Essay collection seeks cure to community ills
http://www.culturedlivingatlanta.com/
by Keith Laing, Cultured Living Atlanta Magazine
Winter 2007
The great philosopher Plato once said that the beginning is the most important part of any work. Believing it necessary to begin building upon the gains of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, television and radio personality Tavis Smiley has taken it upon himself to provide the blueprint for an African-American resurgence the likes of which would make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X proud.
In just the book’s second sentence, Smiley quotes A. Philip Randolph, saying the renowned labor leader was right when he said that without organization, African Americans will never be able to take, keep or hold onto anything.
Smiley’s plan for action comes in the form of a multi-pronged Covenant with Black America. Composed of 10 advocacy essays by black experts in fields such as health care, criminal justice, technology and economics, The Covenant with Black America aims to be a guidepost for African Americans going forward. It posits itself a discussion-starter in the vein of the talented tenth doctrine of W.E.B DuBois or the accommodation and gradualism principle of Booker T. Washington.
Simply put, Smiley and the writers whose works make up The Covenant believe Black folks cannot cure their problems until they talk about them. They approach a variety of community ills in the same straightforward manner with which Smiley deals with topics on his shows and in his seminars: Acknowledge the existing problem, then work to fix it instead of dwelling on it. What results is a hybrid of arguments blaming failures in the social structure for problems within black America and those that cite a lack of personal responsibility as their root causes.
Checklists in each chapter labeled “What Every Individual Can Do Now” and “What Every Leader and Elected Official Can Do Now” spell out clearly what Smiley and his contributors think must be done to better Bback America.
As he has said in virtually every communications vehicle available, Smiley believes that doing so is crucial. He writes in the book’s introduction “when we better black America, we make all of America better.” He adds that The Covenant with Black America is “not really about a power struggle between us and them. No, there is no ‘them,’ there is only ‘us.’ Remember ‘us?’ We the people?”
Smiley believes The Covenant with Black America will become a roadmap to success for blacks and for those trying to reach them. He writes that “The Covenant is required reading for any person, party or powerbroker who seeks to be supported politically, socially or economically by the masses of black people in the coming months and years.” But like Smiley’s provocative news programs and thoughtful seminars, it remains to be seen if those who need a blueprint for success most will even notice The Covenant’s existence. Playing devil’s advocate, with its foundation in academia and rigid structure, The Covenant could seem to some like a textbook, and who reads those if they don’t have to? Even publisher Haki Madhubuti of the Third World Press acknowledge that possibility, writing in an afterword that: “The Covenant with Black America is a workable plan only if the great majorities of Black folks read, discuss and incorporate into their lives the corrective ideas put forth.”
That notwithstanding, Smiley should be applauded for compiling The Covenant. At a time when many national black leaders are seen at best as relics of a bygone generation, Smiley has taken the initiative to step forward and tackle some of today’s biggest problems. Whether or not you agree with the proposals put forth by The Covenant with Black America, it’s clear that topics raised by it are worth discussing. After all, there’s only so much room in the closet for skeletons. Isn’t it time we cleaned house?
