Its So Much Bigger Than "Nappy Headed Hoes"

I was asked a few weeks ago by a good friend why I didn't blog or comment via the internet on the Imus controversy...and I didn't really know why. I couldn’t give him an answer…

My friend is originally from Africa, so his view on the plight of African Americans in THIS COUNTRY is slightly different than mines (and understandably so)...

Although he and I are connected as people of African descent and we share some of the same struggles as African people throughout the African diaspora...his views on the subject are different because we come from 2 different worlds & cultures...(I'll explain that in another post...)

Anyway, he said to me - "what's the big deal J? - Black people refer to themselves and their women as hoes, etc. on a regular. Just turn on the radio or listen to BET RAPS." What he said reminded me that some blacks, SOME rappers and those in the "hip-hop" culture use the words and terms regularly.
And HE was right - I couldn’t argue with him on that. But the RAP thing isn't the issue...I dug a little deeper....

I had to admit to him that night that I had people in my OWN extended family that referred to their children (yes - their children), family, friends and themselves on a Regular basis as:

B*tches
Mother F*ckers
Hoes
N*ggas/N*ggers
Whores

And sometimes the above names are used as a term of endearment by some of them…
Now - I have to let you know before I move forward, that the family members I'm referring to live in what we call the "hood." (I'm going somewhere with this...)

When I told my friend about them - I then realized that these family members all had a few characteristics or similarities in common:
Some if not all were:

Uneducated - high school dropouts
Convicted Felons
Unemployed
Dead beat fathers
Drug dealers
Living in poverty
Single parents with multiple children (3,4 and 5 kids)
On welfare and recieving public assistance
Drug & alcohol abusers
Had been formerly incarcerated
Living in public housing

Are we on to something here?? Hmmm...sounds like a nice research project.
Moving on...I believe that there is a bigger issue here than the phrase "Nappy-Headed Hoes" - and I’m getting to it…

Anyway, I had asked a friend/blogger to do a post about...but I didn't even entertain doing it myself...maybe, because I just couldn't get into it you know? I knew what IMUS said was wrong and it bothered me some...but for some reason - I just couldn't speak on it - like I normally do with other issues, etc.

But one morning on the way to work, I was flicking through the dial and on every "URBAN" radio station, 93.9, 92.3, etc. they were discussing the incident. I mean, it’s all over the news. People were calling and expressing their satisfaction on the firing of the host, etc. I mean Russ Parr was going crazy ya'll...

And on the radio, you could here clips of Al Sharpton with Jesse Jackson saying to the media in a press conference:

"It's not about taking Imus down," Sharpton said. "It's about lifting decency up."

I read in an article that Sheila Johnson, owner of the WNBA's Washington Mystics and, with her ex-husband Robert, co-founder of BET, said "Imus' comments were reprehensible in an interview with The Associated Press...and was worried that what he said could hurt women's sports."

Yes - an intelligent black woman, strong, politically connected...a millionaire and powerful business woman was worried how his comments would hurt 'women's sports.'

When I read Al Sharpton's and Sheila Johnson’s comment - I got angry. I MEAN seething mad.

I got heated because I thought of all the NEGATIVE charecteristics that the members within my extended family from the "hood" and many other blacks had in common and a comment from an old white man named 'IMUS' is what gets AL Sharpton, Russ Parr, Sheila & Bob Johnson and Jesse Jackson in an uproar??

And Sheila Johnson had the audacity to say that she was worried that his comments will hurt woman's SPORTS???? Oh MY GOD! What a tragedy!!

Every characteristic listed above (poverty, drug abuse, lack of education, etc.) is more than enough reason for Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and every other black leader with any sense, integrity and conviction to get ENRAGED and DEMAND that we (our community) do something to change this horrible reality.

Let's hold a press conference on what JESSE Jackson and AL Sharpton propose we as a community do to eradicate the above list. PERIOD.

As a BLACK WOMAN - Sheila Johnson should hold a press conference and tell the WORLD that she plans to FUND and sponsor a program or research project on HOW and WHY BLACK WOMEN ages 18 to 34 are getting infected with HIV like CRAZY! and dying from Full Blown AIDS at a faster rate than anyother ethnic group in the United States...
Why isn’t she "WORRIED" about this??? WHY???

Studies show that "Black communities, are more likely to be plagued by joblessness, poverty and drug use."

And we know because of the high ratio of women to men, a significant portion of whom (men) go in and out of the prison system where the rate of HIV infection is 10 times higher than in the general population contributes to the high number of infections among black women...

I mean the list goes on an on….

Let's have a press conference on these issues that are plaguing the black community:
Lack of self knowledge and education
Lack of job/trade skills among adults
Lack of effective parenting
Teen Pregnancy
Criminal Activity & black on black HOMICIDE
Brothers on the Down Low
Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Mental Illness
Disease (Diabetes, HIV, Cancer, Heart Disease)

These are the things that the GOOD and RIGHT Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson should be fighting against and "taking" down in our community instead of the old dinosaur IMUS!

IF they want to speak for the black community and be known as a leaders - they should be working around the damn clock to come up with solutions and recommendations to combat the above issues.

These leaders NO longer speak for me.

We need real people, real leaders, and clergy who will speak truth to power and look the deathly issues that are plaguing our men, women and children in the face and say NO MORE! No longer will we accept them and lay down and die quietly.

As a black woman - I will continue to work within my community and FAMILY to help combat these issues. I know I'm one person and I can only do so much within my own family. But I try - we all should try...I salute my fellow friends/bloggers (T.C. and Zuri) and others in the community who know its important to give back - in whatever way you can...

I know that I (we) cannot save the world...but I can help save those close to me. I believe that if we all take the time to look at what we (YOU) can do to help combat these issues...ONLY then - will change come.

We don't have black leaders like Ida B. Wells, Marcus Garvey, King, X, John Herik Clarke or Stokely at the forefront of our movement anymore to speak for us....the real soldiers of today can't even get 20 seconds of air time on local TV these days....

Jesse, Al and the likes of Cornell West get all the press...
But, if we wait on Jesse, Al, Sheila, and Obama to take up our cause...we'll be waiting a lifetime people...

It starts with YOU!
Straight from the heart,
J