Why I still watch reality tv (or at least my rationalization).

It's very common for anyone who visits me at my apartment to find me tuned into some unlikely TV programming. Well folks tend to think that I would be sitting and watching Eyes on the Prize and the Huey P Newton story on a loop, instead they find that I am still obsessed with reality TV. I can't front, you'll find me watching Project Runway, The Hills, The Real World (just kidding, that show is terrible), The Real Housewives of Orange County or something of that ilk. Recently a friend interviewed me about my media consumption habits and I had to verbalize what I like about the shows that I commonly watch. It's always different when you say your thoughts aloud, maybe it's nommo or that old testifying from church, but once it slipped out my lips, it became clear, kinda.

I usually watch reality TV for the gross displays of whiteness. I can't resist it, it's like watching a car crash on the side of the highway or rummaging through medicine cabinets. When you're done doing what you've done you feel sorry that you did it and often feel like you've wasted your time. Well that's not wholely the case. I realized that reality TV has given me access to the conspicuous consumption that is enjoyed by some sectors of society. I think it's amazing/ridiculous that I can watch someone decide between an internship in Paris and spending the summer in Malibu with her boyfriend. With that said, I can't stand shows like "The Fabulous Life" on VH1 (has anyone noticed it's just a re-hashed Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous)which celebrates the material dimensions of privilege. I'm much more into watching Paris and Nicole struggle with understanding basic social functions. Okay, I know some of that is acting, but some of that stuff you can't fake.

As a Black man in America, I can't say I've had that many carefree days. Heck, it's only 1pm and I've been thinking of where I have to go and how I'll be received. As my homegirl once said to me, "Life must be really nice when you don't have to worry about oppression." Well, I think in a way, I get to see that otherside of the coin in "reality" tv, no matter how surreal it is.

Guess who's bizzack!!??

Well I wanna thank everyone who dropped me a line of checking in. Very sweet of you, demonstrates that loved ones do exist, even if it takes me blogging about me to get folks filled in. The 24 hour cloud like I predicted was just that, about 24 hours of unease and discomfort. I'm back in Michigan and stepping one foot in front of the other. I'll post more later, but in the meantime, check out Wendy Woods' webpage in her campaign for mayor.* And get some good food for thought from my twin star J-Rod. And for all my Clerks II fans, "it's okay, we're taking it back."

*This is not necessarily an endorsement of Woods, but I think you should check her out :)

One of those days

Ever feel like sometimes for 24 hours there is a cloud following you? Well I'm trying to figure out when my term of service is up!

International Racism and Black Republicanism??

Whenever I lecture of race and ethnicity envitably I get questions about racism around the world. I always hesitate to answer the questions, trying to feel what the person is asking. For me to answer accurately, I would have to know the situation they were talking about, as well as the social, historical, and political dimensions of the landscape to really give a decently accurate response. I guess it's a response to not wanting to be "wrong" or misread a situation or continue to perpetuate the belief that race, as it is lived in this country, is the way race functions everywhere else. There are some particular things about the ways race and ethnicity function in this country that make it unique, but certainly not an outlier.

On the global level, racial or ethnic divisions can be seen, but not necessarily in the fashion that we construct them here. A couple of years ago a I had a student come up to me and tell me that he was trying to explain to an African immigrant to this country that he was Black. He said, "Man, Dumi I tried to tell him, but he just didn't understand." Besides feeling shame for having clearly produced a student who missed the nuascences in these social categorizations, I was reminded that my student, like most people read the US constellations of race and ethnicity as global. This shouldn't be suprising, hell, most Americans see the rest of the world through their own positionality. It is not to say that we all don't have a unique view point, but Americans seem to seldom interrogate why they view the world as they do. Who is Black? Who is White? Who is male? Who is female? All of these answers can vary dependent upon where you are. So why do American insist on reading race, in particular, in a US centric fashion? Maybe because sometimes it fits or does it?

Recently, the state of Michigan has been ripe with discusion of this ad. You'll have to enlarge the ad to read the text. Essentially it talks about how when Jesse Owens in 1936 campaigned for a Republican candidate. In the quote Owens explains he campaigned for him because when he won his gold neither Roosevelt nor Hitler would shake his hand, but the Republican candidate did. The ad goes on to explain how African Americans have long been treated poorly by the democrats and now it's time for a change (I assume he wants me to vote for Dick DeVoss). I think the ad is pretty interesting for its imagery and argument. Also shout out to Daily Kos for publishing it. I had a hard time locating it, probably because of the Hitler image. For the past five years or so, I keep hearing Republicans and members of the right talk about how African-Americans are considered a given to the Democrats and how we've been SO mistreated, so we should really not show our allegiance. This type of reasoning always reminds me of the quote "No permanent enemies, no permanent allies, only permanent interests." So I ask, what the hell interest does the right have for my condition?

I agree that democrats have been "hoeing" us for a long time. I agree that we are one of the most reliable blocks, but honestly the other side of the fence doesn't seem to have my interests at heart. Let me count the ways: 1) anti-felon voting rights, 2)disproportinate sentencing, 3) reduced social spending, 4) anti-affirmative action, 5) increased military presence internationally... and the list goes on and on like Shyheim. Good try on the ad fellas, but please do realize we're a little smarter than seeing a set of images and thinking what was in the past, is in the present. The context of Owens' life (domestically and internationally) was one of exclusion and hatred and in many ways, African-Americans' lives remain analogous. But I think we're clear who won't shake our hands now... ain't that Right?

And on a related note kinda, how about that World Cup finish?

Black and in School

There a couple of things recently that have peeked my interest as it relates to race and education. As you know, the state of Michigan remains embroiled in a battle over Affirmative Action, which may come to a head in November. I'm slacking on the updates around the legality of the MCRI signatures, but I'm figuring that stuff will wash itself out. If you want me to continue posting on that stuff, drop me an email or comment. Okay, but I digress.

The Supreme Court has recently decided to hear cases on the race and school assignment. If you had a chance to read any of the Harvard Civil Right's Projects reports over the last five years, you know that our children are going to more segregated schools than they did nearly 50 years ago. Of course this is not without debate, the Thernstroms have argued that segregation has decreased in school in their book No Excuses. Regardless of which side you believe (and I fall in line with HCRP because of their methodology, not ideology) the classrooms that children attend as well as the students they sit next to affect their educational performance.

In this NY Times piece the CEO for the Center for Equal Opportunity classifies research that provides evidence that racially mixed schools yield educational benefits as "touchy-feely social science." *Ouch* I guess considering the relationships between children as important to their educational accomplishments is soft. Well then, call me a powder puff.

I think at the root of this issue is not simply desegregation, but integration. While a court can mandate that groups co-exist and occupy the same space, a court can never guarantee that these groups will integrate into each others lives. As someone who finds myself aligning more with Black nationalism (in some form) than liberal intergrationism, I know their are many issues in this. Many nationalists as well as conservatives will take this opportunity to suggest that consideration of race or desegregation is not needed, but not so fast. I would argue without desegregation, the odds for integration dramatically reduce. I guess one could consider desegregation the lynch-pin to integration. In that sense, without desegregation, you shouldn't expect to see the "benefits" of integration. Which leads me to Booker T. Washington.

The larger question of integration is one that has always intrigued and plagued me. Booker T. Washington posed an interesting position at his Atlanta Compromise address when he said,

"In all things purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress."

In my own research, I've come to see the issue with this idea is the fact that social worlds between Black and Whites are largely separate. So the ability to reap the economic, and in this case educational, gains of others is less likely.

Simple example, trips to the local library to read about Peru pale in comparison to trips to Peru. When we talk about children's experiences and opportunities we have to realize that exposure is paramount for healthy social and academic development. By assuming that we can segment our experiences, when they are still unequal, will leave us behind still, right? Aight this is way too complex for me to be posting on right now. In fact this post was started weeks ago and I need to be writing a dissertation!!!

Organizing for peace in Ypsi

In the past two weeks I've received an email from current U of M student Krisilyn Frazier about the death of Clifton Lee Jr at the hands of the Washtenaw County Sheriffs. Issues of police violence can brew uprisings, distrust, and organizing for progressive change.

Krisilyn has stepped up and wants any help she can get in organizing a Peace March later this summer. She says it best, so I'll quote her here,

As I stated before, the purpose of the Peace March is to promote peace and unity within the community. It will give the community an opportunity to speak out against black on black violence, police brutality, and racism. This is not an attack on ALL blacks or ALL police, just against those who commit the crimes and those who demonstrate insensitivity toward minorities as individuals who deserve equal respect and protection under the law.

You can contact her at frazierk@umich.edu for more information.
*As a note the information on Accountable Community Policing that I linked to can be found in Covenant IV of the The Covenant. Gotta use what we know.

Blackness in Ann Arbor

The post title probably makes you think I'm gonna write some deep introspective stuff... sorry not tonight. But there are a couple of things going on in Ann Arbor that I thought you may like to know are going down.

This Saturday the Ann Arbor Branch of the NAACP is hosting its annual Juneteenth gathering! It will be happening from noon to 5pm at Wheeler Park. It's a nice family friendly event which features food, performances, and even some Bid Whist (how's that for Midwestern)!

Next Thursday, June 22nd from 10am to 6pm The Black Factory is stopping into Ann Arbor. The Black Factory will be at Liberty Plaza, it's that little concrete park thingy at the corner of Liberty and S. Division. Definitely follow the link above to see the brochure about the Black Factory. I'll have to try to stop by to see what is going on, it seems really interesting.

And while I'm on my Ann Arbor kick, have you been to Another Ann Arbor? It's a great website which is one of the original resources on things Black in Michigan.

Why can't we have nothing??????!!!!!

Remember this? Well take a look at this. (shakes head in disgust)

The Covenant Book Review

The book, in my estimation, is a continuation of the lineage that Du Bois sought to establish with the Atlanta Conferences. While many have attempted systematic analyses of the conditions of African-Americans across a broad spectrum, few have successfully conducted these analyses and provided prescription for change that could be understood at the individual, family, community, and policy levels. The Covenant does this. Now of course the book is not perfect, one could desired deeper analysis from some of the contributors, but I ask you to suspend your “academic hat” of deconstruction and “critique for the sake of critique” and take the time to see how each essay fits into the whole.
Read my full review here.

The Covenant Tour is going to conclude in Detroit this Friday, June 16th at 7pm at
Greater Grace Temple
City of David
23500 W. Seven Mile Road
Detroit, MI 48219
It's free and open to the public!!!

NEW HOT TOPIC: BLACK MEN

Study for Intervention: Invisible Man #1 by Charles H. Nelson

So it's apparently here, the (print) media blitz over Black men. The Washington Post is now running a series on Black men, I plan to post my thoughts on their series and like most other things, whatever else I darn well please!

The opening piece in the series is based on a poll that the Post conducted. As the title suggests, the results are a really mixed bag. For the past 8 years or so, I've found myself consistently uttering the statement, "Being a Black male is all about contradictions." I often say this statement with a tongue-in-cheek candor to my friends and family, but I, in many ways, do believe this. From my perspective, Black masculinity is a fabulously contradictory constellation. I won't dive into that, better minds have already done this (1,2,3).
But the survey, at the least, confirms that we see ourselves in complex and in some cases in contradictory ways. As a young Black man I can think of times when I complain about the ways in which women (often White) have changed their posture upon seeing me or outright have run from me because they saw me approaching on a street. But at the same time I recently told my girlfriend that while those types of responses are not ideal, that she should do what she thought made her feel safe (within reason) when she asked about a similar situation. Contradictions. It's kind of the the same way we don't flinch when Pac can make "Keep your head up" and "Wonder why they call u b-tch." To many, this would be a fatal flaw among Black men, but if it is a fatal flaw then we should really struggle to understand where it comes from. In part, it's got to be attributable to our social position - privileged as men but disadvantaged as Black men in a predominantly White world. But as always, there is more to that story...

Despite our diversity of perspective on our own social conditions and why we are where we are, some things remain pretty central to us.

Despite their clear achievements and general optimism about their prospects, black men worry more than virtually everyone, the survey found.

For a while social science research has been finding evidence that more middle-class African-Americans experience more discrimination, but this still seems to shock many. It really challenges the dominant economic narrative of racial discrimination really being discrimination based on skills or other "unobservables".

If anything, the survey suggests that better-educated black men experience more direct racism than those with fewer resources. For example, 63 percent of educated, upper-middle-class black men said they have been unfairly stopped by police, compared with 47 percent of less-advantaged black men.

It's also pretty interesting to see how White men view us... more details are in the survey pdf if you want to check it out, but here is a snippet from the article.

Regarding the obstacles black men face and their prospects for the future, whites were the most optimistic. Black women tended to be the most pessimistic, even more than black men, with only 44 percent of black women saying that now is a good time to be a black man in America . Black women were also just as likely as their male counterparts to see the economic system as biased against black men.

In sum, I am very interested by the poll and will hopefully this weekend plow through the supporting materials in their entirety. Two glaring issues are incarceration and that fact that it was conducted over the phone. With 8 percent of the Black male population imprisoned, there is a considerable perspective that may be missing. And a phone survey likely means that they undersample lower-income people or people with more transient lives. But that's just the sociologist getting a little nerdy.

Rachel over at Rachel's Tavern also beat me to posting on this, so I'd suggest you drop by her spot and see what she has to say.

Oh, and should I be ashamed that I cringe each time I see Chuck Brown picture...

Our Native Brothers and Sisters

To many Black folks (including Black Latinos) the claim "I have Indian in my family" or some variation there-in is common. Rather than demand DNA tests, I'd encourage folks to read things by Tiya Miles or just read some of the recent stories that display some important happening and commonalities that matter for all of us... other than your long flowing hair ;)

Native Health and Education...
If you've been keeping your ears to the streets (or just have a good informant like I do) you've heard about the Bush Administration's attempt to completely cut the Urban Indian Health Program as well as some educational funding. Thankfully, due to great advocacy and organizing, that is not going to happen and the new budget is looking better, though there is still a ways to go.

By a 293-128 vote, the House passed Interior's fiscal year 2007 budget bill on Thursday. The measure funds Indian programs at a total of $5.9 billion, $204 million above current levels and $62 million above the amount the White House requested in February.

For a more detailed picture of what's been going on, check out this story at indianz.com.

Them bones...
Margaret Kimberly provides a nice commentary at Blackcommentator.com on the Bushs' lineage and George's ancestor's pillaging of Geronimo's bones. It's actually pretty funny (and dare I say refreshing) to hear a genetic argument about the deviance of the Bush family!

Mascot Madness...
And as you probably know already, but if you didn't here is a link, the NCAA declined three schools' appeals to use Native Mascots at the end of April. Of course this is not the last that we will hear of this, particularly from the North Dakota, where letters of support and disagreement were issued by native communities. The article has a decent summary on past happenings, so I'll let you read it.

Lastly, shout out to Heather "Unbreakable" Brink for keeping me updated and staying on me to post. Now only if she would stop playing sports and sending the national healthcare situation into crisis ;P

Just coming up for air...

So easily this is the busiest I've been in all of my graduate years, but it's a good busy. But as Sherri-Ann taught me years ago, "Big tings a g'waan." With that said here a couple of things are recently on my desk and of interest.

New polling numbers show continued loss of support for the MCRI which will be on the November ballot. Of course the (biggest) change is in the "undecided" voters, so there is still much to be decided. Story here.

The students in Baltimore are making big moves to demand their education from the State Board of Education. Biggup to the Algebra Project and their work out there. I'm loving the use of the constitution.

And for those who don't know, it looks like my hard drive may have fried on my desktop, so that's been an influence on my absence too.

what the hell are we gonna do with these kids?

hey all! it's quite the pleasure to be a guest on blackatmichigan, a blog that has offered dumi and fellow scholars the opportunity to voice their much needed opinion regarding pertinent issues. i am no writer, but i do talk up a storm, so if this reads more like my diary than a professional piece, it's probably because it is.

my thoughts...
this title was meant to address the urban youth of today, specifically drawn from the panel of students that i (along with fellow peers) hosted last week. i pondered this very question when i saw that, of the hour long panel [comprised of seven students: 3 athletes, one frat member, one law school student, one politically active student, and one "general" student] approximately 57 1/2 minutes were dedicated to the athletes. my blood boiled at the thought that this group of 7th and 8th graders from detroit would be so concerned NOT with what law firm the 3L law student is looking into, but with what league the football players played for in middle school. understandably, the media has a tremendous monopoly on our babies, with such focus being on entertainment, specifically, music and sports. we all know the drawn out story of the inner-city dreams of quick cash and immediate gratification - hell - with our generation being called "generation me", there's no question that we could care less about the welfare of all people, as long as "i get mine". but i can't be told that there's no stop to this cycle. there HAS to be a way to end the drug-selling, basketball-shooting, rhyme-spitting imagery that encapsulates the thoughts of the children from my hood.

see? that right there. my hood. i'm not saying that i came from the most shoot-em-up run-for-your-God-forsaken-lives type of place, but the fact remains that i am the only one from my neighborhood that left out of the neighborhood for college, that doesn't have kids, that has never had, dealt, or been shot over drugs, and will be leaving. yes, i'm abandoning my neighborhood, of which i am fully aware of the problematic middle-class exodus - no need to remind me. don't judge me too quickly though: i am not only headed to another inner-city to 'do my part' there (atlanta), but i'll be back someday/somehow/someway to work with detroit. back to the point, the old adage states, "if i can do it, so can you." what was the main factor that separated me from my peers? well, this little exam that i took in the second grade allowed me to be placed on a track that veered right of my neighbors. this gifted and talented program that i was accepted into put me on the path of academic success. this alone, however, would not be adequate enough to get me through. had my mother not specifically given me the encouragement by normalizing the pathway to higher education, my dreams may have ended in high school. fortunately, college was not a question in my home, so making sure that grades, extracurriculars, and personal pursuits were in-line with this ideology was not hard at all.

so, what am i suggesting? that we take an entire group of parents, force-feed them with statistics and pamphlets that suggest it is all their faults that their children are suffering? that we level the "playing field" for k-12 schools so that everyone has the opportunity to succeed? that we, as college students, do a better job in mentoring and show students alternate routes and definitions to what success truly is and how to acquire such paths? you're darned skippy.

we, as a society, do have a right and responsibility to make sure that our community is making it. too often we hear "it's not my problem" or "maybe later", but the time is now and the urgency is extreme. a statistic reports that only 11% of the population of detroit has a bachelors degree. 11%. it blows my mind that i just received mine on saturday, yet the vast majority of my fellow residents cannot say the same. how can the children know which way to turn if their maps are only limited to their parents experiences? we must provide outlets and information that better equip our children for their potential. affirmative action is no longer cutting it. vouchers is not going to cut it. and testing our children for the "no child left behind" bull will not give them the know-how for the remedy to this systemic problem. neighbors must demand more and better use of funding for schools from the state, and we must encourage our children to explore various routes to economic stability, not acquisition. rightfully so, i am an optimist, and i do believe in the power of mentorship, communication, and community upliftment. do i have specific plans? not now - i don't think God has given me the blueprint yet. but i do know that the middle class and those with the education can no longer sit around and wait for those without the resources to help their children. we must take a stand and get our hands dirty, because if we don't, who the hell will?

...///tomorrow///what the hell are we gonna do with these kids part 2: invisible children and international woes

Guest Contributor: Riana Anderson

Since you all have been clicking on her profile to figure out who she is and/or when she'll be posting... I now introduce to you Riana E. Anderson. Riana is recent (like a few days ago) alum of U of M. Riana is a renowned U of M figure, having been president of the school's chapter of the NAACP and spear heading a number of campus dialogues and political actions. But I can't do her justice with these few words. I'll let her speak for herself. Be on the look out for her post coming soon!!!

Sorry for my absence!!!!

I know I've been absent. Much to comment on, but not much time. Making like the hands in the picture. I'll be back, maybe my guest posters will pick up some slack for a brotha.

White like me!

"Can you make me white?" -Alleged question asked by Dr. Dre to Suge Knight

A couple of years ago, I heard Suge Knight explain in an interview that he told Dr. Dre he could get him anything he wanted. In response, Dr. Dre responded, "could you make me white?" At the time, I definitely took it as a Suge story that he had concocted alone in prison (which it likely still is), but now thanks to the rise of "recreational genomics" it may be possible for Dr. Dre to become White! Kinda... The NY Times' story "Seeking Ancestry in DNA Ties" weaves a frightening story about the ways many people are pursuing their geneology.

Driving the pursuit of genetic bounty are start-up testing companies with names like DNA Tribes and Ethnoancestry. For $99 to $250, they promise to satisfy the human hunger to learn about one's origins — and sometimes much more. On its Web site, a leader in this cottage industry, DNA Print Genomics, once urged people to use it "whether your goal is to validate your eligibility for race-based college admissions or government entitlements.

A couple of years back, my interest was peaked in racial admixture tests, but they were largely inaccessible to the general public. I had read about them in scientific journals. Hell, I even joked that I was going to test a friend of mine whose "pigment and facial features" made me leary he was purely European. But I didn't think these ancestry test would so quickly evolve into mechanisms of privilege.

For Americans, or rich people at large, if you can fork over the money, you too can find a genetic footprint that may take you back to find some "minority blood." I think it's interesting how the Times piece, for the most part, concentrates on Whites finding ancestors of color, while Gates' African-American Lives uncovered the prevalence of European ancestory among African-Americans.

Ultimately, the attempt to reduce race and ethnicity to scientific categories is going to be flawed. Though one may be able to trace their lineage to a given people, identification of a point of origin does not inherently make one a member of that group. Basic social identity research has demonstrated that repeatedly. By attempting to cash in on the "science" of race, we're sidestepping what race and ethnicity mean historically and contemporarily. Lester Monts, U of M Senior Vice Provost comments, "If someone appears to be white and then finds out they are not, they haven't experienced the kinds of things that affirmative action is supposed to remedy." I've seen one website already say this diverges from the argument used in the Supreme Court decisions. *News Flash* legal arguments by a University and individual comments of University employees may vary. Using "science" to determine race is imprecise and does nothing to address the issue of lived experience. Some argue lived experience is the catalyst for the rationale of diversity. Until they can test if you've lived as a Black, Brown, etc. person I don't see (bad) science coming into the admission process in a substantial way (besides the defrauding that folks are using right now to get into school).

Now a high cost alternative to recreation genomics (doesn't that term just remind you too much of eugenics?) Black. White. The show is now over, I've pretty much reserved comment. Well here is my take, I LOVED IT!!!! Okay, so the show concept was decent, the make-up sucked (except in the case of Rose), and the people were poorly matched, but I think it was great. For me, it marked one of the best public examples of how not to have discussions about race. Steps to developing an under-developed dialogue on race:
1)paint people the opposite color
2)pick people who are assured their beliefs about race are correct
3)follow them with a large camera crew
4)have them reveal their "true" identities half way through the experiment
5)let them battle out their race issues without guided conversation (with the exception of two appearances by a therapist type person)
6) Stir and you end up with a terrible show

If I learned one thing from Black. White. it's that I now have a perfect example for lectures of general perceptions of racism. Bruno is it. Unless someone walked up to Bruno, called him a nigger, told him they called him a nigger because he had Black skin, and they didn't like him because of his black skin alone (remember can't be anything else like dress, walk, social class) then there isn't racism. Sheez. Well the show if nothing else reminds me of what my old computer programming buddies used to tell me "shit in, you get shit out."

Black and Blue

I needed a title and a semi-coherent link for these short blurbs!

Up first- Blue Devils and the DNA results. Gracias to Anon for posting a comment that informed me of the DNA evidence. I've been working some long hours and haven't been able to keep up moment by moment. My quick opinion is that a lack of DNA evidence does not necessarily mean a sexual assault or rape did not occur. I'm not the first to suggest this, so I'll let you all take a look around the net and on CNN, etc. for a more detailed explanation of this. To my knowledge the case is still eligible to be filed. Some have said the DNA evidence exonerates the Duke Lacrosse Team, but I think this may be a result of a little too much CSI on our parts. It will be interesting to see what the next couple of days bring. Regardless of the case, I think it remains really address that:
Race still matters! Obviously this incident has heightened Duke's sensibilities to the importance of race. The issues of "town and gown" are real. I am however disappointed that not enough people are talking about the relationship between HBCU's (NCCU) and PWI's (Duke). This still seems like a pink elephant in the room.

On the Go Blue front, I neglected to post that next year's president of the Michigan Student Assembly is Nicole Stallings, a Black woman. Congratulations Nicole. But my decision not to post on it was related partially to laziness and partially to her invitation to Michigamua, one of U of M's senior "secret" honor societies. Michigamua has a long sorted history with relations to Native folks. In light of all this controversy, they publicly announced the members of their last two "prides" (though some pride members' names are missing or recently dropped... wonder why?). They will announce a name change in the near future (in the meantime Goodspeedupdate is hosting a naming contest, go contribute). There will be a documentary run on them tomorrow also.

I'm not convinced that a name change will do away with their history. Nor am I convinced that they have likely flushed out their racial issues. I know a number of people have questioned why some people or communities can't just "get over" the organizations use of race and move forward. I believe in transparency, when that is delivered, I'll believe they are being straight forward. History has a way of repeating itself.

Onto the Black... Studies side of things. Today and Friday the Center for African and Afroamerican Studies at U of M is presenting a conference to honor the 35th anniversary of the center in honor of Harold Cruse. I'll be checking out some of the events, good food for thought.

Aight, off to sleep, much work to be done... trying to get that degree, ya heard?

500 Words is Not Enough

The people who genuinely need to read this post may never see it. I contributed to a piece for The Michigan Daily about self segregation. In it I try to explain a little about what is now being referred to as "the Black Hole"--you know, the mass of Black people in a public space that seems to constantly attract more Black people. I agree with everything I said in the piece, otherwise I wouldn't have wrote it, but I'm not exactly sure this phrase came out correctly:

"I also relish the opportunity to be around other intelligent black people. Since this is the University of Michigan, a vast majority of us aspire to heighten our consciousness.

Sadly, that may not be the case for other parts of the world. The fatalist in me fears that I'll never be around such a concentration of scholastically inclined black people ever again."

My time at the University has been my first experience dealing with so many intellectual Black people. And I do fear that outside of the context of the University I will never find Black people this accepting and supportive of my own intellectual pursuits.

That being said, I don't know how I feel about contributing to the notion that there are masses of dumb Black people roaming the non-Ivory Tower-lined streets--a notion which can be implied by my aforementioned fears. I only had 500 words so I didn't have space to adequately qualify my sentiments.

I don't want to be an elitist. I know there are non-academics who are extremely intelligent. My Grandfather was a bus driver in Detroit and he happened to be a genius, I'm sure he wasn't the only one. Of course, my Grandfather probably would have been an academic had he not had to deal with being a Black youth in the Great Depression and all of the stuff that entailed, but I digress.

Also of note in the piece is that all of the students are minorities of some sort. I didn't know who was going to be contributing but I was hoping for at least one white person. Instead there are three Black males (including myself), one international student who appears to be from the Indian sub-continent of Asia, and one half white/half Latino person who for the last several years has been embracing his Latino side. This fantastic representation makes it seem as though only non-whites are doing the self-segregating. As though white people in no way contribute to the clumping based on ethnic lines in the world. That's ridiculous. But I can't criticize the Daily because I work for them so I'd better stop now. I think I have authorization to post on the Daily's blogs so maybe I'll try to put a version of this up there. Until next time, Peace and God Bless.


edit: I have successfully posted to the Michigan Daily blogs. The message is slightly different. If you want to comment just go here

-David Betts

Fun with Numbers....

Aight there are a bunch of things that I wanted to get out there. So let's count along together.


1 - One is for the date on Saturday, which is April 1st. The 1st traditionally marks the coming of April Fool's Day. This year, I don't want you to be the fool... so go to this rally and find out the things you been too embarassed, nervous or lazy to ask.

Take Action! Rally for Affirmative Action
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Congressman John Dingell, One United Michigan and the Washtenaw County Democratic Party Black Caucus would like you to join them. The "Don't Be Fooled" rally is to shed light on and kick off the campaign here in Washtenaw County against the so called Michigan Civil Rights Initiative which is neither civil nor right.

Brown Chapel
1043 W. Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

2 - Two for the number of missing boys from Milwaukee. The media coverage, of course, has been pretty low. More info and discussion here.

3 - Three is for the number of times I wanted to throw up when I heard about the Duke Lacrosse and their "alleged" rape of two women. Rachel has provided a lot of links and information on her page.

4- Four is for the darn near 40 percent increase in the percentage of Black folks who use the internet! The digital divide is seeming to look different. Though we're certainly not where we need to be yet.

aight, I'm tired of counting for now.

The New Tangle of Negro Pathology?!?

So in the past week (well 10 days), the NYTimes has run two pieces that have gotten a considerable amount of attention. The first "Plight Deepens for Black Men Study Warns" reports findings and some theories by the researchers behind the new book Black Males Left Behind. First, like most of the people commenting on this story, I have not read the book. My pockets are thinner than Nicole Richie in a fun house mirror (I know, that's not right), so when I get a copy I can weigh in more soundly. The findings of the report did not shock me per se, but they did remind me that its clear Black men are becoming further marginalized from the center of American society*.

I however was intrigued by Orlando Patterson's Op/Ed that ran on Sunday entitled "A Poverty of the Mind". Patterson essentially argues that we have not been able to combat poverty and the condition of Black men in America because we have been afraid to tackle the issue of culture. Unfortunately he quickly creates a strawman of poverty research on black men. I could agree with him that researchers have been scared to tackle culture 10 years ago, but recently researchers have really grappled with the role of culture and behavior for Black and poor men (see Young, Lamont, there are more but I doubt you want a literature review). But for Orlando it is much more convient to say there is a fear of approaching the topic of culture and that until we take on culture, marginalization will remain.

While Patterson does prove, unlike many, that he has read up on the phenonmenon of "acting white". He does quickly find other cultural dimensions to stress. This time, the masked culprit is hip hop culture.

I call this the Dionysian trap for young black men. The important thing to note about the subculture that ensnares them is that it is not disconnected from the mainstream culture. To the contrary, it has powerful support from some of America's largest corporations. Hip-hop, professional basketball and homeboy fashions are as American as cherry pie. Young white Americans are very much into these things, but selectively; they know when it is time to turn off Fifty Cent and get out the SAT prep book.

For young black men, however, that culture is all there is — or so they think.

A couple of years ago Ron Ferguson argued that a possible reason test score gaps had widened between Blacks and Whites from 1998 forward was rap music and hip hop culture. I remember when I first heard this theory, I scouffed and thought it would pass with the night, but it stayed around. In fact, many still support this theory, which I find much akin to theories of acting white (e.g. present in places but likely overstated), despite the fact that test score gaps have begun to close again between Blacks and Whites... and rap is still widely popular. In Patterson's view, Black men (not sure about women) lack the ability to code-switch, while Whites men are able to traverse dual realities. I must say that I do not entirely disagree with Patterson, but he misses how this occurs. Code-switching for Black folks has been a historical necessity. Even when our ancestors were enslaved, they had to act differently on the job or when under surveillence, than when not surveilled. So I would ask Patterson, which would be more likely to degrade a people's ability to switch, music or marginalization? My obvious answer is marginalization. His response is cool pose. I do believe structural constraints beget cultural variations, but simply concentrating on culture is as short-sighted as simply concentrating on the structure.

It appears that Patterson could make a great argument for both the roles of structure and culture, but instead he claims that culture has been absent from our discussions of poverty. For those who don't know, the title of this post is a throwback/homage to a highly influential chapter of the Moynihan Report. I find Patterson's piece to largely be an update to this view, instead of matriarchy as a cultural determinent, he inserts hip hop culture (his perception of it at least) as the mechanism that keeps Black men ensnared in our social position.

I would love to know what Patterson thinks needs to be done to correct these cultural malfunctions? I guess the welfare to work approach didn't work since he said Clinton's Administration failed. Cultural training? What does he want to see happen? To close, I rework Patterson's own words, what do you think?
Collecting transcripts of their views and rationalizations Leveeing critiques of research from an ivory tower towards the ivory tower is a useful first step, but won't help nearly as much as the recent rash of scholars with tape-recorders NY times editorialists and readers seem to think.



*Unlike Orlando Patterson, I don't think pursuing money and listening to music constitute incorporation into America's mainstream