In a private conversation reported in a new book, Reid described Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign as a "light-skinned" African-American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
I have to be honest that I am always a bit skeptical when white folks feel compelled to step up and defend black folks from other white folks. I am even more cynical when it is white Republicans doing the defending. This would be the same Republican party who has since the 60's run on the southern strategy, whose conventions look more like all-white country clubs, and who have from his election sought to de-legitimize this President. Now we are to believe that they are so concerned with the delicate psyche of African-Americans that Senator Reid's remarks rises to the level of Trent Lott?
For those who don't remember Trent Lott was the Republican majority leader who stated that the country would have been better off if unrepentant segregationist Strom Thurmond had won the presidency in 1948.
Americans may recall, it began with a Sweet aside and grew into a [Glenn Beck] beckon. Now, the stage is set. The audience is explosive. Words of woe are shouted from every hall. For more than a month the media has given rise to the troublesome message. The reason for health care reform; the Obama Administration yearns to provide a platform for "stealth reparations."
Like the 3 AM text message that announced Barack Obama's Vice Presidential choice, the apology arrived in the wee hours of the morning. The statement Rupert Murdoch submitted may have moved an American agenda forward. The magnate personally addressed the toon that appeared in the New York Post on February 18, 2009.
Many thought Mister Murdoch's paper published a racist rant. Black Americans feared the signal this might send. Anger was expressed. Citizens of every color showed great concern, People protested. Collectively, there was a sense that only Rupert Murdoch could change the culture, he, and his companies promoted. Yet, no one thought he would. Shockingly, he spoke out. He admitted to "his" error, and promised his paper would be more sensitive to its readership.
Sandy Weill's story tells how racially-biased predatory lending lies at the center of the economic crisis. A third-generation American, Weill grew up on the streets of Brooklyn where for some the road to success was a place whose name came from a structure built to protect the city from Indians, pirates and other invaders and whose die was cast when a small group of men met in secret under a buttonwood tree: Wall Street.
Like the hero of a Horatio Alger tale, Weill began his climb to success not in the proverbial mail room but as a $35 a week clerk, eventually clawing his way to become second-in-command at American Express. But Weill had an itch for more so he cashed in his chips and set about looking for his own business. In 1986 he settled on a Baltimore loan company named Commercial Credit that specialized in predatory lending.
Racism, in reality, is fear of the unknown. It is apprehension for what is alien to us. A bigot is often one who claims to be colorblind. However, indeed, he or she is more likely colormute. Rarely do persons who think themselves tolerant speak of the scorn they feel for those who differ from them. Often the intolerant are not aware of the rigidity that rules their lives. Few amongst Anglos in America, since most appear as they do, consider what the life of one whose complexion is cause for rejection experience. However, in an exposé, A.C. Thompson muses of what most rather not mention. The author addresses "Katrina's Hidden Race War."
I am honored to present the work of Ralph Brauer. For some time I have marveled as I read his research and reflected upon his work. Today, this author of note shares with readers at BeThink. I welcome Ralph Brauer. May I invite you to peruse his prose. Please ponder; then share your thoughts.
There is an elephant in the room no one wants to mention when you bring up the housing crisis. It is the same elephant that has occupied the room since the very beginning of this nation. Yes, it was there that hot Philadelphia summer when they drafted the Constitution. Maybe that is what Ben Franklin is gazing at as he sits in the center of the famous painting of the signing of the Constitution by Howard Chandler Christy that hangs today in the House of Representatives east stairway. Certainly the elephant had haunted Franklin much of his life causing him to call it "a constant butchery of the human species" in an anonymous letter written in 1772. That elephant that haunted Franklin and continues to haunt us today is racism.
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ~ Bible. I John 4:20
Not in my backyard. Not in my neighborhood. Not on street corners in my community. Certainly, not amongst my friends, and never in my family! These are the cries heard 'round America. In rural regions, in urban boroughs, in the suburbs, and in the city proper the public clamors, "We are not colorblind." The defense voiced in earlier days is a thought from the past. In the United States of 2008, people see shades. Skin, pitch as coal, casts a shadow. Deep-seated bigotry is displayed on the surface. Today, racism is not only rampant; it is visible on every crossroad. Please consider the campaign trail. Intolerance is evident in the Presidential Election, 2008.
Citizens of this country proudly claim, this is the United States of America. Our founders adopted this characterization. The forefathers were certain the Constitution would ensure, as was etched in parchment, All men are created equal. From President Washington, to Lincoln, to whomever the next Commander might be, our leaders speak of the importance of the union, one that is more perfect.
We, as a people, are joined as a republic. The purpose of our democratic system is to work for the greater good, the commonweal, and our shared welfare. Americans have faith that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, will be assured if together we unite in a common cause. Each year, our Chief Executive comes before the public to speak of the condition of our coalition. The address he or she gives is known as the State of the Union.
Three score ago, after a long history of service, superior, and yet segregated, Black soldiers were recognized as equal, or at least consideration for the possibility was put forth. In truth, then and perhaps now, manpower needs took precedence over racial prejudice in name only. The story begins on July 26, 1948, or perchance, years earlier. Historians speak of President Harry S. Truman's doctrine, Executive Order 9981. The directive states, "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." While the words are wondrous, the tale of what was and is, does not begin or end with this decree.
"Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free.
Nor is it less certain that the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government.
Nature, habit, opinion has drawn indelible lines of distinction between them." ~ Thomas Jefferson (Autobiography, 1821)
It was a Saturday morning, late in June. The year was 2008. In the background, radio broadcaster, Scott Simon could be heard. The host of Weekend Edition offered his Reflections on Race and the Presidential Election. Alexander listened halfheartedly. It was not that he was not interested in the topic; he is and he was. Alex was distracted. The gentleman glanced over at Donna, a young Jamaican woman he knows so well. Donna's skin is as Black as pitch coal and as rich as sweet crude. She gracefully moves across the room. He thinks of how he loves the way her hips sway to and fro. Her voluptuous bosom fills the full cup of her brassiere. As she bends down to feed his ailing cousin Anna, Alex reflects on how lovely the dark skinned woman is. His sentiment is not sexual in nature. Alexander is analytical.
Sometimes writing these essays are a chore and seem demanding, then there are other times when they seem to write themselves, this is one of the latter. I have written extensively about America's war on drugs and all the ills and problems that it has caused. First of all let me state that I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe that racism is involved in every aspect of life in America, at least it hasn't been in my life. However, there are times when it plays a major role in how we interact with one another. The war on drugs and the death penalty are probably two of the most egregious ways in which racism does play a role in America. The recent results of a couple of studies highlight the disparity in our criminal justice system that can not be explained by any other means.??
A soldier's story is our story. On this April afternoon, I attended a memorial. Americans in my local community, as well as those in every other region of the country, mourned the recession. People pondered the reality; this war affects our daily lives and our fiscal stability. In my neighborhood, Michael Prysner, an Iraq War veteran offered his theory on the theme, Recession and the Iraq War; A Soldier's Story. I share an introduction to his tale and an invitation. Please peruse the musings of Michael Prysner.
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