"FIRM...but fair" with Jeffery A. Faulkerson  

By Jeffery A. Faulkerson, MSSW

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s, the Black Panther Party encouraged black Americans to take up arms against White America.  Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X even made a promise to white Americans that black Americans would obtain equal rights and protections under the law “by any means necessary.”  At the time, white Americans considered Malcolm’s remarks inflammatory, because his intended meaning was that black Americans would punch, kick and shoot any white American hindering their advance toward prosperity.  But after a brief trip to Mecca, Malcolm’s views on what these means were began to change.  And when all was said and done, he articulated a vision that had black Americans working with white Americans to bring about positive societal reforms. 

But reforming American society for the better is easier said than done.  The problems that divided us Americans along racial lines then persist now.  These days, many white Americans are appearing on television news programs to tell the American public that black Americans need to forget their past victimization and move on.  There have even been instances in which these same white Americans identify themselves as victims.    

The growing sentiment among white Americans seems to be that they are being discriminated against when their group members are passed over for college admission or job promotion.  And they tend to believe that we Blacks condone the same discrimination that our ancestors fought against.  But by harboring such views, these unenlightened white Americans show us, and the world at large, the low value that they place on the contributions and lives of black Americans.  It also demonstrates a lack of understanding on their part.

Consider this example from my life as a married man.  Whenever I wrong my wife, I do whatever it takes to make amends.  I offer sincere apologies, communicating both verbally and nonverbally that I know why my actions towards her were inappropriate.  Following this apology, I put forth efforts designed to regain her trust, let her know that I will never mistreat her in such a way again.  Ultimately, I’m on a mission to show her the extent of my love.

One could argue that White America’s love for black Americans isn’t deep at all.  If it were, an apology from President Lyndon B. Johnson would have preceded the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Moreover, enlightened white Americans would have been in an uproar, making President Johnson aware of his omission through letter-writing campaigns, television appearances and nonviolent marches in Washington, DC. 

Because none of these allowances were made, we black Americans feel that we must get our act together in isolation.  We know it is possible, because of the period that we find ourselves living in, a period of collective prosperity.  The foundational hallmark of this period is that people from all ethnic groups have been granted the inalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness.  Unfortunately for us, there wasn’t a single black individual or black organization that communicated the need to make repairs to the thoughts and feelings driving our behaviors.

One of the first things we black Americans should have done following the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was create a subsystem that caters to the emotional, spiritual and physical needs of black American children, youths and adults.  But this seemingly did not occur because our parents and ancestors thought the programs being offered by local, state and federal governments were sufficient.  They were sufficient to the point of cultivating a dependence on government assistance, but they did nothing to help black Americans recover psychologically from over 400 years of institutionalized oppression.   

There are some who would say this subsystem was supposed to be channeled through the black church.  It was the one institution that called on black Americans to stand up and be noticed.  But 43 years later, the black church is no closer to taking on this responsibility.  All it seems to be concerned about is providing forums for Wednesday night bible studies and Sunday morning worship services. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  These bible studies and worship services do work together to increase our knowledge of our God and our purposes here on Earth.  But the fact still remains that the black church has never challenged its members to devise uniform, interactive approaches for placing more black American children, youths and parents on the road to recovery.  Our contemporary, black churches are seemingly islands unto themselves, not wanting to display unity when addressing the psychosis of its constituents.

The most natural place to establish this subsystem is in our public schools.  It is the place where our black ancestors wanted our black American children and youths to spend a significant portion of their days.  However, you would be hard pressed to hear about or see programs dedicated to the psychological enrichment of black American children and youths.  Instead, you have a public school system that requires our black American children and youths to assimilate into programs predominated by white American children and youths.  In settings such as these, our black American children and youths are forced to esteem the norms, values and mores of the majority ethnic group while ignoring the ones held by their own.

We must face the realities associated with trying to establish such a subsystem in our public schools.  White American school administrators, while saying they respect all students’ right to peaceful assembly, usually are sitting on pins and needles when meetings are convened by a group of black American students.  They feel that these black American students (and their black adult advisors) are spending their time together berating Whites for their mistreatment of Blacks.  In their minds, these black American students (and their black adult advisors) are drawing up plans that will require them to make additional educational reforms. 

If educational reforms are needed, they should be made.  Today’s public school system is structured in a way that continues to benefit white American children and youths.  These benefits are most profound in middle and high school environments where students wear their popularity like badges of honor.  Black American students can often be seen shunning all references to their blackness in an attempt to fit in with their white counterparts.  In their minds, they don’t want their white American friends to feel uncomfortable around them.

Recently, I learned while listening to Tavis Smiley’s November 16, 2007 Public Radio International (PRI) podcast that the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center found that today’s Black America is divided into two distinct worlds – one occupied by the black Haves, the other by the black Have-Nots.  While this phenomenon is a throw-back to divisions (i.e., House Negroes versus Field Negroes) of slave-to-master proximity, it also shows how we black Haves tend to wipe our hands clean of the black Have-Nots condition.    

Many of us black Haves falsely believe that we must cater to the whims of white Americans to preserve both our jobs and reputations.  To many of us, continuing the fight for equal treatment (i.e., black activism) would lead to our becoming a social pariah in the eyes of white Americans.  More than anything, we black Haves are committed to showing White America that we climbed to loftier heights through our blood, sweat and tears, not the Affirmative Action policies that make educational and vocational opportunities more accessible to persons of color and women.

But it is this selfish attitude among us black Haves that is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the black Have-Nots.  They resent us, saying most of us have forgotten where we came from.  Yes, it may feel good for our white counterparts to pat us on our backs for a job well done.  But when our workdays have ended, we still have to walk the nation’s streets as persons of African descent.

The resentment that black Have-Nots harbor for black Haves does not exempt them from criticism, however.  They have to stop blaming white Americans for their condition, start making more deliberate strides to change it.  Granted, there are a number of factors keeping them down, with many of them being connected to our institutions, but many of the black Have-Nots are focusing much of their attention on things outside of their control.  Consequently, they get caught up in cycles of impoverished hopelessness, which causes many of them to drop out of high school.  Those black Have-Nots who graduate from high school often opt not to attend college or trade school, join the military.   

Ultimately, it will be black American’s shared testimony about how we got it together that will cause prejudiced and discriminating white Americans to stand beside the enlightened ones.  And when they stand beside their already enlightened white brothers and sisters, they will also find themselves standing in the company of black Americans.  While standing there, we black Americans need to talk with them about God’s vision for our future, one that has every citizen of the nation and the world doing unto others as they would have others do unto them.  We also need to let them know that they have been forgiven for their sins against us black Americans.  Through our day-to-day interactions with them, we must communicate (both verbally and nonverbally) our belief in their newfound willingness to invite us to the table of brotherhood, finally accepting us as equals on a level playing field.    

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(c) 2007 Jeffery A. Faulkerson.  All rights reserved

By Jeffery A. Faulkerson, MSSW

Back in the late 1990’s, Oregon-based sneaker manufacturer Nike had a slogan that resonates with me even today.  It was nothing more than a new take on the word “play”, but it was intended to be a call to action for those adults who are so consumed with their nine-to-five jobs that they reserve very little time for children and youths. 

Nike encouraged American adults to P.L.A.Y., or to simply “Participate in the Lives of America’s Youths.”  For Nike, this probably was just another way to sell sneakers, because they never explained the outcomes associated with this participation.  Granted, they did present images of adults playing with their children and youths on playgrounds, or cheering them on from the sidelines.  But to social workers like me, individuals who get paid small sums of money to improve social conditions for children, youths and their parents, we know that this level of participation only meets the minimal requirements for what is really needed.

When social workers get involved – namely those working for state departments dedicated to the service and protection of children and their parents – the family unit has experienced a major crisis.  These crises range from the physical, sexual or emotional abuse/neglect of children and youths to domestic violence between parents. In these types of scenarios, the parents are not participating in the lives of their children.  The frustrations that they experience while pursuing the American dream have caused them to act out negatively rather than positively, and the light that they think is in front of them is shrouded in a cloud of despair and uncertainty.

But we parents need to understand that this light has never been in front of us at all; it has always been standing below us, pulling on our pants leg.  No, it’s not the pet puppy or the cat. It’s our children looking up at us, saying, “I am the light that you seek, and the investment that you make in my life will pay dividends for you and the society at large.” 

Our children are indeed flames flickering from the wicks of multi-colored candles, standing tall in the midst of the world’s darkness.  And we Christian parents have been charged by God to stretch out our arms from the all-consuming fire to guide our children into it.  After they have followed our example, of becoming one with the all-consuming fire, they will find God the Father at its center, seated high upon his throne, smiling down at them for making righteous decisions.

Our participation in their lives is important, but our guidance is paramount.  We adults play a pivotal role in helping our children develop a healthy self-concept and Christ-centered worldview.  Unfortunately for many of us, we are torn between two loves.  We just have to have the big homes, expensive cars and stylish clothes.  And like Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor from the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, we just have to have the biggest, brightest Christmas trees during the holiday season. 

Because we adults are so preoccupied with pursuits that have nothing to do with our children, everything to do with our own selfish ambitions, our children never really get a chance to make a connection with members of their respective families.  Instead, they learn to love, honor and respect peers (albeit superficially) who are not obligated to showing them how to live lives that advance God’s kingdom.  And since this obligation doesn’t exist, these peers have no problem breaking their promises to our children.

I don’t know about you, but I intend on being a promise keeper.  Not because I’m obligated to do so, but because that’s the one investment that will bring about the greatest return. 

Children give us parents’ opportunities to recapture moments from our own childhoods in which we gain an appreciation for learning, playing and working.  For example, when I take fifteen minutes or more out of my day to read to my three-year-old son, I also receive an opportunity to refresh lessons learned about grammar and punctuation, the different parts of speech.  Simultaneously, my son is building his vocabulary, learning how to recognize, speak and write new words.

When I play Hide and Seek with my son in the backyard, or teach him how to throw a football, he gets the exercise he needs to increase his strength and develop his fine motor skills.  As a Christian parent, I’m always reminding him about the importance of taking care of his body through regular exercise and nutritious meals.  Even at this young age, I want him to understand the obligation he has for taking care of his body.  His body is nothing more than a brick that works in conjunction with other bricks (other Christians) to form God’s holy temple (the Body of Christ).

Lastly, when I allow my son to help me take out the trash or place dishes in the dishwasher, he develops an appreciation for work.  He begins to understand why the bible tells us in the book of Proverbs that hard work brings about a profit.  Sure, I have to explain that these profits are not always measured in dollars and cents, adding that gladness of heart is sometimes the most precious reward of all.

My hope is that these informal adventures in learning, playing and working foster a close-knit relationship between us, one in which open communication is a shared value.  As he matriculates through the various stages of human development, he needs to know that he can share his thoughts and feelings with his mother and me.  Unlike those unreliable others in his life, we, his parents, will provide the counsel he needs to make sense of these thoughts and feelings.  By providing sound counsel, we inspire him to excel in his life pursuits.      

I want to do whatever it takes to restore the world to its original state, one in which God reigns supreme.  Our children possess the natural gifts, talents and abilities to complete this assignment.  And through proper guidance from us, their biological parents, they can also gain the knowledge and foresight that is needed to influence others through their righteous words and deeds. 

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© 2007 Jeffery A. Faulkerson.  All rights reserved.