I have had several days to process the verbal sparring of Tavis Smiley and Al Sharpton. Kokomo, Indiana's crown jewel delivered his Black Agenda manifesto on the Tom Joyner Morning Show - with no apologies, taking no prisoners. He called out the "leadership elite" by examining the case for a Black Agenda, in a well-crafted piece in his commentary.

Smiley quotes Sharpton from an article on February 9, 2010 - "the president is smart not to ballyhoo a Black agenda..." Check the quote on this YouTube clip at 2:50.

This is where the argument begins. Sadly the two men were probably in agreement, but they could not come to a consensus on what the crux of the argument was. When I was on the debate team in school, we learned to first define terms - this never happened in the Smiley/Sharpton dialogue.

Tavis shifts gears by saying that he invited Al Sharpton to all of his forums for the last 10 years. Smiley made it clear though, that he was not having a forum this year - and he announces this publically. But flips by announcing a Black Agenda Forum at Chicago State University. Sharpton goes on to tell Smiley that his invitation was disingenuous.

Sharpton claims to have defended Smiley when the media was beating down Smiley for his criticism of President Obama - see clip at 2:00. This is where the love fest begins to dismantle. The two call each other out by using the "D" word - disingenuous.

"Don't love me and distort me. Don't talk to us like we stupid Tavis. Keepin' it real."

Tavis Smiley punches back by saying that discussions like this "happen all the time in Black America." Tavis says that conjecture was ruling the day and that everyone has misconstrued his remarks. He invited everyone to go to TavisTalks.com to hear the entire commentary. "Go hear what I said, not what other folks said that I said."

Tavis complimented Sharpton by saying that he praised him for his "courage, work, witness" and that he "loves them and they can't do anything about it."

The story is out! "Are Black leaders giving the president a pass on a Black agenda?" Tavis says that he will come to Chicago and ask the question, "Is there a Black Agenda given that Black folk are getting crushed - and should President Obama focus on it?"

Smiley asks "who will be there?" He says that Al Sharpton was invited. Sharpton says that he won't be in Chicago and that the date doesn't work for him. 

Dr. Boyce Watkins also had no love for Tavis. He distorts Smiley's words by saying that Tavis was promoting his event in everyother sentence - not true Dr. Watkins. See the comments by Watkins:

"Like a rapper promoting an upcoming album, Smiley mentioned the forum in every other sentence, telling Sharpton that if he has something to say, he should come to the forum and say it. Perhaps Sharpton's appearance would increase attendance and make Smiley's corporate sponsors happy, since I am not sure how many people would be willing to come out just to see him (Obama's win badly hurt his popularity). I'm admittedly perplexed by the Smiley concept of "Black Leadership brought to you by McDonald's," but I digress.

I believe that both Smiley and Sharpton are showing the signs of the ultimate question, "What is Black relevance?" If President Obama can't accept a clear voice from a group or individual that presents a Black Agenda, then why should the President even bother to listen? Strong lobbies are represented in groups with money, groups who have massive access to the media, and groups who protest vehemently. Black people don't protest vehemently anymore - we're too busy playing PS3 and XBox, watching American Idol, and getting our hair done for $60-$120 per  week in beauty salons. Black folks don't have time to protest because our hair is more important than an Agenda.

The Sharpton / Smiley war has ended and we can move on now, but only if we all consider ourselves as leaders and commentators, not just Al and Tavis. See the YouTube posts from the Black Civil War in Media.

See Rev. Al Sharpton's remarks on MSNBC.

 

If you're not Black, you just don't understand.

The forbidden fruit of certain jobs, careers, and even sports, has caused hesitation in the African American world. Say what you want, but for decades Black folks haven't been encouraged to ski, ice skate, participate in curling (unless in a salon), or play golf.

Enter Shani Davis.

I love this guy...he's cool, reserved, quiet, a little temperamental, and the best speed skater in the world at 1000 meters. He is soul on ice: brisk, and unapologetically Black.

I don't speak for Shani, but I feel his pain. When your parents introduce you to activities that "aren't Black" - whatever that means - you are often the subject of ridicule. Not Black enough, nor White enough. Or as Malcolm X once said, " I feel like a pink poodle." Shani and Garrard - you don't sound Black, but you are Black. So is speed skating a White sport?

Heavens no! It is a sport for everyone who is introduced to it, and Shani Davis's mother had the foresight to take him to an Evanston ice rink, once upon a time. Shani didn't kiss a frog and become a gold medalist. He was introduced to a wonderful sport, practiced religiously, and became better than everyone on the planet. Speed skating is not a Black sport - it is a sport introduced to a Black person named Shani Davis.

So today I am pledging that we rid ourselves of calling Shani the Black skater. Well, he is the Black skater, but let's defer to him as Olympic Gold Medal Winner, from the south side of Chicago.

Go Shani, Go!

Dr. Rachael Ross and Theodore McClendon discuss Black History and Medicine with Garrard McClendon

Ald. Joe Moore is taking a proactive approach, so maybe Mayor Daley is right by following Moore's lead. The Inspector General may be having an added task to be the overseer, making sure that aldermen and their employees don't do anything that is outside of the boundaries.

See the clips from Ald. Joe Moore's appearance on Garrard McClendon LIVE.

Garrard McClendon will be speaking at Christ Universal Temple on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7th, at 10:00 a.m. The church is located at 119th and Ashland in Chicago. His speech on "Forgiveness" is sure to open your hearts and encourage you to release the negative baggage in your life.

Get fired up before the Super Bowl, with this empowering speech from Garrard.