“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
While Police were recovering and identifying the body of Latasha Norman, Barack Obama was eating fried chicken in Harlem with Al Sharpton and MSNBC was reporting on the recovery of the body of another college student. It goes without saying that the other college student was not an African American woman otherwise, MSNBC would not have reported on her kidnapping and murder.In the world of television news, air time is the treasure. The more important the editorial decision-makers believe a story is to them, the more air time will be given to the story.
In the world of politics, political capital is the treasure. The more important a politician believes an issue is, the more political capital, in the form of public statements and legislation, a politician is willing to expend.
When I say important. I don't mean private importance, but public importance. You see the editor making the calls about what goes on cable news may privately care deeply about violence against black women, but made the calculation that they cannot do so in their public lives. A politician may care very deeply about violence against Black women privately, but may do absolutely nothing about it in their public lives.
We aren't voting for a man or woman. We're voting for a President-an administration. I ain't particularly interested in their private lives. What I am concerned about is their public life.
What do they treasure publicly? We can tell what they treasure publicly pretty gosh darn easily because THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM!
Regular readers of this blog know that the Universe loves to mock me. I vow never to write about something and then the Universe in its infinite wisdom decides to plop something smack dab in front of my face whose irony and hypocrisy literally dares me to comment on it at 4:00AM.
Now Rev. Renita J Weems would probably tell me that I was naïve, but Renita I really did think that all these people would have to hear were the horrific details of the crime and they would be so moved to action that they would literally trip over themselves to speak out publicly about the horrors. I was stupid and yes, naïve.
So when I woke up this morning and read that while police were trying to identify the body of Latasha Norman, Barack Obama was eating fried chicken at Sylvia's with Al Sharpton and later commented PUBLICLY on the Jena 6 in front of a audience filled with members of The Black Elite Establishment at the Apollo theater on the same day I was like “You have got to be kidding me.” The juxtaposition is insane.
The truth is that while our political leaders may feel bad privately they aren't going to speak out about any of these violent crimes against Black women. Because politically the lives of Black women and girls aren't TREASURED only our votes.
Genarlow Wilson – YES- PUBLICLY!
Daniyah Jackson or the 11 year-old Black girl raped by up to 19 men and boys – NOPE!
Jena 6 – YES-PUBLICLY!
Latasha Norman, Nailah Franklin, Marcie Crane, Kireasha Pam Linkhome, Shirley Geanes, Latoya Natasha Thomas, Dymashal Lashon Cullins, Tyesha Patrice bell, Daphne Philisia Jones, Tamika Antoinette Huston, and all the other Black women that go missing while MSNBC focuses on what Paris Hilton is wearing when she goes to jail.– NOPE.
Michael Vick's Pitt bulls – YES! - PUBLICLY!- IN WRITING!
Vicious torture and gang rape of a Black mother and child by 10 other children- NOPE!
That looks ugly doesn't it. It ain't pretty, but it is the truth.
Dogs and boys – TREASURED.
Black women and girls -NOT.
The politicians have done their mercenary political calculations and have concluded that they can get away with ignoring crimes against humanity committed against African American women in this country. Why? Because they don't treasure our lives. In the political world, the lives of six African American teenage boys are worth more than the lives of a thousand Black women and children.
It's time to change the variables in their equations.
We shouldn't have to beg anybody to do what they have a moral obligation to do. The days of black women begging folks for anything OUGHT to be over. We're in the majority when it comes to Black registered voters. We control over 67% of the 850 BILLION of Black America's dollars. We lead the majority of Black America's households. So tell me why we got to beg anybody to acknowledge our humanity and treasure our lives as much as the live of Black criminal defendants?
Violence against Black women ain't going away. Candidates can either deal with it THIS December or they can deal with it NEXT November, but they will deal with it and they will deal with it publicly. It is of no consequence to me when it happens. CALCULATE THAT!
In Loving Memory of Daniyah Jackson | Our Thoughts and Prayers Are With the Family of Latasha Norman |
 Daniyah Jackson. |  Read more about Latasha |
