by Danny J. Bakewell Sr.

NNPA Chairman

(NNPA) - This is America, but you wouldn't think so in light of recent events wherein two high-profile, long serving African-American congressman have come under attack. They are being dragged through the mud in a rush to judgment regarding alleged ethics violations. Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) are the accused.

(NNPA)—At the recent National Urban League convention, President Obama’s speech took aim at criticisms that had been launched by the Black civil rights community over the educational reforms proposed by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The 17-page document, “Framework for Providing All Students an Opportunity to Learn through Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,” was put together by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the NAACP, the National Urban League, RainbowPush Coalition, National Council for Educating Black Children and the Schott Foundation for Public Education. My understanding is that the National Action Network was part of the group but ultimately not a signatory to the document. These organizations discovered last year that Duncan was putting together a draft proposal known as “Race To The Top” with little input from the African-American community and this document stands as an important critique of that proposal from our point of view.

There was a period of time when there were a limited number of Black men who were elected to the position of ward chairman and they had real, genuine influence.

In the fifth ward when the Republicans were in power, a Black man, Earl Sams, was the man Downtown with influence.

In 1936 when the Democrats came to power, Robert “Pappy” Williams became the most powerful Black in the party and was the driving force to elect the first Black legislator from this part of Pennsylvania. The man was Homer S. Brown, who eventually, through the effort of Pappy Williams, became the first Black judge in Allegheny County.

(NNPA)—In life, there are lessons we all must learn. Making mistakes and evolving past them is, after all, the ultimate form of growing and developing oneself. Shirley Sherrod, the now infamous victim of a right-wing smear attack campaign, discussed her own personal evolution at an NAACP gathering several months back, when her comments on racial harmony were erroneously taken out of context. And in the roller coaster of events that ensued, the country as a collective simultaneously learned a necessary harsh reality: that we can no longer allow those with an agenda to dictate our discourse, politics or rule of law. And just as importantly, we cannot allow ourselves to blindly believe the vitriol being hurled towards the president, the administration and every day Americans working to further unite the nation and lead us on a path to equity.