We HAD a Dream: How we’ve turned MLK’s Dream to an American Nightmare

48 years ago the world renowned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial poised and prepared to deliver a speech that would be echoed through the annals of time.  In his normal and rhythmic tone of speaking, he began by looking at the history of “these United States”.

Behind Dr. King stood the great Mahalia Jackson.  In the middle of his delivery, history tells us that mother Jackson said “Tell them about the dream Martin”.  As if instantly reminded of a deep-seated message that was planted by God Himself, Dr. King began with those powerful words “I Have a Dream”.  The crowds erupted with excitement, edification, and enlightenment as they rode the rollercoaster of words Dr. King shared on that day.  I’m sure that many of them left that place, if wanting to leave at all, motivated to do and be all that they could in order to make a better nation.

Somewhere in history we fell off the bandwagon.  We still here the words, and for a moment they spur up something in us that motivates us.  But as fleeting as a winter in Florida, the emotions seem to never last long enough to cause any action.  In fact, we’ve moved so far from action to the point of inaction.  We’ve now turned the dream into a nightmare.

Dr. King had a dream that encouraged by the constitution; our nation would realize that we are created equal.  Yet, it still baffles the mind when 7 white males can brutally beat, run over with their truck and kill a older black man and our legal system sets them all free with the exception of 1. I say we’ve turned the dream into a nightmare.

Dr. King had a dream that one day we would all be able to sit down at the table of brotherhood.  Yet, every time congress puts its own interest over the survival of this nation, I say that we’ve turned the dream into a nightmare.

Dr. King had a dream that true freedom and justice would reign supreme. But when we punish the user of a “poor man’s” drug more than we do the user a “rich man’s drug, then we’ve turned the dream into a nightmare. 

Dr. King had a dream that one day people wouldn’t be judged by the “content of their skin, but by the content of their character”.  Yet, when we allow an unequivocal disrespect of a President based on the underlying notion of his skin color, then we’ve turned the dream into a nightmare.

Dr. King had a dream that through equality, all people would be able to become educated together.  As I walk through the buildings of my law school, I see the disparity in numbers between people that look like me, and those that are of a lighter skin tone.  Every time we spurn an educational opportunity because it’s too hard or challenging, we turn Dr. King’s dream into an American nightmare. 

The dream of Dr. King has become relegated to the centerpiece for an annual day off from work.  When it should be a never-ending flame that causes the eternal hearers to move into action that will bring honor to the dream.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to redeem the dream.  I’m ready to fight for equality, and to empower those that are honored with equality to make the most of it.  I’m ready to fight for the day when my son won’t need affirmative action to supplement his many qualifications for a job.  I’m ready to fight for a day when we understand it is our differences that make us powerful, and not our likenesses that make us special. 

We Had a dream, and I’m ready to make it a reality.  Are you?

Just me

Do it For Them!

They speak with voices rarely taken seriously.  They come into this world involuntarily.  They are subjected to whatever life is given them.  Some are seen on TV with malnutritioned bodies that leave even the toughest character with a sentimental thought.  Others a thrown into national prominence, prestige, and prowess before they can even read.  Yet at the end of the day, they all are still the same.  They are our children.

Without going into my political beliefs, I would say that it is a shame that we tend to balance budgets on the backs of our children’s education.  We cut this and that in order to secure more lining for our pockets.  We often use them in custody battles, and as pawns to secure as much money as we can during divorces.

Last night as I lay on my sick bed, playing with my son that had gotten me sick, I begin to think.  I’ve recently made the controversial decision to leave my 9-5 in order to attend law school full-time, and to focus on my ultimate dream of owning a successful business entity.  As I sat there looking at my son, I wondered if it would just be enough to work a 9-5 and to give him his basic needs.  I contemplated if my dream chasing was really worth streamlining my budget in order to make things happen.  I wondered if studying 8-12 hours a day, while attending class, and building a company was just taking on too much.  I asked myself, “is it all worth it?”

As I looked at my son, I had no other option but to say yes.  By pursuing my dreams, I’m also pursuing a better life.  I’m setting a standard for him that he must not just settle for the easiness of life.  Now I will not require him to follow in my footsteps and attend law school.  Nor will I say he has to be like his Mother and go for his PhD.  Yet I will require of him that he gives life his all.

At the end of the day, everything I do will in some way or another affect him.  He didn’t ask to come into this world, but as his father I need to do all I can to show him all he can do in this world.  We as parents have a responsibility to set a standard for our children.  We must show them that they are able to do anything they put their minds to.  It is time for us to stop settling for what is comfortable, and for us to move into “miracle territory”.  We have to be examples to our children of what it is like to be successful in whatever we put forth our hands to do.   Our children are looking at us to show them the way.  At the end of the day, if you can’t pursue your dreams for yourself at least do it for them.

Just me

Will America Ever Grow Up?

I'm normally deliberate in what I post, and rarely do I allow anger or frustration to prompt my writing.  Yet there's a pot of water that's boiling, and it is about to pour over and cause some serious harm.

I noticed that as soon as we voted in our new President, rarely did you hear opposition call him President Obama.  They simply relegated to just calling him Obama.  Now that's not a horrible thing, because I have called him and other presidents by their last name only.  Yet as time has progressed it has become evident that this is a link to total disrespect to him as Commander-in-Chief and the leader of the "Free World".

Things moved up a notch on the disrespect meter when Rep Joe Wilson disrespectfully yelled out a childish "YOU LIE" during a live Presidential address.  Of course he went on to apologize a few weeks later, and said his emotion got the best of him.  I was willing to be on the "let's get past it" team, but I wondered if he ever heard of professionalism.  I also begin to wonder if this was just a repeat of the America of old, where no matter what I accomplish as a black man, in some people's eyes, I will never deserve the respect.  Nevertheless I let that go.

Then there came this "tar baby" reference by the rep from Colorado.  Before I jumped to say anything I wanted to get the facts of the case.  I did, but they didn't matter because as a "Professional" there's a thing called sensitivity training.  This is where I learn that there are different cultures, ethnicity, etc that work with me, and when I say/do something I must be aware of how that can be taken.  For example, if I was to make a general comment about the word Faggot in my workplace I'm sure I would suffer some form of discipline due to the sexual preference of some of my co-workers.  If you don't believe me then ask Kobe Bryant, Tim Hardaway, and a few others how the misuse of a word cost them a lot.  But this rep can use the term "tar baby" in reference to the nations first Black President, and can simply apologize later.  Now I was willing to almost let this past.

Then this morning I wake up, enjoying my Toronto and American Bar Association experience, and I go to one of my favorite websites.  One of the headlines reads Fox News affiliate article "Obama's Hip Hop BBQ Didn't Create Jobs".  This was in reference to the President's 50th bday party.  A party where there were People like Tom Hanks, Rahm Emmanuel, and some other racial identities along with some African Americans.  Of course the coward that wrote the article didn't care to attach his name to the ignorance he wrote.  I'm all for criticizing the President when it is due, but where do we draw the line when it comes to the disrespect?

This has me pissed off this morning .  Yes I'm a supporter of this President, but that isn't my sole reason for anger.  I get angry because if people can freely say these racist and offensive things about the President of the United States, then what can a racist prick say or do to me or my 2-year old son?  It is time that we stop shielding these hatemongering fools, and call them out for the idiots and racists that they are.  There's a big difference between being critical of a person's policies, and being disrespectful because of his race.  Will America ever grow up?

Just me

Opportunities

On this Daddy's Blues Wednesday, instead of a long post today I just wanted to share a thought with you taken from an excerpt of my forthcoming book "Ode To Sons".  

"Sons, at some point in our life, we are all given an opportunity for new beginnings.  It could be the birth of a child, enrolling in school, graduating from school, getting married, being baptized, or even just a new day.  Whatever your new beginning may be, the one thing it is not is an opportunity for you to waste.  I have wasted some new beginnings, and like any rationale human being, I regret some of the opportunities I had to open up a new chapter with a bang.  New beginnings don’t erase the past, but they do give new meaning to the future." 

Are you taking advantage of your new opportunities to overcome the shadows of your past?  Or are you simply allowing your opportunities to become another shadow of the past?    

Just Me

Your Best Gift Shouldn’t be Yours

“Half of something is a whole lot more than all of nothing”-Just Me

Yes today is Motivation Monday, and I was contemplating which angle I would take.  I ended up talking to one of my brothers from another mother, Chuck, and it just clicked.  We were conversing about my upcoming plans of starting my Sports & Entertainment Management company.  I was sharing with him my business philosophy.  I explained to him that some people are content with doing everything on their own, but my philosophy about that has always been different.

                I’m a firm believer that in order to succeed in life, you can’t make a go at it alone.  So many times we go into ventures or projects thinking that all we need is a dream and our own potential.  If you have ever read anything I’ve posted, then you know I’m one of the biggest dream chasers.  In the same manner, I’m very aware of the God-given potential and abilities I’ve been blessed with.  With that being said, I still know that my dreams in life can’t be accomplished with me being a team of one.

                I innocently bought my son a Thomas the Train model while on vacation recently.  He suddenly grew an affinity towards the train.  He sleeps with it, eats with it, bathes with it, and he even takes it to church with him.  He loves that little train, and he will let you know it in a second.  If anyone, old or young, looks at him while he’s playing with the train he will exclaim “My Train”, or “Mine”.  He will do this until the person stops looking or leaves.  It’s sad, but we as adults often take on this same mentality when it comes to achievement in life.  So many times we think we’ve found a gold mine and then want to hide it.  We go back to the childish exclamation of “mine, mine, mine”.  That was my idea, and no I will not share anything with you.   We feel as if nobody deserves to have any of what I got.  Check your news channel and you will see how this plays out in society in general.  We hover in a corner and say, “well I got mine, now go get yours”.  The problem with that thinking is that, it took someone to help you get there, and it’s going to take someone to help you stay there.

                In order to attain new and improved levels of success, we have to move from the thinking that we can do it all alone.  Every dreamer in life had to have someone (s) to help them live out their dream.  If it wasn’t for other people, MLK would’ve just been a great speaker from Georgia.  We have to learn to surround ourselves with people that can challenge us and make us better.  When we do that, we are able to reach further than imaginable, and at the same time we help somebody else reach a dream they never knew existed.  I am a strong believer that half of a million dollars, is a whole lot more than all of ten thousand dollars.  Yet some of us would rather take the $10,000 and say I did it.  Rather than taking the $500,000 and saying “We did it”.   It’s time for us to move beyond the selfish mentality if we truly want to meet our goals in life.

There are people around that can help you reach that goal, but you have to willing to move from the mindset of a 2-year old to that of an adult wanting to achieve in life.  If your personal gifts are the best you have to offer your dreams then you are selling yourself short.   You will probably never have all that it takes to achieve your goal, but I guarantee that there are people with a little bit of everything you need to get to where you want to be.  It’s time to build a team, and to reach for what you’ve always wanted.

Here are my 5 recommendations to help you move in the right direction with the right people on your team:

1.       Surround yourself with people that know a lot about stuff you know nothing about.

2.       Be willing to relinquish some of the power.  You don’t need all of the power, you just want to enjoy turning your dream into a reality.

3.       Be honest with your team about your dream, and your inability to reach your dream alone.

4.       Kindly part ways with team members that stop dreaming.  Never burn bridges in the process, you never know when you might need to cross again.

5.       When you reach the top, never forget to take everybody that helped out with you.  Even the teammates you had to dismiss earlier.

Dreams Detoured

“Like a crack head and his pipe, dream chasers can’t be separated from their dreams”- Just Me

                On this past weekend, I read a comment on my Facebook that I can easily relate to.  The comment centered on the writer’s frustration with chasing her dream, but it seems like the dream just won’t come to fruition.  I asked her a few questions, and her reply was pretty on point.  Seeing her frustration with her dream still being so far off, I offered her encouragement based on my personal experiences.

One of the main issues that dream chasers face is that not everyone catches your fire about your dreams as you do.  One of the main reasons that they don’t is because your dream is YOUR dream.  The truth is, most people won’t catch on until you are clearly on your way to achieving your dream.  Prior to that, people will doubt you, say you should focus on something else, or simply tell you to get real and now is just not the time.

If you are like me, then this boils your skin because you know your potential and where you want to be in life.  It may be unclear to others where you are going, it might not be that clear to you, but you know what things will be like once you get to where you are going.  One of the craziest things about dreams is that even though you can explain it to people, unless they experience it for themselves, they will never truly understand your dream.  People may not see all the turns on your map, but they will know when you have arrived at your destination.

I’m a firm believer that no dream is meant to be put on life’s shelf for later.  At the very least, you should be putting together the pieces as time passes on.  The problem with things that are put on a shelf is that you tend to forget about them, or you just simply lose interest.  True dream chasers are addicted to accomplishing their dream.  Nobody can pacify you with subpar replacements.  In your mind there is no detour that should be taken. 

So here’s my declaration to all my fellow dream chasers: Chase your dreams, like your life depends on it.  In all honesty, your sanctity and happiness in life does depend on it.  Those you want to understand your dream may never do so.  That investor you are hoping for might only come once your dream is becoming a reality.  That support system you depended on might suddenly collapse.  But like a crack head and his pipe, dream chasers can’t be separated from their dreams. 

I want to leave you with 5 tips to help you in this journey, from one dream chaser to another:

1.       Don’t EVER stop chasing your dream.

2.       Surround yourself with like-minded people (Other Dream Chasers)

3.       Accept that people might not understand now, but they will later.

4.       As you go through the process, evaluate each step and learn from your mistakes.

5.       Celebrate each milestone; it will keep your motivated.

Free, but forever in Shackles: Why Casey Anthony will suffer as a Free Woman

“A mother’s God-given love is so strong, it will drive her insane when misplaced”- Just me

                As a young law student, I have slowly gained a very deep appreciation for “all things law”.  I found myself using legal jargon in my Public Speaking Engagements.  In my circle of friends and family, I’m usually asked a legal question or two.  My ears and eyes perk up when I hear/see something related to the legal field.  I can honestly say that nothing dominated my attention like that of the last 47 days.

                If you were like me then you had the internet, tv, and radio tuned in to what was going on from 8:30am until…. on the 23^rd floor of the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, FL.  We watched days of evidence being presented.  We saw days that were emotionally draining.  We saw days when there was animated sparring between Attorneys Baez and Ashton.  We witnessed Chief Judge Belvin Perry command and demand control of his courtroom.  We all speculated as we saw Casey go from an innocent puppy-faced young lady, to a stoic “I’ll cut your throat” look in the blink of an eye.  We all paid attention to the varying opinions of legal experts, pundits, and common folk.  I, you, me, and us all had our opinion of what would, or should, happen at the end of trial.

                Then it came out that at 2:15pm the verdict would be rendered.  As I sat in front of my computer in between meetings, my raced back to over 15 years ago when we waited for the verdict in the OJ Simpson trial.  Then the words few people anticipated rang out across the nation. We the jury….. find the defendant, Casey…. NOT GUILTY.  My heart immediately began to sink.  For a moment I felt what those against OJ felt.   Yet in this situation I felt an even stronger pain because little Caylee is gone and we will NEVER know what happened to her.

                Sure, there is enough blame to go around: Casey and her lying arse.  Maybe the prosecution sought the wrong charge.  Maybe Baez helped a true criminal get off.  Blame aside, the fact remains that Caylee is gone, and for some reason her Mother refuses to do anything but lie about what happened to one of the greatest blessings a human can be blessed with.

                After putting my emotions and feelings aside, I’ve come to the conclusion that although Casey was acquitted by a jury of her “peers”, she will be forever in shackles as a free woman.  Let me dispel any preconceived notions you may have.  This post isn’t about “judging” Casey.  If you read my blog then you know that I don’t do that.  This is more about living a life chained, until you set yourself free.

                Going with Casey’s “present truth”, Caylee drowned in the household pool.  Yet during this time Casey partied and acted as if she really had a “beautiful life”.  She concocted stories that were extremely outrageous.  She kept her family, law enforcement, and the public at bay while she enjoyed her “beautiful life”.  The problem is that the rooster will come home to crow.

                I could talk about public scrutiny.  I could talk about how her social life will suffer.  I could talk about how she will probably never have a good family life anymore.  I could talk about how she probably won’t find willful employment, even though she won’t need it.  But I want to go a little deeper.  As a person that’s tried to hide my own guilt in the past, it is guaranteed that Casey will be shackled until the truth is known.  Am I advocating that she must get in front of the TV and confess to the world what happened?  That would be great, but I don’t believe it’s necessary.  I do advocate that Casey will have to deal with God for her negligence, and the impending lies that she gave to cover it up.  If anything she accused her brother and father of is untrue, Casey will be shackled until she redeems their names.  Even if all else fails, Casey will forever be shackled by the cloud of guilt.  As a parent, you are responsible for the life and well-being of your child.  Even if Casey didn’t kill her daughter, she was still responsible for reporting her daughter’s death.  Her daughter is dead, and there is nothing an attorney, judge, or jury can do to acquit her of her negligence in being a responsible human being and parent by not telling someone about what happened. A mother's natural love will eventually take over this young lady.  She will eventually realize how the lies and negligence ruined the memory of her greatest gift.   Casey might be free from jail, but the shackles of Caylee’s death will be with her forever.

God help us all to avoid unnecessary shackles!

Just me