Manns Medium

Growing up in the Deep South, all I heard from black people was, you can’t do this or you can’t do that because “the man” won’t let you.   I had always wondered who this “man” was and when someone finally had the nerve to tell me they said it was the “white man”.   I used to walk around thinking that every white man had the decision on who I was and who I would be, that was before I began to read my Bible. My Bible taught me that the only person in complete control of me was God and he was a spirit not a mortal man.   My Bible told me that God entrusted me and me alone with this treasure we call a soul and I and I alone was responsible for caring for it and protecting it until that day God calls me home to review what I had done with this soul.   After that, I began to understand that only those whom I allow to control me can and those who I allow to not manipulate me couldn’t.   No mortal holds power or dominion over me unless I choose to let them.  ...

This is becoming an age old question similar to what comes first the chicken or the egg.  One would assume that it could be several factors that would make a white person pretend to be black but then one must also ask themselves why the same is true for so many others as well.  Like, why black women are so concerned with having hair like white women that they spend millions of dollars on extensions or hair care products that straighten their hair instead of embracing its curly origin.  Why many poor or middle class families attempt to keep up with the rich in having the same materialistic products, advantages and privileges.  Why we are not content with whom we are but always seeking to be who we see.  Neighbor purchase a brand new car and many in that neighborhood now feels compelled to go out and buy.  Is it a feeling that we deserve the same as others or is it more about feeling like we belong, either way, the reasoning for wishing to change who you...

There is so much wrong with this story that I truly do not know where to begin.  I say that because it does not have just one lesson that we all should take from it but several which make me even more sure that things happen for a single reason.  That is so that we, as human beings, will learn from it and make the necessary changes in our culture and our lives to not repeat them. Here are the lessons that I took from this. Police over-reach is a serious and deadly problem where police are becoming emboldened and taking the lives of people without having to face any serious consequences for making ill-advised choices.  That thin blue line that many talk about has become a huge yellow streak down the backs of those watch commanders, trainers, police captains, chiefs and politicians who were hired to serve and protect.  They all sit idly by and allow event after event to take place all over this United States hiding from the truth and running away from responsibili...

I am seriously not surprised that the GOP is all up in arms about this IRS scandal targeting conservative groups but what has surprised me is the uproar that liberals are waging against President Obama for this very same reason.  In their haste to appear law-abiding and courageous, they have forgotten or have chosen to forget about the many times this same agency as well as the CIA and FBI used to target liberal groups during the Bush Administration.  With all of the support staffs that cable news employ, you would think that a few of them would be allowed to research this topic more thoroughly before jumping in front of a camera. I so enjoyed seeing President Obama saying that he was going to wait until more truths is revealed before taking action because if he listened to both the GOP and liberal “talking heads” he would surely shoot first and ask questions later.  This is the same actions that got us into a war that we did not need to wage and now have to pay for...

For many African-Americans there is a quiet celebration going on because of the historic step the oldest and most respected group took yesterday.   The Associated Press reports in their article titled NAACP backs same-sex marriage as civil right that “the NAACP passed a resolution Saturday endorsing same-sex marriage as a civil right and opposing any efforts "to codify discrimination or hatred into the law." “The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's board voted at a leadership retreat in Miami to back a resolution supporting marriage equality, calling the position consistent with the equal protection provision of the U.S. Constitution.   "The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people," Board Chairwoman Roslyn M. Brock said in a statement. "We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law."   "Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civi...

It’s becoming increasingly clear that many are focusing too much on symbols to determine the mindset or belief system of another.   While being born and raised in the south and experiencing racism first-hand, I know for a fact that a flag does not represent who you are.   It’s time we all took a step back and take a breath. While it is true that many southern group that promote racism carries around the Confederate Flag and to people born into times as I was, seeing that flag does raise a lot of suspicions, but suspicions does not make for truth.   Many African-Americans, Hispanics and poor Whites know this first hand because it is that same suspicion that gets us followed around the stores when we go shopping.   It’s that same suspicion which causes us to lose out on a good job or an opportunity to advance our lives and the lives of our families.   We know this suspicion oh too well.   The article by Associated Press writer Jeff Barnard titled Ore. bu...