NPR: Acknowledging Fallen Legends

Acknowledging Fallen Legends

Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN)

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Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman

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We are off to the races, one week before Christmas ... trying to maintain that balance between acknowledging the season and ignoring the news, or following the news -- of which there is a LOT -- and ignoring the emotional temperature. As always, we take responsibility for thinking things through, but are interested in your views about how we're balancing things.

Today, I won't lie to you, we scrambled. That's because we had a show we were quite happy with, but we found out over the weekend that both Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN) and actor/activist Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman had died.

Rep. Carson was (how else to put it?) a pistol. If you never heard her speak anywhere else, you may remember her at the Washington, D.C. memorial service for Rosa Parks. She brought down the house.

Carson had it honest -- her mother dropped out of school in the second grade and she, herself, raised children on her own and somehow managed to turn that experience into one of passion, purpose and conviction. Before being elected to Congress she had run a social service organization. In an interview with NPR when she was elected to Congress in 1996, this is what she said about what it meant to her to become a member of Congress.

My mother dropped out of school when she was in the second grade. She lost her own mother when she was only four years of age, and for someone like me to be able to walk life's journey into the halls of the United States Congress, as an elected member of that body, it's most overwhelming. And that's the point that we have to get around to more politicians in this country who are sitting on a throne believing that they are the hierarchy, and that anybody that didn't walk the same road that they have walked, live in the same neighborhood that they'd lived in, has no business in society, in terms of a contributing way, and that is a point that is very personal to me.

(I would love to have linked to the clip for you to hear, or played it on the air. Sadly, it was recorded on a format different than what we are using today and we couldn't find a copy in time, but you get the drift.)

Rep. Julia Carson. she died of lung cancer at the age of 69. You can listen to our remembrance of Carson here.

And we also wanted to acknowledge the death of Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman. You probably know him from Dances with Wolves -- he played Ren bears, a Sioux Leader who befriends Kevin Costner's character. He conveyed warmth and dignity and strength. Here's what one friend of mine had to say about him:

He was the closest thing to a 'holy man' since Frank Fools Crow, a traditionalist. He could straddle both worlds and still get the message across.

And you can hear more about Westerman from Kevin Gover. He is the just-installed head of the National Museum of the American Indian.

And then, a conversation with A. Scott Bolden. If you've ever lived in D.C., then you understand what I'm about to say: Washington, D.C. is an international capitol, the center of the national government, but it is also a small town, actually. In my view, D.C. is a couple of small towns that overlap. One of the small towns is made up of many of the people who run things here -- the lawyers, the judges, the business people, the trade association folks -- the the so-called local "movers and shakers." Scott Bolden is one of them. And when I tell you my jaw dropped when I read his piece in this Sunday's Washington Post Magazine, you can believe it. We go to the Post magazine just about every week to sample some great writing and interesting stories. It turns out that Bolden, a very prominent D.C. lawyer, former head of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and city council candidate, fathered a child out of wedlock and did not acknowledge her for 18 years ... and, then, she came back into his life, and he into hers. Bolden writes about it in this week's magazine. We talked about it.

It's a very personal piece. Totally unexpected. This is one of those subjects ... I really want you to read the piece, listen to the interview ... and tell me what you think.

Tomorrow, we hope to have a conversation about New Jersey's decision to abolish the death penalty ... and reflections on Christmas -- Mocha Moms style.

Michel Martin

4:52 PM ET | 12-17-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

After listening to the A. Scott Bolden interview and then reading his essay in the WP, I have very little understanding of his behavior. When someone with Mr. Bolden's education and background can just walk away from his paternal obligations what kind of message does it send to the many brothers who by chance or determination don't have Bolden's access to power/privilege.

Sadly, I understand Shayla's mom's decision not to ask for financial support. 10-years ago, as a new divorcee, I sued my ex for child support, but it wasn't an easy decision to make. Only after a period of soul-searching and then with the support of women friends was I able to see that the financial support I was asking for was for the benefit of my children. And I have not regretted my decision for one day.

I wish Shayla and all the other women/girls in Mr. Bolden life well; it can't be an easy thing to see your father's dirty laundry aired in such a public way.

Sent by Cassandra | 11:53 AM ET | 12-18-2007

I had a strong reaction to the Bolden piece. So strong that I decided I should probably wait a day to try to figure out my thoughts/feelings before I commented.

One of the first thoughts that came to mind was, "Does anyone doubt that Bolden would have maintained his 'level of comfort in not knowing' if the mother of his daughter had not called when his daughter turned 18?" It feels like Bolden may be more concerned with talking about the beauties of his garden - "Here is the flower of redemption, here the flower of forgiveness, here is the flower of humility..." - rather than actually tending to the flowers. If so, it would just be another evasion of his responsibilities. Too often the picture of redemption doubles for the hard slog through to redemption with its messy advances and retreats. The artifice substitutes for the real, the tale for the experience so that what looks like a man humbly putting his "business in the street" is too often actually an exercise in self-congratulation. C'mon, did Bolden actually say he was having difficulty with his daughter's husband and that it was requiring much patience of him? Kettle meet pot; pot say hello to kettle.

It sounds like Bolden might be more interested in appearing to be sincere rather than sincerity. Why? The Clintonian parsing of words about whether it was denial or mere willful ignorance about the existence of his daughter. (It's a distinction without a difference, professor.) Saying he loves her as much as he does his daughters. (Hello? She IS your daughter.)

If Bolden really intends to open himself and his heart to his daughter then it'll take place far from the madding media crowd and it'll take place over time with ground gained and lost and gained again and only he and his family will know whether Bolden's efforts are real, or whether talking about his efforts is a substitute for genuine effort.

Thinking about Bolden's story makes me think of the end of Voltaire's novel CANDIDE where Dr. Pangloss recounts to Candide how after long years of suffering and trial Candide has come to a place of redemption and peace:

"Excellently observed," answered Candide; "but let us cultivate our garden."

Bolden's tale of discovering his daughter and his capacity to be a father to her is a tale excellently told. But it's his time in the garden that will count most.

Sent by Stanley | 2:20 PM ET | 12-18-2007

I too was left cold by Mr. Bolden's confession...disclosure. It may be true that the mother seemed to want no "help" parenting but I can't imagine any but the most selfish mother not needing financial support. As Mr. Bolden said himself, the child's mother was not well off. I can't help wondering what sort of person allows his child to grow-up without providing some measure of financial support. Mr. Running for office, Mr. Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Partner in his firm. I hope his daughter's child benefits from grandfathers presence, because the damage done by his earlier absence cannot be repaired.

Sent by Raul | 6:13 PM ET | 12-18-2007

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO PROFESSOR Khalil Muhammad PEICE ON MONDAY'S SHOW.
Having listened to Indiana University Professor's, Khalil Muhammad I would agree to that there is shorthand used when speaking, polling, or writing about race and ethnicity in this country. What I find disconcerting are the ways in which the Professor Muhammad's and Michael Eric Dyson's of the world display a sort of paternalistic attitude towards poor black folks. I don't have much patience with the likes Shelby Steele or the Clarence Thomas' of the world but please!

Professor Muhammad begins his article with a story that equates white kids parenting problems to those of impoverished blacks. It is the sort of diversionary stunt that apologist like the Professor have been using for years.

I find it curious that when Tell Me More had the last "Cosby" conversation Professor Dyson and your other guest downplayed the numbers showing the rise in violent death and incarceration among poor blacks. It is either a problem, or it is not. I believe it is a huge problem. A problem that threatens to create an "underclass" so disconnected from middle and upper class blacks as to constitute another racial/social group altogether.

It seems to me that concern for these conditions should be the priority for those professing mad love for their community instead of indulging in academic navel gazing.

Class, class, class is the thing American hates talking about far more than race in my opinion. From young Muslim fundamentalism in London, to riots in the suburbs of Paris, to the murder rates in many US streets it is poverty and disenfranchisement that threaten us all.

Professor Muhammad spends a great deal of his article making a comparison between the value of "White America" and poor "black America." At the risk of sounding callous, I don't care why white kids are listening to rap music. Aside from the attendant minstrelsy, misogyny, and homophobia it might even be a good thing. If there remains no difference between the lives of poor blacks and middle-class whites let's stop marching and get ourselves a drink. Of course there are differences. Perhaps we should spend our energy trying to form coalitions to solve some of these problems through a demand for social justice instead of parsing the wording of a study.

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

Raul

Sent by Raul | 2:41 PM ET | 12-19-2007

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