Over the last month, I had the privilege of reading two new books on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first was written by David L. Chappell, professor of modern history at the University of Oklahoma, titled “Waking From the Dream: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Shadow of Martin Luther King Jr.” The second was an advanced copy of Tavis Smiley’s latest book, “Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year,” which will be released in September 2014.
Both books chronicle the difficult last year of King’s life, but Chappell’s book begs the question, “How has the Civil Rights Movement advanced since King’s death?” When I was a child, I wondered who could lead the Black community. Who could fill the shoes of slain civil rights leaders and ensure that all people are treated fairly and have access to equal opportunities for success?
As we look at the Black community today, the biggest concern is not those who are keeping us from success, it is how we are impeding our own progress. There are three big issues for leaders to address for the future sustainability of the Black community: violence, education and discrimination.
VIOLENCE
In urban areas throughout the U.S., Black folks are shooting each other in outlandish numbers. This year alone, the Huffington Post reported that more than 40 people were shot over Easter weekend in Chicago, while Fox News reported that Philadelphia has already seen 52 murders in 69 days. In 2013, Fox News reported that 25 people were shot in New York City during a 48-hour period.
EDUCATION
Within our inner-city schools are some of the most brilliant people in the world, but modern-day urban culture encourages underperformance and mediocrity through poor decisions, peer pressure and negative multimedia images. For example, hip-hop music was once a genre of change—motivating individuals to move out of the ghettos and into better social standing. Today, rap music glorifies shooting, killing, drugs, money and sex.
Songs are filled with lyrics that kids memorize and reinforce every day by repeating the words, speaking those negative things into existence. Even white youth repeat the N-word (as heard in rap music) when talking to other white youth to signify that the two are boys. In fact, if you look up “my boy” on Urbandictionary.com, related words are: my dude, friend, homie and nigga. Not “nigger” but “nigga,” which, according to youth, has a different connotation and meaning.
With my own children, I realized that if they can recite lyrics to a song or words from a movie verbatim, they can remember math facts, the spelling of words, geography and much more. Derwin Smiley, a former Indianapolis public school teacher and the host of “The Derwin Smiley Show,” says, “Learning is fun and interesting in the suburbs, but in the inner cities, learning is a task filled with tests.”
Thus, education presents a risky proposition for students of color. Not only is there the threat of violence from their peers, but teachers and school officials appear to be threatened by the mere presence of some students of color. The U.S. Department of Education recently released a report showing that “although Black students made up only 18 percent of those enrolled in the schools sampled, they accounted for 35 percent of those suspended once, 46 percent of those suspended more than once and 39 percent of all expulsions, according to the Civil Rights Data Collection’s 2009-10 statistics from 72,000 schools in 7,000 districts, serving about 85 percent of the nation’s students.”
The report adds, “Black and Hispanic students—particularly those with disabilities—are also disproportionately subject to seclusion or restraints. Students with disabilities make up 12 percent of the student body, but 70 percent of those are subject to physical restraints.” While the overall dropout rate declined from 12 percent in 1990 to 7 percent in 2011, the quality of education in the inner city, when compared with the suburbs, is unacceptable. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan acknowledged this when he was quoted as saying to reporters, “Education is the civil rights of our generation.”
DISCRIMINATION
Compounding the issues of violence and an improper educational foundation is this issue of discrimination. And I’m not referring to the external discrimination imposed by Caucasians, but the bias that persists among the ranks: Light-skinned versus dark-skinned. Black versus white. Black American versus every other Brown ethnic group (e.g., Hispanic, African, Haitian, Asian, Indian, etc.).
James Brown had a song in 1968 that became a slogan: “Say It Loud—I’m Black and I’m Proud.” But today, young people of color don’t want to be called “African-American” or “Black.” They want to make a distinction that their skin tone is “Brown.” Even among other ethnic groups or abroad, being “Black” can be negative. My oldest daughter recently dated a young man of African descent and was told that his parents condemned dating Black females. They felt so strongly about it that they would consider deportation to prevent their son from dating young Black women.
Discrimination is still a powerful concept. T/here are those who believe we live in a post-racial society and would go to lengths to prove that discrimination is a historical notion, but discrimination within, and outside of, the Black community is real. Just look at the data for housing, employment, education, poverty and other leading economic indicators.
THE SOLUTION
Chappell’s book reminds us that we all have a responsibility to lead and keep the dream alive. There are many challenges that face Americans as a whole, and the Black community is so diverse that it is impossible for one person to assume the mantle for the many different interests, backgrounds and aspirations. The solutions to the issues are varied, but we need leaders and supporters who are positive, proactive and planning for the future.
In a recent Forbes article, New York Times best-selling author Kevin Kruse defined leadership as “a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards the achievement of a goal.” Considering that diversity implies that we all have different ways of achieving the goal, leadership implies that we ought to support others who are working to effect change. We must also stay informed and get involved. It is imperative that we all determine what we can do, where we are, to keep the dream alive.
Leah Smiley is the president of the Society for Diversity, the No. 1 and largest professional association for diversity and inclusion. It represents a highly specialized association of Fortune 500, nonprofit, government and education professionals throughout the U.S.
Founded in 2009, the Society for Diversity offers innovative educational programs to help organizations design and execute effective diversity and inclusion strategies. The Society for Diversity is also the host of the 2014 Diversity Leadership Retreat and the parent company of the Institute for Diversity Certification, which designates qualification credentials to diversity experts through a professional diversity certification program. For more information, visit www.societyfordiversity.org.