“It is what it is.”
This classic saying was among several often used by the late William G. “Bill” Mays, our publisher, one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and a celebrated builder in our community.
It’s basically a short way of saying, “Well, that’s the way it is. Can you handle it?”
The statement works so well because it requires everyone involved in a situation to see things as they really are, not how we want to see them or how we want them to be.
The sooner we accept the reality of a situation, the sooner we can get to a solution. Case in point: Donald Trump as the president of the United States.
Just months ago, the idea of Trump as president was a joke to many people. On Jan. 20, it will become reality. To people who have supported Trump and the Republican hurricane he brought with him, I offer a sincere congratulations.
To the rest of us who wanted to go in a different direction, I have this to say: It is what it is. Donald Trump will be the 45th president. Loud protesting and crying about it on social media will not change that.
Once we accept that reality, then we can move on to what can be done over the next four years. I would encourage us to remember that we can still have a strong voice in our government at all levels, no matter who has been elected to office. We can still hold our elected and appointed officials accountable and help them develop policies that will deliver the best possible outcome for everyone.
All we need to do is simply take action.
You can do this in a couple of ways. First, you can visit, call, write or email your U.S. senator or U.S. representative, since Congress operates as a “check and balance” on the presidency. If you feel strongly enough about an issue, you can get some friends to help you organize a petition drive on paper or online, then present the results to your member of Congress. Officials are often more likely to take a look at an issue when they know that many people (voters) are paying attention to it.
Another way for you to have a voice is to attend meetings of the Indiana General Assembly, your city council or town council and your district’s school board. Take your relatives, friends and neighbors with you, because citizens can sometimes go to a microphone and offer their opinions and suggestions.
Keeping up with Indiana’s General Assembly, also known as the state legislature, is especially important as the body enters a critical session this month. That session will deal with a variety of important issues, ranging from expansion of pre-kindergarten programs for low-income families and public safety, to infrastructure improvements.
For almost 40 years, the interests of Indiana’s African-American community have been represented by the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), and it is always helpful to keep track of their goals in the legislature. I will have more about them in next week’s column.
Some people may be frustrated with the political process, and others may see no point in trying to shape legislation.
However, as the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 16) approaches, I recall how some of his critics came against him, including Black radical militants and white reactionary “states’ rights” advocates. They attacked King on both sides by saying he was wasting his time trying to get Congress and state legislatures to pass civil rights legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
King’s critics said new laws would not change the hearts of racists and would only fan the flames of division across the country.
King reminded them that he never said government action was the only answer to the crisis of inequality, just a partial answer.
He responded with this awesome statement: “Morals cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. The law cannot make an employer love me, but it can keep him from refusing to hire me because of the color of my skin.”
As we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy, let us remember that we have the right, responsibility and privilege as citizens of this country and state to make sure Congress and the General Assembly are passing sound legislation that will not have an adverse impact on anyone.
Let us also keep in mind that, regardless of what may happen politically, we can still produce positive social changes in our community by taking action. We can look around the neighborhoods that we live in and see plenty of opportunities to make a positive difference.
For example, another ill we have faced recently is rising violence in our neighborhoods, including teens getting into brawls at malls. Well, if the area we reside in has witnessed rising violence, we can reach out and mentor youth to prevent them from turning to crime.
We can also help unemployed people and ex-offenders find jobs, get to know the police officers who patrol our area, form a neighborhood crime watch group and report any abandoned houses or buildings to the city to keep them from becoming places of criminal activity.
We can also take action by dealing with health challenges such as diabetes, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer that disproportionately effect the African-American community. It does not take much time to encourage family members and friends to exercise more often, to eat healthier (some organizations assist with the purchase of healthy food items) and find better ways of managing stress. It also helps when we do these things ourselves and lead by example!
This approach works when it comes to a variety of issues that affect all of us.
As we complete New Year’s resolutions and goals for ourselves, let us also remember that we can set goals to respond to the realities in our communities and take action to reach those goals.
Author and political activist Eldridge Cleaver once wrote, “You’re either part of the solution, or you’re part of the problem.”
It really is that simple. In 2017, let us not sit on the sidelines as problems swirl around our community. We all have the power and talent to take action and put solutions into place.
