Monthly Archives: January 2012

Dear Flint…

27 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in Flint

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

, ,

(A Citizens View on the State of Our City)

January 27, 2012

City of Flint residents, et al:

Let me begin by extending my condolences to the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, and relatives of all of the unfortunate homicide victims this year, and in years past.  My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Also let me state that, no, I am not the mayor of the City of Flint.  I am simply a resident that loves his community.  When asked why I haven’t left this area to pursue employment and opportunities elsewhere, my answer is simple: I am in Flint because Flint is in me!

If you’ve ever watched television, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper, I am sure you are familiar with the state of our City.

FBI statistics report that Flint has a violent crime rate that has been in the top five among U.S. cities for years 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010; witnessing record number homicides in recent years.

Though small in comparison to major cities, Flint isn’t exempt from large scale issues that face our nation; issues in the areas of unemployment, incarceration, infant mortality, poverty, etc.  As a matter of fact, we’ve been dealing with them for some time now.  As a community, we are in need of many things.  On the top of that list, however, is hope.

During this appeal, my aim is not to disrespect or minimize the efforts of any public official – or any citizen for that matter.  My charge is simple: To reinforce hope.  Criticism, finger pointing, and blaming may have its place, but it is time-out for that.  The “blame game” approach is no different from riding a treadmill.  It gets us nowhere, fast!

With hope, we must stand together as a community.  Mary McLeod Bethune, a great educator, always used her hands to illustrate this point.

If I take a finger and touch you, you may feel it.If I use two, you will know you have been tapped. But if I bring together all of the fingers into a fist, I can strike a mighty blow.

As a community, we need to strike a mighty blow to all of the ills that face us.

This mighty blow is not a violent one at each other.  To prosper as a community, we must join together recognizing all the ways we need each other.  All of us!

Blacks and Whites;

Public Schools and Charter Schools;

City Government and County Government;

Corporate Sector and Community Based Organizations;

Faithful Christians, Muslims, and those who are not yet saved;

All of us are essential parts in the body of this City.

Staying connected to one another builds strength, enhances power, and reminds us that it is not good enough, for just some of us to be okay.  The vitality of our city depends on it.  It depends on hope.  It depends on us.  And we, believe it or not, depend on each other.  Working together isn’t something that is nice.  It’s necessary.

We can do this, together.  I don’t think it is farfetched for us to have hope, and look toward the promise land.

On April 3, 1968, during what was his very last speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told us, “I may not get there with you.”

He said that he had been to the mountain, and had looked over to see the promise land.  I can only imagine what Dr. King was seeing in this promise land.  I would imagine it was a land where there was racial, economic, and social justice for everyone.  Be it downtown Flint, or the North End.

Yes, I believe Flint, Michigan was a part of the promise land that Dr. King spoke of.

A land where the content of character truly meant something;

A land where we no longer had to fight for our rights and our lives at the same time;

Maybe it was a land where entertainment would not supersede education;

If you are into sports, maybe it was a land that had a level playing field for all; realizing that not everyone is born on third base.  Yes, some of us are born outside the stadium.

Flint! We are faced with the imperative task of coming together, persevering, and having hope.  Why?  Because if we fail, others fail also!  Starting with the African American male.  We must do what we can to save the African American males in our community.  If the black male fails, Flint fails.  If Flint fails, Genesee County fails.  And furthermore, if Genesee County fails, the State of Michigan is also at risk.

I know times are hard, but we have made some significant gains as a City, despite what the headlines may say.

We are a community that is known for hard work and innovation.  The automotive giant, which serves as the engine of our country, was born here on this soil.  Along with a public school system that attracted educators from all over the world to study our model.

As we come together, there are even more significant roles that we can play in the walls history.  Some contest that our city is on its knees.  I believe that with hope, we have the strength to get up.

Times of crises call for bold leadership.  Therefore, I offer this to you.  No one is better at leading you, than yourself.  This means that leadership is no longer only reserved for those who hold public office, or are in senior management positions.  It is no longer reserved for those of us with extensive resumes.  Nor is it reserved, with all due respect, for the church pastor with the largest congregation.

I call on us to shift in our approach and embrace the fact that leadership extends beyond a “position” and stretches far and wide into a place where our passions and purpose take the driver’s seat.

Personal agenda’s can no longer be on the agenda if we are to grow into a healthy Flint.  A Flint you and I know we can be.

A Flint that is committed to taking a strong stand against violence and homicide;

A Flint that has the utmost compassion for the least of these;

A Flint that has unwavering courage when it comes to ensuring the quality of life for our youth;

My fellow residents we must start with hope.  The challenges we face are an open book.  We just have to have the courage to read it.

Thank you.

God bless you and God bless the City of Flint.

With hope,

David McGhee
Flint, MI

Hurry up and R.E.L.A.X.

23 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Life

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

There comes a point in all of our lives when we need to Hurry up and R.E.L.A.X.

R – Release

Simply put, there are some things in our lives that we need to release.  Nothing productive comes from doing that which you are not supposed to be doing.  Nothing!  Be it bad habits, or negative people, make sure you recognize them for what they are and release them from your life.

E – Encourage

Encouragement goes a long way.  When we encourage others we give them the extra push they need to keep going.  Think about a time where you were at the end of your hope, where you wanted to give up and then received an encouraging word.  This may have been the difference maker; the one thing that propelled you to keep going.  Finally, if all else fails, encourage yourself.

L – Lighten

Lighten the load for someone else.  Find someone to be successful for, and do something to enrich their lives and make their walk easier.  Why should you?  Jesus did it for you!

A – Attempt

Attempt something great each week, at least.  Dare to attempt something that scares you.  This is where greatness lies.  Nelson Mandela said it this way, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

X – X-ray

To X-ray is to examine.  An X-ray allows you to see beyond the surface, exposing things that are critical but aren’t seen by the naked eye alone.  We need to X-ray ourselves.  Dig deep and discover who you really are.  What makes you, you?

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee

Dream, I dare you!

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Life

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

MLK

On August 11, 1956 Martin Luther King, Jr. stated:

”Let nobody fool you.  All the loud noises we hear today are nothing but the death groans of the dying system.  The old order is passing away; the new order is coming into being.  But whenever there is anything new there are new responsibilities.  As we think of this coming new world we must think of the challenge that we confront and the new responsibilities that stand before us.  We must prepare to live in a new world.”

As we pause to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., it is safe to say that King was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things.  So extraordinary that our nation has issued a holiday to a man who wasn’t a president, a senator, or a congressman.  But to a man who had a dream.

As I think about King’s dream, my mind goes back to when I was just a child.  I think back on my childhood years, and I am reminded of those critical times riding in my parent’s vehicle, during those long trips where I would ask that famous question: “Are We There Yet?” 

I’ve now come to the conclusion of why I would ask this question.  I would ask this question because I was restless.  I would ask this question because I was tired.  I would ask this question because I was anxious.  Yes, I was anxious to get to the destination.

In other words, I was not content with being in the car.  Why?  Because I knew the car was supposed to be somewhere else and it hadn’t gotten there yet.  The beauty of it is this – once the car got there, I got there.  And so it is with our country, which leads to me to again ask the question: “Are We (as a country) There Yet?”

We must answer this question!  Answering this question will determine what shape our world will be in when we hand it over to the next generation, realizing that we are only here for a short period of time.  King understood this too.

This is why he dreamed.  When we think about King and his legacy, we focus on the delivery of his great speech.  Many of us, however, miss the true message.  For the sake of clarity, the speech was originally titled “Normalcy, Never Again.”

In this speech he was telling us that mediocrity was not okay.  That injustice was intolerable.  That racism was objectionable.  And that for us to not fight for our lives, and the future of our children, was unacceptable.

It wasn’t until toward the end of this famous speech that Mahalia Jackson shouted out from the crowd, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!”  At this moment, King stopped delivering his prepared speech and went on to tell the world his dream.  So, just as the great Mahalia Jackson called on Martin to tell his dream, I call on you to tell your dream!

In my younger days I loved the game ‘Truth or Dare’ – it was one of my favorites.  Shall we play it for a moment…?

The truth is, yes we have come far, but we still have a long way to go.  The truth is many of us have become content with public success, and private failure.  The truth is, we cannot move forward when we allow our history to determine our destiny.  The truth is those before us spent their lives fighting for ours, and yet we waste our time and in turn we hold a funeral for our opportunities.  The truth is we have let our emotions, overpower our intelligence.

But then there is the dare…

I dare you to not be another statistic.  I dare you to be a mentor to a child, and change the way children are growing up in our country.  I dare you to step out on faith, even when you don’t see the entire staircase.  I dare you to find something you are willing to die for, and live for it.

I dare you to dream…

© David McGhee

Turning Statistics into Solutions

01 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in Education, Life

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Today’s world is full of statistics – Good, Bad, Alarming, Meaningless. You name it, they exist! Every facet of our lives has a set of statistics attached to it, regardless of our race, gender, age, or social economic standing.

Statistics into Solutions

Statistics into Solutions

For example, we live in a country where the unemployment rate hovers around 9 percent. Sadly, African-Americans make up 17 percent of this number. Furthermore, when you look at some metropolitan cities, African-American males share an unemployment rate of 50 percent!

These statistics are just an example of the negative statistics that exist. Even if you are employed, there are many statistics that haunt you too. Just pause to think about the negative forces and statistics that are centered on who you are, where you are, or where you are trying to go in your life. They are there, but that doesn’t mean you have to subscribe to them. Let the world do what the world is going to do with statistics. You, my friend, stay focused on solutions!

So, how do we turn statistics into solutions?

  1. Look within yourself first – Don’t let the media headlines teach you or the television tutor you. Look deep within yourself and find your greatness. Too often we look elsewhere for answers that we already have ourselves.
  2. Don’t allow where you are poison who you are – We can’t control where we are born, nor can we control all of the extraneous forces that confront us. You may not be living in the most desirable city, and you may not have the job of your dreams, but don’t allow this to poison the great person that you are and where you are heading in life.
  3. Break the cycle – This is where it gets personal. Every family has a cycle of something negative that exist. Many families also have a history of abuse, addiction, or low academic achievement. Whatever that “thing” is in your family, find it and break the cycle.

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee