Love and Hate: Affirmative Action – a dialogue

I got the idea to write the following dialogue after a discussion on diversity and affirmative action in a recent class. During the discussion, I expressed the opinion of my own “love and hate” relationship with the idea of affirmative action. While affirmative action actually benefits any minority (white women, non-white ethnicities, etc.), it is largely associated as another “step up” for the Black individual.

Jamal Henderson – 26 years of age. Graduate of a prestigious business school. BS Major in Marketing. MBA with a focus on international marketing.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Jamal:[after job interview]  Damn, I hope I get this job…the savings are dwindling to crumbs.

2 days later

Bob, HR Mgr – phone call to Jamal: Hello, Mr. Jackson?

Jamal: Speaking

Bob: I just wanted to thank you for making time to interview with Planters and Associates…

Jamal: [thinking] Aww shit…

Bob: Annddd…

Jamal:[thinking] Say what?

Bob: We are prepared to offer you a valuable starting package and very good benefits after 60 days. What do say?

Jamal: [thinking] AWWW HELLL YEAH!!!!

Jamal: [calmly] Well thank you. I am proud to say that I humbly accept the position and opportunity to be a valuable asset to the company.

Bob: Great! I’ll get started on your contract. Can you come in Monday? Say around 11 ish?

Jamal:[excitedly] I’ll be there.

4 months down the line, Jamal happens to be taking a break with a lower level associate, Lonnie, who is also Black.

Lonnie Adams – 36 years of age. Currently holds and associate degree in management, and is attending evening courses at  a local university to obtain his Bachelor’s degree. Lonnie has worked at Planters and Associates for 6 years now and has only been promoted once. He is currently the assistant manager of  the P & A call center.

Jamal: Why does it seem that there are only a few Black folk working here?

Lonnie: Because it is only a few Black folk working here. And you’re the only Black hotshot in upper management. [sarcastically] You think it’s a coincidence? Shit man, I figured this was affirmative action in play after the first week I was here.

Jamal: [confused] And you’re cool with that? I mean, if it is a case of affirmative action, we’re only here because we’re Black.

Lonnie: You can look at it that way if you want to. I choose to see the fact that there is a 10% reported rate of national unemployment, and I’m NOT one of the poor Black bastards in that 10%.

Jamal: [somewhat dismayed] I guess. I just……it bothers me that if we are affirmative action hires, they have no care whatsoever as to our skills and abilities. We’re just a Black face to fit a quota.

Lonnie: Nah bro. You can’t look at it that way. There’s a purpose to you being here. There’s a purpose to me being here. Who care’s what the company execs or anyone else thinks of us. They don’t determine your value. You determine your value.

Jamal: Yeah, but how can I…

Lonnie [shaking head]: NO BUTS! You can take the “curse” outlook or you can take the “asset” outlook. Your achievements will far outweigh the color of your skin. And eventually, some minds may be changed after you show your abilities and skills. Ultimately, you’ve got to decide which role you will accept. This place is only a rest stop to our final destinations and purposes.

Jamal: [enthusiastically] Okay…I see what you’re saying. Reap the benefits until it’s time for me to step to the next plateau. Make the best of it while I’m here.

Lonnie: Exactly. [sarcastically] Now if you’ll excuse me…I gotta get back to the call center before they fire my Black ass.

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So there it is…

Just my interpretation of the different stances on affirmative action that are more common in the Black American community.

A great way for the college student to save money

I figured I would take time out from the normal posts and give a “shameless plug.” So if you know a college student who may benefit from saving some money on those pesky expensive and necessary college books, then have them check out this blog post. They will appreciate you greatly.

The Facts

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Want proof?

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Don’t forget to visit Chegg.com and use promo code CC117001.

Mickey’s Lament

Once upon a cold and dreary January 11th night,
upon the front porch crept a furry little mouse into the light.

It seemed to be seeking warmth from the elements that were abound,
only trouble is, it tried to seek warmth in my apartment house.

I’m sorry little mouse, I know not the diseases you may fester,
Which is exactly the reason I’m writing you this letter.

I should’ve kicked my brain into further thought,
I could’ve given you refuge in a simple shoebox.

But instead, with family screaming “Get it away!”
I went with the popular vote and kept you at bay.

I’m sorry little Mickey, I didn’t think you’d be a goner;
it broke my heart to see you the next morning, curled up, frozen in the corner.

I know you are not exempt from God’s love,
that’s why he saved a pair of you from the old time flood.

Let’s think for a second

I’m getting back into my poetry writing so here’s a gem…

Let’s think for a second,
really deep thoughts.
Let’s think for a second
about all that we’ve lost.

Let’s think for a second
about memories past.
Let’s think for a second
of the wishes we’ve cast.

Let’s think for a second
of the here and now.
Let’s think for a second
“who, what, when, where, why, and how?”

Let’s think for a second
about who we really are.
Let’s think for a second
about raising the bar.

Let’s think for a second
of the future we’re building.
Let’s think for a second
about educating our children.

Let’s think for a second
of our loves and passions.
Let’s think for a second
before thinking is out of fashion.

Schooling the Black youth

The Palm Beach Post recently focused upon a press conference in which the “Black leaders” of Palm Beach County called for “changes in Palm Beach County School District policies to improve the performance of African American and other minority students.”

At one time, Black Americans were encouraged to get an education

When will the Black community understand that the problem lies in the parenting and not the school board?

These so-called black leaders should focus on mentoring the students and the parents. There needs to be a push for the pursuit of education. Black parents, both single and married should be focused upon by these leaders. Only the parents can instill in their children some sort of desire for education (there are some “exceptions to the rule”).

Notorious B.I.G gave the “hood” sentiment in Things Done Changed from the Ready to Die album, “Either you’re slinging crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot.” Of course, it goes a step further now, you can be a rapper or professional “stick-up” artist too.

CNN has tried to do their part with their Black in America and Latino in America presentations. They did a fair job at stressing education, but it isn’t enough. Even talking to the “hood” in it’s own language isn’t enough – people take it for a joke, when in fact it is pure TRUTH!!

“Read a Book” – EXPLICIT LYRICS (illustrating “hood” talk)

Ultimately, it boils down to the parents/guardians. I was raised by my grandparents for a portion of my childhood. My grandparents reside in Compton, CA, so I was exposed to many different aspects of “street life” that most suburbanites have no clue about.

In other words, the path to gangbanging, drug dealing, theft, and other crimes was quite available for me to wander down, and I’ve had my trips on that path. But because both of my grandparents were educators, and I come from a family of educated Black Americans, I was persuaded to the path of intelligence and education.

Black and educated

Only the parents can instill in their children some sort of desire for education (there are some “exceptions to the rule”).

Finally, here is an essay I wrote for a college course about a year ago. Being the month of January in which Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is, I figure the following essay to be appropriate.

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The Dream of Martin Luther King: My Reflection

Upon reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s now infamous I Have a Dream speech, quite a few very memorable childhood moments came rushing to the forefront of my mind.  I remember taking a walk with my father in the small country town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and being told by a young white boy (maybe five or six) “You niggers better get out of here before I go tell my daddy.”  I remember being a participant in the class-action suit against the Denny’s restaurants due to their poor service to minorities.  I remember the stories of my grandparents saying they really had to go to the rear of a diner to eat or pick up their food.  I remember the stories from my father about his summers in Pawhuska of which the Blacks could swim in the public pool only on Saturdays for the last two hours of business; afterward, the pool was drained and cleaned in preparation for the white community.

Not all of the memories that arose were of a grim nature.  My grandparents told me they were some of the first Blacks from their small Oklahoma country towns to excel in education and obtain graduate degrees.  My father told me of the progress he made and awards he received while working for IBM in a time when he was the only Black serviceman in his district.  My mother told me of the businesses that her father owned through the turmoil of the civil rights movement of the sixties.  Perhaps one of my fondest memories is that my great-great-great grandfather, Dennis Hollis, was a founding member of Grambling State University in Louisiana.  The common denominator of these positive memories is education; I feel that this is where the dream of King should be focused.

The last time I read the I Have a Dream speech, I was awarded third place in an essay contest of the same topic as this paper; however, that was in seventh grade.  Since that time, I have had the opportunity to observe our society from the mindset of an adult and I have come to the opinion that King’s dream is still a dream.  There has been some progress due to the civil rights movement, but the majority of the Black American community is still impoverished, segregated, and largely discriminated against.  All of these oppressions stem from the lack of education.  The only difference between now and then is the fact that minorities can vote and there is now physical public integration; furthermore, I also feel that outward appearances are not always evidence of change or progress.

The minority community of America still lacks in education.  The parental guidance of the majority of urban youth is essentially absent.  For this reason, many young Black people lack the discipline and urgency to seek higher education. In turn, the lack of education keeps them barred (segregated) from the opportunities that educated Americans can pursue.  I understand that Blacks do not have to use a separate restroom today or sit at the back of the bus, but the majority of Black Americans today are alienated from the upper echelon of society due to their socioeconomic position.

To clarify, the new segregation is not so much one of race rather the new segregation is one of intelligence.  Intelligence is what propelled Barack Obama to becoming the first Black president.  Intelligence and education is what affords minorities the opportunities of higher paying careers and the ability to afford homes in the suburbs alongside their white counterparts.

I think about King’s speech and another plague of the Black community comes to mind.  The plague I speak of is none other than crime.  Young Black men daily continue to enter various state and federal penal systems because they turned to a life of crime largely to increase their finances (albeit, many are also drug abuse induced crimes as well).  Once again, this pursuit of money and increase lies in the underlying necessity of education. Today, the Black community segregates itself.

King assisted Blacks and minorities by bringing the civil rights issue to the front page of American issues.  By doing so, the wall of physical segregation was brought down; nevertheless, the new dream for Black Americans should be a true spiritual awakening and pursuit of education.  As long as the modern Black youth continue to subscribe to the mentalities of saggy pants, gold teeth, premarital pregnancies, money, and materialism, nothing will ever change.  Until Black parents unite in the pursuit of education and guide their children toward the path of education, the true and pure dream of equality will never be reached nor will the chains of poverty be broken.