Leadership in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

On Friday, September 9, 2005 I had the chance to make the short trip to Morgan State University in order to hear radio and television host Tavis Smiley speak to an assembled crowd as part of his "Tavis Smiley Presents: Talented Tenth HBCU Tour". Mr. Smiley has plans to travel to some of the nations Historically Black Colleges and Universities to address students, faculty, staff, and other members of the community about the need for leadership, especially leadership amongst young African-Americans, who he sees as the new" talented tenth". The reference to the "Talented Tenth" is a reference to the writings of W.E. B. DuBois, a sociologist who was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Mr. DuBois wrote that the "talented tenth" aka the educated (college educated) members of African-American community would thus be responsible for encouraging the growth and development of the black community. DuBois wrote, "The Negro race, like all other races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men." While both Mr. DuBois's and Mr. Smiley's target audience were African-Americans the lessons offered by these men benefit us all.

In his talk on Friday evening, Smiley discussed the importance of meaningful leadership in the midst of the national tragedy which is Hurricane Katrina. He said to those assembled, "It's clear what the challenge is to your generation, you don't even need to study history, just look at what happened over the course of the past week." The events of the past week have not only impacted African-Americans, but all Americans here and abroad. Smiley offered that "a natural disaster has been turned into a national disgrace." No matter what your race or ethnicity, no matter what your political affiliation, no matter what your economic status, the sights and sounds of the past week have probably pulled at your heart strings. As this nation and as the world, as we watch as the Mississippi Gulf Coast tries to salvage what it has left, and as they then try to rebuild and reconstruct their way of life, we all look for leadership. We all look to those who we've elected, to those who've been appointed, and to those who've been anointed as leaders for us all. We look to them and hope that they will do what is right. We hope that they will do what is best for us. We hope that we won't be hurt, we won't be shamed, we hope that we will be protected, and we hope that we will be safe. We hope against hope that we will be led in the right direction. But we must all remember that we must first lead ourselves in the right direction.

-CNEL
P.S.
There is more to come on Smiley's talk, I am still taking it all in.