It’s 2013, Two-Thousand-Thirteen… in lieu of recent occurrences, I have to start this blog by pointing out how these things happened during Black History Month, which is now also known as African-American History Month. This annual vital observance began in the United States in 1926.
That year, historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, announced the second week of February be known as “Negro History Week.” This week was chosen because it marked the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Now 87 years later, ironically 13 years away from the centennial of this much needed celebration that continually increases awareness, outbursts of ni**erdom are ever prevalent in our society. Today, even Canada and the United Kingdom celebrate “Black History Month” because the endeavors of Black American people have raised the bar so high, our accomplishments can’t be ignored. Initially established for the remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African Diaspora, it reins supreme as a source of awareness because so many African-Americans continue to make tremendous strides shaping the history of our nation. My first thought was to call this blog ‘A Tale of Two Ni**ers’, but then I would have been acting like the ni**ers this blog is about, hence my chosen title.
Last month, two stories were very prominent in media, which we’ll continue to get residual effects of in the months to come. ‘Former Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., pleaded guilty to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds and is facing a 46- to 57-year prison term, is now writing a book about his life in order to clarify his legacy. “He has nothing else to do right now,” one source, who’s seen draft pages of the memoir, told the Chicago Tribune. He’s trying to “clear up his legacy. … He’s desperately trying to change the narrative of his life story.” Jackson will be sentenced on June 28th. He pleaded guilty on February 20th to spending campaign cash for a multitude of indulgences, including: celebrity memorabilia; furs; a cruise; stuffed elk heads; fancy dinners; and matching Rolex watches for him and his wife Sandi. In mid-2012, Jesse Jr. took a leave of absence from his House office, in part to obtain treatment for a bipolar disorder, before resigning in November. Jackson’s wife, an ex-alderman in Chicago, faces jail time as well. She pleaded guilty to charges stemming from filing false tax returns the same day as Jesse, and faces up to two years in jail. Officially, Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and making false statements, stemming from his misuse of campaign dollars,’ this according to the Chicago Tribune.
Walk of Shame
In other ni**er news, as told by the Atlanta Black Star, ‘Joe Rickey Hundley — the 60-year-old man who was charged with assault for slapping a black toddler on the plane and telling his mother to “shut that n— baby up” — has been fired by his employer, AGC Aerospace and Defense. Al Haase, president and CEO of AGC, issued a statement last Sunday that called reports of Hundley’s behavior “offensive and disturbing,” and said he “is no longer employed with the company.” A public relations firm confirmed the same later that night that Hundley had been fired, according to a story from The Associated Press. Hundley of Hayden, Idaho, was president of AGC’s Unitech Composites and Structures unit. He was charged with simple assault last week in federal court in Atlanta for allegedly slapping a 19-month-old boy during a February 8th flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail.
According to the boy’s mother, Jessica Bennett, 33, the Delta Air Lines flight was on final descent into Atlanta, when the child, Jonah, started to cry due to the altitude change. Bennett said Hundley had become increasingly obnoxious during the flight and appeared to be drunk. At one point he complained that her son was too big to sit on her lap, she said. “He reeked of alcohol,” Bennett told KARE-TV. “He was belligerent, and I was uncomfortable.” Bennett said she was shocked by the racial slur Hundley used when her son Jonah started crying. She replied, “What did you say?”, saying, “I couldn’t believe that he would say that,” she told WCCO-TV. “He fell onto my face and his mouth was in my ear and he said it again, but even more hateful. And he’s on my face, so I pushed him away.”
Bennett and her husband are white, while Jonah, whom they adopted, is black. When Hundley slapped him in the face, he scratched the boy below his right eye and caused him to scream even louder, she said. Hundley’s attorney, Marcia Shein of Decatur, GA., told The Associated Press on Saturday that Hundley will plead not guilty. Hundley told The Smoking Gun that he had only a single drink on the flight. “We wish to emphasize that the behavior that has been described is contradictory to our values, embarrassing, and does not in any way reflect the patriotic character of the men and women of diverse backgrounds who work tirelessly in our business,” said the statement from Hundley’s former employer.’
My niece did our family proud recently graduating from nursing school. “Your a nurse” – the first that I’m aware of in our family, hats off to her, again. Black History Month… something that has evolved from Black History Week, after the inception of Negro History Week. Something that apparently is still necessary when you hear of incidents like these and as teachers somehow think using slaves is a proper way to teach math. Black History Month is an annual education for the unfortunate multitude of ignoramuses that lack an understanding of heritage – be they black or white. It’s for those who are somehow unaware or don’t care enough about the strides, accomplishments and what once seemed insurmountable feats becoming reality for a people on whose backs a nation was built. Black people have only been gradually reaping the benefits of freedom, because in so many ways so many are still in chains. So many are mentally bound by the ideology of what they have been told, and by what they have been led to believe is success. Such is the case with Jesse. Jackson allowed himself to become delusional, I’m sure he is depressed. Any fool becomes depressed or starts to not feel like himself after committing an erroneous blunder of unfixable proportions, I have no doubt he’s sad. The unfortunate reality is that his actions are sadder. I believe that everybody, every family has a responsibility to establish their own history, a legacy that lives up to those that came before us. I suppose my greatest inspiration for this blog is the fact that Jesse’s actions are so disappointing more than anything else. He was in a prime position to continually make a difference for all people. A black man is in the White House. An ACTUAL African-American, after years of black people only being in that kitchen, a black man is the “Leader of the Free World,” and there are still those that want to be a N… – how absurd is that.
There are days I put in work on three jobs and go to school throughout the course of one day in these days and times. (To be said with an West Indian accent) Ya undastand, Me say I work tree’ jobs within the course of ONE day AND go to school, Me don’t have patience for no trflin’ fools like this in this latter day, nooo…. Their time is no more (end W.I. accent). For the Black, White, Yellow, Red, Brown, Beige History that’s being made everyday by Real Ni**as and just ordinary people – Challenges endure, but victory is certain – Never Give Up, but mostly, don’t fu*k it up… especially when you know better. Jackson and Hundley have been around long enough to know better – they knew better – for them I have no sympathy and feel they should suffer to the fullest extent of the law for their lack of decorum and punishable behavior.
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