General | Racial Influence

Mayor Harold Washington

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Being a mayor is a big deal. Regardless of your color or you ethnicity it’s a big deal being asked to lead a city is a honor and one that you should take lightly, but for former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington being the mayor meant something more. It meant change and change in a city that wasn’t all that used to change.

From 1983 to 1987 Harold Washington resided over the city of Chicago. His rise to office from was one that bred social change. In order to understand the significance of the social change it’s important to know just where the city had been. Chicago had been a place where social change was slow moving. It was the same place where the former, long time Mayor Daley had built the projects as a way to keep the poorer African American in the same place. It was a place where they rioted after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. It was the time when Mayor Daley proclaimed "If they’re looting, shoot em." So the idea that some 15 years later the city would have it’s first African American mayor was a little too far fetched.

However, Washington and his supporters did what they could to move the masses. During the campaign they were able to register 100,000 new black voters and swing the votes in their favor. The white vote was going to be split between the incumbent Jane Byrne and former Mayor Daley’s son Richard M.Daley. With Washington’s likeable personality and him being the face of change in a city that was long overdue for change, he was able to take over the office. Sadly Mayor Washington only served one term and tragically died in office, but he left a legacy of change and hope that cannot every be forgotten in a city that desperately needed it.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Harold Washington, Mayor, Mayor of Chicago

Why Are Blacks Still Behind?

African Americans have exceeded is many areas like science, sports and other sectors were only the whites were better at. This is in comparison to the condition of the African Americans at the beginning of the 19th century. They have improved considerably after 1968 after the struggle by Martin Luther King to get equal rights among the whites. This looks great when seen from an optimist’s point of view, but when seen with the view of a pessimist, the glass is half empty and the improvements are still too less to consider it good enough. African Americans are still the majority of the population when it comes to the bottom part of the lowest income families. Even when viewing the literacy rate among the various groups, the African Americans come below that of all the other minorities.

There are many reasons for this backwardness. The reason might be the psychological thought that black Americans are only good at illegal means of wealth generation which does not require studies. These illegal means of wealth generation can be drugs, smuggling or even stealing. There are only a few African Americans who set a good example for the other blacks to follow. If you think the black rappers are any good at setting any example, they are extremely bad for the future generation because of the future generation of African Americans wanting to follow in their footsteps. The black have a sub conscious hatred for the white society in a whole because of the past and present racism issues. Hence they behave like they don’t care for anything and wear clothes that are different from that of the whites and behave differently. There is still a long way to go before blacks pull them selves out of the bracket of the poor minority and start being counted among the improved sections of the society.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: African, African American

Looking Back On The 2008 Presidential Election

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As Barack Obama begins his quest for re-election it’s important to look back on his journey. The truth is that the country isn’t sure about the effectiveness of his presidency and so, like any incumbent in this economy would be, his job security is in jeopardy. However, if he is a one and done president it might be easy to look forward and forget what he did to get where he was at, but if you do that you are missing out on a great moment for a man and the nation that believed in him.

When he started out he started out with a flurry of "will he, won’t he." He responded with the typical "i will, i might not." But once he got going he did something that very few politician know how to do effectively in this day and age. He was able to connect with the people. It’s a tremendous gift to be able to speak and no matter what anyone flung at him about his inexperience or his lack of stance on some issues, the truth was that no one could take away the fact that he was a brilliant orator.

Barack had captivated the attention of a nation. But he had to do something that no candidate had been able to do before him. He was able to mobilize a nation. They ran a campaign as organized as possible and geared toward the younger vote. A vote that is often incredibly difficult to get. But still they were able to get voters to come out in massive numbers. It was the biggest election for young voters in the history of the country. It won’t matter if Obama has another run at office because what he did to get an entire nation involved is already a permanent part of his legacy.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Barack Obama, Democratic, Republican, United States

A Cure for Youth Influence

Being influential in any culture doesn’t mean that you have to have a big name behind you. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to be in the spotlight. Being an inspiration should start at home.

It’s no secret that crime with our youth, especially in the African American community, is on the rise. This possibly could come from many homes not having the foundation to nurture our youth, by having a role model. One thing that is voiced by broken teens especially is that they never had a father figure to love them. Now by know means is this to say that women don’t play a major role in the home, but when African American men step up and take charge, there is a bigger impression that is place in the child.

African American men play an important part to teach, lead and to bring correction when needed. It is so imported that black men fill the gap because of all the hidden dangers that plague our youth. Drugs, crime, and school dropouts, being at the top of the list, children need that voice to put them on the correct path. It gives children a sense of pride and feeling as though they are protected. Most important children are lead by example as well! You have to look at youth as being a blank canvas; the picture that is painted inside of them is what they will display.

Not being a father doesn’t rule black men out of being a leader. There are other ways to lead the youth, such as volunteering at clubs, mentorship programs, or organizing events to bring youth together to empower them. If our children don’t get influenced by men in their own race, then how can they know about their identity? It was once said that if you don’t know where you have been, then how will you know where you are going?

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Black people, United States, Youth

The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival

The Tampa Bay Black Heritage festival is a ten day event celebrating black heritage and culture. It features artists from various areas come and perform at the event. The event is a great platform for exemplary orators, musicians, performing artists, dancers, and talented craft persons to come and show their abilities.

The festival generally takes place in the month of January. After beginning in mid-January it concludes sometime after Martin Luther King holiday. The event is an attempt to make people understand the diversity and cultural variety that exist around them.

Often, people dwell ignorantly cocooned in their own private worlds. Not knowing the colors of culture around them, they are caught in their mundane madness. Events like the Tampa Bay black heritage festival seek to dispel this ignorant darkness in the minds of people. This event is about supporting the cause of black people, and also enlightening people about black heritage and culture.

Every day of the event is a day to understand the African culture. Not only that, it also shows people the many facets of black American culture. The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival’s main aim is to promote the cultural aspects of blacks all around the world. By providing them a platform, blacks will be able to communicate with everybody in their own style of expression. All these things create a sense of inclusiveness and better understanding of black heritage and culture.

The festival has a backdrop of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who fought for the black society. It is built on the foundation of the principles essayed by this great man. The event’s concluding around Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday makes it more special. It acts as a memorial event in honor of the outstanding philosophical contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Started in 2001, the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival has grown in popularity. And it looks like it is going to be that way in the coming years.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: African American, Black Heritage Festival, Tampa Florida

First African American Mayor of a Major US City: Carl Stokes

Although there were many African Americans in United States politics it wasn’t until the late 1960s that an African American was able to take the office of mayor in a major United States city. This person was Carl Stokes and he became major of Cleveland Ohio in 1968.

Carl Stoke’s educational accomplishments are amazing. He grew up in the first government low income housing in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Due to the hardships of the economy and finding work, Carl Stoke’s dropped out of high school in 1944. Although he was a great student the appeal of a job and money was higher then achieving an education at the time. He worked briefly in a local factory and when he reached the age to enter the military joined the army. After his discharge he returned to Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from high school. From there he went on to graduate college from the University of Minnesota and eventually the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in Cleveland where he received his law degree.

If Carl Stoke’s educational path was amazing, his time as the mayor of Cleveland was even more impressive. Elected as mayor on November 7, 1967, Stokes had a lot of amazing accomplishments as mayor of a major US city. During his time as mayor of Cleveland he was able to help aid in the ability to open all city hall jobs to African Americans and women, which was a huge accomplishment for the time. He worked effortlessly to revive many historical neighborhoods in Cleveland, even starting and funding a private sponsor to work on helping to restore these neighborhoods. Stokes was elected for one more term after his first term as mayor but choose to not rerun for a third term.

After his time as mayor, Carl Stoke’s briefly traveled the country giving lectures to various college and universities talking about the major impact that being the first African American mayor of a major United States city has.

Filed Under: General, History Tagged With: African, African American, Carl Stokes

Important Political African American: David Dinkins

While other surrounding cities were all embracing African American political figures, the largest and most well known city in the United States was stalled. New York City with a populations of millions of people and even more visitors a year was stalled in an effort to elect the first African American mayor for this huge city. In 1990 that goal finally came, nearly 25 years after the first African American mayor was elected to a major city in the United States. In 1990, David Dinkins was elected the mayor of New York City.

David Dinkins grew up in Trenton, New Jersey where he was able to graduate from the top 10 percent of his high school class. Shortly after his graduation, Dinkins met his first racial roadblock in the political area. He went to join the United States Marine Corpse but was denied on the basis that they had already enlisted enough "African Americans" for that year. The year was 1945.

After graduating from Howard University, David Dinkins quickly became known throughout the Democratic party in the Harlem area. He served brief terms of office in the New York State Legislative Branch as well as the city Clerk for New York City. He was up for nomination as deputy mayor of New York City but was overlooked for the spot.

In 1990 David Dinkins became the 106th mayor of New York City. His mayoral reign was not without problems and issues. He was elected as a time of great racial unrest in the city and many people believed that he would be able to completely eliminate all that. He is often blamed for high rising crime rates, although the rates were similar or stable to those of previous mayors. His accomplishments as mayor include that of working to increase jobs in the police force by passing and enforcing a 25% increase in the New York City’s police force.

Filed Under: General, History, Racism Today Tagged With: African, David Dinkins

Mayors of Small Towns Making Racial History

On speaking of his progress at the G-20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea, President Obama said, “Instead of hitting a homerun, sometimes we’re going to hit singles, but they’re really important singles.” The same sentiment can be applied to the surprisingly quiet inroads African Americans have made in small towns across the United States.

William Sheckles became the first African American mayor of Bardstown, Kentucky in November, 2010. Sheckles’ win is significant because he is the only African American ever to win an elected seat in Nelson County history. In Kentucky, black politicians tend to win elections only after serving an appointed term. Sheckles is a life long resident of Bardstown, long-time business owner and a Western Kentucky University graduate, who served on the Bardstown City Council for 12 years prior to running for mayor. The fact that Bardstown is one of the oldest cities in Kentucky and an early center of Catholicism west of Appalachia and home to a majority white constituency, Sheckles’ win is a testament to shifting attitudes in American politics.

In 2010, Ludmya “Mia” B. Love became the first elected African American mayor in Utah. Love won the Saratoga Springs mayoral election bid over her challenger in a vote of 861 to 594. Love, who is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, was born in New York City and graduated from the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Love served on the Saratoga Springs City Council and has said in local media reports that she did not think race played a factor in the election. But considering the most recent census figures say the population of Sarotoga Springs is 95 percent White and 0.6 percent Black, Love’s history making win may qualify as an important “single” hit in America’s political scene. Love has said she considers it a positive if her win changes peoples’ attitudes about Utah and Saratoga Springs.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Kentucky, New York City, United States

Carl B. Stokes or – The First Black Mayor in the United States?

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The man who is attributed to being the first black mayor in a major US city is controversial. Most widely cited is Carl B. Stokes. Mayor Stokes was the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio for the years between 1967 and 1971.

His political success began in 1962 when he was elected to represent his area in the state House of Representatives. He stayed there for three terms and then went on to run for Mayor. His first try was unsuccessful. The second attempt was successful when he defeated the grandson of President William Taft. Mr. Stokes began the black power rise in political America.

Mayor Stokes term was marred with controversy that was mostly about violence in the predominately black neighborhood of Glenville. The riots were actually put together and funded by Cleveland Now. After these revelations were learned, Mayor Stokes did not seek a third term.

Mayor Stokes was devoted to many facets of life. Although a controversial figure, he worked to make life better for the black community. After his mayorship ended, he moved to New York City and became the first television anchor in New York City to be black. He remained in the groundbreaking position for over a decade. After that he went back to Cleveland and was appointed as a city judge. Though most men would have been satisfied with the accomplished life, Mr. Stokes accepted an ambassadorship to Seychelles from President Clinton in 1993.

Though some people recognize Mr. Stokes as the United States first black mayor, others feel it is Floyd J. McCree. No matter if he was the first or the second, there is no doubting the contributions of Mr. Carl B. Stokes. Today’s youth should utilize lessons from the work ethic of Mr. Stokes to understand the US heritage and ways to move it forward.

Filed Under: General, History Tagged With: Mayor, United States

Is Lebron James the Victim of Racism?

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Unless you have been living under a rock in the recent months you should be aware that Lebron James is a basketball villain. After 7 productive but ultimately disappointing seasons as a member of his home states Cleveland Cavaliers, Lebron James took his talents and the hopes of many Cleveland fans down to South Beach to team up with fellow free agent superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

The backlash for the other two players wasn’t even a tenth of what James felt. Jerseys were burned, angry hate mail flew to local and national columnists. Every seemed to have an opinion and the consensus was that Lebron James was a bad guy. So the question remained: was Lebron James a bad guy because of what he did or because of the color of his skin?

The truth is that Lebron didn’t do anything that hadn’t been done before. He isn’t the first high profile free agent who signed with a different team. He’s not the first player to want to play with his friends. He’s not the first guy to leave his team for a more attractive city(at least from a national perspective). And he isn’t the first guy to go somewhere where he thought he could win a title with much less stress.

So then race had something to do with it? Well, maybe not. It’s true that LBJ wasn’t the first to do those things but it might be the manner in which he did it that set him apart. Having aired a special on ESPN called the decision he effectively chose his another city over his hometown on National television. This couldn’t have gone over well and it seems to be that and that alone that is drawing the ire of the fans. It may not have anything to do with race, but to rule it out completely would be ignorant in it’s own right.

Filed Under: General, Racism Today Tagged With: Lebron James, Racism