Black Panther – Rise Up

By Jesuorobo Enobakhare Jr

Ryan Coogler did an absolutely amazing job of fitting Wakanda into the real world by placing this secret utopia of black excellence into a world full of black suffering – our world.  The movie also excelled at connecting every black person on this planet as brothers and sisters.

Many consider N’Jadaka aka Eric Killmonger not to be a true villain. He was absolutely right in his convictions. His grievances were factually accurate as was his father N’Jobu’s. He embodied the anger that is pent up inside of mostly every African American in this country that normally isn’t expressed until times of extreme civil unrest; such as Ferguson.  The problem is that both Father and Son addressed it in the wrong way especially Killmonger’s perchance for violence against women and his desire to “Colonize” the colonizers.

But T’Chaka who could be a representation of the segment of the African American community in this country that feels they have “made it” was also wrong with how he handled his brother’s legitimate concerns.

T’Challa broke that cycle by listening to his cousin and learning from his Father’s failure and as a final act as king offered his cousin N’Jadaka mercy as he realized the misguided righteousness in his cousin’s mission.

Marvel Studios

The most powerful scene in the movie was when T’Challa visited the “ancestral plane.”  T’Challa saw his father for the first time since his death and fell to his knees sobbing to his father T’Chaka.  Before T’Chaka would address any of his son’s concerns, he first commanded, “STAND UP!!! YOU ARE A KING!!!”

Marvel Studios

That message should ring loud and clear to every black man in this country and around the world. Stand Up and assume your position in your families! Stand Up and assume your position in your communities! Stand Up and assume your position in society! And last but definitely not least, Stand Up and assume your position in government!

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jesuorobo A. Enobakhare, Jr.

Contact him by email at jesuorobo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter @Jesuorobo.

The Forgotten Issue – Police Violence Against Black Men (and Women)

By Jesuorobo Enobakhare, Jr

A photo of  Colin Kaepernick tweeted out by Jennifer Lee Chan on August 26, 2016 launched a public debate.  Kaepernick stated his action (sitting, which led to kneeling, during the anthem) was due to the oppression of people of color and ongoing issues with police brutality.  However what was intended to draw attention to the demand for justice for people of color, quickly turned into a debate centered on patriotism, supporting the US Armed Forces, and First Amendment Rights; meanwhile the subject of his action was quickly and quietly ushered off of the main stage.

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge a few of the unarmed men and women of color killed by police courtesy of Daniell Funke and Tina Susman of the LA Times http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-police-deaths-20160707-snap-htmlstory.html:

• Alton Sterling, 37 Baton Rouge, LA – 2016
• Gregory Gunn, 58 Montgomery, AL – 2016
• Samuel DuBose, 43 Cincinnati, OH – 2015
• Brendon Glenn, 29 Los Angeles, CA – 2015
• Freddie Gray, 25 Baltimore, MD – 2015
• Natasha McKenna, 37 Fairfax County, VA – 2015
• Walter Scott, 50 Charleston, SC – 2015
• Christian Taylor, 19 Arlington, TX – 2015
• Michael Brown Jr., 18 Ferguson, MO – 2014
• Ezell Ford, 25, Los Angeles, CA – 2014
• Eric Garner, 43, Staten Island, NY – 2014
• Akai Gurley, 28, New York, NY – 2014
• Laquan McDonald, 17, Chicago, Il – 2014
• Tamir Rice, 12, Cleveland, OH – 2014

A few of the names you may be familiar with, all of the names many are not.  But most are familiar with Colin Kaepernick and by his actions he spoke for all of them.

In 2017 Colin Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers. As of yet he has not been signed by another NFL team while at the same time police violence against black men and women has continued. Once again the conversation is not about the victims but has now shifted to the reasons for Colin Kaepernick not being signed by an NFL team, First Amendment Rights and NFL boycotts.

This reminds me of a scene from The Dark Knight – “You spat in the faces of Gotham’s worse criminals.  Didn’t you think there would be some casualties?  Things were always going to get worse before they got better.” – Alfred Pennyworth to Bruce Wayne (Batman).

Football is the most popular sport in America.  Racism and oppression of people of color has been a part of the American way since the founding of this country.  Colin Kaepernick unintentionally (or intentionally) drew a battle line against racism and oppression in front of millions of NFL fans.  The battle for the soul of our country was laid bare for all to see. But instead of the issue being confronted and finally resolved, the NFL owners have decided to fight to restore the status quo by the supposedly “quieting” of one voice.

Colin Kaepernick took a knee, not for you nor me, he took a knee for those voiceless known and unknown black men and women who were the victims of police violence and it is now up to us to not only be their voices in protest, but to also work to change the system and end the bloodshed so that those lives lost will not be lives lost in vain.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jesuorobo A. Enobakhare, Jr.

Contact him by email at jesuorobo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter @Jesuorobo.

 

Trump the Figurehead of the Russian Government?

It would be so easy to write off Donald Trump as a figurehead of the Russian government. Back in the 80’s there was a TV miniseries titled Amerika. Amerika was about the United States after a bloodless takeover engineered by the Soviet Union (IMDb). For Russia to take over the United States via Trump; that is a conspiracy theorist’s greatest dream.  Unfortunately everything points to that being just as fictional as Amerika the miniseries.  What appears to be the current reality is a tad bit more sinister.

Donald Trump believes in winning at all costs. You can see it in the trail of destruction left behind after business “wins”. Such destruction includes unpaid debts to:

• A cabinet builder contracted for Harrah’s Trump Plaza in Atlantic City
• Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast
• Real estate brokers who sold his properties
• Several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/

So there is no question that Trump “used” Russia to win. Many currently believe Trump is a puppet of Putin.  But the truth is Trump played Putin. Trump treated his presidential campaign and the United States of America as a business acquisition.  Some acquisitions end in a win – win but many end with a winner and a loser.  In this instance there was one winner, Donald J Trump and two losers, Russia and the United States citizens who are not members of the 1%.  Russia will now join the long list of those individuals and entities that Trump “reneged” on.

But the sad part is that the American People are now added to that list as well.

Ted Cruz Ends Historic Presidential Run

Ted Cruz formally named Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential running mate on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.  Ted Cruz formally announced that he would be “suspending” his campaign on Monday May 3, 2016 after Donald J. Trump’s landslide Republican Primary victory in Indiana.  Why go thru all of the trouble of picking a running mate just to throw in the towel a week later?

Cruz could have done bad all by himself. This tea party darlin’ who was disliked by members of Congress and mostly everyone else in America who wasn’t a member of the team party,  pretty much had no shot at winning the Presidency. Why did he have to drag Fiorina, a woman who seems to catch losses at every turn (CEO of HP, Adviser to Sen John McCain’s 2008 Presidential Campaign, 2010 California Senate Campaign, and 2016 Presidential Run) back into the presidential campaign spotlight creating a thus far Republican Presidential Primary win challenged dynamic duo.

Team Lose never had a chance;  however the question is whether Cruz ever thought they did?

Is the US Political System Rigged?

Simple answer? No

The US political system is a participation based system. Groups that participate benefit. Those that do not participate do not benefit. In the early days of our country only white male landowners had a voice in the political process. If you weren’t white, a male, nor owned land you were SOL. So blacks and other people of color as well as women fought for and received a place at the table from a voting perspective.

Participation is much more than just voting. Voting is the bare minimum. Participation includes engaging elected officials on needed legislation as well as following up with elected officials on campaign promises. Participation includes joining like-minded groups and using group leverage to keep elected officials honest.

The problem with participation is this:

First, the percentage of the population that participates is very small. There are far more non-participants yelling that the system is rigged who don’t see that their non-participation is the reason the politics does not work in their favor. 

Secondly, there are participant groups that are a few members short of the numbers needed to achieve their like-minded goals. That lends to frustration that can cause the participation rolls to drop.

So the key to benefitting from the US political system is knowing that power is in the hands of those with the numbers. Get active. Join a political group. Participate.