Several years ago, I could remember watching The Chris Rock Show on HBO where he interviewed legendary boxing promoter Don King. The one line that has always stuck with me from that interview was when Don said, "The problem with black people is that they're too busy worrying about what's in another niggas pockets." I found that to be very profound then, and even more so today in light of a recently published article in the New York Times, about the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) titled In Black Caucus, a Fund-Raising Powerhouse.Now just by the title alone one would think this was an article singing praises of this institution. But upon reading it, it's quite obvious that that assumption couldn't be further from the truth. The piece all but made the CBC out to be a bunch of Negro crooks who robbed Fort Knox of all of its gold. At least that's what I thought of it, and sadly a few of my melanin afflicted cousins agree, or are of that very same opinion. I guess the caveat of the impending black rage came from this information in the New York Times piece:
In 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation spent more on the caterer for its signature legislative dinner and conference — nearly $700,000 for an event one organizer called “Hollywood on the Potomac” — than it gave out in scholarships, federal tax records show.Yep, I've been hearing the talk about the CBC being a bunch of greedy Negroes who walk around lining their pockets for the last day or so. Sure, I could understand the rage especially when all you focus on is that tiny piece of information. But when you over look the fact, as the piece states, that from 2004 to 2008, the CBC raised a total of $55 million via corporate and union donations. Of which all but $1 million was funneled into non-profit organizations that are setup to assist African Americans. I guess I can see how some folks can be upset, and exert what I'd like to call myopic lunacy.
Yep, so now the talk is of those "House Negroes" abusing their privilege at the expense of their black constituents who sent them to Washington DC. My man Field Negro wrote a pretty scathing post, When black is not beautiful, indicting the CBC which lead to a pretty interesting flow of commentary. Commentary ranging from "off with their heads," to "vote them out of office." For me, I see those reactionary positions as political naïveté. Especially when the average winning Congressional race in 2008 cost about $8 million dollars. I mean, where do you really think that money is coming from? Surely not from church bake sales.
The real question as I see it centers around the sudden negative attention and the CBC. Maybe it's just me, but, isn't it quite suspicious that the CBC is now getting this negative press, after challenging a key House committee vote back in December? By banding together and threatening to abandon support for a banking regulation bill, they were able to gain $6 billion added to key legislation designed to assist African Americans. So yeah, could this be the backlash for doing so? If so it doesn't surprise me, especially the way black people are reacting to this as the true and tried divide and conquer tactic is employed once again.
Let's be honest, have they done anything illegal to warrant negative criticisms? So what they spent in one year more on catering for their posh shindigs than scholarships for African American students. To me that fact is diminutive when you consider that they have been as generous as they have with cash for non-profits that directly assist black folks. And I don't know if you know this or not, but non-profits who are a lifeline to the most needy among us in this economic downturn, are struggling to stay afloat.
But I guess Don King was right with his quote; maybe all the negative talk from black folks comes from the fact that we're always concerned about what's in the next niggas pocket. Maybe the truth is, as we do just that, the real concern is that none of that money isn't in our pockets instead of that of the CBC. But then again, could it be that all the talk from the Negro kind among us against the only group on Capitol Hill known to lobby the concerns of black people, just so happens to be the direct result of a well designed plan?
Remember the movie Malcolm X? Could these Negroes among us expressing their discontent be the equivalent of the operatives screaming, "Get yo hand out my pocket!" You know, that distraction planted by "the man". Of course all of my cousins aren't plants by some government agency. However, in their reactionary faux rage they sure are acting the part very well. So well, that people overlook the good that the CBC has done recently to the benefit of African Americans.
So yeah, let's all collectively say f*ck the CBC for doing what all politicians and caucuses do on Capitol Hill. I mean how dare a bunch of Negroes strategically and effectively raise that type of money to affect change, right? Speaking of change and fund-raising, check this out:
