“E PLURIBUS UNUM”

 HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, BECOME ONE FOR EACH OTHER? 

A while back, Americans fought amongst themselves to determine the fate of indentured servitude. One Hundred sixty-five years later that very same fight has resurfaced and permeated our society. Since the end of our Civil War, a surprisingly large number of citizens still feel that the United States of America is a “white supremacy” Country.

The rise of Black success across the full spectrum of politics, business, and Society has brought to the surface all the racism and bigotry that was lying just below that surface for decades. A pathetic few Whites were heartbroken and outraged by the catastrophe that followed Hurricane Katrina. The aftermath of that storm made it clear that our lack of a political backbone has life-and-death consequences.

 

With no one to speak for them, hundreds of thousands of people - largely Black, poor, and elderly - were left behind to die. It wasn't just Black folks and it wasn’t just Puerto Rico. Poor, sick, and elderly people of every color were abandoned too. 

"Anyone care for a roll of paper towels?"

When we work to make sure Black lives and interests are encouraged and promoted fairly, we do the same for all who have been left behind in political silence.

How do you start this challenge? I give you one word: EDUCATION. Ensure that every neighborhood in the Country delivers a quality, fair, and just Public education. Get rid of this ridiculous “common core” curriculum. The US Department of Education dismantled meaningful teaching and learning in our public school system years ago and threw out traditional and important segments of our National curriculum: reading, writing, arithmetic. For good measure, throw in some math, geography, history, a second language, art, etc.

I continue to be angry, frustrated, and disillusioned that we are still having a debate about racism, bigotry, and segregation.

This time we had better get it right.