The first national celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday took place January 20, 1986. Today is Jan 18, 2010 and we have come so far. The first black President was elected last year yet we still have many issues that plague the black community. On January 9, 2010 more than 100 men residing in Memphis, TN, the place where Dr. King took his last breath, came together to discuss the role and responsibility of black men in building our community. The Mid-South Men’s Forum touched on spiritual, educational, economical, and crime problems in the black community and ways we can solve these issues.
The panel included Key note speaker Student Minister Nuri Muhammad, as well as Bernal E. Smith (President of 100 Black men), Jeffery Higgs (CEO of Lemoyne Community Development), Thomas Burrell (Black Farmers Association), Reginald French (Democratic Candidate for Sherriff), Demico Booth (Author of WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON), John Hall (Juvenile Intervention Shape Program), Grandmaster Anthony Muhammad (Chicago and National Defense Trainer), Pastor Ralph White (Bloomfield Baptist Church), Martavious Jones (School Board), Dr. A J Stovall (Rust College Professor), Dr. Leon Caldwell (Rhodes College professor), Drumma Boy (Super Producer and CEO of Drum Squad Productions), Van Tuner (Shelby County Democratic Party chair). We also received a great self defense demonstration from Grandmaster Anthony Muhammad and a performance from rising rap star Young Phenomenon.
Some of the economic points panel members spoke on during the program was the lack of understanding of all the access to capital there is to be distributed. Thomas Burrell dropped a gem of knowledge on the brothers by informing them that the Department of Agriculture is the only government organization Congress allows to make loans to a minor. Lack of knowledge is one of the community’s greatest dilemmas.
Demico Booth’s story was definitely one of hope to our many young men in prison or previously involved in the system. He went to prison at the age of 19 and was released at 31 only to be taken back into custody to serve another 2 years. He was affiliated with gangs and this association caused him to lose many years of his life. During his time he decided to change his life and wrote the book, WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON. He emphasized that we are missing the black love and this is what our children need.“There is no greater enforcement than us enforcing ourselves,” says Grandmaster Anthony. “This is our community and no one violates this, less we violate them.” Meaning we have to stand up and say we are not going to accept all the violence and destruction of the community anymore. We have to take serious action and accept the responsibility as an individual and not leave it up to anyone else to do it. We each have to take a part and make a commitment to the community in order to make a change. Like Reginald French said that day “Crime does pay, but it doesn’t pay us.” People spend billions on the court system every year and they are getting rich off of us because we make up a majority of the cases. This must change!
Knowing that Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has been fighting for us for over 55 years should be enough to motivate these men to take a stand NOW. Student Minister Nuri Muhammad spoke so eloquently and passionately about what a man is and that we should look at the Word as a script to life. He broke down the Lord’s Prayer and you had to be there to receive the knowledge he was giving. One thing that stood out to me was Daily Bread. He said a man should be working towards getting daily bread by becoming entrepreneurs. When you are working for someone else you are getting weekly or bi-weekly bread or money in other words. Opening up more black owned businesses is definitely something that would improve the black community. It is up to us to save ourselves because God helps those that help themselves.The common theme from all the speakers was ownership. We have to take back ownership of our community if we are going to build it up. Being one of the few women in the building, made me feel like a Harriet Tubman or Sojourner Truth figure of this time because I am able to assist these brothers with their efforts and help spread the word. I’m just little ole me though Miss Conversation Piece but I am doing my part to help build our community and keep Dr. King’s dream alive. What about you?
