I know there’s a need for the NAACP, but I have not always been sure that the organization itself understands where it is needed in the times since the white-hot days of the 60’s and 70’s. Like many of my contemporaries, I have been frustrated with the NAACP’s slowness to embrace and utilize digital technology to get important work done. Further, I’ve sometimes perceived lack of a unifying focus. I let my membership lapse.

But my friend Kevin Myles, president of NAACP Kansas, has been steadfast in his commitment to the ideals of NAACP. Never wavering, Myles has spent the last eight years with his sleeves rolled up, and his formidable brain power focused on effectively fighting issues of inequality and injustice that lessen the quality of life and opportunity for black people. A few highlights:

At 40, Kevin Myles serves as the Youngest State Conference president in the country.

Five-time President of the Kansas Chapter of MENSA

From Kevin Myles in his own words:

“We are faced now, not only with a resurgence, but truly a renaissance of xenophobic racialistic attitudes. The Supreme Court has been busy altering or stripping away rights and protections we’ve long taken for granted; several states are suing the Federal Government for the ‘right’ to not address a broken and inequitable health care system that leaves millions without coverage; other States like Arizona are creating new laws to target illegal immigration by profiling Hispanics; real estate and construction titans such as JMI Realty, Harlan Crow of Crow Realty, the Bradley Foundation, John Uhlmann of Jabez Territories, and John Zamrzla of the Western Pacific Roofing corporation are helping to finance a nationwide effort to eliminate affirmative action with Ward Connerly serving as the well-funded figure-head; television pundits are planning to hold their own “March on Washington” on the anniversary of King’s address declaring their intent to “take back Civil Rights”; and as local papers across the country rush to offer web versions, many have seen their online comment sections become repositories of vile and hateful rhetoric.

We’ve always known that the work of the Association wasn’t finished. But now, the reservoirs of race prejudice and bigotry have found new voice with the proliferation of electronic and personal media. Intolerance has been commercialized, and the Nation’s oldest and largest Civil Rights organization must position itself to meet these new challenges. But with these new challenges, there are also new opportunities. Through the use of E-Journalism and Social media, we each now have the capacity to reach audiences like never before. It is imperative that we examine how this new capacity can be put to use for the furtherance of our message and mission.”

I am not an NAACP delegate, so I can’t vote in the election. But I am sure that Kevin Myles is the right man, for the right job at this right time.

While some people are overly invested in the trial of former BART transit cop Johannes Mehserle who was convicted Thursday of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Oscar Grant, life will go on. It seems much of the outrage stems from those who have focused primarily on the race of the cop in question, making Oscar Grant the poster child for racism conspiracy theories.

What most do not realize is there is little “new” about cases such as these. While historically there has been an established pattern of aggression where innocent men were singled out that is no longer the case for the black male collective. Today, the police officer in question could just as easily be a person of color acting in response to another person of color with the same conclusion.

The only time you will see a larger number of people expressing outrage is when these confrontations involve a white male cop acting against a non-white male, particularly if he’s black. If Oscar Grant had been a white teen most people would have ignored this story.

This response by some blacks is a combination of misplaced focus on external forces ignoring the source of the problem as well as paternalism by “liberal” whites who think of blacks as inferior and lacking in impulse control. If everyone presumes the black male to be “downtrodden”, “helpless” and a “victim” where does that leave them in a patriarchal society? As an abject failure.

Law enforcement was not going to allow itself to be put on trial no matter what. No one is going to convince me that the majority of “upset” people would voice the same amount of concern had Oscar Grant been a white male – or a black female. Neither would the rage have been extended if Johannes Mehserle had been a black cop.

White officers have no problem pushing back against white males they deem dangerous or acting against the norm be it by action, style of dress or who they’re associating with. No one can deny that. Laws are swiftly enforced against those white males who harm white women and children.

Time and time again, in case after case (Diallo, Bell, etc.) it has been the actions of the police that have been at the root of protest not the race of the officers. Far too often the same exact behavior people find so troubling is exhibited by black cops as well. PG County in Maryland is notorious for its police force’s brutalizing reputation.

Does this latest case indicate a review of procedure is necessary? Absolutely. Mehserle has to be one of the most incompetent cops ever to mistake a Taser for a gun. The video footage was harrowing. The judge has yet to rule on sentencing. No one can make any assumptions as to whether he harbors any more racist opinions than anyone else. Blacks hold far more poisonous viewpoints towards each other and in particular, black women. The constant focus on external aggressions is the misguided fight against white hegemony.

Respect for black males as a collective won’t come unless and until they take on leadership roles with all the responsibility that requires. That includes a return to secondary education for the majority of African-American males as well as the mending of the fractured family structure.

Even if the officer in question had been a black male who’d shot a white teen the exact same way we’ll never know if the case would have ever gone to trial. Mehserle’s response was atypical for law enforcement. When he promptly quit it seemed to indicate that he thought he’d acted out of order and had done something wrong – which is why the former Chief of Police and others immediately stepped in.

Some people may have a love/hate relationship with law enforcement but in a normally functioning society we NEED protection from would-be criminals. The average citizen would be in dire straits without the security police officers provide. They couldn’t afford to leave Mehserle twisting in the wind as it could have potentially opened the door to criminal charges being upheld. That’s not to say there isn’t corruption but it takes an extraordinary effort to persuade a prosecutor from the DA’s office to file charges against police officers. People may not be connecting the dots but they are all interdependent on each other along with judges.

People also forget how conservative most of California actually is. A quick reminder of how easily Prop 8 passed (being voted by a majority of whites) should be noted. There also isn’t nearly as much diversity as may be touted. There’s a huge (more recent) immigrant population of those striving to establish residency and citizenship, an established population of those who were immigrants 2 generations ago who are firmly entrenched and a wealthy population of whites who’ve come from other parts of the country. The population of blacks has steadily dwindled as people have had to move to less expensive states. With the average home price in the mid 6-figure range and the constant erosion of rent control laws California is a microcosm for the haves and haves not.

After living in San Francisco for eight years, I can attest to the odd dichotomy of an area that enacted laws that historically discriminated against blacks in employment and housing that were never remedied. Now it’s truly every person for themselves. This is where having a viable and active community comes into play. The black population is mostly relegated to Oakland and Los Angeles and only accounts for no more than 6.2% of the entire state. The absence of enforceable standards and protections leaves individuals vulnerable to the whims and selective rules of the majority population.

There’s a reason why you won’t find a majority of black women engaged in these types of battles with the police. We don’t have the time! Black women are far too busy:

a) Working – depending on the class background sometimes 2-3 jobs

b) Raising children – often ALONE [There’s a 70% + out of wedlock birth rate AND never married rate]

c) Attending school – overall there are more women in college than men, but the disparity amongst African-Americans in particular is close to a 70/30 ratio

d) Fighting to “save” the black man while receiving no such help in return

e) Supporting an entire community [providing free labor & use of all of her resources from Civil Rights orgs on down and self-sacrificing to her individual detriment all for the RACE]

What are the majority of black males doing with their time that they’re continually involved in these disputes? You see a black male face “leading” these Civil Rights organizations and claiming to speak for the “community” but where is their POWER? Who are they holding accountable? What changes have they enacted within the black community that has maintained it post-Civil Rights?

NOTHING!

Further let’s just keep it real once and for all here: the majority of black males killed in this country are at the hands of other black males.

My own brother (who was a college student, gainfully employed and crime-free) was murdered four years ago by a career criminal. There is no need for the “great white male racist cop conspiracy” to be validated when we all know who the majority of the neighborhood terrorists are. These are the same males allowed to wander freely to brutalize unprotected black girls, women and children. Search Dunbar Village to acclimate yourself with what is an all too common (mostly unreported) occurrence.

One interesting aspect to this trial verdict was the near 100% media blackout (oh the irony) from the national television networks. There was minimal newspaper coverage as well. People should take note that as more tragedies pile up they will NOT be televised. The greater society at large does NOT care what goes on within the black community in general unless it will have a big impact outside – whether positive or negative.

It was citizen journalism at its best that spurred many to discuss this trial and their use of social networking sites that spread the word once the verdict was read. Hyper local news trumped traditional media. The media did kick in later to provide live coverage of those that chose to misbehave in public though.

Some blacks questioned what they termed the “curious silence” from others regarding this case and verdict. There was an assumption that others should care. Why??? This constant need to look outside to others for validation and approval is part of the core problem regarding blacks and their massive inferiority complex to begin with.

One more interesting caveat that was glaringly obvious: the major media did decide to blanket the airwaves with the press conference of a basketball player regarding what team he’d continue his career with. The value of black males in this society has been reduced to those that can produce windfall profits for others. If it’s not from manipulating a ball then it’s likely from their choice of marrying/producing children with non-black women since either way their resources flow back to those others and stay out of the black community. The angry missive written by the majority owner of the former team shows how he considered this player to be his personal property to use at will. Just like the slave owner.

The hypocrisy of those who are so outraged at the “injustice” of a situation based on patriarchal dominance struggles between white and black males has been duly noted. The verdict from this trial was the top Trending Topic on Twitter for several hours the night of the verdict. Yet 99.99% of those protesting have never so much as lifted a pinkie finger to lodge a protest about the multitude of black girls and women brutalized and violated within the black community by black males. The same black males who might draw the short end of the stick against law enforcement whether that cop is white or not are the same ones wreaking havoc.

Should people wish to take action they would ensure law enforcement is held accountable by going through specific channels. Instead they do nothing but rant or make ill-fitting comparisons. Actually, I’ll amend that. Many will take to the streets to clash with other police officers and trash their own neighborhoods instead. It’s what happened the night of the Mehserle verdict.

Any argument about malfeasance is undermined by the silence of those who say nothing about what’s going on in their own residential areas. Even worse those sincerely interested in reform are indistinguishable from those who actively promote and protect the criminality of other black males. If your average black male dresses in the current fashion of deconstructed prison attire then how can there be any surprise if they’re looked at as a criminal? While not everyone is engaged in criminal activity the mass silence of those that are not ensnares every male. It’s guilt by association for non- self-policing behavior of the majority. Hence the reaction by law enforcement as a whole – not solely white male cops.

A few days after the Oscar Grant death there was the case of a convict killed who’d spent six years in prison and went on a rape spree as soon as he was released. A female relative harbored him in her apartment even though she had an infant child in a situation reminiscent to that case in Detroit where a young girl was accidentally killed when police had to hunt down an accused murderer. In the former case this released convict re-offended immediately and when detained at a traffic stop shot and killed four officers before being stopped.

The fact that some people expressed similar outrage at how “unfair” it was for that criminal to be killed after he damaged so many innocent lives means there will never be a resolution to this never-ending tug of war. You can’t expect to clean someone else’s house (law enforcement) when your own is littered with dead and damaged bodies and excuses. If the lives of the most vulnerable in a community are not valued then no one is safe.

What are YOU going to do about that?

Faith Dow is the creator of the Acts of Faith in Love and Life blog and a leader in the struggle for black women’s liberation. She writes, speaks, shakes-up and inspires about issues that she is passionate about.

Mcllwain says, “I am a professor of media, culture & communication at New York University and co-director of the Project on Race in Political Communication (RaceProject.org).

I am interested in the ways that children and parents talk about issues of race, ethnicity, racism, etc. and am conducting a survey primarily geared to collecting funny, interesting, alarming, or challenging anecdotes that parents have about a time when their child, themselves or other children they knew made a statement or asked a question about race.”

I cannot personally vouch for Professor Mcllwain or how he will use the results, but I like what he had to say and thought some of you might want to participate in his project.

Here’s the link to the survey.

Of course, please feel free to share those stories here in the comments section as well. We don’t have kids, but IF Mcllwain ever does a survey about Grandma’s, I’ve got a doozy of a tale for him.

My answer is posted over at Aol. Here’s an excerpt:

Some people are blinded by their own racial arrogance. They are so convinced that their perspective is relevant on what life is like for people of color, that they regurgitate hackneyed perspectives on race as if they are revelations. Writer Erica Jong, famous for books including”Fear of Flying,” published a column in The Huffington Post that stands as exhibit A of this kind of annoyance.

Jong uses derogatory racial language to promote sensationalist writer Kitty Kelley’s ‘Oprah’ tome (without having read it!) while at the same time attacking Oprah Winfrey’s racial consciousness…

READ MORE: Erica Jong on Oprah: ‘Professional Negro’, Aol

HP responds:

“We are working with our partners to learn more. The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty “seeing” contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.”

“Foreground lighting”??!!?? LMAO!!!

Now it’s not like I think HP’s oversight was committed on purpose. I think they just didn’t care.

Also, I do wonder if maybe such a glaring oversight is the result of having no person of color testing the technology? Did HP just think no one would notice? I know black folks are only 12% of the US population but HP does have global clients of color, right?

And so it goes…

Via SharkFu on Twitter

As the victim of violent bullies as a child, when I lived in New York I dreaded being on the subway at the time schools let out because of the overt aggression displayed by many of the packs of junior high and high school kids taking the subway to get wherever they headed after school.

Andrew’s essay is raw and honest.

Love it or hate it, I hope you will share your thoughts in the comment section.

I am perplexed as to why Gatorade hasn’t dropped Tiger Woods endorsement deal yet. But then again, it is an energy drink. I guess it all makes then since at the time of this post, Tiger’s up to 7 dalliances. That’s a lot of strokes for any putter.

And no, it is not lost on me that all of Tiger’s down low paramours are not of the black, Latino or Asian persuasion. I can’t say I’m surprised. I mean, the man couldn’t even give ‘black’ a whole word in his self-descriptor of ‘Cablinasian’. Black only got the *bluhh*.

Anyhow, step back with me to a funnier time. Courtesy of Chappelle’s Show, I present The Racial Draft:

HA! What’s YOUR take?

Lingering on Taser Facebook pages, you’d think that it wasn’t very often that Taser related deaths related occur. And when they do happen? You could be persuaded that it’s always the fault of some drug addicted or genetically challenged skell whose body just couldn’t handle what had to be done.

What alarms me is that so many law enforcement officers and singularly enthusiastic supporters of Taser appear to ignore the fact, fundamental to our justice system, that we are ALL presumed innocent until proven guilty. Time and time again, officers are caught on tape as they shock compliant and/or ailing, men, women and children – too many times in the back.

Call me crazy, but that’s how I expect cowards and sadists behave – not officers of the law. There’s nothing honorable about Tasing a 10 year old or a pregnant woman celebrating a baptism, or looking to surrender her child to responsible authorities or a man who’s doing exactly what officers are asking him to do.

I understand that many people see the ravages of crime and don’t feel much empathy with anyone who finds themselves in the grasp of law enforcement.

But my ‘justice’ streak vibrates even harder than my thick ‘law and order’ streak. There have been 50 Taser related deaths in the United States so far this year. That’s 50 too many.

READ MORE: Stop Taser Torture – Blogging for Justice

Please join me and dozens of other concerned bloggers, passionate to stop the abuse of Tasers. Already this year, there have been 50 Taser related deaths.

One of my colleagues calls Taser deaths “extrajudicial execution”: judge, jury and executioner all rolled up into a handheld 50,000 volt electric apparatus that’s considered “non-lethal”.

There’s a lot of talk these days about the glory of our American democracy. And its ideals are glorious. But when the pillar of our justice system is cracked the whole damn dream is shaky.

I hope you’ll join us.

Hate incidents related to the election occurred in all parts of the country. An interracial couple in Apolacan Township, Pa., who supported Obama, found the remains of a burnt cross in their garden. In Madison County, Idaho, elementary school children allegedly chanted “assassinate Obama” on a school bus. In Mount Desert Island, Maine, black effigies were reportedly hung from nooses.

Many of the election-related hate crimes were violent. For example, there were five reported attacks by white supremacists on blacks and Latinos in California’s San Jacinto Valley that police described as a reaction to the election. And on Staten Island, two 18-year-olds were among a group of men who yelled “Obama” as they assaulted a black teenager with a baseball bat just hours after Obama clinched the presidency.

Source: Anti-Black Hate Crimes Rise, Data Remains Flawed, Southern Poverty Law Center-Hate Watch

Like sexual assault and domestic violence, it is likely that hate crimes are underreported.

One of the most widely publicized incidents involved the burning of a black church, the Macedonia Church of God in Christ, just a few hours after Obama’s win was confirmed. At the time of the burning, federal investigators called the act a probable hate crime.

But like so many hate crimes each year, the church burning never made it into the FBI’s statistics. Even though the DOJ released a statement about arrests in the Springfield case and condemned the acts as motivated by “racism,” the city of Springfield reported no hate crimes in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Unfortunately, it is not surprising that a hate crime would fail to make it into the FBI’s data. The DOJ itself has found that the hate crimes statistics drastically underreport the number of such crimes each year.

Source: Anti-Black Hate Crimes Rise, Data Remains Flawed, Southern Poverty Law Center-Hate Watch

It’s estimated, in a report by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, that the actual number of hate crimes is 20 to 30 times higher than what is reported. That would mean that the real incidents of hate crime in America actually total about 190,000. That’s a staggering number.

Do you think that number is correct?

Hat Tip @QueerJohnPA on Twitter

READ More: More anti-gay, religious-motivated crimes reported, Associated Press

READ More: A White Gays Guide on How to Deal with the Black Community for Dummies: Chapter 12- What About the Hate Crimes That Gays Committed on Blacks Last November?, Jasmyne Cannick