The 21st Grader

Today I saw the film "The First Grader".

It was an independent film about an older Kenyan man who wanted to learn how to read.   The joy of his triumph, despite his age and any other adversity was implied to the audience long before the movie began.  He would not fail, the students and teacher would learn from him, and the country and world would embrace his fortitude.  I did not intend this to be a movie "spoiler", but again, we have been so enamored with the Hollywood "Rocky" underdog formula, we can see it from a mile away, so this summary surely is no surprise to most.

'The First Grader' Lead character of Maruge (Actor Oliver Lintondo)

As a caveat, there is the backdrop of British imperialism and brutality to the Kenyans (in concert with other indigenous Afrikans, to be fair), that defines the impetus for the Kenyan's desire to learn to read. Though not surprising, they were terrible, and I will leave those details to your individual viewing of the movie.

But surprising to me was the vivid contrast of the main character's desire to learn versus the apathy of so many of today's students.  And this story was not some ancient tale come to life by movie magic.  The story  of the Kenyan-- who's name is Maruge-- happened in 2003.  The violence he saw during the 1950's in Kenya could easily be compared to the slave conditions of America in the 1800s: separation of families, killing and torture.  That period catapulted slaves, and America, into several tumultuous decades of struggle for equality. One that includes equal access to education, thanks to the US Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954.  Up until then, education for Blacks was in various forms illegal, or separate and unequal.

Yet now, as it is by law and of common knowledge, school is free and available to every student no matter their race,creed or culture. (The quality of that education is the topic for another blog.) But in just a mere 57 years since the Supreme Court decision, school attendance, high school graduation rates, particularly among African-Americans --the survivors of this African Holocaust-- have dropped continuously and precariously.  Somehow, the drive, the desire, the awareness of the struggles to gain access to education, and the power education has to elevate and empower individuals and communities...has been lost.    

And this basic education is only the starting point for entry onto the information superhighway and the knowledge economy.  The 21st century is an age where information travels across the world in seconds, and knowledge is disguised, coveted, hidden and sold.  In a world where more information is created in a day than in any previous century, we desperately need our students to have the dogged determination of Maruge as a "First Grader", but have a passionate desire for learning and continuous education needed as a 21st century student, or a '21st Grader'.

More information concerning the film can be found at: http://www.thefirstgrader-themovie.com/

Smiley, West & Parker: On the Obama Hunt

               "Obama is a bad President.
                Black people, specifically, need to stop identifying with Obama on the basis of race, and realize    
                that his policies are ineffective for the benefit of Americans in general, and are a detriment to
                African-Americans directly."

This is the general rhetoric and conclusions that certain prominent African-Americans are touting.  The reasoning varies: Tavis Smiley and Cornel West believe Obama has merely become a puppet to the rich and powerful, the "true" power-brokers that run America.  Lobbyists, Wall Street minions and international conglomerates dictate favorable policies to the detriment of the middle and lower class.  Unfortunately, this is how the political system has devolved.  The rich have the time and resources to manipulate the system.  Politicians are on 4-year cycles and fervently need the cash and influence that these provisional supporters give. Yes, this sucks.

And then there are the Ken Blackwell's and the Star Parker's of the world.  These Black pundits note that African-Americans are a bit overdue in taking on the full responsibility of the civil liberties that thousands died for.  They also note that religious fervor and reliance on governmental programs blind African-Americans to the economic self-reliance they need to move out of poverty.  But they blindly disregard the institutional racism and invisible capital that are critical to the upward mobility necessary to achieve any longevity in the middle class.

Sure there are some that can and have navigated their way through this maze; we congratulate and honor them.  The sacrifices and fortitude to achieve these lofty levels, businessmen and women, CEOs, financiers, and yes, even a President of the United States.  And the latter is a club of one.  But the fact remains, so many others haven't risen out of the bowels of poverty.  There needs to be understanding and action items for both those wanting to get out, as well as those lost in the aftermath of the struggle for equality.

I think African-Americans have seen in Obama a light of what can be.  Yes, for many--across the world-- Obama's election opened new vistas of opportunity and the possibility of change for themselves, for African-Americans, for Americans and for the world at large.  But it also validates for many that the greatest achievement is not just to win a seat at the table, but to begin to define what meal is being served and who else gets to eat. That is not so easily done.

I do think that Smiley, West and Parker have had just enough of a taste of the power-brokers crumbs, to feel positioned to articulate how Obama has failed to right the wrongs that have been leveled (and are continuously being leveled) by some of the same people they expose.  The unfortunate fact of the matter is that there are slim pickings for qualified people of Democratic leanings, let alone people of color, particularly those who can navigate to such a level of influence without getting some dirt on their resume.  If Obama had chosen Smiley for a position, maybe the Right would have put him in the cross-hairs for the fact that he hadn't finished college.  Or maybe West would have been crucified for anti-Semitic or class warfare rhetoric.

No matter the influential power-brokers that line up to enter the Oval Office, Obama has to look at his African-American wife and two African-American daughters and know there is a lineage that they came from, and will be going back to, that they will have to reckon themselves with.  This is something no other President has had to do, or will have to do, unless pundits like these are effective in influencing Americans that there is a better job the President could be doing navigating us out of this mess, and get us to elect someone with different views into office.  President Bachmann? President Romney? President Palin?  Can you hear us now?