In Defense of Tyler Perry

I've seen this before. I've lived this before. I first learned about it from the late great Dr. Walter J. Turnbull, founder of the world renowned Boys Choir of Harlem. "Crabs in the barrel," a tragic, yet, very accurate depiction of humanity. The analogy comes from the observation of how a barrel of crabs, despite their limited surroundings will pull down any crab who would dare to climb out of the barrel, and thus, escape their limited surroundings. There is something in human nature that disdains progress or someone who tries to ascend beyond expectations. Although the analogy is oft attributed to the African American community, (much like every other conceivable ill) the "crabs in the barrel" mentality is universal to all people.


The latest example is one that has been brewing for quite sometime. Playwright turned movie and television mogul, Tyler Perry, whose own personal story  reads like an Alice Walker novel, is now feeling the tug at his heels from none other than, Spike Lee. According to Lee (among others), Perry's work is "sending us (Black folks) back." It's "coonery...buffoonery." Characters like Perry's cross dressing alter ego, Madea, the gun toting, reefer smoking, heavyset, no nonsense grandmother who Perry has portrayed in much of his work, as well as, characters like Mr. Brown, the awkwardly dressed, verbally challenged patriarch of the Brown family from "Meet the Browns," have drawn much ire and disdain. His critics believe such displays are reminiscent of a time when the only roles Black artists were granted in Hollywood's golden age were disparaging depictions of themselves.


I like Spike Lee. His early work was ground breaking and thought provoking. My all time favorite Spike Lee joint, is Mo' Better Blues starring Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes. I spent freshman year of high school rubbing my lips, telling girls, the mo' better makes it mo' better. I don't think my rendition had the same affect on the ladies that Denzel's character Bleek Gilliam did. Such is the power of good cinema. Mr. Lee in my estimation has proven himself to be a remarkable story teller as well as a bold and prolific filmmaker, whose brilliance in some respects has shamed Hollywood. Think Do The Right Thing (among others). However, in regards to Tyler Perry he and his ilk seem to be engaging in, what I believe to be at the very least, intellectual dishonesty. Whether Mr. Perry's work is one's cup of tea or not isn't the issue. Personally, I don't care much for his highly successful sitcoms (Meet the Browns and House of Payne) and the recent announcement that he will produce, write, and direct the film adaptation of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf does not sit well with me. For a piece that is so endearing and enduring to many within the African American community, particularly women surely a filmmaker who identifies with the sensibilities of the work should be at the helm: Debbie Allen, Kasi Lemmon, Gina Prince-Bythewood, or perhaps the creator of the work, Nzinga Stewart.


 That being said, for anyone who has seriously viewed Perry's body of work and dismissed it as mere "coonery...buffoonery..." might I suggest that at the very least you're either intellectual inept or in the vernacular of the street, a hater. First of all, his body of work is not limited to characters like Madea and Mr. Brown. Works such as "Why Did I Get Married?" "Daddy's Little Girls" and "The Family that Preys" attest to that. Second, anyone should be able to recognize that the Madeas and Mr. Browns are mere tools to draw the audience to the message of the work. Messages that include reconciliation, grace, value of self, community, and God. Third, we are as multifaceted and complex as any people. Everyone isn't and everyone can't be The Cosbys, just like everybody can't relate to Good Times. The Madeas and the Browns are as much a part of our reality, as the Radio Raheems,* Bleek Gilliams,* Nola Darlings,* Flipper Purifys,* or Mars Blackmons* (Remember him Spike? Not exactly a stalwart of positive Black identity). Fourth, Perry's massive success  is not rooted in his appeal to the lowest common denominator, as it has been so arrogantly suggested, but, in large part to the simple formula of giving the people what they want; or as Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes) tells Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) in Lee's Mo' Better Blues: "If you played the shit that they like, then people would come, simple as that." The validity of one's work is ultimately decided by his audience, not critics.


Perry's genius is his ability to communicate his truth, i.e. his reality to his audience; an audience that has been completely ignored by the Hollywood establishment. An audience that prefers to be entertained and lifted, as opposed to having their mental state sullied by "soft porn," grotesque violence, or the Samuel L. Jackson/David Mamet Profanity Showdown. If that's your thing, more power to you. However, no one should knock Perry for tapping into an entire market which Hollywood assumed didn't exist. He is doing what works for him and his audience. This in affect is the very essence of artistic integrity (and might I add good business sense), expressing your truth and honoring and growing with the audience which supports you. Ideally your talent is not about you. It's about the people you reach; and according to Perry's audience he does that quite well. Furthermore, while the haters stew and brew, might I remind you that Tyler Perry is the only African American who owns and operates his own film studio, a fact which I believe should draw our vehement praise, no matter how one feels about his work. As a result, he has and continues to create work for African Americans, who even in this day and age face the challenge of trying to get credible work in Hollywood and the American theater.


The last thing we need to be doing is tearing one another down, tugging at each others heels in hopes of keeping  one another in the confines of the "barrel." If Perry's work(s) doesn't appeal to you, fine, move on, and create your own or step your game up. Add a new color to the canvas. Add a useful and productive piece to fill that which you believe is void. We are not a monolithic people. We are Spike Lee, we are Tyler Perry, we are Nzinga Stewart, we are August Wilson, we are Lorraine Hansberry, we are Daniel Beaty. We are a mosaic of voices, faces, experiences, and stories that have the right to exist and be on full display. That was the struggle of our fore bearers. That was the prize that lie before their eyes, the celebration of our full humanity, be it in the work place, at the bus stop, on stage or on screen. 

Stop hatin' and come on out of the barrel!

*Character from Do The Right Thing!

*Character from Mo'Better Blues

*Character from She's Gotta Have It

*Character from Jungle Fever
*Character from She's Gotta Have It

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

Jigga, Please: Hip Hop and the Mainstreaming of Self Hatred

I never thought I'd be one of those people who'd pontificate on the way things were or should be. In my youth I can recall shutting down upon being subjected to yet another "old person's" endless diatribe on "the way we were...or should be." Suddenly, without warning, I've become that "old person." Intolerant to useless noise, startled by the seemingly permissive vile that has become everyday speech, bewildered by an almost devoid sense of civility, lack of chivalry, and a complete apathy toward accountability. I suppose something happens or clicks with age; that somethings, no matter how old fashioned or routine, simply matter.

Indeed, many a time my attention would wane and drift during one of those lectures on yesteryear. Yet, somehow, some way when those tired musings addressed the journey from which I came, it mattered. Stories of freedom hard won, by ordinary people. Men, women, boys, and girls denied access to the liberty not merely promised them by the laws and statutes of men, but, afforded by God Himself. Stories of genius repressed (or stolen) and erased (or whitened) from the pages of history and civilizations they created. Stories of a people, who despite being the very genesis of humanity, were (and are) conditioned to hate themselves. All these things and so much more, ordained and justified via one word, Nigger.

This is not another pointless reprimand of Hip Hop. I refuse to join the myriad of voices, i.e. lazy journalists, opportunistic personalities, and dishonest intellectuals who have found it far too convenient to lay the ills of the day upon the back of a musical genre. The world is round and history merely rewinds. The rapper assesses correctly indeed, their craft is a reflection of the age. Take a musical journey into the past when the very names of musical genres we deem as sacred today, such as Jazz and Rock and Roll, were merely down home slangs for kinky sex. I assure you it doesn't end there. Even those holier than though classical melodies, be they art song or opera, were touched with a tinge of humanity. Such revelations do not excuse the Hip Hop artist, but, they most certainly reveal that the genre itself is not a lone assailant in reflecting or reveling in the abyss of our humanity.

However, in a perversely phenomenal way, Hip Hop distinguishes itself in this; the wickedly ingenious (and profitable) practice of propagating self hatred. No honest student of history, rather, no respecter of history, particularly their own, can with any hint of integrity, by any means validate the use of that vile and awful utterance, created for the sole purpose of one's humiliation. No reasoning whatsoever makes sense. I know, I've tried them. Like many African-Americans, I, too found a twisted and naive comfort in its usage. After all, it's about intentions, right? "It's like Soul Food. We took the scraps given to us by that cruel slave master and created cuisine." However, here in lies the dilemma in such logic; no matter how finely laid out, no matter how it may delight the palate, those scrumptious scraps, are still death on a plate; designed to disconnect you from your "Soul, Fool." One need only review the statistics of health that testify to the seemingly perpetual health crisis which overwhelmingly affects African American communities. So much like that tempting destruction at your dinner table, that word, no matter how you sanitize it, no matter the intent, was, is, and will always mean your dehumanization. As a former member of the notorious Bloods gang put it: "It's easier to rob a nigger, than it is to rob your brother."

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."* Hip Hop is reluctant to learn this timeless truth, despite all the death which has been made manifest from such careless utterances. No other people on planet earth do this to one another and if so, it is certainly not glamorized beyond their community. The celebration and justification of our wretchedness has become a world wide phenomenon, yet, ambassadors of modern day Hip Hop will have you believe its genre "has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations."+ Their reasoning: "It's hard to disparage a Black person when you and your kids are bopping to their music." What the "ambassadors" don't understand is that one needn't "disparage" us when you've done the work for them. One needn't take your cries of respect seriously when you've made it permissible to disrespect you. One needn't see your woman as anything honorable, when you yourself do not honor her.

I can imagine it's hard to recognize such truths amidst the mire of "Bling." Gone are the imposed chains which held us down during those dark and horrific nights of slavery. They've been replaced by a new and self imposed bondage, Bling. Shackles of materialism and self which disables one from possessing a hint of integrity as it relates to one's own work or people. The "shine" blinds you, while the concern for your "bottom line" hinders you. This is a "slavery" more vile and perverse than the first. At least during our captivity we had no choice. We were demeaned and humiliated against our own will. But, this new kind of self imposed slavery takes great cowardice. No one in their right mind should ever disavow the hard earned gains these artists have acquired for their work. As an artist myself, I am in awe of the business acumen of today's Hip Hop artist. I applaud any artist that manages to acquire and maintain a significant piece of the financial pie for which their labor is responsible for making. More power to them! May every artist be so fortunate. However, with such gains, comes great responsibility. We are in a brand new era. The days of the desperate Hip Hop artist who had to sell his soul to the highest bidder just to survive are long gone. In this day and age when artist are not merely artist, but, brands, surely we can do better. Surely we as an audience should demand better.

* Proverbs 18:21
+ Shawn "Jay Z" Carter Best Life Magazine (2009)




Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

The Evolution Will Be Painful: What the Conservative Fuss is All About

Vigilance is the soul of patriotism. I applaud honest debate over our government, even if I disagree. But, it must be honest. I've actually found myself trying to concede that there may actually be some legitimacy to the sudden wave of vitriolic dismay with our new administration. I've heard all the readily made Conservative replies: "Oh, don't be so hypocritical, there was the same disdain when Bush was in office...You had the same crack pots from the Left...Why must every critique of Obama be categorized as 'racist'...Come on, Rush Limbaugh is just an 'entertainer'?" It reminds me of Sarah Palin's emergence onto the national scene. As if on cue, Conservatives suddenly became proponents of feminism, before the former Alaska governor uttered a word. It's a classic and might I say a wickedly brilliant strategy; build a defense before the opposition mounts an offense of the obvious, thus, placing them on defense as the Left has become so pathetically accustomed to doing. And so it is within the first ten months of our 44th President's tenure. A sudden and resounding clarion call for "patriotism" has been decreed by the Republican leadership: Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, the Fox News Network, etc. And yes, they are the Republican leadership. Anytime elected officials within your own party, men and women whose actions and votes affect national policy, find the need to apologize to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, for daring to whisper a dissenting view, it is clear who the leaders of the Republican Party are. Michael Steele is nothing more than an impotent figure; and that's just how they like him. Perhaps he didn't receive the memo detailing his actual job description as the first African American chair of the RNC: "To act merely as the Black face for our agenda; and one whose very presence we may use to shield us from charges of racism should they arise." Brilliant!

Although there might very well be some legitimate concern and angst regarding the new Administration on the Conservative side of the aisle, let us not kid ourselves, the zeal that has driven this sudden "patriotism" is race. However, dare I say something even more offensive to the Conservative contingent is fueling the opposition toward the current Administration, Change. For sure the money changers (corporate interests and their congressional minions) are hardly motivated by race. They love business as usual and Change for them is a hideous aggravation. Therefore, they will jump on, take advantage of, and even fund whatever (no matter the motive) opposition to the present administration. The opposition to our 43rd President though extreme at times was crystal clear. To many he stole an election (both), our reasons for invading Iraq (WMD's) were thoroughly debunked, the federal government's unapologetic debacle of Hurricane Katrina was shameful, and under his watch our national economy nearly descended into the worst debt since the Depression. All this with vehement support from the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, Malkin and the entire Fox News regime. Not a single voice of dissent from the Right. Not a single decree to "take our country back!" After all "the Bush administration kept us safe for eight years." You know after they neglected to read vital reports warning us of a POTENTIAL ATTACK on 9/11. Not one Conservative voice! Not one call to march on Washington and tell congress what you think. Nothing! And I thought these people loved America. Therefore, one must ask the obvious. How is it that within only ten months we've seen more outrage and massive demonstrations than at any point during the eight year tenure of the last Administration?

Conservative -disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones and limit change.* MY BAD! It's been staring me in the face. Conservatives are resistant to, Change. You know, the natural order of things. Evolution if you will. Now don't get me wrong, all Change is not good and I dare not suggest that we all should move in blind and unscrutinized step with every decision made by our current Administration. That would be unpatriotic. However, we've been here numerous times before; and I do not doubt that like in times past, things will get worse before they get better, violently worse. Ron Regan articulated it perfectly, "they fear the future;" and none other than Bill O'Reilly made it clear what that "fear" is exactly, "the white male 'Christian' power structure is in danger." So, let us not kid ourselves, November 4, 2008 shocked many Americans into the reality that their country like it or not, with or without them is evolving. To many it was and is a day of limitless possibility. To others it was and is a day of infamy. A day the Right so viciously and shamelessly fought and continue to fight against. As with all Change, there are growing pains. Those pains are vividly evident in the surge of hate crimes and the prominent reemergence of Hate Groups, among them this nation's greatest domestic terrorist network, the Klu Klux Klan. It is ridiculously evident in the Republican Party's (and even some rogue Democrats') opposition to any and everything, including Healthcare Reform which the President and his Administration might propose; even to the detriment of their own constituents. Instead of accepting and growing with the will of the people, they are sworn to serve, they would much rather burn down the house to spite us all.

The 1960's are a grim reminder of how severe these growing pains can get. This outrage is certainly not new, but, we needn't continue the nonsensical diatribe that the creation of the Tea Parties, the Birthers, and the 9/12ers have anything whatsoever to do with dissatisfaction over national policy or even a dismay with Congress. They were never worried about the national debt or our national security, because they would have never elected the 43rd President for a second term. They're not fearing Socialism for the simple fact that many among their ranks haven't the faintest clue of what Socialism is. Furthermore, if such fear were actually sincere grandma would have abandoned her Medicaid and Social Security years ago. They're not fearing Big Brother, they've got Myspace and Facebook. Indeed, Gay is not the new Black, but, Socialist, Marxist, Communist, Nazi and all the other "big words" they've learned from Glen Beck and company, have certainly become the new, Nigger. They are trying, though in vain, to hold fast to America as they knew it, no matter how detrimental it has been to their fellow citizens and even themselves. It's what's familiar; and the very image of an African American holding the reigns of power in the greatest Western nation the world has ever known, is a clear and resonant symbol of that impending Change.

Of course, Conservative leaning authors like Frank Luntze would have you believe that these "Concerned" Americans are just fed up with business as usual. They are not. They were pleasantly asleep while it was going on. Don't take my word for it they said it themselves, "this [current] administration has awakened the sleeping giant." They're bemoaning the fact that America as they knew it, the one, that no matter what horrors around the world its government indulged in, no matter what great injustices their fellow citizens had to endure or how many of their own rights were violated, as long as the idea of their idyllic existence was left unfettered, America as they knew it was perfect. Hence, the cries to "take our country back!" They have always feared this Change; and as we have seen in days past, repeatedly and almost instinctively have reacted violently towards it. From the Civil War to the turbulent 1960's, the high price of Change has almost always been met with vile vitriol and blood. I hope that in this instance, that this time around I will be absolutely wrong. But, when have people ever heeded the lessons of the past?

*Random House Webster's College Dictionary

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson-Baptiste

This is Your Moment: Commencement Address to the Choir Academy of Harlem Jr. High School Class '09

Dr. Parris, Mr. Clark, and the teachers and staff of the Choir Academy of Harlem thank you for welcoming back home. To the class of 2009, I thank you so very much for the opportunity to address you today, as you make your transition toward higher education. I sincerely hope that my words and the words of the other distinguished speakers here this morning will not fall upon deaf ears, hardened hearts, or hard heads, but, rather minds and hearts that are eager to absorb and even, test, that which we hope will more than inspire you, but, empower you. I must confess, when this opportunity was presented to me, I erred like so many of your elders do. I thought to myself, “What have I to say to a group of Jr. High Schoolers…will my words even matter to them?” However, the Holy Spirit quickly arrested me. How dare I even have such a thought? How dare I, of all people, despise your youth?

One of the great dilemmas of age is memory loss. As the Holy Spirit rebuked me, he reminded me of our own personal heritage which overflows with the souls of brave and innovative young men and women, who literally changed the course of history and transformed the destiny of billions. How could I have forgotten that it has always been the young who have redeemed that which their elders have broken?

Was it not the blood of a fourteen year old, named Emmitt Till who set the so called Civil Rights Movement on an irrevocable course? Was it not the courage of nine Arkansas students and many like them through out the United States, both north and south that made it possible for you and me to be educated in any institution of our choosing? Was it not the voice and stature of a young preacher, from Atlanta, GA, who entered college at age fifteen and received his PhD by the age of 26, a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who would become the pre eminent figure of the Civil Rights Movement? Were revolutionary organizations like the Freedom Riders, the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party and a whole host of other missions not founded and led by innovative and courageous youths?So you see, it is and it has always been the young who have perpetually reset the world upon its righteous axis. For the Bible is true when it declares, “…a child shall lead them…” Therefore, I stand here repented and humbled as I speak to you today.

The world does not give you enough credit. Far too many of us, even have the audacity to unload societies ills upon you. As if you created unjust wars. As if you are the ones who have practiced insatiable greed, sending our economic well being into a tail spin. As if you are the ones who have abused the earth and its precious resources. As if you are the ones who find it economically sound to build more prisons as opposed to state of the art schools. No, we foolishly believe if you would just pull your pants up and wear a belt, not say the “N” word so much, maybe turn down that rap music all would be well with the world.

No! You are not the blame. However, you are, as history has so vividly proven, the redeemers. Therefore, you have no right to live beneath yourselves. For within every single one of you resides the Kingdom of God, and within every single one of you lives the courage, the genius, and the power of our ancestors. Your life is not your own. You do not have the luxury or comfort of mediocrity. You do not have the option of the wide and winding road. Yours must be the straight and narrow path. Your eyes must look straight ahead, neither looking to the right nor to the left, yours must be firm steps. You must stand on solid ground. For “the integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” [1]

You do not reserve the right to live lives which are tossed and turned by every passing wind. For your way has been paved with much pain and much blood, by young and old alike; men and women, boys and girls, who stood on solid ground and would not be moved. You are to use your life as a sacred light for others and the generations to come, just as our fore bearers did for us. It is how the world goes round. In this perilous age of me, where many are dutiful disciples of the religion of self such a thought is virtually unheard of. I needn’t tell you of the vile outcome of such a belief. You see it played out in the media everyday. You see it on your way to school or on your way home.

Able bodied men and women so immersed in their blaring IPODS they can hardly think to offer their seats to an elderly person, the infirmed, or a woman with child. Elected officials who are so enamored with power that they neglect to lead those whom they are entrusted to serve. Marriages and families are disrupted and destroyed because somebody’s bored. A justice system which caters to people of means or worse regards the life of a pit bull with more empathy than that of a man struck down by a drunk driver. Law enforcement which murders Black and Brown with impunity, even within their own ranks. We have become a society negligent of the most transcending law, the most transcending religion, and the most transcending governance of all…love.

If you retain anything you hear here today, let it be this: “Love never fails.” Governments, religions, laws, families, talents, education, etc. all fail. For without love, the aforementioned are frustrated shells of the human imagination. But it is in love and through love that all things are perfected. Governments are neither established nor maintained by military might or opulent wealth, but, from the loving and active will of the people. Religion with its holy sacraments and rituals account for nothing without a heart lovingly bent toward justice, mercy, and truth. Without love laws are hollow legalized, burdens which lack the power to edify or change the offender. Without love a family is merely a house of strangers, talents lie dormant and unfulfilled, and education is empty and often dangerous scholarship used to serve one’s whims. Let all your doings, let all your pursuits be girded with love. There is no other way.

During your young lives you’ve bore witness to an extraordinary happening. Something many even my age have never, ever thought possible in the United States of America. The election of our nation’s first African American President, Barack Obama. Our hearts were lifted and our eyes were opened to a new day brimming with unseen possibilities. However, in your enthusiasm I urge you to see our 44th President for who he is, a symbol. A dynamic and long awaited, symbol of all that should be possible in accordance with the very words of our nation’s most treasured documents. The Dream has not been fulfilled, a great milestone, yes, but, there is still so much work to be done, and our President cannot do it alone. Every hand, young and old, is needed. Parents, now more than ever your children need you. Now is not the time to surrender them to a system of strangers.

As you move onward and upward toward higher education, count it as a privilege, better yet, as a blessing that someone you have never known, thought so fondly of you to risk their lives so that you might pursue a life they would never know. They fought, they marched, they bled, they died, and they endured because they understood that education is the great equalizer. Therefore, in tribute to that boy or girl who could not even fathom the opportunities you now have, commit yourselves to excellence, in all that you do. For the generations that will follow, set a steep standard. Give them something to aspire to. Expect and accept nothing less from yourselves. And please do remember, your education far exceeds the classroom. Experience, absorb, and learn all that you can. Know who you are! You can never love what you don’t know.
I assure you that contrary to popular opinion you will be more than delighted to find that you descend from a proud, fierce, innovative, and ingenious people, whose contributions to the world far exceed the myths and lies you are oft bombarded with. Let no one tell you different, it was their genius, even more so than their bodies that built this nation. Get to know them and you will be amazed at how much you are like them.

Let no one despise your youth, not even you. It is never too early to matter. Genius has no time frame. How zealous the world is to speak of the worst of you. Hardly will you ever hear of the likes of entrepreneur, Farrah Gray; who, despite growing up in the heart of Chicago’s most notorious slums became a multi-millionaire by the age of 14. These are incredible times in which you live. The world has changed dramatically, and your youth affords you the opportunity to see it unfold. You are so very blessed. Not only will you witness the evolution of your brave new world, you will likely be the generation that drives those changes. This is the age when great legacies are born; when history is written and the great lives of the age have their stories told. This is the time when immortality happens.

Who will tell your story? Whose life will you inspire? This is your moment. Don’t you dare waste it!

God bless you! God Bless the United States of America, and, may the God of mercy and truth prosper you and all your ways.

Thank You.

[1] Proverbs 11:3

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

Thank You, Joseph Jackson: An Homage to Black Fatherhood

I know, we've all heard or read the stories of mean 'ole' Joe Jackson, the menacing patriarch of the Jackson clan, who "traumatized" his children into becoming the greatest family entertainment franchise since the Bachs of the Baroque period. This Arkansas native whose own children never referred to him as father or dad "terrorized" them so, that they could only find "refuge" in worldwide fame and untold wealth. Joseph Jackson is a man so "disturbed" that he actually raised a son with such compassion that his charity work makes Angelina Jolie look like Leona Helmsly. As if that isn't "bad" enough "Monster Joe" actually stood by his late son's side (and vigorously defended him), along with his entire "dysfunctional" family, every single day of those infamous child molestation allegations and trials (for which he was cleared of all charges). So what in the world am I doing thanking this "beast?"


Flawed, I have absolutely no doubt that Mr. Jackson is very much so. In fact, I have no doubt that some of the late Michael Joseph Jackson's questionable behavior and identity issues are rooted in his strained relationship with his father. After all, our identity and validation comes directly from our fathers. I have no doubt that there was a longing in the heart of the late superstar, possibly common to all of his siblings in which he desired a deeper, more intimate, relationship for which he may have never experienced. However, may I suggest when we think of the Joe Jacksons of the world, perhaps we should look at them in the whole, as oppose to the filtered pieces we've been fed.

I am no Joe Jackson biographer, but, it doesn't take a genius to know that Joseph Jackson is a hard man, molded by even harder times. This is not uncommon for men of his age, especially Black men born, like Joe Jackson, in the deep South (Arkansas). As a father, one can only assume he did what he knew. It is very likely his father was just like him, in fact, he might have been worse. But, there is also that glaring factor about being Black in the Western Hemisphere we seldom ever acknowledge; you have to be twice as good to get just as much. Such factors, in addition to a multitude of others, particularly during that time might have led to some overzealous parenting. However, such factors have also produced many great legacies as well; much like the one for which we celebrate and mourn at this very hour. We know gold is purified by way of severe heat, diamonds are produced via intense pressure, and butterflies come forth only by way of painful metamorphosis, yet, we seem bewildered that genius like that of the Gloved One was rooted and forged in such a manner. "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights.*" Michael's is hardly a life to be mourned or pitied. In more ways than the obvious it can be envied. How many wannabes, should be's and could have beens are living lives far beneath their worth because they never had a father committed to their perfection? It is clear, flaws and all, there would be no Michael Jackson or Jackson legacy had there been no Joseph Jackson to mold them. One of the great paradoxes of fatherhood is that, no matter how well intentioned your chastening, you run the risk of incurring the wrath of your children.

Perhaps it was that boyish voice, his almost painfully, demure, personality, or his slight and sometimes frail physique that might have caused us to look upon the late King of Pop, as a timid and tortured man-child yearning for a childhood he supposedly never knew. But, a second and unmystified glance will certainly grant a rather vivid reality, that our favorite Peter Pan was as fierce as Captain Hook. Every ounce of the Michael Jackson brand was diligently and carefully crafted, and maintained via a monk like discipline. From the stage, to the mystique, to the boardroom, by all accounts (and some commonsense observation) Michael Jackson was a force to be reckoned with, hardly the wilting flower we were so thoroughly convinced to believe he was. No matter what Hollywood tells you, genius is no accident. Even the most divinely gifted need cultivation.

Joseph Jackson's imperfections may very well exceed anything we can ever know, but I haven't a doubt in my mind, he loved Michael Jackson and continues to love his children. Despite himself, 'ole' Joe had to do something right, as did the fathers of such luminaries as, Michelle Obama, Prince, Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Beyonce Knowles, Venus and Serena Williams, the Winans family, Roy Jones, Jr., Kobe Bryant, Ervin "Magic" Johnson, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., among a great many others. Every single one of these icons (and icons to be), including the Jacksons, cite their fathers as the reason for their success; and despite the various degrees of those relationships (some better than others), they have all unanimously declared that they would not change a thing. In an age which applauds the chastisement of dead beat Black fathers from the likes of Bill Cosby, President Obama, and of course every other ranting and moralizing Conservative (as if the African American community has a patent on degenerate fatherhood), I think it only fitting that the same zeal be applied to applauding those Black fathers who have produced some of our nation's greatest and most revered icons, and that includes Joseph Jackson.

*Proverbs 3:12

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

The Best of My Fathers

You never really know how powerful you are until you become a father. It's simultaneously frightening and wonderful when you consider the sheer magnitude of the role. I take nothing away from mothers, but, considering the fact that this is Father's Day weekend, the only Holiday that actually puts a spotlight on men, I will focus solely on what it is to be a father. It wasn't until I lost my own father over a decade ago did I realize how important he was to me. However, it wasn't until I became a father did I realize how much I missed. I often think to myself how much he would have loved his grandchildren and how much they would have loved him. I was a most fortunate child. When one considers the fact that you can neither choose your parents or the conditions for which you are placed on this earth, I am surely blessed. According to every headline, statistic, and newsreel, my life is a miracle.

My fortune, my greatest gift, has indeed been my mother. From there everything fell into place. From her I never saw or heard of the impossible, all things were possible. From her I learned early, of the flaws of human nature, and that sometimes, even often, those whom we trust the most can cause us the deepest hurt. From her I learned to forgive my father before I even knew of his offense. Never did I hear an unkind word about him. Never did an unkind word come from her lips against me. Love and truth were in abundance. This is how I found salvation. "God is your father," imagine a four year old hearing that?"People will fail, even me..." imagine a four year old hearing that?! She never once sought to make light of my passage into this life. "This is not the ideal...this was not God's plan and it was certainly not mine...but, you are not a mistake." So as you can imagine, for me this lady was a living Superwoman. I can appreciate how easy it is to deify women. You carry so much. However, my mother was quick to let my brother and I know, she was no man. "I am not your father(s)...there are things I can never, ever give you...questions I will never be able to answer." Thus, the realization of my handicap. Who was going to navigate my way toward manhood?

But, alas, for reasons I cannot explain, God gave me grace. I was blessed with a variety of upstanding surrogates. Men like my Godfather, Joseph Wigfall, himself an artist and a man of deep principle, the late -great Dr. Walter J. Turnbull,* who literally made it his life's work to guide boys along the treacherous road toward manhood, my uncle, the late-great Willie Ben Iverson, who overcame a youth saddled with hatred toward his own father to become our family patriarch and a beacon of hope for countless men and boys in his community, my older brother, the Rev. David Sterling, who did his very best to teach me all that he knew, despite his own challenges, and a whole host of marvelous men of every age and every hue, who cared enough about me to give me their ear, their wisdom, their time, and their love.

My father, though a cameo performer in my life, was still significant. Every time I was with him it mattered. I felt complete in his presence. Our time, though sporadic, was meaningful. However, our last moments as I later realized would arguably be the most sacred moment of my entire life. It was, Thursday, March 25, 1999. We were parked in his car across the street from my barbershop in Harlem. This is symbolic, because as most Black men will agree, for us, the barbershop is the most liberating place on earth. The only place, aside from our own homes where we can take off the social mask and be ourselves, unjudged and unfiltered. It's the place which we are fully understood, accepted, and affirmed. Moreover, the barbershop has also acted as a safe haven for many a black boy seeking to absorb any remnant of manhood that could be found. Various generations and experiences congregating in one space, issuing sweet and essential nuggets of wisdom, coupled with often hard, yet, necessary clusters of truth, all the while grooming you to face the world for yet another week. It was there my father and I sat, in front of the place which played substitute to him on many occasions.

He had been anxious to see me for over a month. My life during this time had gone into overdrive. I was overwhelmed by new found success and I wasn't necessarily the most pleasant person to be around. We had agreed to meet at 1pm at my mother's apartment. She made us lunch, we ate, and headed to the barbershop. He eased into why he needed to see me. Being the proud Caribbean* that he was, he immediately let me know that it was "'your mother's idea' that we spend more time together." He gave me some much needed advice about handling my money, keeping in touch with those closest to me and in his broken, yet, sincere manner he began to explain himself. He revealed the hatred he harbored for his own father and how in many ways that hatred caused him to become the very man he hated. Like him, his father was unable to live faithfully with the wife of his youth (or any woman for that matter), like him, his father was abused, and like him, his father was abandoned. He told me how he had to learn to forgive his father, and in his own broken and sincere way hoped I would do the same for him. My heart wept. All this time and he hadn't known how much I loved him. He hadn't known that I'd forgiven him long ago. Indeed, "our doubts are traitors to things we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."* No child wants their father to be Superman, he just needs him to be. For I had learned that no one, not even a child, has the right to exalt another human being beyond their own capacity.

Suddenly, it happened in just a few words. He said the very thing that has stayed with me for over a decade. The words that haunt, yet, inspire me whenever my humanity and the sins of my fathers threaten to overcome me... "you have to be a better man than me." Struggling against his pride, I could hear a restrained yearning in his voice when he said it: "you have to be a better man than me." With those words he had given me a father's greatest gift, validation. A father's validation or approval can never, ever be underestimated. Those words and the manner in which he said them made it clear to me that despite himself, he had the utmost confidence in me to end the very cycle which had ravaged our family for decades. Despite himself, he figuratively laid his hands on me, as the patriarchs of old and gave me his blessing. Perhaps one might think it unfair to issue such a responsibility without having equipped the recipient. However, if truth be told, it is neither a question of what is fair? or how this is to be done? But, rather an act of faith on the part of the one giving the blessing. Certainly, he could not see nor predict the kind of man I would become. But, I am convinced that he saw in me the best of himself, and that I indeed possessed the capacity to exceed him and our fathers. Thus, he believed in me and when your father believes in you, nothing is impossible. Alas, I was the son in whom he was well pleased. Alas, I was whole.

Sometime during the afternoon of Friday, March 26th he was gone from this world. This was without a doubt the most traumatic period of my life. Yet, in the midst of my sorrow, I found myself grateful to God for having equipped me with the love needed to forgive and understand my father for who he was. I was grateful because through love, I was equipped to accept my father's greatest gift to me, and it is through that love that I am able to allow the best of my fathers to live through me. I sometimes ponder who I would be had I allowed myself to be consumed by the sting of my father's absence? I shudder from the very thought.

Today, with my beloved children, his grandchildren, I am everything I so desired him to be and I know he would be proud. Among the greatest joys of my life is that my children actually take my presence in their lives for granted. They simply believe in me. What a remarkable responsibility? Ideally my hope is that I leave my children a good name and an honorable heritage. But, above all else, I pray they know now and all the days of their precious lives, that despite my humanity, I believe in them and that I am well pleased.

"When the sins of our fathers visit us
We do not have to play host.
We can banish them with forgiveness
As God, in His Largeness and Laws."

August Wilson

*Founder, The Boys Choir of Harlem
* Trinidad-Tobago
*From Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

The Overexposure of Barack Obama: A Lesson in Feigned News

FINALLY! They got him. Can you believe it? The first African-American President in our nation's history, who just so happens to embody the charisma of a superstar (and an equally charismatic wife), is overexposed! Oh, for shame. Who would have thought that after the most heated Presidential campaign in recent memory topped off by a historic first, people would actually want to see and hear from this guy? Well, if you believe what you read or hear the public has had it with this, globally favored and highly competent Statesman hogging up our air time. So, after building entire news cycles around him (some their careers...cough, cough...Keith Olberman), the press now seeks to create new news cycles around telling the world how "overexposed" he is.

Here's where things get weird for me. I actually find myself respecting the Neo-Conservative Right Wing press. At least, they actually try to make up news. Yes, they lie and slander, but even the likes of Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh can come up with better nonsense than, he's "overexposed." This latest in a string of faux news comes courtesy of the bent back Liberal Leftist press, seeking to counter act charges of their supposed "love affair with Obama," as is often alleged by their far Right counterparts. So, in an attempt to get Bill O'Reilly to stop picking on them, it would seem, the latest Liberal think tank got together to show the world that they too can lay into that Barack Obama: "O is for Overexposed!" And they're supposed to be the smartest people in the room?

Pardon me, but, did we not just experience eight years (actually 16 if we're being honest) of a secretive Administration, which did everything it could to thwart transparency and accountability of any kind and at any cost? Did we not just experience eight years of one of the most incompetent world leaders in the history of the world? Yet, when we lift our heads and see a President who actually wants to engage us, keep us up to date with authentic Town Halls (not the Bush/McCain kind which screened questions and booted reporters they didn't like), and challenge us to keep him and his administration accountable, we're told to shun this, "for it is overexposure?" Sorry, but I'll have to pass. If actually knowing what my President and his administration is up to means I'll have to miss a few episodes of the latest reality show craze, then so be it. I'm not going back into the dark.

Copyright 2009

My Address to the State Assembly

May 28, 2009

Dear Committee:

On behalf of the Parents, Teachers, Staff, and Friends of West 83rd Street Pre School of St. Matthew’s St. Timothy’s Neighborhood Center Inc., we thank you for the opportunity to address you here today. We appreciate your service to our great City and State, and your advocacy for our families and schools. As parents we have always found security in the hope that our children might be able to make a better life for themselves and a better world out of the one we have given them. This hope is and has always been fostered by the liberating power of education. As was so clearly displayed by the recent and historic nomination of New York’s very own, Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States, education is the great equalizer.

Aside from a parent’s vigilance and love, early childhood education is a time tested and proven means of molding a child, regardless of their background or challenges, into a productive citizen and asset to their community. Therefore, the very fact that testimony is even needed in regards to this abhorrent and disastrous proposal to essentially eliminate services for over 3000 children by the Administration for Children’s Services and cram them into inadequate public schools is rather morbid. Furthermore, the fact, that this dastardly deed is proposed in dark corners without the knowledge of the public testifies to how low down it is. However, we dare not suggest that an issue of this magnitude is merely, black or white. One way or another we are all culpable. From not so honorable elected officials from the Federal, State, and Local levels to apathetic citizens and negligent parents, the Administration for Children’s Services is hardly a lone assailant in this crisis. “He, who is without sin, cast the first stone.[1]” We must all shoulder some accountability in allowing such a thing to even occur.

However, this so called “cost-saving” measure will cost us more than we can possibly imagine, and I don’t just mean the estimated $7 million dollars it will cost taxpayers[2]. The parents who I speak for through this testimony are hardworking citizens, who are doing everything this City and State could possibly ask of them, and in some cases more. Many are not only working full time jobs, but, they are also enrolled in institutions of higher learning to better serve their families and our communities at large. Mothers, like Nowahyah Levi (No-y-yah Le-vee), who graduates today with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and will pursue her Masters. Fathers, like Cristian Nunez, who has completed studies in the field of medicine. To limit their choices, is to limit them as a family, and to limit them as a family is to hinder ourselves as a community. I ask those who are considering this “cost-saving” measure to also consider what it will mean for families whose children require special needs’ care? I ask them to consider how easy it is for such cases to get lost in the already over burdened public school system? Without these vital services, the possibility of their advancement as a family and ours as a community is grim. Have we not yet learned the steep price we as a society pay when we neglect to “love our neighbor, as ourselves?[3]”

For those who sit on the sidelines and assume this is a problem that only concerns the working class or low income families, think again. In a stirring and eye opening article published in New York Magazine (May 24, 2009) entitled: “Five year Olds at the Gate…” we are given, live and in living color a courtside view of a crisis that has reached far beyond the discomforts and oft ignored concerns of working class and low income families: “…the ultimate act of political cowardice…” says Michael Beebe, a hedge funder whose daughter has been wait listed by a school three blocks from their loft. Clara Hemphill, founding editor of Insideschools.org asserts “it’s a crisis of parental confidence in the system… The chancellor’s idea of equality is that middle-class parents should be treated with the same disdain as poor parents.” These parents and many more like them are experiencing the limited and inadequate choices, that working class and low income families have been saddled with for decades. We are all New Yorkers now: black, brown, yellow and white; blue collar, white collar, no collar at all.

Today, we all share in the indignity and blatant betrayal of the public trust. Today our confidence in the system and those whom we have elected to guard it is forever altered. I can assure you, in the upcoming Mayoral election, the elections of 2010 and elections thereafter, We the People will certainly not forget under whose watch our children’s future has been compromised. There is a groundswell of zealous, grassroots, activism that is neither mystified nor intimidated by heavily funded campaigns or their candidates hollow promises. Our eyes are open and our minds are clear; and we know what is at stake for our beloved City.

There’s something quite disturbing when a society elects to honor the bottom line, at the expense of people. Indeed, the “love of money is the root of all kinds of evil![4]” We are cheating ourselves and furthermore, we are fooling ourselves if we find comfort in bailing out criminal bankers and financial institutions, yet, leave the following generation ill equipped to maintain and grow our economy. We are fooling ourselves, if we are more concerned with building prisons and over priced real estate as opposed to state of the art schools that will enable our children to compete in this ever evolving global economy. We are fooling ourselves if we believe that these “cost-saving” measures will only be enacted in New York. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.

I urge our distinguished Assembly to stand with us, the citizens of this great City and State. Fight for early childhood education. The children we neglect today, we will surely answer to tomorrow.

CHILDREN FIRST!

Sincerely,
Johnathan L. Iverson
President
Parent Advisory Committee

[1] John 8:7 of the New Testament (Bible)
[2] The Daily News on March 26, 2009 in an article entitled “Kid Cuts Cost Us.”
[3] St. Matthew 22:36-40 Leviticus 19:18 of the Old & New Testament (Bible)
[4] 1st Timothy 6:10 of the New Testament (Bible)

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

Black Men on Her Mind

Yes, I know, she's not mentally stable, right? She had a bad childhood or she was just unhappy in her marriage. I have no doubt these and many other excuses will be used to gloss over the fact that Bonnie Sweeten of Pennsylvania is nothing more than a narcissistic criminal who also happens to be, like many Americans, a closeted racist with underlying fears of big Black men coming for her in the dark of night.




Let me bring you up to speed for those who don't know. Mrs. Sweeten, your average "all American" girl, decided that she would steal here co workers identity and take a trip (with daughter in tow) to Disney Land. However, for some odd reason she decided to phone the police and claim that she and her daughter had been abducted by, you guessed it...two black men. Now already when I heard that story I knew it was bogus: 1) Kidnapping isn't apart of the Black crime repertoire and 2) Black guys have a hard enough time with our own children, we don't need anymore. However, when white women scream, "help, a Negro's got me!"The nation shuts down and the boys in blue (and in sheets) are off to the "rescue." Fortunately, this case was resolved in a matter of days and "our dreamer" was found out. I reckon with all the practice law enforcement has had in these matters, this might have been a record.


But, the greater point for me is of course, why me?! What is it that would cause her to concoct such a ruse? The same question was asked in 1994, when South Carolina mom, Susan Smith while caught up in an adulterous affair, which her kids hindered, decided to drown them in her car and blame, you guessed it, a Black man. She even came up with a composite sketch. Now that's amazing. Oh, how the country (well most) bought her heart breaking tale hook, line, and sinker until only nine days into the investigation it was discovered that Susan Smith was a liar and a murderer. The same was asked of, Charles Stuart of Boston, Mass. in 1989 when he claimed a black man shot and killed his pregnant wife, Carol. This sent the already racially volatile city of Boston into a state of upheaval. The underlining racial divide that had already existed came out live and in living color. Civil liberties were non existent, some negro was gonna pay. But, here again, Charles Stuart was found out to be a liar. He had actually hired his brother to murder his wife and like the coward that he was, upon being found out, he decided to end his life.



These and many scenarios like them have been the catalyst for some of our nation's most notorious race riots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3P34Zih01U&feature=related). Many affluent African-American communities were annihilated because a white person (primarily female) stoked the flames of unconscious white fear, by claiming a Black person had assaulted them in some way. This is nothing new and from the looks of it, the tradition continues.


copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

You Didn't Really Think America Was Going to Vote For "Him" Did You?

Perhaps some of you were under the impression that American Idol is a singing competition, as Simon Cowell so often and dishonestly likes to muse. Well if last night's choice for this year's American Idol did not convince you otherwise, nothing will. Even winner Kris Allen was stunned to hear his name called. He had a look of shock to rival that of the prosecution in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. This has never been a singing contest, but, rather a search for our next, well, Idol. It goes beyond vocal prowess, it's about a package: the look, the story, the talent, etc., Oh, but wait a minute, I think Mr. Adam Lambert possessed all of those things in excess. So, dude what happened?

Well as our favorite dawg, Randy Jackson and company so often implied in their critique of Mr. Lambert, he was a bit much to take in. We just don't know "what to make of you." Don't you just love the power of language? You can imply the obvious or what everyone is thinking without actually saying what you mean, thus, giving yourself an out in the event you're called on it. It's like Glenn Beck's assertion that he's not a journalist, but, rather a "commentator on life." Which we all know just means that he's a spin golly of ...(wait, my mother's reading this). You get the picture. It was obvious to anyone with ears, from the moment Adam Lambert opened his mouth that he was far and away their most gifted contestant yet. Even more impressive was his musical sensibilities. To take a well worn song and literally turn it into your own is quite the artistic feat. But, did he have to be so..."you know?" Yes, I know, "comfortable" with himself. So, flamboyantly, fabulously, at ease with what most Americans aren't very at ease with.

During the 2008 Presidential Campaign much was made about America's emotional state of mind when it came time to walk into the ballot box. The Bradley Effect* was often the topic of conversation. "Can White America actually bring themselves to pull the lever for a Black man?" Well, on that historic November evening we got a resounding reply: "Yes We Can!!!" And why not? With a tanking economy, two wars, a ravaged health care system and abhorrent education system, it's about time we hand the nation over to the Blacks. After all, they're pretty good at cleaning up messes, right? Besides the last thing we need is some geezer keeling over from exhaustion, during the State of The Union Address or in the midst of yet another farce of a Middle East peace talk, because he forgot to take his mid morning nap.

So, yes, my fellow Americans we are emotional voters indeed; and there was no way in a 100 million votes (Idol's highest ever), we were going to make one of "them" our Idol. After all, what would that say about us? What would the world think? We had to play it safe, go for the square jawed, all American, heart throb, with the boyish charm and limited vocal facility. After all we know who he is. He's one of us and he makes us feel comfortable. We'll just give that "other one" second place - but, buy up his albums in mass numbers like the good closeted fans that we are. Besides, it worked out pretty well for that "other one" (Clay Aiken).

*The infamous 1982 California election for Governor, in which every poll projected , then Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley (a Black man) the winner. Yet, when it actually came time to vote, good 'ole liberal California just couldn't bring themselves to actually vote for him.

copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

The Fight We Cannot Afford to Lose

Many of our fellow citizens are being overwhelmed with the anxiety and despair that comes with such an economic downturn. Everywhere we turn there seems to be no hope; and yet, at this very hour, when our citizens are at their lowest, they find their children being punished for the incompetence of yet another failed institution we have entrusted to service us. The Administration for Children's Services' proposal to essentially eliminate their Kindergarten programs by farming out over three thousand five year olds into inadequate, inconvenient, and overcrowded Department of Education run schools, in addition to the canceling of Universal Pre-K contracts is appalling to say the least.

What I find so disturbing is the underhanded manner in which these issues are being handled. Let us make no mistake, if this can happen in New York, this can happen anywhere. Therefore, I deem this a national crisis. Essentially the goal as I see it is to privatize the Daycare system and create a permanent underclass. It is vile and lowdown and done with complete apathy and a smile. The fact that such a proposal is even being considered only stands to prove that as a City, State, and nation when push comes to shove, The God in Whom We Trust is our money. We hate the true and living God, that is proven by our priorities. We can bail out criminal bankers and financial institutions, but, somehow lack any remnant of humanity when it comes to protecting our children and their future. This is not only despicable, it's illogical. Have we not yet learned that the children we neglect today, will be the children we will account to tomorrow?



There are parents whom I represent, as President of the Parent Advisory Committee at West 83rd Street Pre School, that have had the rug completely pulled out from under them. They have and are doing everything we as a community could ever ask of them, and then some. Not only are our parents holding down a means of employment (some even more), but, many are attending institutions of higher learner so that they might be able to better serve their children and our community at large. It is an undisputed fact, that early childhood education is a vital component to a child's progress into adulthood. What good will it do us to save an economy for which we leave our children ill equipped to maintain and grow it?



Our Mayor recently met with the President in Washington, D.C. He was accompanied by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich. They have come out to head a campaign which allegedly seeks to close the achievement gap. I find that rather odd considering our Mayor seems to be completely mum regarding his constituents and their children being used to make space in his budget. Yet, as much as I'd love to crucify our public officials and their dubious programs (ACS), I am reminded that this is our city. Vigilance is the price we pay for liberty. Parents and citizens alike have been warned for years about the importance of their participation in the political and education process, and many still refuse to attend a simple Parent Teacher Association or Parent Advisory Committee meetings or even register to vote. Many even at this desperate hour are content in their ignorance, content to leave their children to a system of strangers. Scripture decrees that we build our house on a rock, so when the storm comes we are able to withstand it. Make no mistake this is indeed a storm. However, in this City and in this country, We The People are that rock. We do each other a great disservice by wallowing in convenient ignorance and unaccountability.



Something is wrong! And it is not our economy. We can always find a way to create commerce, but, the very soul of a nation is its families. The process which causes that nation to evolve is education. When I think of my country in its backward state, I am reminded of God's warning to the budding nation of Israel: When you come into prosperity...do not forget the Lord thy God. No nation in the history of the world has experienced more opulence and liberty as the United States of America. Yet, I submit to you despite it all: our innovations, our liberties, our commerce - the same universal, time tested rules apply. No nation is more valuable than its people. This is a fight we cannot afford to lose.

*Thus far, there have been a number of protest at City Hall (most recently on May 6th) addressing this issue. Unfortunately, media coverage has been scarce to say the least. Tuesday, May 19th there will be another Rally in Albany, New York. If you'd like to attend please contact 212-927-1899 for details and to RSVP a place on the buses that will be provided.*

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

A Holiday of Grace

This weekend as those of the Jewish tradition congregate for Passover, they will reflect on perhaps the most sacred moment in their storied journey as a people, the eve of their deliverance from bondage at the hands of the Egyptians. They will recount the extraordinary story of their Exodus. The elders will tell how God used the most unlikely individual (at least in accordance to our very human standards) to lead this great Exodus. They will marvel at how this ill tempered man, this man slow of speech, a man, who in his own clumsy pursuit of justice would in fact commit murder, could actually find himself exalted, not merely as a servant of God, but as “a friend of God.” Surely they will speak of the wonderful miracles God performed by the hand and staff of this most “humbled” individual. But, no moment in this epic account will be more stirring than that of the first Passover.[*] In the month of Abib or Nisan (which corresponds with April-May), which at the time was the first month of the year for the Jews, every Israelite home was instructed to take a year old male lamb (or goat) without blemish or defect. On the fourteenth day of the same month the lamb would be killed at twilight. Some of the blood was to be sprinkled upon their respective door post. Upon seeing the blood, the Lord, while enacting His vengeance upon the Egyptians, would pass over the respective homes of the Israelites, not allowing the destroyer to enter there in and slay them.

The Christian will congregate with fellow believers in their chosen place of worship, likely adorned in their finest attire, to celebrate the Resurrection of the Savior. They will hear how this man whose life was a template of authentic love and truth, the kind that has never been before or since, raised the dead, opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the ears of the deaf, healed every imaginable infirmity, both literally and figuratively. They will hear how he displayed a fiery zeal for the House of God, challenged the wayward religious order, and dined with sinners and society’s outcast. They will hear how this unblemished life would experience the sting of betrayal, suffer, and die by way of one of the cruelest methods of execution known of at the time, Crucifixion. However, they will be reminded, that that which humanity meant for evil, God meant for good. That which was made to stifle their hope was in reality, orchestrated to bring them salvation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life.”[†] For the Christian this day, much like the Jewish Passover is in fact a Holiday (Holy Day) of Grace.

[‡]Grace: 1. a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior 2. Mercy; clemency; pardon. 3. The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
This is the time when we come together and reflect on God’s “unmerited favor…mercy.” This is the time when we all have the chance to reflect on our very fragile, finite, and all too flawed humanity; and how despite ourselves, God loves us enough to Passover our shortcomings and our perpetual sins. He loves us enough to offer a covering of eternal Salvation. “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of host.”[§] Thus, He offers His Passover not in accordance to our own efforts, but, in accordance to His mercy and love. This Holiday holds the distinction of being the only Holiday which should cause us to mourn and rejoice simultaneously. If we honestly consider ourselves, i.e. take stock of our lives, none of us can seriously conclude that we are without need of grace. And upon coming to that conclusion, and knowing our most desperate need, who are we to withhold such a gift from others? During this Holiday, more than any other, we are reminded that grace is indeed love’s most sacred and enduring trait. A trait which makes it illogical for love to be anything but a verb and thus, makes it impossible for us to apply authentic love without the mercy of its Author.

How ironic that these sacred Holy Days have their origins in spring? Spring is not only symbolic of a merciful passage from winter, but, a new beginning or even more so, a resurrection. Following that first Passover, the Hebrews did not remain another day in Egypt; they made their exodus from bondage after 430 years. They were no longer subject to the indignity and disgrace of slavery, they were now free to live their lives as God intended. The Christian who professes Jesus Christ can no longer remain in their respective “Egypt” lest he make a mockery of the grace afforded him. Therefore, let us understand that grace is not something we ought to Passover, but, rather accept as a merciful invitation to spring forward. This Holiday let us remember this gracious and divine favor, which offers us pardon from our yesterdays (and the mercy we ought to afford others). That which we have been slaves to or continue to be enslaved by, let this Holy Day remind us that there is a Divine Emancipation indeed, which awaits all who are willing to accept. Let us Spring forward through the gift of grace far beyond the cold, dark, storm of our respective winters. For on this day, we are a free people indeed. For it is written, “old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”[**]

Grace to you and yours, have a happy holiday.




© 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson-Baptiste
[*] Exodus: Chapter 12
[†] John: Chapter 3 Verse 16
[‡] The Random House Webster's College Dictionary
[§] Zechariah: Chapter 4 Verse 6
[**] 2 Corinthians: Chapter 5 Verse 17

Rush Limbaugh: American Hustler

Can you hear it? It's the sound of bling. The infamous cash register ring that reverberates with every purchase. It's the sound Rush Limbaugh makes every single time his name is uttered in the mainstream press. The Walrus of Talk Radio is swimming in doe and making good on that $400 Million Dollar contract he recently signed. But, it might as well be a bounty, because when someone or someone(s) pay you that kind of cash just to run your mouth, they tend to want results; and thus, far the unofficial voice and head of the GOP is making every dollar count.



Depending on one's perspective, he's either easy to love or very easy to hate, but, in the hot tradition of many o' polarizing figures there is no middle ground when it comes to Rush Limbaugh, leave that to those broke journalist, Limbaugh's cash flow resides on both ends of the aisle. "Don't hate the player, hate the game." Rush Limbaugh is an American hustler through and through. He knows his craft and his audience intimately. He is highly competent in stoking their passions. He's their pied piper. He speaks to their sensibilities. With coded language he strokes their subconscious and very conscious White insecurities. Despite his privileged upbringing, he leads them to believe he is just like them, one of the folks. Personally, I believe Rush Limbaugh is about as Conservative as I am a Vegan. No one who is a four time divorcee, glutton, drug addict can possibly be authentically Conservative. But, he's in too deep. He's preached his gospel for far too long to ever have a conversion; and with $400 Million, why would he become a believer now? His sponsors are not paying him to be objective, but, to continue in the reckless tradition of sowing discord. Unfortunately, for his beloved Party his gift of discord and rabble rousing comes eerily close to being the death knell of a Party which is already in a vegetative state.



Who would have ever thought that an innocent reference to Limbaugh from the President of the United States himself, reiterated by his Chief of Staff, would cause such a ruckus in the Republican Party? Some have suggested the move was quite Machiavellian on the part of our President and his Chief of Staff. Considering the present state of the Republican Party, if such a thing is true, then in the words of the late great Isaac Hayes, President Obama is one "bad mother...Shut your mouth!"






copyright 2009 JLI