Monique Q Caradine

Funny man Damon Wayans joined me by phone recently on the Monique Caradine Show.

I was impressed by his brilliance and thoughtfulness.

He talked about what he thinks it’s going to take to stop crime in Chicago and he also shared his thoughts on what he hates about TV today.

Damon was on tour promoting  his latest book which is a novel about middle-aged women–yes, quite a departure for him but it’s actually a great book!

It’s called Red Hats and it’s receiving critical acclaim. Listen to the interview here:

The book is definitely worth the read if you like novels. It’s also compelling to see how this male, comedian and actor so brilliantly writes from the perspective of a woman. Check it out!

Derrion Albert was murdered in a street fight in Chicago on September 24, 2009.  The senseless violence in Chicago has become all too common.  Derrion’s mother Anjanette joins me today on the Monique Caradine Show for an exclusive interview.  We must not forget Derrion and all the other innocent lives lost.  We must also demand action on the part of the stakeholders in our community.  Children should not be dying like this.

September 24th marks the one year anniversary of Derrion Albert's tragic murder.

For months now, I’ve had an ongoing dialogue on my radio program about the church’s and religious leadership’s responsibility to aggressively confront violence in a strategic, aggressive and collective way.  As Chicago’s crime rates have continued to rise, I have openly challenged them to step outside the comfort of the church walls and take the message to the streets.  As I’ve talked to ministers and believers alike,  I’ve found several surprising and frustrating issues:

• Many ministers are fearful of going against the grain or doing anything that might be considered controversial
• Many ministers lack faith and have forgotten what Jesus said in the bible about the power of faith
• Many ministers are more consumed with superficial distractions (like the size of their church and the quality of their congregations) and have forgotten about their primary responsibility to save souls, serve and do good wherever they go.

Enter Gainesville, Florida preacher Terry Jones.  He’s the dude who, along with his 50-member church, has designated September 11, 2010 “Burn a Koran” Day.  For months he’s been gathering support from his small congregation, whipping them into a frenzy about taking a stand against Islamic extremists.

The threat of burning Korans has garnered this wacko worldwide attention.  Even the President of the United States has spoken against it.  Leaders from our military  have warned that such a hateful act could put the lives of our service men and women danger. Muslims from around the world have burned Terry Jones effigies and our beloved Bible.  How could this obscure church of only 50 members ignite such a volatile reaction?

The answer: because he did not allow his lack of notoriety, his lack of money, his lack of man power or his lack of resources stop him for leading this twisted effort.

My question: Why can’t level-headed, resourceful, clear-thinking, popular, well-respected ministers take a similar stand against violence?  Why are too many of them afraid to take a bold stand for what they believe in?  Why won’t they sacrifice their sanctity and comfort to protect the lives of innocent people?  Isn’t that what Jesus would do?  Isn’t that what Jesus requires of those who truly follow Him?

While I think Terry Jones way of taking a stand of Islamic extremists is ass-backward, dangerous, mis-guided and downright stupid, I absolutely admire his boldness and his willingness to put himself on the line for what HE believes in.  My sincere hope is that come Saturday, September 11. 2011, someone will have talked him down from this.  The potential global backlash from “Burn a Koran” day are far too great.  But there’s a lesson to be learned.  I believe the lesson for church leaders is that NOW is the time for us to take a bold and righteous stand against the crime that is plaguing our streets everyday and all the other social issues that lead to it.  Once we as believers fight that demon then we can go about sharing the Good News with the rest of the world.  That’s what Jesus would do.

As the murder rate in Chicago continues to rise, police and elected officials are still trying to figure out what to do to solve this problem.  So far this year more than 300 people have been murdered–most of the victims have been young black men. Some say the black community, which is most directly affected, needs to solve its own problems and simply stop killing.  Apparently that’s easier said than done.  Others believe that the answer is jobs. Either way, the one thing I know for sure is that we are living in a state of emergency and drastic times call for drastic measures.

Police Supt. Jody Weis has been harshly criticized for his “secret” meeting with gang members, where he threatened to take their stuff if the killings don’t stop…As far as I’m concerned he should have done worse! At the same time however, I don’t care if you threatened to emasculate these guys. If they don’t have jobs, trades or some kind of meaningful opportunity to replace their gang activity with this vicious cycle will continue.

The problem also lies at the feet of Chicago Political leadership. In my opinion, the all seem to be either clueless or just don’t really give a damn. Why can’t Mayor Daley and the city council see that what’s needed are more jobs and better quality education? Sure, it’s a long term solution. You can’t just “arrest” away this problem. There are not enough jails on the planet to house wrong doers at this level. They need jobs and opportunity. They need to be able to support their families just like anyone else. My friend Mark Allen says continuously, “you can’t solve and economic problem with military solutions,” but for some reason, that simple solution is not getting through to the powers that be. They just aren’t seeing the “forrest” for the “trees.” I guess that means that until they do, our children will continue to die on the streets. Oh well.

For months, I have been imploring religious leaders–most of whom are men, of course–to do more to stop the violence that is permeating the black community.  Some are indeed doing more than their share.  Others, however, seem more concerned with who has the most prestigious congregations and biggest churches.  Others still feel that addressing crime is not their responsibility.

So if the church won’t unite and leverage it’s political and spiritual — not to mention its “manpower,” then maybe it’s time for women of God to stand up and do it.

Truth be told, women have been the back bone of every significant movement.  They have been the organizers, strategists, encouragers, visionaries, cooks, nurturers and everything in between.

That’s why I was so excited to learn about a group of women here in Chicago that are picking up the mantle.  They are women of God who call themselves the “Deborahs.”  They’re whole mission is to be led by the spirit to improve the African American community and the world.  They patrol the streets, they clean the streets, they look after the elderly, they offer mentoring and much more.  Take a look at these fearless sisters in action:

A fearless Deborah

The Deborahs during a midnight prayer march

Deborahs taking over a street corner

Deborahs organizing

Deborah Security Team

Teen Biz Coach Shonika Proctor

Shonika Proctor is known internationally as the “Teen Biz Coach.” She’s traveled the world teaching about business and sharing her unique expertise.

Check out her fabulous website to learn more about building your own business or nurturing the teen entrepreneur in your life.

Today on the Monique Caradine Show, Shonika is sharing the Top 5 “real deal” questions every teen should ask themselves before starting a business.  She’s also giving away 3 copies of her book Teen Entrepreneur Success Secrets. The first three people who leave a comment here will receive a FREE copy by mail.

The rest of you? Grab your copy by clicking here.

LeBron James Rules the Universe

Last week, in the wake of LeBron James’ landmark announcement of his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and sign with the Miami Heat, I did a segment on the Monique Caradine Show entitled “Black Men Rule the Universe.”   It was a bold title that was inspired by an article of a similar title I read on Salon.com.  Believe me, it garnered a lot of hesitant reactions when I first teased it but by the end of the show, I think I effectively conveyed the message. Basically, my point was this: given the fact that Black men in general (and black culture as a whole) have such a huge global impact that it’s time they finally start to first REALIZE their power, then start to leverage it to change their image and the world.

During the conversation, I cited several examples of Black men who have enormous power and influence.  First of all, LeBron proved his influence when he had people around the world hanging on his every word waiting to see where he would take his athletic talent.  Needless to say, President Barack Obama is the MOST powerful man in the world.

Then there are those lesser known people like Chicago’s Tim King.  For years he has worked in education with a commitment to provide quality educational opportunities to disadvantaged youth.  Currently, he is the founder and principle of Urban Prep.  It’s a small, all boys charter school in Chicago’s Englewood community.  Englewood is notorious for it’s legacy of crime and poverty.  Yet, Tim King has managed to establish a top-notch public school against big odds which recently graduated 107 African American boys–all of which have been accepted to a 4-year college or university…did you get that???  100% of the young men who graduated from Urban Prep will go to college this fall.  Now THAT’s influence.

King’s example got me to talking about leadership and the importance of teaching leadership to our children each and everyday.  I cited a book I’ve read a couple of times on the issue.  It’s a quick read, it’s cheap kids and adults alike can learn the basics of leadership by reading this awesome book.

The bottom line is, black men don’t really rule the universe, but they could if they wanted to.  They have everything it takes to do so: presence, swagger, intellect, talent and everything in between.  Add leadership skills to that mix and you’ve got a recipe for global transformation that could change our world for the better…but that’s just my humble opinion.  Thoughts?

The Chicago Tribune’s “Redeye” blog has done a great job of tracking homicides in Chicago.  Check it out if you want to see the violence situation play out in our city.  Written by Tracy Schwartz, the blog lists victims’ names and communities where the violence is occuring on a daily basis.  It’s sad to read about the murder of a one-year old and all the other lives lost but it drives home what I’ve been saying for the past several weeks that an aggressive and strategic plan must be put in place to stop this violence.  I believe that churches should be at the forefront of this effort working hand in hand with our elected officials and police.

I’ll be referring to this regularly on Perspective (My50 Chicago) and the Monique Caradine Show on WVON.  Please tune in.

Images of gangs from the film "Boyz in the Hood."

This Friday, the “Monique Caradine Show” returns to WVON. I’ll be picking up where I left off before my vacation and challenging the churches to do more to stop crime in Chicago. Before I left, I had a very candid conversation with a 15 year veteran of gangs. He goes by the name of “T.T.”  He was very honest with me about why he joined a gang and what it will take to stop gang crime.

Give the interview a listen and join me Friday at Noon CST as we continue the dialogue. The bottomline, in my opinion, is that churches have to do more to stop crime.

Are church leaders forgetting something?

Last week on my radio show, just two days after the tragic death of Chicago Police Officer and war veteran Thomas Wortham IV, I identified churches as the one entity that could actually do something about the violence that is plaguing our city.  Little did I know that the conversation would start me on a personal mission to hold churches accountable for their silence and seclusion.  It seems that the residents of this great city think I’m right on target with this also.  Of all the years I’ve been in media I have NEVER received the kind of response generated by this conversation.  Dozens of facebook messages, emails, phone calls and texts came through on this.  It looks like we’re on to something here…

Given the fact that Chicago is well on its way to becoming the murder capital of the world, I wondered “what are churches–especially those in the high crime areas–really doing to stop this?

In short, the answer is: nothing.

Of the more than 10 churches I contacted, including my own, only one had a clear cut community outreach/anti-violence initiative.  That church was St. Sabina under the courageous leadership of Father Michael Pfleger.

The churches listed below either did not have an anti-violence initiative or have not responded to my call.  They are:

• Christ Universal Temple; 119th & Ashland; Pastor Carlton Pearson;  NO ANTI-CRIME INITIATIVE
• Salem Baptist Church; 752 E. 114th Street; Pastor James Meeks; NO ANTI-CRIME INITIATIVE
• Fellowship MB Church; 45th & Princeton; Pastor Charles Jenkins; NO ANTI-CRIME INITIATIVE
• Apostolic Church of God; 63rd & Dorchester; NO ANTI-CRIME INITIATIVE
• The Apostolic Faith Church; 38th & Indiana; Pastor Horace Smith, MD; NO CRIME INITIATIVE
• Trinity United Church; Pastor Otis Moss; Left messages
• The Friendship Baptist Church; 5200 W. Jackson; Rev. Reginald Bachus; Left message
• Third Baptist Church of Chicago; 95th & Ashland; Left message
• Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church of God; 35th & Indiana; NO ANTI-CRIME INITIATIVE BUT HOPING TO DEVELOP ONE SOON
• Pleasant Ridge MB Church; 116 S. Central; Pastor Joseph Jones; NO INITIATIVE BUT HOSTS YOUTH PROGRAMS EACH SUMMER AND ATTENDS COMMUNITY MEETINGS
• ALPHA & OMEGA MB Church; 4201 W. Jackson; no answer
• Christian Life Center; Tinley Park, Illinois (my church); Pastor Jerry McQuay; NOPE, NOTHING…BUT THEY WILL DO A MISSION TO PERU IN A HEARTBEAT.  GO FIGURE.

Now let’s look at this for a moment.  Collectively, these churches probably have a combined “active” membership of more than 15,000 people and that’s being conservative.  God only knows how much money they collect weekly and the people of influence that attend these institutions is absolutely astounding.  Not to mention the political relationships that these pastors could leverage–I mean think about it.  The power in these pews could literally move mountains and change lives IF ONLY they would move beyond the church walls into the streets and touch the people who need to be churched the most.

It sickens me to think that with all the hoopin and hollerin that goes on every single Sunday, nobody is doing anything to stop our babies from dying on the streets.  Meanwhile you profess to be saved and sanctified???  Pleeease.

Churches absolutely MUST do more.  Church leaders MUST provide a vision for what they will do to protect our communities.  They have the audience, the influence, the money and a direct line to G-O-D.

“Oh ye of little faith!!!”

It is NOT all about who can build the biggest church!  All of God’s people must put themselves on the frontline to save the innocent.  We must sacrifice our comfort and witness to people who don’t recognize the GOD in them.  Will doing this jeopardize our safety and security?  Absolutely.  But if Jesus did it and we claim to be Jesus-centered, so should we.

I will continue my crusade to get more churches involved in the fight against violence because our children’s lives depend on it.