Page 2 The Skanner July 6, 2016
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Opinion
What Comes Next, After Jesse Williams’ BET Speech?
M
ore than a couple of
million folks have re-
sponded to the words
spoken by Jesse Wil-
liams, which points out the
fact that many Black people
are mesmerized by words that
excite us and stimulate our
emotions. Rather than initiat-
ing practical and appropriate
actions as a result of words
that make us feel good, we
usually end up celebrating,
espousing, regurgitating, and
discussing, ad nauseam, those
words instead of implement-
ing strategies that make us
“do good.”
The speech by Williams
was important and relevant,
especially to Black people.
I appreciate his words and
his willingness to make his
statements on such a widely
viewed stage. He used his fame
and the very popular BET
Awards Show to put forth a
message that has been spoken
and written by others before
him, but also one that we need
to hear over and over. Seems
to me that when someone fa-
mous says the same things
other non-famous folks have
said, it takes hold quicker and
our light bulbs come on fast-
er. Questions: “How long will
the message last, and will we
act upon it?
Jesse
Williams’
back-
ground, political ailiations
and motivations notwith-
standing, his message was
James
Clingman
NNPA
Columnist
more important than the mes-
senger. But since we are so
attuned with what our celeb-
rities say, he had instant cred-
ibility with many young and
older folks alike. This is not to
“
dope – Up with hope!” “No
justice, no peace!” “Yes we
can!” and all the other words
we have heard and chanted
millions of times?
I’d rather we follow words
from Richard Allen, “To Seek
for Ourselves,” Marcus Gar-
vey, “One God, One Aim, One
Destiny!” and Elijah Muham-
mad, “Do for Self.” I chose to
hear some of those words in
Williams’ speech, and I give
him credit for speaking on the
subject.
Emotional catchwords and phrases
are leeting and seldom cause any
improvement in our well-being
suggest that we discriminate
against a message because of
its messenger. A moron can
bring a valid message. Sup-
pose Clarence Thomas had
said the same thing Williams
said. Would we reject that
message?
My point is that Black folks
should be able to discern a
positive message that comes
from any messenger, so that
we can know “why” the mes-
sage is being promulgated
and be able to respond ap-
propriately to that message.
Emotional catchwords and
phrases are leeting and sel-
dom cause any improvement
in our well-being. Remember:
“I have a dream!” “Down with
It’s on Mr. Williams now
to show us what he meant by
putting his words into action;
and it’s up to the rest of us to
develop strategies and initia-
tives that will move our peo-
ple forward.
Jesse Williams spoke on is-
sues that I have written arti-
cles about as far back as 1994,
more speciically, one titled,
“The Young and the Relent-
less,” in which I described how
many young Blacks were be-
coming entrepreneurs. Rath-
er than falling for the okey-
doke of buying and wearing
someone else’s brand, they
were developing, marketing,
and selling their own brands.
Unfortunately, many of our
young entertainers had suc-
cumbed to the lure of “OPS”
(Other People’s Stuf ) e.g. Adi-
das, Nike, Tommy Hiliger,
etc. rather than “OPM” (Other
People’s Money).
Will Jesse Williams’ com-
ments simply become last
month’s shining moment for
Black folks, or will his mes-
sage inally be transformed
into real economic progress
for our people? Will his two
minutes of enlightenment
and in-your-face rejoinder
to our plight make their way
into the pantheon of speeches
by our learned elders, or will
they drit of into oblivion
never having gained traction
or made a signiicant difer-
ence in our lives?
Will Jesse Williams’ one
shining moment become acti-
vated within us to the degree
that we begin to coalesce and
collaborate to build an eco-
nomic foundation from which
we can truly have an impact?
We must have action. We
must have a critical mass of
Black people who are willing
and able to work to make our
economic and political em-
powerment a reality.
Jesse Williams’ speech was
a shining moment. Will its
sheen fade to black, or will
that moment turn into mo-
mentum for Black progress?
Remember: A moment is not a
movement, but a moment can
start a movement.
Black and Latino Leaders for Stronger Payday Loan Regulation
F
or more than a decade,
civil rights organiza-
tions, labor, clergy, and
consumer
advocates
have fought to end triple-digit
interest rates on small dollar
loans. Whether it was a high-
cost installment, payday or
car-title loan, the push has
been to free America’s work-
ing families and consumers of
color from fees that can dou-
ble, or even triple the amount
of money borrowed.
Now, ater years of research,
public hearings and advisory
forums, on June 2 the Con-
sumer Financial Protection
Bureau (CFPB) announced a
long-awaited proposed rule.
Speaking before a public
hearing in Kansas City, Rich-
ard Cordray, CFPB’s director,
spoke to the ultimate consum-
er goal tied to the proposed
rule.
“Our proposed rule is de-
signed to ensure more fair-
ness with these inancial
products by making systemic
changes to steer borrowers
away from ruinous debt traps
and restore to them a larg-
er measure of control over
their afairs,” said Director
Cordray. “Ultimately, our ob-
jective is to allow for respon-
sible lending, while making
sure that consumers do not
fall into situations that un-
Charlene
Crowell
NNPA
Columnist
dermine their inancial lives.”
For Rev. Dr. Cassandra
Gould, a hearing speaker,
pastor of Quinn Chapel AME
Church in Jeferson City, Mis-
souri, and executive director
of Missouri Faith Voices, “all
inancial products are not
“
ers trap them with systematic
callousness and cycles of debt
for their own gain,” added
Rev. Gould.
The centerpiece of the CF-
PB’s proposal establishes an
ability-to-repay
principle
based on income and expens-
es, covering both short-term
and long-term loans — but
with exceptions.
Early reactions to the pro-
posal were as swit as they
were strong.
“Low-income people and
people of color have long been
targeted by slick advertising
All inancial products are not equal
and payday lending is a scourge on
minority communities
equal” and payday lending is
“a scourge on minority com-
munities.”
“Families need credit but
not all products help despite
illing that need,” testiied
Rev. Gould. “I am reminded of
the people in Flint. They need-
ed water because we need it
to survive, but the water they
received was deadly. Payday
lending is toxic; it equates
to the water in Flint, it does
more harm than good.”
“Instead of inding ways to
help people in desperate eco-
nomic times, predatory lend-
and aggressive marketing
campaigns to trap consum-
ers into outrageously high
interest loans,” said Wade
Henderson, president and
CEO of The Leadership Con-
ference on Civil and Human
Rights. “That’s why the civil
rights community wants to
see predatory payday lenders
reined in and regulated. The
power to lend is the power to
destroy.”
Recent research by the Cen-
ter for Responsible Lending
(CRL) found that payday loans
drain $4.1 billion in annual
fees from consumers living
in one of 36 states where the
loans are legal.
Similarly, car title loans
ofered in 23 states account
for another $3.9 billion in
fees each year according to
CRL. For these borrowers,
car repossession, not repay-
ment, is a common result that
ends mobility for working
families. Depending upon
available alternative trans-
portation options that can
jeopardize employment.
Nearly half of these com-
bined fees — $3.95 billion —
come from only ive states:
California, Illinois, Mis-
sissippi, Ohio and Texas.
Each of these states loses a
half-billion or more in fees
each year.
“These loans oten come
with outrageous terms, such
as interest rates that can top
1,000 percent, and trap mil-
lions of Americans a year in
a cycle of debt that many of
them are never able to exit,”
said Congresswoman Max-
ine Waters. “I applaud the
CFPB for their proposal and
I will continue to work with
the CFPB and consumer ad-
vocates to stop the debt trap
once and for all.”
Read the rest of this commentary at
TheSkanner.com