Video: A Protest Song For Occupy Wall Street

A Protest Song For Occupy Wall Street

Performed last night to an audience that included President Obama. From the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

Slack-key celebrity Makana used his performance at an APEC dinner last night at the Hale Koa Hotel as an opportunity to get his pro-Occupy Wall Street movement views out to President Barack Obama and other world leaders. Makana wore an "Occupy with Aloha" t-shirt under his black blazer and sang his newest song, "We are the Many," an anthem of sorts for Occupy protestors. The lyrics include, "Ye come here gather 'round the stage; The time has come for us to voice our rage."

We hope the President and all who hear this song are inspired by its truly poignant message.

We Are The Many

Ye come here, gather 'round the stage
The time has come for us to voice our rage
Against the ones who've trapped us in a cage
To steal from us the value of our wage

From underneath the vestiture of law
The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw
At liberty, the bureaucrats guffaw
And until they are purged, we won't withdraw

We'll occupy the streets
We'll occupy the courts
We'll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few

Our nation was built upon the right
Of every person to improve their plight
But laws of this Republic they rewrite
And now a few own everything in sight

They own it free of liability
They own, but they are not like you and me
Their influence dictates legality
And until they are stopped we are not free

We'll occupy the streets
We'll occupy the courts
We'll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few

You enforce your monopolies with guns
While sacrificing our daughters and sons
But certain things belong to everyone
Your thievery has left the people none

So take heed of our notice to redress
We have little to lose, we must confess
Your empty words do leave us unimpressed
A growing number join us in protest

We occupy the streets
We occupy the courts
We occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few

You can't divide us into sides
And from our gaze, you cannot hide
Denial serves to amplify
And our allegiance you can't buy

Our government is not for sale
The banks do not deserve a bail
We will not reward those who fail
We will not move till we prevail

We'll occupy the streets
We'll occupy the courts
We'll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few

We'll occupy the streets
We'll occupy the courts
We'll occupy the offices of you
Till you do
The bidding of the many, not the few

We are the many
You are the few

Diversity: Segregation IS Natural

Diversity: Segregation IS Natural

By Shannon Mouton

 

segregate (v): to separate or set apart from others or from the main body or group; isolate

It is time to be really real with each other...we are more comfortable with our own kind, and it is okay. It is natural.

Look at nature, lions roam the plains with lions, wolves run in packs with other wolves and even ants build highly structured colonies with other ants. Segregation is natural. It is only in the most complex ecosystems, such as a rain forest, where multiple species co-exist, interact and depend on each other. For them, integration is natural. 

 

As we are all homo sapiens, shouldn't it be easier for us to co-habitate?

This is where the rubber meets the road...we have to move above and beyond what is natural and comfortable for our own ever-increasingly complex ecosystem to survive and flourish. The troubling part is the breadth and depth of segregation, it permeates every part of American society and culture. For most of us it is an unconscious way of life. Consider Sunday, it the most segregated day of the week. Monday through Friday we labor side-be-side, have lunch together and my imbibe at a happy hour with each other. On Saturday, our children play soccer together, we shop, go the movies and co-mingle throughout the afternoon. But Sunday is a very different thing for most of us. Race-based denominations, congregations and conventions abound:

• The African Methodist Episcopal Church
• St. Augustine Catholic Church, "the Mother Church of African American Catholics"
• The National Baptist Convention, "the nation's oldest and largest African American religious convention"

This is in no way meant as an indictment of religion, faith, denominations, congregations, etc. These organizations and their founders were forced to segregate because of prejudice and fear in the 18th and 19th centuries, and while they are open to all, the members are still predominantly Black. And there are countless unforced examples in our lives:

• white music (country, bluegrass, metal) and Black music (R&B, hip hop, neo-soul)
• white entertainment (Everybody Loves Earl and opera) and Black entertainment (Meet the Browns and go-gos)
• white sports (hockey, lacrosse and swimming) and Black sports (basketball, football and boxing)

There are the so-call exceptions for each of these categories, you know who they are, the "blue-eyed soul brother" or the "Black diva."

 

Yes, yes, yes...let's just admit it, put it out in the open...we prefer being with others like us. We feel welcome, safe and empowered; we are in our comfort zones with others like us. However, consider this, "If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness." ~Les Brown

 

How will you move beyond your comfort zone?

What one thing can you do to make your life more integrated?

Real PR Power

Real PR Power

By: Gwen McKinney

The art of winning friends and influencing people. 

That’s how public relations pioneer Ofield Dukes sums up the profession.

This is a man who has easily cleared more paths to progress in his long and storied career than an army of public relations professionals could attempt in their collective lifetime. Better yet, match one Ofield Dukes for 50 PR Powerbrokers and he still comes out on top! 

Fifty is the magic number that PR Week designated for its controversial July edition saluting the mostly white men and women who they decreed worthy of their listing of most powerful PR leaders. Not a single African American PR professional made the list.

A chorus of outrage ensued. And after a volley of emails that ended with me and PR Week Editor Steve Barrett agreeing to disagree, I let it rest – but not die. As one of my Linked-In pals suggested, why let power be defined by a magazine that makes their picks from big PR agencies and corporations based on the size of their ad budget to the book? That wasn’t just a question, but a call to action.

So to my Linked-In buddies who agreed to join me, this is the grand kickoff of our “Real PR Power” campaign.

To others, I say, “Y’all come too!”  Nominate, educate and help us salute deserving people whose work and impact deserve attention.

That takes me back to Ofield Dukes. The founder of the National Black Public Relations Society, he insisted African Americans stake out a voice and role in the profession. He has mentored more people than anyone can count and is a reliable stalwart for diversity in the industry and beyond. Having served as a communications counselor to every Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson, Ofield recently relocated from DC after 46 years to his native Detroit. There, he can be close to family as he wages a battle against Multiple Myeloma, a bone cancer that he describes as unpredictable “but not a death sentence.”  While his health is ailing, his spirit of sharing and believing remains immense. 

We talked recently when I reached out to ask him to join me on a panel to surface the Real PR Power nominees.  He graciously said, “of course.” While panel members can’t nominate themselves or be nominated, I reserve the right to use this kickoff of Real PR Power campaign to issue a round of applause to the inimitable Ofield Dukes, who embodies all that we want to convey.

A  speech he gave last year to communications students in Buffalo reminds me of his charm and magic. Cheers to Ofiled and look out for Real PR Power role models soon!

How Did This Happen?

Social Justice: How Did This Happen?

By Shannon Mouton

Last month, the DNC announced the hiring of "Greg Hinton as its first-ever Chief Diversity Officer."

Really? The Democratic Party needs a Chief Diversity Officer? Really? Does anyone else see the irony in this?

I don't get it. The Democratic Party is the party of the people...Black, brown, white, Jew, Protestant, GLBT, women, etc. Almost any and every marginalized group has been able to find some political refuge under the Democratic umbrella. This is why I'm disheartened to learn the party has hired a CDO; it shouldn't need to hire one.

I was there, 20 years ago, and it was great. Ron Brown was the first Black chairman of a major political party. Alexis Herman was there, along with a slew of men and women representing every facet, shade and angle of America. The consultants and contractors also represented different slices of the American pie. The DCCC and the Convention Committee were equally diverse.

There wasn't a need for a CDO, people understood the headquarters for a political party had to look like the people in the party. How did Democratic leaders forget that most basic principle?

I'm sad, oh so sad.

Media Monday: Are You Ready?

Media Monday: Are You Ready?

By Nicole Hayes

This Monday was a media feast as cable news networks had “breaking news” segments seemingly every hour. At least three major news stories had viewers glued: 1-  A fourth woman named in the Herman Cain sexual harassment scandal held a live press conference in New York and revealed details of inappropriate sexual conduct she received from Cain (She did this with noted women’s rights attorney and pit bull Gloria Allred at her side). 2- Penn State University spokespersons scrambled to address child sex abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach and  deal with those who allegedly knew about the incidents and did not intervene. 3- A “guilty of involuntary manslaughter” verdict was rendered to Dr. Conrad Murray in the five-week long trial for drug overdose death of Michael Jackson.

Monday’s breaking headlines continually remind us that crises are potentially certain, and your message, response and strategy for successfully moving through also needs to be certain. Incidentally, Cain and his team were sucker-punched the Monday before when the initial story broke of sexual harassment allegations against him. So is PR still necessary? Obviously so. Social media has its role but there is no replacement for the effective, ethical, prepared and seasoned communicator to manage media events. Even with a sunny forecast, rain can sneak in and interrupt our plans. Are you armed with your umbrella to calmly face whatever the day brings? Or will you be running in your good suit, looking foolish, drenched and seeking cover? Be ready for the crisis.

This November 3, 2011 article  “10 Reasons PR Still Matters” by Doug Flora of Morristown Communications, reminds us that the media is always chomping at the bit for a good crisis. How long that story remains a “crisis” is up to you.

We are the 90%

We are the 90%

By: Llenda Jackson-Leslie

We’ve all heard of the 99%. Most of us are in the 99%-- in New York there’s also the 90% that’s the percentage of New Yorkers who are stopped for no good reason whatsoever and are innocent of any crime or suspected criminal act or behavior.

What’s even more astonishing of the 3 million New Yorkers who have been stopped, questioned or searched between 2004 and 2010--- 90 % of them--- were you guessed it Black and Latino. The New York ACLU did an exhaustive report—using the figures from NYPD records. Yes, the police department admits that 90% of the people they stop are completely innocent. So why hasn’t NYPD cleaned up its act. Maybe the Justice Department needs to step in. Read the report here.

The prison industrial complex is also one of the key issues undermining the stability of communities of color, and we are more likely to be focused on Attica or San Quentin than Wall Street, unless the linkages are made. Occupiers must pay attention to occupants.  

What about the 13%

That’s the percentage of African American men who are permanently barred from voting by felony disenfranchisement

Nationally, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of laws that prohibit voting by people with felony convictions. Felony disenfranchisement is an obstacle to participation in democratic life which is exacerbated by racial disparities in the criminal justice system, resulting in an estimated 13% of Black men unable to vote.  Sadly, in the all-out assault on voting rights by right wing extremists financed by the Koch brothers, several states have rolled back paths to enfranchisement for former prisoners.

Sotomayer dissents from SC refusal to hear death penalty appeal

The Supreme Court refused to hear controversial death penalty case—from our nation’s leading executioner-Texas. That’s the case where death row prisoner Duane Buck appealed his sentence arguing his right to a fair trial was violated when an expert witness testified that African Americans pose a greater risk of "future dangerousness." In Texas, a jury must find that a defendant poses a continuing threat to society in order to recommend a death sentence. Justice Kagan joined the dissent. Read Sotomayer’s dissent here here.

Video: RWJF President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey Accepts 2011 APHA Presidential Citation

Video: RWJF President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

Accepts 2011 APHA Presidential Citation

By: Ryan Duncan

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) joined the ranks of Nelson Mandela, the National Association of Community Health Centers, the National WIC Association and families of public health workers everywhere as she recieved the prestigious APHA Presidential Citation as part of the keynote speech in the Opening Session of the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. This represents the first time that a philanthropy has received the citation.

Dr. Mourey said in her remarks:

“To improve Americans’ health, we need to look at where people live, learn, work and play to get at the factors that shape health even more profoundly than the health care we get when we’re sick,” said Lavizzo-Mourey in a Q&A with the APHA blog, Public Health Newswire. “Improving America’s health requires leadership and action from every sector, including public health, health care, education, transportation, community planning, private business and other areas.”

Congratulations to Dr. Mourey and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for receiving this well-deserved and prestigious award!