From one extreme to the other

I partipated in a facilitated discussion today about women, love and life. It was sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta sorority at Lincoln University.

The conversation ranged over a wide variety of topics. At one point though, one of the women remarked on the lyrics of current music. Many of us felt the music was inappropriate and not respectful of women.

Later I plugged in my iPod and dialed up my Jackson 5 greatest hits. In the song "Maybe Tomorrow," MJ poignantly sings "You are the book that I read. You are the song that I sing. You are the four season of my life." While he was only around 12, he really touches you as he sings.

What happened to that kind of music? And what does it say about us that we now shake our behinds to "back that thing up?"

I left that gathering and attended the football game between Lincoln U and Morehouse. Known as "The House," Morehouse is one of the more prestigious HBCUs in the nation, counting men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., among its alumni. Lincoln, once known as the "Black Harvard of the Midwest," has turned out its share of successful alumni as well.

Today, LU did not perform well on the football field, though the Marching Musical Storm put on yet another fabulous performance at halftime. As is often the case at HBCUs, no one gets up at halftime, but stays to enjoy the show.