As I look back I surmise it was a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. At the time, we were all happy seeking pleasure and dismissing maturity and wisdom. We had lost our religion but were still going to church. It was the late 1960’s. The Vietnam War was going strong and taking a serious toll on our nation. I remember losing some very good friends during that stupid war. Oh, how I wish they were still here. Perhaps the agony of the times brought on this Sexual Revolution.

For the first time in our history we started doubting our political leaders. They were only human but for some reason we considered them almost Godly. I remember when President John F. Kennedy landed at our naval base, Pt. Mugu Naval Station, Oxnard, CA to review some missile testing. My high school loaded all of us in buses and took us there just to see him come off the plane. He walked by us and many got a chance to touch his hand. My cousin, Gwendolyn Tatum was able to do that and she burst into happy tears screaming, “I will never wash my hand again!” I got close enough to see those blue eyes and gallant hair line. We were all star struck. That’s how it was back then before the Vietnam War.

I guess it was on the very day of President Kennedy’s assassination when things started to fall apart. That would be followed by the body bags (dead soldiers from the war) that started coming home daily. We all knew the war was wrong and the Military Industrial Complex had been exposed – just like President Eisenhower predicted in his parting speech.

We were in search of diversions. The emergence of Birth Control Pills was a big diversion. Sex with no fear of pregnancy. What a deal! We could get nasty and our parents or neighbors would never find out. Condoms could be a nuisance and weren’t reliable. Girls who had access to birth control pills would become some of the most popular girls on campus.

Then something more sinister than sex for pure pleasure with no recourse. The Supreme Court ruled abortions are legal (1973). So now, besides birth control pills you had more back up if for some reason you got that girl pregnant and weren’t about to marry her. Save up a few hundred bucks and go find one of those clinics. How many millions of Black babies have been “snuffed out” for convenience since the start of this? Doctors, Attorneys, Scientists, Political Leaders, etc. have been blocked from blessing our society. How much greatness have we wasted?

Pills and abortions were just the start of our new and wicked culture. Music is key to evolving changes in our culture. Two of the most effective recordings were 1. The Isley Brothers singing “It’s Your Thing and 2. Marvin Gay belting out “Let’s Get It On1”

Remember Ronald Isley: “It’s your thing, do what you wanna do; I can’t tell you, who to sock it to; It’s your thing, do what you wanna do; I can’t tell you, who to sock it to; If you want me to love you, maybe I will, Believe me woman, it ain’t no big deal; you need love now, just as bad as I do; Make’s me no difference now, who you give your thing to.” (1969)

Then there was Marvin: “I’ve been really tryin’, baby; Tryin’ to hold back this feeling for so long; And if you feel like I feel, baby; Then, c’mon, oh, c’mon. (1973)

Those two major hits became the “Battle Cry” for the Sexual Revolution. If players were to be given rank I would be a “Field Marshall”. I still seek forgiveness for all the hearts I played with and an awful time span of adultery. I learned the hard way.

God works in mysterious ways. Two major events came on the scene to change our evil ways. During the 1980’s the ailment called “Herpes” came on the scene. It spread like “wild fire” and the most terrible thing was THERE IS NO CURE! That alone started changing our evil ways quick. The next milestone was the crisis known as HIV AIDS. That, too, is incurable and extremely lethal. The Sexual Revolution started ending fast. We finally woke up from the deadly state we were in. So many lives have been lost or ruined. So many children without fathers has kept our race in a financially challenged state. It is time to pick up the “pieces” and get our culture back in order.

Let us learn from our mistakes. All glory to God.

Mr. Alford is the Co-Founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®. Website: www.nationalbcc.org Email: halford@nationalbcc.org