Director's Message
We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the LORD, Trusting in his Holy Word, He never failed us yet. We can’t turn around because there is yet much work to do.
Change was needed in the make-up of Black Citizens for Justice Law and Order (BCJLO). In 1982, Dr Emerson Emory & Arthur Joe, Sr. Board members of BCJLO looked for someone to spearhead this organization. The undertaking was not a small task, and it required a lot of hours and no pay. Well, Daisy Joe was doing most of the work in BCJLO and taking on most of the role of a juggernaut, therefore Dr Emory stated in his candid manner, Joe [he called Daisy Joe] why don’t you be the director? You already do all the work! I thought, I’ve been a Girl Scout troop leader, room mother, Girl Scout cookie chair-person, coordinator for JACS (Job Corp boys) and my own company.
Maybe BCJLO’s Volunteer director is not such a hard job. Was I ever wrong. In the Bible when Josiah took the throne, he quickly learned he had inherited a spiritually decrepit kingdom. BCJLO is by no means a kingdom. BCJLO is an organization that takes the problems of individuals that feel they have been mistreated by the system and ignored.
Like Josiah, I know that I fight each day a war that will never be won, but I keep on keeping on. BCJLO’s crusade is to expose as much discrimination, bigotry, and racism as possible, and the bad news is that there is so much of this hatred in the world that we are only scratching the surface as we work each day to rectify one more wrong. We fight off the enemy of bigotry for one more moment, one more day. (Sometimes situations and people are in disguise)
Hardship is part of combat; Part of the Black and minority experience is that we will endure adversity and have to make sacrifices. That is why we must stand strong and uphold each other.
God is mighty and He can use difficulties to bring about gain. As we believe His Word, our anxiety will be replaced by his divine peace
Gal. 5:22
July 2009
Have you ever looked into your heart with a positive mind and taken inventory of the years you've lived and what you've learned? Well, i've lived through four generations of discrimination, the toils, the struggle with grandparents,the tribulations of grandparents dealing with obvious segregation, and my own ideals of false inclusion, I've also had to deal with present day discrimination that boggles the mind because it still doesn't matter how educated or intelligent you are, that old monster, racism and prejudice is very much alive in many boardrooms and corporations and filtered down into various channels. Now, my children have dealt with and still suffer through the problems of racism. Oh Yes, I repeat, my children, who are in their thirties, talk about overt and covert racist situations more times than I can count.
We will never have a level playing field for black people, regardless of how things look on the surface. We are inundated with institutional racism. No matter what odds you come up against in life, racism is one that will never go away; therefore, you must learn to deal with the reality of and be a stronger person. BCJLO's motto is "face reality or waste away in civil slavery." The reason I am able to assist others with their problems of racial discrimination is because I have taken an inventory and looked deep inside myself and realized racism is an illness. It has been filtered down from generation to generation and will not become extinct. Knowing the above, accept, fight, expose, e vigilant and unify. however, unification doesn't always happen with kin or skin.
In the latter part of 1969, several Black men had the foresight to see in into the future and know that Black people needed an organization that would truly listen to the grievance of Black people while being fair-minded with everyone with out regard to race, color creed, national origin, social, or economic status.
Racism is a game with a lot of people and the rules say that if you make someone feel small, you can make yourself feel bigger. However, IN the game of racism, as a Black person. I've learned to set the tempo and if that means playing the "race card," then so be it, because that is one card that I was dealt and I will play it if its in the deck at the time the game begins, then that card should be played.
"Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on Earth can ever turn it into a fact."
So said Honore' de Balzac
Why is it so difficult to turn the idea of human equality into reality? A major factor is hum nature. Don't ever expect that the anti discrimination laws that were passed will eradicate racism, because we are still dealing with people.
Refuse to be a victim of racism! People expect us to cry and act pitiful in racist situations. Well, no; react to racism and channel that feeling of hopelessness into a surge of positivist!
Sincerely,
Daisy E. Joe
Volunteer Executive Director
Director/Coordinator - BCJLO