Just so you know, it took me 40 years on this earth to realize that black people are viewed as nothing more than labor. Not even the kind of ‘labor’ that deserves equal pay or teatment … but labor nonetheless. Applying for and getting jobs after Highschool was successful through temp agencies (like Manpower, for example). That was back when the Reagan recession was going on. What I noticed EVEN back then was how non-whites all worked in admin (desk jobs) in one capacity or another. Blacks and a few other minorities could get nothing but the low wage labor work. EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES EITHER FELL INTO ONE CATEGORY OR ANOTHER FOR BLACK FOLKS (in the 80’s and the early 90’s). They either staffed their company clients’ front of the office with white employees, and staffed the warehouse with their black applicants … OR … temp agencies back then would take it upon themselves to tell us blacks (and other non-whites) that the only positions open were in warehousing (but I’d have the newspaper want ads in hand reading differently). It was a horrible point-in-time for me personally. I was raised under the Martin Luther King doctrine, so, it was confusing for me to not be liked by whites for “no reason at all”. I didn’t understand it then, and I don’t now (20 years later). White boys were treated so differently in society back then. Even the ones that were inbred dumb-asses got better opportunity offers than clean-cut Black boys. Back then, older blacks would say in passing … “well, atleast you’ve got a job”, or, “keep your head up”. When I heard it, I’d get so upset b/c some of the guys that I played sports with at the Highschool were as well co-applicants … who became co-workers. I’d get upset at everybody that gave me the “atleast you’ve got a job” bullsmack. The guys that I mentioned from the Highschool were non-blacks (by the way). None of them worked on the assembly line where I was. Afterwards, I found out that they’d gotten on the job benefits and everything (medical, dental, vision, etc.) … Then, I really didn’t understand what job benefits were, or how important they should’ve been to me (NOTE: I can’t blame ANYONE for my ignorance to job benefits back then (but myself), I was a teen trying to find a career path). All I knew then was, there was a difference in the degrees of how I was reguarded by mgmt as opposed to non-blacks (like my friends from school that worked there). I was never treated with DISrespect, NONE of the blacks were (to my knowledge) … the treatment was just never “EQUAL”. That’s where the disconnection was born b/t whites and blacks in the work environment. Corporate and “non”. It wasn’t blatant racism then. I think the 1970’s and “affirmative action” changed the face of blatant racism. Racism still exists in the form of CYNICISM (SIC?). I don’t think much has changed since I was a kid.

The corporate mentality then was, “ALL WHITE is ALL RIGHT”, when it came to admin job positions … and in many cases it is the same today (I’ll touch on it later). As I got older and started really depending on my jobs for complete support, I started seeing so much discrepancy in the workplace as it related to the treatment of employees. The discrepancy was b/t the white employees and the non-white employees. As long as you were not a black person … you’d go far in many of the companies that I worked for. I’m not going to bore you any longer with my past work experiences, let’s fast forward to the present … 2009. I’ll mainly focus on what I’ve seen personally and recently in the workplace. I never even thought about how my experiences affected me until the CNN Special series “Black In America”. What I have experienced was a complete “system of exclusion”, being passed over for job promotions, training co-workers who ultimately became my bosses, this list goes on … nothing has really changed from the 1980’s until now. There has been a lot of legislature enacted in re: to “rasicm” and the stopping of preferential treatment of employees in the workplace. It’s only effective against BLATANT RACISM. Nonetheless, past and present legislation is not doing a thing to curve the childish squabbles, over-burdensome pettiness, “under the fingernail”/behind-the-back naysaying , back-biting antics, credit-stealing words, and phony-charactered phrases that blacks are forced to deal with in the workplace. “FORCED TO DEAL WITH IT” is the operative b/c if you say anything to anybody about how they affect you on the job … you will find yourself on the ‘fast track’ (depending on your length of service … the “silent” track) to the EXIT door w/ a pink slip. Black folks that got caught in this ‘catch-22′ , say AMEN.

Now that I think about it, in 2003-2004, Starbucks Coffee Company handed me a raw ‘expletive’ deal (for a lack of more appropriate phrases). Race and color of skin was a factor. I’ll get into that scenario in another post … meantime, I’ll stick with the race issues of my most recent job … which was working for an Electric Company in Decatur, Al. … and to whom I give credit for pushing me to the point of finally posting my thoughts online.

About 2 years ago, I started working for an Electric Company in Decatur, Al. The unspoken truth (but common knowledge to blacks here) is, that the ‘Field of Electricity’ is largely a white man’s trade. It’s the same perception in South Carolina and Georgia too. I say common knowledge to blacks (in re: to Electricians) b/c one way or another blacks got (or were either) “short-cut”, “re-assigned to non-electric but labor intense work”, or “fired/laid-off” for some ambiguous rule that is construed as an employee handbook violation before they have completed apprenticeships and put in the required time (work hours) for licensing/testing. It’s against the law to be a racist in the workplace. It’s not against the law to be a cynic (did I say this already?). The company has been sued repeatedly for racism but has gotten by the charges one way or another. It’s like a “shield” that protects them from liability. That’s where the “being-a-white boy shield” protects those ‘jaded’, ’spiteful’, ‘disrespectful’, ‘negative’ good ole’ boys I guess. I’ve personally felt the pressure of working under electricians that tell me positive things (over periods of months at a time), but they’d tell the powers that be back at the office that “I’m barely hangin’ on”, and other ‘bullish’ like that … with the intention of giving the impression to those at the main office that I’m not worthy of raises or promotions that were rightfully due me. That alone is not racist, but, over prolonged periods … it becomes overbearing … and reaks of prejudice. Truth be told, non-black men (that are in the position to … ) apply overburdensome pressure to blacks on the job and blame their actions on every thing other than what it is … “undue hatred”, & “prejudice at it’s basic level”.

It seems like now-a-days, a white man that owns a company feels like he is losing ground if a black man becomes confident enough to apply for a meager shift supervisor position with that company. It’s so prevalent that white women even see it (God forbid if they say anything though). White women get blacklisted by white men too. Especially those that choose to date black men (or other non-white men). Undoubtedly, that’s another article. It’s the damnest thing I’ve ever seen. I just don’t get it. It’s hard to smile at those that want to see you fail. I DON’T KNOW HOW PRESIDENT OBAMA DOES IT SO REGULARLY. It’s a trip being a black man in this country too. I know blatant racism is nowhere near what it was in the 50’s and 60’s, but sometimes it seems closer than I realize with all the cynics that smile in my face (appearing helpful & honest) but slaughter my reputation (when my back is turned) with the ‘higher uppers’ in the company that I work for.

Blacks and long term success in Corporate America almost sounds IRONIC. Blacks and jobs (period), for that matter. It’s really no suprise to me as to why so many Blacks cling to non-corporate, non-traditional means of making a living. Finding something you can create and control, and can feed your family from, is what most Black men yearn for. It’s the History of Blacks in Business in America. Most blacks will never find comfort in corporate settings, AND WE KNOW IT. It’s cool though … we just want the ole’ boys to stop hating on black men for trying … “trying” to make something out of nothing (’hello’ design, music, and theatre industries) … “trying” to co-exist in a land that says that we’re only fit to serve and slave for a cause that originally was not our own.

Either go along with the “program” (which is worse in some parts of the country than others, b/c of race relations), or don’t go along with the “program” AND BE JOBLESS.

Honestly speaking, if the world was ending in 3 hours … the only people that would be ready for it ARE BLACK MEN. While everybody else is running around trying to save wealth (and their possessions), while at the same time losing their minds … Black men as a whole would be lining up saying something like this;

“… brother Jesus, what took you so long? We’ve been waiting on you brother. We can’t get jobs, we’ve lost families, homes, possessions, respect from our own wives, we are regarded as the scum of this civilized society. There are oppressors and their presence is felt constantly. THIS NOT WHAT WE SIGNED ON FOR LORD JESUS. We’ve been waiting O’LORD … what took you so long to come back for us Jesus?” … (REAL TRUTH YA’LL)

I’m not a religion ‘FREAK’ or nothin’, but I can tell you that I’ll be on my knees praying, crying, and filled with joy-and-happiness when Jesus returns for my spirit … I have a whole lot to tell him, and a bunch of people to ‘blow the whistle’ on … just some food for thought.

Good luck to you WOMEN in search of equality in the workplace … Black Men are truly giving up …

Here in North Alabama, traffic related issues are ‘big business’ too, except the courtrooms aren’t nearly as DIVERSE in staff OR ‘community cross-sectioned’ in social make-up (back in Atlanta, I worked highly visible in FTA court as a bailiff also … seemingly unheard of for black people in North Alabama). There is still the common belief here among non-blacks that, if “black people are in court, they must be defendants … “. I know for a fact that it’s true with the local newspaper (the Hartselle Enquirer) that when you see a black face in print, it’s because they’ve been arrested for something. Before Nov., 4th, 2008 this statement was especially true. I know so because I read it. One of my friends called me when I got featured in an article locally. My buddy called sounding all EXCITED sayin’ … “I heard you were in the paper, is everything okay?”, “Will you be at work tomorrow?”, “Do you need anything?”, … I didn’t realize how much trivia would surround the news article until it was printed … AND the article was a review about a new rap music CD that I’d recorded. Nonetheless, blacks are not known here for being in print for good deeds or happenings. Not even do old black women that knit blankets for church members get good newsprint here. From living and working in the “Ole’ Boy” system, I know “EQUAL” when I see it … blacks here still aren’t regarded as such.

Huntsville, Al. had a population of nearly 400,000 in 2008. It’s 1/3 black by population, but over 50% of the traffic tickets in Huntsville go to black people. I remember when it was >100,000 population (in the 1970’s during my childhood). It is more progressive there now, but it still has it’s small town mind-frame. Most small towns have citizens that the majority refer to as “undesirables”. Here in North Alabama, you guessed it, it’s black folks (again). I don’t work in the legal profession here. I couldn’t find a job paralegaling (I wasn’t suprised though). Even when I pass a court house now I get a funny feeling (like most blacks do in small towns).

The reason that I am ‘venting’ and going on ‘tangents’ is b/c it hit the news that Huntsville, Al. “has racial disparity in traffic ticket numbers” and local Reverend TC Johnson, pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, filed an open records request for the information. [SEE story “City has racial disparity in traffic ticket numbers”; timesdaily.com - Sat., 7/11/09] Blacks have always known it, it’s just easier for the non-blacks to act ignorant to it (as though it doesn’t happen). We live approx. 30 minutes from Huntsville, so the police think the same … or atleast they act the same here as they do in H’ville. I have some compelling stories about the police here in Hartselle, Al. (Officer Petit [being one of the many]), but, I’ll stick with the H’ville saga since it made the news.

Deputy Police Chief Mark Hudson (HPD) discussed the numbers with City council. He opened by saying, “That’s disproportionate. We’ll say that upfront”. He further says that the numbers were “the result of a crackdown to reduce traffic deaths”. Call me crazy, but don’t police always claim some kind of “crackdown” when questioned about their overzealous acts against citizens while on the job? HPD continued, “We’re not targeting people, we’re targeting areas where people die in car crashes …”.

Instead of going on and on … (follow me with this one) … there has been eight fatal crashes in 2009 (it’s July so far) … so the year is halfway over. If the number doubles, it’ll be 16 by the years’ end. 16 deaths is a lot less than the 43 in 2005, but those numbers have nothing to do with the ticket disparities in 2009. Hudson said the “department took a ‘rifle-sight’ approach, using crash data compiled by the state to select areas that needed additional traffic enforcement”. According to his numbers, 80% of all 2009 deaths occurred in the north and west precincts, which are predominantly black neighborhoods. If you do the math according to what the police reported, that means that 6.4 people (out of eight) got killed in car crashes in (black neighborhoods) so far this year out of a total population of about 400,000. It’s not coincidence that they still end up concentrating their police efforts in the black areas of town ya’ll, it’s Alabama. Nevermind the rapes, robberies, drug store thefts, high speed chases, and other hoopla that goes on daily outside of the black neighborhoods in Huntsville … These good ole’ Huntsville, Alabama cops opt to hang-out in their “AREAS OF INTEREST” (um, black neighborhoods) and tell the public (if asked) that they’re watching the neighborhood because of “deaths from car crashes” …

Now, the IRONY (and the laughter) starts when you think about who is IN black neighborhoods … A few families that are working on moving up, a bigger group of people that want to grow their families but don’t have access to resources or don’t have inside scoops on finding solid employment (non-blacks gain good paying jobs here due to that “inside scoop” [i.e. family member, friend of one’s Father]), and a bigger group of people ‘with all hope being destroyed’ due to immense poverty & joblessness …

There aren’t many cars in black neighborhoods to ‘watch’ or ‘patrol’ in Huntsville due to poverty, homelessness, low esteem, poor morale, cars being unaffordable to maintain, blacks not getting hired for work (even those that are “qualified” by standard), and a host of other factors.

Police gave the people an excuse for being “Big Brother” in the neighborhood with the everpresent “EYES” and the “handcuffs” … I hope the venting doesn’t make me sound anti-American. It just gets to me knowing that cops in 2009 still think that blacks are stupid to their malicious intentions.

Well, their actions didn’t get passed the local news source, timesdaily.com, nor did they get passed Rev. TC Johnson. I have to ‘laugh’ to keep from ‘crying’ when thinking about the police here, especially when talking about it to my wife (who’s also non-black).

I remember when my wife and I were dating. We really didn’t go out a whole lot then. We really don’t go out alot now. We’ve always talked about lots of stuff though. Especially what we’d notice in people. Sometimes peoples differences make them seem so hypocritical in hindsight (not that my wife or myself are saints or scholars or nothin’, we’re regular folks). Most people are so simple that their words directly oppose their actions. I know that NONE of my relatives are true racists. Blacks can’t be. In the big scope of things, Blacks in the South Eastern region of the United States have never owned or controlled ANYTHING that determined whether a man could “work for comfortable wages”, “own a piece of property that was viable and productive”, “build companies”, “seek loans to build businesses”, “hire or fire workers at will”, “compete in free enterprise”, or “seek protection of any of the aforementioned”. Knowing such, in the ‘big’ scope of things … I feel supported by saying that ‘Blacks can’t be true racists’.

There are Blacks that still have some ‘hatred’ (it’s largely directed at the system of “exclusion” that was put in place before most of us were born … not to go on tangents, the “system of ‘exclusion’” is a term that fits for many reasons), but the hatred isn’t that of a true racist. For real, after living 40 years, it really seems no more to me than just Blacks being ‘haters’. A true racist wouldn’t eat in a restaurant with his familys table facing yours (or some other odd extremity). Sometimes there are only ‘moral’ lines that have to be crossed for the “racist” call to be made. I’ll explain that one too, but in another writing.

Anyway, we had another family event over the 4th of July weekend. My wife and I are 5 months into a pregnancy so she opted to stay home. I went on. I saw cousins that I had not seen in years, sat with them, laughed, ate, and caught up on past times. I wished that my wife had come but I couldn’t help thinkin’ that she decided otherwise due to the presence of “IT”.

We both have friends that are in interracial relationships and we laugh at the things that we find in common with them. It is important to me to see my wife open up and be the ‘girl’ that she is around my folks as she is me. Her character is beautiful, her jokes are on point (when she has them), and her demeanor is graceful (to me anyway). It drives me “nutz” when we’re together at my family functions and my wife acts/seems made to ‘look’ or ‘feel’ out of place or alone. It’s like she’s a statue of some sort that’s not to be ‘touched’ or ‘talked to’ … AND if I say something to family members in the attempt to spark conversation and association b/t my wife and other female family members … it could spell disaster. I don’t want family to think that I’m accusing them of being anti-social, and I don’t need my wife feeling that I think she’s the anti-social one.

I am smart enough to know that there are “looks” and “vibes” that people can give off that are not inviting, warming, or friendly … and when questioned on their demeanor at instance … they respond as though you’ve just offended them. I have family members like that too (now that I think about it).

I really don’t believe that there are racists in my family. There are people that really don’t understand people in my family though. I know that now. My wife’s family a little different … her mom was a ‘bridge’ for me to cross. She stated openly that she doubted we’d last 2 years. So much for that statement. I think it came from her not knowing her daughter and I had complimenting characters. When I’m with my wifes’ side, I really don’t feel the dividing “spirit” that seemingly keeps my wife seperate from other women in my family. I love my Mama’s family. That’s who I remember from childhood. I love, need, and want my wife though … we’re making a family to be remembered for generations to come too. Maybe that’s the only way to get rid of that everpresent, uneasy, discomforting, feeling of being ‘tolerated’ by others, better explained by simply being called “the presence of IT” …