Saturday, October 06, 2007

Outstanding Discussion Between Julian Bond and Kevin Powell

Here is a great discussion that I meant to post yesterday...but didn't have time to.

It's a long overdue discussion about the direction of Civil Rights and the need for new blood- time for a younger generation of folks to get involved in the leadership.

Although I don't like the idea of "Hip Hop" leading the way, I do agree with Powell that it is time for change. Powell really stands up to Bond and says what has needed to be said for a long time.

This is a Must Hear discussion.

7 comments:

Constructive Feedback said...

Yeah it was AMAZING:


Spy vs Spy - Two Black Leftists Debate The Problems WITHIN The Black Community
http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2007/10/spy-vs-spy-two-black-leftists-debate.html

Anonymous said...

Like so many discussions of this nature it falls short. Who will stand up and scream over the "economic empowerment" crowd on one side and the "civil rights" crowd on the other and talk of the "moral, ethical and even spiritual" abyss that currently exists in the african american community?

No one is going to build a business where crime runs rampant. No one is going to hire someone who truly believes that being polite and courtious is a kin to being white. As if decency is a wholly white concept. Who truly believes that some of the most ruthless of brotha's and sista's would change if they were able to get a job at Macy's?

When someone wants to deal w/ the psychology of these issues honestly, text me.

Brian said...

Anonymous...

I agree with your observation. I immediately noticed that this was a missing piece in the discussion...and I was waiting for someone to bring this up. Kevin Powell seemed to completely leave that out.

The sinking system of values in the so-called "Black community" is at the heart of many of the problems that plague "Black America". Yes, economic empowerment is an important piece, but there will be no empowerment in cities where the criminal element is terrorizing the community.

Property values remain depressed, investors don't want to come in (and often refuse to do so), insurers refuse to issue policies or offer policies with ridiculously high rates, and banks refuse loans or will only give loans with interest rates so high that the venture becomes too costly.

We have two MBA's on here...maybe they could weigh in on the economic empowerment issue that Powell raised.

I think Powell has good intentions, but in my opinion, the economic empowerment piece is only a part of the solution. It cannot exist and be successful in a vacuum. Other elements have to come into play along with it. He made it sound like a end all solution to the problems in urban "Black America".

Brian said...

Constructive,

At least Powell mentioned economic empowerment...and eluded to self reliance.

Isn't this one of the main arguments of Black Conservatives?

Anonymous said...

AI,

Like you, I just get so sick and tired of the depth of the denial of our so called "leaders".

Its a sad day IMO when Louis Farrakhan is the voice of reason saying, "only black excellence can cure racism". Or my favorite, "racism is dying but black ppl need to let it die a natural death." I damn near spilled my beer after hearing that from him. Seems to me that an adherence to improving the self could make the fight against racism, poverty, disenfranchisement and civil injustice a much more manageable fight.

rikyrah said...

This was a very good discussion.

I've had problems with Bond for several years, and getting rid of the last head of the NAACP...I had hopes because of Mr. Gordon's background, and when they ran him out, I was done, because I thought Gordon was at least trying to get them up to the Year 2000.

I thought Kevin Powell made up very good points about economic development, but this is one of those times where I will have to agree with CF and AI - the lack of discsussion about the 'moral' compass of the Black community was disheartening. If they don't know how to read, if they aren't turning off the tvs and getting their children to attend to their education.

I did love Powell saying that he's tired of everything becoming a study, rally or march. That was on the money. Sounds a lot like Roland S. Martin, who has been on groups like The NAACP, the CBC with their weekend, Tavis Smiley - he has faulted them for not coming into this century by breaking down and investing in basic database software, and harnassing the groups that come in interest into something bigger. I could relate to Powell in that respect.

If this young generation doesn't know how to maintain a business, doesn't bother to get the background then how will they KEEP that business?

And ' Hip Hop' are the new leaders, then what are they bringing to the table on the moral concerns of the community?

There's very few in the Hip Hop generation who even talk about moral concerns.

And what the heck is ' Hip Hop Activism'? Name 3 things that it represents?

I do think Julian Bond was either disingenuous or just plain out of it when he said that he didn't really see this as a serious generation gap. Of course it is.

Constructive Feedback said...

[quote]Constructive,

At least Powell mentioned economic empowerment...and eluded to self reliance.

Isn't this one of the main arguments of Black Conservatives?[/quote]

My friend Angry:

Until THIS is purged from the Black community there is no "SELF RELIANCE":

http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2007/10/dependency-of-black-community-worse.html

Too many of our people are CONDITIONED.
Sure Jimmy Carter might have provided a jobs program that gave people money (from the government) into their pockets for some spending money. The key question is IF THESE JOBS WERE SO IMPORTANT (if there was ACTUAL productive benefit worthy of payment for services) why was it left to the stroke of someone's pen to PURGE these jobs?

Clearly the goal was to SEND MONEY TO BLACKS and have us performing MAKE WORK JOBS to stay out of trouble.

(Do you all ever think about how many of the policies that are POPULAR among the Black community would fare if we were ever in a nation by our own selves and thus had to PRODUCE the treasure chest of money from which these programs draw upon?

Am I "anti-Black" for asking that as much of the money/benefit received by the Black community be done IN EXCHANGE FOR something of VALUE that the Black person has done rather than as THIS COUNTRY'S expression of our value for every human being living hear? What happens if the mandate goes away? Do you have the SKILLS to receive payment because there is intrinsic value in what you can do?)