Obama's Warning to the Civil Rights Industrial Complex Will Go Largely Ignored

When the "First Black President" spoke to the oldest Civil Rights organization many saw this as a culmination of a "dream" and the struggle of millions of our formerly enslaved ancestors who "overcame". Cue the orchestra for this tender moment... 

Pause.

Ok I'm over it. Utter hogwash! 

Sorry but this isn't going to be a feel-good post about the merging of ideals within the "black community". Excuse me while I hurl. Obama is a fence-sitter on many significant issues regarding LGBT rights depending on which way his political career may go. He's a conflicted participant trying to hold another huge entity of dead ideals (that would be the CRIC TM WAOD) responsible for having an enforceable code of ethics. Well welcome to 2009 because we're not in 1959, 1969 and we're certainly not in 1999.  

First of all the "black community" is gasping its last few breaths for the collective of blacks who consider themselves part of something when joined strictly by race and a history of oppression by whites. They ignore seeking justice across the board, equality for black women and do not support LGBT rights as an whole. Just like the NAACP. Of course they're forgetting one thing: black people are also LGBT, living in black residential neighborhoods and often are doubly oppressed. Black female LGBTs including trans women have it the worst of course. They're raising children alone, face job discrimination as well as the extra threat of physical violence.

This is why I always discuss LGBT issues on this blog. Few blacks do because it's "controversial" or they have to face the mighty Wall of Hypocrisy from other blacks who want to use religion as the "Shield of Ironic Condemnation" that is only reserved for those sinners. Meanwhile the behavior of the masses reflects no discipline or standards. Don't you dare talk about their choices! Hence the 80% OOW birth rate, the lack of marriage and the perpetual joblessness amongst other things.

Khadija, blog host of Muslim Bushido broke it down on her post, The End of the Road for African-Americans, Part I about how the infrastructure in the "black community" doesn't support ONE THING. There is no independent economy, no group accountability and no social/political governance. So tell me what exactly is the NAACP good for? It's symbolism pure and simple. They're not the only do-nothing organization but they're the most readily thought-of. I don't see them as a benign stallworth of an era that has since passed. I think their purpose is to serve as an obstruction for any real progress. There's far too much money passing hands and zero transparency. Like BET, they are not a FRIEND TO BLACK PEOPLE!

They have a history of putting white people in charge or black men who give lots of speeches, pontificate on occasion and leave in a cloud of controversy over sexual misconduct. So far their current President Ben Jealous seems to be scandal-free (so far) but I'm not certain what he actually does. His prior work with Amnesty Int'l and career in social justice suggests he may have in fact been able to make some significant changes but with Julian Bond pulling the strings and a 64-member board of redirectionists holding the the purse I'm not expecting much. He may be infinitely qualified but he is a (token) symbol of of superficiality by a dead organization. They wanted their own bi-racial man who claims black heritage with a beautiful lawyer wife. Done and done. How juvenile can they be? 

I can't think of one initiative in recent memory these CRIC organizations have actually done to build an infrastructure that would support a community. That's for those still holding onto the idea there is one or one can be rebuilt. What have they done to lower the unemployment rate for blacks? They don't teach domination tactics. They can't get black men to accept responsibility for their children or to graduate college for goodness sake! They have got the "hand held out" beggar pose down to a tee. I wonder what the operating budget would be like if the white patronage went elsewhere? What investments do they have? I know that other blacks give money and time as well, largely African-American women doing the "save all of our people" dance - SOLO - as usual. If only they would pause, turn of the music and walk away the NAACP and others would have a whiplash-inducing about-face and suddenly find an agenda of relevance. We don't hold them accountable so they will remain ineffective.

Now there's word that the NAACP wants to stop focusing solely on black men feeling the butt end of white oppression and include other "people of color". We already know they don't do major campaigns that are for the benefit of black women. Well if those other POCs want to give money and time the way AA women do more power to them. It would give these women free time to find something else to do. If it's just lip service forget it! Including other groups who if the shoe was on the other foot are not seeking alliances with AAs is just further proof of their insanity. They already do as little as possible. Next they're going to open the bank for business and tell a select few to just come on in and take other people's money. 

In fact in The End of the Road for African-Americans Part 2, Khadija discusses material from the 2006 Harvest Institute Report, where Bob Law states:

Rather than demonstrate that leadership by leading their own people to the necessary levels of self-sufficiency and competitiveness, these leaders have abandoned the critical issues facing Black people and have begun to chase an ambiguous romanticized notion of alliances with other groups without any demonstration or even an explanation as to how these alliances will actually empower Black people.  ** I had to come back to add this portion. Sometimes when ppl are in agreement it isn't about cheering them on to gain favor but it's synchronicity.

When the black community collapses under the bloat of its uselessness I sincerely hope these organizations: NAACP, Urban League, National Urban Network, blah blah blah are the first ones to go. Color of Change is right up there following the same failed model. Quite frankly the CRIC deserves a swift demise. As well as the Black Church. They have been a HUGE disservice to the very people they claim to be helping. Like that wanna-be organization Raising Him Alone which is another Trojan Horse of the deathstyles of the supa fly (that would be us, er other blacks) I have zero sympathy for the confused and unfocused non-leadership. 

I'd love to see some of these other orgs like National Council of  Negro Women step up to the plate. Perusing their websites and objectives they are so woefully behind the times I don't even know where to begin. I see lots of ideas but I don't see a radical attempt at dismantling the sources. I'm certain many will disagree with me and if you want to take up that cause of getting the CRIC to "act right" feel free to do so. We see how successful that's been with regards to black men. I say it's time for all people of consciousness (compassion and common sense) to just LEAVE. Let them fix their internal squabbles, power plays and apathy on their own. Then they can prove their loyalty and relevancy. Of course that isn't going to happen and we'll be better off just focusing on our own needs, forming alliances with those prepared and able to be fully functioning partners. 

To all the naysayers: PROVE ME WRONG! Haha. I'd love to see you try.

*******

P.S. I read Raymond Leon Roker's piece in Huffington Post, NAACP vs. Gay Marriage. The timing was excellent as I was working on my response to Obama's speech. Thanks for the inspiration. It's also nice to see a black man defend LGBT rights and be so (fair) idealistic. Reading the comments it's the usual yada yada yada (nonsense). What do you think?