We The People
During last Sunday’s “Update” show we explored a very intriguing topic; “The New We the People”. 234 years ago when this Republic was established, it was founded upon a simple philosophy: The term “we the people” referred to Europeans presently living in the United States of America and more importantly, future Europeans who would assimilated into the majority culture beliefs system. It is clear that a sociological experiment referred to as “the melting pot” was created to provide some degree of hope for non Europeans assimilating into American Society.
Consider 66 years ago Gunner Myrdal published his influential and landmark book An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. The dilemma is between high ideals on the one hand and poor performance on the other. In the two generations since the civil war, the United States had not been able to put its “we the people” ideals into practice for its black citizens. Fast forward 66 years and we faced with a similar dilemma: As Mr. Phillip Jackson, CEO of Black Stars Project, stated: “in Chicago and many large urban cities our children are living in a war zone.” Panelist Ezrah Aharone characterized a “war zone” as an ungovernable territory. It is our responsibility, not the government, to exert the necessary control over our children and those institutions that educate them so that our neighborhoods become oases of growth rather than war zone. Let the discussion begin! Become a follower of my blog!
Please check out the following:
John Henrik Clarke and the power of Africana History by Dr. Ahati Toure
www.blackstar1000@ameritech.net. Follow the work of Phillip Jackson
The video links of Atty. Michelle Alexander discussion her book 'The New Jim Crow' Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgM5NAq6cGI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYgxkt6-JNc&feature=related
posted by Cope @ 3:55 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Thanks Cope, for taking me back to my days in the Spelman College history department...giving briefs on various topics including the American Dilemma and many works by John Henrik Clarke. With the current state of education in many urban cities around this country and others, it is important to understand the dynamics of the "war zone" and how it effects out children...considering they are the hope for our tomorrow.
Sonia Lewis
You are welcome Sonia. Additionally, these 'war zones' are additionally creating a permanent 'underclass' as well as a new economic Enterprise: prisons. In a ironic sense of history, I see that California has reduced the salaries of many state works to the Federal Minimum Wage! One can only imagine what the results of such political decision will have on our society. Finally, the Federal deficit is at 13 trillion dollars and person debt is at 16 trillion dollar. An economy that is based on consumer spending is facing a society that is saving more and spending less. Individual who have ran out of unemployment benefits are now living in a depression.~Cope
You are welcome Sonia. Additionally, these 'war zones' are additionally creating a permanent 'underclass' as well as a new economic Enterprise: prisons. In a ironic sense of history, I see that California has reduced the salaries of many state works to the Federal Minimum Wage! One can only imagine what the results of such political decision will have on our society. Finally, the Federal deficit is at 13 trillion dollars and person debt is at 16 trillion dollar. An economy that is based on consumer spending is facing a society that is saving more and spending less. Individual who have ran out of unemployment benefits are now living in a depression. Cope
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