By Doni Glover
(BALTIMORE – August 29, 2022) – I wish all of the children in Baltimore City could have hung out with me yesterday at the Taborn’s home because they would have witnessed the most powerful response to ignorance known to mankind: excellence.
I say ignorance, but hey – let’s call it what it is: privilege. It is sad but true that there are some Americans who feel like they own the country and that its law and policies are here to protect them. Protect them from whom? I guess from us. Even more, these folks think a Black man ought never be in charge – in this case – the State of Maryland.
Last evening, an entourage of extraordinary people convened at the Taborn’s home for a private fundraiser for Maryland Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore. Most of these guests got a glance or two at a couple of Cox-sters tailgating on the corner on their way to the event.
Seemingly, there were those who felt alarmed by such an ensemble. Surely, Wes Moore wasn’t coming to their neighborhood. Right? Au contraire! Moore did, in fact, come and he spoke, and oh so wonderfully.
I was personally pleased to meet his mother for the first time. I also enjoyed Moore’s mention of the “continuum” of which he is a most momentous part. His reference to Maryland giants who paved the way for a better America truly warmed my soul. To know that Moore is cognizant of this state’s evolution is a reminder that Barack Obama was not an anomaly. Moore is empirical proof that a 17-year-old can indeed make intelligent decisions, like joining the US military. I was never in the military, but I nonetheless found great joy in hearing retired generals mention how they jumped out of planes, as did Moore.
Yep! A proud American was I to be fortunate to see such a dynamic cross-mix of people in an otherwise beautiful suburban home surrounded mostly by Mother Nature.
As I panned the audience in Taborn’s backyard, there were some of the most accomplished individuals in the DMV region. Not just federal, state, and local politicians – both former and current – were present. The crowd also included business owners – the people who are the backbone of the American economy. And there were physicians, lawyers, a former judge, scientists, educators, five – yes five retired Generals, and a university president.
How’s that for excellence?
That’s how you respond to those who would dare send this country into a scary downward spiral – all the while weakening our status in the world community all because we have never effectively addressed and begun treatment of America’s original sin.
The Trump and Cox supporters on the corner only demonstrated their lack of understanding of the real world. They are mere reminders of the struggle. It is a struggle that Harriet Tubman battled against. So, too, did Frederick Douglass and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Surely, they saw this privilege displayed in ways we have no idea of – for the most part. We’ve never seen lynchings as they did, but we did witness Eric Garner get choked out and Mike Brown got shot to death. We know that Trayvon died holding a pack of Skittles and that somewhere between getting tackled, arrested, and locked in a paddy wagon, Freddie Gray suffered lethal trauma while in the care of the Baltimore Police Department.
We also know that this privilege is not just limited to suburban areas. Right here in Baltimore City, the historically Black community of Hoes Heights located between Hampden and Roland Park was insulted by the actions of Baltimore City Councilwoman Odetta Ramos and certain members of Roland Park.
Unfortunately, in 2022, there are still those sordid minds who want people who look like me to just disappear.
BREAKING NEWS: Ain’t happening!
When I think about the sacrifices alone of those 5 Generals in the backyard, I find it utterly disrespectful for anyone to deny Moore the opportunity to lead Maryland. We do not need a leader who takes orders from the childish psycho named Donald Trump.
The worst thing about Trump is that he has tapped into the fear of the privileged and how he has harnessed racial hatred in a most magnificent way. For Trump to send those very gullible Americans into the US Capitol in an insurrection – one that endangered his own Vice President, at some point his supporters have to pull back the reigns on this runaway train.
The world is changing. Embrace the change! The same justification Black people have been given regarding certain history being omitted and about critical race theory – yeah, apply that! Remember, we were told to get over it!
You know what else? This is the same government that told Black communities to just say no to drugs. Remember that and the so-called “war on drugs”? Well, today, there are hundreds of addicts across the Black community who do not match the majority demographics of people living in Upton, Sandtown, and East Baltimore.
You see, life has a funny way of coming back around and biting you in the butt. Interestingly, I have found that people tend to treat you the way you’ve treated them. If you disrespect them, expect disrespect or at least a strong disdain.
But if you give them respect, if you treat them with dignity, if you show you care – the response is often quite different.
There are good and bad people in every group. While there are those who would attempt to drive a wedge in the progress made over the years here in Maryland, there are even more who will not be separated from doing the right thing.
Shine, Wes Moore, and kudos to the Taborn family for exhibiting excellence for all to see.
SEE PICS
