I attended the 10th Anniversary of the State of the Black Union and walked away with a wealth of information. Below are my random notes from the event.
Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu: Cannot produce educated black men whom they are failing kindergarten. Governs set their prison rates based on 4th grade. Women mature faster than men. We don’t need Ridlen. 66% decline in African American teachers
Democracy… trusting other countries to make their own decisions and elect their own officials.
Black History is to America as Chicken is to Rooster
Republican Party did not succeed with their southern politics. You can no longer demonize blacks and gays.
Randall Robinson: Beyonce said that when she sees Obama it makes her want to be smart. We will change the world with what’s betweeen our ears.
85% of teachers are white females; 1% African American males.
“Call Me Mister” Program started in South Carolina (article).
“African American Response to
Ruby Payne’s Poverty Theory “
‘If you’re a minority, you can’t learn.’
We need higher expectations set for teachers.
Biased: 1st name of Washington. You don’t compare slaves with a group of people who voluntarily came to this country with their culture in tact.
Asians study 12 hours a week. African American youth study 1 hour a week.
Erica Williams: Assumption that youths voted because of FB or t-shirts. Pigeon-holing youths to “service” Her idea of service is dealing with our senators about laws and getting health care to those who need it. “Environmental Warfare”
Van Jones: We are African, how do we not care about our environment? That is how Africans were raised. Colonizers told Blacks that they were savages for seeing the beauty in nature. Instead, they chose to see trees as lumber.
Obama got more legislations done in 40 days than any other president in two years. If you read the stimulus, you will no longer see him just as a “Black” President, but also as a “Green” President. He represents the end of not just a Regan era but a coal era.
Billions into reducing energy use and retrofitting millions of buildings, wind tourbines.
“Put down that gun brotha and pick up this cauking gun to help retrofit America.” This would be beating poverty and pollution at the same time.
Lani Guinier: The Black Agenda IS the American Agenda. This isn’t about Affirmative Action or handouts. Not about getting high SAT scores. This is 
about redefining merit. About understanding that merit is what we find…
Scott Page “The Difference”
‘Diversity in Problem-solving groups trumps the individual.’
Not just about black faces in high places. “… to benefit the American Community”
Our suffering is due to the greater problem.
“3 strikes” law is costing the people of California. The third strike comes out of funds for education.
Got to fix this notion that the place for black people is prisons not schools.
“SAT Scores tell you what kind of car your parents drive.”
There’s something wrong with the metrics we are using today.
“The Wire” (a police drama on HBO) Their minds and brilliance are going to waste.
Tavis Smiley Q: Is all of this at the local level going to work?
Karen Bass A: We don’t know how far down we’re gonna go first. [She's] been trying to undo a lot of bad laws. We teach prisoners how to be a barber, but didn’t allow them to get a license. [She's] a community organizer.
We have to hold our officials accountable.
Tavis: Obama says to hold him accountable.
Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu: Write our Congress Persons. 1 in every 2 black girls have an std. 12% of the population, but 63% of population with AIDS.
Julianne Malveaux: Affirmative Action opens up the doors for many.
Michael Steele: Obama stopped Democratic Party from doing the same old thing while being held together by the Clinton machine.
Both parties learned from him that you need to speak directly to the people.
Al Sharpton: Voting Rights Act renewed 3 times, allowed Obama to win. Civil Rights may not have written your resume but it made some one read your resume.
Cornel West: Regan Era Thinking is being well adjusted to injustice
Neutralizing white fears, fears of white moderates and white independents. 65% of Blacks disapproved of Dr. MLK around the time he died.
Lani Guinier: We have to be more radical. We need to connect our issues to those of Poor or middle class whites.
Na’im Akbar: If we compromise our merit that will be a problem. We will be compromising unique vision that we brought to this country. We have to be concerned about what we eat. We have to do something for ourselves. We have to select these officials before we elect them.
Erica Williams: Everything we talk about requires a level of Civic Knowledge and a fundamental understanding.
Emilie M. Townes: Churches need to stop preaching about prosperity.
Van Jones: $100 billion dollars allocated to green, we need to watch where it goes. www.greenforall.org.
Randall Robinson: Clinton built prisons more than Regan and Bush combined.
75% executions are of black or hispanic decent
