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Troy I don't know how quickly vets can get a Passport, I know for us civilians it can take a while after applying. And you never know what type of emergency may jump off where you might have to book up out of here immediately. Especially if Trump is President talking about building walls around the country to keep people out........or will it really be to keep people in? Mine has really come in handy in more ways than I could imagine. I got my Passport originally so that I could go to Europe but now it helps me get into Canada. When I first started going to Canada at 17 all you needed was ID to prove your citizenship. Then after 9/11 they started demanding you bring your birth certificate to cross over. Now you need either a Passport or "Enhanced ID" just to get across the river.....AND GET BACK! Border security will harass you even if they know you're an American, especially Blacks and Arabs. I'll also co-sign on your point about how traveling abroad tends to change one's perspective and offers you someting to compare the United States to. Much of my dissatisfaction with how things are managed here actually COMES from my having been to Europe and my frequent trips to Canada which showed me there were better more effecient ways of doing things. I went to Europe and every day I interacted with Black people who could speak 3 or 4 different languages, MOST had academic degrees and professional jobs or their own businesses, and most had clear criminal records and were on friendly terms with the local police. That let me know that there must be something wrong with the SYSTEM Blacks find themselves in here in America more so than a problem with Black people themselves. If being Black in and of itself was the problem (as racists and most conservatives would have you believe) then you would find the same social dysfunction among Black people in other Western nations....but you don't. I was in Belgium and was suprised to find the Congolese population there own atleast 2 television stations and have their own districts . They are members of parliament and hold other offices of authority. I didn't know ANY of this until I actually traveled 6,000 miles and saw it for myself. You don't hear about this on U.S. television. Haitians also have a lot of power in Montreal Canada. 　 I think BOTH of you are remarkable btw... Aside from health, imparting knowledge is one of the greatest gives one human could give another so anytime Black men are willing to join the TEACHING profession and impart knowledge to the youth from a perspective only a Black man could give....that deserves applause and admiration. Just like I personally believe Black police officers are BEST qualified (not that others can't) to handle other Black people in a proper manner because we tend to KNOW eachother and can tell the decent from the not so decent better than those outside of our community can.... It's the same when it comes to teaching. There are certain things about Black males that only other older Black males who have been through what they've been through already can teach them...and in the WAY they need to be taught. CD Your story reminds me of one of my friends growing up who used to carry all types of guns and dope to school. He used to come to class just to sleep and then wake up bragging about what he saw at the dope house last night...lol. He wasn't necessarily hard...just criminal minded. People thought he would be dead or in jail before even graduating. But he was good at hooping and the coach helped him graduate. 10 years later I saw the brother in line at the bank in a suit, overcoat, and briefcase looking like Denzel Washington. That negro fucked around and got a Doctorate and ended up PRINCIPLE of one of the local Middle Schools! When he told me this, knowing him, I said he HAD to be lying so a few weeks later I decided to go to the school and ask around and before I could park I saw him outside the school in a different suit and a stack of papers in his hand giving little kids high-fives and bumping fists with parents as they came to pick up their children. I was glowing the rest of the day after witnessing that. It just goes to show, you never know where life will take you....if you keep on living.

Well, few things work without a solid plan to implement them, big or small. If you recall..... One of my first posts in this thread offered a defense for Obama in that with all of the complaining so many of our people have about his performance....most haven't put forth the slightest effort to raise up off their ass and ORGANIZE an agenda for him. One of the problems with our people whether it comes to national politics or local grassroots activism is that many of them don't like THINKING. Too busy posting x-rated pictures on Facebook and Instagram to waste time on an agenda to offer the first Black President that may have gotten them more jobs and better education for their children. Like you said, I've found that the biggest difference I can make is at the local and county levels and thats where most of my focus was until the situation arose up in Flint which is another region. I've come to the conclusion that whether it comes to installing politicals allies, grass roots social activism, or hard work as a means of achieving Black success; It's not a matter of either or....it's all of thee above. Simultaneously! It's a constant dance of organizing to set an agenda, finding the right people to impliment it on the city, state, and federal levels, and once they push the agenda and get it through it's up to US to take advantage of the newfound opportunities and make them work (whether it's entrance into a university, access to government contracts to build, or business venture), and turn around and use the wealth and capital we've acquired to push for MORE political influence to do the same thing over and over again increasing our success and influence. It shouldn't stop....once we get the momentum going it should increase. One of the biggest problems with our people is they are too easily "satisfied". After all the yelling, and marching and stomping and fighting to get in the damn place...as soon as they get their foot in the door they stop moving, get complacent, get happy just to sit down on the couch and watch television in the lobby.....who cares what's going on in the boardroom. We have to learn how to take advantage of the momentum that we work so hard to generate.

CD Lol.....well daaaang-ee, now I wanna move to Memphis! You know what bro, I have to step back and say you're right I don't live down there so I'm in no position to tell you what's going on in your own city. I can only speak from MY experience just like you've been speaking from yours. I will say that I've live in almost every region of this nation (North, Midwest, WestCoast, South, ect....) so I feel I have a pretty good grasp of what's going on around the nation, but still....you know your city better than I do. As it has been pointed out by yourself and Cynique, we don't necessarity disagree...we just see two different paths to get to the same destination of Black economic and social success. ..and BOTH paths are needed. Everyone is different and they must find their own success by methods that work for THEM, not the next man. By the way, I'm not the political rabble-rouser you may think I am. I'm definatly more grassroots and only dabble in politics when necessary to accomplish goals that CAN'T (or shouldn't) be handled on a grassroots level. I cuss too much and ain't considered "cute" enough to be a professional politician...lol. It's just that some things CAN'T be handled on an individual or grassroots collective level no matter how sincere the effort, and MUST be addressed by a government entity. For example a couple years back my community had a problem with a surge in homeless people resulting from the '08 realestate crash that hit Detroit especially hard. I don't live in Detroit, I live in one of it's major satelite cities. But back then there were no homeless shelters here, and to complicate things there were a lot of churches and feeding programs that attracted hundreds of homeless people. Also, Detroit was so dangerous that living on the actual streets here was more appealing to many homeless men and women and their families than staying at one of Detroit's shelters. So as hundreds of homeless started fleeing the city, many came with drug and mental health problems and started harassing the residents, committing petty crimes and that escalated to cats overdosing on the street, wandering around and some were hit by cars, others froze to death...and some even got killed by police. Me and other Black residents saw this and didn't like how the city was handling this situation so but there is only so much we as private citizens could do so we had to organize, come up with an AGENDA (as I said before concerning Obama) and take it to the city and county governments and after months of squabbling we eventually FORCED them to take action and renovate a vacant building for shelter and provide enough drug and mental health counselors to meet the demands of the people. We NEEDED government for that...we didn't have the resources to do it by ourselves. The purpose of a GOVERNMENT isn't just to take your money in taxes and give it away. It's to protect and help you.....especially when you can't help yourself. You can take the, "Fuck you I don't need your help I can help myself just fine thank you"...attitude. But do you think you will be young and healthy forever? Again, no man is an island. Most of our successes aren't due to our own efforts alone, there is always someone else involved in assisting you whether you're aware of it or not even if they laid the grounwork for YOUR efforts. The success all Black men and women....hell most of the success LATINOS AND ASIANS AND ARABS. enjoy today isn't because of how hard they worked. Hell, Arabs and Chinese were working HARD in Iraq and China and other nations....but all that hard work was useless because they were toiling under a repressive government that stifled their success. It wasn't until they came to AMERICA where Blacks had earlier paved the way for ALL RACES to enjoy a piece of the pie, did all of these foreigners start seeing the full fruits of their labors. You can focus on owning a business and sending your children to the best schools to get an education instead of complaining about racism holding you back. But you can only do that because others fought to make racism less of an issue for you to focus on. Every man who decides to pull himself up by his bootstraps should thank those who struggled to pay for his boots. BTW, get yourself a passport bro.... I keep mine updated, you never know when you might have to book up out of this mug. P.S....you BETTER get it before Trump is sworn into office...lol.

I think Pioneer just nailed the entire discussion. Troy I think you are not clear on what I'm discussing. My goal is not to get people to move to Memphis, my goal is to ask you with your facts and data why is it that a city with the infrastructure and political influence of Blacks in almost every major area why is Memphis failing to sway crime and why do we have the low education rates? Why is it that Memphis has everything that you seem to shoot for in establishing if there was more Black leadership or political influence, why is it Memphis is struggling. Once again the fallback answer will be history and once again I repeat I get that history has had an effect, but why are the kids here choosing to kill each other when they could all earn a living wage (yes I said all) at the multitude of warehouses and distribution centers in Memphis? The majority which offer tuition reimbursement. Memphis is the perfect model for establishing how a city can prosper under Black political influence, but because of the previous years of racism and laws it simply can't overcome the past. This is why I keep coming back to the need for the parents and immediate circle to build. This is why Pioneer's last post is so powerful. He states it perfectly, there has to be an effort at every level in the Black community. You overlooked again where I said there were crappy teachers. Stop overlooking that. My personal experience is the exact same experience as your data I simply haven't take the time to write a book on the three distinct locations I've taught in that shows how the kids overcome the worst of circumstances when the teachers and parents work together. Please stop acting as if I said there aren't crappy teachers. I said based on percentages there are more good teachers than bad, and there are more good students than bad. If there weren't all Blacks would be in prison or dead and that just isn't the case. Your doom and gloom is almost as bad as the nihilism that prevents our people from seeking a way out when there is something they can try to latch on to. Now to your points, my passport thing as you explain it is a great point. I may get a chance to speak and will need one, but remember I've spent time in more places in the world than most while in the Navy on West Pac cruises so my experience is extremely diverse. My decision to see more of this country is one that I'm doing now, but the fact is these opportunities are difficult when your kids are 14 and 8. I would assume a lot of your travel was as your kids became old enough or your extended family was capable of taking care of your kids. The reason I bring up why people aren't looking at passports and why that's a poor barometer is you've said continuously the opportunities aren't there for them so why would they spend time on a passport? More important some kids aren't even aware of what is available in their own cities. I know Black people in Memphis that have never been to any of the restaurants here that are locally owned. They only go to chains. I knew people in San Diego who lived in Southeast and had never been to the beach! Like you said, they are struggling. I was speaking with my son last night (14) and I told him that when a person lives in the hood, that's all there is. If they don't have a car, they can't get a job. If they don't have food near them, they can't eat healthy. If they can't eat they can't perform well at school. They are absolutely stuck. I get that the government should do something and be held accountable, what I've been saying this whole time is that I just don't see it happening, so now what? My solution is basic, touch the immediate circle. Your solution is to change the media. Pioneer's solution is to attack the system at every level through activism. Every one of these solutions are viable and important. I keep saying this. I'm only introducing Memphis as a city where everything is in place at the political level and with Black media outlets, but in Memphis as in every city where there is a majority Black population (using your words back there) Blacks are not doing as well as other groups. I chalk this up to my position that we are not focused enough on our immediate circles. Parents are not invested in their kids. Kids are not invested in their schools. Teachers are hindered from doing "everything" they can to build stronger people, but ultimately it's the lack of investment in the kids by the parents which is at the root of our shortcomings. For this reason I spend as much time as I can uplifting and trying to change what I can touch. This is my logic. I'm not asking that it become yours. I am asking that in your discussions you use the data that discusses the success of kids who have parental involvement. Racism and Society are factors, but Parental Involvement is a very strong tool in battling the issues in our community. It is the only one that can work no matter the income level or government involvement. Oh, Nixon... read it, heard about it, how is this any different than the previous 400 years? This has always been done. The difference is in the last 40 years Blacks have placed the attainment of things over their children at every income level in the Black community things are more important than kids.

Chris listen to Pioneer and get a passport. Last month I was invited to speak in Jamaica, with just three weeks notice without a passport I would have missed that opportunity and the great experiences that came from it. Traveling abroad really changes one's perspective about this country, the people our policies and our culture. Sure there are many great things about this country (I've been to every major city in the country, every state in the union, and many of the world's major cities), but the American experience means more when you have something to compare it to. I still assert that you are indeed remarkable Chris. Most people do not behave the way you do. The biggest difference between your way of looking at things and mine is that you rely more heavily on personal experience. While personal experiences provide a framework for viewing the world it is a biased reflection of the world. You cite examples from your own experience as if others are as remarkable as you and have both the ability and desire to do the same things you have. Naturaly, personal experiences color my world view too, but I seem to weight data more heavily. Sure, one can spin or cherry pick data to tell stories. I use data to support or disprove my beliefs. For example, while you say, based upon your personal experience, that there are great, caring teachers. Keep in mind I'm an educator too. I teach both at one of the better schools in the City University of New York, Baruch College. I also teach adults trying to get their High School Equivalency. I've also taught young people as well. Besides that i have two Masters degrees and have been married to a teacher for 25 years. So I know there are great teachers out there. I also know, based upon my experience, that great teachers are often constrained by inept administrators. I also know there are piss poor teachers too. You were apparently fortunate enough not to encounter these poor teachers. But I assure you, despite your, experience they exist. Again I also look at the data. What are the outcomes? How does America perform against other countries? We know, against other industrialized nations, the US performs poorly. For the most economically disadvantaged youth (ofen us) the situation is even worse. Why? While you have convinced Pioneer to move to Memphis I'm not so sure; the education outcomes as reported by the state show that in most subjects, more than half the students are not proficient. As mentioned Memphis ranks near the top of violent crime and murder, and leads the nation in poverty. Memphis also has one of the nation's highest Black populations. Interestingly, if you look at the cities with the highest Black populations you will find a high correlation between; low educational achievement, high poverty rates poverty, and high levels of crime. But racism has nothing to do with this right? (that is a question for you) If you are smart enough and have the time you can homeschool your children and if you have the money you can send them to private school. Of course if you are rich and smart the U.S. provides the best education in the world--even if you are Black. But if you are of average intelligence, poor, and Black your options are pretty bleak. So while you are and I may be exceptions Chris we are by no stretch of the imagination the rule. But I'll take it a step further. If you are poor and Black you can do all of the right things and still end up in jail, poor, or both. I assert this is a direct result of racism. Have you read about how Nixon targeted Black people in his war on drugs. Do you know how many generations of Black people nixon destroyed?

I agree with pretty much everything you've written there. The passport I'm in no rush since I'm a disabled vet and getting a passport for me and my family isn't that hard at all. My philosophy on pulling yourself up is really based on my sense of community and is exactly what you are explaining that was done. Your organization and action led to a change in the system, but the system won't respond if the people don't pull together. When we talk about what can be done, this is why I stress the self sufficiency route. It is the natural precursor to gaining access to that position where you can no longer be ignored. I agree that all accomplishments stem from the past actions and the groundwork that is laid by the previous generation which is why I came off so frustrated with Troy's suggestion that the small movements burn out without a cosign and dry up. The small movements are the only route to change because we all can contribute. My only problem with expecting the president or federal government to do anything is that it just doesn't happen that often, but on the local level you see change happen all of the time. Oh I didn't even share a link of the Memphis city council: http://www.memphistn.gov/Government/CityCouncil/CouncilMembers.aspx

Ofcourse Blacks were coming here since before Columbus. It was the Blacks (Moors) who showed the Spanish how to get here in the first place, lol. Infact, one of Columbus's ships (The Nina or Nino) was named after the Black man who sailed with him and helped him get here and back....Pedro Nino