Urban Thought Collective

As the world watched Barack Obama accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States, another Black man was also being watched. “Animal Planet,” part of the Discovery Channel cable network, kicked off its ‘Animal Witness’ investigative series with the story of Michael Vick.

The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, once one of the highest paid players in the history of the game, is now serving a 23-month federal sentence for charges related to illegal dog fighting including hosting dog fights, and personally killing dogs that didn’t perform well during their fights.

“Animal Planet” is also home to a series known as ‘‘Animal Cops’’ which follows animal cruelty investigators who come to the rescue of abandoned and abused animals. The locations are Detroit, Miami, Houston and New York City.

Watching the series, I have seen animals given top-notch emergency treatment for a variety of horrific, sometimes natural, sometimes completely human-caused traumas and life-threatening diseases. Their medical care is better than mine … and I work.

I hate pandering so I’ll get this out of the way: I love animals. There. I said it.

And I really mean that … it’s just that I happen to love Black people more.

When the ‘Animal Cops’ take possession of an animal either through force because it has been abused, or they are called to remove an animal or they pick up a stray, it is immediately taken to a shelter where a doctor looks it over to see what its needs are.

The last time I went to an emergency room I waited 6 hours (it was the emergency room) for something that took less than 30 minutes, and now, I’m being hunted for 300 bucks.

In Detroit, the ‘Animal Cops’ work for the Michigan Humane Society. The announcer tells us in every episode that they are “a non-profit organization that is funded by private donations.” According to their 2006 Annual Report, the Society – which is not a membership organization - received close to $3 million dollars in contributions and a little over $1 million from peoples’ wills.

Now before ya’ll start emailing me about the “The Dreaded Comparison” and how much hell animals go through in puppy mills and slaughterhouses and chicken coops, don’t get it twisted: I’m crystal clear about the issue of cruelty to animals, as well as what that usually means for women and children in our community, just as I am crystal clear about the oppression suffered by my people in this country.

All I’m sayin’ is this: cable shows like “Animal Planet” along with the case of Michael Vick make it crystal clear that there are goo-gobs of people on this planet who care more for the well-being of animals than they do about the well-being of Black people.

Black folks: do we care about our own well-being? And if so, how do we show it?

As an example - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People boasts of being the oldest civil rights organization in the country. With a membership level of less than 300,000, they reported on their 2006 tax return an income of close to $3.5 million dollars solely from membership dues.

Such contributions are not the sole source of income for the NAACP or the Michigan Humane Society but they are a rather sobering statistic.

We could do the “ghetto math” thing; we could say, “If there are 40 million Black folks in the U.S., and they all give the NAACP a dollar, that’d be $40 million dollars that Black people gave to a Black organization …”

I think a more activist approach is needed.

10-10-50 is a concept I learned about from some friends in Atlanta that is very simple but at the same time extremely activist-oriented:

(1) Each Black person who considers themselves to be serious about the plight of Black folks commits ten (10) hours each month to a community-based organization or institution concerned with the improvement of Black people;

(2) Each Black person who considers her/him self to be serious about the plight of Black folks commits a minimum of $10 every month to help fund their chosen organization or institution;

and

(3) Each Black person who considers her/him self to be serious about the plight of Black folks commits to give up an additional $50 from their monthly budget to support Black-owned and operated businesses. Demand that they give good service and that they reinvest in our community.

At the end of the Michael Vick case, 66 dogs were taken with the majority being placed in “foster families” or sanctuaries. Vick also had to pay close to $1 million dollars for the various shelters that took in his dogs, “rehabilitated” them and adopted them out. A group called BAD RAP (Bay Area Dog Lovers Responsible about Pit Bulls) led the charge to save these animals. The group believes that pit bulls should be removed from negative environments and given a chance to have loving homes. The dogs are now reported to be thriving.

And what of the Black folks?

The answer to that question needs to come from this planet.

Thandisizwe Chimurenga is a community journalist and activist. She can be heard most Thursdays on “Some of Us Are Brave: A Black Women’s Radio Program” on KPFK - Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles. She is also the Director of the Ida B. Wells Institute, a leadership development and media training program for Black women and girls. Her social commentary blog is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.