far) from
this Beloved Community.</div>
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But what was far more troubling (to me at least) were the
comments from the media and public-at-large: “How could they do this?” “How
could they burn their own neighborhood?” “How could they loot the stores and
business establishments that serve them?” “They’re nothing more than thugs.” But
lest not forget. <i>A riot can either be a
tool for hate, or a voice for the disenfranchised. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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History reminds us that there were riots (unlike those in
Ferguson and Baltimore) that destroyed many communities and thousands of lives;
communities and lives destroyed not by the citizens within them, but from those
outside. And growing up in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, I was constantly reminded about the <a href="http://www.ebony.com/black-history/the-destruction-of-black-wall-street-405#axzz3YpmAAHkR" target="_blank">RaceRiot of 1921</a> (and the many others). A race riot where men, women and
children were burned and hunted down in the streets; where stores and businesses
were burned and looted; where a once bustling, thriving community—known as
Black Wall Street—was literally, fire bombed and demolished. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some <i>forty-seven</i>
years later (1967-1968), it wasn’t hate that ignited riots in over 100 American
cities, but the voice of the disenfranchised during the Civil Rights era. Voices
requesting social and economic justice, as in <a href="http://crdl.usg.edu/cgi/crdl?query=id:usm_crmda_kd106" target="_blank">Rita Walker’s verypoignant letter to friend, Kathy Dahl</a> held within the University of
Southern Mississippi’s Library. Many of those riots ignited, and fueled, by the
mistreatment of those disenfranchised voices by police. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, again, some <i>forty-seven</i>
years later (2014-2015) history is again repeating itself. We’re revisiting the
same old issues: Rioting by the voices of the disenfranchised requesting social
and economic justice in the midst of high unemployment and other disparities,
such as education, sparked by the apparent mistreatment by police—the deaths of
Michael Brown (Ferguson Riot) and Freddie Gray (Baltimore Riot). Both of which
are eerily reminiscent of the <a href="http://crdl.usg.edu/cgi/crdl?skipfacets=1&numrecs=25&action=query&term_a=harlem%20riot&index_a=kw" target="_blank">HarlemRiot (1964)</a>, <a href="http://crdl.usg.edu/events/watts_riots/?Welcome" target="_blank">WattsRiot (1965)</a> and <a href="http://www.blackpast.org/aah/detroit-race-riot-1967" target="_blank">Detroit Riot (1967)</a>;
all sparked by the alleged mistreatment of police in economically depressed, black neighborhoods. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So to those who question the <i>why</i>, <i>who</i> and <i>how’s</i>, remember that history has two
sides to rioting—both grim and very dark. And for those that call the rioters, thugs,
I ask what do you call those that ravished and pilfered those communities, such
as Tulsa, under the cloak of hate? But more importantly, I believe the
questions that truly need to be addressed are: (1) How do we provide social
and economic justice to disenfranchised communities; and (2) How do we heal
from, and address and dismantle, a long history (dating back over a century) of
police mistreatment and distrust? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Until we’re able to provide the same civil liberties,
undeniable rights, and economic empowerment to all—embracing and building Dr.
King’s <i>Beloved Community</i>—we’ll continue
to hear the riotous voices of the disenfranchised; decade after decade, city after city, life struggle after life struggle, until we learn the lesson history keeps
reminding and trying to teach us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Author</i>, R.L. Byrd<o:p></o:p></div>
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Part of the Project H.U.S.H initiative. To find out more, visit <a href="http://www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project%20HUSH.html" target="_blank">www.richardleonbyrd.com/Project HUSH</a></div>
Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-73727437071501926302015-05-06T21:24:00.000-04:002015-05-06T15:30:40.809-04:00Who's Your Favorite Black Coffee Character?<h3>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;"><span style="color: blue;">Question: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Which character in the book do you relate to the most? Who's your favorite character?</span></span></span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5VlikSF3cbreK_8jiouPrDQlJ8qTQ7ghXg99spK1pJvbYHFMewtzFjzspJx_O3Bc7K4P2j8ejkc7E1cCsywD57PjchZ4Or0RYKCYDNQ5oIDag9uMOGzpkuyqB0idIicYWzgQ-adCiA4J/s1600/Black+Coffee+Models.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5VlikSF3cbreK_8jiouPrDQlJ8qTQ7ghXg99spK1pJvbYHFMewtzFjzspJx_O3Bc7K4P2j8ejkc7E1cCsywD57PjchZ4Or0RYKCYDNQ5oIDag9uMOGzpkuyqB0idIicYWzgQ-adCiA4J/s320/Black+Coffee+Models.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;"><b>Answer: </b>There's a part of me in every character in the book; so I don't have a specific character that I identify with the most. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">As for as my favorite character, I will say Brass; he's the character that had most of the challenges, but also the character who triumphed over so many of life's obstacles. And life can be funny at times, because some of the same issues the characters were dealing with in the book, were some of the same issues the Black Coffee Models were dealing with in real life.</span>Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547203660365943218.post-3009569339650025462015-05-06T21:04:00.000-04:002015-05-06T15:30:56.277-04:00Song Lyrics In Your Book<h2>
<b style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">Question: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">Why did you include song lyrics in your book?</span></h2>
<b style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">Answer:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;"> I can relate music or a particular song to every part of my life (good or bad); and in "Black Coffee" (which is centered around a radio station by the way), I related current songs and the songs we grew up with, in the same way for the characters. The pivotal songs defining the storyline and characters' lives are:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">1. <i>Cause I Love You,</i> Lenny Williams</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">2. <i>Life Begins With You,</i> DeBarge</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">3. <i>More Than I Can Bear, </i>Kirk Franklin</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">4. <i>Wake Up Everybody, </i>Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.999998092651367px;">and many others. It just breathes more life into the characters' story and journey throughout the book.</span>Author R.L. Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559623150702991765noreply@blogger.com0