Skinnin’ and Grinnin’ and Coonin’ for Trump by Mansfield Frazier & C. Ellen Connally

 

Trump

Something magical happens to some black men at certain turning points in their lives. These moments often occur when they’ve lost their professional license, exit a penal institution or experience some other traumatic moment that causes them to realize that their previously well-funded gravy train ride has come to an end. In these precious moments, they hear the word of God, turn their collars around and become a “Reverend.”

Prior to their moment of epiphany, they might have been the biggest drunkards, wife-beaters, cheaters, liars and all-round reprobates to every walk — or slither upon — the face of the earth. But now they have put their evil pasts behind them, and having been touched by the Holy Spirit, they turn their lives around and begin to lead their people in prayer.

Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord and pass the collection plate!

From time to time the media exposes white dudes who’ve had similar moments of crises. But rather than assume the mantel of the cloth they resurrect from the shadows of their mind a great military record — the years that they spent in the Green Berets, leading men into battle that allows them to adopt the title of “colonel”. The advantage to society is that if these faux militiamen get caught parading around in a uniform, wearing medals and telling lies about their brave service to their country, they can go to prison. There are laws on the books that address “stolen valor.”

Unfortunately, there are no laws on the book for assuming the mantel of a man of God and passing yourself off as a preacher, even if the shyster has never been near the door of a seminary or divinity school and only knows one Bible verse — “Jesus wept.” But adopt the title, max out credit cards buying a couple of flashy suits and gators, possess some melodious tones, open a church … and someone will surely follow.

The black community has long been aware of these fakes and frauds that call themselves Reverend. In the parlance of the street, they are called “jack-legged” as in a “jack-legged preacher.” For the most part these clowns of the clothe prey (and/or pray on) well-intentioned black women who work hard for their money and think they are serving a just god when the jack-leg passes the collection plate — just in time to make the payment on his new Mercedes-Benz.

No one dares to question because the answer will be, “You don’t want your pastor driving around in an old raggedy car, do you? What does that say about you?”

These types of pulpit pimps are a cancer on the religious body of the black community, and we should no longer accord them unquestioning respect simply because they turn their collars around and then say they’re agents of God; they’re not.

And even supposedly “legitimate” black preachers are not above foolishness sometimes, it seems: just look at the dustup over which pastor is or isn’t going to be “skinning,” “grinning” and “cooning” for Donald Trump. As the story goes, a Cleveland preacher (and big Trump supporter) organized what was supposed to be in “informational meeting” between Trump and these pastors from around the country, but in reality it was secretly planned to come off as a blanket endorsement by the group of them. Needless to say, many of the men and women of the clothe were not too happy in regards to how they had been suckered. The “endorsement” meeting as advertised was cancelled at the last minute and replaced with a much smaller gathering, the upshot of which was that only Darrell Scott, the Cleveland Heights minister who organized it, formally endorsed Trump.

For black so-called religious leaders to exhort their followers to vote for this crypto-Fascist is akin to rabbis telling their congregations to vote for Hitler. Trump has done nothing to earn the black vote, and if the past is indication, he won’t be doing anything in the future. Why should he as long as he thinks he can buy their support by waving a few bucks in their faces?

Yet some black churchgoers, acting like simpletons, children and fools eat this kind of nonsense up with a spoon, rather than running the Right Reverend who set up this bait and switch out of town on a rail. Maybe they are fearful of how their former pastor would feed himself if they booted him out, but they need not worry; Trump will always give any of them who support him a job at Trump Tower — as shoeshine boys.

[Image by DonkeyHotey]

mansfieldcity250

From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.

CEllenDogs

C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection and was recently appointed to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron. 

Post categories:

2 Responses to “Skinnin’ and Grinnin’ and Coonin’ for Trump by Mansfield Frazier & C. Ellen Connally”

  1. Linda Taylor

    I thought pastors and religious organizations are not allowed to endorse political candidates?

  2. Cicero

    Jealousy will get you nowhere, Mansfield.

    You’re so dumb you probably think that Obama improved the quality of life for blacks.

Leave a Reply

[fbcomments]