Indiana

Jaws of Clay

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

I’ve just finished listening to an interview with Rev. Stephen Clay, the President of the Baptist Ministers Alliance,  the organization that brought Al Sharpton to town and has been “leading” the protests involving Brandon Johnson.

Although I am not of the Judeo-Christian persuasion I think the good Reverend may be breaking the commandment that has something to do with bearing false witness.

In the interview Clay responds to a question concerning the credibility of the BMA by saying it has been around for 141 years serving the city.   Rev. Clay might have wanted to choose his words more carefully because the BMA hasn’t been serving Indy since 1869,  it’s only been serving the city since March 23.

The BMA of Indianapolis is a not-for profit organization licensed with the Secretary of State’s Office this past Spring.   The national chapter may have been around since the 1800s, but these guys have only been in existence for about four months.  And lot of these problems in the black community such as murder, high drop out rates, crumbling infrastructure and economic development have been around for a while.  But I guess it’s easier to protest when the weather gets warmer.

In addition to defending his credibility, Clay also complained that the City was trying to dictate who the ministers should bring to any meeting.  He neglected to mention that the group has told City Hall that it cannot include Mmoja Ajabu from Light of the World church in any meetings, even though Light of the World organized the protest march around city hall.

And just for the record, I moderated a panel discussion this week at Indiana Black Expo regarding business opportunities for women, minority and veteran owned businesses and didn’t see the good Reverend there.  Of course it was a seminar about putting to people to work and creating economic development in your community.  But that takes effort and there are no cameras so I guess I can see why he skipped out on that one.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on July 15, 2010 (boomark / email).