Because there has been so much going on in the past week socially, politically and personally, I didn't realize National Voter Registration Day was today until I watched this morning's broadcast of TV One's NewsOne Now. (BTW, thank God for Roland Martin because I wouldn't know a significant amount of the information I do without his platform.) Having this information on the heels of last night's first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton heightened the urgency of this particular post. I have read and seen the grumblings from many folks within the Black community who are so disappointed in and suspicious of American politics and government that they are threatening to remove themselves from one of the most important aspects of the political process: voting. Now while the Electoral College has been constitutionally selecting the "leader of the Free World" since President George Washington, Kathleen McCleary gave this breakdown in an April 21 article for Parade: "When you cast your vote for president this November, you're not voting for the candidate on the ballot, you're voting for which group of electors from your state--Republican, Democrat or some third party--get to vote for president." While I know that does nothing for the skeptics, perhaps this two-part series outlining the six reasons why the Black vote absolutely matters in the most critical election in our country's history will be more convincing. Specifically, the first three reasons in Part 1 all deal with America's shameful legacy of voter suppression and disenfranchisement...
As a child, September 28th meant something different. It meant dinner at Red Lobster back when the cheddar bay biscuits weren't the best thing on the menu. It meant I could go right around the corner, hit up Toys "R" Us I didn't have to wait until Christmas to get those two Decepticon planes that combined to make one big plane. (I Googled the heck outta that and I still don't know the names of either plane.) It meant I had an excuse to eat a slice of cake every day for the rest of the week. As an adult, I care less about presents and more about presence. If I invite someone to a party or gathering, then I won't ridicule them for walking through the door empty handed as long as they come with a full heart of love and the readiness for whatever. My birthday might be my personal holiday, but as y'all will see in a very special edition of the "Rave & Favorite Five" to help bring in 37 in a different way, one of the greatest days in human civilization is only as great as the fantastic times with family, friends and loved ones. So cue the Black folks version of "Happy Birthday", pour a few shots and walk with me down memory lane...
At one point, I know y'all probably thought this series should be renamed "The WMATA Chronicles" because of my 31-years-and-counting obsession with D.C. Metro. However, as much children's programming as I've been exposed to over the past two years, maybe I should consider rebranding this "Memoirs of a Pitiful Big Kid". So remember my edition of "RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS!!!" when my crazy brain connected Ramone aka Mr. "I Do What I Can" from PBS Kids' Peg + Cat to Project Pat's "Out There Part 2" skit from his Mista Don't Play - Everythangs Workin album? Welp, the ignorance has resurfaced once again. One morning when I was getting ready for work, PBS Kids' "Where in the World Is Hooper?" came on in between shows. After Hooper the Hamster gave all of his clues per the usual, asked the kids "can you guess where I am" and then said "you guessed it", you probably can deduce which popular "trap" song of the past two years came to mind..."B---h u guessed it...HWAH...u was right." So it's official: I can't watch PBS Kids without thinking about Project Pat, OG Maco and other ratchet rap songs. I mean, Hooper does moonlight as a fake-me-out DJ if that means anything at all regarding the connection in my mind between him and rap. (BTW, saying the words "fake-me-out" gave me an idea for a future random thought, but I digress.) Let's get on with the rest of this mess...
Frankly, this week's intro to "Views from the Nosebleeds" was going to be a potential snoozer about the NFL's slight decline in ratings. However, when I saw this picture of Rashad Ross, DeSean Jackson, Niles Paul (one of five team captains) and Greg Toler with their fist raised during the National Anthem before their NFC East matchup with the Giants, I strongly considered becoming a fan of Washington's NFL team again. In a September 25 Washington Post article, head coach Jay Gruden's "haven't had that issue here" comments were reiterated along with this emphasis on the team's connection to the military: "[The team has] a ton of respect for what goes on for our country with those people. And for three minutes, for us to take our helmet off and stand up and give respect is how we treat it here with the Redskins." On the flip side, Ross insisted, "It's nothing against the National Anthem. It never was against it. It's about all these killings that's going on that aren't right." Jackson, who Ross acknowledged as spearheading the move, said this after the game:
We felt like there's a lot going on out there in our country now. We feel like we have an opportunity to be seen and be heard. We just want to support our people in a time of crisis like this where you have a lot of tragic situations, a lot of people losing their family members due to senseless killings by these police officers and things like that. We just wanted to make a stand, and I think just really putting our fists up and supporting our culture is something important.
Although this is what the NFL's most disliked player in Colin Kaepernick has been trying to communicate to the rest of America for over a month now, I am proud to see more and more brothers--who comprise nearly 69 percent of the NFL's player population--echoing the pertinence of his sentiment and standing in solidarity. I am more elated to see someone like Jackson--one of the team's most prominent players who once caught flack for his association with gang members back in his hometown of Los Angeles as a member of the Eagles--be a leader and effectively use his platform to help raise awareness of this social epidemic. I hope they keep it going and contribute in other ways like Kaepernick, but this is a fantastic beginning from a small but passionate fraction of the home team. Now that's how you introduce a spirited Week 3 in the NFL and the first two topics continue the trend...
