• “If the first step in cleaning up the oil is stopping the leak, why isn’t the first step in fixing illegal immigration securing the border?” - Bob Lonsberry.

• ” In all these years I’ve been carrying it and reading it every day, I got so caught up in keeping it safe that I forgot to live by what I learned from it.” - Eli (Denzel Washington), “The Book of Eli”

• “Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.” - William Arthur Ward

• “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” - Michael Jordan

• “The hard part of life isn’t facing something difficult its figuring out how to enjoy the challenges!” - Keith Ferrazzi

First let me just say that I’m not black. I’m a 30-year old, Christian, heterosexual, white male, living in a paradise-like town in America… so I may not be allowed to talk about this subject. But I’ll go for it anyway, so here’s my question:

Who is the spokesperson for the black community?

Another question that goes along with that one is, how did Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson gain the power and influence they have? I’ve heard them called the “spokesperson of the black community” many times. I by no means came up with that title myself. In fact, I’ve never quite understood it. It raises several other questions for me. Do other communities have a spokesperson? Is there a “Latino” or “Mexican” spokesperson in the USA? I’m asking these questions because I don’t know. Another question would be “is a spokesperson necessary?” I’m not saying it isn’t, I’m just asking. Here are a few of my thoughts.

• First off, I believe we are all equal, no matter what color our skin is. Created in the image of the same God and deserving of the same God-given rights.
• Is Barack Obama automatically the spokesperson for the black community, seeing as he is all of our president?
• My favorite black politician is Alan Keyes.
• As far as dealing with social issues, I’ve always been a fan of Bill Cosby.
• I recently heard an interview with NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown on the Jim Rome Show. He called out Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan for not being more vocal about “change.” I thought that was interesting.
• I’m curious to hear your thoughts.