Comments: The New Jim Crow Online Documentary

I find that comments made online in response to a You-Tube video, a news article or whatever are awash with hate, racism, and insults. So, if there is one place I exercise the most restraint, it is making comments online. However, nine months ago, I watched The New Jim Crow Online Documentary and felt the need to respond to two comments made by HG and TR:

HG: I'm a white man, from the west coast, of lower middle class means. I live in a wealthy area with hardly any African Americans. That is due to a certain level of racism. I get that. Police routinely harass black men just because they can. That is racism. I understand that. Prisons are disproportionately filled with black men when we all know that white men commit many crimes as well. That is injustice. I believe that. We have a serious problem in this country. Overall, black men trail other races in the area of income level. That is something that desperately needs to change. I watched this video because I care, and I despise racism. Having stated all of that, I have a serious question. When I was in university, I saw that African Americans were extremely underrepresented. There were many White, Hispanic, and Asian people of both sexes, but very few African Americans working toward their university degree. Why? What can we do to change that? There are many African Americans in the metropolitan area of Southern California where I live, but they are not educated as well as the other races. We have a high population of incarceration and a low level of education. That is very troublesome. I was a substitute teacher from 2003-2005. In my own professional opinion, the students who had recently immigrated from Africa were much more enthusiastic about their education than African Americans. What can we do to change that? Vietnamese people started to immigrate to the USA on a massive scale in 1975. They were poor, could not speak English, and lived in the ghettos of America. Yet, they escaped the ghettos while other races continue to languish in those ghettos. Why? What can we do to bring the level of education and income of African American men up to those of White men, or even Asian men? If that were to happen, it would certainly get rid of some of the injustices that we have seen in this documentary.

TR: Read the bell curve. What MSM and the apologists fail to mention is that nobody makes anybody commit a crime. That's voluntary behavior. The FBI DOJ crime stats separate black n white criminals. BUT ... included in white category are Latinos. If you were to separate the whites from latinos in the stats provided then white criminals diminish substantially and what you have is hi brown n black crime. Why? Education n work ethic. Simple.

My response was:

+HennaGaijin: Thanks for your humility, sincerity and respect. 

+tomas rader: I respectfully beg to differ. Reductionist theories can be dangerous, simplistic and downright uncritical; so that it lacks any room from substantial inclusive debates. To completely disregard such complex intergenerational history of subjugation, colonialism, trauma, slavery,  and everything else shoved down the unfair avenues of Blacks in America; only to reduce their predisposition to "apparently" high crime prevalence rates as a matter of choice, in my view, is naive, ignorant and condescending. A sophisticated introspective mind always tend to offer an opportunity for genuine learning exchange. Complicated issues in life and the intertwining conditions and factors could make one person prune to say "committing" a crime (or not). (Note my careful use of inverted commas on "apparently" and "committing" - go figure). 

HennaGaijin: now to attempt a response to your question (because I don't have the answer) , I think your current geographical location might partly explain the low representation of African Americans in your particular university. If you must know, I am not an African American, but I am Black from Africa. I'm a sucker for education. I have attended world-class universities on at least 4 continents on the globe. Most often than not, I'm the only black person in my class or program or one of very few. Again, this is partly due to where I have chosen to go to school. Notwithstanding, if you were to visit (for example) Howard, Spelman, or Morehouse universities, your observation will certainly be different.

Immediately after I posted my comments, TR reacted:
+Fynn Bruey: So lets take a look at tye cradle of civilization whete white men had very minor interactions wuth the heathens. Africa today. Your PC mindset will eventually get tou or someone you live killed, robbed, raped, or worse ... loose their very soul to rap. Nature or nurtures been bullshit from its inception .... like keeping it real keeps me alive and aware. I don't source from MSM or a doctorates thesis read online ... I go back to hardcover texts that taught and didn't indoctrinate. They ceased to exist after the fourth global warming climate change hoax ... greenhouse effect circa 1976. I only trust math now ... it can't lie or have a funding agenda. 

Then, that of DE's six months ago:
+Fynn Bruey: Well if intergenerational history of subjugation continues after the subjugation then something is the matter.

Alas, six hours ago, I woke up to a message in my inbox that SB has left a comment:
SB: The actual truth is hard to swallow. There is a disparity on the average IQ of different racial groups in America as follows: Blacks

Well, as I said earlier, I refuse to be dragged into a fit of rage and anger where much needed energy is wasted on frivolous arguments that usually lead to hate, racial slurs and insults. But I thought, since this is my critical thinking space, I could briefly respond to SB's comments here. Question! Why would anyone try to compare Asian-Americans to African-Americans regarding IQ test scores and incarceration rates? I guess it is easy to do, especially when it does not require much thinking/researching. Notwithstanding, here are three points SB and other could consider. One, IQ test scores are not reliable. Two, none of the 12.5 million Africans in 20,528 voyages across the Atlantic for almost 315 years were Asians. Three, the last time I checked, there was no law ever passed in the US to prevent Asian-American from acquiring education.

I could go on, but let me leave you with a message I read from a presentation made by Jeannine Bell at the Law and Society Annual Meeting in New Orleans early June -- a message a White person delivered to a Black family who recently moved into a so-called "White neighbourhood" in Chicago:

We don't know if you have realized this, but you and your family are niggers. We, as members of the white society, do not down the idea of having niggers living in our community. We are not happy to see our property values plummet to an all-time low. We have worked hard to bring up our property value with strict community restrictions. Since the real estate appraisers have learned that niggers live in our communities, we lost thousands of dollars on the resale to the nigger section in town, to another state or community, or to Africa where you really belong.

Yet Another Trek

I know, I know, I know...it's been almost a year. I have been neglectful in keeping up with my monthly postings. It's been an interesting journey in the last nine months: from successfully completing the final milestone of my PhD in August 2015, to returning to Liberia to present findings of the dissertation before completing it (almost there) and delving into new research and teaching opportunities. In early June, I presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting 2016 in New Orleans. Now, that was a real experience, not just of NOLA's wonderful food and friendly culture but certainly getting a glimpse of the reality of former slaves who returned to Liberia in the early 1800s. These days, I have been inhaling "hateful" toxins exuding out of America's election. You bet I certainly have my perspectives...you will soon find out.

I can't thank you enough for your continuous visits to my blog!

A Long Hiatus

GOSH in deed, new year came and 8 months have passed by. It is truly something to strive for completing a full PhD with enormous amount of empirical data in 2.5 years. Uh Huh! I know I am crazy. But there is nothing for nothing. You have to give something to have something. Please accept my sincere apologies for the long silence. Thanks for continuous reading and viewing...almost 16,000 hits now. I'm humbled.

No doubt that "the writing hiatus" is filled with bouts of highs and lows. Albeit, the most important thing is to keep the pace, reduce distractions and aim for the end-point. Speaking of "lows", two days ago I was embroiled with the former Deputy of the Executive Protection Service, Mr Darlington George brutal violence against a young woman in Liberia. Whilst I wholeheartedly welcome President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's immediate response; four issues/questions are disturbingly concerning:

1. Why do men (generally) in Liberia (specifically) have a sense of entitlement to control women's bodies? Where do they get the audacity and authority to physically inflict harm, pain, and suffering on women and girls? I think I know the foundation of patriarchy and male dominance but why must it be so? Aren't we human beings?

2. Is the President of Liberia (the Executive) interfering with the due process of law (Judiciary) when she says Mr George should report to the Ministry of Justice for further investigation? What other investigation would there be apart from a police one?

3. Why did Front Page Africa go out of their way to reveal the true identity of the survivor? Isn't there survivor protection law in Liberia (save Liberia's ratification of the ICCPR) that prevent media houses from revealing survivor's identity in certain sensitive circumstances?

4. Considering the supposedly high-profile nature of this case (i.e., the case involves a presidential guard), will the police and courts deliver fairly and justly in adjudicating for the survivor? In the candid words of Mamensie Kabba, a Female Activist: 

If it was an ordinary person who did what Darlington George did, that person would have been arrested by government, since it is someone who is around the President that's why he still passing around here and the girl is in pain.

It saddens me each day to see unfairness and injustice against women and children, yet the "Rule of Law Illusion" prevails.

Yesterday morning I woke up to Ahmed Mohamed's news. The first thought that ran through my mind was how simplistic, dismissive and condescending some ignorant people can be when they make comments like, "Black people are lazy" or "Africans are not intelligent". Without realizing the full impact of their actions, some are very good at Drawing the Global Colour Line to segregate and disenfranchise Black people. And if your name is Ahmed Mohamed and you live in America, then the stakes are even higher. You might think I am making a mole hill out of an ant hill. But I always think complex picture. Think about a bunch of 10-14 year olds watching Ahmed arrested, handcuffs, and interrogated by police without his parents or lawyers (partly why the United States of America would not sign on to the CRC) because his ENGINEERING TEACHER thinks he's created a bomb rather than a clock. How distasteful and offensive! The very teacher(s) who is supposed to inspire, support and be a mentor, is the very one who behaves as if s/he never went to school. Though troubling, I am so glad it all turned out well. Not only is Ahmed a positive force to be reckoned with, he gets to hangout with the President of the United States and the Founder of Facebook, Google and the list goes on. I do look forward to seeing Ahmed at MIT in readiness for his great inventions to revolutionise the world! Kudos my young friend.

Liberia, Ghana, and Australia - 11 Months of PhD Research Journey

Where do I begin? It's been over a year since I wrote the last blog. It must take undying commitment and interest to religiously return in hopes that you might just catch a fresh read. I deeply apologise. Life's journeys has taken intricate turns - filled with excitements, uncertainties, new beginnings and achievements. Here I am, 4am in the middle of India's most literate State, thinking about my unacceptable negligence. It's time to step up to the plate as 2015 closes in on us. Without further a due...

Updates: I am 21 months into my PhD program. It's been intensive with self-imposed deadlines. Life is worth more than studying and racking up degrees. Don't get me wrong, my life-spine is completely intertwined with education, as many as I can possibly obtain without the limits of an average lifespan. Yet, at the same time, I feel this strong urge to move on to greater things. Complete the PhD, get a job  with decent pay and be creative about how to contribute toward making a social justice difference. 

So, after 9 months, I was done with the first year milestones (proposal and ethics approval) in anticipation to embark on an 11 month data collection. Saving the minute details for the actual PhD dissertation, I begun data collection in Australia. Sitting at the feet of experienced Aboriginal women advocates was the beginning of incomparable learning peaks. By December, I was packed and ready for Liberia via Accra, Ghana. I left Liberia 1992, just after the "first war" subsided. I returned 18 years after for the first time in 2010. Since then I've stayed for a maximum of 6 weeks. This time, I'm going for 7.5 months. Am I ready for this considering how "colonised and imperialised" my thoughts, appearance, countenance, speech etc., have become. Please note, as a matter of survivor, I'm morally obliged to "decolonise" my mind on a regular basis as an active form of resistance to Western hegemony and resilience for sustaining critical thinking skills.

How many times did I cry? How many times did I ask myself, "what am I doing here?". How many times did I question my resolve to focus my PhD research on "violence against Indigenous women and girls?" Many times too often. You see, my passion for social justice, gender equality and ending violence against women and children is so strong that I will stop at nothing to fight the cause. But having such deep-seated passion doesn't mean that I am not vulnerable. My spirit is broken too often than I can bare to contain. The overt sight of violence against women and children in Australia and Liberia keeps me awake at night. Experiencing my own retraumatisation especially when still vulnerable to abuse after years of acquiring confidence through education; makes for a long breathless thought of hopelessness. In essence, it has been a intense 11 months of trying and testing.

Without dismay, be ye optimistic! Because in spite of, I am. In barely 20 months, I have officially completed my second year which ended with a successful mid-term review showcasing the wealth of data collected during my fieldwork. Semi-structure interviews, surveys, secondary statistics, court cases, informal conversations, specific targeted reports, unique case studies and more. Over 1400  literature have been reviewed and are currently being assessed. With this much heap of data, its perfect time to migrate and cocoon into the next stage...transcribing, analysis and writing. Care to know? Well, this next phase happens in a new space...watch this space.

PROFILE BY THE AU? YES...YOU READ IT RIGHT!

It is a bit challenging to keep up my monthly blog writing these days. My PhD, more than anything else in the world, takes precedence. Whilst I feel negligent and irresponsible sometimes for not blogging in a timely fashion, you've been loyal (THANK-YOU!). Visits has stumped to 9,556 from 5,000 in the last 4 months or so. I'm impressed and pleased with your hits, whether it is revisits or new visits.

So, two nights ago, I was asked to be profiled by the Communication Strategist of the OAU-AU 50th Anniversary Situation Room, African Union PSD Peace and Security Department for the upcoming High Level Peace Retreat in Cote D'Ivoire. I didn't think much of it, as I said, I'm in the depths of my studies right now. It was approximately 2am in the morning, I had just woken up to complete preparation for teaching later in that day.

I incoherently, gathered the information that was requested and shot it off reluctantly. It was only this very moment I received the click to the link that I realised that WHOAH! It is something! I am truly humbled and honoured to be a part of the younger generation of Africans using their experiences as war survivors to contribute to peace-building, conflict resolution and long-term development. Cote d'Ivoire...voila je viens!

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Pedro, Hermon, and everyone at the AU PSD Peace and Security Department! On the occasion of its 50th Anniversary...

WATCH THE CLIP

(REPRINTED): A CALL TO NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS - AS WE COMMEMORATE OUR 166TH INDEPENDENCE

This Message is reprinted with permission from the author: Moses P. Saygbe Jr.

In celebration of our 166th independence as the first free Republic on the continent of Africa, I am provoked by a national concern that impacts all Liberians both at home and in the diaspora. For 50 years the Executive Mansion has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the Liberian government and the Liberian people. As we observe our Country’s independence, we will likewise be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the construction and seven years since the unfortunate occurrence of a fire that damaged one of our nation’s most symbolic landmarks. When it was constructed, the Executive Mansion was the most contemporary structure on the continent and boosted pride for the people of Liberia. Upon the completion of the structure, President William V. S. Tubman visited the United States in September of 1963 to extend a special invitation to President John F. Kennedy. The invitation included the inauguration of another term of office for President Tubman and the ribbon cutting and dedication of the newly completed Executive Mansion scheduled for January of 1964. Regrettably, President Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963, shortly after the visit of President Tubman. It was also in 1963 when President Kennedy launched his first Peace Corps volunteer program in Liberia; signifying the United States commitment to funding programs and support for Liberia.    

The Executive Mansion of the Republic of Liberia, like the White House in the United States of America and presidential palaces in many African Nations,  isn’t simply a home to presidents or meeting space for running the affairs of the country, it’s also known as ‘The People’s House,’ a place that should be open to everyone. It is where foreign heads of State and other guests are received, and where many official ceremonies are conducted. The Mansion serves as one of the most important architectural symbols including the Seal, Flag, and National Anthem of our republic. Like the Executive Mansion, the White House in the United States has a unique and fascinating story; it was also destroyed by fire on three occasions, causing President Harry S. Truman to seek temporary residence elsewhere in the Capital. Nevertheless, the people recognize the important significance this place held; thus it was reconstructed to national prominence, preserving the historical detail of its architecture. Hence, this situation is not unique to Liberia, similarly to US, we too as Liberians can work to rebuild our beloved Executive Mansion.

 I can vividly remember as a child living in the following areas in Monrovia (Buzzy Quarter, Capital Bypass, Behind City Hall, and Bishop Brooks/Perry Street) which were all less than a mile from the Executive Mansion. Some of those personal experiences included; attending the annual Garden Party hosted by President & Mrs. William R. Tolbert, watching fireworks, seeing cars stopped and people saluting while the flag was being raised, and watching guards (soldiers and Secret Service Officers) in boots protecting the President and the people’s house. One evening after school at about 5:30 PM while walking home (from Demonstration Elementary School to City Hall), a soldier instructed me to walk across the street. I suddenly heard a voice say “NO! Come here young man”. It was the voice of President Tolbert. While walking towards this most famous person in my life at the time (with excitement and amazement) he engaged me in a conversation. He asked me, “what is your name and who is your father?”  What school are you attending? I responded with childlike confidence. After our brief talk, he shoke my hand and left me with these parting and inspiring words, “school is very important so do your best.” Say hello to your father and your principal Ms. Wilson”. He also mentioned knowing that my father worked at the Temple of Justice. I was very excited about that moment and shared it with my entire neighborhood and most importantly, I refused to wash my hand.

This narrative is not intended to reflect negatively on any government (past or present) but rather to build a sense of national concern and a call for national pride during our 166th independence celebration. Knowing the tragedy of events at the mansion over the last three decades, I am convinced that the renovation/re-construction of this symbolic landmark of our sovereignty would represent a new day, new pride, and optimistically an accomplished sense of nationalism. I also believe it will take extraordinary Liberians to accomplish this noble initiative.

It is my hope that this piece has raised a sense of national consciousness regarding the monumental undertaking of rebuilding/reconstructing the Executive Mansion. My question to you my fellow Liberians reading this is, what do you see our role as Liberians to be in this process and what would you recommend as the best approach to completing this reconstruction/renovation, aside from the government contribution?

M. P. Saygbe Jr.

"Things do not happen. Things are made to happen".   J. F Kennedy

(REPRINTED) LIBERIA: AN ASYLUM FROM OPPRESSION -- HAPPY 166TH

This Message is reprinted with permission from the author: A. Teage Jalloh, Esq.

"We've been suffering in this nation for so long, cause we couldn't find a better leader. We want someone who can lead this nation, so that all Liberians can be happy....Give us hope, Ma Ellen, hope for a better Liberia." ~~Sundaygar Dearboy

It’s been 166 years since Liberia declared its independence. And while progress has been made in some areas, we have somehow failed to acknowledge that our nation, at all levels of government, has work to do with respect to education, performance, fairness, accountability, and development. 

So yes indeed, President Sirleaf, with her awesome powers, is expected to give us hope. But let's expand the expectation and ask the Legislature, with its awesome powers, to give us hope as well. Let's expand the expectation and ask the Supreme Court, with its awesome powers, to give us hope as well. Let's expand the expectation and ask the autonomous public commissions, with their unique roles, to give us hope as well. And let us, as Liberians in the Diaspora and at Home, increase our efforts to make Liberia a more accountable, progressive nation.  

At the dawn of generations to come, may we be remembered as nation-builders who upheld the founding vision of Liberia by rejecting any attempts to use geographical location or other means to pit one group of Liberians against another. May we realize that there is strength and perseverance in constructive, collective efforts. And, may we continue to work to have Africa’s oldest republic as an “asylum from the most grinding oppression,” where no one wins a total victory or loses a total defeat.

Happy 166th.

Respectfully,

Teage