|
There are many independent, black organizations currently
operating in Toledo as vehicles for black excellence.
However, if you rely on print, digital or broadcast media,
you would never know it. Local black churches, social
organizations, community groups, businesses and non-profits
are depicted in ugly, unflattering terms if at all.
Yet, people have always, according to noted scholar Jawanza
Kunjufu, “valued the opinions and views of those people who
look like them and have had similar experiences.”
Translation: If we hear only from good white men and their
organizations, we get a distorted view of reality and our
problems will remain unsolved despite their well-intentioned
efforts.
In the coming weeks I will speak with leaders of independent
black organizations and institutions of excellence. Many are
black and young, a demographic that is often ignored,
marginalized or publicly pilloried by mainstream media.
Recently, I had the privilege of having an extended
conversation with Elgin Rogers, a bright young mind who
leads an organization called the African American Leadership
Caucus (AALC)
|
Perryman:
Please tell me the about the group and its
philosophy and makeup.
Rogers:
It’s the African American Leadership Caucus and we
began in 2012. We started as a focus group, Leaders
Leading. Out of that focus group we decided that we
should continue these conversations. So from that,
an organization emerged. We developed bylaws and
stated our mission, purpose and vision. Our mission
is to use the democratic political process to
promote civic engagement, political engagement and
advocacy throughout Lucas County. Our vision is to
see more African Americans involved in the voting
process as well as getting blacks elected to office
here in Lucas County. |
 |
Perryman:
So it’s pretty much concerned with getting greater
representation among African Americans?
Rogers:
Greater representation but really about information,
outreach and advocacy. So once you’re informed you can make
better decisions about whom you want to choose to best
represent you.
Perryman:
So your efforts are not limited to just getting African
Americans into elected office, you also are informing the
community and monitoring the performance of elected
officials?
Rogers:
Correct. It’s about making sure that we have people who not
only look like us but also think like us and want the best
things for our community. And we know that voting is very
important and that if you don’t vote you may not eat.
Perryman:
Historically, we have not gotten the turnout that we wanted
in the midterm elections. Can you speak to the voter apathy
that exists among many in the community?
Rogers:
In terms of not getting people out to vote during midterm
elections?
Perryman:
Well that’s one thing and then also the apathy among a
certain demographic, those of the underserved?
Rogers:
That’s always a tough question. We know that sometimes that
during midterm elections voter turnout is lower and part of
that is visibility. People are really tied into the national
elections as opposed to the congressional and the statewide
races. And when you talk about voter apathy sometimes it
goes back again to what’s on the menu. When you talk about
people not being as engaged or as informed, a lot of times
people go to work and go home. They don’t peruse but they
just browse, to stay abreast of some of the issues. And they
make a decision whether or not they’re going to go out and
vote or whether they’re going to stay home because it’s
often some of the same old same old. They’re not satisfied
with those who are on the ballot or what’s on the menu.
Perryman:
What can be done to reverse that attitude?
Rogers:
One of the ways that we’re looking at is to improve the
system by giving exposure to some of our locally elected
officials and those people who are in the political arena.
The African American Leadership Caucus has different forums
and monthly meetings for people to come and see who’s
representing you, to listen to what they have to say and
share what’s going on in government. So part of it is
exposing folks and allowing people to see where they fit in
the system or how the system truly affects their livelihood
and their lifestyle from the very basics of where a red
light or other revenue camera is placed.
Perryman:
At one time it was highlighted that the group was pretty
much made up of young people, young African-American males.
Is that accurate?
Rogers:
The structure of the group actually goes back to the
traditional African value set of the traditional African
village or family. We have a committee of elders. They are
people from the community who we’ve identified as those that
we would want to go to for guidance, wisdom and just to
share some of their experience. These elders come from law,
government, education, and the general workforce. They are
everyday people. And the group is also comprised of our
target audience, those folks under age 40. But everyone’s
welcome to join and so we have people over 40 in the group
also. We have a very mixed group in terms of gender, even in
leadership as well. So that’s a misnomer that it’s just
comprised of males.
Perryman:
There seems to be a divide in the African-American community
between the haves and the have-nots and fragmentation of the
black community by class. A sort of ghetto versus “bougie”
and middle class versus underclass conflict. What are your
general thoughts?
Rogers:
As far as our group, we have a very broad cross-section. I
know those things have existed. People talk about them and
people have written about them from the beginning of
African-American political thought. I know W.E.B. Du Bois
talked about it but here locally that class divide is a
little different. I mean if you talk about people expanding
out of the central city, I mean our stuff goes -- that’s a
very complex phenomenon that goes back to desegregation. But
as for now, the class divide is really just about in jobs I
would say, and access to education. Those who have limited
opportunities to education are less likely to move up in the
corporate world and the workforce.
Perryman:
I guess what I’m getting at is, how do you unify the
community? It seems to me that many of the people who are
cut off from mainstream are not voting in the same
percentages except in presidential elections. We saw this in
the most recent mayoral election.
Yet, to me, the so-called
underclass represents an untapped source, a gold mine even,
of activism. I think you could also say is that their
indifference or even some of what we term irrational
behavior - crime, gangs and anti-social rebelliousness is,
in a sense, political in itself. So how do we unify and
speak out across the entire social strata and across income
or cultural divisions? How do we make the message more
appealable to all African Americans?
Rogers:
I think the issue is: are we asking the right questions?
What questions are we asking ourselves? In many regards
unification, and I’m not sure I understand what the word
means, but I’m not sure how pragmatic it is. So when we
discuss unifying I think that there has to be multiple
efforts coming from multiple places, if that makes any
sense.
Perryman:
Please elaborate further.
Rogers:
I just don’t think that there needs to be one monolith. I
think that you need people working and moving and thinking
about different aspects across the entire collective. It’s
almost like writing a scholarly article or being a member of
an academic group. They always talk about what’s your
contribution to the field. And so in this setting, what is
your contribution? Your contribution may be being a
basketball coach, teaching young kids how to avoid the
hazards and trappings of street life or it could be your
opportunity to be a tutor helping young children to read. Or
it could be your opportunity to help keep the parks clean so
people can feel better about the neighborhood in which they
live. And I think when you bring those things together
there’s a synergy. And I think that when you have this type
of constant movement things will come together.
Perryman:
Let me put it this way. The civil rights movement was one
that was inclusive. In other words, you had blacks, Puerto
Ricans, whites, Christians, Jews, rich, middle class,
working class as well as those living in abject poverty
involved in the struggle. When you invite politicians in to
address your group and you are employed as a young
professional the politicians are addressing your issues. How
do you understand that all of the people of your community
are not being addressed such as those who are poor? Do you
repeat the mindless, mythical mantra of conservative
ideology that blames the victim by saying that it’s their
personal responsibility? Or do you look at that presentation
from a broader perspective that also looks at social and
political responsibility? How do you respond when they’re
not including the entire community?
Rogers:
That’s a very elegant question that you ask and it’s very
complex. Again, it depends on what questions you’re asking
of yourself and how one perceives his/herself. I see myself
as a person on the ground. I am a young professional but I
deal with the same issues that the people in the
neighborhood that I grew up and live in deal with on a daily
basis. So when you come and tell me that you just got
racially profiled or jacked up by someone, I’m there. I hear
it. People call me. You talk about the Great Recession, but
we call it the great reset between the haves and the
have-nots. And you’re right. A lot of middle class folks
have lost a great deal of the wealth that they possessed
prior to the financial crisis. So again, what questions are
you asking? What are the commonalities? You need to know
your audience first of all. I mean if you’re going to try to
tackle a problem you need to identify the situation and
before you give any presentation you should know your
audience.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org |
