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The voices of young leaders of independent, black
organizations operating as “vehicles for black excellence”
are likely to be muted by a cacophonous public “narrative of
unworthiness.”
This fictional but racial and gendered political rhetoric
seeks to place blame for the present fiscal crisis on the
African-American community by perpetuating the stereotypical
image of blacks as living off the public dole. As a result
of this “dependency on entitlements,” mainstream discourse
concludes, African Americans are not only undeserving but
they are also noncredible.
However, if our problems are to be resolved, attention must
be given to the thoughts of young, black minds that are
involved in the process to improve marginalized communities.
The following dialog with Elgin Rogers, president of the
African American Leadership Caucus (AALC) is part II of a
series of conversations with young, leaders of independent
black organizations and institutions of excellence.
Perryman:
What types of questions are you asking politicians who come
in to make a presentation before your organization?
Rogers:
We ask about their stance on policies and legislation. We
want to know what they have done in the past and their plans
for the future. Are they inclusive as far as African
Americans on their staff? We also discuss issues such as
housing, community policing and education. So our main focus
is to make sure that the people that we’re advocating for
and working with are aware of what’s going on. Now, they can
tell you about what’s going on in the community, but what’s
going on in at One Government Center, or at the Party
headquarters and how do all those things work together to
improve the quality of life where we live?
Perryman:
Please clarify what you meant by “people that we advocate
for.” Who would those people be?
Rogers:
Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people of
African descent. So those are the people that we’re looking
to advocate for and to improve the quality of life.
Perryman:
That’s not a monolith, so do you mean the African diaspora
in its entirety?
Rogers:
Are you asking do we have non-African Americans or others
come to the group or are we exclusive?
Perryman:
No. What I’m trying to get at is how inclusive you are
within the black community as far as outlook and philosophy.
Many groups are advocating but they are advocating for a
certain type of minority. Not just blacks or African
Americans but those who are black and professional or part
of the so-called black elite.
Rogers:
I get you, those who are already there.
Perryman:
Exactly! So that those who are outside of mainstream are
left to fend for themselves.
Rogers:
I understand and, like I said, we’re on the ground, we’re
everyday people. And so you’re talking to that person who
would be left behind and I think that’s why we have so much
fire in our bellies and passion for making sure that people
understand the importance of voting and getting out to vote.
We’re not pushing any particular candidate, but just knowing
that a certain amount of votes can determine what roads are
paved, what homes get torn down, where traffic lights are
placed. Your vote determines removing some of the stresses
from your life. I mean that’s powerful and profound.
Perryman:
Well some would say that in our most recent mayoral election
people stayed home.
Rogers:
I think they sent a message. I don’t know if it was the
correct message or the wrong message, but they were sending
a message about the menu.
Perryman:
Not just the menu but they said that: “It doesn’t matter who
is elected. My issues aren’t addressed no matter who’s in
office, whether that person is white, black, Hispanic, my
situation has not gotten better.” For those in poverty,
living in the inner city, the crime and inequity is still
there. People who live in Moody Manor, people who live right
behind my church, their situation does not change.
Rogers:
It can change.
Perryman:
But it hasn’t.
Rogers:
It hasn’t changed for the majority.
Perryman:
Well that’s what we’re talking about, isn’t it? I mean if
one to two Negroes are doing better that doesn’t change the
situation for the majority of African Americans. And there
are those, including me, who would say that until African
Americans as a whole improve, we have not done anything.
Oprah is just one millionaire but what about the rest of us
still in poverty?
Rogers:
I don’t disagree. One of my organizing members often states
that people have to be a part of their own heaven and
liberation. I don’t know if you call that a conservative
philosophy but I understand that. We have to be diligent and
remain active. People talk about the civil rights movement
as if it ended, but it’s an ongoing struggle. And I think
that’s the thing that we don’t convey and communicate from
your generation to mine and to the next generation that Dr.
Martin Luther King came and he’s no longer here but these
things are ongoing. And we’ve seen the hands of time turn
back with these voter suppression bills. If your vote really
doesn’t matter why would they make it so challenging and
difficult to vote?
But you posed a great
question about how do we effect change for those people who
are “left behind?” A lot of things keep happening time and
time again despite who gets elected to office. That’s a
great question.
Perryman:
So what do you do to make change? What are you involved in
now?
Rogers:
Some of the work that we’re involved in is education,
advocacy and awareness. One issue is community policing. If
you’re traveling at night and you’re not one of the bad guys
you don’t want to be treated like a bad guy. We want to make
sure that people have a good relationship with those people
who put their lives on the line for us every day. I have
many friends who are in law enforcement and so you want to
make sure that people are respecting their authority and
that they’re also respecting you.
You also want to make sure
that our children have every opportunity to access a quality
education. And I think the quality aspect of it is
stretching their minds so they think above and beyond what
they see. And the other part is, the economic opportunities
or lack thereof, ensuring that people have access to jobs
that will allow them to either live where they want to live
or to improve their lives. These are the issues that we are
moving towards and that we try to bring awareness and
information to, not just limiting it to either those folks
who are young professionals or those folks who are in abject
poverty. We try to touch all and we use different strategies
to get their attention so that if you know about it and you
choose not to do something that’s one thing. But now, since
you know, what are you going to do about it?
Perryman:
Are you doing anything specifically along voter rights?
Rogers:
Yes. We have a civic engagement event April 7 and we’re
encouraging everyone to come out and vote at the early vote
center where you can register that day and vote at the same
time. That’s the importance of this date. It’s the last day
that you can register to vote for the primary season. The
primary is how you decide who or what gets on the ultimate
menu or the ballot. If you miss the primary, then you had
the opportunity to set the tone and you missed it.
Perryman:
So if we don’t participate in the primary we’re just stuck
with the choices presented to us?
Rogers:
Yes. And because you may not be connected, in the sense of
being able to relate to the candidates or those set of
issues, it could cause you to possibly stay home on Election
Day. It’s about opportunity costs.
Perryman:
So voting is high on your list of priorities?
Rogers:
Voting is very, very high on our list of priorities because
voting goes back to that biblical passage “if a man doesn’t
work a man doesn’t eat.” We encourage voting because if you
don’t vote you won’t eat. And we’ve seen the cuts that have
been made here at the state and also national levels with
the SNAP food stamp program. So I mean these are things that
people should think about.
Perryman:
President Obama has talked about the need to address the
issues of young black males. What is your opinion on the
topic?
Rogers:
I’ve been fortunate to experience situations and
relationships where men help other men. I don’t know all the
details, but I think President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper
initiative is a very powerful concept. I was able to benefit
from Fair Side Community Center run by Pastor I.J. Johnson
and Reverend Curly Johnson out of St. Mark’s Baptist Church.
The program taught young men to be accountable for their
actions and their decisions. “Every tub must sit on its own
bottom” was one of the center’s catch phrases. It helped
young men to develop accountability and to have empathy for
someone other than themselves. And so, I think those types
of programs are awesome.
Perryman:
What do you think are the greatest needs facing young
African-American males today?
Rogers:
It’s complex but I think they need love. I know that’s a
cliché but these young men want to know that their people
truly care about them and won’t abuse their trust and
confidence.
Perryman:
Final thoughts?
Rogers:
I’d just like to ask people to come out April 7 and vote.
Bring your family, friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband,
or wife and vote. If we can do this now, maybe we can get
more attention focused on the areas we discussed earlier
that need to be addressed.
I’d also like to ask
people to come to the African American Leadership Caucus’
monthly meetings at the Mott and Kent branch libraries. In
April and May we’ll have a leadership institute training for
those people who are thinking about getting involved, not
only in just politics but organizing as a part of life.
We’ve gotten great support from our community as well as
from some of the elected officials and the people who are at
the grassroots community organizing level. They will all be
there to participate as well as to facilitate these
sessions.
You can contact us via
e-mail at
aalc419@gmail.com. That’s for individuals aged 18 to 40
years of age. We encourage elders and parents of those aged
18 to 40 to come out also because we are huge on making sure
that we’re doing a diligent job of sharing information and
learning with those who are before us and those who are
coming after us. Knowledge can’t just stay in the vault or
no one wins.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
Young Black Minds
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