Dear Black Memphians...
Some of yall are really unfocused. Why are yall clowning at Maurice Brown Jr.'s fune? Why aren't you all trying to unify for the rights of the child who died? Like Thaddeus Matthews said...cut out all the damn teddy bear memorials. You have the nerve to be offended when someone talks salty about the boy's dad. That 3 year old died at his dad's hands...and you have the nerve to have a problem because someone talked about the dad.
That's but one small problem I have with us as Black Memphians. We don't really do right as a unit. We can tell you where the clubs are and who has the special on Circle B smoked sausages, but we can't tell you who's hiring. We can call each other "ratchet" but we can't try to help...hell, or BE helped. We let our pride get the best of us and it causes more trouble.
I could tell you that some commenters on Memphis news sites refer to us as "Shaved Apes" and enjoy laughing at us when we do the dumbness. I know we can't make other races respect us, but we don't respect ourselves worth a damn. Some of us act like Crabs in a Bluff City Barrel.
It hurts me to see my other Black Memphians ready to leave. However, what can we say? I think about the thefts, murders, lies, manipulation in our community, and I damn near want to stow away with them when they leave. We all know someone who has been victimized in Memphis, and many of us have been victims as well. It's really hard to sell this city when it's only worthy of being Tote the Note.
I know everyone says "every city has its problems", which it does. But let's not displace our focus and resign to accept all the problems we have. Our issues are fixable if we try. We see crime and don't report it. We toss garbage out of windows. We don't fight for our neighborhoods and we don't vote. We get the money and run away to the "White Fokes Neighborhoods" thinking we're doing better. We don't value education. We just sit here with our attitudes.
I guess it's safe to say that we need to find a solution to our problems. How long are we going to allow complacency take over?
That's but one small problem I have with us as Black Memphians. We don't really do right as a unit. We can tell you where the clubs are and who has the special on Circle B smoked sausages, but we can't tell you who's hiring. We can call each other "ratchet" but we can't try to help...hell, or BE helped. We let our pride get the best of us and it causes more trouble.
I could tell you that some commenters on Memphis news sites refer to us as "Shaved Apes" and enjoy laughing at us when we do the dumbness. I know we can't make other races respect us, but we don't respect ourselves worth a damn. Some of us act like Crabs in a Bluff City Barrel.
It hurts me to see my other Black Memphians ready to leave. However, what can we say? I think about the thefts, murders, lies, manipulation in our community, and I damn near want to stow away with them when they leave. We all know someone who has been victimized in Memphis, and many of us have been victims as well. It's really hard to sell this city when it's only worthy of being Tote the Note.
I know everyone says "every city has its problems", which it does. But let's not displace our focus and resign to accept all the problems we have. Our issues are fixable if we try. We see crime and don't report it. We toss garbage out of windows. We don't fight for our neighborhoods and we don't vote. We get the money and run away to the "White Fokes Neighborhoods" thinking we're doing better. We don't value education. We just sit here with our attitudes.
I guess it's safe to say that we need to find a solution to our problems. How long are we going to allow complacency take over?
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