FORUM
What you say might end up in the paper
Nigel Alston
M oil vationul
Moments
"People try to rain on your
parade, because they have no
parade of their own."
? Jeffrey Gitomer
"You better be careful what
you say, it might end up in the
paper," my wife cautions peo
ple. As usual, she is right. Inter
esting ideas, suggestions and
column material come from reg
ular day-to-day conversations
and unexpected incidents - like
the young woman seeking to
sell her used textbook.
She looked like a regular
customer as she jumped out of
the waiting car and entered the
bookstore. There was nothing
unusual about her: however, her
request was somewhat curious.
"Do you buy used textbooks."
she asked the owner.
"No we don't" he respond
ed. as the young woman's body
language registered disappoint
ment. She wanted to convert Iter
books into cash, and this stop
didn't produce any money.
"Where did you buy the
book?" the owner wanted to
know, in an attempt to assist her.
"From school." she answered,
as he suggested the obvTous:
that she take the book back to
where she purchased it.
"I did," she told him as she
walked out of the store and
jumped back into the waiting
car.
"That's some material for
you," he told me with a straight
face. That's not the first time he
has suggested an idea for a col
umn. Once, I am told, a man
came into his store and asked
for directions. Here is the key
part of the incident: He was lost.
After receiving directions, the
visitor asked the owner an unbe
lievable question: "Are you
sure?" What was he thinking?
At a cookout recently an ele
mentary teacher suggested I
write about young people wear
ing their pants down around
their "butts" displaying their
underwear for the entire world
to see. What's that about? In
some cases the pants appear to
be suspended in midair, to be
pulled up repeatedly by the
occupant, so as to keep the pants
from completely falling down.
She doesn't understand it. aiuPl
must admit. I don't either.
An embarrassing moment in
a convenience store taught an
important lesson to the daughter
of a friend of hers. She wore her
IcHAely fitted pants one time too
many. They fell down in the
store.
I listened as she described
an incident with a student who
came into her classroom with
his pants hanging off his behind,
without a belt to hold them up.
She was creative, providing a
temporary one, a rope. He did
n't like it one bit. but it served
its intended purpose. She attrib
utes this behavior, in part, to
watching too many videos on
BET.
The recognition that what is
being said - in a conversation
might end up in a column usual
ly prompts a warning to an
unsuspecting person that he
might see his words in print.
It was about that time when
this group of teachers and
friends - one. the parent of a
college freshman - sharing sto
ries about their classroom and
other life experiences, looked at
me and instructed me not to
write about this conversation. I
smiled and continued to listen
as they laughed and continued
to talk.
The parent of the college
freshman had recently taken her
daughter to school and really
missed her. She worried that her
daughter,' attending an ACC
school, could become lost in the
shuffle of so many students on
such a large campus. She was
relieved after visiting the col
lege campus with her daughter
and meeting representatives of
the school, only to return home
and tightly hug a picture of her
daughter. She had it bad. Real
Had! Her baby was gone.
Four days later she was back
on the campus, having changed
her mind about the cell phone
she didn't think her daughter
needed. It suddenly became
-important for her to reach out
and touch her daughter at any
time.
"You won't use my name,
will you?" she asked, laughing,
knowing I had enough material
for a column. I wish I could
share more. It was an interesting
conversation, but I promised I
wouldn't tell it all.
Nigel Alston is a radio talk
show host, columnist and moti
vational speaker. Visit his Web
site at www.molivationalmo
ments.com.
Georgia's Cynthia McKinney: Gone!
Ron Walters
o
Guest
Columnist
Congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney from the 4th District of
Georgia was defeated by another
black woman. Denise Majette, a
judge from her district, in a hard
fought campaign. That is the fact,
but the meaning of this fact is
important.
There were many reasons why
she lost, but the most prominent
one that has been highlighted by
the media was the influx of Jewish
financial support for her oppo
nent. So. let's get that one out of
the way. True. Denise Majette
raised about $1.1 million for her
campaign, most of which came
from sources outside of the state.
That gave her the ability to cam
paign on an even footing with
Cynthia McKinney. In contrast,
McKinney raised more than
$600,000, but one might argue
that just as in the case of Alaba
ma's Earl Hilliard, who also lost
his race' in a similar fashion, it
resulted from a combination of
factors.
McKinney really lost because
there were too many black people
in her district who sat at home,
either hiding under the kitchen
table, afraid of her bold views or
indifferent to the race because
there were two black women run
ning. They may have thought,
"What the problem?" The prob
lem is that there are differences
between the two candidates:
McKinney is bold, maybe even
too bold for someone in the South
in a black-minority district.
Majette appears to be much
milder in her personal style and
more moderate in her views.
Either that is what the voters truly
wanted, or McKinney, in Her 10
years in office, did not build a
strong base of campaign workers
who were loyal to her politics.
She also lost because of a
strong cross-over vote by Repub
licans. Apparently, someone or
some group mounted a taped mes
sage campaign to want voters that
?cross-over voting was illegal,
when it was not. This was said to
anger many Republicans who
picked up Democratic ballots and
voted against McKinney. But she
had said enough to fire up this sec
tor in any case when she raised
questions about what George
Bush knew beforehand about the
Al Quaida attack. The combina
tion of a weak Democratic base
and a strong cross-over vote by
Republicans was enough to sink
her re-election bid.
Then, something strange hap
pened. While most of the black
Atlanta civil rights and political
establishment supported McKin
ney. Andrew Young - former con
gressman, U.N. ambassador and
mayor - suddenly withdrew his
endorsement. This led McKinney
to charge Young with leaving her
out in the cold. Young explained
that his endorsement of McKin
ney in the previoqs election was
not meant for this one. But what
signal was he sending? Did he
really want her to loose? You can
bank on McKinney to revisit this
issue in the future and maybe even
in public.
?
What happened to McKinney
ha.s proven the point that often you
can bring in any number of high
profile people and ft will have lit
tle effect on the outcome of an
election-if people are truly turned
off. The McKinney campaign
drew in a significant number of
members of the Black Congres
sional Caucus who were sensitive
to the recent loss of their brother.
Earl Hilliard in Alabama, and bus
loads of other workers came in
from outside of the state and from
the Georgia Coalition of Voters,
headed by Rev. Joseph Lowery.
Election night reports from
observers on the scene also indi
cated that nearly 600 workers
from the Nation of Islam had been
mobilized and Minister Farrakhan
made a speech in the city of
Atlanta two days before the elec
tion. Why was the influence of the
black political structure of Atlanta
so lacking in this case? This loss
will call for some soul-searching
in the future and perhaps might
lead to better methods of keeping
the fast-growing black affluent
areas surrounding the city "in the
l(X)p."
Whether the loss of McKin
ney will result in a net loss to the
black community remains to be
seen. Majette has strong reasons
to be beholden to the moderate'
forces that supported her cam
paign. Nevertheless, the way in
which both Majette and Artur
Davis, Hilliard's opponent in
Alabama, won their elections
should raise serious questions for
the black community. vJrue, the
cash from the Jewish community
is a sore point that is likely to
inflame relations between blacks
and Jews. True, we are probably
past the point that holding elected
office is consistent with liberal
radical politics. And true, if you're
going to have a radical style of
politics, you had better work hard
er to build a large and loyal core of
knowledgeable voters who will
turn out in the rain, wind or snow
to support your positions.
Ron Walters is Distinguished
Leadership Scholar, director of
the African American Leadership
Institute and professor of govern
ment and politics at the Universi
ty of Maryland College Park. His
latest hook is "African American
Leadership."
U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney at a press conference two years ago.
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