Category Archives: Project 21

“The Progressive War on Truth Claims Another Victim” By Stacy Washington

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Critical Thinking, Project 21, Stacy Washington

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Op-ed submission by Project 21

Sean Bergin is the latest casualty in the progressive War on Truth.

Bergin, a reporter for News 12, a regional television station in New York and New Jersey, interviewed the widow of a criminal shot and killed by police. Lawrence Campbell, who was black, stabbed and stole a gun from a Walgreens security guard that he then used to murder a rookie Jersey City police officer, Melvin Santiago. The shooter’s widow was unrepentant, wishing on camera that “he had taken more cops with him.”  She later apologized.

After Bergin reported the station was “besieged” with complaints from angry police officers for airing the interview footage, he said on-air: “It’s important to shine a light on this anti-cop mentality that has so contaminated America’s inner cities, the underlying cause of all of this, of course, young black men growing up without fathers.” News 12 promptly suspended and demoted Bergin, cutting his reporting to once a week. Bergin quit. The veracity of Bergin’s statement is not in question. News 12 declined to comment on a “personnel issue.”

Why was he suspended? Is it because a white broadcaster said it? Perhaps it was because Bergin’s statement is true: black boys are born to single-parent homes at an alarming rate – 80 percent by the latest data. That parental absence is considered a key factor in later criminality. Silencing anyone daring to speak openly and honestly about it doesn’t help the pervasiveness of wrong thinking in inner cities. It actually helps keep inner city blacks down and the purveyors of said failed policies firmly in power.

Perhaps News 12 has a genuine aversion to commentary mixed with the news. A more likely reason, however, is they don’t want to offend black viewers who know the truth, but don’t want it stated publicly by a white man. This aversion to hearing the truth based on who says it is immature and detrimental to solving very real societal ills, especially when they are plaguing inner-city communities at an ever-increasing and alarming rate.

Once we get past the political correctness that’s killing open dialogue, we can reattach the stigma that deterred women from having babies out of wedlock. If men knew they would be on the hook for every single child they fathered, they would be more careful. As it is, the out-of-wedlock birthrate in the black community already more than doubles whites. It wasn’t always this way, but Great Society welfare programs and the proliferation of abortion propelled us to this place.

Ending the lives of the unborn is not the answer. Abortion rates for black women are triple that of whites. Why not talk about that and admit government-directed solutions are not working and destroying the communities they purport to help? Welfare reform is another casualty of the War on Truth. Government actually pays women to keep fathers out of the home, destabilizing entire neighborhoods and removing the incentive for single men to seek employment and strive for success.

Why was mentioning the epidemic of black fatherlessness and its relation to rising criminality enough to get Bergin suspended? With News 12’s refusal to respond, viewers may never know. Perhaps if Bergin placed the blame on whites or so-called one-percenters, they would’ve been acceptable.

Kudos to Bergin for telling the truth, but why should he stand alone? Why don’t more broadcasters return to their first love of the pursuit of the truth? Viewers are hungry for it, ratings would benefit from it and it would remove the shield of lies protecting people from horrible choices. But the truth doesn’t suit the narrative of ever-bigger government, more deficits and more failed government intrusion. Shielding individuals making horrible life choices is an insult to those who dedicate their lives to the service and defense of others, namely the late Melvin Santiago.

What message does it send that there was a memorial to the drugged-out felon who took Santiago’s life? Worse still, what does it say that Bergin was suspended for calling out the truth about this killer and the environment that produced him? As a nation, we must reward the truth-tellers among us. If we don’t, our need for them will only increase. May their voices never become feeble.

Stacy Washington is a member of the national advisory council of the black leadership network.

“Faith Trumps Atheist Angst” By Derryck Green

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Atheism, Christmas, Critical Thinking, Derryck Green, Project 21

≈ 1 Comment

Op-ed submission by Project 21

This is the time of year when belligerent atheists corral fellow “freethinkers” together in an attempt to legally disrupt displays of the Nativity. Wherever these innocent and usually welcomed Christian religious displays are found, there’s often a bitter atheist complaining to local authorities and the media because public display of the baby Jesus in a manger offends their irreligious sensibilities.

And the atheist hand appears to be gaining strength as the “war on Christmas” seems to escalate each year.

But this is the only time of year when angry atheists are apparently willing to present themselves in large numbers. I’ve seen a few atheists plead their empty cases during the Easter season, but it’s Christmastime when they are most aggressive. Why? After all, if atheism had inherent worth, the atheists would engage the wider culture all the time instead of attempting to offend and insult the devout by putting their collective finger in the eye of believers just once a year. Atheists must want to make those revering the religious aspect of Christmas as miserable as they seem to be.

It’s also interesting that it’s only the God worshipped by Christians with whom radical atheists really take issue. They don’t seem to have the same fervor for challenging Ramadan, Passover or Diwali. Is it easier to bully those who believe in “turn(ing) the other cheek” than those more forceful in defending their beliefs? I think there’s more to it. Atheists feel threatened because they have nothing to offer. Religion, any religion, does.

Remember a year ago, when 26 children and school employees were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut? Real feelings presented themselves during this tragedy. People in the media, social networks and across America sent prayers to Newtown, to the victims, their families and residents in general. On Facebook and Twitter, people posted Bible verses in sincere and sympathetic efforts to provide comfort and understanding to those affected by the horror of what had occurred. Articles were written about how clergy scrapped prepared sermons to discuss how suffering and evil can be overcome.

Likewise, after that unspeakable tragedy, religious leaders were interviewed by the media about the nature of God, suffering, evil and justice and how people can make sense of it all. Among the clergy were several Catholic priests, rabbis and the pastor of New Hope Community Church in Newtown. Local residents, in shock and struggling to understand what happened, gathered for a prayer vigil at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church. It was one of many local vigils.

Yet, of all the vigils, there seemed to be no mention of any freethinkers or skeptics invited to soothe the shocked masses. No vigils appeared to be totally devoid of religious or spiritual accoutrements. There’s a good reason.

Atheism is an empty belief system that doesn’t offer followers comfort, hope or emotional solace when the world goes bad. Atheism doesn’t provide a notion of divine justice, reward and punishment or heaven and hell for acts of goodness or overwhelming evil. Christianity does. Atheism simply… is.

This isn’t to say there aren’t individual atheists who sympathized and had empathy for the city of Newtown, the victims of Hurricane Sandy and western wildfires or for those stricken by profound illness or accidents. Similarly, there are those who don’t believe in God who still identify with those who celebrate Christmas. I know some of them and we get along fine.

But, as a belief system represented by those whose motivation appears to offend, organized atheism to me is bankrupt. I find it wanting. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Indeed, He is.

God bless the Christmas season, and may He continue to bless those in need of His compassion, wisdom and solace.

Derryck Green, a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network, received a M.A. in Theological Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his doctorate in ministry at Azusa Pacific University.

“Western Churches Neglect Causes of Radical Islam’s Rise In Africa” by Archbishop Council Nedd II

20 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by in AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Archbishop Council Nedd II, Christianity, Islam, Project 21, Religion

≈ 3 Comments

Op-ed submission by Project 21

How did radical Islam become a legitimate threat in sub-Saharan Africa?

Should we care? Perhaps, because one possible reason stretches beyond the African continent. It may eminate from our own houses of worship.

After the recent shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya by the Muslim terrorist group Al Shabaab, counterterrorism experts fear increased collaboration among the growing ranks of religious radicals in Africa operating across borders in vast, poorly-policed regions.

While terrorism experts are concerned with expanding radicalized Islam, my own leadership role in the Christian community has me preoccupied with how historically Christian areas and formerly majority-Christian countries are now under constant threat from al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in the Islam Maghreb.

It’s too soon to declare African Christianity dead, but it’s certainly ailing — and the West is to blame.

Christians went to great lengths to “civilize” Africa, and part and parcel of that process was bringing Christianity to sub-Saharan Africa. But since then, the Church of England and the Episcopal Church in the U.S. ostensibly have abandoned proselytizing in Africa. Most mainstream Western Christian denominations, in fact, now look with disdain on those still adhering to the very same faith churches once taught.

The Episcopal Church, for example, no longer adheres to the doctrine of the Bible as the inspired word of God. The Western evangelical church in particular proclaims an overly-feminized form of Christianity in which men cannot act as men and women assert a theology that gives them dominion over men. This “enlightened” West no longer honors the God-given roles and distinctions between men and women. Actually, it demonizes them. This is why Christianity lost its appeal in, and it’s hold on, Africa.

The Western church no longer builds up men for the Body of Christ. When the church prefers to place women in masculine roles, while discouraging men, the blessings of God vanish and it creates a vacuum. When the Christian ministry becomes an occupation for those liking pretty buildings and beautiful vestments rather than a vocation to serve God, it’s no wonder serious Christians scoff and look elsewhere.

The Christian church in Africa and around the world has left a gap that Islam is filling.
Men clearly need the civilizing influence of women, but they also must remain men. The church is too involved in a feminizing process. Wanting to love and serve God should not be at the expense of God-given manhood. I am an unapologetic Christian, but I know that nothing in Islam requires or expects men to deny their manhood.  Islam does quite the opposite — encouraging separate manhood and womanhood.

Almost 100 years ago, English writer and lay theologian G.K. Chesterton said that most men in his day were reduced to Victorian lapdogs when it came to Christianity. What might he say today? There are now Christians who change the word of Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer to “Our Father and Mother who art in heaven” and the nature of Jesus in the Holy Trinity. Is there little wonder why there aren’t more men in church and why men seeking God might turn away from modern Western Christianity?

Why would a man want to be part of a faith in which they are to be seen and never heard? Couple this with the general depiction of Christ as sort of a pansy with well-manicured nails and a perfectly-trimmed beard. It is not is no surprise men are uncomfortable with this, and subsequently are unwilling to become churchmen.

In my lifetime, Ethiopia, one of the most storied Christian nations, took the path of India. Once majority-Christian, it is now divided into Eritrea, which is majority Muslim, and Ethiopia, which may be at least half-Muslim.

If people are genuinely concerned about the spread of Islam and subsequent radicalization, they should consider the Christianity they practice and teach. Pastors no longer proclaim the Gospel, but instead favor of gay marriage or the prevailing populous cause de jure.

Don’t worry about Islam. The imams are doing their job. It’s the pastors and priests who aren’t doing theirs.

Archbishop Council Nedd II, a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network. He is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Missionary Church in the United States and the Archbishop of Abu Dhabi.

The Intellectual Guise of Black on Black Hate Speech

08 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in African-Americans, AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Black Dis-Unity, Critical Thinking, Derryck Green, Project 21, Trayvon Martin, White Supremacy Ideology

≈ 3 Comments

Recently a friend was ranting to me about a segment of The O’Reilly Factor he had watched, where a conservative African-American radio talk show host, David Webb, was commenting in agreement with O’Reilly on the George Zimmerman fiasco verdict. My friend made the statement that Webb was a nothing but a “white man in black skin”. 

He then went on to inform me of a survey he had seen which stated that 70% of white people in America agreed with the verdict. I asked him, how many black people did he guesstimate also agreed with the verdict. The question caught him off guard and he struggled to answer… “maybe 1%”. I told him it was probably closer to 70% than 1%.

I also told him I totally disagreed with his categorizing of Webb and that he was indeed a “black man in black skin”. There is one group of people who hate poor black people more than white people do… and that’s the black middle and upper class. They are quite adept in their use coded intellectualized language in their condemnation of their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Which is why despite their political affiliations, cultural heritage, gender or sexual orientation, many in the black middle and upper class are more sympathetic to the white supremacy based thinking on black criminality of a Bill O’Reilly, a Sean Hannity and even a Barack Obama.

Regardless of their eloquence, when you break it down, it’s black on black hate speech… steeped in self-hate. Whether it’s the comments of David Webb, Don Lemon, Barack Obama, The Conservative Black Chick, the article below by Project 21 member Derryck Green… all are reflective of the internalized “divide and conquer” strategy within the African-American community.

Race Fatigue by Derryck Green

Help me, I’m suffering from acute race fatigue!

After gavel-to-gavel coverage of the George Zimmerman trial, I need a break. After all the post-verdict anger, lamentations and inane discussions about what it is to be a black man in America, I’m exhausted.

After watching President Obama liken himself to Trayvon Martin, I’ve had enough. All this talk about race seems intentionally shortsighted and disingenuous. It simply implicates whites and infantilizes the black man. And those needing to hear straight talk the most are shortchanged by the soulless profiteers of the racial grievance industry.

I’m tired of Trayvon Martin being compared to Emmett Till – which, by extension, projects a racial ethos similar to that of 1955 upon contemporary America. Martin was no Till, period. Martin was not some kind of martyr. Please, already.

I’m tired of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being photoshopped into a hoodie. This is nothing short of repulsive, and it denigrates the memory of Dr. King’s contribution to racial justice. Our nation shall forever be in debt to Dr. King. The same cannot and should not be said nor insinuated about Trayvon Martin. There is no comparison.

I’m especially exhausted of hearing condescending white progressives encouraging blacks to maintain a false narrative of victimization. The embarrassing demonstrations increased racial fatigue because those engaging in them did so at the expense of their dignity and credibility. These people – willfully or through neglect – ignored the facts and evidence of the case in a grandstanding attempt to make whites feel responsible and guilty for perpetuating racial discrimination. At the same time, whites feel obligated to perform penance of indeterminate length – defined by the racial grievance industry – without assurance of absolution.

Meanwhile, black-on-black crime is much more destructive and prevalent than a “white Hispanic” killing a black male. The charade is disgusting, and I’m tired of it. The Zimmerman trial wasn’t about race. The FBI’s investigation found absolutely no evidence of racial bias.

Martin was criminally profiled. In the 14 months prior to the fatal Martin-Zimmerman confrontation, the Retreat at Twin Lakes apartment complex was burglarized eight times – with all suspects being roughly the same height, build and color as Martin.

Thus, Martin wasn’t stalked or “hunted down like a “rabid dog” because he was black. As noted during the trial, suspicion was raised because of Martin’s behavior and because he fit a very specific criminal profile.

Blacks aren’t helpless victims abused by “the system.” The facts prove it. The reason that blacks – specifically black males – are disproportionally represented in the criminal justice system is because we commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime. Period.

According to FBI statistics, of the 2,938 murder offenders counted in 2011, 1,803 offenders were black. The total number of black murders in 2011, regardless of age, was 2,695. Of that number, 2,447 had black offenders. Blacks are complicit in their own demise. The system that blacks fear, which they claim is out to get them, is – in reality – blacks themselves.

In other words, there are too many black and progressive fingers pointed outward and not enough pointed inward. This is because there’s no political capital to be gained by doing this – no emotions to be exploited and no one to morally indict as racist.

Does racism exist? Yes, of course. But no one race is responsible for all – or even most – of it. Does racial discrimination exist? Yes, again. And there always will be on this side of heaven.

For blacks and their enablers to continue to foment this notion that racism is America’s number one problem, however, is self-defeating, immoral and perpetuates a lie. Too many blacks have no idea how irresponsible and embarrassing they look in all of this. And I fear, very soon, they will be called on their Dream-killing commodification and idolization of race.

By then, I hope I’ve recovered from my race fatigue.

“You Don’t Have to Be Black to Riot” by Stacy Swimp

11 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by in AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Project 21, Stacy Swimp, Tea Party, Tea Party Activist Wild Bill

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Op-ed submission by Project 21

On July 4, a tea party activist and aspiring humorist named “Wild Bill” posted a video on YouTube entitled “White Guy Riot.” In it, he suggests, “rumors are flying in Florida that if George Zimmerman is acquitted, blacks will riot all across the country.”

“And it has been suggested,” Wild Bill adds, “that if George Zimmerman is convicted, that whites should riot.” He continued: “When I heard that, my first thought was that someone would have to teach us how.”

Trying to be funny, Wild Bill, who is white, goes on to suggest only a few whites would actually show up, would forget to bring a lighter to start fires and “as soon as they broke a few things, they would feel bad, go to the hardware store, buy stuff and go back and fix what they broke” before apologizing for their rioting.

Whether he meant to or not, Wild Bill’s video promotes the concept that whites don’t riot, and therefore are inherently more moral than blacks. Such a sentiment does a disservice to the Tea Party movement he claims to represent.

In light of the fact that some black radicals posted online comments promoting rioting and physical harm toward white Americans in the wake of a Zimmerman acquittal, should one occur, I don’t fault people for wanting to arm themselves. What I don’t agree with is Wild Bill’s false notion that “rioting is not for amateurs like [whites].” This is absurd.

While the video may be intended as satire, it is in bad taste at best and racist at worst. Perhaps Wild Bill should review the riot mentality of the Occupy Wall Street protestors, who not only were overwhelmingly white and certainly knew how to riot but also created an environment in many encampments where women were reportedly raped and property was destroyed.

There are plenty for historical examples of proving that white Americans can riot:

• White socialists helped spark the May Day Riots of 1894 in Cleveland, Ohio that advanced the cause of organized labor in America.

• Whites in the post-Civil War south formed the Ku Klux Klan during reconstruction and rioted in several southern cities, terrorizing both whites and blacks who sought to vote and conduct lawful business.

• Whites rioted in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921, burning down an affluent black community that was called the “Black Wall Street.”

Outside of the United States, lots of whites regularly riot at European soccer games as well as against the police in London, England in 2011. The English band The Clash had their first hit in 1977 with the song “White Riot.”

If still not convinced, go to “Google Images” and type in the search term, “World Trade Organization riot.”  What do you see?

In none of these examples are there reports of rioters returning later with supplies to fix what they broke. Wild Bill’s claims that whites would feel guilty after rioting is unsupported by substantive evidence.

Black conservative blogger Talitha McEachin notes:

“I am a black American who grew up in and still lives in a predominantly black community. I have heard no one in my community speaking of rioting if George Zimmerman is acquitted, nor have we ever had a single riot since I’ve been alive. Instead of making such wild accusations based on race and the threats of a few morons (whom I disagree with strongly) who do not represent the majority of black people, Wild Bill needs to get out more and actually start asking us how we feel. We are no less apt to respect the structure of law and order than any law-abiding white citizen.”

Wild Bill, whose YouTube channel has over 20,000 subscribers and more than 7.5 million views of his hundreds of videos, may not have meant to sound racist. He may not be aware of the hateful and divisive nature in which his message can be viewed. But there is a significant difference between good intentions and unintended consequences, and his video commentary is irresponsible, immature and reckless.

The Tea Party movement, which I support and have spoken to at rallies, already has enough trouble dealing with false and exaggerated accusations of racial insensitivity. There is no need to provide what some could claim is proof of such insensitivity.

Stacy Swimp is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network. 

“Where is the Black Church?” by Derryck Green

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Critical Thinking, Derryck Green, Project 21

≈ 7 Comments

Op-ed submission by Project 21

Problems infecting and affecting the black community must be addressed in a serious and sincere manner. Many of these problems center around moral values that were once readily available and in abundance among black Americans. Now they are increasingly becoming rare.

To deal with this crisis, there should be a focused and concentrated effort, originating within black churches, that renews hearts and minds. This renewal should focus on Christian moral values as the answer to the pervading psychological ills that now afflict black America.

That blacks are in need of spiritual, social and economic renewal is no secret. A certain segment of blacks have succumbed to behaviors that most would label as counterproductive and undignified. Frankly, these behaviors are embarrassing and morally disturbing. What’s worse is that these behaviors are now being accepted as “culturally authentic.”

Under the current societal trappings of “tolerance,” “diversity” and moral relativism, blacks have willingly relinquished the painful but necessary process of self-critique. This behavioral and spiritual deficiency leads black culture to define “authenticity” as comporting oneself with stereotypes that the generations of many of our grandparents and great grandparents sought to avoid and overcome. In other condescending terms, this “authenticity” is often equated with “acting black.”

In assessing the situation, we can conclude that the black church has failed its moral and spiritual obligation of leadership, because, despite the many claims to the contrary, the behavioral effects and cultural degradation are now too abundant to ignore. Of course, not all black churches have failed. Collectively, however, churches have failed black America.

Further, many well-meaning white people, Christian and non-Christian alike, also are silently complicit in this failure due to fear of reprisals such as being labeled “racist” or “insensitive.” In refusing to speak out and condemn unacceptable behaviors, these people passively accept and legitimize a form of conduct that they likely would vigorously oppose if it came from someone in their own family.

Recognizing the impotence of so many black churches, we must assume that many black ministers are evading discussions of personal and communal sin. Sermons regarding the guilt and shame of socially self-limiting and damaging behaviors obviously don’t contain the potent condemnation they once did. It’s a self-evident truth predicated upon the preponderance of detrimental activity that proliferates within black culture. These activities represent moral and spiritual captivity.

The first enslavement of our community was obvious, it was an existential reality recognized by blacks. Unwanted, it was still an accepted reality. It was challenged as a moral evil and was abolished.

This second slavery, when fully understood, is much more reprehensible than the first. Though American blacks are physically free, their spirits and minds are still bound, even though the generations of blacks living in America today are among the freest blacks ever in the history of the world.

I’m angry and sad that a community whose heritage and dignity once coalesced around the lordship of Jesus and his church has allowed itself to come to this. This apparent timidity of the black pulpit, in not properly teaching the gospel of truth and not holding congregations to a higher standard of personal and communal morality, has had disastrous effects.

We know the power of the black church as has been evidenced by history. The black church sustained generations of blacks during periods of American history when society was much more intolerant and unbecoming than it is now. It fostered an elevated level of character that included “blessing one’s enemy” while “turning the other cheek,” even when circumstances made it exceptionally difficult to do so.

Blacks must realize that our cultural redemption won’t come from the tip of a pen of a liberal politician. It will come by returning to the biblical values contained in the Christian faith of their fathers, facilitated by a church that bears witness in the pulpit.

Derryck Green, a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network, received a M.A. in Theological Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his doctorate in ministry at Azusa Pacific University.

“Making the Black Community Sustainable” by Dr. B.B. Robinson

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in African-Americans, AfroSpear, AfroSphere, B.B. Robinson, Black Conservatives, Black Issues, Project 21

≈ Leave a comment

Op-ed submission by Project 21

If something is good and it is enjoyable, it’s not surprising that people want it to last forever. We want the goodness to be unceasing. We want it to be sustained. But the sad fact is that nothing lasts forever. Even the cosmos is subject to the vagaries of time and will one day cease to exist.

Within black America, despite the hardships we have faced, there have been many favorable developments that have benefited our people. They should continue. Unfortunately, many appear to be unsustainable.

Consider the example of the black family. Formerly the bedrock of our community, the black family is now failing. Around 70 percent of black children are currently being born out of wedlock, and the availability of marrying-age black males is restricted by a very high, albeit declining, incarceration rate.

Several of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which many charge with maintaining a tradition of scholarly excellence in our community, are slowly but steadily falling by the wayside. Schools that were once virtually the only choice for black higher education are now failing to receive broad economic support because, in part, they become enmeshed in non-educational issues, reflect poor management and often produce graduates who exhibit sub-par academic achievement.

The rapid pace and major accomplishments of the Martin Luther King-era civil rights movement left the establishment black special interest groups with a hard act to follow and few critical hurdles to overcome. Today’s civil rights lobby is largely a “go along to get along” movement that often focuses on the wrong issues.

When presented with the declining black family, subpar educational achievement and a lack of progress on key economic issues, today’s self-professed black leaders seem quite ineffective in comparison with the greatness of their predecessors.

Even effective past efforts by the Nation of Islam to make black America more productive and independent are not being replicated today. Given Minister Louis Farrakhan’s current advanced age and declining health, we must wonder whether that movement will be sustained beyond his passing.

Conversely, there is an important institution that remains sustained, in form if not in substance. That institution is the black church. Why has the black church been sustained, and generally what are the keys to sustainability?

For institutions, organizations and movements that want to last, they must, at their core, contain the materials and the chemistry that it takes to be sustainable. Like kernels that always produce stalks of corn and create the kernels that grow yet more corn in the future, these institutions, organizations and movements must include what is essentially a genetic code that ensures their sustainability.

Sustainable entities must embody long-range plans with provisions for course corrections (consider the U.S. Constitution), systematic processes for leadership succession (consider the Catholic Church) and flexibility to evolve (consider creation itself).

Probably the most important key to sustainability for black American institutions, organizations and movements is a willingness on our part to work diligently and selflessly to make them successful. The reason that kernel of corn is successful in producing more corn is because earth, water, air and sun are always there to do their parts. Likewise, we must be committed to serving as the equivalent of the earth, water, air and sun to ensure that our institutions, organizations and movements are sustained.

While all good things inevitability come to an end, they do not have to suffer a premature demise. With work and care, good things can be sustainable for quite some time. As a result, we can avoid the hazardous stops and starts to our efforts to preserve ourselves as a people and as a community within the larger American nation.

B.B. Robinson, Ph.D. is a member of the national advisory council of the black leadership network Project 21. You can visit his website at http://www.blackeconomics.org

“Following MLK’s Visionary Path” by Demetrius Minor

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in AfroSpear, AfroSphere, Demetrius Minor, Martin Luther King, Project 21

≈ 3 Comments

Op-ed submission by Project 21

Had he not been cut down in his prime, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would now be 84 years old. He was undeniably a beacon of hope and a pillar of light in the midst of the dark and evil times in which he lived.

Dr. King inspired many people, including me, to dream and persevere despite the challenges and obstacles that may easily seem to surmount us. Looking upon the accomplishments, courage and wisdom of Dr. King, I ponder about how he might view America if he were still alive today.

As our nation continues to see the downward spiral in the economy, class warfare driven by political elites and an insufferable secular agenda promoted by the media and Hollywood, there is definitely a valid reason to want to lose faith in humanity.

To me, Dr. King envisioned the bigger picture when he said: “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

I like the analogy of being a drum major. A drum major is the leader of a marching band and is responsible for commanding the ensemble regarding where to march and what is played.

Today, I strive to embrace Dr. King’s agenda and march toward morality, righteousness, purity and leadership. Our culture these days is too entrenched in sexuality, individualism, greed and selfishness. We are in desperate need of a voice that will not only impact today’s youth, but will also affect generations to follow.

As a drum major, perhaps I can create a new beat to replace the current refrain of complacency, indolence and apathy. I wish to create a beat that strikes to the rhythm of hope and redemption. I wish to instill hope for a better tomorrow, a brighter future and salvation for past failures and mistakes.

It is very easy to highlight the failures of modern-day society, but it takes a compassionate heart to advocate redemption and a fresh start to one’s life. Dr. King’s view of faith still echoes amongst us today. For it is Dr. King who once said: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Maybe you’re an individual who has to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. Perhaps you’ve just had the unfortunate experience of losing a job. Maybe you’re a recent college grad who’s had to move back home with mom and dad because you couldn’t find a job and there were no resources to meet your needs. Whatever the case may be, step out in faith and let God fight the battles.

We do not know all the answers to the mysteries of life, but we can find refuge and strength in Almighty God, knowing that He will supply our every need. He will not abandon us, even when our faith is feeble.

Dr. King also had a wise approach to politics. He simply stated: “I feel someone must remain in the position of non-alignment, so that he can look objectively at both parties and be the conscience of both, not the servant or master of either.”

At a time when politics and philosophy are causing disarray and deconstruction, we all, myself included, have become saturated with our own ideology. We have neglected, at times, accountability and honesty in our debates. It is easy to be passionate about our beliefs and convicted in our principles, but we become blinded by the deceit and vanity that is displayed on all sides of the political spectrum.

Let us become visionaries of change, not disciples of blind loyalty. I truly believe the political discourse can be solved when we encourage ourselves and our peers to be better, even the ones who claim to be on our side. I believe that Dr. King would agree with me when I say that being on our Creator’s side protects us from fallacy.

Thank you, Dr. King, for reminding us to look at the bigger picture.

Demetrius Minor is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network and co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show “He Said, She Said” with Project 21 member Stacy Washington.