Page 5 - 6-16-15 Tuesday's Edition

Editorials
Ladies, Give It Up On Father’s Day
Jesse Jackson, Jr., Goes Home
W ell, he didn’t go home to Chicago, but before day- break in a small convoy, Jesse Jackson, Jr., the apple of his mother and father’s eye unceremoniously took a twelve-hour drive from a Montgomery, Alabama federal prison to a halfway house Baltimore, to slowly, but somehow surely find his way back to civilization and
sanity.
The big question is will the world let him forget.
We have seen it before. In our own home town, we have witnessed the rocket-climb and meteoric fall of magnificent young men whose fathers and grandfathers paved a way for their greatness only to watch them plum- met to the ground in shame and confusion. But life goes on. As a wise man once said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you strong.”
So, the young men (and women) of spring whose wings were clipped early, return meekly to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Will the world lend them a broom and dust pan? In too many instances, if it cared at all, the world has not been so kind. But anyone can change, even a gossip-hungry society.
Yes, Jesse Jackson, Jr., is on his way to a halfway house in Baltimore. Will it be a next step to get home? Will he rebuild his house and start over again? As his fa- ther would say, “God only knows.”
The federal appeals court’s recent dismissal of a law- suit filed by America’s largest coal conglomerate along with 14 coal-producing states in hopes of blocking
the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed climate change regulations is a welcomed breath of fresh air.
In fact, as part of President Obama’s agenda for reduc- ing carbon emissions from power plants, the EPA has proposed regulations that would close some existing coal-powered plants, reduce the demand for coal produc- tion and limit construction of future plants..
Though the proposed regulations are projected to gen- erate years of legal challenges before they are enacted, we applaud President Obama for attempting to leave clean air for future generations. At least someone in power has the integrity and courage to ignore the mega- million dollar lobbying efforts and pressure from green- house gas emitting corporations that could care less if our grandchildren and great-grandchildren have any air left to breathe.
All Americans, especially Floridians and residents of other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, need to be vig- ilant about the rhetoric of presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio regarding oil drilling close to the shores of Florida.
Protecting our coastal beaches, marine life, oceans, estuaries, and seafood industries from offshore oil pro- duction should not be compromised by high priced lob- bying from the oil industry. Future generations should be able to enjoy clean air, clean water, and an oil–slick free environment.
After all, regardless of color, gender, economic status, or political persuasion, without the conservation of air and water, all other arguments are eloquent nonsense.
Empowered Greetings
This Father’s Day I want the ladies to give it up. Give it up for the man who raised you. He filled your heart with glee. Give it up to the one who said. “Daddy’s girl you will always be.”
Ladies, give it up to the man that has your heart. You know the one that’s been there, from your child’s start. He’s been your source of strength and support through the years. He smoothed away the rough times and wiped away the tears.
Ladies, give it up to the special man in your life. Your husband, your babe, your boo, the one who calls you wife. He is the father of your kids, the greatest dad of all.
Normally, when you think about a person who passes themselves off as a member of a racial group or ethnicity other than his or her own, typically, the first image that crosses your mind is that of a very light-skinned Black man or woman (with some “good hair” I suppose) at- tempting to hide and ma- neuver within white society. At least that’s what I’ve al- ways thought.
In my short-sightedness I never considered that the fake-it-until-you-make-it path could, in actuality, be a two-way street. This is mainly because, with all of the social, economic and legal hurdles that Blacks face in this country, it’s hard to envision any white person giving up the comfort of being cradled inside of Uncle Sam’s bosom to join the rest of us in our daily struggle to come from un- derneath his heel.
Of course, there has al- ways been a certain segment of the white population that has embraced Black culture. They are the ones who speak the dialect, love the music and imitate the swag.
But even these types of in- dividuals made a habit of keeping their true identities
Your children will always look up to him; it doesn’t matter if he’s short or tall.
Ladies, give it up to the man, that even though you’re separated or divorced, he’s still in the picture and helps to keep the kids on the right course.
Ladies, give it up to your dad, your husband, your baby daddy or your man, don’t worry about his short- comings, God’s still working out his plan. Recognize him this Father’s Day for who he is to you. Not just for what he’s done but for the possi- bilities of what he will do.
Ladies, give it up, even if your biological father wasn’t there. You still have a Heav- enly Father who loves and He cares.
Ladies, in case you still
intact. But, always allowing themselves an escape route from the land of Blackness whenever the situation calls for them to take full advan- tage of their white privilege.
This is what makes the case of Rachel Dolezal, the 37-year-old who was re- cently outed as an imposter of the Black race, so interest- ing. Here is a white woman so enamored with the idea of living as a Black person that she threw away her “I’M STILL WHITE” passport in an effort to live permanently as a native daughter.
For 20 years, Dolezal forged an identity that made her whiteness almost unrec- ognizable. She started her transition by attending and graduating from Howard University. She followed that up by marrying a Black man, transforming her straight her to kinky, becom- ing President of the Spokane, Washington Chap- ter of the NAACP and she even went as far as taking pictures with random Black people so that she could claim them as relatives.
I don’t know if she also al- lowed her credit rating to drop to perfect the illusion. But, judging by the extremes she went through to pull off
don’t get what I’m trying to say, give it up to all the dads, on this Father’s Day. That’s right, give them their props, give them what’s due. Give them their hugs, kisses and shout outs too. Give them a gift, give them a card, show them your appreciation and love from the depths of your heart.
Here’s to the dad’s that are reading this too, Happy Father’s Day from me to you.
Let’s get connected on social media. Give a shoutout on my Face- book page to at least one male figure that has im- pacted your life and re- ceive a free gift from me.
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I would love to be a part of your next event: Invite me out to speak, train, facilitate or attend your event by call- ing (813) 956-0185.
this grand deception, I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes out that she incorpo- rated that stereotypical as- pect of Black life as well.
As I sit here writing this, I have to admit, I’m kind of glad that Mrs. Dolezal was exposed. After years of com- ing across a number of Black women who seemed to rel- ish claiming some type of In- dian ancestry (most often Cherokee), it was refreshing to finally discover that they weren’t alone in suffering a crisis of identity.
While Dolezal’s new age black-face routine comes off as pathetic and sad to some, to me, her story is just an- other profound sign of the times. Living in a world where technology already makes it possible for men to live as women and women to live as men, a person decid- ing to live inside of a differ- ent racial persona is the next obvious step in the “be what- ever you want to be” evolu- tionary process.
With advancements in Science moving at a rapid pace and social norms being re-written by the minute, you can only imagine what society will look like 25 years from now. Compared to what will be going on then, we really haven’t seen any- thing yet.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bulletin Publishing Company.
Anyone wishing to con- tact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityonice@yahoo.com.
A Real Imitation Of Life
Clean Air And Water For Future Generations
UESDAY, JUNE 16, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5