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You Stop The Violence When You Stop The Ignorance

Your school-aged child knows more about the gang scene than many of his/her teachers, counselors, administrators--or authority figures in the community.

Thanks to the Internet, cell phones, text messaging, and other assorted tidbits of technology and marketing, your child, grandchild, nieces or nephews--the ‘good’ kids of the community--have sense enough to know which gangs control what sections of turf at their school…regardless of their school being in an urban area or not.

Houses of worship are no longer immune to the arrival of gang colors, signs, symbols, or other such ‘representation’ from the streets of the community. Teens are proudly wearing their colors into more than a few churches.

Sadly, many in church leadership don’t have a clue as to what they are allowing, what the signs mean, or where they originated. They only notice the end results from the funerals to the jail/prison stays.

The police, the churches, the schools, and the media used to be ‘pro-active’ regarding gangs in our city. As gangs have changed, they have learned to be ‘less’ obvious, but still deadly.

Here are some of the issues I bring to the forefront in my presentations:

The ‘Trojan horses’ gangs use to do their dirty work in schools.

Why ‘speed tracking’ is so popular--and where it originated.

How ‘alternative identities’ are quickly created.

Where a parent may find on line resources to be brought up-to-speed.

I am not an ‘expert’ on Street Gangs. No one, in my opinion, may honestly ‘claim’ such a designation because of the ever-changing nature and evolution of Street Gangs. However, I believe in helping parents, schools, and churches to ‘master the basics’... those ‘common threads’ central to gang activity. If one understands the basics, they will have a fighting chance to beat back the gangs before another neighborhood, church, school, or teen--becomes a crime statistic.

M. G. ‘Mike’ Ramey

Street Gang Specialist/Consultant

“The Colors & Signs Are ONLY The Beginning!”™

Telephone: 317-542-8708

REASONABLE RATES

New Children’s Book Proves that Money Doesn’t Grow on Tree’s

Matthew Lynch of Jackson, MS is a young man who has experienced a lot of success over the past couple of years. He just published his first book, his second book is about to be released, and started his own company; all in a span of 14 months. In his second book, "Matthew and the Money Tree", He tackles the issues of poverty and greed.

While he was pursuing a Master’s in Elementary Education at Jackson State University, the majority of his class projects focused on literacy, and more specifically children’s literature. When he started researching this genre of literature, he came to the conclusion that there was a scarcity of quality children’s literature for, and about people of color. Most of the books that he found were not even written by African American authors. Mr. Lynch wanted to create a children’s book based on an authentic African American folktale.

His thoughts immediately reverted back to his childhood. Growing up in Hazlehurst, MS, there was a legend in the family about an old man and a money tree. The old man who had worked his whole life as a field laborer, but since he didn’t have any family, he always had a surplus of money. Some nights he could be seen walking through the woods, always stopping at a certain tree. By the time he died, the old man had amassed a small fortune, but no one, not even his friends, knew exactly what happened to his money, so they theorized that he buried it beneath the aforementioned tree.

Mr. Lynch was 7 years old when he first heard the story. His mind immediately began to fantasize. He believed that this money tree really existed and had money for leaves and coins for seeds. He would leave home every morning looking for it, but never found the tree. Although it was frustrating, it was a way to pass time and have fun doing it. Matthew and the Money Tree is the first installment in a series of children’s books; based on Mr. Lynch’s childhood experiences. Be on the lookout for the next book about Matthew and his adventures.

"Matthew and the Money Tree" is a wonderful tale for children and adults alike. "Matthew and the Money Tree" is unique, because in today’s society money and riches are overly coveted. This book teaches the moral lesson that you do not need money to be happy. Matthew is a delightful character that gives children the idea that the simple things in life are the true keys to happiness. A must have for children of color.

"Matthew and the Money Tree", can be pre-ordered by visiting the following web sites: www.amazon.com or www.bn.com. Booksellers can order copies through Baker & Taylor or by calling Lynch Publishing at (601) 506-0382.

Short Synopsis of Matthew and the Money Tree

When Matthew’s father tells him a chimerical tale of a legendary money tree, Matthew decides to venture out into the woods in search of the money tree and the adventure begins. Please join Mathew on his entertaining quest, in which above all he learns the true meaning of happiness. Matthew and the Money Tree is a wonderful tale for children and adults alike.

Authors Bio

Matthew Lynch is an Exceptional Education Teacher, owner of Lynch Consulting Group, LLC and a Doctoral Candidate at Jackson State University. He is also the author of Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap, and a children’s book, entitled Matthew and the Money Tree. Mr. Lynch is a contributing columnist for Renaissance Man Magazine, Bahiyah Women’s Magazine and Emerging Minds Magazine, etc. Born and raised in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, he currently resides in Jackson, Mississippi.

ISBN: 0977960854

ISBN-13: 9780977960859

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Lynch Publishing

32 pages

Year Published: August 2006

Click Here To Order Your Book Now!

How to Prevent Academic Failure and Misbehavior

“We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.” Mary McLeod Bethune, Educator/Founder, Bethune-Cookman College (1875–1955).

During my second year of teaching, I had a student in my Social Studies class who tried her best but just couldn’t pass my quizzes or tests. My job was not to be complacent with her performance but to help lift her to the next level. I decided to try Gardner’s Eight Multiple Intelligences. This student turned out to be an Interpersonal (leader) learner. She loved to work with her classmates on various tasks. To tap into this talent, I provided extra opportunities for her to work in cooperative learning groups, and she was usually elected the leader of any given group because of her keen interpersonal skills.

As a result, she began to succeed academically in my class and ended the semester with an A. Many factors aided her ascension into the next level of academic achievement, but the most important factor was the faith I had in her and the willingness to ensure that she succeeded academically and personally. Most students will do anything to live up to your faith in them, but they have to believe that your faith is genuine. Once she gained a little taste of confidence, there was no stopping her.

When Nothing Seems to Work

Although I was successful in helping this child overcome her behavioral problems, sometimes the answers are not so easy to find. Teachers must work with the unique learning needs of many children, not just one. We must determine if the problem is academic or behavioral, as well as factor in the parent’s attitude regarding the issue at hand. Teachers will be more positive, supportive, and helpful with children whose parents are highly involved. Teachers also tend to be much more reactive to an African American child’s behavioral problems than academic ones.

Obviously, there are no easy answers about what to do when attempts to eliminate academic failure and behavioral problems have failed. It is vitally important that parents and teachers not give up on these children, no matter how daunting the challenge might be. However, sometimes it can be helpful for parents, educators, etc. to take a break and step back for a while so that they can evaluate the situation with a clear head. It is not uncommon for those involved to become so emotionally entangled in a situation as to lose their perspective about what is really important and what steps need to be taken to continue to assist the child.

To ensure success, parents with school-aged children should:

Take some time everyday to focus on other aspects of their lives, such as friends, hobbies, education, etc. that don’t involve thinking about the child’s problems. Such a breather will help lessen any resentment they may feel toward the child and assist in preventing burnout.

As often as possible, try to focus on what the child does well in school—either academically or behaviorally. It’s easy to become so wrapped up in the problems of children that parents may overlook their wonderful qualities and the things they do right every day. Parents should encourage their children to recognize their strengths and feel good about themselves. Children need to know that their parent’s love is unconditional, even if acceptance of their behavior is not.

Work with teachers, counselors, and others in the community to maximize opportunities for the child to interact with those who can provide education, guidance, and mentoring.

Provide enjoyable activities in which the child excels—in computers, art, sports, the performing arts, etc.—in order to boost self-esteem and resiliency.

Talk to the child about what needs to improve academically and behaviorally in a non-threatening manner.

Consider other educational alternatives, such as home schooling, outside tutoring, therapy, etc.

Provide positive feedback to teachers and administrators who work with the child, as this will motivate them to do even more to assist them.

Avoid ridiculing the child or the teacher, as this can cause both to be less vigilant in their efforts.

Avoid blaming self for the child’s problems, as this can lead to feelings of depression and guilt that are not helpful to anyone. If needed, the parent should talk to a trusted friend or counselor outside the situation to discuss any feelings of frustration, guilt, worry, etc. to avoid feeling overwhelmed and alone. Parents should avoid those who speak negatively about the situation.

Avoid comparing the child to any other child, as such comparisons can make the child feel unloved and devalued and will lessen the motivation to improve.

Teachers who are working with the academic and/or behavioral issues of their students should:

Seek help for a child as soon as a problem becomes apparent to prevent her from falling further behind academically, or, in the case of a behavioral problem, to prevent the situation from escalating.

Schedule a meeting with the child’s parents and other relevant professionals as soon as possible to discuss how to best deal with the child’s issues.

Make a list of the positive attributes and skills of the child to cultivate feelings of hope, caring, and encouragement. This will help teachers convey caring and belief in the child’s ability to succeed.

Recognize emotional burnout when working with a child. Children are good at sensing when they are aggravating someone, or are not liked, and it will have a negative impact on their ability to learn, as well as the teacher’s ability to provide effective instruction and guidance. Discuss feelings of frustration with trusted colleagues in order to gain perspective, and hopefully, to avoid burnout.

Do not let feelings about a child with academic and/or behavioral issues negatively impact your attitude and teaching style with the rest of the class.

Document all intervention efforts to provide accurate feedback on the child’s progress as well as to inform parents and other professionals about the steps taken to remedy the situation.

To be an effective teacher, it’s important to be able to respond to academic failure and misbehavior in all students. If you attempt to instruct and discipline African American children based on your own cultural frame of reference, you are setting yourself up for failure. Black children resent being educated from a viewpoint that devalues their cultural heritage. They perform best when instructors incorporate aspects of the Black experience into the curriculum and discipline them with cultural sensitivity. Remember this the next time you attempt to reprimand or give up on an African American student just because she is not assimilating into the Eurocentric mainstream.

The David Hollaway Interview

BMIA.com: How did you get started writing for children?

David Hollaway: I became a writer by accident. A few years ago, I was working in a job where I felt like my I wasn’t using all of my talents. So, I decided that I wanted to start my own publishing company. My first idea was to take a project that I had completed for my master’s degree (in computer-based education) and use it as the first product for the company. It was a geometry software program that taught elementary concepts in geometry. After contemplating my resources and the time frame involved for development and production, I decided against it. Then I thought about a book. Since I had had a lot of experience working with children as a teacher, I decided that writing children’s books would be appropriate. Plus, I had a lot of adventurous childhood experiences to write about.

BMIA.com: Tell us about your background.

D. H.: I grew up in the Del Amo section of Carson, Ca. Del Amo was a mixture of middle and working class folk, mainly African-American. My mother was a teacher and my father, a former UCLA football and track athlete, coached various sports at a local community college. They divorced when I was two years of age.

The majority of my early life was consumed by amateur athletics. At the time, Carson, at the time, was known for turning out, excellent athletes, specifically football players. As such, as a child I followed the community tradition, playing football, basketball, and baseball. By my ninth grade year I decided to focus on basketball and football, eventually earning a earning a basketball scholarship to U.C. Irvine. When I graduated from college, somehow the NBA misplaced my phone number and I ended up becoming an elementary school teacher, a job I truly loved and appreciated. After five years in the classroom I decided to switch professions, eventually, working in sales for two Fortune 500 corporations and in project management for a small start-up technology firm. I started Quackenworth Publishing about two years ago.

BMIA.com: Let’s talk about Quigley McCormick and how that came to be.

D. H.: The name “Quigley McCormick” came to be while I was sitting at my desk trying to figure out a storyline. I knew that I wanted to write a children’s story, but I didn’t have any idea what kind of story for the book. After developing a shell of a story, I named the main character, Tubby Nelson. The name was kind of catchy but I didn’t like it enough to keep it. One day I decided to brainstorm for names. Believe it or not, I looked at the keyboard and the first letter I came upon was the letter “q”. So I typed “q”. Then I needed a vowel, so I scanned the keyboard past “a”,”e”,”i”, and “o”, finally settling on “u” for the second letter. From there, the first name came to me, “Quigley.” Then, I needed a last name and “Quigley Nelson” wasn’t gett’n it. Within seconds, as if God himself handed me the name, “McCormick” came to mind. ‘Quigley McCormick,’ Yeah, I kind of like that name, I thought to myself. After repeating the name about ten times I felt comfortable of enough to go with the name “Quigley McCormick” for the main character. Tubby Nelson became Papadoskee or “Oskee” Nelson, Quigley’s best friend. From there, other names started flowing, Moxy McCormick, Quigley’s sister and Flip Stuperton, one of Quigley’s so-called friends, just to name a few.

BMIA.com: Your book is great and web site is very “kid-friendly.” They’re both quite clever. What do you want people to learn as a result of reading your material?

D. H.: My primary goal is to write books that are fun to read. In all of my writings I picture myself as a ten-year-old, reading the book. Would I have liked Quigley McCormick? I chose myself because as a ten-year-old boy, I was a tough customer, a very reluctant reader. I didn’t like to read and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (the abridged version) was the only book that I really enjoyed reading. When I had a book report due I usually skimmed the book or found someone who read the story and asked them questions. I truly despised reading.

The website was created to provide the reader with a closer connection to the story and its characters. I try my best to find strategies (i.e. the website, the theme song, packaging of the book and the story itself) that encourage the reluctant reader to read Quigley McCormick books.

BMIA.com: Who are some of the people who motivated and inspired you as a kid?

D. H.: Besides the fly-by-night professional athletes, my father was the biggest influence in my life. I always admired him for his athletic accomplishments. I used to love looking at his scrapbooks. They were filled with old newspaper articles, box scores, 1950’s style caricatures and photographs. He was from Detroit, MI and was one of the best high school athletes to have ever come out of the city. He made the All City team in football, basketball, baseball, and track, as a sophomore! He eventually earned a football and track scholarship to UCLA (in the 1950’s). It was through sports that I was introduced to the idea of going to college. Throughout my childhood my father and I watched and attended numerous football and basketball games and track meets (he was a track coach for 15 years). It was also through sports that I gained the motivation to do well in school. My father always had a way of encouraging me through some sort of sports analogy.

The other two male influences in my life were my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Gilmore, and my cousin John Hollaway. Both were instrumental in providing the additional guidance that young boys need.

BMIA.com: Why did you want to be a teacher?

D. H.: I never intended to become a teacher. Just like writing, I stumbled into teaching. After college I still wanted to play basketball (overseas or the NBA) so I figured that I could be a substitute teacher in the interim. This gave me the time and flexibility I needed to stay in shape or leave suddenly. But the funny thing is, the first classroom I had, I ended up keeping them the whole year. It was the first time in my life that I really liked something other than basketball. The rapport that I built with my students was, at the time, the most rewarding experience in my life. Ironically, about four months into the assignment, I had an offer to play on a basketball team in Brazil (Brazil? I know!). After a great deal of contemplation, I chose to stay with my class and ultimately, decided against pursuing a professional basketball career overseas.

BMIA.com: From a personal standpoint, what do you get out of helping others?

D. H.: Personal fulfillment is probably the biggest reward I get from helping others, particularly young people. It’s a feeling that can only be felt by imparting knowledge or providing assistance to another person.

BMIA.com: Is it difficult to form business alliances and partnerships to help educate children?

D. H.: I have found that most people are more than willing to help educate children.

BMIA.com: What’s next for Quigley McCormick?

D. H.: We will be releasing another Quigley McCormick book in November of 2005, Quigley McCormick and the Stuperton Conspiracy. We are also actively shopping the movie and video game rights to the book series.

BMIA.com: Are any of the characters and stories based on your personal experiences?

D. H.: Absolutely! As I write the Quigley McCormick series I have a constant image of my childhood friends in each scenario. I think back to the crazy things we used to do, especially during the summer. We were part of a generation that was sociable, actually playing outside (not playing video games). So, it seemed that each day was an adventure; riding bikes, fighting and wrestling, playing street football and basketball, building club houses and go carts, popping fire crackers and various fireworks in the summer. Our walks to school were even an adventure. As far as the Quigley McCormick series, there are elements of each of my friends in the character. One character in particular, Flip Stuperton, is representative of a friend who I despised on one level and admired on another. He was my rival and we often got into fights because he always “played too much.” Unfortunately, he is no longer living, having succumbed to gunshot wounds at a house party a few years ago. That was strange because he had really straightened his life out and was a responsible citizen. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

BMIA.com: What awards have you/Quigley won?

D. H.: We have been fortunate enough, in the short time, to win two significant awards. The first award was for the Best Writer’s Website Contest that was given by Writer’s Digest Magazine. Our website, www.quigleymccormick.com, won third place in the contest and was featured in the October 2004 edition of Writer’s Digest magazine. This was six months before Quigley McCormick and the Curse of the Polka Dotted Pig was released. It helped generate a lot of publicity about Quigley McCormick. The second award was given by the Los Angeles Black Book Expo and was for the Best Children’s Fiction. Awards and recognition help encourage the belief that we (the company) must be doing something right.

BMIA.com: How do you feel about the success of your work?

D. H.: I’m happy with the progression of my company and its body of works. But we do have high expectations and feel that this is just the beginning of the construction of a highly successful and influential publishing company.

BMIA.com: As a former educator, how would you grade this country in our ability to educate and properly prepare our children to be productive citizens in society?

D. H.: More than anything else, the state of America’s educational system is a reflection of what’s happening in the general community and in homes. In comparison to other countries, the educational infrastructure (teachers, administration, schools, technology, and text books etc.) is adequate to good. At the end of the day it is up to the individual to decide how far they want to go in life. A person who is motivated to succeed will find a way to make positive things happen in their life, no matter what their circumstances are. As this relates to African-Americans, if we were able to succeed under historically insurmountable odds (slavery and Jim Crow), we should easily be able to make significant educational progress in the current world we live in.

The real problem is how do we motivate children, in particular black boys and girls, to learn? How can we get them to understand and appreciate the value of an education? It seems that much of the focus in the young black media culture is on fulfilling immediate needs; sex, jewelry, women, clothes etc. Education, on the other hand, is something that takes time, and is not immediately evident. Music and video play a significant role in promoting the belief that the way to live life is to wear excessive amounts of jewelry, have a party every night with lots of beautiful women, spend money on material things that don’t matter etc. That’s not a way to build a community that values education. Unfortunately, I see this trend getting worse with many of our disadvantaged black youth who typically don’t have an adequate financial, emotional, and social support system in place to combat such stereotypical images.

Our biggest challenge is that we are fighting against a media culture that promotes inconspicuous consumption and dispels any notion of patience, sacrifice, and the value of education. A community that values information (books, libraries, reading, academic accomplishments, personal development) will find a way to fulfill that need. A community that appreciates instant gratification will act appropriately by fulfilling those short-term impulses (buying cars, jewelry, clothes etc.). However, fulfilling short-term impulses is no way to build a long-term strategy for equality.

An easier way of looking at this is by looking at the course of two hypothetical kids. Over the course of five years, one of those kids buys fifty pairs of gym shoes at $100 per pair, for a grand total of $5,000. The other kid, for the same amount of money, assuming books are $20.00 apiece, can buy 250 books. Throughout that five-year period, given the current community values, who would be most admired? The kid with the latest and greatest gym shoes, or the kid who has read 250 books on various subjects? More importantly, what would be most valued over a lifetime, 50 pairs of gym shoes or information from 250 different sources?

BMIA.com: What’s missing or needs to be done?

D. H.: A culture that values education needs to be created through the mass media outlets. Currently, as I stated in the question above, the media culture supports instant gratification through music and video images. Music and video, along with food, morals, history, stories, etc., are all elements of a culture. We are seriously in need of a general positive message in our music and video images. This is particularly dangerous because statistics show that African-Americans watch the most television. This makes us more likely to be influence by what we see on the tube.

To put this notion into perspective, the one organization that truly appreciates the power of mass communication is the military. Whenever a modern military power goes to war one of the first objectives is take out the enemy’s ability to communicate to the masses. These mass communication vehicles include broadcast radio and television. Without this ability to communicate, the enemy is confused and seriously hindered. However, with the ability to communicate, the enemy commanders can send messages to soldiers in the field. This was particularly a problem in Rwanda where the opposing forces were able to communicate a message of death to comrades in the field via a radio station. These broadcasts went on for months and were basically free, uninterrupted advertising for the killing of the innocent people. As result of having access to the radio station, the killers we able to better communicate how, who, and when to kill.

In current American media culture, negative messages and images are the rule, not the exception. The constant bombardment of the “now”, helps add to the de-valuing of education.

Mentoring is also another strategy for improving our situation. We must keep our hands stretched out to those in need of social, professional, financial, and personal assistance. For example, there should be a constant link of mentoring relationships where; the fifty-old attorney mentors the thirty-old attorney, who mentors the first year law student, who, in turn, mentors the high school senior, who then mentors the seventh grader, who, finally, encourages his six year old brother. This is the kind of community encouragement that builds value in the things that matter in life.

BMIA.com: Who had the most influence on you?

D. H.: My father, by far, had the most influence on me.

BMIA.com: What’s your definition of leadership?

D. H.: I’ve had the good fortune of being under the stewardship of good and bad leadership. In the case of the bad leader, I learned that the person is still a leader, albeit not a very good one. There was something about that person that made people want to follow whether it was personality, charisma, money, or power etc. However, the end result was always confusion and miscommunication. From my experience, good leadership involves three important elements. One, which I think is the most important, is the ability communicate your vision to those around you. That way, the people that are following you have all of the information they need to make an informed decision as to whether they want to support your vision. Secondly, a leader has to be a motivated, self-starter. The leader must be the most passionate person in the organization. A passionate attitude at the very top of an organization will filter down toward the bottom of that organization. And finally, a good leader must have courage. They must be able to withstand criticism when things aren’t going smoothly (if they truly believe in their cause). They must also have the courage to believe when no else believes in the cause.

BMIA.com: Do you consider yourself a leader?

D. H.: I consider myself a leader. I also understand that the most effective leaders become better over time. For example, Sir Winston Churchill experienced humiliation and defeat (Battle of Gallipoli) in WWI. However, by 1940, he had rallied the British Empire, in its darkest hour, against the greatest threat the free world had ever known, Nazi Germany.

As a result of my study of leaders in history, I have a better understanding of the process of leadership. As a result, I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my professional and leadership abilities, whether it be spending time with older, more experienced executives or reading about successful business and military leaders.

BMIA.com: What’s the biggest challenge facing black men in America?

D. H.: From my perspective and personal experience, the biggest challenge for black men in America is gaining control of the black family. As we all know, statistics show most black children (more than 60%) are born out of wedlock and many black children, during their most formative years, seldom see their fathers. This adversely affects both young boys and girls. Boys are affected because they have no behavior model for manhood. Left unchecked, a boy will perceive manhood as mainly chest pounding behavior. In girls, the absence of a father breeds anger towards men. Having absentee fathers and fragmented families are not healthy approaches for building strong communities. In the meantime, black men that care and are able must reach out to youngsters who are missing the positive male influence.

BMIA.com: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

D. H.: Personally, in the next five years, I would like to get married and have lots of children. Professionally, I envision Quackenworth Publishing as a multi-million dollar, global publishing company with strong brand recognition.

BMIA.com: Is there anything you would like to share before we end this interview?

D. H.: I just want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview with Blackmeninamerica.com. Keep up the good work and continue the positive information flow!

This was interview posted July 11, 2005

I first learned of Ward Connerly in 1995 through newspaper articles and radio commentary about his effort as the University of California Regent who led a national campaign to end race preference. In 1996, he was instrumental in passing Proposition 209 in California. Based on what I read, Connerly was portrayed as being politically aligned with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and other black conservatives. I rarely read or heard anything positive from the mainstream black media (whatever that is). I interviewed author Ward Connerly last month and found him to be gracious, confident of his views and respectful.

Connerly is Founder and Chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute a national, not-for-profit organization aimed at educating the public about the need to move beyond racial and gender preferences. His latest book, Creating Equal: My Fight Against Race Preferences has generated some strong reaction on both sides of the political spectrum.

I wanted to interview Ward Connerly after I heard him on a radio “get out and vote” initiative last November on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, which was aired live at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. One of the topics being discussed was the state of Black America. Co-host Tavis Smiley asked Connerly the following: “Ward Connerly you know that most black Americans consider you an Uncle Tom?” Connerly explained his position and in essence stated that his views have been misunderstood. After that segment had ended and Connerly had left the show Joyner starting making all of these negative remarks about Connerly’s views and stated, “Ward Connerly is a guy who has kept a lot of black people from getting an education.” I remember thinking to myself; I wonder how Connerly will respond to that. Well he never did respond, because he had already departed the show. He had no chance to defend himself. It was at that moment that I decided to give Ward Connerly a fair shot at explaining his views since I felt that he didn’t get his shot with Joyner. So I decided to do a little homework and see what I could learn about this man.

Ward Connerly was born in 1939 in Leesville, Louisiana. He grew up in the Jim Crow era where segregation was the way things were and those who were Negro, colored, or black were treated as “less than.” His father left his household when he was two years old and his mother died when he was four. His grandmother, an Aunt and other extended family raised Connerly. Growing up Connerly saw the inequities around him, didn’t like what he saw and began to focus on legal equality.

Based on the controversy that seems to surround Connerly, I decided to start the interview by asking him to explain his views on equal rights. Connerly explained that many folks of his generation simply wanted the government to discontinue the practice of denying black access to schools, to public accommodations and to discontinue the practice of treating black like animals. “We weren’t seeking any special consideration, or seeking to be treated differently from people. We wanted to be treated the same as everybody else,” said Connerly.

For Connerly equal treatment is manifested in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which says that all citizens will be guaranteed equal protection, equal treatment under the law—without regard to race color or creed. “My whole foundation derives from the view that in order for me to be respected as a man, in order for me to enjoy the fullness of the American experience, you need to judge me as an individual, you need to give me the same rights and the same treatment as everybody else. If I succeed it is by virtue of my own individual merit, by virtue of my own individual hard work. I’m not asking society to give me anything. Throughout my life, whether it was with my Aunts working in white people’s homes as maids, or whether it was my Uncle James digging ditches, the centerpiece of everything they did was that we deserved respect, no matter how little our job, we want respect, and we don’t want to be treated as if we were second-class. Open that door and give us the right to go through and we’ll take it from there. So that is me, that is the essence of who I am.”

Connerly is well aware that he is often misunderstood. I asked him about the incident at the Apollo Theater on Joyner’s radio show. Connerly explained that Tavis asked him the question so that he could explain his position. “He [Tavis] and I work together and he doesn’t treat me that way. I responded to it as I always do and explained that I just think that I’ve been misunderstood. I thought Joyner’s comment was a cheap shot. I had no chance to respond and more importantly, it is not true. I felt that Tom was playing to the knee jerk reaction that that’s what black people wanted to hear. There’s not one thing that I’ve done that’s been harmful to any black kid. The measures that I’ve adopted saying that you cannot use race to get into the University of California has not kept one black kid from going to the University of California. They may have meant that you could not go to Berkley or UCLA, as your first choice, but if you were eligible to go the University of California before California Proposition 209 then you’re eligible to go to the University of California after 209. What I have done has benefited low-income blacks. The emphasis is on socio-economic conditions, not on race.”

Connerly believes that he has been demonized in the black media. “You know there’s just certain people that the establishment, the elitists choose to use as the symbols of someone who’s holding black people back and they can’t find a white racists so they fall on the next thing they can find like a Clarence Thomas or Ward Connerly.” According to Connerly his views are entirely consistent with the whole history of black America. In addition, as a result of the growing black middle class, black people are far less the beneficiaries of these programs that were put in place back in the 1960’s, to benefit black people. Connerly says these programs are now benefiting recent immigrants, and benefiting those of Mexican descent far more because of the paradigm change. “It seems to me that there are certain things that you don’t fudge. You don’t fudge on the principal of equal treatment under the law for every individual. There are certain things that ought to be sacred and in this nation, especially among black people the notion that our skin color and the attributes of race, should never, never, never be used for us or against us, because if you can use it for me right now, who’s to say that you can’t use it against me later on.”

So what’s the measuring stick for achieving equal rights? Connerly says that we’ll never fully get there. “I think it’s a delusion to think that we’re going to forever banish the proclivity of people to judge those who are different, we’re never going to get rid of all that. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I think that our policies and our government laws are intended to create the legal framework to guide us, and in my lifetime that ideal has been the reality, it’s the federal government laws that have knocked down Jim Crow, that have made it possible for me as a brown skin man to sometimes navigate these treacherous waters of life.”

Connerly strongly believes that every individual needs to have access to grievance procedures when they feel that they’ve been discriminated against to get things adjudicated. “The difficulty we’re having right now is that we are so wedded to statistics. We look at statistics and we believe that they’re a valid measure of whether discrimination is occurring. We have not refined our ability to detect discrimination or to deal with it any more in the last 30 years than we did in the first 10 years. We have not perfected the tools of testing to determine whether discrimination occurs or not. I believe that as more and more states and more and more courts strike down these temporary programs that were designed to give Affirmative Action, which really in some cases are nothing more than a system of preferences on the basis of your attributes. As the courts strike those down, we’re going to have to find better ways of detecting discrimination.”

Speaking of Affirmative Action, Connerly says he supports Affirmative Action, and said that it was critical that the language be clear. “I support it if Affirmative Action means taking a look at your job descriptions, making sure that what you’re requiring of a job is relevant to that job. For example, you’re not going to ask someone lift 800 lbs., in order to qualify as a fireperson if in fact 200 lbs. is sufficient. You’re going to look at those job announcements and descriptions and make sure they’re fair. You’re going to broadly advertise jobs that are available, you’re going to go to a black church, you’re going to Chinese New Year, you’re going to outreach everywhere you possibly can to let people know that this job is available and you are encouraged to apply for this job. You also make sure that the interview panels and the procurement procedures and all of those things that are set in place are fair and free from any bias based on any group. You’re going to make sure that if a contractor is a ‘Prime” contractor and has a job to build a freeway that that “Prime” contractor is going to invite small emerging businesses to bid on pieces of that job so that more people have a chance to bid on it. That is Affirmative Action. That is the kind of Affirmative Action that most people embrace. The reality is that many of the Affirmative Action programs became a system of government bureaucrats deciding who ought to be hired or admitted to college on the basis of their race, or their gender or their ethnic background. Then it ceases to be Affirmative Action. If Affirmative Action means giving some sort of thumb on the scale to a low-income person or to a person who has never had a parent go to college, I support those kinds of Affirmative Actions. So language is critical here.”

The conversation came back to Connerly being misunderstood by many in the black community. He said he couldn’t cope with the black media. “That word of mouth network among black people is powerful. And once that word goes out that this guy is not one of us, that this guy is against us, an individual cannot contend with it because its too big.”

Many people are not aware that Connerly is one of the country’s top experts in the housing industry. He began working in the legislature as a consultant understanding housing policy and eventually formed his own business in 1973. It was clear to me as I listened to Connerly that he became a “student of the game.” He worked with a lot of trade associations and learned the business. “Contrary to some of the claims by my associates, I’ve never ever bid on a job as a black man. I think that it harms a business for people get the image that you’re a “black businessman.” Just be a businessperson. I’ve worked hard to gain the credentials and belong to the associations that deal with housing issues, not the black Chamber of Commerce but the Chamber of Commerce. I served on the board of the California Chamber of Commerce.” Connerly believes that if you distinguish yourself in the larger society your accomplishments will accrue and you will get respect. “If we get the respect that Asians get on the presumption that they’re all smart and they can ace these SAT’s and everything else, if we command that kind of respect, ‘“Katie bar the door”’ because we’re on our way.”

Like many others, Ward Connerly believes that one of the keys to leveling the playing field and getting respect for black folks is in enhancing economic development. “Black people need respect,” say Connerly. “Everything that I’ve been fighting for says, ‘“Don’t look at black people as the sum total of this image that you have of them as a race.”’ Look at black people as individuals. Give black people some respect. We have so many people that have accomplished so much in the last 20 years, in every sector of the economy in every sector of American society, in sports, in entertainment, in the business world. In politics, black people can get elected with white votes. So I think the time has passed for black people to band together as an oppressed race. The time it seems to me now is for black people to start pounding away about the successes, pounding away about the accomplishments and changing that image of black Americans as disadvantaged – the presumption of inadequate hanging around our neck. With the respect, more economic doors open. Nobody reaches out to somebody in the business world in order to be charitable, to be compatible. It doesn’t happen, it just doesn’t happen. People want competence. We’re often portrayed as the least successful. When that happens you pay a price. You create your own door that closes on you. You might get in the door once in awhile on the basis of race, but then you’re tucked in a corner and your upward mobility is severely impaired.”

Ward Connerly’s story in many ways is typical of black America. The story proves that you don’t have to have that traditional husband/wife family to be successful as long as you have love and somebody takes an interest in you. It’s also about a man who grew up believing in the principals of America. He applied those principals, gained a measure of success and despite all the odds is saying, “I’m an individual. I’m a man, treat me with respect.” That’s the common thread that I picked out of this interview. I wanted Ward Connerly to get a fair shot to articulate his views without having them deliberately distorted.

Connerly reminded me that there’s a big fight within black America right now, about which way we’re going to go. He asked, “Are we going to go the old way of Jesse and Al? Or are we going a new way and pursue economic opportunity and demand respect and stand on our own two feet? I see more and more signs that my approach is winning the day. I think my book will lay that out.”

I may not agree with Ward Connerly on a lot of things, but I appreciated the opportunity to talk with him and hear his views without having them filtered through others. I think I have a better sense of Ward Connerly because I gained a better sense of the man.

This interview was conducted by Gary Johnson, Black Men In America.com and posted January 1, 2003.

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