Rick Raw: Drinking from The Cup– Doug Saint Carter’s Book–A Strange and Frustrating Journey

By Rick Grant rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

When Doug Saint Carter wrote a biography of the late-great Jackie Wilson titled "Jackie Wilson: The Black Elvis," he never dreamed that he had stirred up a hornets nest among blacks who completely misunderstood the title and the book’s biography of one of the greats of pop music. For Doug, it was an unexpected reaction to his exhaustive non-fiction work.

During his book signings and promotional speeches, he had to explain that Jackie Wilson billed himself as "The Black Elvis" and was good friends with Elvis, who jokingly billed himself as the white Jackie Wilson. The two artists freely stole stage moves from one another. Race never interfered with their relationship.

Doug’s experience with African-American audiences and their negative criticism of his book prompted Doug to get involved with civic groups in Jacksonville, Florida. The groups were promoting better race relations between whites and blacks. He quickly found out that he was the only person in the room at these events who was willing to talk about race relations and, in fact, the blacks kept quiet on the subject, and offered no suggestions.

His experiences led to this book, the title of which alludes to a Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in which he states, "Learn to love your white brothers and sisters; don’t drink from the cup of bitterness and hate."

This well written and meticulously researched book takes the reader on Doug’s real life journey through the treacherous mind fields of forging better race relations. His candid documentary style uncovers the conundrum of African-American alienation from whites. "Do blacks even want to have better relations with whites,?" Doug asks rhetorically.

The book was written and printed before Barack Obama was elected President. Indeed, Obama’s election as President of the United States set a new paradigm for race relations. His historic rise to leader of the free world raised the consciousness of everyone.

This must read book leads us into this new dawn of racial harmony. Finally blacks can put the past behind them. Doug’s book sets the stage for this new era when blacks and whites stood side by side to get Obama elected. His election opened the great-divide

Doug’s journey into the mouth of the dragon should wake up the black community to Obama’s blast of positive energy. Ultimately, Doug is saying: "It’s time to come together and put the past behind us and move on into the new world of positive race relations, while celebrating our differences.