Black History Month Revisisted

Earlier, I had a conversation with a friend about meme that he posted on Facebook. During that conversation, I said the following:

"As a teacher, I challenge myself daily as to why we do things. I have found that Black History Month is not about "history" as much as it's about shattering the stereotypes that still exist about the African American's role in society. Some folks (Blacks included) think our path to success is measured by a ball, a microphone or a role in a movie. If the month of February doesn't do anything else, I hope it shatters those stereotypes. I have been teaching in Montgomery and Clark County for five years. I have only seen one black male teacher, other than myself. I know there are others out there, but there are few. We need to shine a path and let young black teenagers know that teaching is not just for white folks."


A classic example for the need of Black History Month is the movie, Hidden Figures. It tells the true story of how a group of black female mathematicians were instrumental in the NASA program during the sixties and seventies. I have heard several people ask how a story that important could have gone untold for this long. In case you haven't seen the movie yet, I will avoid divulging any details. I will just say that we may have never seen a man in space without the efforts of at least two of these women. 

We forget that kids (and some adults) need to know they aren't traveling in uncharted waters. I can't tell you the number of times I was the first-ever black male to work for a company or accomplish something at school. Sometimes, all it takes for a person to believe they can do something is knowing that it's been done before. I took it for granted that I only had one black male teacher throughout my entire education. It never crossed my mind to even consider teaching as a good profession until about twenty years ago. It was never suggested to me by friends, family or church leaders. Maybe if I had seen more black men teaching, I would have considered it.

To paraphrase a wise saying, you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been. Children of color need to see themselves in our history. They need to know we are capable of doing anything we set our mind to doing. With our changing demographics, history classes needs to be more inclusive of all races. For those of you that say history is history, I would only say this. The United States of America has only existed for 240 years. Out of those 240 years, classrooms have only been segregated less than three generations. Whether we want to admit it or not, history tends to be taught from the point of view of the oppressor. History books are changing. but it's nice to take a little road trip and get history from a different point of view.

You Can't Go Right and Left at the Same Time

Some of you have asked why my blog is called "When Right is Wrong." When I made the decision to start writing, I became curious as to why people look at the same thing with different points of view. We had just gone through two years of the nastiest presidential election ever. The college basketball season was in full bloom and the fanatics were out in full force. I kept seeing instances of where two groups of people could look at the same thing and see two, totally different sides of it. I wanted to address this as well as other things that cross my mind.

We always want the police to leave us alone when we are doing things we shouldn't. How many times have you said to yourself, "Where's a cop when you need one?" Then, the first (or the millionth) time you are speeding on the interstate, guess who show's up? Now, your thoughts center around why this cop isn't out catching real criminals. 

This past week has been hard on President Trump and his cabinet nominees. To hear him and his supporters, the "fake media" and the "cry baby" liberals are to blame for his nominees having to drop out of contention. One of his nominees is in hot water because he allegedly failed to pay taxes for his immigrant employee for six years. Wait! Isn't this the same group of people who wanted Trump to "build a wall" in order to keep illegal immigrants out? If this had been one of Barack Obama's cabinet nominees, there would have been uprisings.

Sports fans are probably the worst at being impartial. It is a crazy sight to sit next to a hardcore fan when he thinks his team is getting shafted by the referees. I can watch the same game and see a game totally differently. I mean does the increased bloodflow to the fan's brain when they are watching game cause their vision to become altered in some way? To hear them say it, there are no marginal calls. If the calls don't go their way, it must be because the referees don't want their team to win.

The most extreme and controversial example of this is the court's handling of serious crimes. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard friends of mine complain because they have family members who committed crimes while under the influence. They didn't complain because of the family member...they complained because they felt the courts were too harsh on their family member. The ironic tragedy is the same people who beg for mercy for their family members, want the courts to prosecute anyone who commits crimes against them to fullest extent of the law. Folks, we can't have it both ways.

We are living in a time where right is only right when it benefits us. There are justifications made all of the time for why it's okay for you to do something to someone, but it's not okay for the same thing to be done to you. We have truly forgotten the golden rule and how it applies to the circle of life. You can only get out of this world what you put into it. If you continue to live in a spirit that makes it okay for you to do wrong to others, wrong will continue to find its way back to you. Every time you get away with something, someone else is getting away with it too. What we don't realize is that next time, they might get away with doing it to you.

If a Black Man Can Change the Heart of a KKK Member...

I was sitting at home, late one night, watching one of my guilty pleasures: The Steve Harvey Show. There was a black gentleman who talked to members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and, in the process, was able to convince about 200 of them to change their racist ways. As I listened to the story of one white, southern gentleman who was able to repair his relationship with his daughter, I looked hard inside myself for what is destroying us. It isn't ISIS, racism, Donald Trump, or drugs. What's missing is love.

For a long time, the pot has been boiling and now it's spilling over with hate and intolerance. Everyone, from the president down to your next neighbor, is blowing up social media with mean quotes, memes and fake news as a way to express anger to their fellow man. Whether it's the nation's enemies, your political party's enemies or the guy in front of you at the light who won't turn, it seems we are looking for someone to hate.

The art of civility and respect has been lost to a culture that doesn't know how to speak to each other. Instead of having a dialogue with someone you disagree with, we get on Facebook or Twitter and post angry memes or blindly call our "friends" idiots. It is so easy today to turn someone off that you don't agree with. Instead of agreeing to disagree, we block them from our phones and social media to just simply walk away. Whether we want to believe it or not, the next generation is watching and following our lead. When you take away the human element from interaction, you have a society of humans who aren't being...human.

So, what do we do now? How about showing a little care and concern for your fellow man? Most rational thinking human beings want the same thing. A world where our children and grandchildren can thrive and become outstanding individuals. They can't do that if we are stacking the deck against them. We need to teach them how to resolve conflicts without showing hate and disrespect. Also, we need to get off the bully pulpit and stop governing from a position of hatred and fear. Our borders can be protected without the need for condemning other races and religions.

One of God's most important lessons was for us to love each other like we love ourselves. Either we have become very selfish and only love ourselves or we don't know how to love ourselves. There will be death and mayhem because there always has been. This is still one of the most peaceful countries in the world. To believe otherwise and close our borders is foolish and an overreaction. I see memes all the time about how we should focus on our homeless before we take care of refugees. That may be true, but what are you doing about the homeless problem? The streets have always been lined with the homeless, but now it's a problem? If you really want our government to take care of our people, we need to show them how to do it and it starts in your own backyard.

We can be loving and strong at the same time. Some might even say it takes a lot more strength to be loving than it does to be filled with hatred. When you disagree with someone's political or personal beliefs and you don't feel like you can have a dignified conversation with that person, just walk away and DON'T CLICK SEND! If you disagree with how our government is being handled, contact your senator or congressman and remind them when they are up for reelection and let them know you're keeping score. Finally, let's just show some love and respect to each other for a change. If a black man can love and forgive a former Klansman when he asks for it, surely you can show a little love to a friend who voted for the other guy.

Is Political Correctness to Blame for All of This Anger?

Recently, I had a friend send me a post about the Kellyanne Conway, Bowling Green "massacre" flap. There were comments from Trump supporters and detractors. Both sides agreed her remarks were misguided and stupid, but a Facebook argument ensued and people's feelings got hurt. I was astonished at how both sides are still so angry at each other that they fight even when they agree. What the hell is going on with our country?

One of the phrases that kept coming up during the election was politically incorrect. A lot of folks (mostly Republicans) felt like they have been restricted in expressing themselves by the politically correct movement. Borderline racist, sexist and insulting comments started flowing by presidential candidates and their supporters. This prompted anger and hurt feelings which ignited verbal and physical fights.

I am sure both sides are pointing the finger at each other over this. Truth is, we are all to blame for this. First, we allow our feelings to get hurt too easily. It feels like my generation set off the firestorm of everyone "getting a trophy." Whether we deserve it or not, we think the world owes us something. When someone tells us we can't have it or we lose something, we lose our minds.

Second, we have turned political incorrectness into just being rude and insensitive. No matter what you say, there is always a method of saying it without insulting someone. I try to be as upfront with people as possible and I can do that without hurting someone's feelings. It takes a concentrated effort, but it's pretty easy if you talk to everyone with respect.

In October, I will be attending my 30th year class reunion. Truth be told, there is a small part of me that is not looking forward to it because of the political bickering. Some of my Republican classmates are no longer on my Facebook friends list because of the division created by politics. It is a damn shame that people who have known each other since they were kids, cannot find a way to express themselves honestly but considerately.

These conversations have filtered down into my old high school over the students deciding to have a "white trash" theme at a basketball game against a local rival. I was amazed at the exchange that occurred between students and adults about the issue. If having a "white trash" night is okay this week, will a "project chick" day or a "chollo" night be acceptable next week? A large number of the high school students as well as the parents found nothing wrong it.

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm tired of all the anger that exists in this country. We have some issues that need to be worked out, but it needs to be done without all of the rocks being thrown. The name-calling and mud-slinging is not political incorrectness. It is just being rude and insensitive. You can disagree with someone without calling them an idiot or stupid.

We Don't Need Black History Month Anymore?

As an African-American male teacher, February always rings in with a controversial subject. Why do we have Black History Month and do we still need it? Whenever someone asks me why, I immediately offer the standard answer we have been hearing for decades. Black History Month is needed because history has traditionally been taught from a eurocentric perspective. This means that, with the exception of a few prominent minority moments in history, the story is told by white people, about white people and for white people. As the years wear on, this has changed and gotten better, but we still have a ways to go.

For example, our new president has been in the news twice this week for comments directly related to black history. First, his press secretary, Sean Spicer stood up in front of the press and announced President Trump showed his commitment to civil rights by meeting with "Martin Luther King, Jr." last week. Hello? MLK has been dead for 40 years! That's a conversation I'd love to sit in on. Even after the press corp tried to correct him, Spicer glossed over it like it was nothing.

Next, President Trump was in a "listening session" about Black History Month with several African-Americans this week. During the meeting, Trump began to speak about Frederick Douglas in the present tense as if he's still alive! Then, to add insult to injury, Press Secretary Spicer came to his rescue to "confirm" Douglas's active contributions to Black History. So, we have the President of the United States and his press secretary who have no idea that one of the most important figures in Black History is deceased. The next time you ask whether or not we still need Black History, look to your current administration for the answer. If our leaders have no clue then it's safe to say our children don't either.