The Voice of The People Has a Deaf Ear

There is only one radio station that is responsible for making me question everything I was spoon fed since birth. I owe my coming out to WLS 89 AM, Rush, Hannity, Mark Levin and all the local Chicago hosts who have bravely stood up against liberal policies.

When I won the contest and my first show was approaching I was desperate for a different angle. I was eager to be a conservative voice covering hot topics and little local stories that may have been missed during the week.

I dabbled with Stephanie Miller but the language is not fit for my young son. Hal Sparks is the only host that makes me want to punch a wall. If I ever meet him I will have to resist picking him up and…I digress. The urban talk radio station in Chicago is the home of nationally popular hosts and out spoken local personalities. I have heard one of their host tell listeners during the last mayor election, to vote for Carol Moseley Braun because is was black.

I still listen occasionally, with all the violence in Chicago I want to hear what the residents are saying about the attacks. Next month the station is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a huge gala event. The promos have been running for weeks, listing all the celebrities scheduled to be part of this historical event. I enjoy listening to the timeline of how the station was started and maintained its status for 50 years.

I thought the tickets were all $50. While listening to the morning show this week I heard a caller talk about buying two $250 tickets instead of the $500 tickets she really wanted. I almost drove off the road. This station spent hours telling voters that Mitt was too rich to truly understand struggling black people. They talk endlessly about the lack of jobs and resources in the neighborhoods of their audience.

Later the mid-morning host was promoting the gala and said the $100 tickets would get you a really nice reception. After the commercial break, she apologized and said $100 does not get you a reception. I went online to see what the ticket options were. The only remaining tickets are $118.96 and $274.90 with fees and taxes. The cheap tickets were actually $67.65 at checkout. VIP tickets are available at the station.

Help me out. This gala is to celebrate “THE” urban talk station that has a show called “Keeping It Real” and real people suffering under policies of Obama, the former King Daley and current Mini Mafia Mayor are being kept away by high priced tickets.

The hosts and callers constantly say that black money should be spent in our community, “We need to support our black owned businesses”. The historical venue is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. I searched the theater’s site for parking suggestions. If you pre-pay it is $21. When I drove downtown for 3 hours on a Saturday afternoon, the fees were $27-$34. I started taking the train for $7 round trip. The event is scheduled on a Saturday evening. Most people won’t use public transportation given that the event may not end until after 10pm.

The Chatham 14 Theater would have been the idea venue. Free parking and it is a short distance from the radio station. The list of famous people scheduled to appear could have donated their time to keep the prices down. Imagine a red carpet event where the common listeners get to shake hands with people they love. Everyone could be VIP’s! I paid $50 for CPAC in 2012 and I got to sit wherever I could squeeze in. During the day at times I was arms length from a few of my idols. If I pay $500 for a ticket, I want one of the speakers to appear at my next book club meeting.

This station has a rich history of being the voice of black Chicago but apparently they are blind to the financial pains of the listeners. Maybe I am a tight-wad but $67 for cheap seats is a lot of money. The VIP tickets are used to separate the classes, so bourgeois (we call in it "boo-jee" in the hood). These are the very policies they bash daily. Bottom up economics my Aunt Fannie.

Maybe I am missing something? Please correct me.

Jesse Louis Jackson

On Saturday, February 2, 2013 I finally made it to the Rainbow Push forum. I decided I had to attend and participate in the walk for Hadiya Pendleton, the 42nd person killed by gun viloence in January.

I grew up in the 70’s and my grade school did expose us to black history which included the civil rights movement. Even then I rejected Jesse Jackson as the self designated leader of black Americans. I did not like how he seemed to ride on the coattails of the honorable Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. I know he was there on the front line walking and working with Dr. King but even then I failed to see what he had done for us lately. The fake boycotts of companies that seem to only net something for his personal causes and not so much black people as a group was not enough.

When I got to the church, a woman herded attendees to fill the middle front rows. When the broadcast started at 10:00am only 9 rows were occupied, more people arrived later. A wonderful choir and other speakers filled the agenda prior to Jesse Jackson’s appearance. One group from the westside wore “My Life is Valuable 2” t-shirts. One member held a large picture of a young man shot to death recently while eating at a fast-food restaurant. Later, I looked into the incident, the police have him documented as a gang member. On Saturday he was presented as an innocent victim simply eating dinner.

Dr. Brenda Butler of Columbia College spoke about her Columbia Links project. It is a journalism and leadership program for Chicago Public School teens and teachers. The group is responsible for the posters “Don’t Shoot I Want to Grow Up” campaign.

Having only seen Jesse Jackson as this “iconic” figure on television I expected him to appear more human and less like a rehearsed self-serving activist, I was wrong. The speakers are all careful to always refer to him honorably by using his full title and name. He is the same activist I have listened to since childhood, delivering catchy one liners that he would occasionally have the audience repeat.

I agreed with him calling for the people to stop harboring the criminals. He compared the citizens’ refusal to snitch to the Chicago Police Departments “Blue Code” of silence. Most of the crimes go unsolved because no one will come forth and say what they saw. He called for President Obama to come to Chicago. I called for Obama to hold town hall style meetings in June. He was here raising campaign funds and never took any time to address the violence. As a former “community organizer” why wouldn’t he offer solutions to the very people he once worked with in high crime areas? Don’t be fooled, Jackson and his demand to have Obama come here is all choreographed. He would be hard pressed to speak publicly in a negative manner about this historical president.

Jackson did mention Jesse Jr.’s book and his reference to Thanksgiving and slavery. Jackson Rule #1: Always be promoting your brand, family. I was shocked that Jonathan was not speaking. In the weeks since Junior’s resignation Jonathon has suddenly appeared on some Saturdays sounding very statesmen-like. I would be shocked if he is not appointed or elected to a stepping stone position soon.

Jackson’s speech included many reasons for the crime in the city. He said banks got bail outs and we got locked out. Lack of after school programs but access to guns that are not made in the city but yet are brought into Chicago. No black owned gun manufacturers or shops. He shared some financial statistic on poverty, historical statements on slavery and comment on Romney’s off-shore accounts. He never called for us to take responsibility for our own children. He did say if the parents can’t raise the kids properly society must step in.

The meeting ended with collecting donations. Those giving $100 were called to stand and an usher walked to the person and took the money. I saw a woman that Jackson had introduced earlier stand up in the front row and pass him a crisp $100 bill. Then those giving $50, $35 and so on were called.

We drove to Hadiya’s school, coincidentally located on the same street just 4 blocks north. The march was 6 blocks long from beginning at Martin Luther King College Prep High School, ending at the park located 4400 south on Oakenwald Avenue. When Jackson arrived we were told to line up in pairs behind him. I was paired with a man from the westside who survived on disability checks and money he made from panhandling. He showed me his medication; he was happy to have raised enough from begging to buy them. The next young man I walked with had played basketball for a well known Chicago high school and used that opportunity to attend college. He was well dressed and a minister in a jail and was asked by Jackson to attend. He drove in from the western suburbs.

Members of the television, print and online media followed us as we navigated the streets. People in cars blew their horns and waved in support of the march. Jackson held a short press conference once we arrived. The shelter is located in a public park, the gunman jumped the fence to shoot at the group seeking cover from the rain. Hadiya and her friends were out of school early after a day of exams. She was not affiliated with any gang.

It was very cold and I was not looking forward to the walk back. Jesse Jackson gathered us to begin the return trip and said he wanted to make sure we stayed together for safety. At some point we were told to board the chartered school bus intended for the group from the westside. Jackson chose to ride on the bus and not in his black limo. I sat next to a nice woman who had just completed a job readiness program at a local junior college. She was eager to tell me that she had formerly worked for Alderman Sandi Jackson, “She’s very sweet”, I bit my tongue. I engaged her in conversation about the viloence and feeling safe as a Chicago resident. She said that living in fear is not the answer, she had faith in God.

As we got off the bus he shook our hand. He was looking away and talking to one of his handlers when it was my turn. My sister reminded me that I did shake the hand that once shook Dr. King’s hand.

Cancun 2013 - Let Go, Let God

Since winning the WLS Next Talk Star contest in August my busy life has been even busier. After my 2 hour show that was included among my winnings I have been asked to fill from time to time. I get excited and terrified because WLS is the best. The last thing I want is to hurt their reputation therefore I prepare tirelessly days before, making sure I am versed on the latest political news, pop culture and current events. I absolutely love it!

In the midst of parenting, volunteering, the election and the holiday season I all but forgot that I also won a vacation for 2 from Funjet trip to Riviera Maya. There were many emails sent between the WLS promotions manager and myself trying to confirm a date. Once the date was set I got busy preparing for our absence. These details were a welcomed distraction form my fear of flying. I have flown but I hate it, period. I was asking everyone I knew to pray for me to relax and not fret getting there and returning home.

One day before my trip we were expecting early morning snow. I was pleased to see they were wrong as I peeked at my van to make sure the remote start was warming my van. I exited my house with about 9 minutes to get to church on time. My reasoning for leaving so late occasionally is, praise and worship was created for people like me; 10-15 minutes of singing gives everyone a chance to get in place for the message.

Well, there was no snow but my van was covered a stubborn layer of ice. I spent at least 10 minutes trying to clear my windows enough just to get on the road. No matter how I banged and chipped that ice would not break up. Why didn’t I go to church last night? Why didn’t I leave 30 minutes before, (like I tell my son who leaves for his job 10 minutes before his shift starts)? Why didn’t I pull into the garage? I was about to give up but I needed to go get to church.

I got there and parked on the gravel section. I grabbed all my belongings to rush in to claim the seat my daughter-in-law was saving. I hurried out and the moment I slammed the door it was clear, I was not in control, I landed on all 4 points (both elbows and knees). I was flat on the invisible ice literally unable to move for about 30 seconds. I was afraid to even attempt to get up. I sat through the service with my knees throbbing. My pastor shared a great message that morning but one thing stood out, “Fear is not of God”. I left church feeling better about my impending plane ride.

I called the airline when I got home just to ask a few questions. The customer service person said my flight was a charter and I needed to call Funjet. Oh, no, charter sounds like a little crop-duster plane, yikes. I decided to check my Facebook notifications before making the call. There was a post by WLS offering condolences to the family of Jake Hartford. I did not understand what I was reading, he was just on the air 2 days before. How could that be?

I have been a fan of his quirky dry humor since 1993. Listening to warm stories of  Miss Dill Pickle and the boys made them seem more like neighbors to me. His bumper music, regular contributors and deadpan delivery made “Awake with Jake” a good reason to get up at 5AM on Saturday. There was a gray cloud hanging over me the entire day, I loved Jake Hartford.

That night it hit me that I spent too much time in fear and I needed to realize that God was in control, my faith assures me of that. Life is too short to be lead by fear. I decided to enjoy this amazing opportunity God has granted my husband and me.

The Cancun weather forecast was rain and temperatures ranging from 79-82 degrees. I was “afraid” that our week would ruined. When we safely landed the pilot informed us that it was 84 and sunny, God is good.

For the next 3 nights and 4 days we were treated to the honeymoon we never had. My 3 words to describe the RIU Palace are, clean, friendly and luxurious. Funjet exceeded my expectations, they will have my travel business from now on.

There are more trip details to come……