VIDEO: Howard University Men STAND UP Against Racial Profiling

A few of Howard University's men have collaborated to create a video standing up against racial profiling and the killing of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012. By asking "Am I suspicious?"the men bring a personal element to this situation by showing America how ridiculous the campaign against hoodies has become.


Enough rambling, take a look...



More information on the efforts of the Howard Community to raise awareness can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/HUJusticeForTrayvonMartin/. Things like this make me SO PROUD to call Howard University one of my alma maters. I'm overjoyed that so many of my colleagues have stepped up to the plate to bring awareness to this injustice. I'm HURT that my home state is once again under fire for not getting it right.


Randoms:
This past Sunday, I traveled to Sanford, FL to attend a rally in support of justice for Trayvon Martin. The trip was personally sponsored by Howard University students, the NAACP and anonymous donors. We traveled to Sanford to stand in solidarity with Trayvon's family and to see the situation first hand. I have to give a HUGE thanks to Representatives Corrine Brown(D-FL) and Sheila Jackson Lee(D-TX) for acknowledging our efforts in driving down to Sanford, FL on Sunday and showing up to the Congressional hearing in DC on today. I thank Representative Brown for her hospitality as she took us out for a generous sit-down lunch and made sure we felt welcomed. Going down to Florida, we were not sure what to expect but we went with our hearts in the right place. We didn't expect to have the opportunity but I am so very happy I took the trip.


I would be remissed if I did not also acknowledge the Mayor of Sanford, FL for taking time out of his schedule to speak with Howard students yesterday in Sanford. He displayed so much class and grace. I can't imagine that when he took his oath of office he anticipated such a thing would happen. For that reason, (and a few others) I salute him. From what I observed, he was hit hard by this situation and he doing all he can do to cooperate with the investigation.


RIP Trayvon Martin. 


As God as my witness, I will do my part to make sure Trayvon's killer is (at least) brought to trial and his family gets justice for his death. 

The story of Oscar Grant

On New Year's Day 2009, then BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot the 22-year-old Oscar Grant in the back while he lay face down on a BART train platform. Grant, who had his arms behind his back when Mehserle shot him, was unarmed. For those of you with strong stomachs, judge for yourself and check the video here. Warning: graphic viewer discretion is advised.


The three-week murder trial ended last week and the verdict came quickly; the jury deliberated a total of nine hours.  On July 8th, 2010, Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for shooting and killing Oscar Grant. Mehserle was led away from the courtroom in handcuffs and is now in custody. His sentencing is expected on Friday, August 6th. Involuntary manslaughter can carry 2, 4, and 6 years, with 10 added for a gun enhancement.

 "We recognize as African Americans, the system is rarely fair when police officers are involved in the shooting of African American males," the Grant family's attorney, John Burris said. "This is another example of that."

In Oakland, thousands of people took over the intersection of Broadway and 14th for a protest which started shortly after the 4PM verdict and lasted until late in the evening. Early in the evening, a woman was injured when a police vehicle backed into her. Later, several windows were broken, a Foot Locker was broken into, and several small fires were set in trashcans. Over fifty protesters were arrested.

In a press conference outside the Los Angeles courthouse immediately after the verdict was announced, Oscar Grant's family spoke out about the verdict, calling it a "great disappointment." Oscar Grant's mother Wanda Johnson said ex-BART cop Johannes Mehserle's conviction of involuntary manslaughter felt like being "slapped in the face by a system that has denied us true justice."

Whats not shocking (but should be) is that people are blaming the victim. To those people I say you are no different from people who say "well if she wasnt dressed in that revealing outfit she would never have gotten raped."

Allow me to jump on my soapbox for a minute...
 
I would love to raise my fist and yell black power
I would love to scream "no justice, no peace"
I would love to say "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere."
Instead, I lower my fist and zip my mouth shut. Why? I refuse to focus my energy on a system that doesnt listen. I understand the power of one voice but lets be honest what will it change? A racist system cannot survive but for racist people driving it.
 
There are HARD CORE ignorant people in this world. Listen, there are people who could not care less whether you live or die. Facts of life. You can talk until you are blue in the face about the power of loving everyone and you will have done just that-talk until you are blue in the face (no Avatar).  I grew up in the south and there are still areas of the south (I speak from experience) where I wouldn't dare drive through at night alone for fear of such ignorance. I have gone to Texaco gas stations and been looked over. I have gone to "their" businesses and I was looked over as if my money isnt still green. I have witnessed innocent people getting clubbed by police officers. I'm not talking about complete strangers, I'm talking about people I know and love.
 
Will my voice really change a hard core racist's mind? Will it convince him not to get the confederate flag and hang it outside of his home? Will I finally stop hearing racist people call me a N*gger? Will it convince them not to hate me because of my ancestry? If I teach them about loving everyone will we build a campfire and sing kumbaya? My frustration goes far beyond that. How many people have to die before real change occurs? How ignorant is it for you to hate someone because of the color of their skin when you dont even know what their voice sounds like? How ignorant is it to hate anyone for any reason? When you have hatred for someone it is a burden you carry on your shoulders. I cant understand why someone would willingly carry that hatred.  
 
How much did Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson REALLY change when they demanded Don Imus' job? Racism exists! It is not as subtle as people believe. You would think in 2010 I wouldnt get nervous to pull over for a cop knowing I did nothing wrong.  I grew up in a terrible neighborhood that now suffers from 40% unemployment. I know of families who have suffered at the hands of police brutality. It once took the police 45 minutes to respond to a distress call. While I would never speak ill of all police officers I will be the first to admit that our justice system has holes. Unfortunately, those holes look more like swiss cheese the closer you get to the inner city.
 
This confirms so many of my beliefs about our country and about my people. I know this script too well. The victim is blamed way too often. The perps are given a lighter sentence way too often. The public outcry dies down way too soon. As someone working towards being on the "right" side of the law, situations like this really break my heart.
 
Hatred takes too much energy.
 
...and so it was written.

HUSL Today Salutes

Benjamin Hooks

 Image source: http://fiskuniversity.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/dr-benjamin-hooks.jpg

Benjamin Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 31, 1925.  Hooks enrolled in LeMoyne-Owen College, in Memphis, Tennessee where he undertook a pre-law course of study 1941–43. He graduated in 1944 from Howard University nd joined the Army working as a guard of Italian prisoners of war. He was discharged from the Army after the end of the war with the rank of staff sergeant.

After the war he enrolled at the DePaul University College of Law in Chicago to study law. He ventured to Chicago for his studies because no law school in his native Tennessee would admit him. He graduated from DePaul in 1948 with his Juris Doctor (J.D.). Hooks passed the Tennesee bar exam and set up his own law practice. He recalled in an interview with Jet Magazine “At that time you were insulted by law clerks, excluded from white bar associations and when I was in court, I was lucky to be called Ben...usually it was just ‘boy.’ [But] the judges were always fair. The discrimination of those days has changed and, today, the South is ahead of the North in many respects in civil rights progress.”

He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1956 and began to preach regularly at the Greater Middle Baptist Church in Memphis, while continuing his busy law practice. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (then known as Southern Negro Leaders Conference on Transportation and Nonviolent Integration) along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He also became a pioneer in the NAACP-sponsored restaurant sit-ins and other boycotts of consumer items and services.

In 1965 Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement appointed him to fill a vacancy in the Shelby County criminal court. With this he became the first black criminal court judge in Tennessee history. His temporary appointment to the bench expired in 1966 but he campaigned for, and won election to a full term in the same judicial office.

On November 6, 1976, the 64-member board of directors of the NAACP elected Hooks executive director of the organization. Shortly after his induction, Hooks proclaimed, “The civil rights movement is not dead. If anyone thinks that we are going to stop agitating, they had better think again. If anyone thinks that we are going to stop litigating, they had better close the courts. If anyone thinks that we are not going to demonstrate and protest, they had better roll up the sidewalks.” Hooks assumed his position at a time when the NAACP was suffering a decline in membership but he managed to turn it around. Hooks maintained his position until 1992. 

 Image source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/11/05/2003996140.jpg

In 1996, the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change was established at the University of Memphis. The Hooks Institute is a public policy research center supporting the urban research mission of the University of Memphis, and honoring Hooks’ many years of leadership in the American Civil Rights Movement. The Institute works to advance understanding of the legacy of the American Civil Rights Movement – and of other movements for social justice – through teaching, research and community programs that emphasize social movements, race relations, strong communities, public education, effective public participation, and social and economic justice.

President George W. Bush awarded Hooks the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in November 2007. "As a civil rights activist, public servant, and minister of the gospel, Dr. Hooks has extended the hand of fellowship throughout his years," Bush said.

"It was not an always ... easy thing to do. But it was always the right thing to do."

He passed away on April 15, 2010. The Tennessee House has cancelled its activities so lawmakers can attend the funeral today. He was an avid supporter of civil rights and he will be missed dearly. Benjamin was a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

HUSL Today Salutes Benjamin Hooks!!

R.I.P Civil Rights Legend Dr. Dorothy Irene Height

While I was away on hiatus, the civil rights world (and America) was rocked by the passing of civil rights icon Dorothy Height around 3:41 a.m.on Tuesday, April 20 at the age of 98. . Height is considered a founding member of the Civil Rights Movement.  Dr. Height passed at Howard University Hospital after being there for over a month with health issues. Check out HUSL Today's  recentsalute to Dr. Height. Although Dr. Height is gone from the physical world her indelible legacy and unforgettable accomplishments will live on. I hope her family, friends and supporters are able to find comfortas they mourn her passing. She is an inspiration, a legend and a leader. May she rest in Peace.