Out of The Mouth of Our Youth

AJ Spencer, (left), Jaren Mitchell, (right) and Darryl Sanders, not pictured will be joining me this Sunday to discuss issues and concerns that are on the minds of our young people. They are students at Wicomico High School. Some of the things we will talk about are the attitudes required for success, life after school, life after graduation, gangs, guns and grades. Join us on Sunday at 8:00pm on Magic 98.9.

Law Enforcement and A Distrusting Community

Retired State Police Officer Bill Harden Sr. was my guest this week on the Called2Action radio program. Bill has been a state police officer for well over two decades. Minority Communities are distrusting of law enforcement officers. A number of things have contributed to this. Instances of racial profiling, instances where deadly force was used, etc. We discussed the need to have racial diversity on the police staff; when should racial profiling be used? also discussed what is racial profiling. Do police officers used common indicators before they pull a driver over, for eg. black, young, driving an expensive car. Bill discussed the difference between citizen's advisory boards, and citizen's review boards. A citizen's review board reviews police actions that involves deadly force and makes a determination about the appropriateness of using deadly force. What ever happened to our outpost police stations? The level of trust between law enforcement and our community is growing.

24 Reasons Why African Americans Suffer?

On the Called2Action program we've been discussing some of the reasons and offering solutions to why African Americans Suffer. The reasons are cited in the book by the same name, author Jimmy Dumas. What are these reasons?

24) Fear 23) Homosexuality 22) Desire for Instant Wealth 21) Lack of Support from African American Athletes, 20) Ignorance about African American Contributions to Science and Technology, 19) Integration 18) Loss of Identity 17) Poor Health 16) Interracial Marriage 15) Insurance, 14) Lack of Business Resources, 13) lack of Investigative African American Media 12) Confusion about the Purpose of African American Fraternities and Sororities, 11) Lack of Spiritual Vision, 10) The Crisis Between Afican American Men and Women 9) the Jinx of Slavery 8) Lack of Morals, 7) Drugs, 6) Teen Pregnancy 5) Welfare, 4) Lack of Discipline, 3) Lack of Education, 2) Poor Money Management, 1) Lack of Unity.

What do you think? Is the author correct? We'll continue to discuss each of these area and talk solutions over the next few months.

Money, Money Money, How Do You Get It.

Spring Mollock made it to the studio this weekend, --- with police escort and all, only kidding. Some of Spring's thoughts --- our attitude leads to bad financial behavior --- poor financial choices, which helps to keep us in a state of surviving day to day. We must work on our financial literacy. Suggested books, Rich Dad, Poor Dad and the Millionaire Next Door. Build your credit. No credit is as bad as bad credit. Check you credit history and credit score. Credit History is free. Pay yourself weekly. Make sacrifices by not spending on things you can do without. Our problem is not how much we make, but how much we spend. Stop renting things like furniture, etc.

On Leadership with Edward Lee

Good discussion this past week with my guest Edward Lee, the most controversial African American Leader on the Shore. We discussed a bit of Carter G. Woodson's book on the Miseducation of the Negro, and connected its conclusions with what's happening to leadership in the region. Leadership on the shore is not as strong as it needs to be for a number of different reasons. (Those reasons were cited on the program). Every Leader on the shore should be involved in an organization that moves forward an agenda to aide the African American community, i.e. being a member of the NAACP, and working with other African American leaders.

The Region's Most Controversial African American Leader

This week's show (10/8/2006) guest will be the region's most controversial African American Leader, Edward Lee. The African American Pride magazine cited him as one of the 16 African American leaders on Maryland's Eastern Shore. I've placed the adjective "most controversial" before that title. We will be talking about Leadership on the "shore". Why are we not more effective in making social and political progress. Is it attributed to "leadership" or lack thereof? Can a controversial black leader accomplish anything in a conservative rural community?

I'll insert one of my top ten all time favorite books in the discussion, Carter G. Woodson's, "The Mis-Education of the Negro".

A System of Unequal Justice

Master JoAnn Asparagus was my guest this past week on Called2Action. Master Asparagus works in the court system in Talbot County. The basis of our discussion centered around Convenant III in the book, "The Covenant with Black America". Master Asparagus cited that personal responsibility is foremost in this regard. In my our words ---- we must distinguish between what is real and what is perceived. Many times we perceive the system to be unfair. When it is unfair we must address it. We must encourage our children to pursue an education in the judicial system, and not walk away from them and increase the chances of them becoming a participant in the system.