On
Saturday, February 24th, Angela Rye spoke at the commemoration event for I Am A
Man. This event was held to recognize the historical sanitation strike and
Martin Luther King Jr.'s arrival to Memphis. It should go without saying that
Angela Rye is someone to know. Her website describes her as the
following:
"Angela Rye is Principal and CEO of IMPACT
Strategies, a political advocacy firm in the
nation’s capital. She is a CNN Political Commentator and NPR Political Analyst.
She has been featured as an influential politico, lawyer, and advocate by
several publications and outlets from Marie Claire to Ebony and
the Washington Post,
Rye has an unwavering commitment to ensuring positive change in the political
process."
It is clear that Rye is a phenomenal and inspirational woman.
It is interesting to note that she was invited to speak at this remarkable
event, however the Mayor of Memphis had no idea who she was and did not agree
with what she had to say. To summarize the contents of Rye's speech, she calls
out Memphis for the current climate of our city, saying "But I think it's
very important for us to understand that 50 years later, we still haven't seen
the progress that we deserve." She lists the problems present in Memphis
currently, such as the black child poverty rate, the disconnected youth, the
lack of money being spent of improving the quality of education, and the
surveillance of activists and grassroots leaders (Transcript: Angela Rye). She
furthers this by asking the audience if this is the Memphis that Dr. King would
be proud of? Is this the Memphis that you are proud of? She also presents ways
that we can properly honor Dr. King, one being the support of a livable wage
that has still yet to happen here but is intensely needed.
One
thing to know about Angela Rye is that she keeps things real; there is no need
to sugarcoat the truth. However, it seems that our mayor Jim Strickland is not
used to this and prefers sugarcoated truths. In an interview with Mayor
Strickland, he admits that he has no idea who Angela Rye is. "'To be
honest with you I've never heard of her,' Strickland said. 'I don't watch the
national media. I work on trying to help our kids and community centers and
extending hours. I didn't know who she was. But that's fine. And she was wrong
in many of her facts . . . she doesn't know what's going on here'"
("Angela Rye Admonishes Memphis Leadership"). Why must you be from
Memphis to see the tragedies that plague our community? It does not take native
to recognize the injustices here. Mayor Strickland's comments only attempt
to diminish the truth to protect Memphis's image. I came across a Facebook
post by Wendi Thomas (also a phenomenal woman) that juxtaposes Mayor
Strickland's comment with Governor George Wallace from Alabama comment on segregation
in the south circa 1964. He says, "As a matter of fact, we have never had
a problem here in the South except in a very few isolated instances and these
have been the result of outside agitators." Both comments lack
authenticity and downplay the reality of the situations. During these dire
situations, these comments only result in the lack of action. Explicit
conversations are necessary components of change and progress, which is
something Mayor Strickland does not understand.
Transcript: https://mlk50.com/transcript-angela-rye-tells-memphis-dont-just-stay-woke-work-woke-489b90728fa5
Article:
https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2018/02/24/angela-rye-admonishes-memphis-leadership-policies-during-citys-am-man-event/360992002/
Facebook
post: https://www.facebook.com/wendi.thomas.5/posts/2101060243252675
This blog reminded me of our class discussion on what Dr. Martin Luther King would think of the current race relations and issues surrounding the United States today. Although, a black individual can walk down the street without the harassment of discrimination (in most cases) black people in Memphis and all parts of the United States still encounter racist institutions made to control black success and mobility. It is also important to note that Dr. King did not only fight for racial justice only, but he also fought for an end to violence and poverty. Memphis is still a poverty stricken city. Therefore, the fight is not over in Memphis. No one should be satisfied with the current state of Memphis, but working to better the community and tell the truths of its current state. It is unfortunate that Mayor Strickland does not accept the truths from an "outside agitator." Who better to see the social issues that plague Memphis than an outsider willing to help.
ReplyDeleteMayor Strickland's comments hearkens back to what we talked about in class on Friday about the misconception that Memphis had some of the best race relations in the South predating the Sanitation Workers' Strike. Strickland's sentiment reinforces this master narrative that the city of Memphis is continuously "serving" its community members in need. However, it is clear that there are many systems in place that inevitably disenfranchise many of the working class black folks in the city. It must be so daunting on our mayor to "extend hours" of community centers. In reality, he does not mean to address or even provide solutions for the current problems that plague the city, but instead, means to create quick Band-Aid surface level "solutions." There is no mention of real benefits or programs to help these communities in terms of resources. Furthermore, his comment about not knowing Angela Rye is feeding into the erasure of prominent black women and their social commentary. Not to mention, his disinterest in "national media" should be incredibly concerning-he is a mayor of a major city in the country. Of course, the national media should be something he should be informed with.
ReplyDeleteAll I have to say is, Strickland should really take a seat and listen to figures like Rye if he really wants to better the city of Memphis. But then again, perhaps he would like to keep things the way they are...
The comments made by Mayor Strickland are deeply troubling given the racist, sexist, and elitist nature of his remarks. Mayor Strickland is seeking to undermine the work of Angela Rye by calling into question her role as an activist and her relation to Memphis. Mayor Strickland is hoping that by making these remarks the points raised by Rye in relation to his own failure as the leader of the city will not be seriously considered, yet his protest to Rye’s transparency highlights the ways in which Strickland has failed. Strickland argues that he does not know Rye because of his work with community centers yet he can list no concrete ways he has helped community centers beside extending the hours. Strickland’s comments highlight the dedication to oppression by the leaders of the city.
ReplyDelete