WHIRLWIND OF ACTIVITIES MAKE FOR DIZZY TIMES!

We were invited to make a presentation to the BGSA (Black Graduate Students' Association) at Michigan State University recently. They wanted to learn more about our Denounce the "N" Word Initiative at Flint SW Academy, so Maurice Hood, Erica Ogburn, Andrew Henke, and I were more than willing to give up a Saturday to oblige them!

CLARIFICATION, PLEASE! This entry was made late at night and following its entry I suddenly realized that the previous entry described in detail the events surrounding our presentations at MSU. Oh well, read on for further, albeit brief, detail about the event. Importantly, it continues to describe coming "attractions."

The kids were terrific! High school kids making a presentation to university professors and their students...who ever heard of such a thing? We made two presentations...one in a classroom, the other in the auditorium of the Engineering Building on the campus of MSU. Both times, we shared a 7-minute DVD sent to me by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The DVD was voiced over by the SPLC's own, attorney Morris Dees.

It basically told of a tragic, cruel attack on a young boy at a county fair in Kentucky by a group of IKA (Imperial Klan of America) members. The SPLC is taking the Klan to court; the trial begins in November of this year and the object is to put them out of "business."

The SPLC has done it before and will do it again--that is, attack this viscious hate group with all legal means and bring them to their knees, thus eliminating their ability to function as a hate group. I say "good riddance to them!" And I must add: "more power to you, Southern Poverty Law Center!"

Well, that was one of our most recent activities relative to our effort. We sold a few t-shirts and made important contacts, some of which will continue our project at the college/university level. My students also got involved at The University of Michigan-Flint's recent community event that sponsored the rap/hip-hop performer, Common, in a performance at the school.

We managed to secure a vendor's booth on the university grounds, near the Recreation Building. It was a fun day, which began for me immediately following my teaching schedule that day, Wednesday, April 16. Andrew Henke and his girl-friend took over the booth I had set up and continued selling some of our t-shirts to the public. We only sold about 8 of them, but being there led to some good networking and contacts which will take us still further in our community effort to get the word out about our Denounce the "N" Word Initiative.

In that regard, we have a date with WJRT-TV12's "Newsmaker" show for Friday, May 2. I believe it will be Michael Thorpe's last show with Channel 12, so we will do our best to help Mr. Thorpe go out with some substance, less style. The show will be live...Maurice Hood and some of the cast of my supporters will be present. I'm sure we'll do well and following that event I'll have yet another blog entry to sustain the "projectsbeyondfulbright2006.blogspot.com" effort.

Stay tuned, folks! My next entry will tell of my fortune in obtaining a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to study about the events of Pearl Harbor on the fateful day, December 7, 1941. Hey, yet another chance to take some of the Denounce the "N" word t-shirts to the island state now fairly well accociated with presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

MSU'S BLACK GRADUATE STUDENTS' INVITE A SUCCESS!

Yes, indeed! It was titled, "The Awakening: Emerging Scholars Transforming Communities through Research, Collaboration, and Activism." It happened to be a dark, dreary day--but the auditorium of the Engineering Building was lit up by the sensitive, interesting keynote address delivered by Dr. Brenda Austin-Mills.

Using a power-point presentation, Dr. Austin-Mills gave a lively talk that boldly featured some of the most beautiful photographs I've ever seen of animals from all over the earth. She cleverly used the photos to discuss human traits and how we can and should communicate better as human beings. There was no doubt that her doctorate degree in Zoology led the way in her thoughtful presentation.

We stood out from the gathered students and staff from Michigan State University. All of us proudly wore our Denounce the "N" Word t-shirts. The "all of us" included myself, Maurice Hood, Erica, and Andrew (prefer not to use Erica's and Andrew's surnames until I obtain their permission; suffice to say all of the students are in my Sociology classes). I think we livened the place up, what with their youthful exhuberence!

Some of the scheduling was altered, but eventually we were given the opportunity to briefly explain our "N" word project to graduate students who made presentations before we were called to speak. We were moved to an alternative site, a classroom. There, we introduced ourselves and I informed the group gathered there about a DVD that had been sent to me by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Birmingham, Alabama. I made note of their very cerebral presentations and mentioned that what they were about to see would cause a definite visceral reaction. And the DVD did exactly that...it was disturbing and shocking to witness the terroristic nature of the United Klans of America and how they did what they did toward a young person of color.

The decision to use the DVD at the last minute was mine. I confided in my students and assured them the 7-minute DVD was a perfect addition to our presentation. As indicated above, it featured a legal case being pursued by the SPLC on behalf of the young man who had been almost beaten to death at a county fair near Brandenburg, Kentucky.

Members of a local group of white, racist thugs belonging to the United Klans of America descended on the victim and proceeded to beat him because, as they put it, he was a "spic." He was all of about 5' 3", weighing 145 pounds, while one of the Klan members was 6' 5" and weighed 340 pounds.

Lawyer Morris Dees, founder and chief advocate of the Southern Poverty Law Center, used secretly filmed sequences of UKA activities in Kentucky--outlining their hate-filled, racist meetings and songfests. The skinheads filmed were heard to utter and scream the "N" word and worse, in demeaning African Americans. Jewish people, gays, Latinos, and just about anyone who didn't fit in with their screams of Nordic superiority. The video footage was a horrifying example of rampant racism and hatred,

In the video, Dees made a point of informing viewers that the Southern Poverty Law Center, along with local lawyers in Kentucky, will be taking the UKA members to court in the Fall of this year. Even though members of the SPLC have received death threats, there is little doubt that their plan is to financially cripple the local branch of the UKA and in effect, put them "out of business." That same tactic has been used by the SPLC in breaking up hate groups from around the country, especially in northern Idaho. Interestingly, a map featured in the video identified a hate group centered in Traverse City, Michigan.

Anyway, our use of the DVD proved to be valuable in supporting our explaination for utilizing our Denounce the "N" Word Initiative as another tool in combating racism in America. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently identified over 850 hate groups in the United States, so that information alone seemed to highlight our presentation to the students present at the symposium that day.

After lunch, we were again asked to make a presentation...only this time it was given in the auditorium of the Engineering Building and there were many more students present. The use of the huge screen with the professional sound system, made the video even more powerful in showcasing hatred puncuated by the use of the "N" word. Maurice and the other students addressed the audience and fielded questions about their involvement in our project. When my turn came, I gave a brief history of how and why the project evolved to be what it is at this point. Ialso noted that I have been a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center since the year 2000.

All in all, the experience was even better than what we had anticipated it to be. I am very proud of the poised performance put forth by our students--they were just plain awesome in presenting to a college audience! We sold eight t-shirts too.

Important contacts were made and email addresses exchanged. We agreed that our presence at the symposium added much to the combined concurrent sessions offered by the graduate students present that day. We were honored to have been invited and I know we didn't disappoint anyone.

On the drive back to Flint, we basked in the knowledge that we did very well at the Black Scholars Symposium. It was billed as "The Awakening" and indeed it was for us and those MSU graduate students. Importantly, we felt as if we had awakened a college audience to our message of denouncing the use of the "N" word. We were very proud of that accomplishment, along with the fact that our goals were met and exceeded on that rainy, blustery Saturday!

Denounce the "N" Word Initiative...and More.

Yes, it has been a long, at times treacherous, journey since returning to Flint, Michigan following my Fulbright 2006 teaching experience in South Africa. Many, many downs...and a few ups! No sense in getting into the unglamourous details here; suffice to say that our return was difficult and my family and I did not expect (and/or deserve), the "welcome" we received from many of our so-called "friends" upon return. Enough said...



My Sociology students and I have created a class project that has developed into a mission, a chance to change the mindset of people about the use of the "N" word. I'm capitalizing it because it takes on that dimension--any way one wants to look at it.



We took our project to a couple of Flint City Council members and they embraced the effort whole-heartedly. Our class culminated the association with Flint City Council by creating a City Resolution, denouncing the use of the "N" word in Flint. The kids learned about similar efforts in other American cities and it was decided Flint could match efforts of cities like San Antonio and Baltimore...and why not?



After making a presentation to the Flint City Council in February, which was punctuated in a positive way because of it being Black History Month, we were given a standing ovation by the council. The kids, rightfully so, were very proud of that salute from the council...it meant a lot to them. It was also a high-water mark for me and my "main man", as I refer to student, Maurice Hood. Since that time, Maurice and I have formed a bond that becomes more pronounced as we go out into the community speaking on behalf of our project. Indeed, it has become a labor of love for all of us.



Importantly, we've created a denounce the "N" word t-shirt, which is selling quite briskly locally. Sales have also included schools and individuals from around the state and nation. We've also sold some t-shirts to customers in South Africa and even in Iceland(!). Soon, we'll be finishing up on a website and will also take the project to customers via eBay.



Any profits earned will go toward helping my school in South Africa--they need to purchase new computers because of a large influx of learners entering Norkem Park H.S., Kempton Park, from a nearby township called Tembisa. Many of my students were from Tembisa--8th-graders who needed much help with their lessons. For most, English was their second language. Many of them spoke three languages.



Maurice and I, and perhaps a few others from my classes, will be traveling to Michigan State University on April 12 to make a presentation to students recruited by the Black Graduate Students' Association. We've been asked to speak on our project and try to inspire youth to work in their respective communities to improve their lives there. It will be a challenge that we will gladly accept...knowing that we can and will motivate kids to become youthful activists. Of course, we also want to get the word out on our main mission, that is to change their attitudes toward the use of the "N" word.



We want people to change the "N" word to what we refer to as the "M" word: Mukoma. Mukoma is a Zimbabwean Shona word that means, "Honest, respected brother." The Shona are the majority ethnic group in Zimbabwe and we believe the "M" word is a much kinder, gentler way to greet each other. We definitely want people to discard the use of the vile, historically hateful "N" word. And we do not accept people attempting to rationalize the use of the "N" word by placing an "a" at the end of the word. It is, and always will be, unacceptable to us in any form.



My students and I want civility to return to normal discourse. We believe that civility requires that we strive to eliminate from our vocabularies the nastiness and hatred of certain historically vile/viscious words--and certainly the "N" word is at the top of the list of words that qualify to be scrutized. As bestselling author Stephen L. Carter stated in his CIVILITY: MANNERS, MORALS, AND THE ETIQUETTE OF DEMOCRACY, "Civility requires that we express ourselves in ways that demonstrate our respect for others." There is no way that the "N" word conveys respect in any way, shape or form.



We will press ahead with our mission--you can count on it! M.K.Gandhi brought down the British Empire with his steadfast, life-long, non-violent struggle against English presence in India. He was known to say, "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win." Well, we've been ignored and even ridiculed. People have laughed at us--Maurice has lost friends in the process of believing in this effort. No one has lined up to fight us yet, but we expect that dynamic to develop too. Make no mistake about it though: we expect to win. We expect this because we know in our heart of hearts our cause is right and just--and it is something we firmly believe in.



Please join us! Drop the use of the "N" word and adapt the use of the "M" word. You'll feel better about yourself and African American people in general. And it makes no difference what ethnic group you belong to or claim...the "N" word has to go. Please help us!