The DISH

Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use

Vol. 11 Issue 46…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…November 16, 2008

Intuit's Vibe

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

By McFadden & Whitehead

We're on the move!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!

We've got the groove!

There's been so many things that's held us down.

But now it looks like things are finally coming around.

I know we've got a long, long way to go,

And where we'll end up, I don't know.

But we won't let nothing hold us back,

We're putting ourselves together,

We're polishing up our act!

If you felt we've been held down before,

I know you'll refuse to be held down anymore!

Don't you let nothing, nothing,

Stand in your way!

I want ya'll to listen,

Listen to every word I say, every word I say!

Ain't No Stopping Us Now!

We're on the move!

Ain't No Stopping Us Now!

We've got the groove!

I know you know someone that has a negative vibe,

And if you're trying to make it they only push you aside.

They really don't have nowhere to go.

Ask them where they're going, they don't know.

But we won't let nothing hold us back,

We're gonna put ourselves together,

We're gonna polish up our act!

And if you've ever been held down before,

I know you'll refuse to be held down anymore!

Don't you let nothing, nothing,

Stand in your way!

I want ya'll to listen, listen,

to every word I say, every word I say!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!

We're on the move!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!

We've got the groove!

Comments from the Bat Cave

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro has not provided any insightful commentary in such a long time that I doggedly pressed him to opine on the Obama election. He hesitantly began, "I know this is a historic occasion..." But, before he could complete his message of wisdom, his sidekick - Boy Wonder - chimed, "It won't change a thang!" While the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro protested the rude interruption and I corrected my wayward grandson on his unfortunate use of the language, the Dark One offered no great expectation for change in an Obama administration.

Hood Notes

Reality Bites

By Dot

On the day after President-elect Barack Obama's historic victory, Reuters published a Factbox on US racial inequality. The data provided were based on information published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Health and Human Services/CDC, US Department of Justice and the US Census Bureau. The inequalities enumerated covered four broad categories, i.e., health, the economy, criminal justice and education.

In the area of health, according to an October US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, "The infant mortality rate of babies of black women is 2.4 times the rate for babies of white women." The maternal mortality rate for blacks is more than three (3) times greater than for the white population. A study by the Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in September and many others show that "blacks get inferior care for cancer and other ailments compared to that given whites." As one would expect, white life expectancy exceeds that of the black population by more than five (years).

The census income and employment data have been cited here on numerous occasions. In general, the black unemployment rate for third quarter 2008 stood at 11.4 percent, while the overall national unemployment rate was 6.1 percent. In 2007, the white median family income was $64,427; the black median family income was $40,143. The ratio of the two yields .63 - the 3/5 Compromise. Since most folks in the US rely on income from employment for economic welfare, the fact that blacks are the last hired and first fired means that more live in poverty than their white counterparts. In 2007, only 10.6 percent of the white population lived below the official poverty threshold of $21,000 for a family of four compared to 24.4 percent of the black population. Other equally stark economic inequality measures included home ownership rates and health insurance coverage.

The criminal justice statistics are equally disturbing, particularly when one considers the plight of young black men. According to the US Department of Justice, for every 100,000 people, 1,406 black men are incarcerated compared to 773 for white men. And, while the incarceration rates for women are lower, black women are imprisoned at rates higher than white women.

According to a number of reports, including one study published by the Civil Rights Project of the University of California Los Angeles, public schools are becoming more racially segregated. This trend is likely to continue with falling white public school enrollment and rising Hispanic enrollment rates. These studies suggest the quality of the education dispensed to nonwhite students in segregated schools is inferior to the education received by whites. In addition, public schools are finding it more difficult to attract and maintain highly qualified teachers and administrators. The result has been soaring dropout rates and students ill-prepared for the rigors of college curricula.

The expectations are enormous for the incoming administration. Fact is, the reality of racial inequalities in the US present a daunting challenge for any administration, especially one that has engendered so much hope among those traditionally on the bottom rungs of US society.

Bit of History

Dr. William J. "Bill" Powell

The great-grandson of Alabama slaves, William J. Powell was born on November 22, 1917. His grandfather came north and went to work in the hot and dirty pottery ovens in the mills, a job reserved for blacks. His flight North, as many blacks, was during the great migration that began circa 1900. Berry and Massalearner Powell moved with their six children to Minerva, Ohio when William was 3 years old. They were the only blacks in the tiny town.

In 1926, William went to Canton, Ohio where he saw a golf course for the first time. He got a job caddying at the all white golf course, earning thirty-five cents per round. Smitten by the game, he said he would have worked for less. While caddying, he found a benefactor, a white doctor who loaned him equipment and taught him the game.

William fell in love with golf, but in that place and at that time, golf did not love him back. An exceptional athlete, he was captain of both the football and golf teams at his high school in 1935. Competing with his high-school team, he had access to local golf courses. Disappointingly however, when he tried to play as an individual, he was barred from Ohio's all-white golf courses.

During a tournament, when he was 16, a particularly humiliating incident occurred. Organizers delayed play for hours searching for a way to disqualify the already nervous youth. After winning a qualifying round, Powell faced a discriminatory format that never allowed him to be paired with the leaders during the tournament. Although young William shot the low score in the first round, tournament officials continued to shuffle the pairing for subsequent rounds. Never able to face the top white golfers, William was unable to see how well they played. Disappointed with his third place finish, the experience tempered young Powell for the discrimination he would face throughout his life.

Powell attended historically black Wilberforce University in 1937. Paired with his older brother, Berry, they formed the first golf team at Wilberforce. Their team made history that year when Wilberforce University and Ohio Northern University played a match. It was the first time in American history that a black college competed against and beat a white college in golf.

Before going off to war William married Marcella, his childhood sweetheart on his birthday in 1940. Serving in England during World War II, even though he was fighting for his country and not on the golf course, racial indignities continued to mount. A United States (US) Army Tech Sgt., Powell supervised a 1,100 truck operation. Foreshadowing the famous medal winning "Red Ball Express" of Gen. George S. Patton, Powell organized truck convoys loading ships leading up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

However, while guarding German prisoners, he was reminded of American racism because the Nazis received better gear, food and more assistance from the USO than he and his fellow black soldiers. Astonishingly, Powell confessed, "One day a well-intentioned English woman offered me a pillow to ease my pain while I sat. She had been told by white GIs that black people had tails." During down time, Powell played golf throughout Great Britain. But at war's end, and back home, there was no golf.

Painfully, after defending freedom in Europe and returning to the US with a renewed sense of freedom, the first time he set foot on a green at a local golf course, William was not allowed to play. Powell came home expecting whites to respect him for his contribution but nothing had changed. "I had put my life on the line for this country. I'd just left a country where I was treated like a human being. Now, I was supposed to be satisfied to be treated like dirt? I couldn't play any local events. I knew I ought to be allowed to. But there was nothing I could do about it," he recapitulated.

Mr. Powell resolved, "I'm going to build a place where I can play, where anyone can play, open to all, without regard to race, creed or color." Driving home a few weeks later he saw, "a 78-acre dilapidated dairy farm with a ramshackle barn, milk parlor in shambles, chickens in the weeds, no plumbing, no heat, and a big ol' white tomcat chasing rats as big as it was," and he was in love again.

Banks refused to loan him money to buy the farm and he was also refused a GI loan. Powell convinced two African-American doctors from Canton that he taught to play golf to back his plan financially. He bought the derelict dairy farm and set out to create his field of dreams in 1946. With his wife and children, Renee and Larry, the family went to work.

Determined to bring his dream alive, the 28 years old Powell became a golf course architect, builder and superintendent. He did not go to school to learn agronomy or about turf grass, no one taught him to lay out a golf course, nor did he have any earth moving equipment, but he excelled building his course despite every obstacle the color of his skin imposed.

Supporting a young family with a night-shift job at the Timken ball-bearing plant, Powell did most of the back-breaking work by hand. He cleared the pastures of brush, dug up fence posts and hauled away stones in a wheelbarrow. He walked up and down all the fairways sowing seeds. Logging long hours during the day and holding down his security guard job at night, Powell opened Clearview Golf Club as a 9-hole, public course in April 1948.

For the next 16 years following the opening of the first nine holes, Mr. "P," as he is affectionately called by family and friends, continued working at Timken to buy out his investors and acquire an adjoining plot of land. By 1978, he had expanded the course to a full 18 holes.

A classic American success story, Powell succeeded based entirely on intelligence, hard work and dedication. He refused to accept excuses or stand around waiting for help. In spite of enormous obstacles, he and his family built Clearview Golf Club with their hands. Only a person of enormous character would even dream of doing such a thing.

Dr. William "Bill" Powell, his family (Marcella passed away in June 1996) and Clearview have received numerous honors, accolades and tributes, but their single greatest distinction has to be that Clearview is the first and only golf course in the world that was designed, built, owned and operated by an African-American. Clearview Golf Club is on the National Register List of Historic Places. There are over 16,000 golf courses in the U.S., but less than 15 are listed with the Department of Interior as historic places. Eleven miles down the road from Clearview lies the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which inducts players and coaches, whose history, allure and cultural significance pale in comparison to the legendary exploits of Dr. William Powell.

These days Mr. "P" drives visitors who come to tour Clearview Golf Club around, while giving them his first hand view of history as it unfolded during his 91 years of life and that is far more than a "bit of history." (Sources: www.clearview-gc.com, www.golfblogger.com, www.people.com and www.africanamericangolfershalloffame.com).

The Price of Fame

By John Burl Smith

"I'm going to build a place where I can play, where anyone can play, open to all, without regard to race, creed or color."

Descendants of Africans brought to the United States of America as slaves have made some tremendous contributions toward making this country a world socioeconomic, political and military power. Those contributions have not always been recognized publicly; therefore thousands of ordinary people who made extraordinary contributions while just trying to live out their dreams remain unsung. When it comes to black history, I consider myself a well informed individual and in that regard, since the black power days of the 1960s, I have been like a prospector.

I have poured over history books searching for those individuals whose names appear in a line or two, like an after thought, so I could dig up more to highlight their efforts for an unsuspecting world. A few weeks ago a classmate from high school sent me just such a story. It highlighted one such person, William J. "Bill" Powell, a humble black man from East Canton, Ohio. An amazing saga, if one compares and contrasts his story with those who have become media darlings over the years. Mr. Powell was crossing the color line and breaking down discriminatory barriers before Jackie Robinson made it to the minor leagues or Rosa Parks decided not to sit in the back of the bus any longer and before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. marched in his first protest.

Mr. Powell was born (1917) during the height of segregation when many black men's lives ended dangling from a lynch mob's noose for not getting off the sidewalk to let whites pass. This terror was not just the fate of backwoods share croppers, white supremacy gripped America from Maine to Texas while William Powell learned to walk. So, falling in love with the white man's game of golf during the 1920s was like whistling at a white woman. Powell defied the odds in high school and in college where he competed against white boys in a far more hostile environment than Tiger Woods could ever imagine.

Had he been born white like Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Sammy Sneed or Byron Nelson, who had access to the finest golf courses in America, his name may be a household word today. However, for Bill Powell to just play the game he loved required him to buy land, layout the fairways, construct the course and maintain it. Even this was not easy, he had to defy discrimination of all kinds and work a full time job, while raising a family and fighting the intimidation of the Ku Klux Klan. No national civil rights organization came to his aid. Mr. Powell could not afford to file a lawsuit against the PGA like Theodore "Rags" Rhodes, Bill Spiller and Madison Gunther, black golfers that fought the PGA to play in tournaments. Mr. Powell was an island unto himself, standing and fighting to hold onto his dream.

With such obstacles blocking him and eating up his time, unlike Jones, Sneed. Hogan and Nelson, the world will never know how good Mr. Powell could have become. He was not as fortunate as Charlie Sifford or Lee Elder, who broke through the racial barriers and not only played on the PGA Tour but won tournaments. Building Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, Mr. Powell erected his own monument of pride, dedication, persistence and audacity.

The impetus behind the email from my friend Mitchell Brown was to help organize a support group, "Friends of Mr. 'P" to lobby for his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame (WGHF) in 2009. Each year the WGHF inducts the greatest players and contributors to the game of golf in 5 categories. The Lifetime Achievement category was created to honor individuals like Mr. "P," whose primary contributions came outside the competitive arena.

A Lifetime Achievement Award would acknowledge the amazing story of an individual who in the face of overwhelming discrimination and racism, built a golf course open to all to learn to appreciate the game of golf. More than just recognizing an individual, this award, if given to Mr. "P" would recognize the human spirit as well as the human connection we all share whether golfers or spectators. Those who would like to write letters of support for Mr. "P" should send them to: Mr. Jack Peter; World Golf Hall of Fame; One World Golf Place; St. Augustine, FL 32092. Send emails to Renee Powell at cv46@aol.com.

News You Use

Obama T-Shirt Drama

By Dot

In response to last week's issue, particularly "On the Day After," we received a number of though-provoking responses. Eshe Riviears, also known as the Herb Lady, sent the following regarding the drama involving her son, Khyiah, who wore an Obama t-shirt on the day after that historic election. Ms. Riviears included some helpful suggestions on how we can best use this election as an opportunity to teach tolerance and diversity in the public school system.

Her email came with the subject line: Re: Student put in "In-School Suspension" for wearing Obama T-Shirt.

Dr. Mallard, Principal of Indian Creek Middle School in Covington, GA 30014, forbade students to wear political clothing or buttons on Wednesday, November 5, 2008, the day after the election of the President of the United States, and the remainder of the week. This information was dispensed to the parents via a 'Robo-call' (automated voice mail) at 8:30 P.M. on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. No written notice was sent home.

According to the Newton County Student Code of Conduct, there is absolutely no rule that prohibits wearing political clothing. The following explanation for this decision, without input from parents or teachers, was provided by Dr. Mallard: 'Whether you like it or not, this is the South, and there are a lot of people that are not happy with this outcome and this was a black versus white issue. It is my job to keep 1300 students 'safe' because neither they, nor their parents, can handle this outcome until things calm down. And, if he wears the Obama shirt he will be disciplined and put into 'In-school suspension.' Next week students may wear these items, but not the week of the election.'

Khyiah was presented with three (3) choices. He could turn his shirt inside out. His parents could take him home, or he could serve an in-school suspension. We chose 'In-school suspension,' so that the memories of this historic day would not be tainted with shame for our son.

We believe the principal's decision was based on racism, ignorance and oppression, rather than using this opportunity to teach civics, history and social studies. This was a rare teaching, living, historical moment gone awry.

In the spirit of this public school, which is taxpayer funded through local, state and federal funds, an educational institution, educating our students, we believe that this is an opportunity to teach tolerance and diversity, as well as document the historic nature of this occasion. With that in

mind, we ask the public and the school system to do and consider the following:

1. Demand a mass school mailing and phone calls to Indian Creek Student body and staff apologizing for an inappropriate decision for an educational institution.

2. Host a school-wide mock election and discussion regarding the political process and the sportsmanship of winning and losing. An excellent example of great sportsmanship is John McCain's concession speech. Also, President-elect Obama's acceptance speech, which emphasized the grass-roots and 'we' of the election, is another example of great sportsmanship. He did not gloat.

3. Conduct educational discussions on the diversity of the types of people that voted for Obama. For example Newton County voted for Obama and elected the first African-American Sheriff - Ezell Brown - in the history of the county.

4. Hold Diversity and Tolerance training, such as 'Challenge Day'. For more insight go to www.challengeday.org.

5. Have the administration use this type of educational and historical opportunity to teach and not temper. We believe our first focus should be on our children and their limitless educational opportunities in this new millennium. This should be done at home and reinforced in primary school. Tempering educational discussions does nothing more than hold back opportunities to learn and grow from each other. Our students deserve intellectual challenges and more credit to behave in a civilized manner than what was given them in this situation.

Eshe Riviears' well-written email provides plenty of food for thought and is certain to elicit comments. Please forward comments to Ms. Riviears at herbalist@herbsistah.com.

Venue for an Artist

An Open Letter to Obama

By Joyce Braddell

Have you betrayed us at the dawn of day? As the sun rises in his golden chariot over the rivers of ice breaking our hearts, will you pretend we raised our hands where foolish rags of flags were hung to blow in the wind? Will you measure a straight road with reason? Will you walk out from the city onto the plains where the dust blows?

Will you acknowledge the death of the civilization of nations as in destruction that occurs after invasion? Today, the invasion is not by army alone but with contracts and business or investment crimes. Today, violence enters every house where the lies bound up by the Word prevail. What rule, but of our own submission, was repairing Iraq and Afghanistan before your predecessor invaded our lands?

In the desert, the turban is worn to efface the sandstorm. In the desert, black is a color; in the desert, our trade from the land diminishes. Will you know that the bill in your hand is for the purchase of the oil you need? You may buy it.

Will you apprize the robber on that road and make him carry the burden of his debt? Will you take it slowly, a long road, to emerge toward the ancient traditions of men and women without criticism so that we may see fruit again in the apricot valleys and wheat on the low hills and govern ourselves as we see fit? Will our children survive the radiation of those bombs and weapons?

Who is this son of violence, this Israeli with two passports you have taken for your first appointment, Emanuel? He renews all the weight of doubt and fear that the joyful hour of your election erased.

When I looked through my tears at others' sad faces, when we stood in joy to see you receive the Presidency, we turned up our faces to your children. Should they grow as estranged in your elevation as we are in the crowd - estranged from one another? It was only the half glint of our smiles that enabled us to reach out - but where were our children? And, why may we weep seeing yours?

You called for Time, but it is your Time and not ours - we would not choose an enemy of anyone - or a man who can laugh in our eyes to act for us - to discriminate what papers the ambassadors bring, which messengers press at the gates, or one who will define the guilt of innocent people. Will you let us walk in the White House to find tables burdened with greetings, and the tradition of a palace erased? Will it be our house? Your speech of acceptance was hardly a break with convention as the young have broken with convention to elect you; so, you owe us.

I have no hope to wish for you, no resolve but to warn that a mind must not be ill-used. I have no laughter even to eradicate the cynic. I, personally, have nothing but time to pay my debts - and you have nothing but the same, a mandate for the regeneration of youth tormented with trauma, racism and the debris of war.

Who is the enemy? Can you find the common soldier in your history books who knew he had no enemy? He is there in the thousands, among the thousands of the dead. Will you pay that debt?

About Me: A poet, artist and grandmother of five, for the past seven years, Ms. Braddell has edited and published an e-zine called The Handstand (www.thehandstand.org), which collects information that seems to relate to the forward pressure of Time and History. She lives in Ireland, where, when younger (now 77 yrs), she created and sold a Community Paper on the streets of Dublin. When her youngest child reached his teens, she started painting, an art she had abandoned while raising four children. Some of her paintings and poems can be found intermittently in the Archives of The Handstand.

Disgruntled wants to know: George W. Bush has ensnared the nation in two wars, which have killed and maimed thousands, even as he claimed to be pro-life. In another time and place, he would have been charged with crimes against humanity for unleashing his "shock and awe" campaign, which deployed weapons of mass destruction against helpless civilians. Yet, I do not recall a member of the clergy suggesting, no demanding, that the faithful refrain from receiving the Holy Communion because they support him. However, a South Carolina Roman Catholic priest, Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed to his parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama. In this dismissive missive, the good reverend wrote, "Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate." According to Newman, "Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's church and under the judgement of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation." Question is, whatever happened to the separation of church and state and can we revoke this church's tax exempt status?

Disgruntled says: When Congress hastily passed the $700 billion bank bailout, over the objection of a majority of Americans, much like their rush to war against Iraq, taxpayers had a reasonable expectation that the measure would lead to an easing of credit markets. Certainly, no one expected banks to use the funds for mergers and acquisitions, executive bonuses and dividends for stockholders. Yet, that appears to be what has happened with the funds already dispensed. Faced with more signs of recession, i.e., contracting construction spending, declining manufacturing index, dismal consumer confidence, which corresponds to the decline in consumer spending and falloff in retail sales, increases in applications for jobless benefits, etc., it is time to officially declare the nation is in a recession and act accordingly. That does not mean the government should bailout more private industries or, heavens forbid, give more money to the banks and insurance companies responsible for the financial crisis. To the contrary, the government can do some things to put Americans back to work rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, retraining workers and retooling the nation's manufacturing sector for a post-fossil fuel age.

Disgruntled feels: Pessimistic! I receive hundreds, if not thousands, of emails each week urging Congress and the general public to press for the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. I have signed numerous petitions calling for action on that front, even hoping the bums will be brought before the International Court of Justice for illegal warfare and crimes against humanity. Alas, I have to be realistic about the prospect of either scenario playing out. When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats took impeachment off the table, Congress shirked its responsibility to hold Bush and his criminal cabal accountable. It is late and given the sheer lack of progress to date, I am downright pessimistic when it comes to the prospect of impeachment.

Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Phone Calls

Email www.washingtonpost.com A quiet windfall for U.S. banks...By Amit R. Paley... The financial world was fixated on Capitol Hill as Congress battled over the Bush administration's request for a $700 billion bailout of the banking industry. In the midst of this late-September drama, the Treasury Department issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public attention. But corporate tax lawyers quickly realized the enormous implications of the document: Administration officials had just given American banks a windfall of as much as $140 billion. The change to Section 382 of the tax code - a provision that limited a kind of tax shelter arising in corporate mergers - came after a two-decade effort by conservative economists and Republican administration officials to eliminate or overhaul the law, which is so little known that even influential tax experts sometimes draw a blank at its mention. Until the financial meltdown, its opponents thought it would be nearly impossible to revamp the section because this would look like a corporate giveaway.

Email www.ajc.com Federal bank regulators have rejected a request by banks and consumer advocates for a program to let lenders forgive huge portions of credit card debt. The Office of Comptroller of the Currency rejected the request for a special program that would allow as much as 40 percent of credit card debt to be forgiven for consumers who don't qualify for existing repayment plans. An unusual alliance of financial industry and consumer advocates, represented by the Financial Services Roundtable and the Consumer Federation of America, made the request to the Treasury Department on October 29.

Email danmcneal@gmail.com Florida board keeps Klan leader's name on high school...By Ron Word...A Florida school board voted late Monday (November 3, 2008) night to keep the name of a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader at a majority black high school, despite opposition from a black board member who said the school's namesake was a "terrorist and racist." After hearing about three hours of public comments, Duval County School Board members voted 5-2 to retain the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School. The board's two black members cast the only votes to change the name.

Email www.nytimes.com Feds find banks tightening even more on mortgages, cards, loans...Banks tightened up more on home mortgages, credit cards and business loans as the worst financial crisis in seven decades took a bigger toll on the economy. The Federal Reserve said Monday that is latest quarterly survey of lending practices found many banks reporting tighter credit standards across a broad range of products. The Fed survey, conducted in the first two weeks of October, found sizable percentages of banks had "continued to tightened their lending standards and terms on all major loan categories over the previous three months."