Where Have All the Black People Gone?: The Paradox of Race, Culture, and Politics In the Shadow of Barack Obama

By Dr. Michael T. Solomon

Using a unique blend of history, storytelling, and fact-finding, Where Have All the Black People Gone? takes the modern face of politics and uses it as a prism to make a clarion call that awakens the nation to the state of black America today and to the promise of tomorrow, not just for minorities, but the nation. Dr. Michael T. Solomon digs deep to unearth and define the crisis in homes, schools, communities, and relationships. In doing so, he shakes those most vulnerable—minorities and black Americans—from their complacency. Solomon presents a provocative discussion as he talks candidly about the volatile issues of race, politics, culture, and the state of black families. He examines the contemporary issues confronting black America while examining society’s role in contributing to the problems facing many families, homes, and communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781483499178

Book preview

WHERE HAVE ALL THE

BLACK PEOPLE GONE?

The Paradox of Race, Culture, and Politics

in the Shadow of Barack Obama

DR. MICHAEL T. SOLOMON

Copyright © 2019 Dr. Michael T. Solomon.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9918-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9917-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019903365

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 03/20/2019

Preface

Courage takes many forms. Firefighters who rush without hesitation into burning buildings to save lives at grave risk to their own display courage. Gallant soldiers who perform immortal acts on battlefields and willingly sacrifice their lives for their brothers in arms display courage, as well. Less-heralded demonstrations of courage occur whenever someone steps forward and intervenes in situations when no one else does. At the heart of this book is its message about courage, the kind of courage that is demanded by minorities and blacks in particular to recover what they have seemingly lost—their identity and, at times, their values.

In writing this book, I put courage (and the heroes who embody it) on display. In their communities, town halls, and public places, people who do not seek notoriety but only to do what must be done and to say what must be said perform courageous acts. These heroes risk their livelihoods, and some make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives so their black sons and daughters, families, and culture can flourish in this great land of ours.

The book is written around four themes or times in our history; three deal with the past, and the last looks forward and addresses the challenges in the making.

• To Suffer (Part I) refers to the courage displayed by blacks during the time of slavery and the courage needed to retain the full grasp of one’s dignity even while being subjected to depraved human violation.

• To Survive (Part II) deals with the courage it took for black people to summon the will to move forward and join humanity after slavery’s pangs as well as the insurmountable effort it took for them to look beyond themselves in that moment and be mindful of their obligation to future generations.

• To Struggle (Part III) is a testament to the courage displayed by our black fathers, mothers, and siblings—and an increasing community of white men and women—all fighting for that place in the sun: full Negro equality. Many of this era displayed courage while knowing that tomorrow’s promise would escape their earthly presence.

• To Sacrifice (Part IV) looks at the courage and actions required to secure tomorrow’s promise. This section examines our roles and responsibilities toward an internal reshaping to achieve our promise as a proud race, culture, and vibrant people.

My goal for this book is to ignite debate in the black community and, arguably more urgent, to spark dialogues outside our race. At times, this book cajoles in a soft embrace of black culture, our manner, and our race. At other times, it bitterly reflects on failed leadership and our public failing, which often results in a blind obedience and twisted loyalty that enflames the embers of our internal dismemberment.

In communicating this message, I infuse my writing with the impassioned voices of the past and present. I inject essays and speeches and offer narratives from political friends and media foes alike. I contribute poems (ST47) with metaphors, news, and numbers. In this work, I say what I feel is not being said elsewhere, or at least is not being said emphatically enough

I wrote this book because of the deep, abiding love I have for my country. I wrote this book for the unshakeable love that I have for my race, culture, and people. I wrote this book because I cling to an overarching belief that these basic truths are inextricably, persistently, and perpetually intertwined.

This love prompted the title Where Have All the Black People Gone? The Paradox of Race, Culture, and Politics in the Shadow of Barack Obama, a reflective commentary on our splintered culture and the divisiveness that threatens us. It serves to warn us that we are no longer truthful to our core values: family, honor, and faith. This book looks inward at us at this critical time and examines the impact these problems are having on our families, children, and black communities. If a single point I make in this book makes a difference to a solitary life, family, or community, the time and resources I devoted to bringing forth this work were worthy of my commitment and endeavor. My prayer is that that is the case.

What This Book Is Not

Throughout the book, I use terms such as African American, black, colored, Negro, and yes, nigger in my identification and description of our race and people. I carefully considered using these words because I did not intend to evoke a particular response or score literary points. Moreover, the use of any of these terms or descriptions does not ascribe any coded meaning to behavior or activity. Simply stated, I used the terms as I felt appropriate and stayed as true as possible to the common descriptions of our people that were used at the time in question.

Finally, the book is written for the problem—those who are not embraced by a wide circle of loved ones, extended families, friends, schoolmates, neighbors, church members, city councilmembers, and everyone who owns a share of the impact on our communities. In that sense, it is applicable to all. It is not a condemnation of African American culture, race, ethnicity, or values. Such generalizations are meritless, irresponsible, and feed into today’s false narrative. However, it does underscore that we as a proud people with an uncommon heritage and tradition of taking care of our own are failing with respect to this problem.

Introduction

Today though, a child came to my house who did not run straightaway to Pluto. Maybe it was because he was a hungry child. And when is a child not a child? When he’s hungry. This one had hollows under his eyes, and his body was too thin, and his clothing was not much comfort against the wind.

Dorothy West, 1938

These words were the illuminated genius of one of the more gifted and distinguished African American voices and writers of the twentieth century, the accomplished, brilliant, and inexhaustible Dorothy West of the Harlem Renaissance. She was among the most beloved literary talents of her time due to her unique ability to extract meaning and symbolism from the daily travails of working life. She wrote about whom and what she observed in an entrancing, storybook expression. Her words sparked emotion concerning the tired, the weak, and the conflicted, and they often lamented the consummate struggles of black folks that made up her diverse existence.

Dorothy West’s Pluto character is adept in the ways of the streets. She keeps her street-smart senses finely tuned and is careful in her manner to not be put upon by those whose morals have been neutralized and who are at ease with their own reprehensible and pronounced wretched behavior.

On this day, however, the soft knocks on the adjoining doors become more evident as she traces the whispered exchanges between neighbors and an unwelcomed beggar. Suddenly, a subdued knock is at her door, one of an individual accustomed to subsisting on handouts, a prideless but crucial knock acknowledging the beggar’s presence. West’s character slowly opens her door; she is skeptical and alert to rehearsed pleas for assistance.

It becomes evident to her that the needs to be met are not so much those of the aged, begging madam before her, but the humble request for a pittance to buy bread, secure a cot to rest, or even obtain a sweater to shield against the unforgiving cold. All these things or any one by itself was selflessly intended for the little boy in the beggar woman’s stead, a little boy who attached himself unconditionally and as firmly as he could to the only soul who cared about him.

The story concludes with an emotional upheaval based on selfless sacrifice in the face of personal need and emotions so great that they are almost unbearable for West’s character. She is so touched by it all that she is unable to resist opening her heart as well as her kitchen, cooking a warm and satisfying meal and doing what she promised herself she would not do. She gives her last coins to the beggar woman, telling herself that she can get by during the week with the help of friends—friends of meager means like herself, but the kind of friends who have means the beggar woman likely does not.

When she invites the woman and the boy into her dwelling, she is disturbed by the utter lifelessness that engulfs the boy. And in their brief interlude, her only wish is to elicit a smile from the boy—a smile as a gift from the child. As simple as this wish may be, she wants the child to know that in their cold, isolated existence, another soul cares deeply about his suffering.

West’s character embodies in life and deeds the accepted truth that when one member suffers, all members share the torment. The Samaritan ethic is to assume one’s rightful place among the forsaken and barren places that are often void of existence and where people stumble in self-isolation. To do nothing is to live less. However, to act because the conscience is stirred and our humanity tempts us is to feel the bond that binds us to the very essence of who we are. It is a bond that is impenetrable to all manner of threat to family, clan, community, and our own identity. It is a bond that ushers in tomorrow’s promise and disrupts the ills of night-darkened pangs.

In this way, our common African pigmentation makes us one; as black mothers and fathers, we are no different from our mothers and fathers and their ancestors, who so loved their own and those around them. It is with assuredness that in this sense, we find our place in the common thread of societal members who have placed their love, faith, and belief in the notion that tomorrow will be better, and that tomorrow will outshine our own time in the sun by a considerable measure.

The majority—we, the 99.999 percent of parents, grandparents, neighbors, and church members in the community of men and women—share this view. However, it is the .001 percent of men and boys that troubles us so and scatters discord, intolerance, and division among us.

This .001 percent motivates my voice and this work.

Our men, that shining majority, are men in every sense of the word and with all the reverence that this label bestows. They are men who are dedicated to their communities and work to reinforce that which serves our generational purpose. These men are family-oriented and citizen-focused; they are concerned with educating their young, putting bread on their dinner tables, and getting involved in local politics to make the forces that help them stronger.

This book embodies and seeks to convey the spirit of our devoted familial and sacred communal bond. It is a chronicle of a vibrant culture and unique race. In the telling of this story, the reader will find a frequent reliance on the echoes of our great heritage and past, the voices of our forebears. These pillars produced titans such as Frederick Douglass, Mary McLeod Bethune, W. E. B. Dubois, Rosa Parks, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King, and many others. Their voices of the here and now bellow loudly about our American saga, a saga that extends to future generations.

The narrative of this story begins with our American trauma—an experience as dark, horrific, and reprehensible under slavery’s cloaked reality as any in human existence. Amazingly, the real character of our black fathers and mothers, generations long gone, is found in this reality. Their places in our hearts, minds, and beings are firmly rooted in our tomorrows. The story starts here because in our beginning lie the divine attributes with which we must reconnect. Such a connection is necessary if we are to deliver a future that is as bright, inspirational, and sustaining as the will that led our forebears through the red-stained vestiges of Jim Crow, Selma, and the darkness of slavery.

Ours was a complicated beginning with evolving traits and definitions