The Chronicle
January 17, 2019 A7
FORUM
Remembering Dr. King and
‘The Other America’
Once again on the
third Monday in January,
much of the nation will
mark the life of the late
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Countless pro
grams and events will no
doubt recall several of his
famous speeches from the
1963 March on
Washington’s “I Have A Dream” to his “I’ve Been to the
Mountaintop” delivered in Memphis during the 1968 san
itation workers’ strike.
In a life of only 39 years, Dr. King captured global
attention in his valiant, nonviolent fight for the values of
freedom, justice and equality. Preaching and fighting for
long overdue citizenship rights first promised to all in the
Declaration of Independence, he championed economic
justice - especially for blacks to have safe, decent, and
affordable housing. He also called for full participation in
the economy, and an end to financial exploitation.
Now 51 years since his assassination, his words still
strike a resonant chord. His words — written as prose but
markedly poetic—remain as timely as they are timeless.
“There are so many problems facing our nation and
our world, that one could just take off anywhere,” Dr.
King said in a speech delivered on April 14, 1967 at
Stanford University.
Entitled, “The Other America,” Dr. King began by
recapping the nation’s bounty and beauty, noting how
“America is overflowing with the milk of prosperity and
the honey of opportunity,” and how “millions of young
people grow up in the sunlight of opportunity.”
For his audience, those comments almost certainly
reflected the lifestyles of the students attending one of the
nation’s elite educational institutions.
In his inimitable Baptist cadence, Dr. King then went
on to speak of the “Other America” that was equally real
but far removed from the commonplace privilege associ
ated with Stanford.
“Little children in this other America are forced to
grow up with clouds of inferiority forming every day in
their little mental skies. As we look at this other America,
we see it as an arena of blasted hopes and shattered
dreams,” said Dr. King. “It’s more difficult today because
we are struggling for genuine equality. It’s much easier to
integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable
income and a good solid job. It’s much easier to guarantee
the right to vote than it is to guarantee the right to live in
sanitary, decent housing conditions.”
In 2019 the two Americas Dr. King wrote about still
remain. A nation once lauded for its enviable and expand
ing middle class has evolved into a nation of people who
are either growing wealthy or growing poor. In this unfor
tunate process, the nation’s envied middle class is vanish
ing.
Historically, homeownership has been a reliable meas
ure of the nation’s middle class. Late last year it stood at
64.4 percent according to the Census Bureau. Yet when
race and ethnicity are added, who owns a home today dis
closes a far different picture. White homeownership was
higher than the national average at 73.1 percent.
But blacks still suffering from the financial losses
from the now decade-old foreclosure crisis had a home-
ownership rate of 41.7 percent, lower than its pre-housing
crisis rate of 47.7 percent. Today’s black homeownership
resembles the same levels experienced at the time of the
1968 Fair Housing Act’s passage.
Latino homeownership today is higher than that of
blacks at 46.3 percent; but still lower than its earlier pre
crisis rate of 47.7 percent.
Housing also remains troubled for renters as well.
According to the National Low-Income Housing
Coalition, the nation lacks more than 7 million affordable
rental homes that affect 43.8 million families. Moreover,
11 million families pay more than half of their income on
housing and are considered severely-cost burdened.
As of January 3, over 1,100 HUD contracts with land
lords for its Section 8 rental voucher program expired. By
February, another 1,000 more contracts are expected to
expire. At press time, the stalemated federal government
shutdown continued, leaving millions of people uncertain
about their lives, or livelihoods or both. While landlords
and HUD figure out the paperwork, 1.2 million families
relying on this vital rental support program remain at risk.
Also caught in partisan bickering of a federal govern
ment shutdown are men and women - the military and
civil servants - whose service to the country is deemed so
essential that they must continue to work without knowing
when another pay check will arrive. Another 800,000 fur
loughed federal workers may be at home; but like others
affected by the shutdown, they too still need to pay their
rent or mortgage, honor their financial obligations and
take care of children as best they can.
When times are tough financially, a range of predatory
lenders seize opportunities to tempt those who are hard-
pressed for cash with interest rates on loans that would
make a bookie blush. When a loan of only a few hundred
dollars comes with interest payments that double or triple
the cash borrowed, predatory lenders are ready to exploit
those with few or no financial options.
Those who are unpaid or underemployed - those who
are working but failing to earn a salary comparable to
their education and training, student loan repayments can
take a financial backseat to housing, utilities, or other
daily living needs.
At press deadline, the federal shutdown was approach
ing the 1995 shutdown record of 21 days.
In 1967 Dr. King advised his Stanford University
audience, “Somewhere we must come to see that social
progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It
comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work
of dedicated individuals.... And so we must help them,
and we must realize that the time is always right to do
right.”
This year, may we all honor Dr. King and do our
respective efforts to make America live up to its promise
°f opportunity for all.
Hotel apologizes to African-American man
they kicked out
James B.
Ewers Jr.
Guest
Columnist
I was born into segre
gation and know the
evils of separate but
equal. However,
America has come a long
way since the days of
separate water fountains
and accommodations
simply based upon your
race.
Some would say that the current immigration problem
is simply a problem of race and ethnicity. If you look at
the history of race and racism in this country, it is hard to
give a counter point of view.
It appears that no matter how hard we try that racist
behavior by some members of our beloved community
continues to put a stain on this country. While some would
say differently, I believe the present tone in America
empowers racism. I call it RWA (racism without apology).
People of ill will commit racists acts and think nothing of
it.
Recently in Portland, Oregon, a black man was on the
receiving end of a racist act. Jermaine Massey, an African-
American male was a registered guest at the DoubleTree
by Hilton Hotel. He was in the city attending a concert by
rapper Travis Scott.
Jermaine Massey was in the hotel lobby calling his
mother. A DoubleTree security guard asked Massey to
leave the hotel property. This is after finding out that he
was a registered guest in the hotel. The incident has
prompted the hotel to fire the security guard and another
employee.
Of course, apologies have been non-stop since the
incident. Paul Peralta, general manager at the hotel, has
issued an apology. The mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler
said, “It is deeply troubling to hear about Mr. Massey’s
experience with discrimination.” And lastly, the Hilton
Hotel Corporate Offices have also issued an apology say
ing that it is not consistent with their values.
The next steps according to the hotel will be to launch
an investigation which will get to the bottom of it. Well,
in my opinion, the bottom of it is that this highly regarded
hotel hired two racist employees. This incident has some
similarities to what happened at a Starbucks last year in
Philadelphia. As with Starbucks, I wouldn’t be surprised
if the Hilton Hotel has its employees undergo diversity
training. Diversity training has its merits. It gives employ
ees a set of guidelines and principles regarding employee
behavior and customer service. Role playing and develop
ing better communication skills are components of these
training sessions. Equally as important is that they teach
you how to value and respect people that are different than
you;
Diversity training and when it occurs depends upon
the organization. We will have to wait to see what
approach the Hilton takes. However not to engage in some
level of diversity training would be a mistake. I will say to
the Hilton that the public is watching to see what you do.
While we try to convince ourselves otherwise, race
matters in the United States of America. While there may
be another view, many of these uprisings involve African
American males.
Jermaine Massey was sitting as a registered guest in a
hotel lobby. What was his crime? His blackness? Am I
being overly sensitive? Dr. Cornell West wrote a book
entitled Race Matters in 1993. It tackles an uncomfortable
topic for a lot of people and that is race. Too many of us
are wandering around in a racial wilderness.
Let’s do better. We must!
James B. Ewers Jr. Edi), is a former tennis champion
at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and played col
lege tennis at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was
all-conference for four years. He is a retired college
administrator. He can be reached at
ewers jr56@yahoo .com
New Documentary Threatens to Expose Michael
Jackson as Child Predator
BY STACY M. BROWN, NNPA NEWSWIRE CORRESPONDENT
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
First R. Kelly. Now it’s the late King of Pop.
After the scathing and gut-wrenching Lifetime
Television documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly,” shed more
light on the alleged crimes of the R&B crooner, a new
film about Michael Jackson threatens to do the same to
the late “Thriller” singer.
The Wrap reports that the 2019 Sundance Film
Festival has added a documentary that will focus on two
men: (presumably) choreographer Wade Robson and
James Safechuck, who say they were sexually abused by
Michael Jackson.
Following Jackson’s death in 2009, Robson, who has
worked with Brittney Spears, NYSNC* and others filed a
lawsuit against the “Thriller” singer’s estate claiming that
handlers of the superstar essentially helped run a child-
sex ring.
Robson claimed in a lawsuit, that was later tossed
because a California judge said he waited too late to file,
that Jackson raped him.
Safechuck, who at 7 years old was befriended by
Jackson and traveled extensively with the singer, also
sued Jackson’s estate.
While neither Robson nor Safechuck previously made
complaints, Robson testified in Jackson’s defense at the
singer’s 2005 trial which resulted in an acquittal for
Jackson who was charged with 13 counts of molesting a
teen cancer patient.
Jackson had always maintained his innocence.
However, many have argued that Jackson admittedly
settled at least three multimillion dollar claims made by
prepubescent boys and their families. A sheriff’s deputy at
his 2005 trial claimed that, when factoring in settlement
cash, attorney’s fees, private investigator costs and other
fees, Jackson spent more than $200 million to quiet abuse
allegations.
The synopsis for the Jackson documentary titled,
“Leaving Neverland,” says: “At the height of his stardom,
Michael Jackson began long-running relationships with
two boys, aged 7 and 10, and their families. Now in their
30s, they tell the story of how they were sexually abused
by Jackson, and how they came to terms with it years
later.”
The report notes that the #MeToo and #TimesUp
movements have resulted in some of Hollywood’s biggest
names being outed as predators, abusers or simply having
a history of inappropriate behavior.
The fallout from “Surviving R. Kelly” continues with
numerous celebrities joining the chorus of millions on
social media and other platforms who’ve called for
Kelly’s arrest.
A Georgia prosecutor is reportedly looking into poten
tial charges and, in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago, a dis
trict attorney has publicly called on “victims” to come
forward.
CNN reported on Wednesday, that R. Kelly’s former
manager, James Mason, has been accused of threatening
to kill the father of Jocelyn Savage, one of the women
featured in the documentary. The case was presented to a
Magistrate Judge who issued a warrant in July, citing “ter
roristic threats and acts.”
As for Jackson, the late hitmaker often publicly said
he simply enjoyed the company of children because of
their innocence. “I’d slit my wrist before I’d hurt a child,”
Jackson once said in a broadcast interview.
His defenders have always pointed out that Jackson’s
accusers were after money or fame themselves and could
not be trusted.
It was that theme that helped attorney Tom Mesereau
successfully defend Jackson in his 2005 case in
California. Mesereau famously referred to the accuser
and his family as “grifters,” looking for a handout.
No one in the Jackson camp returned messages on
Wednesday.
It should be noted that the accuser in that case has
always maintained he was molested and, despite financial
hardships, his family never attempted to sue Jackson.
The accuser went on to graduate college and get mar
ried.
Ironically, Robson who defended Jackson in 2005,
said it was only after he had gotten married and had a
child of his own that he began to come to terms with what
Jackson had done to him years earlier.
“I have never forgotten one moment of what Michael
did to me,” Robson told the Today Show in 2013. “But, I
was psychologically and emotionally completely unable
and unwilling to understand that it was sexual abuse.”