You know what makes me sick? Black people--also known as African Americans--who spoil their inheritance and blaspheme that which was handed down by the sacrifice of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. Those who spit on the graves of their parents by refusing to be set free from the bondage of slavery and dependence; those who, instead of victory over oppression, prefer a life of victimization and victim mongering. There is a serious and significant gap between the sacrifice of black Americans during the 1960's and the apathy of today's black families and youth. Bill Cosby recognizes the same trend:

"Understand, your children have to know where you came from. And they have to know about those people hanging [during the civil rights struggles] and how when they did hang them on a Sunday, the theme song was "Amazing Grace." That is what they sang when the bodies were hanging. Your children don't know that, your grandchildren don't know it," he said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it hurts, it hurts, because these children don't know about their poor mothers and fathers, they don't know about how there was no done deal [regarding the civil rights struggle]," he explained (cite)

Today, I honor Martin Luther King, Jr., for his contribution to America. I honor his willingness to sacrifice for his convictions. I honor his hard work, sleepless nights, prayer calloused knees, and perserverance in the face of injustice. His life of sacrifice, and his sacrificed life, was given in love for his country and family. He saw them both, not as they were, but as they could become. America is a better place because of him.

Oh, and how I wish all black Americans would capture the vision that he saw and rise above circumstance to acheive the highest goals and privileges that America offers. Anyone--anyone--can achieve it in America; there are so few exceptions.

Too many African-Americans are not motivated to better their life, Cosby said. "The analgesic of cursing and profanity and standing around and just letting the day go by and wake up the next morning to start your next day of moving this day along -- you'll have no picture that is large enough to take you out of where you going," he said.

No longer is the enemy the "white man," it's the man in the mirror who refuses to accept the reality that he is his own worst enemy. It's the mothers who choose to invest precious financial resources into 'cool' and not into college. It's fathers who reject fatherhood. Family and religion, once sacred in the black community, have now become the punchline of gansta rap CD's. How dastardly the existence of so many who refuse to contribute to the growth of freedom instead condemning themselves, and their children, to a life of dependence.

Only by clinging to family, pursuing eduation, rediscovering religious roots "all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (cite)" On this day when we honor a black American who was endowed by his creator for a specific task, let us cast a vision that all black Americans can take hold of that which was taken hold of for them, rejecting the alternative...

"When you put on a record, and that record is yelling 'nigger this' and 'nigger that' and cursing all over the thing and you got your little six-year-old and seven-year-old sitting in the back seat of the car -- those children hear that. And I am telling you when you put it the CD on and then you get up and dance to it -- What are you saying to your children?" he asked.

"Eight-year-old, nine-year-old boys have no business teaming up to rape a nine-year or ten-year-old girl. And if it's in that TV set, don't bring it into your home, if it's on your record player, don't bring it in your home," he said.

"Young men and old men, you've gotta stop beating up your women because you didn't find a job, because you didn't want to get an education and now you are [earning] minimum wage. You should have thought more of yourself when you were in high school," he said (cite)

Here's a great read from Stop the ACLU.