One score ago, St. Louis American Publisher Dr. Donald M. Suggs provided me with a platform to opine on the Illinois political scene from the pages of this award-winning publication.
Reflecting on those 20 years, I’ve had the rarified pleasure of writing about everything from the rise of stellar achievers and controversial figures to the displeasure of exposing corruption and criminality from city hall to the state capitol.
Who derives pleasure in revealing impending indictments or incarceration of governors, city councilmen, elected and appointed officials who have violated the trust of voters and their communities? Not I.
The only thing that Dr. Suggs asked of me from the beginning was that I be accurate in my commentary and to exercise due diligence in my documentation of facts.
I’ve never been one who’s sought accolades or who seeks to curry favor with the politicians or social climbers who, I believe, sometimes exploit the ignorance of voters or the masses in order to maintain the status quo.
That approach to my writing has elicited its fair share of side eyes, eye-rolling, sucking of teeth and stares of disdain when I walk into a press conference, public function, political event or government office. I take it as a badge of honor and validation that I am doing my job as an agitator, which I see as my role.
A few days before his death in 1895, abolitionist Frederick Douglass was approached by a young man who asked what advice he would give to a young Black American who wants to make a difference. Douglass responded three times: Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!
And that is precisely what I’ve sought to do on these pages. An agitator is the mechanism in a washing machine that beats and churns the dirt from the laundry.
As a journalist it has been my belief, as Malcolm X often stated, that “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
In my columns, I’ve chosen to be a source of agitation for the audacious and criminal operatives within the political ecosystem, as well as a voice for those who whisper in private, what I write publicly, because of their fear of retaliation by the political bosses in East St. Louis, St. Clair County and Springfield, IL.
I know, because of the encouragement that I receive at the grocery store, at the carwash, at church or from drivers who pull up next to me at an intersection and give me a thumbs up, a head nod or who tell me to just keep doing what I do.
It’s gratifying, but I also want the subjects or targets of some of my columns to know that it’s never been personal for me.
Who derives pleasure in revealing impending indictments or incarceration of governors, city councilmen, elected and appointed officials who have violated the trust of voters and their communities? Not I.
My hope for the next 20 years of ‘Listen Up’ are more opportunities to report on positive political progress and growth, from East Boogie to Chi-town, and I hope to be there to see it and write about it as well.
Email:jtingram_1960@yahoo.com Twitter@JamesTIngram
