Sad, distorted images of Chicago, Trinity and Barack Obama in TIME Magazine

Okay...I understand that Descendants of Mandi is a genealogy website--but I hope that anyone who comes across this post will bear with me. I feel that I MUST comment on the media barrage surrounding Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which has been much in the news of late in connecion with it's most famous member, Barack Obama. You know things have gotten bad when the mighty TIME Magazine decides to join Fox's negative pile-on, slamming Chicago's Black Community and attempting to denegrade Senator Barrack Obama because of statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his (and Trinity's) former pastor. I've taken special interest in the growing media frenzy...mostly because Obama is my Senator and I have visited his church on many occasions. To call TIME's coverage shallow is an understatement. The article was written by Lori Reese, a reporter who seems to have very limited knowledge of Chicago.

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The article, which I reproduce here without permission, appeared under photos of Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the headline read

A Visit to Obama's Chicago Church

By LORI REESE/CHICAGO

The Trinity United Church of Christ vibrated with cheers throughout the four-hour Good Friday service. When the last of seven guest preachers, Rev. Rudolph McKissick, Jr. unleashed his anger against the recent media storm that catapulted Trinity to global notoriety, the crowd rose to their feet. McKissick thundered: "Fox News, CNN, ABC ... they're so stupid that they don't even know the word 'damn' is not a profanity but a Hebraic proclivity, meaning God's curse will fall on all those who defy his love. They know not with whom they are messing. Jeremiah Wright might have retired in body, but just like Jesus, he's coming back more powerful than ever! Damn you! Damn anyone who messes with the anointed." At that, a TUCC member leaned over and said to TIME with a sigh, "Well, I guess that one's on the record."

Pastors and congregation members alike had reason to think that. Media outlets had brought cameras, flashbulbs and crass questions to Trinity's doors for days and shocked the congregation with commentary that branded Rev. Wright Jr. a leader of a "black supremacist cult." The day's overwhelming message: This church will continue its ministry work — no matter who's watching or what they say. And it brought shouts and tears from the pews.

Barack Obama's recent perils were featured in sermons, too. Rev. Lester A. McCorn compared the candidate's recent trials to Michael Jordans performance in the 1997 NBA finals, when the basketball superstar seemed debilitated by fever but nevertheless joined the game and, though sluggish, took the ball with 24 seconds left on the clock and scored the winning three-point shot. "Swish, Barack! You are back in the game!" McCorn shouted to great applause.

The sermons focused primarily on healing wounds inflicted during the past few weeks. "It doesn't matter how anyone portrays you, Trinity," Rev. McKissick continued. "You know who you are. No one can take away your power to write your own destiny." Preachers called out numerous institutions — not just TV networks. African-American rappers that glamorize violence and sexist barbs in the name of "keeping it real" were the subject of vitriolic tirades, too. "Why, they're no better than prosperity-pimping preachers!" shouted Father Michael Pfleger, a popular white Catholic priest, whose messages have raised eyebrows among his own Church's leaders.

The bulk of Trinity-goers are among the thousands living on Chicago's South Side, a sprawl of cracked sidewalks and boarded buildings that inspires fear among the city's middle classes, and even its wizened cabbies. "You won't find a ride back," the taxi driver told this reporter upon arriving at the church. For South Side residents, the best jobs are two hours away via public transport: a bus, an el transfer, and then another bus brings you to Hyde Park, the area's lone upscale community. The few city-planning efforts to assist South Siders only worsened the situation. The most notorious were the Robert Taylor Homes, prison-like warrens with barred windows, circling police and neglected facilities that often left residents without electricity, heat and plumbing housed thousands until they finally came down in February 2007. The majority of those who died during the 1994 heat wave that killed more than 700 people were South Side residents. Before Katrina, it was the deadliest natural catastrophe in the U.S. since the 19th century. The morgues ran out of room. Bodies were piled in milk trucks.

With outreach programs and ministries, Trinity succeeds in providing more for the South Side than any other church, government or private institution. Rev. Luke Watson, another Good Friday speaker, credited Wright for guiding him away from life of crime, which started early with an absent father and a mother addicted to crack. "I was like that thug, the criminal next to Jesus," Rev. Watson said. "I thought, what's that guy doing here? He ain't done nothing. I'm the real sinner." Wright had taught him that God loves sinners, too. "I learned that I wasn't born bad," and then he spoke on the passage in Mark, when Jesus turns to the thief next to him on the cross and says, "Verily ... though shalt be with me." Good Friday marks the holiest day of the year for many African-American Christians, according to Dwight Hopkins, a theologian at University of Chicago's Divinity School. The "strange fruit" that swung from Southern trees bears striking resemblance to Roman crucifixion.

Trinity's own Roman-like architecture is unfamiliar for a church, which might explain why some outsiders found it cultish and strange. The congregation meets in a theater-in-the round, designed after secular buildings like the Parthenon and the U.S. Congress. Stained-glass windows flanking the entrance feature images of African-American leaders, not saints: W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. There is also a glass sculpture of a man resembling Obama. Above it, light streams through block-lettered words: "VOTE. We need YOU." For now at least, Trinity may offer the only refuge for South Siders longing to experience the blessing of democracy.

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My response to TIME:

I emailed the following letter to the editors at TIME...since they probably won't run it, I decided to reproduce it here.

Leave it to TIME to describe my South Side Chicago neighborhood in such dismal terms that it is absolutely unrecognizable. Simply stated, your article made my blood boil, but believe it or not, it is one of the few I've read lately that made even a feeble attempt at balance. Is it really fair to characterize the South Side with a housing project that has been torn down for more than five years? Or heat wave deaths that are more than 12 years old and killed people all over the city and metropolitan area? Is it balanced to profile former a self-professed "thug" without mentioning the row upon row of college educated congregants who also share Trinity's pews? I'm a graduate of University of Illinois, with a Masters Degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. When I visit Trinity, I am surrounded by many people whose educational achievements equal or outstrip my own. The cracked sidewalks we walk upon have more to do with our harsh winters than our "underclass" status. Thanks for following Fox's lead and piling on. Now that your contempt is on the record, maybe someone can follow up with a little balance ...real balance would be nice. I suggest that you send someone who knows a little bit about Chicago next time.

Sorry for the digression, but some things need to be said.

African American Lives 2 on PBS

One of the more fascinating and inspiring shows to appear during the Black History Month cycle on PBS is AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, a show which focuses on African American Genealogy from the perpective of a dozen black celebrities. We saw an earlier version of this show in 2007 and were struck with how similar the stories are to those within our own family. Genealogy is not everyone's bag, but we highly recommend this show.

AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, a new four-part PBS series, explores roots, race and identity through the ancestry of remarkable individuals. Premiering February 6th and 13th.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/aal2

Joining Professor Gates in the new broadcast are poet Maya Angelou, author Bliss Broyard, actor Don Cheadle, actor Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, radio personality Tom Joyner, comedian Chris Rock, rock 'n' roll legend Tina Turner and college administrator Kathleen Henderson, who was selected from more than 2,000 applicants to have her family history researched and DNA tested alongside the series' well-known guests.

Imus insanity--Can we fire the stereotypes?

Okay, I just had to weigh in on the Imus insanity that seems to have gripped the nation, like some huge April Fool's joke. In case you've been on another planet, America has found itself in an uproar for the past few days because one of its "shock jocks" has decided to push the limits of decency and racial / political correctness by calling the Rutgers Women's basaketball team a bunch of "Nappy Headed 'Hos.

Here's an update on the Imus Flap

Now there is much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth as we come to try to decide:

1) if it was wrong or just a comical offhanded statement.
2) why it seems okay for black men to say such things, but not white men.
3) how this label could possibly apply to bright educated women

Don Imus has claimed that he was only expressing a view often expressed by black men (especially rappers) to describe women. He also apologized a dozen or so times--no doubt wondering why us "nappy folks" can't take a joke.

As a father of two daughters, I have to say that the Imus statements were not funny-- the way for Imus to get it, would be to force him to meet with the mother's and fathers of the girls he insulted. He'd get a quick lesson in manners, and a clear image of why the black community was so outraged by his statements. It boils my blood to think that one day, future Imus clones will take a look at my daughters and see them as NHH's. Such negative stereotypes will still exist because hidden behind the political correctness rampant today--racism still lurks.

I also think it was stupid to fire him for his stupid remarks... as if what he said really matters. It is US and our beliefs about ourselves that we need to worry about. The stereotypes that Imus culled up on April 4th are hundreds or years old. The questions that WE BLACKS need to be answering is how much weight do they still carry in our own self images

Rappers and movie makers & cultural identity

Why, for instance, is it okay for the entertainment industry to continue the portrayal of young black women as low life beings... and we support the images by viewing the movies, and videos or buying the recordings that contain these depictions? I believe it is because white America has long had trouble dealing with black womens' images-- and that most of the gatekeepers for entertainment are still white guys. One of the legacies of slavery is that whites simplify black women to either be trustworthy "Mammies" or promiscuous "bad girls." The problem is that many blacks have also bought into the stereotypes. Young black girls pick the images up off of TV and movies and wonder if these are the only two choices society offers them... rappers and movie makers also continue to reflect updated versions of these images at us in their songs, movies and videos.

Yes, I know that once upon a time there was something called "The Cosby Show" and that it was supposed to have been the death knell of all the old stereotypes--but that show is now relegated to late night reruns--and BET has broadcast more than a decade of "Bootylicious Rumpshakers" since the Huxtables left prime time.

Mammies wear business suits now--and NHHs live in Hip-Hop Videos

The two images are Yin and Yang--extreme opposites--the mammies are sexless beings, trustworthy, hardworking, friendly and responsible--just the kind of person you'd trust to raise your children (or hire to run your corporate office)... but the "bad girl," the "hootchie mama," the "NHH" she's the one you might meet at a bar or speakeasy, have an affair with and then scamper home, pretending you'd never met. She's not the kind of girl you take home. "Masta" had both models at his disposal during slavery, one in the kitchen and the other out back in the slave quarters--both images forced upon women who had no choice but to accept--but now we need to be sure that our daughters have AND BELIEVE other options are available to them. We also need to prepare our daughters for a world where these stereotypes are still PORTRAYED AND BELIEVED by significant portions of white and black America. It's frustrating, but true.

Think I'm just ranting? Check out Slate magazine's recent piece about racist imagery in the media, specifically advertising images of the 20th Century--many of these still exist in modified forms.

For the other side of the coin, check out black exploitation flicks of the 1970s or rap videos of the 1990s and 2000s to see NHHs in action. Most of the offending rap videos can be found on BET.com

Here's another take on the Imus firing--

All this doesn't even begin to ask questions about the images of black men--that's another blog entry.

New Year, New Challenges, and a Prayer...

Welcome to 2007!!! A new year is exciting, especially in a family, like the Williams-Rivers Family, which stresses goal setting, acheivement and forward progress. It is a time to look forward to the things we will do, but it is also a time to look back and count blessings for the opportunities we have had, which have gotten us to where we are now. We pay special tribute to our family elders upon whose shoulders we literally stand. Our triumphs don't happen in a vacuum, for every college graduation, flourishing career and prospering business, there is a trail of "blood, sweat, and tears," that leads back many generations...and passes through those for whom opportunity was scarce, challenges were many, and triumphs were few. When we fail, we must remember them and persevere. When we succeed, we must share credit where credit is due...with those who came before and paved the way.

We are the living embodiment, not only of Grandma Mandi, but culturally, genetically and spiritually--of all the mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, grandmothers and grandfathers, who have poured their emotional, spiritual and financial efforts into our existence. It's an indisputable connection that is easy to forget, and is easily broken unless we provide conscious nurture to every new generation. The need for such affirmations are clear--we MUST define ourselves as people, as families, and as human beings and as American and World citizens, because the "manistream world's" definition(s) of us is UNACCEPTABLE. Allowing any of us, young or old to accept and be bound by these definitions is like commiting mental suicide.

The "mainstream world" --the Media, the Educators, Politicians, Corporate Decision makers, etc.-- They tend to define us based on numbers, probabilities, stereotypes, trends and statistics, and when you look at that picture, it is easy to get discouraged. To them we are the PROBLEM: We are the unemployed, the under-employed, the government supported, the unlikely voter, the single parented, the drug addicted, the HIV positive, the teen parented, the gang affiliated, the underclass, the unfairly promoted, the likely murdered, as well as the likely perpetrater. In as much as anyone buys into these lables--these things become true, self fullfilling prophecies.

But our grandmothers knew better. They saw our brightness before we saw it ourselves. They were the ones who told us that WE COULD DO IT--AS WELL OR BETTER THAN ANY OTHER COULD--if we were willing to work at it, and fail some on the way. Our parents knew our possiblities, even as they struggled to provide whatever they could for us. Our aunts and uncles saw our uniqueness, even when our brothers and sisters could not. Family are the ones who know that each one of us began as a dream-- a sparke in someone's eye, a wish for a better tommorrow and a belief in the future. This is the power of extended family. More experience, more perspective, more mentors, more role models, A CLEARER AND BETTER DEFINITION OF WHO WE ARE.

From our ancestor's perspectives. Right now, as we live our lives--and experience our challenges...as people, as parents, as children of God, they are each invested in our individual success, and WE are the only reason that they ever existed and struggled at all.