Civil Rights Leaders and Black notables come to Jackson State University...but not to the students

I sat in on the recording of Smiley - West radio talk show over at the JSU e-center this morning/today.  Tavis Smiley wasn't present, but Dr. West is in town to speak at JSU tonight and so they recorded his segment of the radio show.  Cornell interviewed Morgan Freeman and Charles Evers there live, but he interviewed Myrlie Evers via satellite (she was in L.A.). And then there was another new local tv talk show, Direct Line, hosted by Brad 'Kamikaze' Franklin, being recorded...so the interviews were overlapping. Lots going on...lol. Cameras galore.

I got to take a pic with Dr. West, but it was rushed and shared with someone...I don't know who she is...lol...but hey they were rushing him on to the next stop.  

He seems to be very down to earth though...he wanted to spend more time taking pics and just talking, but schedule demanded otherwise.

I thought it was quite ironic...everyone who was interviewed--Freeman, both of the Evers, and even West's--main points were that the youth should be involved and the older generation should be able to relinquish the charge to us and we should in turn have respect for the sacrifices that were made and for those who made them.  That is all fine talk, but the ironic part to me today was...West was surrounded by young JSU current students and recent alumni and they were trying to talk to him, but he was being whisked away to something else, which I doubt included students or the youthful community they all so unanimously sought to exhort to action.  And I doubt that any of the rest of his day here will include connecting with young folk.  He speaks in a few hours at the AAC.  Anyway, I think it was a missed opportunity to actually put into action the very things we sat for hours listening to them harp about.  

The civil rights era has been so glamorized, when the actual battles and struggles were not glamorous at all.  It is those battles and struggles that are not being really told and expressed to us young folk on a consistent basis.  I know your view on this, but I must say that is a part of this problem of the younger generation not taking up the torch.  We are not hearing the horror stories, we are hearing sound bites. And when we decide to inquire more...the storytellers are whisked away to some formal engagement that celebrates their past contributions, as if they are done contributing...they are still very much a part of this struggle as they claim we are supposed to be.  The fight is not over...cut the cameras off and talk some real talk.  

I'm laughing just thinking about your response to this...I don't care...blast all of my points or what have you...I'm venting really...that's all.  Thanks for listening. :-)

What's Really Offensive about MS Car Tag Commemoration of Confederate General

http://www.cbs12.com/news/license-4730978-forrest-plate.html

     The Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans is seeking to get MS legislative approval for its vehicle license plate design commemorating Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.  Much debate has been garnered concerning the organization's proposal, the possibility of the state approving such a request, and the honoree himself, who was an early leader of the terrorist organization Ku Klux Klan.  The obvious concern is that Mississippi may soon be offering a vehicle license plate that commemorates a man who led a notorious racist organization unparalleled in United States history in hate crimes, against Blacks especially.  Forrest's leadership roles as both a Confederate General and leader of the Ku Klux Klan are understandably offensive to Black Americans and should also be offensive to most Americans.  However, it is the fact that he founded, by some historical accounts, and led the hate-mongering KKK organization that stings Black Americans the most.
     Many opponents of the commemoration plan are in disbelief that someone with such a connection to the KKK would even be considered worthy of being honored by the state.  SCV maintains that it is not seeking to honor Forrest's role in the KKK, but his role as a Confederate War General.  There are already efforts being mobilized to stop the SCV from getting its proposal approved. In order for these efforts to be effective, the focus must remain on the reason that the SCV is proposing such a measure.  The Sons of Confederate Veterans maintains that it is proposing to commemorate Forrest for his hand in the Confederate War but everyone is up in arms because he was a member of the KKK.  Yes, the KKK was indeed a terrorist faction. I also think it is safe to say that all KKK members supported the Confederacy, but all persons who supported the Confederacy did not necessarily support the KKK. That being said, when contacting state representatives, or other key officials, spending too much time harping on his KKK membership will make for a weak argument.
     Opponents can not get swept up in his KKK affiliation only or they will miss the mark.  This is not a KKK organization (officially) proposing this tag, but an organization that seeks to preserve the history of the Confederate War. If you take note of Rep. Willie Bailey's comments at the end of the article, you will see that he seems to be leaning toward allowing it as long as it is not offensive. So what's the offense? It's not the commemoration of Forrest's KKK membership...that's not even being proposed. It's the State's fond reflection on the Confederate War and its aims. Mississippi's condoning and legislating Sons of the Confederate Veterans' efforts to memorialize the state's participation in a war on the side that purposed to keep Black people as slaves and considered less than a complete human on one of its state vehicle tags, under 1st Amendment rights or whatever, is what's offensive and pertinent to the efforts to stop the legislative approval of this proposal.