It's a nice Saturday afternoon & I'm sitting at my desk watching one of my favorite movies, "The Cotton Club." The reason why it's one of my favorite movies is because of the man whose photo is to the left, actor extraordinaire, Laurence Fishburne.
There is a scene in the movie where actor/dancer/singer Gregory Hines' character is venting his frustrations about being constantly bullied by one of the bouncers at the Cotton Club. In one of the most profound monologues ever written; Fishburne, playing the (small) role of Harlem gangster Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, in his efforts to calm Hines down, says the following:
"I cannot even get into the club where my people - black people are the stars because I am black. There are only two things in life I have to do; one is stay black, the other is die. The white man has left me nothing but the underworld and that is where I dance. Tell me Sandman, where do you dance?"
When I think of how so many of my young brothers and sisters have, on so many levels, embraced a criminal lifestyle - or even the image thereof, it both saddens and infuriates me. However, when I heard that line, what stuck out the most was "The white man has left me nothing but the underworld and that is where I dance." I believe that one sentence best and most articulately describes how disenfranchised so many people felt in the 1930's - the time period of the movie - up until today with people still feeling the same way. HOWEVER ... although things like racism and discrimination still do exist today, blacks do not face the same hindrances today as we did in the `30's.
Public schools may suck. Parents may not be providing the proper guidance and support. At some point in time, we all become responsible for our actions. At some point in time we all know the difference between what's right and what's wrong. What I believe happens is that people who have embraced a criminal lifestyle, have made a conscious choice to either accept or ignore the consequences of their activities in order to get the flashy cars, fancy clothes, and knots of cash.
I understand ...
I still think it's a cop out & excuse to just get over!
There is a scene in the movie where actor/dancer/singer Gregory Hines' character is venting his frustrations about being constantly bullied by one of the bouncers at the Cotton Club. In one of the most profound monologues ever written; Fishburne, playing the (small) role of Harlem gangster Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, in his efforts to calm Hines down, says the following:
"I cannot even get into the club where my people - black people are the stars because I am black. There are only two things in life I have to do; one is stay black, the other is die. The white man has left me nothing but the underworld and that is where I dance. Tell me Sandman, where do you dance?"
When I think of how so many of my young brothers and sisters have, on so many levels, embraced a criminal lifestyle - or even the image thereof, it both saddens and infuriates me. However, when I heard that line, what stuck out the most was "The white man has left me nothing but the underworld and that is where I dance." I believe that one sentence best and most articulately describes how disenfranchised so many people felt in the 1930's - the time period of the movie - up until today with people still feeling the same way. HOWEVER ... although things like racism and discrimination still do exist today, blacks do not face the same hindrances today as we did in the `30's.
Public schools may suck. Parents may not be providing the proper guidance and support. At some point in time, we all become responsible for our actions. At some point in time we all know the difference between what's right and what's wrong. What I believe happens is that people who have embraced a criminal lifestyle, have made a conscious choice to either accept or ignore the consequences of their activities in order to get the flashy cars, fancy clothes, and knots of cash.
I understand ...
I still think it's a cop out & excuse to just get over!
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