The Wheeler Family

Many black youths fall under a spell of “gangster mentality,” preventing them from becoming leaders and making a positive impact in politics, the Rev. Al Sharpton said.

The civil rights activist faulted Hollywood and the record industry for making “gangsterism” seem cool and acceptable.

It sounds as if he’s placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of high-up executives, while ignoring people like 50 Cent, who are actually making the music that glorifies the lifestyle.

“We have got to get out of this gangster mentality, acting as if gangsterism and blackness are synonymous,” Sharpton said Thursday at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Journalists.

This may make me sound racist, but a lot of times, based on what I see, gangsterism and blackness ARE synonymous. I know this isn’t always true though. And I’m really not racist.

“I think we’ve allowed a whole generation of young people to feel that if they’re focused, they’re not black enough. If they speak well and act well, they’re acting white, and there’s nothing more racist than that.”

Whoever thought to tell them that speaking well would mean they’re acting white? To me that would mean they’re educated.

The key to leadership is taking the initiative to change things, said Sharpton. He said his National Action Network is just one group willing to help young black leaders get into politics.

“Nobody broke in my house in Brooklyn and dragged me out the projects and made me a leader, I wanted to do that. Clearly, we would work with young people who want to do the work,” he said.

Lottie Shackelford, vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said during the same panel discussion that the time is ripe for getting more young black people involved.

“So many young folks are waiting to be asked, or they say they want others to move so they can gain a slot, and I say, there’s room for everybody. Let’s work together,” she said.

Sharpton, who competed in several Democratic primaries during a 2004 presidential bid, said he might run again in 2008 but will decide after this November’s elections.

The whole tone of this article seems to me to continue the portrayal of blacks as victims. Why can’t Reverend Sharpton be more like Dr. Bill Cosby? He really seems to have some solutions to the problems facing the black community. In fact, when you listen to some of the things he says, he seems to have the solutions to a lot of society’s problems, not just those faced by the black community. Here are a few points he made:

• No longer is a person embarrassed because they’re pregnant without a husband.
• No longer is a boy considered an embarrassment if he tries to run away from being the father of the unmarried child
• All this child knows is “gimme, gimme, gimme.”
• And these people are not parenting. They’re buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics.

Yes, while these problems are faced by the majority of black families, they aren’t exclusively black problems. Maybe we should ALL start listening to Bill Cosby.