AVALLONE: It’s Not Because Of “Black Folks,” Rev. Green

Some things are just foolish. You know there’s an old Jim Croce song that lists out a few examples: You don’t want to tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger. And, as the song chorus continues, “You don’t mess around with Jim.”

But I’d like to add to that list, “You don’t try to make sense of City Councilman James Green’s rantings.”

Oh, I know, that may not be the right approach either.

For example, in Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, habit number 5 is, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” The principle here is that by empathically listening to one another, we create an atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving, whereby the other person then reciprocates the listening, and a win-win outcome can be achieved. In other words, if we just understood one another better, we would all be happier with one another.

But when Reverend (and Council President) James Green says, during a Shreveport City Council meeting that, “We, as black folks, we ain’t ever messed nothing up. We’ve never messed it up. What you see in the city is not because you had a history of four blacks (on the city council) who messed this up,” you have to wonder how there could ever be “win-win” outcome with him or an “atmosphere of caring” if all he really sees is your skin color?

There can’t be. If any of us are unwilling to set aside our preconceived notions and biases to create space for another person’s perspective (without blaming them), there can be no greater understanding of one another. If we’re unable to acknowledge we’re all fallible, that our knowledge is limited, and that we may not have all the facts, we cannot build bridges or find solutions that otherwise would have remained buried. It’s a reminder that growth, both personal and as a community, stems from a willingness to evolve, learn, and adapt.

And no, that doesn’t mean erasing our convictions, but expanding our horizons – because at the end of the day – we all have much more in common with one another than not.

For some reason (or maybe no reason at all), Reverend Green doesn’t want us to be reminded of what we have in common because he is still dividing us all up in the most uncivilized, elementary, and ignorant way – by our skin color (and as Green is a reverend, that really makes no sense as I’m pretty sure St. Peter doesn’t have two lines formed at the gates of heaven based on skin color).

Even with that said, Councilman Green is absolutely right about one thing: Where we are as a community is not because of “black folks” (as he put it). And it’s not because of “white folks” either.

It’s because for too long we’ve elected men and women whose ideas weren’t the right ones, and we’re worse off for it. Good ideas don’t have wings. They don’t just take-off. They require leadership abilities to bring them into fruition, and far too many of our elected officials simply haven’t had it in them, despite their arguably good intentions.

Many didn’t have the temperament needed to concentrate on large-scale, organizational change. They weren’t secure enough in their own beliefs to deliver the changes needed because they folded when faced with almost any political resistance to those changes.

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And look, leadership is not for everyone – but we don’t have to elect them into office, either.

According to Fortune magazine, 70% of CEOs fail because they cannot execute. They don’t get things done, they are indecisive, and don’t follow through. And yet, we keep electing that same type of folks (irrespective of skin color) to lead our communities and country, year after year.

I know, I know, these politicians tell us how they are “working for us,” that “now is our time,” and that “our children deserve better”. They tell us how our streets will be safer, our schools will be better, garbage pick-up will be on time, our water bills will be accurate, and our future will be brighter. And many times, we fall for the rhetoric, without any reward.

But Councilwoman Ursula Bowman perhaps said it best, “Every single time it’s not about black and white, sometimes it’s about wrong or right.” And too much of what’s been going on has been wrong.

Reverend Green, consider that maybe what we see in this city isn’t the result of the color of skin, but the content of character – and the competency – of those certain persons we’ve been foolishly electing (and re-electing) for too many years now.

Louis R. Avallone is a Shreveport businessman, attorney, and author of Bright Spots, Big Country, What Makes America Great. He is also a former aide to U.S. Representative Jim McCrery and Trump elector. Follow him on Facebook, on Twitter @louisravallone or by e-mail at louisavallone@mac.com, and on American Ground Radio weeknights from 6 – 7 PM on 101.7FM/710AM KEEL in Shreveport, or weeknights from 9 – 10 PM on 96.5FM KPEL in Lafayette, or weeknights from 8 – 9 p.m. on 990 AM WGSO in New Orleans, and streaming live on iHeart.com, on iTunes, at americangroundradio.com and in over 40 markets across the country.

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