It’s about Character
I recently spoke at an award dinner sponsored by the Roanoke, VA chapter of the NAACP. I chose to speak on the subject of Character. Here is an excerpt from my speech:
People in our community appear to have stepped into a period of “FORGETFULNESS.”
Now, as a people we have a lot of problems, many issues, but “surviving” isn’t one of them. Have we completely forgotten our history in this country? From slave ships to space ships…From the slave house to the White house.
Wake up people! What could possibly happen in this world that could be worst then what we have already survived? We’ve been told that the nation is going broke.
Personally, I think we’ve been tricked, bamboozled, let astray, lied too…the real issue is not that this country is broke. The issue is: there is too much money. They are printing money 24/7. We’ve printed so much money we can’t keep count. Every day we hear about another trillion, zillion that will be spent in the months and years to come. The big problem is: all our money is in China.
When you ask anyone on Wall Street what happened? Who’s responsible? They respond by acting like a 4 year old:
“I ain’t do nuttin’…what had happen was…see, I bought dis house. They gave me all dis money…but it weren’t real money, it was a derib-bit-tive…and den uh, Billy told me I had to pay a sub-prime. But den, it was all gone. Poof! Just like dat. I didn’t do nuttin’…It’s Obama’s fault. He gave me the money! Don’t be mad at me…I don’t feel good…I need health care.”
Those greedy bastards ruined the game and now have the audacity to blame everybody else. And now they’ve got everyone afraid. Everybody is all “uh twitter.” Twittering back and forth’ “I’m scared…You scared?” Twittering your every thought and opinion you can cram in one hundred and forty characters or less. Well, I will not get caught up in all this foolishness. I come from a long line of survivors.
My grandparents didn’t have any money and they made it through the Great Depression! They took table scraps and made a meal. Today they call it soul food. Back in the day they did more for our communities with a lot less. They built colleges and hospitals. They owned national newspapers that told our story. It was the Chicago Daily Defender not the New York Times that brought the issue of Lynching in America to the attention of the Government. There were black banks in just about every large Black community. There were Black owned movie theaters. In my home town, there were 7 black owned or operated movie theaters in walking distance of my home. Black producers made “Race Movies” that reveal the wide spectrum of who we were as a people, from singing cowboys to oil barons.
As a kid, I had never met a Black millionaire. I had heard of people in my neighborhood who were “thousandaires,” but of course, they worked for the post office.
Don’t get me wrong, these were not the “good ole days”. Times were hard; there was very little justice. This was the height of “racial segregation”.
And yet, against it all, our fathers and mothers our grandfathers and grandmothers stood tall and dared to meet their challenge. How did they do it? What did they have in abundance that is in short supply today? They had the powerful force of Character.
Look around today. How much character do you see in the business, political and media leaders? If Bernie Madoff would’ve had better character, he wouldn’t have stolen all that money from his friends.
The great Charles Dickens wrote what has to be the second best opening line of any book ever written. The first of course: ”In the beginning…” Dickens wrote, in the book, A Tale of Two Cities…“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I personally think those words best described where we are in the 21st Century.
War with Iraq, Afghanistan…tensions with North Korea, Iran. Where’s Waldo, I mean, Bin Laden, Aids, 9/11, Health Care Debate, H1N1. I tell you sometimes you just want to stay home and watch Oprah.
Back in the day, our parents and grandparents survived because the alternative was not acceptable. They wanted their children to have a better life. They did what needed to be done with courage and conviction. They made their decisions based on what was best for their family and themselves. They didn’t have Glenn Beck, Keith Obermann, Rush Limbaugh or CNN to tell them what to think. They thought for themselves. And yeah, they made mistakes, but as my Grandma would say, “Junior, do something even if it’s wrong, don’t just sit there.” If she only knew how much trouble that one bit of advice has gotten me into. But that advice has also made me believe that anything I can dream is possible. That advice is part of my character and it has led me to seek opportunities that have changed my life and taken me around the world. This poor skinny black kid born in poverty, a descendent of “sharecroppers” from Whaleysville, Virginia, has dined with Presidents and seen many of the world’s greatest wonders.
In James Hillman’s book, The Force of Character; he asks the question; “What is character, and how does it force us into the patterns we live?” Character, he says, forms your habits, your friendships, your fears, the level of your ambition, your faults. Character affects your loves and your children. He says, “Character is fate.”
When we talk about people from the past, we tell stories that define their character. That is why the history of our American culture is more important now than ever before. These stories feed our imagination. They give our current lives value. When you tell the story of Harriett Tubman, it’s impossible not to be proud and full of wonder. Her story strengthens your courage.
I have a picture of her in my home that makes me smile each time I see it. She is holding a huge rifle in one hand and has her other arm extended back to protect a small family of runaway “former” slaves. The look on her face tells you that you don’t want to get between her and Canada. An ounce of her character could inspire this fearful nation.
If Character is “fate”, then we’d better start some serious character building. We better take the time to re-tell history to our young people of today. If we do not tell of the beautiful, courageous, honorable events, if we never recall the clarity of a decision or the cost of a sacrifice, where will those that follow us gain the information? From the politically insane pundits who spew their dogma over the airwaves?
Over the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure to listen to the personal tales of some of the men and women who helped shape the 20th century. These people are whose character has become a measure that I endeavor to live by. The men and women who fought the wars, survived the Great Depression, desegregated our schools, created ragtime, jazz and rhythm and blues, taught Elvis to wiggle, and won our Civil Rights, are without a doubt, the most creative, courageous and greatest generation of the Modern world.
As a people, who we are now, was forged from the beginning of the 20th century until it’s end. What will become of our legacy and us will be determined by our actions in this, the 21st Century.
One of the great prophets of our times, Dr. King, said he dreamt of the day in our nation…”when our children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
That time has come, What is the character of our children? Is your character strong enough to face today’s challenges? In the words of Alice Walker, ”We are who we have been waiting for.”
Nice post!
It is said, “To him in whom love dwells, the whole world is but one family.”
This one lifted my spirits — just in the remembering that, in life, courage and persistence are always good options.