The State of the Black Union

On this past Saturday, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel home to Virginia and attend the 8th annual State of the Black Union. It was held at Hampton University's Convocation Center and was held on the cusp of the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. Standing in line at 6:00 am waiting for the doors to open, I must say that I was soooooo cold. My knees were shaking and my toes were frozen like an ice cube. I was sure I had hypothermia. But standing in line sure was worth it once I got in and found my seat. I met some wonderful people including an old woman who sat beside me. She fell asleep through most of the event but whenever there was a loud roar of cheers when someone made a phenomenal statement, this old woman would quickly wake up and say, "What Happened?" She had me in tears of laughter!
Tavis Smiley once again out did himself and the for the most part the panelists were extremely well informed. I have a new found respect for Judge Hatchett and the work she does for intervention with at risk youth. At first, I saw her more as a television personality but to hear her speak with such conviction, sincerity and honesty caused me to tip my hat off to her. I had also never heard Cathy Hughes, owner of Radio One and TV One, speak before but she was brilliant and insightful. Al Sharpton was cool and will always be himself no matter what venue he's in. There, however, was a young professor from Princeton that I believe was misunderstood on that first panel. His name is Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. and is an Associate Professor of African American Studies and Religion at Princeton. During the question/answer period, he posed a serious of questions that should cause black leaders to re-think their stance on the involvement of young people in the movement of civil rights and equality. To me, Dr. Glaude's comments were pushed to the side and he wasn't taken seriously. I thought that it was unfair and he should have been embraced and not ridiculed by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.