The DISH
Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use
Vol. 11 Issue 22…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…June 1, 2008
But Now I Will
By Calvin Porter
Mom is not able to do things for herself anymore.
She needs someone to do more than go to the store.
Mom thought she was strong enough to do them any way.
Until she fell and broke her hip,
Just yesterday
You say you hate to ask for help,
And I know how you feel.
Forgive me for the things I didn't do before,
But now I will!
It's a shame to say, but it must have been a trip.
I overlooked all her needs, until she broke her hip.
Mom and dad had it hard, trying to raise the six of us.
Now we can't take care of her, without making a
fuss.
I don't know about the rest of you,
To me it will be a thrill.
I may not have done for her before,
But God knows now I will.
By John Burl Smith
On Saturday May 17, 2008, the
Memphis family, especially South Memphis, came together to celebrate Ernest and
Dorothy Withers by renaming and dedicating Brooks Road, the street on which
they lived for almost three decades, in their honor. Ernest first came to my
attention when I was a youngster. He was one of eight men in a picture hanging
on my mother's living room wall. The picture was of the first blacks to be
selected as policemen in 1948. A source of black Memphis pride, ironically,
when I met him, Mr. Withers was taking pictures.
Although he was no longer a cop and had opened a photography shop on Beale
Street, he still looked out for his community by making sure young boys, like
me, stayed clear of Beale. He ran me home a many a day by threatening to tell
my mother, if he caught me down there again. While raising seven sons and one
daughter, Ernest and Dorothy Withers made many needed contributions to Memphis
through their church, civic, community, and school commitments.
However, their most lasting contribution to Memphis, the United States and the
world is the voluminous legacy of priceless pictures accumulated through their
photography business. For over fifty years, Ernest and his camera were fixtures
at all kinds of events from babies being born to burials and all occasions in
between. The famous and the infamous, presidents and peddlers, novices to aging
sages were all captured by his lens. B. B. King singing on Beale, Ray Charles
at Club Paradise, Dr. King on the march, even me as a young Invader during the
1968 Sanitation Strike and countless others were frozen in time as Mr. Withers
documented history in the making.
While Ernest captured the images, Dorothy held it down at the shop and at home.
Today, young women may think Ernest got all the credit or did all the exciting
things, but for women like Mrs. Withers that was what family was all about.
Everyone had a role to play in making sure things held together. The family was
the idea and everyone staying together was the goal. I am sure it was not about
a legacy as Ernest took pictures; it was about feeding the kids. But dedication
is its own reward, which is why we all gathered that morning waiting for Mrs.
Withers to come home from the hospital after a long illness to witness the
dedication.
Again, I felt fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful scene. Standing there
among family members and friends, young and old, I felt we were keeping Ernest
alive in our hearts, like the street sign in reminding those not there that
dedication to family is what gives us all something to live for. Ernest and Dorothy: standards for us all to shot for.
Charles Harrison
Mason (1866-1961)
Although the Church Of God In Christ is called a Pentecostal
denomination, Pentecost is not a denomination. The way to clearly understand
the term "Pentecostalism" is to think in terms of a family of related
churches rather than a denomination.
Charles Harrison Mason, one of
the most significant figures in the rise and spread of the modern Pentecostal
movement and founder and organizer of the Church of God in Christ, was born to
former slaves on September 8, 1866 near Memphis, Tennessee. His parents, Jerry
and Eliza Mason, while still slaves, converted to Missionary Baptist. In 1878,
yellow fever struck Memphis and his family fled to Plumerville, Arkansas.
Nonetheless, the epidemic claimed his father in 1879. Mason helped his mother
support the family at the expense of his education.
Mason converted and was baptized by his brother, I.S. Nelson, a Baptist
preacher, in 1878. He began his ministry at the Mt. Gale Missionary Baptist
Church in Preston, Arkansas. Mason attended the Arkansas Baptist College
(1893), but withdrew after becoming disenchanted with their teaching methods
and presentation of the Biblical message.
Ordained and licensed in 1891, Mason traveled Arkansas as a lay preacher. He
married Alice Saxton, but was greatly disappointment with the marriage. She
bitterly opposed his ministerial plans and divorced him after two years. Mason
refused to remarry as long as Alice lived.
Mason met Elders C.P. Jones of Jackson, Mississippi, J.E. Jeter of Little Rock,
Arkansas and W.S. Pleasant of Hazelhurst, Mississippi in 1895. Considered
militant preachers after a revival in Jackson, Mississippi (1896), Mason and
Jones were defrocked by the National Baptist Convention.
Expelled, Mason began preaching to independent "sanctified"
congregations. He received the name, Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) in a
revelation in 1897. From the seventeenth through the nineteenth century, most
blacks had encountered Christianity under the aegis of Baptist or Methodist
churches. Mason and Jones however, changed the religious landscape in the black
community, as well as broadened the black religious experience. Through the
dynamic preaching of Mason and the prolific writings and hymnology of Jones,
Sanctified or Holiness churches sprang up throughout the South and Southwest.
During 1906, Mason and his colleagues traveled to the Pentecostal revival of W.
J. Seymour in Los Angeles, California, where he received baptism of the Holy
Spirit and spoke in tongues. When Mason returned to Memphis with his new
Pentecostal message, the church split.
Mason's followers met in September 1907 to legally organize the COGIC. Mason
was elected general overseer. A visionary, Bishop Mason energized the Pentecostal
movement by legally incorporating the COGIC. This meant church bodies and those
ordained as clergy were recognized by civil authorities. This action put Mason
on par with Richard Allen (1760-1831) founder of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church (1816). However, Bishop Mason's task, building a church on
people just like him -- slave descendants, tenant farmers and urban laborers
with little or no education -- was more difficult than Allen's.
Chief Apostle, Mason dedicated 20 days, November 25th through December 14th,
for annual fellowship. This accommodated his southern church, which was based
in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. After the harvest, members had
financial resources to attend and support a national meeting. The first national
meeting was held in Memphis in1907. Bishop Mason dedicated Mason Temple the
church's national meeting site in 1945. Built in Memphis during WW II, Mason
Temple was the largest church structure owned by a black religion in America.
Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the FBI developed a file on Bishop Mason
because of his pacifism and inter-racialism. In 1918, Mason was jailed for
preaching against the war. William B. Holt, a white brethren targeted by the
FBI, a lawyer and former Nazarene preacher, posted a two-thousand dollar cash
bond for Mason's release.
The FBI and scholars, such as Dr. Gayraud Wilmore and Yale historian Sidney
Ahlstrom, agreed that, "C.H. Mason and W.J. Seymour personified the affect
of black piety on American religion, which has been one of the most powerful
expressions of religion in the world."
COGIC's growth has been phenomenal. The membership has grown from 3 million in
1973 to an estimated 5.2 million by 1997. Churches have been established in 20
countries, on every continent, and many islands. Bishop Mason died November 17,
1961. (Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org, www.olemiss.edu and http://eastsidecommcogic.tripod.com)
Cutting Deals with Criminals
By Doug Holloway
The local (Memphis) news ran a
week-long series on the phenomenon of "cutting deals" with criminals.
You know the "You tell me who your supplier is and maybe we can 'cut a
deal' or something." The series covered some of the supposed entrapment
cases of those caught up in Operation Tennessee Waltz and Operation Main Street
Sweeper, stings that nabbed state legislators and more than half of the Memphis
City Council, including its former head, Joe Cooper, who rolled over on a
$1900.00 alleged bribe taken by council member Edmund Ford. Cooper is hoping to
"cut a deal" with the authorities in order to save himself from a
more than three year prison sentence.
Now that authorities from the federal to local level employ the same techniques
and tactics as those they hope to convict, how is their wrongdoing any
different? Former Shelby County Sheriff, now deceased Jack Owens, made a drug
enforcement tactic called "JUMP N GRAB" famous around here. Police
posed as drug dealers and sold drugs; police posed as prostitutes and sold what
prostitutes sell. Is there any wonder that when police pose as politicians they
catch many a fish in their corrupt net?!
Something is just not right about having to become a crook to catch a crook
when you are sworn to protect and serve the community. It would seem the
community would need protection from those who would use or abuse their power
to accomplish their goals, as Bro Malcolm X said, "BY ANY MEANS
NECESSARY!"
If everyone simply did the jobs they are paid to do and stopped creating these
illegal short cuts, a lot of the criminal activities society is forced to
endure everyday would not be a part of acceptable daily life! Nobody is asking
anyone to do more than what they are getting paid to do, and that is simply
"THEIR JOB." All these fake compromises, such as allowing inmates to
smoke in smoke-free facilities, allowing consensual and non-consensual rapes,
etc, at some of the penal institutions in Shelby County would not be necessary.
Moreover, to tell a citizen not to go to an automated teller machine (ATM) at
2:00 am, because he might become a victim, is ludicrous. If the people charged
with the responsibility of protecting that citizen at 2am or 2pm were doing
their jobs, that warning would not be necessary. The message here is very
simple -- "DO YOUR JOB!" Stop compromising, cutting deals with
criminals, and acting like the criminals you are not supposed to be. Certainly,
the changes would be evident and the image projected to society would be a
positive one!
STAX: The Family
By John Burl Smith
Several weeks ago I was invited
by Tim Sampson of Soulsville USA to attend the Stax Music Academy' SNAP! After School
Spring Concert (5-17-08); it was held in the Michael D. Rose Theater at the
University of Memphis. The Stax Music Academy is one of three programs
sponsored by the non-profit Soulsville Foundation, which includes the Stax
Museum of American Soul Music and the Soulsville Charter School. The academy
began with a summer camp for 75 children from South Memphis in 2000. It has
grown to serve 350 children from all over the Memphis area, providing unique
musical opportunities, such as the SNAP! Spring Concert.
The Spring Concert culminates the year's events for the After School Program,
which serves approximately 100 young people by providing productive,
educational and fun ways to spend their out-of-school time from September to
May. Through partnerships with institutions, such as the prestigious Berklee
College of Music in Boston, ArtMemphis, FedEx, the IRIS Orchestra and
individuals, such as Dr. Mable John and Mr. and Mrs. Gary Wilson, four
different ensembles: Rhythm Section, Street Corner Harmonies, Premier
Percussionists and the Soulsville Swing Band, perform in concert each year.
The sold out SNAP! concert was truly a family affair that brought the Memphis
community together on many different levels. The young performers exhibited
professional quality entertainment and the audience did not have to make
allowances for their ages. They reflected great credit and pride on the
academy, teachers, mentors, supporters and families. I felt truly fortunate to
be a part of such a splendid and well presented occasion.
Stax's phoenix-like rise from the ashes of financial collapse is not a return
to its former commercial glory. By retaining its soul, the music it produces
now is glorious! Teaching the traditions of soul music to the children of
Memphis, Stax's impact will grow as the Memphis family grows. The Soulsville
Foundation is fulfilling the role of community father as it seeks to develop
the talents of all children of the community without regard for race, age,
gender or economic condition, while providing great entertainment!
"Support the Troops," They are Family Too!
By Tim Sampson
One sees yellow ribbon bumper
stickers on gas-guzzling SUVs all over the place. Affluent mommies and daddies
that probably voted for George W. Bush, who uses "Support the Troops"
like a lapel pin or a litmus test. The truth is American soldiers are like
throw-a-way beer cans one sees all along the roadside. They are not seen as
family, if they were we would treat them better.
The other day, the House voted and passed the 21st Century G.I. Bill
to update veterans' benefits. Included in this bill is a full scholarship at
any in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend, for
anyone who serves in the military for at least three years. It's not cheap, but
neither is war. If passed in the Senate, it will cost $52 billion over 10
years. Not all that bad when you consider how much the war itself is costing.
Shoot, if just a few of the private war contractors chipped in a nominal
portion of the billions they are making off the war (you know, charge $5 for a
bottle of water for a soldier in the desert instead of $6), it would probably
pay for it. But that kind of thing doesn't happen in this country, so those
liberal tax-crazed Democrats sponsoring the bill are trying to impose a surtax
on individuals with incomes above $500,000 and couples with incomes exceeding
$1 million. Now, I know that is a terrible burden on those people, which is why
166 members of the House opposed it. But 256 members, including 32 Republicans,
thought it was a good idea. So do I.
Not that I will ever have that kind of income but it seems that if we
want to "support our troops," that's a pretty decent way to start.
Unfortunately, President Bush doesn't share this opinion. He has threatened to
veto the legislation should it pass. This bill would cut into Bush's tax breaks
for the wealthy; it would offset the tax break. John McCain doesn't support the
bill either. He wants a more modest plan which wouldn't give the veterans he so
warmly embraces nearly as much. So everyone should call or write the 166
lawmakers (and yes, some of them are Democrats so be sure to call them too) who
voted against the bill. Also do the veterans one better, by going to the
election booth this November and not voting for John McCain. You could do it in
one punch of a button and vote for someone else. It would only take a second
and wouldn't put much of a dent in your schedule.
And while you're at it, you might call the Department of Veterans Affairs and
ask about their inadequate care for those veterans who are fortunate enough to
come home from the war alive, with limbs missing and stressed out over killing
old women and children. Back in March, a VA employee sent an email memo out to
her staff that read: "Given that we are having more and more compensation
seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that we refrain from giving a diagnosis
of PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] straight out. Consider a diagnosis of
Adjustment Disorder, R/O PTSD." R/O stands for 'rule out." She went
on in the memo to say they didn't have the time, anyway, to test for PTSD.
Granted, higher-ups in the VA have now said her memo was inappropriate, but
it's pretty telling that this kind of attitude is out there. Consider this too
when you write the White House and inquire about how many veterans who have
PTSD that are not being treated or are being strangled in red tape seeking some
badly needed psychological help.
Disgruntled wants to know: On Friday, after
twelve days of deliberations, 111 nations formally adopted a treaty banning
cluster bombs, weapons of mass destruction that lay a carpet of bomblets over a
target. Even after their initial wave of destruction, bomblets that fail to
explode on impact continue to kill and maim civilians, particularly farmers and
children that come into contact with the live ordnance. Unfortunately, the
largest manufacturers and users of these munitions, the US, Russia, Pakistan,
Israel, India and China, are not parties to the treaty. Those who have come to
expect the US to take the lead on global issues that impact humanity were once
again disappointed by the position taken by the Bush administration. Its
refusal to sign this treaty is just one more reason to ask, is the nation
genuinely committed to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction?
Disgruntled
says: I am sorry for all those people who think former White House Press
Secretary Scott McClellan's new book provides new insights into the Bush
administration propaganda machine of deceit and lies, which led to the war in
Iraq, or Bush's drug use and the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson.
While I have not read the book, the things the media are obsessed over, as
though they are new revelations, have been in the mainstream for years. For
instance, we know Bush is a "dry drunk," an alcoholic that supposedly
quit cold turkey sometime after the age of forty. A wild frat boy, Bush used
drugs, including cocaine, just like Senator Barack Obama and countless others
from the 1960s and 1970s, who saw nothing wrong with snorting coke and smoking
marijuana. Just because mainstream media refused to delve into his wild and
wooly youth to expose his drug use does not negate the truth. A scion of
privilege, Bush engaged in peccadillos long after they could be excused as
youthful indiscretions. More importantly, we know all manner of laws have been
broken under Bush's watch, the Constitution is in shreds, and a pack of lies
were told to get us into the war with Iraq, so McClellan retelling how that
sorry mess came about is not news. What continues to be newsworthy is how the
media and the government refuse to pursue the impeachment and removal of the
criminal in the White House.
Disgruntled
feels: Discarded! Politicians are great at using people, issues,
institutions and situations to advance their personal agendas. Like the pride
one feels and exhibits in the accomplishments of a beloved family member, when
it is to their political advantage, they gleefully tout the association, basking
in the limelight and exuding adoration. However, as soon as the
photo-opportunity and association are no longer to their advantage and/or
something else is infinitely more advantageous, politicians are quick to
dismiss anything or anyone, including a beloved family member, that does not
further their agenda. The parishioners at Trinity United Church of Christ in
Chicago must feel discarded now that Senator Barack Obama has very publicly
ended his 20-year affiliation with that institution.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Phone Calls
Email cptheb@palnet.com .."The Israeli army
is taking steps to close down a charity in the Palestinian city of Hebron that
serves orphans and children in need. There can be no security justification for
this act of collective punishment which targets some of the most vulnerable
children in the West Bank. I urge you to use your influence to persuade the
Israeli government to stop this action and also to pay restitution for the losses
suffered by the Islamic Charitable Society (ICS)." Israeli military has
already destroyed goods and seized equipment and supplies belonging to the ICS,
and is moving to close the facility altogether. The Christian Peacemaker Team
in Hebron asks the international community get involved in pressuring
governments to get Israel to stop.
Email starjm50@yahoo.com Stop funding the Iraq
occupation now! By Carolyn Bninski...During the first week of June, Congress will
be voting on a funding bill for the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan through
the middle of 2009. On May 15, the House of Representatives voted down a $162
billion funding bill (149-141), largely because 132 Republicans abstained from
voting for tactical reasons (not because they are opposed to funding the
occupation). On May 22, the Senate approved the funding for $165.4 billion
(70-26). A House-Senate conference committee is now working on a compromise
bill. Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Veterans
for Peace want Congress to defund the occupation now. Their forthright message:
"Funding the War is Killing Our Troops". They want Congress to
provide funds only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of troops and for the
care the soldiers will need when they get home.
Email www.independent.uk.co ...Multinationals Make
Billions In Profit Out of Growing Global Food Crisis Speculators blamed for
driving up price of basic foods as 100 million face severe hunger ...By
Geoffrey Lean...Giant agribusinesses are enjoying soaring earnings and profits
out of the world food crisis which is driving millions of people towards
starvation. And, speculation is helping to drive the prices of basic foodstuffs
out of the reach of the hungry. The Food and Agriculture Organisation reports
that 37 developing countries are in urgent need of food. And food riots are
breaking out across the globe from Bangladesh to Burkina Faso, from China to
Cameroon, and from Uzbekistan to the United Arab Emirates. Benedict Southworth,
director of the World Development Movement, called the escalating earnings and
profits 'immoral.' He said that the benefits of the food price increases were
being kept by the big companies, and were not finding their way down to farmers
in the developing world. The soaring prices of food and fertilisers mainly come
from increased demand. This has partly been caused by the boom in biofuels,
which require vast amounts of grain, but even more by increasing appetites for
meat, especially in India and China; producing 1lb of beef in a feedlot, for
example, takes 7lbs of grain. World food stocks at record lows, export bans and
a drought in Australia have contributed to the crisis, but experts are also fingering
food speculation.
Email www.cnn.com ...Commentary: Why Americans can't get over race...By William S. Cohen and Janet Langhart Cohen...William Cohen and Janet Langhart Cohen say that U.S. racial prejudice is still too divisive to be history. In 1835, Alexis DeTocqueville, in his seminal work, "Democracy in America," prophesied that the abolition of slavery would not eliminate racial prejudice, which he declared was "immovable." Sen. Barack Obama, in running for the presidency of the United States, is challenging DeTocqueville's bleak assessment of the human heart. It remains unclear whether the Illinois senator is on a hopeless mission, or whether the American people will decide to make history by breaking with it. Any discussion of race or racism inevitably stirs uncomfortable reactions. America is, indeed, a nation of immigrants. Most of our ancestors came here in search of a better life. Africans, however, arrived here in chains to make a better life for others. Yet to date, we have been unable to discuss the horrors of the enslavement, lynchings, segregation and degradation of African-Americans without prompting resentment or indifference. "That's all in the past," is a common retort. "We had nothing to do with it. It's history. Get over it." The problem, however, as the results in a number of the primary states reveal, is that racial prejudice is not history, and neither whites nor blacks are over it.