Stephanie Mills’ Home is arguably one of my all-time favorite songs. “When I think of home, I think of a place where there’s love overflowing. I wish I was home, I wish I was back there with the things I’ve been knowing…” But for thousands of our people home is becoming the place that they have to leave because they have fallen victim to the subprime mortgage mess. And sisters and seniors have been disproportionally effected. 

This month, The Nation has a compelling story of how this subprime fiasco has impacted one African American family in Atlanta. Remember when everyone you knew was flocking to the new black mecca because they could buy a big house? Well, a lot of them are losing them now. Even Evander Holyfield’s $11 million home was scheduled to be auctioned tomorrow (before he got himself together–I wonder if he paid the child support too). The reality is that most of the folks being impacted by this mortgage mess are not first-time homeowners but those who refinanced, like George Mitchell, when home values shot up. And now, the proverbial chickens have come home to roost and most people can’t afford to make the new payments.

Atlanta is not the only place where this shift is evident. Back in January, I remember the story The New York Times did on how less populated hair salons were proof positive that sisters in Baltimore were being hard hit with the subprime crisis. Single mothers and other sisters trying to make a better life for themselves had to get real. (You know it’s serious when we start cutting back on those hair and nail appointments).  But even that may not be enough to stave off the inevitable. Then there are the Detroit neighborhoods that were having a renaissance before falling into have dispair.
How did we get to this place?

1. We didn’t read the fine print. Subprime swindlers preyed on our people, particularly seniors because they could get us to sign stuff if we took them at their word.
2. We got greedy. When home prices skyrocketed we took out lines of equity or refinanced for things like paying off our credit cards bills (which we then proceeded to run up again), go on vacations and do home improvements (at least we wanted to do home improvements but we never got around to it).
3. We not only wanted to keep up with Jones’, we wanted to outdo them. You know how we are about having the best. (This is the same mentality that causes us to buy luxury cars while living in a housing project).
4. We were looking for the easy way to home ownership.

The truth is that we may not be able to keep the bottom from falling out but we can start thinking more strategically about how to regain our our footing as homeowners. That means, forgoing the short-cuts and going back to the way our parents did it. Save and buy what we can really afford.
 

Photos of the Jackson 5, swiped from the pages of Right On, were plastered all over my bedroom growing up. For thousands of African American girls they were the stuff of fantasies and I was no different. My sisters and I were so passionate about the group that when our house got robbed, the only thing we cared about was whether the thieves had gotten away with our tickets to the Jackson 5 concert. Thankfully, they didn’t.

Many of us realized that Michael was ’special’ after a couple of nose jobs and solo projects. Pretty soon he no longer resembled the boy we fantasized about. Sure, we admired his music, but the boy/man got stranger and stranger. But the rest of the Jackson 5 seemed, at least, to continue to resemble their former selves as they grew older. They didn’t shine as brightly without Michael, but we rooted for them all the same. As they faded into obscurity, we held out hope that they were better adjusted and were at the very least leading normal lives.

Today, we get the news that all of the brothers are suffering from a case of arrested development. The New York Post reports they’re all broke. For goodness sake, Marlon is stocking shelves at the supermarket. Jackie, Jermaine and Randy live at home with their parents and don’t work. Tito, the one most girls could take or leave, is the only brother who makes a bit of money playing music, $500-$1,500 a pop. A group that was the cornerstone of a musical dynasty is having less than story book ending.

Why? They were ill-prepared for real life. Joe Jackson drilled performing into them day and night. None of them went to college because they were too busy working. Another reason is that they had no control over their money—€”I wonder if they knew how much they had at any given time. If you don’t have to deal with money you may have an unrealistic relationship with it. And apparently, they continued to live the same lifestyle after they were out of the limelight until all the money was gone. Seriously, why do we keep hearing about African American actors, singers and entertainers going broke, living on welfare or filing for bankruptcy?

But the curious thing about the Jackson family as a whole is that the sisters don’t seem to be suffering the same fate. Rebbie got away from her crazy dad early and with the exception of “Centerpede!” steered clear of the show business. She got married to a seemingly normal guy and he is successful in his own right. Even La Toya, the Jackson who couldn’t escape the scars of her jacked-up upbringing and worried us every time we saw her, is working. Yes, folks outside of the United States actually pay to see her perform. (Extra credit if you can name one of her songs). Even after all her plastic surgery she must realize deep down that she is a black woman and we will move heaven and earth to keep a roof over our head and food on the table. Sisters have written the book on creative financing in tight times and La Toya has read the book.

And then there’s Janet (as well-adjusted as a Jackson can be) who is carrying the future of the family musical dynasty on her shoulders. (Yes, Michael is a legend but a re-release/remix of Thriller doesn’t mean he’s back on track.) Her anthem ‘Control’ may have been prophetic after all. She didn’t want her father controlling her career. If Joe was in charge Janet may have suffered the financial fate of her brothers. She took control and handles her own purse strings. But if things ever got tough for Janet, she could always count on those residual checks from Good Times and Fame (if it ever comes back). Thankfully, Janet is still making music—although her CD’s not sell like they used to—and hedging her bets by keeping her acting game tight. Because she is the most gainfully employed family member, Janet has probably helped her brothers out more times than we can imagine. All of us have that relative that just can’t seem to get it together, we just didn’t expect that Janet would too.

JACKO CLAN IN A DEEP FUNK

Today’s news about a foreclosure notice being filed on Aretha Franklin’s home over back taxes and fees is just one reason I am worried about The Queen of Soul. While she spends time quibbling about how Beyonce introduced Tina Turner at the Grammy’s she should be watching what was going on around her own castle. But when we all see Aretha these days, we all don’t want to say what is on our minds: Just seeing her is cause for concern because she is looking dangerouly unhealthy. It is the proverbial elephant in the room nobody wants to notice.

Yet every time we hear or see a clip of Aretha when she was at the top of her game we know the truth. And it just makes us all sad because we want to help and we don’t know how. Its like watching someone you love kill themselves one bite at a time. Now I am not the skinniest sister in town but I do know that we put our very lives at risk by carrying around extra weight. And we’re more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer. Yet we still hear the stories about what the Queen eats before and after a concert. If we happen to be in the audience at one of her shows these days, we are crossing our fingers that she won’t seem out of breath after singing one song. And we hope she’ll sing more than one. Then we hear she’s cancelled another concert and we’re worried again.

I wonder if Aretha even recognizes how far she is moving from the Queen she wants to be. Or is she surrounded by yes men and women who continually bring what her heart desires no matter how it may negatively impact her. My wish is that we could call in the Royal Guards to save the Queen.

Seriously folks, what can we do? Right now we need to say a little prayer for her.