Steven A Smith- "Jesse Should Butt Out"

[The Cushite]

I too respect what Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton do/say because they have sacrificed time, talent, and treasure for the struggle. I think that, over everything else, makes them valuable leaders and at the same time prevents a younger generation from doing the same. The post civil rights black community hasn't had to sacrifice enough in order to cultivate the critical passion necessary to lead any social movement. We no longer have communities of successful people who are willing to sacrifice job advancement, political footing, or property value in order to create and recreate a caring, supportive, connected community for younger leaders to grow up in. Without that community, the younger people only have the media and "tha 'Hood" to give them their critical self conscience. The only critical self conscience the media is interested in is the ideas of being a rich individual, a "get yours" mentality that serves to disconnect people from eachother, community, and ultimately, the God that brought us thus far.

I disagree with Steven A. Smith. I don't feel that Rev. Jackson is simply doing these things for media opportunities. I think he speaks for those people who are powerless to speak for themselves. A black, single-mother stripper will not have a legitimate voice on her own, even if she was indeed raped. But when Rev. Jackson gets involved, then people are forced to listen. Rev. Jackson doesn't speak for every black person. But he lends credibility to issues and people that generally would get overlooked if you or I spoke about them. That's where his worth lies now in the struggle.

As far as new leadership, I think it does have to start in the intelligencia, so to speak. But, the intelligencia must do a self assessment about what it is willing to sacrifice. I think no younger leaders have stepped up because we are too hesitant to sacrifice. It's hard to call young political leaders (Sen. Obama, soon to be Sen. Ford;Jr. etc.) our next crop of black leaders because they have to answer to too many different people to get re-elected. So their message is too watered down to be critical enough for social change. Our new leaders have to be independant enough, and love black people enough, to tell the establishment where to go when the establishment needs to go there, without compromise. This is why I respect Min. Farakhan and the N.O.I. I think "Christian" religious leaders have simliar opportunities to be as free as the N.O.I., but they lack the vision and love for Black people to take advantage of the opportunity that they have. But, I do think that the younger religious leaders are where we can look for the collective, grassroots leadership that we long for. They just need the vision to take that step.
If we could get them to see that social justice is just as "Christian" as tithing, then we will begin to see a rise in younger leadership.
Blackwatch!!!!!!