Where Were The Uncle Tom Smithermans?

Used to be my homey now you act like you don't know me.

In yesterday's blog entry, I asked the question: "Is General Christopher Smitherman An Abuser?" Today, I'm asking a few more questions based on the following statements from General Smitherman. (source) (Please forgive the long quotions.)

Both Jim Tarbell and David Crowley are Cincinnati City Council members now who are over 65 years old. Is it a fair question to ask them what is their life record on civil rights? Where were Council member Tarbell and Council member Crowley when they were 25? They are two white men who are in power today. Were they holding the hoses, getting hosed, or silent between 1964 and 1968? The Jewish community has done a beautiful job holding people accountable for their participation, or lack of, with their struggle. The African American community must do the same.

Ok, General Smitherman. Let's hold David Crowley and Jim Tarbell accountable for their actions. But why stop there? Why don't we hold ALL people accountable for their actions, not just white people, ok? And since you, oh mighty General, are the one issuing ORDERS to the Black community, and, as good subjects, we are obliged to OBEY your orders, why don't we start this accountability process by asking YOU and YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS a few questions.

My grandmother, Mozelle Flowers, was 58 years old when Dr. King was assassinated. Although she is almost 98, she has spent the majority of her life under white supremacy. Dr. Marion Spencer has spent half of her life under white supremacy. She spearheaded the desegregation of the Coney Island swimming pool. Has anyone asked whether David Crowley or Jim Tarbell were standing with Dr. Spencer at the Coney Island gate? There are many other public officials, boardroom executives, company CEOs, and police administrators old enough to be asked the same question....

I know some of you won't like this question, but I think it is a fair one. Since it is fair for General Smitherman to ask a person's parents and grandparents if they stood with Dr. Spencer at the Coney Island gate, it must also be fair to ask where his parents and grandparents were doing this time, right?

I begin with General Smitherman's grandmother, Mozelle Flowers. Before I get to the obvious question, let me give you a little more background on Mrs. Flowers. (link)

Mozelle Flowers, Smitherman's 94-year-old maternal grandmother, made phone calls, knocked on doors, lined up yard sign locations and did anything else she could for her grandson's campaign.

....

If the story ended there, that alone would have made for a very special post-election embrace between grandmother and grandson. But because it in a very real sense begins there, the moment was even more poignant.

Flowers grew up in Jim Crow Alabama, in the sinister years when the color of her skin defined where she could go to school, work, shop, eat, sit on a bus or use a restroom. So last Tuesday, the instant when her grandson became a councilman-elect was not only a transcendent moment in Smitherman family history, but a small -- though hardly insignificant -- political footnote marking another step forward in America's progress with the most divisive issue in its history.

"My grandmother said there was a time when she would have never believed that her grandson could even run for City Council, much less win,'' Smitherman said. "I'll never forget that.''

Neither will his grandmother.

"Oh my, yes, I'm so glad the young people today don't have to go through some of what we did,'' she said. "I prayed all day Tuesday that Christopher would reach the end of the rainbow, because that's where there's hope. And he made it.''

Let's recap.... Mrs. Flowers is nearly 98 years old. She grew up in Jim Crow Alabama. Her skin color defined where she could go to school, work, shop, eat, sit on a bus or use a restroom. At 94, Mrs. Flowers made phone calls, knocked on doors, lined up yard sign locations and did anything else she could for her grandson's political campaign. Its time for the questions.

• When Dr. Spencer was spearheading the desegregation of Coney Island, where was Mrs. Flowers?
• When Black people, like Rosa Parks, Rev. Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were fighting to end segregation in Alabama, what was Mrs. Flowers' contribution?
• Is it fair to conclude that in almost 100 years of living on this planet, Mrs. Flowers only found time to get involved and make phone calls, knock on doors, line up yard sign locations and do other things when a member of her family was involved?
• Did Mrs. Flowers do anything to change the condition so that young people don't have to go through some of what she did, or did she, instead, like so many people (including possibly Crowley and Tarbell) spend her life doing nothing to help anyone except her own family members?

Ok, some of you will undoubtedly claim that there is a difference between Mrs. Flowers and Rosa Parks. Others will note that Crowley and Tarbell are elected officials; Mrs. Flowers is not. But, General Smitherman doesn't INSTRUCT us to limit our questioning to elected officials. He tells us to go after a whole host of people.

There are many other public officials, boardroom executives, company CEOs, and police administrators old enough to be asked the same question....

If we are going to ask public officials, boardroom executives, company CEOs, and police administrators where they were during the civil rights movement and where they were when Dr. Spencer was desegregating Coney Island, then we ought to ask everyone the question.

Where were General Smitherman's parents -- Barbara and Herbert Smitherman -- when Dr. Spencer was desegregating Coney Island?

I am blessed to be able to write in 2007 with complete independence from status quo reprisal. I owe this to my own mother, Barbara Smitherman, M.A., and father, Dr. Herbert Smitherman, Sr., and men like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Their greatest sacrifices—their life or life’s work—allows me the opportunity today ,at almost 40 years of age, to write and speak freely.

A little more background on Herbert Smitherman. According to this, Herb is the principal of Western Hills Design Technology High School. According to this, Herb is "a former research and development manager with Procter & Gamble who has a doctorate in physical organic chemistry." And according to this, Herb was the first Black Ph.D. hired by Procter & Gamble in the 1960s. So, what role did this well-educated, highly-paid, doctor play during the civil rights movement? Any?

This Cincinnati Post story says General Smitherman's mother, Barbara Smitherman, was a longtime administrator and principal. What did this school administrator and principal do during the civil rights movement?

I could go on and ask what role General Smitherman's siblings played in the civil rights struggles, but I think I've made my point: if the Black community is going to hold people accountable for their participation, or lack thereof, in the struggle, then we need to include everyone, including the Smithermans, and their combined record of participation is virtually non-existent.

One last thing. I refer to the Smitherman family as a bunch of "Uncle Toms" in this blog entry's title because they fit the definition given to us by General Smitherman himself. These people are selfish, only focused on self-advancement, and not concerned about the oppression of Black people (or at least not so concerned that they've ever actually been active in confronting white supremacy).

General Smitherman is even worse than the rest of his family. Its one thing to have no history of participation in the struggle of your day and keep your mouth shut about other people who aren't involved, but it is something entirely different to have no record in the struggle but feel like you are entitled to criticize others. For the record, the civil rights movement, or struggle, didn't end in 1968 with Dr. King's death. The movement/struggle continues today. And General Smitherman has never played an active role in that movement. (I think I'm going to do a whole series of blog entries on this subject.) That said, many of the things this dude is saying are out of order. He hasn't earned the right.

Cincinnati still believes that I need to get in my place because they see me as black. I am an American! I have acted on the dreams of my family and forefathers to have free views and speak my thoughts without encumbrance by the status quo. The status quo wants me at the table, but they do not want to hear me speak. The person who complies with this expectation transforms into the modern-day Uncle Tom whose only focus is self-advancement at the high cost of oppressing his or her own people. Uncle Toms are very important to the maintenance of white supremacy. Dr. King had to navigate around the Uncle Tom’s in the 1960’s as they defined him as a trouble maker not fit to be an American. Today, the status quo is still propping up the black face to support their agenda. Their selfishness decimates “the dream” that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of to the world.

I don't know all the reasons why so many people dislike General Smitherman, but to play the race card and pretend that everybody dislikes him because of his skin color is downright pathetic! As I've said on this blog many times, once people get to know General Smitherman they see him for the two-faced huckster that he is. I think people have come to realize a few things about General Smitherman.

• People see Smitherman call Black people names, like Uncle Tom; then whine when people call him names.
• People see Smitherman attacking people; then complaining when he gets attacked.
• People realize that Smitherman criticizes other people for what they've done or failed to do; but he hates it when people examine his record (he still won't explain why he voted to give 3CDC and the Chamber of Commerce all that money when he was on Council).
• People know that Smitherman befriended the gay community; then blasted them when he lost the election, blaming them for his defeat. If Smitherman was a true friend of the GBLT community, he wouldn't have done that. So, his friendship appears to have been purely political.
• People are finally starting to see that Smitherman orders people to do things that he doesn't do, like when he told people to write Council about the budget and attend the hearings, then he failed to write or call or attend the hearings.
• Smitherman attacks Black leaders (just this month he has attacked Cecil Thomas and Laketa Cole and urged people to vote them out of office); but never stopped talking about how unfair he was treated by other Blacks and the white press when he was on Council.