Meeting of Black minds will ponder where we are and where we go from here

By Vernon A. Williams

These are serious times. The moral collapse of America is real – not imagined. Once unthinkable deeds, thoughts and words are absorbed in the numbness of the new normal.

We have apparently grown accustomed to having 13,000 children separated from their families and locked in cages on the west coast, and at other locations around the country. The outrage seems to have quelled after reports of an improving economy.

So-called evangelicals and the political leaders of the nation boldly declare support for a Supreme Court nominee WHETHER OR NOT he is guilty of acts of sexual assault against women; not to mention the fact he unequivocally lied under oath to Congress.

While 45 pops buttons from his tight-fitting, tailor made suit, bragging about an economy turned around during the Obama Administration, Americans turn away from increasing homelessness and growing numbers of citizens in despair living in tents.

We have apparently become numb to incessant acts of police brutality and shooting deaths of men, women and children of color with no one held accountable. The ‘get out of jail free’ card for rogue cops is the simple phrase: “I feared for my life.”

I could go on, but you get the point.

Rumors of the United States transitioning into a land of milk and honey is just one of the 6,000 (increasing every day) lies told by the Con-Artist in Chief in less than two years occupancy in the West Wing.

With a game-changing election less than a month away, it is even more imperative to cement strategies, explore options and articulate our path – win or lose.

That creates perfect timing for a major forum in Indianapolis on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 called “The State of Black America.” This meeting has the potential significance of conferences in the past, that have drawn some of the great Black minds, to analyze circumstances and put some of the confusing dynamics into perspective.

Black America is no monolith. It would be foolish and frankly, counterproductive, to imagine some national consensus resulting from this meeting. That is not the point. What the “State of Black America” event should accomplish is thoughtful analysis of social and economic variables that significantly impact the Black community, along with short and long-term objectives.

This will likely be the only major meeting of this magnitude among leading Black thinkers.

The October 16th event will highlight nationally prominent Blacks discussing conditions among each other, as well as audience participation. Steward Speakers Powered by IUPUI will host the “State of Black America” at the Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis.

The star-studded panel line-up includes:

•  Susan L. Taylor is synonymous with Essence magazine, the brand she built—as its fashion and beauty editor, as editor-in-chief and editorial director. For over 30 years, she has been the driving force behind one of the most celebrated Black-owned businesses of our time – a legend in the magazine publishing world.

  

• Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is a Georgetown University sociology professor, a New York Times contributing opinion writer, and a contributing editor of The New Republic, and of ESPN’s The Undefeated website. Dyson’s pioneering scholarship has had profound effect on American ideas.

  

• Roland Martin is the host and managing editor of TV One Cable Network, where for four years he hosted NewsOneNow, the first daily morning show in history with a focus on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports, and culture from an explicitly African American perspective.
• Rev. Alfred “Al” Charles Shar- pton Jr. is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, television/- radio talk show host and a former White House adviser for President Barack Obama. Rev. Dr. Al Sharpton is founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN). NAN is a not-for- profit civil rights organization formed in 1991 and has over 100 chapters.

Those interested in attending can call 317-297-2905 for more information or order tickets online at  www.stewardspeakers.org.