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Answering the Call for Accountability

12/18/2014

6 Comments

 
A Message from “the Man”
Written by: Pastor ODC

Ok cool, Blame me.

Blame me for everything you see.

I understand, it’s easier to blame me than accept accountability.

But can you really blame everything on me?

Am I the one vandalizing your community?

Am I the one calling your women out of their name?

Making babies, leaving them with no paternal influence, single mothers struggling to raise your seed.

Then you drive your fancy cars and ignore her calls, as if your children have no needs.

 

I’m not the one playing the “Who can make the most babies” game.

I’m not the one creating illegal employment opportunities,

Parading drugs in your communities,

Robbing others of their future possibilities,

Leading a debilitating downward spiral of shame, slothfulness and sorrow

Enjoying my momentary pleasure, ignoring the pain and suffering others will feel tomorrow.

I’m not the one forfeiting my education.

Sleeping through class, wondering through life,

Walking the streets flirting with every temptation and vice.

I’m not one buying my clothes twice my size.

Wearing three pair of pants, sagging to my knees and calling it swag.

 

I’m not the one too busy to mentor my own,

Leaving them with no guidance or compass of right and wrong.

I’m not the one living above my means.

Drowning in debt, struggling to breathe, burden with stress

Living lavish lifestyles because I have others to impress

I’m not the one spending money outside my community.

Failing to understand that communal wealth gives you leverage throughout society.

But you'd whether give your means to others, watch them get richer as you get poorer.

 

Stop blaming me!! Can’t you see? You have bigger problems!

It’s your mentality of inferiority….it’s crab syndrome,

It’s you robbing from each other and killing your own!

It's ok! I know the truth.  I understand your history better than you

Your forefathers struggled mightily under the oppressive brutality of my ancestors

They were stripped of their identity,

Paraded in humility, and counted as three fifths of a man.

From cotton fields, to segregation, and Jim Crow

They struggled and endured so that you would have an opportunity to grow

 

You don’t understand how great you are, you are a blessed people!!

You are musical genius, blessed with poetic pose.

You are strong, intelligent, and pregnant with creative brilliance

You have an entrepreneur spirit but no entrepreneur mind,

So I steal your ideas and perpetrate them as mine.

I covet your talent and artistic ability

I pay to see you perform on stage and you gain millions

Yet, I get a large percentage of that returned because of your financial ignorance

So look, stop blaming me for every problem you see

Honestly, we know that’s not true!!

If you look in the mirror, your number one enemy is you!


Our national conversation has been centered on the events transpiring in Ferguson and New York as much international attention has been given to the social plight of our country.
  And while this conversation is needed, we cannot address issues unfolding miles away and ignore the tragedies transpiring in our own neighborhoods and backyards.  Furthermore, we cannot have zeal when crimes are committed against us by others and lack the same fervor to address the crimes we commit against one another.  There are an array of issues plaguing the African American community that deserve our attention and activism so that we can lift ourselves out of the cultural stereotypical plight to a brighter, more promising future.  While there are systemic hurdles that we have to overcome that are designed to slow our progress; they cannot hinder us from reaching our full potential unless we enable them to do so.  It’s easy to point the finger at others but the true test of strength is how we respond when the blame finger is pointing at us.  We must be honest with ourselves in order to transform our neighborhoods into an oasis of hope in a world of despair.  We cannot change what we fail to confront!  While the cry for justice must be audible when we are oppressed, the call for accountability must be answered when we. are hurting ourselves.  To this end, I wrote the following piece: 
Disclaimer: These issues do not exist in every African American community.  There are many flourishing, healthy communities that have not been (deeply) infiltrated with these problems.  Furthermore, these problems exist beyond the African American community and can be seen throughout society.  However, this piece was written to challenge the African American community, particularly black men, to address these problems where they exist under their sphere of influence.

 


 

6 Comments
Mildred Stallworth
12/18/2014 01:33:04 pm

Pastor ODC, I'm proud of your boldness to talk about us as a race of people. Your message resonates with all of us. It matters not how we may feel that we are a little bit better or above our brothers and sisters at the end of the day all are the same in the eyes of other races.

A conversation is much needed among us~ African Americans to address the issues and strongholds that have kept us as a people in bondage for years. Just as the Israelites were in captivity, we are too! To confront these issues is an act of confrontation and that will always bring about conflict, which puts us in a wilderness situation. The only way out is to answer the call to accountability. Accountability is to accept responsibility for ones actions, but going beyond that, it's more of an account-giving relationship between individuals. We understand that racial barriers do still exist and probably always will. This is not an excuse for us to point fingers at others, when we are just as much at fault. When will we as a people stop blaming others, even our own people for our downfalls? We must become true leaders in our homes, communities and churches and take a stand for right. As long as we accept the status quo; we will never grow.

The word of God says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Some of us must be the first to admit that we are our own worst enemy by having the attitude and frame of mind that we conceive. A conceived mindset is a set of beliefs not proven, but held by people or groups of people that is so normal that it creates a powerful motivation within them to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors and choices. Until we change the way we think we will continue to fail ourselves and each other. Until we face up to and address our problems or situations we will always blame something or somebody for our condition. God has equipped us with the tools we need to fight this battle. All we need to do now is start.

Reply
Martina
12/19/2014 01:58:38 am

This sent a very powerful message! I shared this with my students today. I talk to them about not blaming others (their parents) for their downfalls. I tell them that they can break the "family chains" if they start to have positives thoughts about life and take responsibility for their own actions! I enjoy reading your posts!

Reply
Ebony Flake link
12/29/2014 01:05:49 am

First off, I appreciate your ability to flex your writing style from sermonic to editorial, and now poetic! I have a great deal of respect for your willingness to become “all things to all people” in order to “win as many as possible.” Your willingness to experiment with new mediums and forms of expression broadens your appeal.
Regarding content, I agree that the murder of black men is unacceptable regardless of the race of the perpetrator. I also agree that we, as a community, should be equally outraged at the crimes perpetrated by one another as we are at those perpetrated by others toward us.

I have been decidedly careful on addressing these topics in conjunction because I do feel that the two are not mutually exclusive. When black men kill each other, there are usually consequences to the offender. Overwhelming statistics show that generally the perpetrator is punished to the fullest extent of the law in black on black crimes. The recent outrage, protest, and publicity regarding the Eric Garner, Mike Brown, and even the Trayvon Martin case have been aimed more toward the lack of legal consequence, justice, and/or indictment when black men are murdered by non-black officers and citizens.

I appreciate your disclaimer that there are similar issues within other communities. We often hear the alarming stat that 91% of black homicides are committed by blacks. While this is true according to FBI stats, it is also true that 83% of white murders are committed by white people. The same trend exists for other races because murder tends to be a “heat of passion” crime usually committed by people who know one another. It is a gross societal ill that human life has been so devalued but interestingly, it’s only within the black community that these stats are spun to justify legal injustice perpetrated toward us.

As you can probably tell, I share your passion on this subject. LOL. I appreciate your careful treatment of this topic and as usual, I look forward to more blogs to come. Keep up the good work, Pastor. This ministry is important!

Reply
Bean Queen
12/31/2014 02:48:53 am

Pastor ODC you're a gifted and anointed man of God who's not afraid to speak candidly and truthfully about those issues that plague our society and are often not addressed by local influencers. I agree with Ebony, your writing style is multi-dimensional and brings new flavor. Be encouraged and keep writing!

Reply
Sylvia Tyre
1/4/2015 02:24:26 am

Pastor Culliver my family and I have been truly blessed to have you as our pastor. Thanks for the insight and thanks for your leadership. May God continue to bless the ODC Ministries...

Reply
Neilya
1/9/2015 02:46:39 pm

Break every chain!! The change starts with you!! Take a stand!!

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    Pastor ODC is the Senior Pastor of Tabernacle Church in Selma, AL and a graduate of Beeson Divinity School.  He is a biblical scholar/student with social consciousness that challenges society to examine itself in light of the scripture.  He also encourages believers to fulfill their divine purpose to the glory of God.  His writing is compelling, convicting, and challenging.

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