Diatribes by Joah

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Hall of Famer Michael Irvin Supports Gay Marriage too

Why Older Black “Leaders” Are a Glass Ceiling for Blacks in America

I was on the phone with someone who, like me, has a substantial amount of experience reading about and working with self-described Black leaders. I’m going to be very specific about who I’m talking about.

For starters, I’m not talking about our President and First Lady. They’re actually being attacked by, what I’m going to call, racially conservative Black leaders. Cornel West called Barack Obama a “black mascot” and Tavis Smiley bitched about the President being unable to attend his “State of the Black Union” event and offering Michelle’s speaking services instead. They are conservative in that they believe they own the definition of what it means to be “Black in America”. Silly.

But I digress…the older Black leaders I’m really talking about aren’t even people like Cornel West and Tavis Smiley. No, they’re both actually famous and, in West’s case, have contributed tremendously to the discourse (not always positive, but that’s another topic) of Blacks in America for years upon years.

The people I’m talking about are in their mid-to-late 40s, 50s and 60s and they’re not famous, they haven’t created Black wealth or been significant contributors to large discussions about Blacks in America. Actually, they’re the exact opposite. They’re not famous, because they have focused on agendas so narrow that no one should pay attention to them. They’re not creating Black wealth (though some of them are themselves rich) because they don’t seem to understand economic development policies that focus on generating sustainable wealth instead of generating temporary favoritism. And they’re not significant contributors to the discourse about Blacks in America because they are so off-base in what they believe is happening or should be happening and so narrow-minded in who they’re working with or what they’re working on, that they just go in circles.

As a result, much of Black discussion in America has gone in circles. And the efforts of far too many Black-centric organizations has followed suit. Round and round and round they go. Literally, for at least the last decade, maybe two.

Meanwhile, us young Black people watch and wonder: “will you ever move over and let us do our thing?”

Historical tidbit: Dr. King was 26 when he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and just a few years later with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded. Malcolm X was in his late 20s and early 30s when he led the creation of several Nation of Islam posts in some of America’s major Northeast cities. Stokely Carmichael was 26 when he took over the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, taking over from John Lewis who led the organization when he was 23 years old. James Farmer, one of the less-heralded Civil Rights leaders, was just 21 when he was invited to meet with President Roosevelt. Ella Baker, a leading female voice in the Movement, was actually the old member of the leadership tree having started as NAACP’s director of branches at the ripe age of 39.

So why in the hell do some of today’s Black leaders in their late 40s, 50s and 60-somethings fancy themselves our generation’s Dr. Kings, Malcolm Xs and Ella Bakers? When in fact King and others were our age when they were leading the Movement! We haven’t had a young Black leader in three decades! Why? Because these older people won’t let one in! They think that since Jay-Z and Kanye West are famous, they’ve allowed the younger generation to have a voice when – as pointed out in Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save America – this hip-hop voice is not nearly what is needed.

And don’t give me that lip about “we were a part of the Movement” stuff as if to get some five-star general level of respect from us. How were you a part of the Movement? By being the first-generation of beneficiaries from it? By being the Blacks first-allowed to go to college and fully enter Corporate America only to have to be the first person to become the VP of something and graduate from a non-historically Black college or university for once?

If you’re 65 today that means you were 19 when Malcolm X died and 22 when King died. Very formative years indeed, but to continue harping on that time as if you didn’t end up taking some job in Corporate America (or pitching against it) in order to ascend to the upper middle class in some management role is truly malicious. Especially since many of you end up raising your children with the biggest silver spoons ever seen by Blacks in America, quite literally hurting the poor Black people you say you’re about helping by creating an “us” vs. “them” reality in Black neighborhoods and schools until – like other races – we created segregated schools for ourselves in cities like Atlanta.

If you’re 45 to 60 years old, I really don’t buy your need to continue harping back on things like institutional racism as if you didn’t live in a day and time when Blacks experienced less racism than ever before in America. I really hate hearing people in Austin talk about this like it’s some type of cross they’re bearing from the 1760s. I know things are still bad and police brutality still happens, hatred is still spewed and jobs are still hard to come by for Black men who are poorly educated as young boys and poorly treated in prisons as young men and poorly considered in society thereafter. I know far too well.

But for you to pretend that you are the new incarnation of Black leadership in America when so little has been done on your watch in the last decade or two is pathetic. Actually, tell me exactly what it is that you’ve done in the last decade other than sit back in your cushy “association of” and “commissioner/chairman” jobs and meet with the same damn people week after week, month after month doing the same damn things, hosting the same damn events and complaining about the same damn federal/state/local policies that only people in real leadership roles and power can address.

Going round and round and round. Harping on the same issues. Coming up with the same bland ideas and events. Doing the most mundane fundraisers. Sending the most uninspiring emails. And reaching out to young people with about as much innovation as the General Motors Truck division brings to an alternative energy conference.

Move out of the way. If you need us to kiss the ring, us being young Black people, in order for you to pass on by then fine. (Please don’t let these long-standing organizations die out with your generation.) We’ll kiss the ring if you don’t also require we anoint you all chairman/chairwoman emeritus status too because we need some other people to serve in that role. Like mid-to-late 30-somethings.

Yes, I’m being an ageist. I would apologize if I wasn’t so spot on based on far too many conversations with friends of mine in Austin, Houston, D.C., New York and other American cities. These are friends who work in business, entertainment, finance, law, politics, technology…they went to good schools thanks to the work of King and others and they are ascended to higher heights in their professions thanks to the roads your generation paved. Yes, I admit that. You fought the good fight for us. These are friends who’ve worked on Obama’s campaign and work in Congress, they lead young professionals groups across the country (only some of them solely focused on Blacks) and they have bright, albeit untested, ideas about what we should be doing right now.

The only problem with right now is that you’re in the way talking about back then. You have absolutely no clue about right now. This is wholesale and generalized and exceptions certainly exist. I know that Cory Booker is in his 40s now and he’s amazing. Google’s chief counsel David Drummond is in his 40s and is largely unknown, but significant. But those few are the exceptions. So stop acting like the energetic, educated, inspired, innovative young Black person attending your meetings is the exception and needs to “pay our dues”. People like Johnica Reed, Jam Donaldson and Coltrane Curtis know more about what’s going on in Black America than your average NAACP chapter president, that’s for sure.

The honest truth is that the older you all get, and the more stuck in your ways you continue to be, the fewer dues paying members you’re going to have if you keep this up. So, no, I won’t pay those dues. Not until you acknowledge what we’ve been trying to tell you for years. Keep this up and you’ll be the generation that negated much of the unseen but good work that King and others did because more than lead the Movement and serve as positive forces of change, they were icons.

Icons to Black leadership. Young Black leadership. Young Black leadership that didn’t wait around for dues to be paid. As for me, I’m not waiting around. You can believe that I am going to bum rush your door and tell you to hand over the keys or else.

Yeah, it may be the house you’ve lived in for years, but you definitely did not build it (King’s generation did) and you definitely aren’t in a position to renovate it (my generation is). Especially not with that attitude toward the most important Black constituency in America: young professionals.

We have money. We have white, Hispanic and Asian friends. We’re educated, well traveled, well dressed, well read and well versed on our Civil Rights history. We know how to use computers and we’re savvy with social media. We can command six-figure salaries and start businesses if we want to. We can talk Jay-Z and foreign policy in the same dialogue. We can do many things for Blacks in America because unlike many of you, we actually understand the positive impact Obamas have been in the White House. So much so that our votes are based on policies and not on race alone. Truth to power.

You need to come to terms with the fact that we can’t be the generation that pays the majority of the mortgage for Black people in America if we’re also going to be told that the title to the house will not be ours for another decade or two.

Let’s see how long you can make those payments without us.

Best albums of 2011…so far

So I’ve already established that 2011 has yet to crown its official summer soundtrack or anthem, but that doesn’t mean we’ve lacked for great music. Here are some albums (and mixtapes) that stand out in the first half of the year:

1. Adele – 21

Everyone’s pick to win a gazillion Grammys in 2012…I wonder if Kanye will break her heart by crashing the stage if My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy doesn’t win album of the year. ‘Turning Tables’ is a song that everyone will hear and relate to at one point in their lives…be it a high school breakup or the end of a near-marriage relationship in your late 20s.

2. Jill Scott – The Light of the Sun

My absolute favorite songstress of the R&B/soul sort has done it again with her fourth album. Despite the controversy associated with her racially insensitive seeming statement about interracial relationship, Jill powers on with an album filled with her inspiring balance of spoken word, realism, relationship trials and triumphs and good ole love making music. Tracks like ‘Until Then’ and ‘So Gone’, which features a stellar albeit surprising verse by Houston rapper Paul Wall, give you a bit of that last flavor.

3. Beyonce – 4

As you can see, 2011 has been quite the year for female contenders as far as I’m concerned. Beyonce may have put together the best album of her successful career by relying on herself (she executive produced the album herself) and some great collaborators like Mad Decent’s Switch, Babyface, Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, Tricky Stewart, Kaskade, and The-Dream. Still, it’s the Kanye West-produced and Andre 3000-featured ‘Party’ that stands out as the album’s – you guessed it – party anthem. Still, the beat-friendly ballads like ‘Rather Die Young’ and ‘Start Over’ are the most repeatable songs on her fourth solo LP.

4. Friendly Fires – Pala

Justin Timberlake is too busy acting and having sex with gorgeous actresses, models and pop stars to put out a follow-up to FutureSexLoveSounds so I’ll have to settle for Friendly Fires’ attempt at something more pop than indie. And, thankfully, they pass with flying colors. Whether it’s ‘Show Me Lights’, ‘Live Those Days Tonight’, ‘Hurting’ or ‘Helpless’ you’ll be left hitting those high notes in the driver’s seat as you hear the honk of the car behind you as you realize the light turned green several moments ago.

5. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Did we expect anything less than another solidly compelling album from Justin Vernon and Co., especially after his successful collaborations with Mr. West in Hawaii on the aforementioned My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. ‘Towers’ may leave you feeling like you’d just heard another strong effort from Mumford & Sons, another folkified indie favorite, but ‘Holocene’ is a special song of the James Taylor/Simon & Garfunkel sentiment.

6. Bright Eyes – The People’s Key

I’ve been a fan of the band for sometime, but The People’s Key has me full on smitten with their range of ‘60s-inspired tracks like ‘Triple Spiral’ with a  That Thing You Do flavor and ‘One For You, One For Me’, which is quite possibly the closest resemblance to one of my all-time favorite songs (Sting’s ‘If I Ever Lose My Faith In You’) that I’ve ever heard.

7. Curren$y – Weekend at Burnie’s

While Theophilus London (Lover’s Holiday) and Big K.R.I.T. (Return of 4Eva) compete for the title of best hip-hop inspired mixtape of early 2011, Curren$y has graduated to a full-on LP. #JetsLifeCommandments (aka ‘JLC’), ‘She Don’t Want a Man’ and ‘On Gs’ fit in nicely with earlier mixtape favorites like ‘Michael Knight’ and ‘Seat Change’ while songs like ‘This is the Life’ hint at a more mature direction in Curren$y’s future a la Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Sky’s The Limit’ and The Clipse’s ‘I’m Good’ and, of course, the #JetsLife MC’s biggest hit ‘Address’.

8. Foster the People – Torches

In much of the same vein as Friendly Fires’ Pala, Torches is a pop-indie favorite that has already resulted in dance parties, hookups and jump-heavy celebrations in some of America’s most hipster-friendly cities. ‘Houdini’ is like movie theatre popcorn, it’s just so hard to resist.

9. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’

Former Tony Toni Tone frontman has fully re-invented himself as a Motown-styled soul man and songs like ‘Over You’ hint at his R&B, soul and rockabilly sensibilities in a much too brief two-and-a-half minute time frame.

10. Oh Land – Oh Land

From Denmark to Brooklyn, this singer-producer’s self-titled album is filled with smooth beats and soothing melodies like ‘Wolf & I’ and ‘Sun of a Gun’ that make for a perfect ambiance. I’m just trying to figure out where this ambiance is preferred. 

11. Battles – Gloss Drop

If you liked Battles’ last LP Mirrored, this one will fall right into your iPod and iTunes playlist nicely. Between ‘Dominican Fade’ and ‘Wall Street’ you’ll wonder why they even bothered to give this album a new name instead of making Mirrored a double album, with Gloss Drop being the softer more worldly companion to its harder, edgier predecessor.

12. Black Joe Lewis – Scandalous

First, he gave us ‘Bitch, I Love You’ and now he’s telling us that he’s not so certain that love has resulted in faithful communications in songs like ‘You Been Lyin’ and trust building in ‘Messin’. Austin has a calling card on the road with this guy and his band.

Mixtape Honorable Mentions: Frank Ocean’s nostalgia, ULTRA, Camp Lo’s 80 Blocks from Tiffany’s, and The Weeknd’s House of Balloons

 

Please nominate Style X for "Wild Card" winner in the Austin Chronicle's "Best of 2011"

Friends!

I believe Style X would be a perfect nominee for the final category in Austin Chronicle's "Best Of 2011" awards ... yes, the WILD CARD category.

Why? As a result of Style X, and the 15,000 shoppers attracted in just 18 hours with an estimated haul of $180,000 in consumer spending, we can firmly say that style – like its creative siblings, music, film and technology – deserves a seat at the SXSW table. Please check out this video to get a sampling of what this past year’s event was like.

I am also very proud of some of the things written about this event including Fashionista writing, “With tons of designer showcases and a runway show chock-full of SXSW musicians-turned-models, Style X is certainly living up to its reputation as the first event bridging the gap between fashion and music, with a sharp focus on emerging talent,” and The New York Times writing, “Forget about downloading cool new apps, viewing acclaimed indie flicks or listening to Next Big Things — it’s about discovering the trends before they inundate malls across America.”

Please help me spread the word via FB/Twitter/etc.

Joah

@StyleXAustin

http://www.austinchronicle.com/feedback/bestof/11/

 

P.S. And Apothecary Cafe & Wine Bar (on Twitter @ApothecaryATX) would be a great choice for "best kept secret"...

This is about to happen, but it's gonna be way cooler

Oh, the Republicans

I am deeply troubled that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is polling so high in the latest round of results matching up the current crop of GOP presidential hopefuls. Not only does he not represent the values that make a city like Austin so wonderful, IMHO, but he also fails to reflect the core values that have made the Republican Party a stalwart in American politics since before Abe Lincoln's time. To him and his supporters, I give you this ode: Oh, the Republicans...

 

Oh, the Republicans

How I long to join you

But you make it impossible

To ever be proud of you

 

With your pandering ways

Your revolving door candidacies

Lack of historical perspective

And short-sighted policies

 

Oh, the Republicans

The party I long to affiliate

So little concern for democracy, it seems

Yet a keen desire to dictate

 

We don’t need your religion

Nor do we want your tea

We just want real solutions

Not just for you, but for we

 

Oh, the Republicans

I was once a card holder

But while America’s cities get younger

Your legislative concepts get older

 

Waiting for you to wake up

It looks like it’ll be awhile

Before we get a legit sex-ed plan

You’d rather put Roe v. Wade on trial

 

Oh, the Republicans

People are jobless and poorly schooled

Your focus on the wealthy and privately learned

Leads to our public education system’s ridicule

 

Wasted opportunities aplenty

Immigration, Wall Street regulation and such

Us brown people and paycheck to paycheck types

Realize you don’t really care for us much

 

Oh, the Republicans

You use the Bible and union bashing as shields

Although neither is a primary source

By which sound federal policy yields

 

Wicked games you often play

Going using social issues to incite hate

So much time passed being controversial

Diplomacy and open minds show up too late

 

Oh, the Republicans

I believe you know Lincoln and Teddy

Are today’s voices in politics for the right reasons

Or just opinionated and camera-ready?

 

Work on something meaningful

I’m talking about lasting and valued endeavors

You may have a solid base of supporters

But you don’t have your shit together

 

Oh, the Republicans

Fiscal restraint with little environmental concern

Education reform with faulty judicial prudence

Issues you should be leading at every political turn

 

Why must you insist on this path

Of minimal dialogue and talking head sensations

When the history of the party

Is one of political prowess and innovation

 

Oh, the Republicans

From Lincoln’s Proclamation and Teddy’s Yellowstone

To Senator Dirksen’s leadership and Mayor Guiliani’s tone

 

Wondrous accomplishments to build upon

If only the sincere and true focus were there

Your candidates say they want to be President

But can they show us why we should care?

Site of My Favorite 4th of July Ever? Burlington, Vermont