Smiley, Glaude, Haynes urge action with ‘Covenant’
The serpent of slavery was wrapped around the legs of the table on which the Declaration of Independence was penned.
– Dr. Eddie Glaude, Princeton University
It was that kind of night at Friendship-West Baptist Church Thursday, when Tavis Smiley brought is Covenant in Action Tour to Dallas. From the quote I used to start this post, some may erroneously assume that the town hall meeting was the normal finger pointing/blame game session that has too often characterized these types of event.
But like the Sankofa bird, The Covenant Movement has its feet firmly planted in the present while facing the future, but with a keen eye glancing at the past to ensure it's not forgotten. Mr. Smiley and Dr. Eddie Glaude walked the 2,000-plus attendees through some of the issues in the black community that The Covenant With Black America is designed to address.
One of the themes that Tavis opened with, and came back to throughout the night was the need for the African-American community to reformulate and redefine its concept of leadership. He made a distinction to the audience between Black Leaders and Leading Blacks, noting that some of American's leading black citizens are not leaders and are therefore not totally fulfilling their potential.
Mr. Smiley also announced two Presidential Forums that he will moderate later this year: one for each party. The first will be for the Democratic Party to be held on June 28th at Howard University in Washington D.C. The Republican Forum will be held on September 27th on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. The fourms will air on PBS with each starting at 8 pm Central Time.
As was the case during the State of Black America, Eddie Glaude asserted himself as one of the leading young thinkers in America. Glaude told the crowd that mainstream society thinks Black America is sleepwalking, and is more concerned about Anna Nicole Smith and Britney "Shears" than lies about WMD's or increasing productivity for decreasing wages. He also spoke to the younger generation, encouraging them to "construct an image of yourself in which the future must conform."
After their opening statements, Tavis took questions from the floor. He, along with Dr. Glaude, and Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III addressed the concerns that were raised for about an hour. There were many heartfelt questions and comments, but the majority of time seemed to center on the education of black youth. Everyone who came to the mike was allowed to speak, and at the end of the night Mr. Smiley and Mr. Glaude signed books for hundreds who patiently waited in line.
The folks who came out to Friendship-West left educated and energized, challenged to put the tenants of The Covenant into action. As Mr. Smiley said, Black Leaders have often failed in the area of follow-up and follow through. I thank he and Mr. Glaude for traveling across the country and holding us all responsible and accountable.
