What Happened to Civil Rights?

Lubna Hussein would rather go to jail than pay a fine because she wanted to make a point about the Civil Rights of women, which pretty much doesn't exist in the Sudan. So instead of popping for the 400 bucks, off she went. That used to happen here, but doesn't so much anymore. I was talking to John Mack, president of the Police Board and longtime head of the Urban League about what happened to the country. We were rabid marchers and protesters when John and I were young. There was fire in bellies of the young. Who blew out the fire? It is like somebody said, "Ok, we have our Civil Rights now so let's get on with the party and making some money." Who are the Civil Rights people now? Can't think if any? That's the point. In our weekly get togethers Regina Jones and I were talking about the very same thing. She bemoans the fact that people write emails to each other but do little else. Where is the leadership, she asks? I don't know either, but I can't imagine why people think no action is necessary. There are sharp reminders of a past neither dim or distant. My favorite JAG colonel, William John Glasser was perhaps to be posted at the Pentagon again and I asked him how it was in that building. He said, "Oh, it's just a building with too many bathrooms." Sound puzzling? Well, remember when the Pentagon was built, colored and white had separate facilities. Does that mean black officers couldn't pee alongside enlisted white men, they could only pee with the brothers? Yes that's what it means then and now, really. Just one stat to leave you with on this cool Wednesday. In the highest rank of four star general in the air force or even the three star, how many black officers are there? Consider this, President Clinton awarded Benjamin O. Davis his fourth star after his death, 'cause despite the fact that he was commander of the Tuskegee Airmen and many other notable accomplishments, he only reached 3 stars. Groaning and wishing for equality for women in pants and people in uniform, I'm Ruth Adkins Robinson

Oh Yeah, I Got Soul.

Back in the day, there was a magazine called Soul. It was something so important in our world, it might be hard to even believe the impact it had, to imagine what Soul made you feel when you held it. You knew you were gonna find something inside that you'd never get anywhere else. The articles were always longer than what was in the other papers. It made your own soul feel better to pour over the pages. If you were in the black entertainment business, you had to be in the pages of Soul Magazine. If you were black and wanted to write for a major publication, Soul was the place to polish your craft and hang out with some superstars in music, film, tv and other areas. I wanted to be the editor of Soul Magazine. But too shy me didn't have nerve enough to do anything about it. The co-founder of Soul, Regina Jones, told me yesterday she was sure Ken would have given me the job if I had asked for it. I have urged her for at least ten years to do a book about the magazine. Now Regina has one-upped my long ago dream, she is going to do a book and she is going to do it with one excited Ruth Adkins Robinson.