Heartfelt thanks to those who have sent supportive, complementary, and encouraging responses to me after reading my essays in Interracial Voice. When Charles Michael Byrd first invited me to consider this association I was somewhat apprehensive about contributing. I don’t consider myself a “voice” for any kind of racialism other than human. It is a position -- which some would consider Utopian -- which I still maintain. I speculated that I might be the proverbial “fish out of water.” After all, I’m considered by race believing people to be “monoracial.” Certainly not “white,” but not a pure “bi-racial,” and not “black” enough in my thinking to be comfortably embraced by either.

Charles countered my concerns by sending me a few samples of his own writings. These were not of the political kind, but more philosophical. They were deep in a way and from a place that was familiar to me. They struck a chord, for the familiar “voice” that I heard in what he had to say from that special place, was my own.

This is not to say that Charles and I have the same things to say, or even that we will agree on each and every topic. But in his words I recognized the familiar sound of universal hope and possibility, the familiar urgings of openness and positive activism, the familiar realization that the yoke we sometimes carry through life is most often self-perpetuated, and the familiar longing for people to consider the possibilities of personal emancipation.

While I have my opinions about politics, I do not consider myself a “political” man. Backing a certain political concept, party or candidate cannot help an individual win the struggle for personal awareness and self-emancipation. This prize is gained by backing that which is:

Intelligent

Logical

Ethical

Honorable

Harmless

“Whole” respecting, and

True

The world of racialism operates under the same dynamic principles as the world of politics, for they both support adversarial roles and interactions by the people involved, in all corners of the human spectrum.

Being adversarial is an individual’s prerogative. In fact, it is sometimes our duty. But we should make sure that the crusades we embrace are founded on these seven principles. If any one of said principles is missing, then we should reconsider our positions. Otherwise, we stand the great chance of sliding down the slippery slope toward racial (and interracial) rationalism.

Rationalism is the attempt to passively explain or even justify an untenable ideological position, or one that is simply idiotic. The political arena is full of rationalizations and rationalizers who are very practiced at “bending” truth to suit their position. This is because, by nature, politics is an example of "one-sided-ism." The only truths that matter are those supported by of the speaking politician's "side." As such, dramatic, often confusing, and sometimes, dangerous shifts of ideological positions are commonplace in the world of politics. One day we’ll hear a politician advocate a position, and then on another day he or she will criticize it if enough members of “the opposition party” come to embrace it. Or he will rationalize if one of his own has gone down in shame.

Political dynamics is all about shifts of power, not among The People, who the politicians are elected and sworn to serve, but among the politicians themselves, who wish the People to be beholden to them, instead of them being beholden to the People.

Such shifts are just as commonplace in the world of racialism. The power shifts still pass -- in the form of money, loyalty, respect, and social sentiment -- from “the followers” to their often self-appointed “leaders,” but, it is marked by demonstrations of protest where calm and order is called for, and silence and inaction where positive, cooperative action should rule. Protest and activism works to the leaders’ personal benefit more so than to the followers.

Rationalism in racial politics works in much the same way. Consider the April 2001 riots in Cincinnati that occurred after a police officer shot and killed 19-year old Timothy Thomas, who was unarmed. Incensed by this injustice, a number of people elected to “send a message” by destroying property, closing down places of business, endangering lives and engaging in general mayhem. The lawlessness escalated when a sniper fired upon a police officer a few days later.

Make no mistake that Thomas’ death must be investigated fully. If it is proven to be wrongful, then the officer involved should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But there is, and was absolutely no intelligent reason to destroy and loot the property of people who had nothing to do with the incident.

Those who sympathize with the rioters might say that they “understand” such actions because the victim was the 15th black male killed by Cincinnati police since 1995, the fourth since November 2000.

Thomas’ mother, Angela Leisure, was quoted as saying: “They keep on asking me why did my son run. If you are a black male, you will run.”

In all sincerity, and sympathy for her personal loss, I beg to differ. If you are caught in the wrong place, and know what you’ve done is, or can be construed to be wrong, then it is more likely that you will run.

If a man knows that he will be shot at for running from a police officer -- who can, at his discretion, with probable cause, legally take a life -- then unless a suspected assailant thinks he’s superman and can run faster than a speeding bullet, how intelligent could it be to try to outrun it? Where is the anger at assailants who, by attempting to flee authority and responsibility for their actions, endanger the lives of others who might get hit if an officer fires and misses?

The responsible and intelligent thing for a truly innocent suspect to do is to stop and oblige the officer, irrespective of what the officer thinks he’s done. If the officer says, “stop,” then he should not have to say it a second time.

As long as people recite the mantra that a black man should run from police officers, then black men who do so are going to be shot from time to time. The truth is that anyone who runs from a police officer stands the risk of being shot. Mr. Thomas was essentially playing a game of Russian roulette, except he wasn’t holding the gun.

How many Timothy Thomas’s are there? Let us agree right here that even having one is too many. I would hazard a guess that in the same period of time that protesters have rationalized their riots on, a much larger number of black men and women have, for various reasons, been killed at the hands of other blacks. Is society to shrug its collective shoulders and “understand” that too? I wouldn’t be surprised if someone didn’t eventually try to suggest that criminal dysfunction was genetic among some blacks in the way that the idea was floated a few years ago in Oakland, CA concerning Ebonics.

While writing this essay, a news report came in of a series of drive-by shootings that occurred in St. Louis (April 29, 2001), where three men were shot intentionally, two of them fatally. (See story by following this link.) A stray bullet grazed another woman in the neck. Her physical injuries were minor. However, what about her emotional, mental and spiritual injuries? Can you imagine being that woman who, while minding her own business and harming no one, is hit by a bullet and in an instant, comes within an inch to the left or right of losing her life?

The gunmen were reported to have ditched the car -- which was witnessed in the vicinity of all three separate shooting incidents -- and ran away. There is something of a macho mentality going on in such behaviors. But it is, in truth cowardly behavior to shoot and end another person’s life, then attempt to flee, like cockroaches from the light.

A community that vowed to never again give safe harbor to criminals, irrespective of who they preyed on, would get my full support. While there is a great amount of fear and intimidation at play in such cases by the criminals themselves, succumbing to intimidation only closes off opportunities for everyone. Criminals and gangs begin thinking of their neighborhoods -- the soul of which they tend to take from but give nothing that is of value to -- as their “turf.” Members are emboldened by the fear that they see in others, when in truth, they sink ever deeper into the web of cowardice.

In addition to fractured social structures and non-existing or dysfunctional family dynamics, race politics contributes to criminal and gang mentality. Perpetrators often think of themselves as being powerless to do anything better -- because of their race. As such, they never aspire to anything higher than being thugs. Further complicating things is the fact that a few have actually made legitimate money by glorifying and celebrating thuggery, which leads others to believe that following the same path is a “good,” even intelligent way to achieve success. It is not.

Human beings are powerful beyond comprehension. All human beings are powerful, including the thugs amongst us. I am human, as are you. More than ever before, we are capable of affecting great arcs of change in our lives. We can go from being severely impoverished, to lavishly abundant not only within a single lifetime, but even within the course of a few years, not by winning a lottery, but by winning at the game of life itself. We can do so if we understand and respect the principles that govern all human social dynamics and interactions. The principles are:

Vision: All our experiences begin with a vision of said experiences. It is an impression that comes to our mind, either from our fears, or from our highest hopes and passions. The most satisfying of visions comes from the latter (highest hopes) because, as they are realized, they tend to neutralize the former (fears).

Inclusion: We must include ourselves in the picture of our realized vision. In other words, assuming that “no one will ever allow a ‘__(insert race)__’ man or woman to _(insert vision)_,” is an example of self-exclusion. It is hard to send well wishes to another person if we will not give ourselves permission to experience wellness. As we accept personal wellness, we will be less inclined to begrudge wellness that others have created for themselves.

Information: We must be informed about that which we would pursue. This means actively using our minds, gaining something positive and worth achieving to focus our thoughts and energies on. If it is something we’re passionate about -- meaning we love what we’re doing -- then the “cost” in terms of our time and energy won’t be perceived as excessive, or negative.

Preparation: We must organize the information that we gather through the formation of skills and expertise. Said skills and expertise evolves as we begin doing what we envision achieving in life, essentially, sharing our gift with others, who want, need, and desire, irrespective of their “race” or “politics.” It is through said doing that manifestation becomes possible. The only way to guarantee failure is to (1) not begin, or (2) quit.

Participation: We must involve ourselves in matters of import to our communities and society. I speak not of the “black” community, or any community that is defined by racial, cultural, economic or ethnic classification, but of the human community.

Liberation: Positive visions do not come through anger-filled minds. As such, while anger will indeed bring about change, it will not bring positive change to the angry or resentful individual.

Anger and fear is something that one should seek to be freed, or emancipated from. While I say this in passive voice, the process of gaining emancipation from anger, fear and resentment, is active, and most personal. It involves choosing personal freedom over historical disappointment, and choosing to create new opportunities for growth, while creating no new harm. An angry mind can be haven to a harmful spirit. It cannot be haven to inspired action, which is an essential key to self-liberation.

So I sing the human song, speak human praises, eschewing the politics of race, creed, and color. I realize that said politics do exist, and will give my 2¢ of an opinion from time to time. But my passion will go into creating my own wonderful dream; one that I can share with like-minded readers like you. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to embark upon the path of creating your own wonderful dream. The only way to transform our collective world is for each human being to begin transforming his or her own “piece” of it. Best wishes and thanks to all.

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