Heros Are Not Perfect

The other day. I was reading one of my favorite books " The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" and another teacher came into the room and she said, " Why are you reading about Theodore Roosevelt." I said that Roosevelt was one of my heroes growing up and he still is. She reminded that Theodore Roosevelt was against immigrants and was an imperialist. My response was no body's perfect. I knew all of the negatives about TR long before this person ever learned them . What makes Theodore Roosevelt and for that matter President Barack Obama my heroes is because as presidents they did something, they were agents of change.
President Roosevelt offered the "Square Deal" the first attempt by a president since Abraham Lincoln to better the quality of life for all Americans. He seriously looked at the health and well-being of all Americans. President Obama is taking on the hurdle of health care reform which will change the way we live for generations to come.
President Obama is not perfect and neither was president Roosevelt but what they desire for all Americans and the actions they take have changed and will change this nation for the better.
President Roosevelt gave us safe food and drugs to consume, the national parks, a regulated business community, a second to none military and national security. President Obama is trying and I think he will succeed , health care for all, quality schools, a strong economy and an America that is not the policeman of the world but an equal player in world affairs that dose not deal the cards but is an equal player with other countries.
Neither of these men is perfect and one of the problems with politics and voting is that we often try to find the most perfect person to lead us and that perfection does not always spell success.
TR had the same vision and vigor that President Obama has, the same sense of change and the courage to follow through and he received the same criticism everything from is youth and lack of experience to his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize.
These presidents are not perfect nor do they have the divine right of a kings . The president is, simply put, a real man not a perfect machine, he will make mistakes along the way but in his heart, his belief in America , who we are and what we can become makes both of these men great and always my hero's

The Bond

The fraternity and sorority system is often put down by the people from the outside looking in because they do not know what that bond means to many of of us who were involved in that system.
The only reference the general public has for fraternities and sororities is through movies. It is either Animal House, a light comedy where the frats are either blitzed out or sadistic or Fraternity row where, they are all pretty much sadistic, racist, exclusive and any other negative stereotypes that the movie view can conjure up but there is another story of fraternity life that is rarely told in the movies or the media. It is the story of a young man who did not make friends easily and who was often put into categories that he did not belong in . It is my story and the other young men who meant a great deal to me in college who accepted me for who I was and became some of my best friends.
United by the bond of Kappa Alpha Psi we, laughed together sometimes cried but always shared what we had. I transferred from another school and the brothers of the delta delta chapter at Jackson State unconditionally took me in. Finally, I could be who I was and be that way around other people who accepted me for who I was . I was a Kappa man and that was all that mattered.
My style, thoughts and dreams were often different from theirs but we were united in the bond. To this day, I have few associates who are as accepting and supportive but these young men all of these young men were.
Fraternities are not about , drinking, womanizing and exclusion. Fraternities are about about acceptance, support and inclusion. It has been over 25 years since I have seen many of these guys but the bond we had is still strong and lifelong.
Fraternities and sororities may not be for everyone but for me they made all of the difference. Me the permanent outsider, found a home and solace with Kappa. Wherever I go whatever I do I know that Kappas worldwide are my brothers and they accept me unconditionally without reservations and I the same with them.
Here is to the men of Delta Delta chapter and the impact they had on my life then and today. I may not always wear the shirt on my back or the ring on my finger but I will always have Kappa Alpha Psi in my heart.

Education is the Thing

I am currently writing this blog from the the Education Minnesota Professional Conference taking place in Saint Paul Minnesota Thursday and Friday making it s 4 day weekend four-day weekend for teachers and students and believe me we need it. All of that aside, it came to me while walking around the exhibits that we have a pretty good thing with public education. The high school where I teach, Central High School recently had an assembly to induct alumni into the Hall of Fame.
What was unique about this was that the the inductees came from all walks of life. They were professors, lawyers and community leaders with one thing in common they graduated from our high school. One came from around the block and another from the jungles of Columbia. They all were accomplished in their fields and would be considered successful in any gathering. Lastly they were products of the public schools not just Central but the University of Minnesota as well.
This coincidence is not just the Minnesota miracle but the American miracle that allows any one regardless of their circumstances to get a quality education and go on to a life of success and security . I tell my students every day that you sit in the place where millionaires once sat, where judges and professors once sat and where artists hone their art.
Many of my former students have realized and have gone on to lucrative careers . They have become learned professionals and they all came through Central high. It is not enough to tell teachers they are doing a great job we can look around and see that but it is important that all of us know that quality schools are the foundation of our society, the corner of our American way of life and we must do all that is necessary to see that public schools always provide the best for the future.

The Cool and the Uncool

Someone once asked me the definition of cool. I said my definition of cool is some who is not affected.
What I mean by that is in America, we often follow the crowd and pay little attention to our own path. Trends lead the nation and many people follow them because they think they are cool.
When I lived in Washington DC in the 1980s Reggae was all the rage. I knew people who spent every night at the Saba Club on Connecticut Avenue. Many of these people bought all of the albums and even went so far as to grow dreadlocks. Most of these people failed the cool test and passed the affected test.
What are these tests you might ask? I will start with the affected test. Upon questioning these people about Reggae and It's roots most of them knew nothing about it. The only person who actually knew Reggae's roots and spiritual meaning was M.L. Johnson, she was from Omaha, Nebraska but she had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica and had developed a fondness for the music and culture of the island. M.L. failed the affected test but she passed the cool test . She marched to her own drummer and did not care who knew it. The rest passed the affected test.
You pass the affected test if you a. follow the crowd and b. have no idea of what direction that you are going in . The cool lead the way. Do you think Charlie Parker cared what other people thought about his sound. Someone asked him once why did he play anchors aweigh right in the middle of one of his pieces. He said with a straight face "you did'nt see the sailor come into the room. Do you think Andy Warhol cared that some of the critics did not like his conception of Marilyn Monroe. No. He said art is anything you can get away with. The cool set the trends and the uncool follow.
I come in contact we both types during the course of a day and realized that the world needs both and one can help the other learn and love this great world that we live in. So be uncool or cool but be something.