Creative Leadership in the Black Community

Dell Gines has written about some “types” of leadership that are in evidence in the Black community – and have failed to be effective in the formulation and/or implementation of initiatives serving the Black community. 

While Dell’s classification identifies three types of leadership: accommodationist, lose-lose, and creative; I’d argue that there are some missing pieces here.  I believe that Harold Cruse did one of the best jobs of outlining the contours of Black leadership in the US.

Dell writes: “The accommodationist leader is the one who believes that all things can be accomplished through gently accommodating the powers that be, in hopes that some day altruistically they will throw you a bone.”

I would argue that this type of leadership is motivated by nothing of the kind.  Altruism is not part of the game of politics.  It has never been part of the game of local leadership.  Politicians, including the most skillful black accommodationist of all time (Booker T. Washington) perceive power relationships clearly.  The calculus may be purely personal (seeking personal benefit to the detriment of the group), but it is contingent on sustaining a role as gatekeeper.  Therefore, the accommodationist is not seeking altruism.  That leader is seeking due compensation for the WORK of pacification, obfuscation and confusion related to any number of prioirties born in their community, but opposed by their benefactors.  Accommodationist leadership is seldom naive.  This form of leader is placed through the willful imposition of a figurehead by an external actor.  The value of this leader to that external actor is the ability to provide timely and accurate information about – and control over – the community under their charge.  Booker T. Washington was supremely effective because his accommodationist tactics were predicated upon an incomparable organization that provided timely and accurate information for his use.  Washington was also wise and shrewd enough to withhold certain information from his benefactors when it did not suit his purpose.  To underestimate accommodationist leadership is to roll the dice in a manner akin to the Braveheart hero William Wallace.  His battlefield betrayal by Robert the Bruce was authored by Robert’s accommodationist father who brokered a deal with the English king.  Wallace was unprepared and paid for it with his life.

The second type of leader, the “lose lose leader,” is defined as operating “under a crash and burn mentality. Because they are only defensive minded, or only can function from a defensive position, they are constantly backing up or standing still as opposed to moving forward. Because of the way they see the world, they never over pro-active solutions to eliminating some of the negatives in the black community. In addition, they usually become known as the angry voice or the voice of condemnation and bad press. What this does is eliminate the desire of people who want to aid in finding solutions to the black community, but may need guidance in doing so, out of fear they are going to get condemned by the lose lose leader.”

There is certainly some truth to this depiction as well - but beneath the covers, there is a motive that closely approximates that of the accommodationist leader.  The “lose lose” leader does not have a viable organizational base.  In other words, this leader is incapable of mobilizing a group to render benefits to that group – and this leader lacks the funding and institutional resources to render benefits.  So, this leader is left with the threat of instigation to secure personal benefit.  As such, the inflammatory rhetoric ceases to be deployed as a tactic to convey legitimate indignation.  It becomes a principle means of accruing hush money from benefactors.  The lose lose leader and the accommodationist are really two sides of the same coin.  This common ground must be understood if Dell’s type of creative leader is to have any success.

The new creative leader, as I’ve read from Dell’s piece, is headed for a rough road.  The capacity of this new creative leader to “bring the War” will be severely tested.  After all, the accommodationist and the lose lose leader have often already established ties with the two purveyors of force in black communities: police and criminals.  The new creative leader sounds a little too intellectual for that sort of work.  They cannot afford to be.  The academy and the penitentiary have to be reconciled.  Mandela’s Long Walk To Freedom and Malcolm X’s Autobiography are magnificent guideposts to that reconciliation.  History teaches us that alliances between the Black Panthers and El Ruqans were uneasy; similarly were they uneasy in South Africa between the ANC and that nation’s criminal element.  The ties that bind are not so easily dismissed by classification and require hard work, honest talk and a willingness to walk in the next man’s mocassins.  New creative leaders will have to understand the root cause of the existing paradigms they seek to displace.  

Why Blacks and Whites Don’t Dialogue

I thought I’d share a reflection I had over at Cobb’s website today.  The question: what’s happened to all the dialogue?  It seems the energy of VisionCircle is alive and well.

Cobb wrote (in part): ”From the black side there is a very powerful disincentive, or taboo against, confiding in whitefolks about the presence of racism. I think the notable exception to this is when Jews start the conversation in a particular way. If a nominally white person outs himself as a Jew, unprompted to a black person and talks about racism, I think a strong bridge is built.”

I wrote:

“a very powerful disincentive…”

And what is that “powerful disincentive”?  Well, James Baldwin edict still stands…to whom can you reveal your ‘constant state of rage’?  Baldwin remarked that to be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.  (I haven’t been able to track down the specific source for the quote.  Work for another time and place.)

And what is that constant state of rage about?  What is it’s genesis and resolution?  When you have no answers and are ill-equipped, you can take the path that Ms. McClain took in Chicago.  You can take the path that Tookie Williams chose in LA.  You can take the path of despair and hopelessness.  Still…these choices are fundamentally the same in that each reflects a SUBMISSION to a dynamic that precedes and supercedes the power of individuals to transform. 

Making a different set of choices and stepping out on faith is a two-way street.  When black people are willing to confess two things: our constant stage of rage and our collective contingency (ie, relative powerlessness) the dialogue cannot ensue until white folks make a parallel confession – fear of reprisals (Thomas Jefferson said it three centuries ago) and knowledge of culpability (give up the “my ancestors did this” game because it’s as fake as a $3 bill).  It’s one thing to dismiss slavery as ancient history…it’s quite another to dismiss your father’s union job in an all-white union which paid for your suburban home and public school and Berkeley/Stanford education.  It’s absolutely different to ignore the many intergenerational non-compete agreements authored by white labor from 1865 through 1965.  How did you come to have what you have?  Do you want to know?  Have you ever asked?  Somethings may be better left unsaid.  The truth shall make you free – or something like that.

These confessions, by the way are not forthcoming on the personal level because human beings would rather skirt the conflict of revelation and relate at a superficial level.  If Americans are really honest with themselves, they’ll see this society really doesn’t have that capacity for self-reflection.  I don’t know (through experience) of a nation that does – but the US does not.

American institutions (schools, media, government, businesses, etc.) have never dealt with the ugly truths in a systematic way.  Compare the US treatment of slavery with the Post WWII treatment of the Nazi era in Germany.  There is no comparison.  The US continues to harbor, finance and sustain intellectuals, artists, ideologues and others who harbor sentiments directly derived from the outdated racialist doctrines.  Many of these people are in influential policy circles and they operate with little scrutiny and tactical immunity.

With respect to our missed conversations, we say that we don’t have time for anything else.  And the paradox is that people are spending more and more time having cell phone conversations about absolutely nothing.  Real conversation comes with a price…intimacy, vulnerability and choice…after we disclose – we get to choose what new type of relationship we will have.  And that won’t be easy either.

The Alleged Mastermind

The term “the alleged mastermind” has been used so frequently that is bears the mark of indictment.  The term has invariably been applied to Muslim suspects and the use of violence against Western targets.  The term has less frequently been used for convicted felons like Ken Lay, Bernie Ebbers, Richard Scrushy or Jack Abramoff.  By way of comparison, Ramzi Yousef, alleged mastermind of the 1993 WTC bombing generates more than 60,000 hits on Google when linked to this term.  None of the financial whiz-kids generate more than 1,000. 

There is no doubt that red garners more attention than green.  Still, it seems that a fair accounting of damage by these respective architects of mayhem suggests that more attention be paid to the white collar criminals.  The American financial media have incestuous relationships with financial firms.  The closeness of these relationships undermines the capacity of journalists to dig deep and reveal things that simply do not add up.

The liberties taken by men like Lay (and Fastow and Skiling), Ebbers, Scrushy and Abramoff were facilitated by oversights of perception and understanding.  The costs of such oversight is considerable – and the next big scandal is just around the corner.

Donte Stallworth Joins Philadelphia Eagles

This story is a few days old, but I’m highlighting it because I know folks have been wondering what my season picks are going to look like for the 2006 NFL season.  In the spring, I believed the Eagles were going to be a terrible offensive team.  I don’t anymore.  I believe the Eagles will be competitive in the NFC East.  I believe the Eagles will surprise some teams who may continue to underestimate them because of roster changes.

With that said…here’s what I know about Donte Stallworth:  1) he doesn’t spell his name like brothers named Daunte; 2) he caught 70 balls for the New Orleans Saints last year 3) he’s never been a #1 receiver.  Joe Horn carried the water in New Orleans for the receiving corps.  Stallworth was initially branded an underachiever because he frequently dropped passes he should have caught and because he failed to dominate his competition.  Stallworth attended the University of Tennessee.  UT has a mixed tradition of excellent and underachieving wide receivers.  On the plus side are pass catchers like Carl Pickens, Anthony Miller and Willie Gault.  On the minus are players like Peerless Price and Joey Kent.  It’s a mixed bag with UT receivers.  Still, it’s arguable that only Ohio State and Michigan have placed more big name receivers in the NFL over the past 15 years.

Stallworth will have a tremendous opportunity to play with a strong armed QB in Philly.  Donte will not outrun balls in Philly as he was likely to do with a rehabbing Drew Brees in New Orleans.  Stallworth comes to a team without an established #1 or #2 receiver.  The Eagles, prior to this signing, had a roster full of #3 receivers (or worse) in Todd Pinkston, Reggie Brown and Greg Lewis.  None of these players are elite players.  In fact, the book is only open on Reggie Brown.  It’s closed on Pinkston and Lewis.  Stallworth introduces another element.

Used in tandem with LJ Smith (TE) and Bryant Westbrook, Stallworth offers the Eagles a unique opportunity to spread the field and attack all three levels of the defense.  He also allows the Eagles to deploy Smith and/or Westbrook deep to trick defenses while running shorter patterns underneath.  If he can manage to hang onto the ball he can reap some serious dividends for his new team.  If nothing else, it will be interesting to see the chemistry develop between McNabb and Stallworth.

There Is None Good but the Father

“Why callest thou me good?”

I was surfing and found a test of the 7 Deadly Sins.  The questions aren’t perfect, but they’re close enough.  Take the test and see how you rate.  If you know me, you know I rated pretty high on most of these indicators.  It just might be time to reel it in a bit!!

The End of Hip Hop

It’s possible that I should have done some surfing in Mexico.  Instead, I’m doing my surfing online.  I came across a months-old post re: rappers criticizing Oprah Winfrey.  I couldn’t find the original articles, but I posted about the overall context of the conversation on the Acting White blog.    Here’s what I had to say:

I’m Baaack!!

Mexico was the bomb. A few flicks may follow at a later date.

During my travels through the Newark airport – into and out of Cancun, Mexico – and back again, I had to laugh at the utter absurdity of the process as it exists today.  I’ll go on the record as saying I do not believe (in the absence of firm proof) that those who conducted the World Trade Center attack did so without the help and/or prior knowledge of leading figures in the US government.  I could provide links to some comprehensive websites with detailed stories indicating a conspiracy.  I won’t do that.  I don’t even think it’s necessary.  I could say, “Go to whatreallyhappened.com and check them out.”  I won’t.  Why?  Because I’m not a conspiracy theorist, per se.  I’m more of an Absurdity Theorist.  What’s that you ask?

I see absurd shit all the time that people try to pass off as legitimate – and in doing so, they always reveal an ulterior motive.  Take the case of George W. Bush going to New Orleans in August of 2006.  That’s simply absurd.  What’s he doing there?  What’s the point?  It is simply ridiculous that this infant of a man would dare set his feet inside the city limits of New Orleans.  He forfeited the right to ever do more in that city than pay for a $2 ho last year.  He has no business there this year that he didn’t have last year.  It’s absurd.  So, there must be something else going on here.  Well, if you’ve studied the history of this region and floods and black folk and real estate – I don’t need to say a word.  If you haven’t, now would be a good time.  A truly curious student can find their own way.  Check back if you get lost.

Some more absurd shit…no gel on the airplane.  Now let me be the first to say that I have no fears of terror attacks in the US.  Why?  Because I generally concur – and always have with the findings of a new article in the Foreign Affairs journal. Quite simply, it’s absurd to suggest that a nation with as many accessible borders as the US, as many dumb ass airport security people, as many access points to food and water shipments could protect itself from the type of threat that Al-Qaeda (also known as Al K. Duh) is alleged to pose.  The group is all-power, all-knowing, invisible and omnipresent.  The group is ruthless, plotting, persistent and capable.  Juxtapose the absurdity of this proposition with what you know about those high-school dropout buddies of yours working for TSA – then hollah back.

People in the US need to relax.  At the same time that this issue is supposed to be so grave, NBC sees fit to bless it’s viewers with Fear Factor.  Other networks have similar “reality TV” lineups.  What could be more absurd than a cast of wannabees chilling in the ‘Wood busting with fake tears after being “voted off the island”?  Are we really supposed to be scared?

And don’t forget to take off your flip-flops granny!  We don’t know if the C-4 is in your sandals or in your girdle.

Mexico

Hmmm. I’ll be on the road for a few days…blogging the old-fashioned way. Pen and paper, remember – barely.

Nigga-hertz

The nigger is a slave – by definition and by choice.

In America, slavery is illegal. Voluntary servitude is not. Black self-identification as niggers translates as volunteer slavery. The Siamese terms of our bondage are inseparable. Among many of the youth I have worked with, niggers are reflexively defined as, “any ignorant person, regardless of their color.” Family members are no different – though many of my friends have ceased to call one another nigger. It’s one thing to choose not to use the “N-word” (as it’s euphemized) and quite another to refer to one’s self and kith and kin as niggers, niggahs and the like. The youth often call each other “niggah” and claim to call everybody else “niggah.” But upon closer inspection, they are more discriminating.

Niggers are not really female because females are “bitches.” A group of Black men would never say of any woman, anywhere, “Ooh, that niggah’s fine.” Women say that about men. Niggers are not really Latino because Puerto Ricans and Dominicans do not allow American Blacks to call them “spics” or “wetbacks.” It does not even occur to most Black youth to use those words to inflict psychic damage on Latinos. Niggers are not really white because this is their special word for Blacks and somehow “honkey”, “grayboy”, “caveboy”, “paleface”, “peckerwood”, “cracker”, and “redneck” just do not compare. Even American whites who call themselves “nigger” understand the context. They are “pop-culture hip-hop listenin’, Air Jordan wearin’, Philly blunt smokin’, suburban gangsta wannabe niggaaaahs” and not “to the bone Black, African, jungle bunny, tar baby, spear-chucking, ‘welfare as we knew it’ niggers.”

Slavery is when the nigger was born and the line was drawn. Black women were not, and are not, expected to deliver the death blow to white folk – at least not by white folks. Latinos were not enslaved in the United States. Whites were slave masters and slave makers. Niggers are Black men because they are the necessary slave; they are expected to fulfill Pearl Cleage’s noble ideal, “to turn the ship’s around.” Niggers, then, must be sacrificial Black sheep.

The ships cannot be turned around without turning the world upside down. Real, true, dyed in the indigo niggers are introduced from birth to their expendability because if you wanna hide somethin from a nigga put it in a book, niggahs is always late, niggahs don’t plan shit, that niggah ain’t shit, that little niggah ain’t nevah gon be shit, niggah pleeease, niggahs are stupid, you’re a stupid niggah, you’se about a dumb ass niggah, niggah’s cain’t nevah get it together, niggahs rob tiffany’s n’ fence they shit on ahun-twinny-fif street, a niggah can’t ask me for shit, niggahs don’t stick together, “ay niggah, lemme borrow twinny cents,” don’t nevah truss a niggah witcha money, niggahs can’t keep a job, don’t hire no niggah lawyer, niggahs got too many preachers, niggahs don’t know how to run a business, niggahs are afraid of revolution, niggahs ain’t nevah gon come up; niggahs is always bustin’ caps, niggahs stay in the pen, niggahs run this jail, niggahs run the NBA, niggahs don’t vote, you can’t trust a niggah, niggahs can fuck and that’s all, niggahs always die first in the movies, niggahs don’t study, niggahs ain’t organized, niggahs keep it reeeal, all niggahs want is good pussy, comfortable shoes, and a warm place to piss, “yo’ what up niggaaaahh,” niggah is really a term of endearment, I love my niggahs, I love all you little niggahs, ya’ll niggahs is my only family, niggah’ is just a word, that’s my niggah, you my niggah, ya’ll my niggahs, I can’t stand that niggah, who you callin’ a niggah, bitch!! – yo mama’s a niggah, I’ma kill that niggah…

“Who needs the Nigger?” America still has uses. Niggers and slaves continue to serve a purpose. Blacks define the limits of white freedom. Our ends where theirs begins. “Hey you can do that to the niggers, but you can’t do that to us!!” Gandhi said as much during his time in South Africa. Black communities serve as toxic dumping grounds. Black women and children are used by the medical community to test experimental drugs or the effects of radiation. Divine Brown and others in high demand break taboos for a fee. Black men remain the expendable foot soldier, the cannon fodder of America’s many wars, foreign and domestic. While American whites comprise the majority of American drug users, local, state, and federal police restrict the bloody traffic in narcotics to Black communities. Washington Heights, an immigrant community of Africans formerly enslaved in the Dominican Republic, sits at the junction of three major highways. This cocaine-infested neighborhood services drug users from quiet, pristine suburban counties in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Domestic wars and foreign conflicts have been led by men who understand the strategic deployment of expendable populations. In the so-called Revolutionary War, a reactionary General Washington allowed Black soldiers to fight for freedom, following the intrigues of England’s Lord Dunmore to emancipate Black volunteers. Many Blacks craving freedom joined American loyalists in support of the British crown. In the Civil War, not-so honest Abe Lincoln, ever the student of history, followed in the footsteps of Lord Dunmore and promised freedom to slaves living in states in rebellion to the Union. Lincoln’s act was a partial emancipation. As recently as Vietnam, Black men representing a mere six percent of the civilian population constituted 30 percent of the war’s casualties. Today, American Black “fighting age boys” are gunned down in America’s misguided War on Drugs at a rate greater than soldiers in World War II.

Soon Black people will cease to self-identify as niggahs. Black mental health cannot co-exist with the soul assassination inherent in the word. Effective and authentic Black leadership is beyond the creative capacity of self-proclaimed niggahs. The discipline and respect required to find another name for self, father, uncle, son, brother and friend is nothing compared to challenge of building a new black world. Black men, the definitive niggah, will no longer to “Niggah!” like it’s a first name. Until then, our racial reconciliation must wait. In the interim, we should expect to be disrespected by all peoples of the world. That is a small price to pay for our own naked contempt. The ultimate price may be the rebuke of our elders and ancestors – and our God.

Reggie Bush Revisited

get used to it – there are going to be some reggie bush posts on this blog for awhile.  he’s likely to run for longer than i blog – and run better than i type.  i caught a few of the highlights last night and it was nothing spectacular, but it was exciting.  why?  bush is a classic runner with incredible balance.  most runners have a dominant leg and can make powerful cuts off of that dominant leg.  many runners run and make cuts with both feet (as in the jump cut) and lose acceleration in the process.  barry sanders was unique because he made cuts with both feet, but seemed to gain speed through his cuts.

bush appears to be the same way.  only last night, he did something you don’t see too often.  he made a power cut off the wrong foot and slid between two defenders.  he is faster than a cheetah and slipperier (is that a word?) than a greased up (pronounced greezed-up) pig.   oh, and he’s got some pop too.  bush ran by the cowboys’ faster defender, terrance newman, all game.  newman runs around a 4.2/40.  but a 4.2 won’t help you deal with all that shake and bake.  bush’s agility makes a 4.2 slow down to a 4.5…and it makes a big men play on their heels – and that’s never pretty for the big fellas.  it’s gonna be a beautiful thing. 

the last highlight of bush featured another cutback run.  on this one, he gets out to the right, slows down and moves quickly back toward his left.  the only thing between him and the endzone was a defender chasing down the play from upfield.  none of the defenders between bush and the endzone could have made a play.  

that means two things: the saints offensive linemen will have an added incentive to block through the conclusion of a play.  they cannot give up on a play and release their defenders until the whistle blows.  coaches say it, but great players demand it.  it also means that all 11 defenders have to respect what bush can do when he’s on the field.  his mere presence will make defenders a step or two slower to cover deuce mcallister, joe horn and dante stallworth.  if you miss a step with any of them, you can grab a seat on the bench – touchdown.  i haven’t been this pumped about a player since the steelers drafted roethlisberger because i knew that a qb was all that separated them from another ring.  bush is electric and will pay dividends in a hurry.