Buddy Hannah's Talk me Up Blog

Recently a head line in the Michigan Chronicle caught my eye and I found it to be not only disturbing but sad. The headline read, MORE BLACK MEN IN PRISON TODAY THAN WERE ENSLAVE IN 1850.  The article stated that in 2008 the U.S. Bureau of Justice estimated that there were over 846,00 African American men in prison making up 40.2% of all inmates in the system. Author Michelle Alexander an Ohio State law professor put those number in a historical perspective by stating that, and I quote, “ more African American men are in prison, jail , on probation, or parole than there were African American men enslaved in 1850 before the Civil War” end of quote. Now we can augur the causes for such an astounding numbers but the fact still remain that this is a sad state of affairs for African American, especially African American men. Once labeled a felon, in most states these African American men are denied the right to vote, serve on juries, they are legally discriminated against in employment, housing, education and many public benefits. In short they become second class citizens much in the way we were living in a Jim Crow society under Jim Crow laws. To some of you this may not mean anything but it should. It should mean that we still have work to do. That we still have something to fight for and against.

I’m Buddy Hannah and you are who you are and remember, what affects a few of us today may very well affect all of us tomorrow.

Here’s a question for you. I keep hearing some Tea Party members and some Republicans talking about taking their country back. My question is this, who are they talking about taking their country back from.  Have we been invaded by some foreign enemy?  Is America being run by someone other than Americans? Just who are they talking about taking their country back from? Who are these people or persons that they are wanting to take their country back from? Is it the Democrats, if so arent't Democrats Americans too? Is it President Obama, isn't he an American too? Just who in the wide wide world of sportrs are they talking about taking their country back from. And what ever happen to "our " country? Does this country only belong too the Republicans and Tea Party members? And once they take their country back as they are saying, what are they goig to do with it? What happens to the people they take their country back from. What happens to the rest of us who are not Repbublicans or Tea Party members? Will we not have a country once they take their country back?

 I'm Buddy Hannah and you are who you are and sometimes in this day to day rat race you just have to take a break and leave the race to the rats

From time to time I meet many of you who say you listen to my radio program Talk It Up and you are inspired or motivated by some of the things you hear. That’s all good as they say and I sincerely appreciate the kind and encouraging words you express to me. But here’s the thing good people, motivation and inspiration without action is useless. Once you become inspired you have to take action. Once you become motivated you have to do something. We’ve all been inspired or motivated by something at some time in our lives but did you do anything that resulted in something positive being done as a result of what ever or whom ever inspired or motivated you. We can talk all we want and talking is a good thing, I’m not against talking because it’s through talking and communicating that we become inspired or motivated. But at some point we have to stop talking and do something. We have to take action. No matter how motivated or inspired we get, it’s not put to good use until we do something, until we take action. Being inspired and motivated to do something is good but taking some kind of action after becoming inspired and motivated is better. So I hope you continue to be motivated or inspired by some of the things you may here on Talk It Up but more importantly I hope you will take action after being motivated or inspired.

OK here's my question for today, why am I Blogging? Here's my answer for today, I don't know. Well I take that back, I do know. Its becasue I was told to do a blogg by my program director who was told to have us blogg by someone who is his boss and his boss was told by someone who is his boss. In other words, "the higer ups" as we say, felt that there was a need for us to blogg.

Now I may be shooting my self in the foot here but what the heck, I got two of them, but my comments to the "higer up" or to anyone who says I have to blogg is this, I don't see any positive results from my blogging.  Out of all the bloggs I've done (and it hasn't been that many I admit) thus far, I've only had one response to only one of my bloggs and that was the first one and it was from our program director. I haven't even gotten a response from all those people (higer ups or whomever) they must read them becasue they seem to know when I don't blogg and keep saying we have to blogg. And if they are not reading my blogg but only just checking to see if I'm blogging, then you see my point.

Maybe the "higer up" haven't looked at the fact that my blogg may not be efffective. That perhaps I'm a better talk show host than I am a blogger. Maybe its a waste of time to have me blogging. There might be something else that I can do that will be more effective. But be that as it may, I've had my say and this is my blogg. Maybe now I will get more response to my bloggs than just the ONE I've gotten. I may even get one or two from the "higer ups", those who feel there is a need for me to blogg. I may not like, but hey a blogg is a blogg and a respose is a response.

Buddy Hannah

Now I know all you college graduates have heard just about all the speeches and been given all the advice you can stand. You got your degree and now you wanta job. You want to start making money.Well, I won’t bore you with yet another speech.  However I do have some advice about jobs and working that I’d like to pass along to you if you would indulge me for just the time it takes to read this column.My first piece of advice is this. If you haven’t already learned the importance of being on time, you will now because time will become a serious factor when and if you get your first job. With every job there is the responsibility of being on time. Being on time means, if work starts at 7:00 a.m.; you should be at work and ready to work at 7:00 a.m. This is something that more of us adults should follow, but I digress.  For many employers time is money and money is time and they won’t stand for you to waste either one. So be on time. Here’s my second piece of advice.  Learn how to manage your money. More often than not when we’re young we fail to master the concept of money management early enough, (yours truly included) and we sometimes pay for our mismanagement later in life. One thing to keep in mind when trying to manage your money is this, never spend more than you are earning. If you start spending more than you are earning, then you are already on the road to poor money management, not to mention financial disaster. Making money is good, managing the money you’remaking is better. And last but not least, learn to manage relationships.  In other words, learn how to get along with the people you will  be working for and with.  Now this doesn’t mean you have to be a “suck up” to the boss or not have and voice an opinion or give up your values. It simply means that where ever you work you will more likely than not find that there will be people who are hard to get alongwith both those in charge and those who think they’re in charge. But you will have to work with both kinds. Find a way to manage a “working relationship” with these people. Why? Because they may not need you outside of work and you may not need hem, but you need the job. Find a way to deal with them.So there you have it, some simple advice and it really didn’t take that long for me to give it to you.Be responsible when it come to a job and being on time. Learn to manage your money when you get a job. Learn to how to get along with the people you will be working for and with.As a graduate I’m sure your thoughts are of being independent. Being free to make money and your own decisions. Not having your parents (or someone like me) telling you what to .  I can understand that, that’s why I gave you the advice I just gave you, it may help you keep a job which in turn may help you to become and to remain independent.

Last month I had the honor to serve as co-moderator along with Mr. Bob Ezell executive director of the Boys and Girls clulb for the Youth Town Hall meeting that was sponsored by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety that was held on the campus of Western Michigan Unicersity. The Youth Town Hall meeting was all about the KDPS attempt to reach and to give them an opportunity to ask questions and state their concern. Many of the youth present did just that especially many of them from the Hispanic Council, Fire and the Upward Bound program. The Town Hall meeting was a combined effort of the police department but much of the credit has to go to Captain Don Webster for  conceiving the idea and working hard to make it a reality. Was is perfect, no it was not. Will it solve all the problems that our youth are confronted with, no it will not. But it was a start. Anytime you can get open discussion with a room full of young people and the police with no parents present, it’s a start. The police department made the effort now more of us need to join in that effort. I know some of y’all who wasn’t even there probably have had some negative things to say about the event simpily based on what you heard, but guess what, shut up. Many of you were asked to be a part of this event, did you? Sure some of you did not know about it, but now that you know, are you gonna do anything to perhaps help stage another one? There is still much work to be done when it comes to our youth and the police and crime and violience, we know that. But the KDPS is making an effort, it may be a small effort but it is an effort. So instead of knocking theire effort and speaking negative about the event, why not contact Captin Webster  and find out what you can do to add to what they have already done. This Youth Town Hall meeting was not the cure all for our youth problems but it did give the youth a platform for experession and I have to believe that was a good thing. I also have to believe that some of the people who were there were listening.Its better than what a lot of people are doing.

 You may have heard me talk about or write about the need for us to teachour children to be more respectful to adults by addressing them as Mr.,Miss., or Mrs. Call me old fashion, old school, or just an old fool but I strongly believe in young people using Mr. Miss, or Mrs., when addressing adults. It shows a sign of respect for their elders.

 Now I know there are some of our young people who do this already and tothem I say thank you. Thank you for showing adults the respect they deserveand should be shown. But for all our young people who do this already, there are way too many of them who don’t. There are way too many of them who have no problem calling an adult by their first name. And I must add that there are way too many adults who have no problem letting them do this.

 We talk so much about young people showing respect, well addressingadults as Mr. Miss, or Mrs., is one way of showing respect. When you letchildren address you on a first name bases you give them the impression thatthere is no separation between your age and theirs. That there is noseparation between adult and child.

 Now I know some of you adults don’t like to be addressed by Mr. Miss. orMrs., because you say it makes you feel old. Well get over it, you are oldand you are getting older. Grow up and be the adult that you are. Be theelder that you will become.

 It’s up to us the adults to teach our children to be respectful and Ifor one think that using Mr., Miss., or Mrs., is one  way of doing that.Our children don’t just start out doing all the right things, they have to betaught to do the right things. And who should be doing the teaching, adultsthat’s who.

  So adults start teaching our children to do the right thing and you can startby  demanding that they address you and other adults as Mr., Miss. orMrs. Don’t allow our children to address you as if you were a child. Stop trying to be their friend and be their teacher. Stop trying to be young again and be the adult you are now. Start teaching them how to be respectful by having them show respect to you. Have them address you as Mr. Miss. or Mrs. It’s the adult thing to do. I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you? Really , do you?

OK here’s the question of the day. Why is it that you can find way too many people with attitude problems working in jobs that require them to deal with the public?Case in point. I was in a store recently buying a few things on my way home, notice I said buying. I wasn’t asking for any thing free, I was buying what I needed. Spending my hard earned cash.  As I stood there in the check out lane waiting my turn I could tell by the way the sales clerk was treating the other customer ahead of me that she had an attitude problem. And sure enough when it was my turn my assumption was right, she had a bad attitude. This got me to thinking, why do people with bad attitudes take jobs dealing with the public. I mean, if you don’t like serving people and don’t like to help them when they need help, get a job working in a warehouse or something. Now I know times are hard and some of us have to take jobs we don’t particular like simply because we need a job and we can’t find anything else. I can understand that. But hey, lose the attitude.  The majority of us work hard for our money and when we spend it with a business we want to be treated as though our shopping there is appreciated. The last thing we want  or need is  some one with a bad attitude waiting on us. Think of us as helping you. After all, the money we spend in the place you work helps to pay your salary. Don’t treat us like we’re doing something wrong by having you wait on us.   I know customers can give sales people a hard time and it is a hard job providing service to the public. But hey don’t take it out on everyone who you come in contact with.   The majority of the customers you come in contact with are simply trying to buy something they need, not give you a hard time. So, during the short time you spend with a customer, lose the attitude.  We all have bad days at work, but when you’re working in a job where you’reserving the public, you have to try a little harder to hide your bad day because the last thing wewant when we’re spending our money is bad service and a sales clerk with a bad attitude.  Now I’m not saying you have to be overly friendly (sometimes that can be annoying), what I’m saying is, we’re spending our money, we’re helping to keep you employed, give us a little respect. Act like you appreciate our business.When you work in a job where you deal with the public, a bad attitude is not what the person spending his or her money wants to see. Trust me on that.

Today my message is directed at those young people who are just out there hanging out, getting high, doing nothing, and going nowhere fast. WAKE UP!!!!!!

 Wake up before it’s too late if it’s not already too late. You are not getting younger you’re getting older and sooner or later you will be expected to make a positive contribution to society. You’ll be expected to leave the streets and hopefully become a productive adult.

 How are you going to do that if you don’t have an education or any type of useable skills? How are you going to make a positive contribution if you haven’t learn anything that will be of use when it comes time to contribute to your community, your family, or simply to your own well being?

 I know you keep hearing people talking about saving our young people, well here’s a piece of reality for you. Our young people have to be willing to do something to help save themselves. If we could do it all for you then we wouldn’t have to keep talking about it, all of you would be saved. But, the reality of it is we can’t do it all for you. You have to put forth some effort yourself. You have to help.

Now it won’t be easy and it won’t happen over night. It wasn’t easy for any of us who moved from doing nothing to being productive citizens and it didn’t happen over night for us either. It took time and effort. It will take the same for you.The questions are. Are you willing to make the effort it will take? Are you willing to put in the time? Are you willing to shoulder some of the responsibility?

Sitting around blaming others for your situation won’t make things any better. You have to do something. You have to want something better. If you don’t want anything better, then continue doing nothing and that’s what you’ll have, nothing.

 Now I won’t lie to you, don’t everybody make it. Many of us fall victims to our surroundings. But many of us also make it despite our surroundings.

The point is, you’ll never know whether you can make it or not until you put forth a serious effort. Until you try.

 Some times you have to motivate yourself and not leave it up to others to motivate you. You have to take it upon yourself to try and change your life.

Trying to do something to change your life is a lot better than sitting around getting high and doing nothing. There are those among us who are willing to help you help your self, but you have to make the effort. It’s time to make a serious effort. What are you going to do?

 I’m Buddy Hannah and I won’t say any thing bad about that if you don’t. And remember, there is no harm in trying to improve your life, the harm is in not trying.

Share this with some young people you know.

On Feb. 21, 1965 Malcolm X was assianated as he gave a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem New York. On Feb. 21, 2010 how many of you even remembered his assignation? How many marches were held in Malcolm’s honor? How many of his speeches were read in celebration throughout our community? How many prayers were said in the memory of a man who had an influence on the lives of African American people? Not many I would venture to say. Malcolm was a hero to many African Americans during his time. His supreme gift to us was that he loved us and believed in our possibilities and tried to make us believe in them too. Malcolm X tried to make African American people feel good about them selves. During his time, Malcolm X said what a lot of African Americans were saying behind closed doors at that time and he was saying it on TV and in the streets of Harlem. Many of us don’t associate ourselves with Malcolm X because we thought of him as being a violate man. What a misconception that is. If you would only take the time to study the man and the times in which he lived you would see that he was a man who looked our oppressors in their face and spoke the truth of which many of us dared not speak during those time.  Maybe next Feb. 21, more of us will remember what Malcolm X meant to us at that time in our in lives and our history. Then maybe more of us will be willing to honor his words and his legacy come Feb. 21, 2011. Malcolm X never turned his back on African American people so why should we turn our backs on Malcolm X?

On my Feb. 6^th  Talk It Up Live show I sent out a request to our listeners for donations to be made to Ministry with Community glove drive. I asked that 25 people who were listening to the program stop by the station during my 2 hour show and donate one pair of gloves to this cause. Well once again my request was more than doubled. With all the gloves and money donated to buy gloves I was able to deliver close to 120 pairs of gloves to Ministry with Community in the name of our listeners. So to all our listeners who made donations either to me personally or who may have made donations directly to Ministry with Community I want to say thank you. Thank you for caring. And thank you for again answering my call for help in our community. One of the good things about this show of caring was that it wasn’t just the same people who always answer my request; there were a lot of new people. Often times you get the same people donating who always donate but this was not the case this time. Even many of my guests who were in the studio at the time made donations. Another good thing about this was there were parents, young parents, two family parents or just single parents who brought their children by the station to make donations. That is truly a show of parents teaching their children the value of helping others. In two hours time you donated enough gloves and money to help provide gloves for 120 people who needed gloves. There is so much we can do to help those in need, all we have to do is do it and on Feb. 6^th many of my listeners did just that. Many of you didn’t just sit there and listen to me ask for your help, you got up, got out and you helped and that people is a beautiful thing and I thank you all. Good day Deona and Iyana

  Recently I was engaged in a conversation with several people

who strongly suggested that as people of color living in these United States of

America, African Americans should be more supportive and understanding of the

plight of illegal immigrants and their struggle.

  Well, let me say this about that. As an African American I can understand unfair

treatment in a sometimes unfair system. I can understand the need to be recognized

and treated with respect. I can understand the need to find a better life for yourself and

your family.

  As a person of color I can understand and to some degree sympathize with the plight of

other people of color.

  How supportive should African American people be while understanding the plight of

illegal immigrants?

  Again, let me say this about that.

 Before we as a people start speaking out on behalf of illegal immigrants (or any body

else for that matter) we need to consider the fact that there is still much we need to speak

out on behalf of ourselves.

If you don’t believe me, consider some of the following facts presented in the

book, The Covenant with Black America with an introduction by Tavis Smiley.

• Nearly 20 percent of African Americans do not have health insurance
• African Americans are 13 percent of the nation’s population and account for 56

      percent annually of new HIV infection

• African American women are diagnosed with AIDS at a rate of 25 times that of

      white women

• One in every three black males born today can expect to go to prison

in his life time.

     1.4 million African American men, or 13 percent, have currently or

            permanently lost their right to vote as a result to felony conviction

• Just 12 percent of African American 4^th graders have reached proficient or

advanced reading levels, while 61 percent have yet to reach the basic level.

• Many black 17 year old students graduating high school have the math skills

           of white 8^th graders.

• While 9 percent of white students have repeated a grade, twice as many or 18

      percent of black students have been held back at least once.

• African Americans have the lowest homeownership rate in the nation at 49
• percent compared to 76 percent of whites.
• Forty nine percent of the nation’s homeless is African American
• The unemployment rate for black people nationwide is twice that of whites.
• Although African Americans are more than 13 percent of the nation’s population,

our total net worth is only 1.2 percent of the total net worth of the nation.

And the list goes on and on.

So it’s not that many African Americans are not aware of or care about the immigrants

cause, it’s just that when we stop and think about it, we still have a lot of unresolved

issues and problems of our own that requires much of our time and energy