A discussion of police, race, America, and what to do - part 2

Concluded from A discussion of police, race, America, and what to do

That brought up a point for my friend. I was being unfair to the police. Because they must be more aware and on guard in high crime areas. Which I agree with. But that does not justify their actions, nor does it excuse them.

My friend brought up a case he felt that was an example of such an understandable use of deadly force. The Amidou Diallo case. Which I lost my mind on. The fact that a man can be shot at his door 41 times, while unarmed, is inexcusable to me. My friend felt that in the heat of the moment, with adrenaline pumping, and the sound of shots going off these officers feared for their lives and thus it was understandable.

Except I noted, that Diallo was unarmed, so the police had no reason to begin shooting in the first place. And the police continued to shoot Diallo after he was laying flat on the ground, since it was found that he was shot through the sole of his foot. And this was a violation of police procedure as they are trained, and to my knowledge is part of written policy (correct me if I am wrong), to shoot in small bursts to protect the populace and prevent such overkill events.

Worse yet, I reminded my friend that in the last decade alone, we have seen dozens of times where police confront an armed individual, that may have already killed innocents, and is an obvious danger to their lives. Yet in those documented, and occasionally video taped, events the suspect is fired upon maybe 6 times by multiple officers. With the same adrenaline, the same fear, though with a real threat and a White antagonist. If police overkill is so understandable, why do police never kill armed White murderers with hails of 30, 40, 50 bullets?

Again we came back to the central thought, how can this be changed or prevented. My friend noted that he felt the Black community must stand up and kick out the criminals, not allowing them to continue. And he noted that the White community must learn to recognize that people of color are not an unequivocal threat.

But again I find fault with that argument. Because often in the most poor areas of major cities, where crime is highest, there is no where else to go. Where can the Black community move its criminals to? There is no where else to go. And it avoids the root of the cause of crime, education.

In any poor community, the one factor that is the same is the fact that the education system is abominable. School books are older in many cases than the students. Teachers are burnt out, or unqualified. The buildings and resources sub-standard. Yet it is expected that students from these schools should be the equal of those with far better resources? That these students will have the means, en masse, to improve their standard of living?

Yet something else came to me as I decided to write about this event. The discussion of what is ailing America and influencing crime, prejudice, and racial disparity is not just one thing. It is a multitude of events and actions. Each plays a part in creating the whole. And in trying to limit the subject to 1 thing we fail to reach a point of reasonable change.

I understand that most police officers are good people. I realize they have a difficult job, and do not question the actions they take to defend themselves and the populace from criminals, in general. But I also realize that these same reasons are not excuses to act in a manner that harms those they are supposed to have been sworn to protect.

I understand that the Black community has its share of fault in this process. But I realize at the same time that it is difficult to wage such a battle when the community is being assaulted by the media (with a message of inevitably), denied a fair education, presumed at large to be wrong and violent, and poisoned by dreams of instant wealth (either through attainment of entertainment's highest circles or by enlisting in the inner circles of hell and selling drugs - both of which are presented as equally available options).

But I am left with a horrible thought in the end. America is ingrained with the residual thought that people of color are not equal or similar, and that means inferior. This thought started with the first slave, no later than 1619, and was reinforced with Jim Crow laws until 1965. And even then it was not until the mid to late 1980's that the nation accepted people of color into positions of familiarity (television and movies) or power (politics, business, ect) with any regularity or trust.

The seeds of our past still continue to grow, though at a far slower pace today than ever before. That is an improvement, but it still hides the causation and thus a remedy.

There is no one answer to the problems that plague America. There is no one cause for the racial divide in the nation. Though it is clear that the longer we do not address the causes we will keep having more incidents of violence and discord among our people and thus law enforcement too.

I know that I do not see these issues objectively. I cannot because I have been their victim, and may be so again in the future. As well as my family and friends of color. It prevents a calm and separate view. At the same time the completely dispassionate view of some Whites is just as wrong. Because it refuses to see the multiple vines of this infestation, refuses to acknowledge that this is all connected since it will never truly affect them in their life.

So again I come to the thought that communication is the key. Angry, calm, loud and quiet. Passionate and dispassionate. An ebb and flow of discussion that will annoy and grate on the nerves of everyone involved at one point or another. Because if we cannot communicate fully, with all that is vested in the conversation, with all the things we are wrong about, we will never resolve this. It will just create another vine and choke off some other aspect of our lives, plaguing yet another generation of Americans.

But what do you think?

The best, most popular, and different posts of 2008 on Black Entertainment USA

For my last post of 2008 I wanted to look back and see what were some of the most popular posts I had written, and what I consider some of favorites. I know I am highly critical of things that displease me, so I thought I'd turn that same critical eye towards myself for a change.

I must say that in looking over the hundreds of posts I wrote on Black Entertainment USA alone this year, some just don't belong here. Some of the comments are far more political than anything else. And I can't use the excuse I have no where else to have said these things - I do own a political blog as well.

And I admit to having a few posts where I was just far too tired. I should have gone to sleep. Or taken that vacation all my friends have heard me speak about over the last 15 years (I've had 2 vacations in my life, none exceeding a week or involving travel). But instead I must apologize because they were really sub-par, even for a bad day.

Still overall I will say that roughly 80% or more of my posts were relevant and interesting. Many are topical and focused on the events of the day. Looking back some are not as important as I first thought they were, and others far more than I would give credit. And several posts were popular that I would not have expected to be.

Some of the top Black Entertainment USA posts of 2008, as viewed and/or commented by you my readers were:

So there is a Black guy in an elevator...
Audi television commercial says we are all not the same
OJ Simpson convicted - kangaroo court closed
OJ Simpson trial - injustice unreported
The new 90210 - is it cancelled yet?
NASCAR, Mauricia Grant, and my opinion
Is Robert Downey Jr funny as an African American?
Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman to return to cable television
VH1’s Top 100 of rap music celebrates the positives of the genre

It's an interesting group of posts indeed. And I think that I got it right in those posts. Not that everyone agreed with my view, just that they felt something after reading it. And that ultimately is one of my goals.

But I looked over the entire year and I saw a couple of other posts that I thought were very important, and/or meant something to me directly. Not all of them were relevant, given, but they said something important. And I want to present them again. Again you may not agree with my view, but I hope my top 10 will motivate some reaction. [Oh since 3 of my top 10 are in the above list that you my readers have found of interest, I will substitute 3 others]

NJ considers apology for slavery (part 1, 2, 3, 4)
Tiger Woods comment impacts Dr. Martin Luther King birthday (part 1, 2)
President Bush and Darfur now - not the movie
R Kelly - next stop Neverland Ranch
Janet Jackson: Intelligence, success, and fame are not enough
Black Americans - commodity, criminals, or something much more
Do you know enough about the 2008 Presidential election?
1st Annual Memorial Pig Roast for Madden A. Cordero - please read and donate if you can
50 cent sells a new opiate to the masses
Movie Review Iron Man

I also found the time to champion a couple of other causes that aren't the most popular or widely held:
Boycott 33 variations - Hanoi Jane Fonda
Levi's 501 jeans - promoting HIV and AIDS?

Found a video on Youtube I really liked - Try This with an Xbox360 or PS3 - and one I though was an abysmal joke - Snoop Dogg in Country Music: a bad experiment

And I achieved a great step forward for my company as well:
M V Consulting, Inc and TV One Announce Collaboration - Press Release
Introducing the first 2009 model Ashley

And of course I found the time to pick a fight:
Viacom (and maybe Jon Stewart) doesn't like Black Entertainment USA. Maybe.

So I wasn't just speaking about entertainment this year. But considering all the things that were going on, all the changes, and the things I felt mattered, I think I covered a lot of what you wanted to read about.

In 2009 I will try to stay on point a bit more. But as always I will share with you my thoughts and views about the important topics affecting all our lives as well as our entertainment. And I always look forward to your comments [yes even the dissenting views that are thought out beyond just cursing me out] about what I present.

2008 has been a tough year, no matter what country race or whatever you may be. 2009 will be different, and I hope that all of my readers, and those that will become my readers, their families and friends will share in a prosperous and peaceful year.

Reader comment: Christy in Utah

I had to stop and catch my breath after reading the comment made by Christy about my post The most dangerous people in America - 11.4.2007.1 (and part 2 - 4.9.2008.1). By this point I would have thought that I was used to these kinds of comments, but sometimes I’m still taken for a loss.

The full comment can be seen at Black & White Blog, where I an a co-author. I am reproducing it here verbatim.

Christy

Perhaps Mike the reason why you always hear of black youth being killed by the police is because they are the violent ones. I live in Utah, which is predominatly white. They dont go around and shoot at eachother, or attack eachother. Yes, they act like boys and yell and tease people. That is hardly killing people or carrying guns.

I think you are in a bit of denial there Mike. Use the recent floods as an example. People are pulling together and working their own way out. They help thier neighbors and help themselves.\\

Then look at New Orleans, when there was flooding they all fell apart, started to rape eachother and shoot eachother. They were shooting at the helicopters trying to help them for hell sake.

It is the mentality that is the problem here. Whites for the most part have the opinion that we need to take care of ourselves and take responsiblity. Blacks, however are of the opinion that they are somehow owed something, and cant pull thier heads out of thier butts long enough to figure out how to take care of themselves.

That is what makes blacks more dangerous then whites. Their inablity to take any kind of responsiblity.

The amount of ignorance being spewed in these few words is enormous. I can say that the friends I have in Salt Lake City, and my experiences in Utah have never reflected the thoughts of Christy. But it reminds me that when any group of people in America is isolated from everyone else ignorance and blatant stupidity is rampant – like Eugene Oregon.

First of all Christy, you ignored all the facts I provided in the post and follow-up comments. Either that is because you chose to ignore factual data provided by the Government, or you could not allow yourself to understand the data’s meaning as it would invalidate your views.

And what views they are. Talk about simplistic racist denial. I am aware that New Orleans had issues after Hurricane Katrina. That is after the flood was over and the streets continued to hold bodies of the dead, and the Government failed to provide the populace with enough food and shelter. I am also aware that the issues that were occurring after the flood were not restricted to a single race, though the major news media had a great time inferring that it was a Black issue only. Had you looked for the full news stories, and not relied on the 15 second news video clips, you would have easily seen that Christy.

And don’t forget the fact that often the media, during the New Orleans floods, showed pictures of Whites and Blacks in the flood waters. The difference was only that when Blacks were shown they were referred to as looters, and Whites were said to be foraging for survival. The bias was blatant if you could look with clear eyes and an open mind.

Still I am unaware of helicopters coming to aid civilians that were being shot at. I’d love to see a link to that news report, provide it if it exists as I never found such a story in all my coverage or following of the story.

Christy, you are as ignorant of history as you are of using a spell check program. You state that Whites take responsibility and care of themselves. Let’s walk through a bit of history. Modern math, which enables Mankind to walk on the moon and have the internet, is all based on the number 0, created and used by the Middle East and Africa. The cradle of civilization, the beginnings of trade, and formal written language, all created in Africa.

Let’s move forward in time. The major wars of the Ancients were virtually all started by White countries needing to dominate the rest of the world. Roman, Greeks, Huns, Prussians, Saxons, ect. It’s a huge list. And how civilized were these hordes? They proliferated the single greatest plague known to humanity, the Bubonic Plague. Who found the cure for the Plague, the Moors – who were African.

The mentality that has created some of the worst conditions and history in Mankind can be summed up as such – European Whites believe themselves to be elite and superior, thus they fought near continuous wars across every part of the world they found. In each part of the world they brought disease, and with their barbarism forced their system of life onto every other culture they encountered. They stole nearly ever advance they could understand and militarized it. The effects are still reverberating across the world.

That is history.

In more modern times we have seen a slow progression towards understanding other cultures. America lags many nations in this effort. Our separation form the rest of the world has allowed us to be isolated and retard our interactions with other cultures. Thus we have never fully unified as a nation of multiple cultures.

Where, Christy, is the responsibility of Whites for the enslavement of Africans? The Government has never offered an apology – and the mere mention of such an act enrages millions. One of the greatest peacemakers ever known was Dr. Martin Luther King and it took over 20 years to provide him with a holiday, which was fought severely against by politicians in office right now like Senator McCain. It’s still a holiday that is not fully observed throughout the nation. Is that responsible?

Christy, you seem to think that the stereotypes of African Americans are true. Yet you ignore the great actions that African Americans have made throughout the existence of America. It was Blacks who learned how to provide blood transfusions that save millions of lives a year. It was Blacks that created the stoplight ensuring safe travel for tens of millions on our roads each day. The list of inventions and advancements is to long to list, and I bet you can’t name 2 of them.

And I again present you further facts.

“So we get this realization, Whites committed 4,297,146 acts of violent crime against a single person, and 759,079 acts against multiple victims that were White. Including the 40,249 multiple Black victims we get a total of 5,096,474. Thus once we move away from percentages and look at real numbers we learn that Whites are far more likely to commit a crime of violence against anyone, especially other Whites.

...

Crimes of violence 2,010,170 Under age 12 - 0.3% Ages 12-20 - 46.9% Ages 21-29 - 13.9% All over 30 - 5.7% Mixed ages - 25.9% Unknown - 7.2%

Thus 61.1% of all violent multiple crimes are committed by those at or under age 29...“

That says nothing of high school shootings – never committed by a Black or Hispanic child even in inner cities where guns and drugs are easily available – or acts of terrorism by fringe groups – like those that lead to the Oklahoma City bombings.

Christy, you don’t see the truth because you chose not to. You allow the major news media to deceive you. You cannot accept the responsibility in front of you because you are too busy heaping blame on others that aren’t exactly like you.

Christy, I accept that there are some African Americans that are not upstanding citizens of America. I accept that there are some that are not nice. Just as I accept that this is true of every race and culture. Yet I also accept that Whites in America overwhelmingly have more issues with people of color and are more violent –even against themselves – than ANY other group in America.

And the fact is that when given facts and examples of how lopsided the landscape is people like you, Christy, chose to wrap themselves in a blanket of old half-truths and misconceptions rather than deal with the situation.

I’m glad to say that most of the Whites I know are not like you Christy. They are good people that give respect to anyone that deserves it. They do not have rules or criteria for each color of person they meet. They deal with all people in the same manner, and can admit that some people are just trash – even if they are White. You are not among those people Christy.

I have lived or traveled through about 1/3 of this nation, I have lived overseas. I love this nation with every problem we have because it is the greatest in the world. But I am not in denial that through all those travels and experiences in my 40 years on this planet, there are some that dislike me just because of the color of my skin. I have had those experiences up to this year, and in reading your comment I am sure that my nephews will have them as well, sadly.

Christy, the point is not that all Whites are bad. It’s not that Whites have a history of barbarism and violence. It’s not that America seethes with an undercurrent of racism. But it is the point that reality is warped by the media in an effort to disguise the issues facing the nation, and to allow those with a mentality like yourself, a mentality that is better suited for the 9th century than the 21st, to be able to sleep at night.

I sleep well at night knowing the truth. I have no fear of people because I see and know the truth. I have friends of ever nationality and color found on the earth because I accept the truth. I have a full life and success because I do not deny the truth. Can you say the same, Christy?

Race in politics - 3.18.2008.1

I’m insulted and angered. State that I can’t get a cab in NYC and I’m told I’m in a rude city, or was dressed wrong, or was in the wrong part of time. Every reason except that I’m Black and the fact is it is harder for me. In fact, put any minority (White women are not a minority in my view) on national television and say that anything is different than the lives they see on television (which is just 2% filled with people of color) or they live and they retreat as if it were silver to a werewolf.

Race is the one means by which it is possible to get the majority of Americans to stick their heads in the sand. Once any aspect of race and prejudice is brought up, everything else before and after that is forgotten. This isn’t the past I’m talking about, it’s right now.

Rev. Wright has helped the poor, the oppressed (in South Africa – before it was popular), gays and lesbians, and yes African Americans. He has defended this nation with his life as a Marine. He is a religious leader in a faith whose major tenants include loving thy neighbor. [Which does not preclude criticizing thy neighbor] But all that is being focused on is that he is Black and speaking up.

I am reminded by the 1970’s program Good Times. I generally disliked the show and watched it infrequently as a child. At first that was because the younger son, Michael was so outspoken. It made me uncomfortable to a degree. Quickly I realized that in fact it was not what he said, but how the other characters were reacting to him. And I never liked the buffoonery required at the time to mask the serious race issues of JJ, the oldest son.

But that was because I was trained to react like this. To shun dealing with race. To avoid mentioning that I was a Black Puerto Rican and that my life was unlike those of the White Americans around me. Much like why there can be no discussion of anything relating to slavery, reparations, an apology, or Affrimative Action (even the Civil Rights Movement) without either the speaker or those spoken to drifting off. And I don’t mean in the 70’s I mean now. It’s part of the reason that Roots has never been on television since it aired once.

Let me ask this.

What is wrong with a President that is aware of the fact that he is an American that has had to live a lifetime of being better than those around him to be treated as average? What is wrong with a President that knows how it feels to be persecuted, and looked down upon because he entered a room?

Why is it so bad that a potential President can know someone that says ‘I’m a proud American that demands to be seen for my actions and accepted as anyone else’? What is wrong with knowing someone that says I will stand a speak out about the failures I see in this nation, a failure that affects millions, and I have given blood and endangered my life to protect the right to say this.

Because I guarantee that Senator Obama has heard those that see Blacks as second-class, drug-addled, ignorant, violent sub-humans throughout his entire life and up to today.

Yet there is no video clips of that - still I bet you had no problem envisioning such a comment being made did you? Yet that is not considered a benefit for his ability to deal with the issues of America. But the converse is seen as a negative.

I don’t care if people voted for or against Senator Obama, when it was about him and his record. But I care a lot about people not voting for him because he is Black. I care that votes will be held back because he knows African Americans that hold views that are honest (at least to a degree), not friendly or pleasing to White Americans.

Obviously Civil Rights did not go far enough, and we are not so far from the days of Slavery or Jim Crowe as we thought and some hoped.

Grammy's versus Black History Month - 2.11.2008.1

Why is it that I have seen news on ‘Cookie’ Thornton for a day last week, and then a bit later news on C.J. Turner, but I have yet to hear that 3 of the 6 defendants responsible for the rape, torture and kidnapping of Megan Williams have admitted their guilt? Why is it that I have seen maybe half a dozen missing women reports since the beginning of the year yet none of them have been Black, Hispanic/Latino or Asian. Why is it that major news media followed every aspect of the OJ Simpson Las Vegas case for 2 weeks, but there was barely 5 minutes of coverage on Wesley Snipes being found innocent of Federal charges? [Look at the linlks on the bottom for posts on the above.]

I bet right now there is more news out about who won Grammy's, and what the celebrities and entertainers wore than on Megan Williams, Wesley Snipes, and every Black woman and child that went missing in this nation since the beginning of the year. At the very least you think you would see more about African Americans since this is Black History Month, yet that isn’t the case.

In fact, there is more news about the drugs Heath Ledger took to kill himself (accidental or not), or the coverage of the news about Kayne West and Amy Winehouse winning awards than there was about the 3 villages in Darfur that were bombed on Friday, and the tens of thousands of men, women, and children that are fleeing for their lives.

But what can the major media do? It’s only Black History Month. It’s only realistic and a small portion of it positive non-entertainment related news about African Americans and Blacks in the world. That’s not something important. And besides the quota of positive Black news was filled with the coverage of Senator Obama winning Primaries and Caucuses.

I would say I’m being obtuse and sarcastic, except I don’t see anything on the major media that refutes such a thought. Nothing. In fact I will make a bet with anyone willing to take it. I say there will be more coverage (in minutes of airtime and/or number of related stories) on the Grammy red carpet and what Beyonce, Bai Ling, Soulja Boy Tell'em, Carrie Underwood all wore, than about Megan Williams, Darfur, Wesley Snipes winning his trial, and every other positive news event other than Senator Barack Obama, combined. I’d also bet that the Grammy’s will garner more attention than Senator Obama’s wins this weekend. I won’t even bother comparing it to coverage celebrating the African Americans who made 1000’s of inventions that we use every day or those that have given up their lives so that Obama can be a Senator now.

I think this is the perfect month to ask, why are those White Americans that run the major media so terrified to present positive and real events involving African Americans? Why is it that the only real media focus is on Blacks as entertainers or criminals? Even in the one, shortest month of the year when attention of a positive nature is supposed to be the secondary, or even terciary focus.

The most I’ve noticed are more television commercials with Blacks in them. Like the one from Time Warner Cable. The one with a woman comedian (who looks White – but could be incredibly light skinned) who thanks Richard Pryor (without ever mentioning his name) for letting her be able to joke about events in her life on stage. While that may be a breakthrough, I think the things that Time Warner could promote about Richard Pryor beyond that can fill hours of television time. Yet that’s the best homage they could manage. Not his writing, his work to fight Muscular Dystrophy (MS) or other events.

In fact even in schools there is a failure to recognize African Americans and there contributions to America. There are tens of thousands of things that African Americans have done over centuries to improve lives in America, but don’t think the major media or schools will mention that. From early versions of gas masks that saved lives of miners and firemen 100 years ago, to the Tuskegee Airmen who saved hundreds of lives and helped win WWII, what has been done is barely ever scratched.

I know of schools that have yet to discuss African Americans, though they are discussing the world history. Kids of all races know a lot about the Holocaust, yet few know anything about the causes of the Civil War and where freeing slaves really fell as a priority. And if it were up to major media, not a single child would learn a thing more than Blacks play games well, can sing and shake their asses, and some can make funny movies. That’s the message out there.

The more I think about it the more I get upset and insulted.

If you have kids, nieces or nephews, take a moment and ask them about Black History. See if they can name more than 5 famous names (and what those people did). See if they can name anyone beyond Senator Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King [the DR. part is important – he had a doctorate and it should be included in his memory], Malcolm X, Dr. George Washington Carver, and Booker T. Washington (rappers, sports figures, and other entertainers of general achievement don’t count). Ask them if they know the real reason America had a Civil War (freeing slaves was an afterthought – tying up loose ends). Ask if they have ever heard of the Tuskegee Airmen, or Tuskegee College for that matter. And if you don’t know these things you can learn about it too.

Everyone in America has seen the positives of White America, the positive news of various selfless acts, and the fears that occur when a White child is missing. I just wish the major media could give a little bit of attention to those same things for African Americans, or any people of color, at least during the shortest month of the year.

Since America is set against apologizing for the slavery that built the foundations of this nation, and livid at the mention of reparations fro that slavery, the Jim Crow laws and segregation that followed, a bit of positive images are the least that can be done.

Heath Ledger dead in NYC - 1.22.2008.1

Heath Ledger is dead. He was 28.

Unexpected? Yes. The big item of news as is being reported by the major news media right now? NO.

Yet again we are seeing that the news is overly focused on relatively unimportant information. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, and I do not wish to make light of the loss his friends and family are experiencing. But there is the fact that the stock market dropped 450 points this morning, the FED cut interest rates ¾ of a point, the economy is in trouble, and the Presidential race is quickly coming to a point where only 2 candidates will remain.

For nearly an entire hour, the only thing that can be mentioned in the major news media is the fact that Heath Ledger seems to have taken prescription drugs, and had a heart attack. Apparently an accidental death, though pills were supposedly strewn about the body. Already rumors of the apartment being owned by Mary Kate Olsen have appeared and been debunked. Like that makes any difference on where the sun sets.

Consider this. Over the rest of the day, and in the next several days I would bet that roughly 3 days of news will be dedicated to this admittedly tragic event. Something like 8 hours of news will be spent on this. How much time was spent discussing the Tiger Woods lynching comments, and Golfweek magazine cover?

How much time has been spent on the racial tensions that occurred YESTERDAY in Jena? How about the time devoted to the Megan Williams case? Or why all the leading Presidential candidates proffered themselves as advocates of the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King yesterday yet not one has been willing to discuss an official apology to African Americans for slavery, nor Reparations.

I understand that Heath Ledger’s death is news on a celebrity. I understand that this will be talked about prior to the release of the next Batman Dark Knight movie. There is no question that reviewer will be kind in their evaluation of his role as the Joker [which from the trailers I have seen so far are not compelling and thus I expect the film to be lackluster regardless of the box office take]. But honestly there is more to focus on.

Is this harsh? Perhaps. But I tend to be focused on the important facts going on, than the distractions that some would like to fill my head with. The economy, who will be President and how will they govern America, race relations, and the impact of racially insensitive and potentially violent images and words being bandied about with the casual flippancy of a morning greeting are all far more important to me.

Celebrities, minor and major, die from stupid things all the time. Their passing should be noted. But I’m just tired of watching endless hours of useless information about their passing (as was done with Anna Nicole Smith) that benefits no one.

Do you agree?

NJ considers apology for slavery Part 4 - 1.3.2008.4

Concluded from NJ considers apology for slavery Part 3...

Should New Jersey, Georgia, Missouri, and every single state (with the exception of perhaps Hawaii and Alaska) make an apology, I think so. Each and every one has benefited and could not exist without the efforts of slaves and Jim Crow era African Americans.

Should the American government make an apology? I cannot see a justification why it has not already. Nor can I find a single reason why reparations have not been made as precedence exists.

“Yet reparations have been made to Japanese Americans and Native American Indians, at least to some degree."

and a means of reparation exists. Not only the one I outlined at Black & White Blog (where I am co-author), which was challenged and questioned as any controversial idea should be – but it must be discussed, but also elsewhere.

We can do a lot of things. But the first thing must be acknowledging the wrongs done and APOLOGIZING for them. And along with that must be the major media and news covering this issue and presenting it to the American public.

Skeletons in the closet may be a reality of life, but they never benefit anyone. They always come out, and in doing so strife is usually attached when they are forced out against our will. There is no difference in governments and people in this regard.

NJ considers apology for slavery Part 3 - 1.3.2008.3

Continued from NJ considers apology for slavery Part 2 ...

Or

“Mr. Frank Hargrove, a delegate, thinks that Black Americans should just “get over” 246 years of slavery and consideration as property. That the subsequent 100 years of Jim Crow laws and segregation and de facto third-class status should have been more than enough to adjust.”

Or

“I feel insulted, and Michael Medved is the reason for it… Thus I will just have to accept that he is stupid. [Stupid is defined as wanting in understanding or as I like to say ‘ignorance does not know, stupid is knowing and not caring.’] Given that, I think it’s time that a better answer to his “Six inconvenient truths about the U.S. and slavery” is addressed with some logic.”

In each case these elected officials and media pundits seek to belittle the ancestors of African Americans, and in such belittle us today. In each case the argument ignores various points of fact. In each case denial is rampant as the only defense. And in each case the American government has failed to act.

Yet millions defend the right to display the Confederate flag. Millions insist that the South be remembered and glorified in momuments to the confederates and in movies. Hollywood and television see no reason why multiple symbols of the hyper-racist and small-minded nature of America in that time should not emblazened on screens both big and small.

As long as no one opens the closet and sees the lynched Black hanging there. And how dare anyone even mention that the closet exists.

And President Lincoln is offered as the equalizing symbol. That his actions corrected everything done in the past and during the years of Jim Crow and segregation after his 13th Amendment. To bad that is a romanticized lie.

Because history, as it is written and not proffered to us in the shortest month of the year, states that President Lincoln would have allowed slavery if it would have benefitted the nation. That freeing the slaves was less than a tertiary issue in the Civil War. That the 13th Amendment was a means to an end, and no more. And I have never seen a flag celebrating the freedom of the slave adorning a single American governmental building. Because the American government has never felt it is worthy of such celebration. But the Confederate flag is.

Continued in Part 4...

NJ considers apology for slavery Part 2 - 1.3.2008.2

Continued from NJ considers apology for slavery Part 1 ...

Now as of today, Virginia, Alabama, and Maryland have each announced “profound regret” for the slavery they allowed in their past.. North Carolina has announced “profound contrition”. Georgia discussed the issue last year, with the disapproval of Governor Perdue. And there is Missouri and New Jersey as stated above.

As for all the Presidential candidates of 2008, only Dennis Kucinich has ever mentioned the issue, and expressed a need for the nation to apologize and make reparations. The ONLY one.

This is pitiful.

Name one thing in America that has not been built with the foundation of slave labor. Name one company, in existence since at least 1865, which has not benefited from slavery. Even JP Morgan and its shareholders acknowledged the connection.

“We apologize to the American public, and particularly to African-Americans, for the role that Citizens Bank and Canal Bank played during that period," said the company on its website. "Although we cannot change the past, we are committed to learning from and emerging stronger because of it."

In addition to the apology, JP Morgan created a $5 million scholarship for African Americans in Louisiana.”

Please notice that JP Morgan APOLIGIZED. Not regret - an intelligent (and/or emotional) dislike for personal past acts and behaviors. Not contrition - sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation.

The fact is that even now, some 400 years after the first documented slave was forced to America, not one American governmental body has apologized for their part in slavery. None. They are sorry for its existence, and upset that untold millions were slaughtered, but they are not losing sleep over it. In fact many are fighting against it.

There are many like

“The disappointment comes from the statements “I'm not sure what we ought to be apologizing for” voiced by Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson and others.”

Continued in Part 3...

NJ considers apology for slavery - 1.3.2008.1

When you see this image what do you think?


To many this is a symbol of pride, the South, and a glorious and romanticized time in America.

To me and other African Americans, it is a reminder that America explicitly endorsed the belief that we were less valued and important than furniture at one time. It is a subtly and implicit reminder that we are second-class citizens, that we are separate, and that many still feel we are not American. It says America is proud of the days when picking cotton, torture, mental and sexual abuse were the only obligations available to Blacks. That every wrong done to African Americans was justified.

Obviously there is a big difference in what Blacks and Whites see in the Confederate Flag. The flag waves besides the American flag in courthouses and official government buildings across the South. It’s been highlighted in movies and television. And few Whites grasp the impact it makes, the statement it represents.

Because slavery is a taboo subject in this nation. As unspoken as the internment of Japanese Americans in WWII and the virtual extinction of Native American Indians.

When you see this image what do you think?


Most every American will say either the Civil War or freeing the slaves first, but both will be the likely answer. It is this image that sums up, and is the only, form of apology ever made by the American government about slavery.

I have said all this because slavery, and reparations, is finally being spoken about in this nation. Potentially we will hear about them in this election if the trend continues. That is if it continues and the major news media picks it up and tells anyone about it.

Today it has been reported that New Jersey is considering making an apology about slavery. This follows Missouri thinking about the same thing in December. I’m willing to bet most Americans never heard a word about this.

Mind you, they are only talking about an apology. Reparations are something every state fears, and none are willing to even discuss the issue. I kind of see that like the saying

“If everyone is saying your idea is wrong, you probably are on the right track to do something never done before.”

Continued in part 2...

Dog Chapman apologies on Hannity and Colmes Part 3 - 11.7.2007.2

Concluded from Dog Chapman apologies on Hannity and Colmes Part 2...

And lastly the interview ends with his written public apology, and his claim he would rather die than inflict pain on the Black community. Some how I doubt that. Had that been true he would not use, nor allow use around him, of the n-word. He would not have spit out the bile and malicious wording that is now the testament of his thoughts. Again I say his apology sounds hollow and as false as a poorly tuned piano.

But that is not the end of his annoying attempt to get back his lucrative television show and audience. The last thing he mentions is his efforts to get in touch with God and to go to a gravesite of African Slaves and to place a gravestone for each of them buried there.

I’m sorry but my anger cannot be bought so cheaply. My anger that has grown immensely as I hear him continue to speak. Now he thinks that telling me he is going to get in touch with God, and that this should excuses his intent and actions? That his taking the out that all entertainers and celebrities are using now, treatment for deplorable actions, is going to gain sympathy? Not with me.

And to even mention the graves of those Africans that were taken from their homes to become less than furniture enrages me. How dare him. Placing grave markers will not buy my anger off. Providing due respect for the lives of human beings is something everyone should do. America didn’t for over a century, and the paltry hollow actions of one White man who has compounded that insensitivity will not make up for it.

I mentioned that I expected Dog to seek some kind of ‘aid’ for his words. He has done so. I expected that he would apologize in public. And now he has. I did not expect him to lose his cable television show for the private phone call, but having heard his apology I am glad at A&E’s decision.

As I said to a friend about this whole incident,

“He may not be a racist, but he does a damn good job of acting like one.”

Real points on reparations Part 2 - 10.9.2007.2

Continued from Real points on reparations Part 1...

And lastly there is the FACT of precidence.

“Yet reparations have been made to Japanese Americans and Native American Indians, at least to some degree. Remorse has been expressed by the Government to both groups. Yet the United States Govenment has never apoligized nor acknowledged the wrongs done with slavery and its actions/attitudes in the over a century since that time.”

Perhaps Michael Medved would like to dispute these facts. He cannot nor can any person against reparations. That is why they seek out any and every other argument.

As for how to pay the reparations I offer this idea. Provide a tax credit, of say $3,000 for any African Americans that can provide proof of heritage. This will also cover all children of those African Americans from the inception date to 18 years later, thus covering all children born the year of the reparation. The proof would come from authenticated family trees that date back to at least 1865 and can show slavery. This tax credit is a lifetime credit, meaning that you have a total of $3,000 for life, being used over that lifetime. If you use it all in one year its gone. If it take 10 years at $300 a year then so be it. You don’t get more and the max is the start amout of $3,000.

This plan builds the economy, providing jobs for researchers and companies providing authenticated certificates. The Government would increase workers that would manage the list with the I.R.S. Oversite groups could be created to ensure that the fund is not mismanaged. Enforment jobs could be created to protect that scams could not take advantage.

Plus there is the fact that the economy would get a boost from the additional money being used to pay for goods and services. Credit cards coulds be paid off, downpayment and improvements on homes, pay for college tuition and supplies, investments in 401K’s and the stock market. Not to mention purchases of food, clothing, and whatever else.

Explain where this is a bad, or impossible thing to accomplish?

America had slaves, and made them build the nation. America profited and grew from this slave labor. Some of the worst attrocities known to man were commited to the slaves and their descendants, for centuries. America refuses to acknowledge what it did, or the benefit it received. At the same time America has apologized and made reparations to others of its people who were arguably far less abused and persecuted.

I will not put my head in the sand. I will not allow half-thought, tangent laden, slippery-slope arguments to obfuscate and distract me and others from the facts. I do not accept the romanticized arguments and media imagery.

America owes reparations and an apology to African Americans. They can be paid and must. America will always have over it’s head this division of it’s people while avoiding the honest debate and response.

Medved may enjoy this denial, and others like him, but the fact is that this is a rot in America. And given time, any rot will eventually destroy whatever is rotting. The same holds true for America.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Real points on reparations - 10.9.2007.1

This is a continuation of a discussion based on the comments by Michael Medved against reparations. It can be seen at Responding to Michael Medveds rant against reparations - 10.9.2007.1

It is long, but I feel it's worth the time.

**This post can also be found at Black & White Blog a forum for both sides of controversial issues.**

So how about I actually discuss the reasons why reparations make sense? How about we actually talk about American slavery and not detract from the subject in discussion of eras and societies that are not American?

There were millions of slaves that were forcibly taken from Africa to America, and died. That means families experienced the loss of fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, in a boat under duress. Murder is punishable, and as we have abundantly seen with the OJ Simpson case, profitable. Genocide, since this was a willful act done repeatedly to a singular and specific group of people, would seem to up that exponentially.

Of the surviving Africans, they were sold of without regard to their families or any factor other than their perceived ability to work, in the most humiliating manner. They were placed on display similar to a car in a showroom, with potential buyers pawing and prodding them. That is further duress and suffering.

Once sold, the slaves were guaranteed a lifetime of work. This work was menial at its best, without breaks, without pay, without time off. Medical care, which was not guaranteed, could range from intense to minimal and provided no guarantee of time off to recover.

Slaves were routinely beaten, mutilated, physically and mentally abused, sexually harassed and raped while forced to work. Any one of these is enough to cause the employer to be jailed, then or now, if it were done to another human being.

Slaves were denied their right to freedom of religion. They were denied an education. They were fed and clothed just enough to allow them to continue to work. They were denied freedom of speech. They were denied the right to have and/or raise a family.

Slaves built cities, roads, infrastructure, and agriculture. Every aspect of any business and establishment that exists in America today that has a tie to colonial America is connected to the slave workforce. That’s North or South.

If the average slave worked only 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 360 days a year for 4 decades of life that’s 158,880 hours of work per slave. If we assume that there were 3 million slaves from 1619 to 1865 (which is a low-ball estimate) then that is 476,640,000,000 hours of work done. Those are BILLIONS of hours. This does not even touch the Jim Crow era. Assuming a pay of just .05 cents an hour in 1865 money (no adjustment for actual worth in money today) that means $23,832,000,000. If I adjust by taking an increase of just 10% for each year for 55 years that’s a 9150% increase to $2,180,628,000,000. That’s TRILLIONS of dollars, adjusted just 55 years at 10%. There’s still another 87 years to go and we are adjusting from .05 cents. If anyone feels that more than TRILLIONS of dollars of work did not change America, they are stupid in my opinion.

In addition

“Jim Crow and other equally repressive laws and actions hindered Black African Americans. Incidents have occured even in the 20th century and include the Tuskegee syphilis experiments in the 1930’s, the destruction of Tulsa’s Black neighborhoods in 1921 and the loss of life and property when the all-Black town of Rosewood was destroyed by a white mob in 1923.”

Continued in part 2...

Response to 'Average American' comment on comparing news coverage Part 4 - 9.28.2007.4

Concluding from Response to 'Average American' comment on comparing news coverage Part 3...

You go on to say that OJ was freed, actually he was found innocent by a jury of his peers which included Whites. He did nothing more than what other rich men have done. Afforded a great legal team. How much time did Senator Ted Kennedy spend for Chappaquiddick?

The D.C. Mayor was elected. Drug use or not. And how many politicians are duplicitous in their actions? Perhaps you might also find fault that Senator Hillary Clinton took $850,000 from a man (Norman Hsu) that had a warrant for his arrest, evaded prosecution, and scammed people for that money. Even after the fact of his past was revealed, the Clinton campaign spent weeks before mentioning how much money he had given. They even initially tried to give away only $32,000 AFTER they knew of his record. You want to speak about questionable political figures; a Presidential candidate may be where you want to start.

And the Duke Lacrosse team. Those innocent boys, that hired strippers for a drunken party with minors. Whose actions prior to this event gave pause to their credibility and claim of innocence. That had every media outlet defending them from day one. That received justice, fame, and monetary gain for their troubles. Do I feel bad for them? No, they are richer today, several having graduated, and have no long term problem.

“How is it that so many black people care so little for truth? With the turnout at the Jena march it suggests there is a huge disparity in understanding that exists between the black population and the rest of America.”

Truth? I think I have clearly stated the events involved. What part of the events in Jena do you see as a lie? You disagree that there were nooses hung? You already said they were. You dispute the honesty that the White boy was attacked? No one has said he wasn’t. That all of this was started because of remnants of the segregation that was rampant in the South in your youth? While no one has said it exactly as I just have, everyone agrees that the source of all this was Blacks sitting under a tree that was considered Whites only. So what lie have African Americans assumed as truth?

I agree there is a disparity, but not in the manner you suggest. If you are the ‘Average American’, which I severely doubt having read your words several times, then there is a large disparity between Americans living in the 21st Century and yourself. The rest of us are willing to say a law or action is wrong. White, Black, Hispanic/Latino or any other minority. The average person I know in America wants a rule of law that is fair and equal, in execution and meaning. Those I know would not only write in protest, but march for what they believe. An even smaller portion, and no less or more loyal, have taken an oath, as I have, to defend this nation and ALL her people.

I have given an oath, as did my father, both grandfathers, and a sister. I believe in the Constitution and the Amendments. I have and those before me, and many today, have sweat and bled for this nation. That means I believe in your right to have your opinion and voice it. I further invite and encourage commentary on the posts that I make. But that does not mean that either of us has to agree.

I feel that you have a mind that is closed to some aspects of life. I believe you cannot accept that things happen in this nation that you would never allow to happen to a White American. I believe you think that life in America is fine as is, and because I believe you are White and have never faced any of the events and problems I, my family and friends have encountered they don’t exist in your mind.

If rose colored glasses could work in reality, the world would be far better. But they don’t. Slavery was real, as was Jim Crow laws. Segregation lasted longer than the 60’s, and racism persists today. That doesn’t mean I will blithely accept these things. I am successful and strive for better.

At the same time, I am constantly reminded that I am an African American Puerto Rican, and that everything I have made can be lost quickly. I am reminded that for every obstacle I surmount there is another waiting. And I am reminded that people that share your views will make my life difficult, sometime without their own conscious intent, to live.

I leave you with this thought. Life is fluid and in constant motion. The moment you stop trying to improve you start to decay. This is true of Justice, Equality, and personal actions.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Reaction to Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill O'Reilly Part 3 - 9.27.2007.3

Continued from Reaction to Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill O'Reilly Part 2...

I must admit my annoyance with Whites that presume to understand Black America’s issues and present answers with a sense of moral authority. Yes, Mr. O’Reilly is correct that fathers in the community are a major issue, but it is not the only one. Rev. Jackson presented several others that are equally important.

The rant by Bernie (I forget his last name, and honestly have lost massive respect for him after attacking Rev. Jackson) presuming to understand what ails African Americans smacks of the classic ‘White Savior and Protector’ image that portrayed, and continues to, Blacks as jungle savages. Bernie needs to be reminded that Africans created the number system the world uses today. Africans made the pyramids that cannot be duplicated today. Africans have helped create the world that exists today, in virtually every field of endeavor that Man is aware of at this time, and the slave descendants of those Africans continue to be important in America today.

We are as diverse in our culture, though major media ignores this, as much as any group in America today. To say that there is just a simple answer and that he UNDERSTANDS what I have gone through in this life is preposterous. At the best he may comprehend, but it is impossible for him to understand, much in the way I could not understand what it is to be White or female in America.

I can continue to go on. The issues are far flung and deep-rooted in American culture. Fear is a major factor; I have live through many aspects of it. The problems are multiple and come from within and without the Black community. [As I have noted before, having books older than myself while in high school, being denied word and training as a stockbroker because of my looks, being prodded to get into a fight because my manner of dress is upscale and mashed an obviously weak and tiny ego, and far more]

The point is that this is a discussion that needs to be continued. I hope that Mr. O’Reilly is incorrect. Whites need to speak up. Debate, especially passionate debate, must occur. Fear can only be defeated by action.

I will close with this though, but when I get more composed and when I get to read some of the responses from you my readers. I will come back to this.

The only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt

**I am posting this here and at Black & White Blog. That is a site where discussion on racial issues are exchanged between myself and the other co-contributor, who happens to be White. For those uncomfortable commenting here for whatever reason, I suggest commenting there as an option.**

Reaction to Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill O'Reilly Part 2 - 9.27.2007.2

Continued from Reaction to Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill O'Reilly Part 1...

I do not deny that I have criticized Rev. Jackson and Sharpton for their actions in recent years. I still question why they have not lent their considerably publicly accessible voices to the tragedy in West Virginia, or the absence of reporting on Jonathan Riches, or why the major media seems to have completely forgotten the Congressional hearings on the music industry, specifically dealing with gangsta rap. I feel they can make far more noise than most, gaining attention to these matters that demand attention.

Am I glad they are raising the bar on what is being reported on Jena 6? Definitely. Should this have happened months ago? Without question. Do I feel that the major news media is seeking any means possible to avoid the subject and their abysmal responses? Do you even need to question that?

Even so, this does not mean that the media can round up any figure they can get a hold of and allow vile personal attacks on people that are reporting facts they were first person witnesses to. The attacks on Mr. Juan Williams are not out of context. How dare he call any Black American a ‘Happy Negro’. Being Black does not justify such a comment, nor does it automatically allow news commentator at CNN the ability to not challenge such offensive actions. They would not allow a White interviewee to get away with such a comment, nor should a Black one.

I feel insulted that the implication made by CNN is, via their acceptance and lack of action on the insulting attack on Mr. Juan Williams, that any African American (or Latino/Hispanic, Asian and so forth) that agrees in part or whole with views of Mr. O’Reilly is an Uncle Tom, mindless, foolish, minstrel. Would they let someone call a Spanish public figure a spic? Or an Irish one a ‘Happy Mick’? How about an Italian as a ‘Happy Wop’? Is my point made?

Since when have African American been relegated to a singular viewpoint? Since when did anyone get to be the singular voice of African Americans determining what is or is not permissible Blacks? How dare CNN allow such an image to be created, without question or challenge!

I know I have long said that I do not feel that Rev. Jackson or Sharpton are Black ‘leaders’, but that does not mean they are not important figures. I do not believe that this means that any person chosen by major news media can spout any kind of commentary and it be taken as gospel. Being Black does not mean you can say anything you please about other Blacks, nor does it excuse Whites from standing up and correcting such vicious and unwarranted attacks.

Continued in Part 3...

Reaction to Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill O'Reilly - 9.27.2007.

**I am posting this here and at Black & White Blog. That is a site where discussion on racial issues are exchanged between myself and the other co-contributor, who happens to be White. For those uncomfortable commenting here for whatever reason, I suggest commenting there as an option.**

I hope that Fox News, and Mr. Bill O’Reilly make the transcript of the program tonight, September 27, 2007, available to the public. They covered a large number of issues, all of which need to be dealt with more in depth. The conversation needs to be had. And I found Bernie Goldman’s (I believe that is his last name) comments about Rev. Jesse Jackson offensive, cruel and unjustified.

I agree that the whole issue on O’Reilly has detracted from more important issues. I was unaware of the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock 9 (I’m not that old) occurred during all this hoopla. I’ve mentioned several issues that I am aware of that also have been unfairly ignored.

I must mention that I found the words of Rev. Jackson riveting. This is perhaps the best conversation and most informative allocution I have heard from him in decades. There has never been a question in my mind of his intelligence. I have a great deal of respect for his past actions and achievements. At the same time, I admit that I have found fault with his more current actions and failure to address issues that I feel are very important. The same can be said, to a lesser degree of my feelings towards Rev. Al Sharpton.

Rev. Jackson has to be commended for finally being the person that got the actual story of the Jena 6 out to the media. Until this conversation, major news media has picked at parts of this case, sensationalizing aspects of it and ignoring others. Every major news station and news media outlet can share in the blame for failing to properly cover the Jena 6 for MONTHS.

I also have no problem stating that I agree with Mr. O’Reilly, and Mr. Juan Williams, that the absence of fathers is a major source of the issues in the Black community. I do not feel that it is the root of the problem. Mr. O’Reilly is correct that this goes back to the days of Slavery, and that fear motivates many of the actions of Whites (not all but in my opinion most) in America.

I have addressed the fear that prevents America from apologizing for Slavery. I have addressed the fear that prevents discussion of reparations. I have discussed how this fear leads to anger on both sides, and that this anger is a poison in America that is not going away.

I commend both Rev. Jackson and Mr. O’Reilly for honestly stating the issues before America, and denouncing racism – especially when it is used as a tool to manipulate and divide American opinion for the gain of a few extreme groups or worse yet, money.

There is no easy way to address race issues in America. Both sides, actually all sides are wrong at points, and absolutely right in others. All sides are passionate on their view. And there is no question that none completely understand the feelings and viewpoints of the others. Comprehend, sometimes but understand, ABSOLUTELY not.

Continued in part 2...

Issues stemming from Jena 6 Conclusion - 9.23.2007.4

Continued from Issues stemming from Jena 6 Part 3...

mike vass: No, he is going to be released.

MH: No he is not being released. Check CNN.

mike vass: I stand corrected, what is happening then?

MH: I am still reading. That sucks, even after the protest they still didn’t get "justice".

mike vass: Not really. But protest has been ongoing for months. At least now there is a chance, Congress is supposed to get involved.

MH: Which makes my point. I think that is just a spin.

mike vass: It is, but it may get justice served along the way. They may be self-serving, but he may get help by accident.

MH: So in order for us to get justice, we need to call Al and the gang and have a march?

mike vass: We need to pursue it, and realize it won't happen immediately. If we stop it's like stopping swimming, you drown. May still die while swimming, but at least you have a chance.

MH: We need to get the hell out of the pool then. This is crazy.

mike vass: You can only get out of the pool if you win, and we aren't winning.

MH: We only make up 12 percent of this country, we will never win.

mike vass: Actually, we are at 15% and Hispanics are 15%. We are roughly 1-3 for people of color, which means things have to start to change.

MH: Oh excuse me. So even if we and the Hispanics teamed up (don’t hold your breath) and really rallied, we would still be basically doing nothing. We don’t even like our own people.

mike vass: But how depends on what we do, and not being divided, or distracted (like by trying to be the next sports star, or the whole rap/hip-hop thing).

MH: Black Americans don’t like Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans don’t like Dominicans. But we get bent out of shape when whites don’t want us around.

mike vass: No real reason for it. But it makes things easy for others to maintain control.

MH: Jamaicans are idiots because they say "Black Americans allowed themselves to be mistreated during slavery so they are now lazy." Which is asinine. Black Americans think "West Indian men beat their women and cheat on them all the time and they are arrogant."

mike vass: That’s so stupid.

MH: Yes it is. Which is why I can see why Whites don’t like us.

mike vass: Where does all this come from?

MH: We spend too much time doing stupid things. It comes from the fact that the English were much more humane to their slaves (Black Caribbean’s) than American slave owners were. They were not beaten nor treated as harshly as American slaves were. So there was some level of pride left in Jamaican slaves, when they were freed, they were in a better position and they look down on American slaves.

mike vass: Ah, that makes a big difference.

MH: It does, but it’s stupid because we were all slaves. Hating one another doesn’t make sense.

mike vass: Exactly, still suffering the effects of all that.

MH: No he is not being released. Check CNN.

mike vass: I stand corrected, what is happening then?

MH: I am still reading. That sucks, even after the protest they still didn’t get "justice".

mike vass: Not really. But protest has been ongoing for months. At least now there is a chance, Congress is supposed to get involved.

MH: Which makes my point. I think that is just a spin.

mike vass: It is, but it may get justice served along the way. They may be self-serving, but he may get help by accident.

MH: So in order for us to get justice, we need to call Al and the gang and have a march?

mike vass: We need to pursue it, and realize it won't happen immediately. If we stop it's like stopping swimming, you drown. May still die while swimming, but at least you have a chance.

MH: We need to get the hell out of the pool then. This is crazy.

mike vass: You can only get out of the pool if you win, and we aren't winning.

MH: We only make up 12 percent of this country, we will never win.

mike vass: Actually, we are at 15% and Hispanics are 15%. We are roughly 1-3 for people of color, which means things have to start to change.

MH: Oh excuse me. So even if we and the Hispanics teamed up (don’t hold your breath) and really rallied, we would still be basically doing nothing. We don’t even like our own people.

mike vass: But how depends on what we do, and not being divided, or distracted (like by trying to be the next sports star, or the whole rap/hip-hop thing).

MH: Black Americans don’t like Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans don’t like Dominicans. But we get bent out of shape when whites don’t want us around.

mike vass: No real reason for it. But it makes things easy for others to maintain control.

MH: Jamaicans are idiots because they say "Black Americans allowed themselves to be mistreated during slavery so they are now lazy." Which is asinine. Black Americans think "West Indian men beat their women and cheat on them all the time and they are arrogant."

mike vass: That’s so stupid.

MH: Yes it is. Which is why I can see why Whites don’t like us.

mike vass: Where does all this come from?

MH: We spend too much time doing stupid things. It comes from the fact that the English were much more humane to their slaves (Black Caribbean’s) than American slave owners were. They were not beaten nor treated as harshly as American slaves were. So there was some level of pride left in Jamaican slaves, when they were freed, they were in a better position and they look down on American slaves.

mike vass: Ah, that makes a big difference.


MH: It does, but it’s stupid because we were all slaves. Hating one another doesn’t make sense.

mike vass: Exactly, still suffering the effects of all that.


I hope this conversation was of use and interest. I want to thank Michael H. for allowing me to present this to everyone. And thank you to everyone that read it all.

A conversation on the Jena 6 Part 2 - 9.21.2007.3

Continued from A conversation on the Jena 6 Part 1...

When that segregation was acknowledged and challenged, the response was to place nooses on the tree. That is a powerful message, especially in the South. When my friend thinks about a noose he thinks of a hanging, but I informed him that for an African American it evokes an image of a BLACK person being hung – a lynching. And when that happens in the South you get the image of KKK and slavery. It’s very different for me to see that and for my friend. I wanted him to comprehend that. I know he cannot understand it as I do, but the comprehension that those nooses are a death threat. It makes the difference of how the reactions unfolded. It provoked anger, and that is not an excuse. Violence is a bad response to provocations, but it is one response when death is the message.

As I recall, back in the 1970’s a court (I believe the Supreme Court) held that incendiary words exist, and their use could provoke actions. These actions could be crimes, but due to the incendiary words the punishment could be minimized or removed. I’m not a lawyer but I recall that well [any lawyers that know better or the exact case, feel free to correct/support me here]. Thus, back then, if an African American were called the N-word, and he beat the crap out of a White man that said it to him, the incendiary clause could be used as a defense.

The nooses were the incendiary. The tree is the segregation. Essentially what happened and was said is, in my opinion, ‘Hey N*****, you don’t belong here. Go away.’ When that was challenged with the thought that segregation doesn’t have a place in 21st century America the response was ‘Uppity N***** I will KILL you.’ Which lead to the violence.

Perhaps it’s the fact that African Americans still feel the weight of the past of America on them, or that America has never apologized for slavery (nor willing to provide reparations as the nation has for other groups that were wronged in the past) because America is not beyond the thoughts of that time, but this is the sentiment that still pervades the nation.

It goes both ways. As my friend correctly mentioned, there are places that he cannot go in New York City. There are places that any race or ethnicity cannot go in America, to this day. We have not gone as far as most of us wish we have. And as long as we don’t address the root of the problem, we never will.

America has its head in the sand when it comes to race relations and segregation and prejudice. Slavery is a subject no one wants to speak about. Reparations is so terrifying a concept, because of what it addresses, every Presidential candidate except one (not Senator Barack Obama) refused to even speak about it in a debate. And these events, like Jena 6, continue to happen.

Continued in Part 3...

Can Rev. Jesse Jackson define "acting white" - 9.20.2007.1

In my post Rev. Jesse Jackson throws stones at Senator Barack Obama - 9.20.2007.1, I mentioned that Rev. Jesse Jackson is alleged to have said that Sen. Barack Obama acts “white”. This accusation was leveled in reference to the relatively little that Senator Obama has said about the Jena 6.

I’ve already discussed the equally little said by Rev. Jackson on the Jena 6 case, which has been widely covered and discussed by a multitude of Black bloggers for months. Don’t let the major news media fool you, this is not a new thing. And while Sen. Obama has said virtually nothing, neither has Rev. Sharpton, Jackson, or any of the Presidential candidates. They have all failed to even acknowledge the existence of the case until yesterday, and all their surprise and posturing is annoying.

[I admit that I have not covered the issue either, as I felt many other bloggers had covered every angle of this far better than myself for far longer. Check the archives of African American Opinion and you will see what I mean. In my opinion to cover what had already been said would have been pandering and I try to never do so.]

But the point of this is the “acting white” accusation. Among African Americans such an accusation is a vicious attack. It is a massive insult that does not have a match in other racial groups in America, to my knowledge. It’s a verbal low blow, and in this case totally unfair.

The implication that Rev. Jackson makes, and he is a supposed supporter of Sen. Obama, is that Senator Obama is a sell-out. The reason is that the Senator has not acted on a controversial case to the liking of Rev. Jackson. Point of fact is that Rev. Jackson hasn’t done anything either. As I mentioned before many Black bloggers have, but Black “leaders”, like Rev. Jackson and Al Sharpton have said nothing to my knowledge.

But why is Senator Obama “acting White”? Why does he constantly have to defend himself from claims on one hand that he is not Black enough, and that he is too Black on the other. That is he is Black and thus scary to some (who have very small minds in my opinion).

In the African American community though, some (with equally small minds) feel that Sen. Obama does not portray the race well. I’m reminded of a Mr. Chris Rock comedy routine. I’ll paraphrase

“They call Colin Powell articulate. They say he speaks well. What do they expect him to say ‘Yo yo, Imma bout ta drop sum bombs ova heya!’”

I’m so tired of the bar existing that says you are only African American if you act like X and dress in Y. What the Hell does that have to do with my heritage or the color of my skin? When I walk down the street I’ve never heard anyone wait to see my clothing tags or my resume before calling me N***** (and not in a manner that the hip-hop community thinks is positive).

Why do we need to continue to define what is Black by the material mannerisms one has? I’ve commented often that to be Black in America is becoming more of a commodity than a fact of birth. Let me correct that. To be what the media portrays, and music videos glorify, as their impression of Black is a commodity. The facts are quite different.

Let’s take a moment to remember the spectrum here.

Blacks have been in America since roughly the early 1600’s. Blacks built the infrastructure of America, and were the key part of the agricultural economy that allowed the nation to grow. White Americans have mixed with African slaves and African Americans of later centuries and decades constantly, partially accounting for the different shade we all come in. Add to that the mix of Native American Indians, Latinos, Hispanics, Asians and various Europeans and you get all the shades and backgrounds that make up many African American families today.

An example is that my family tree reaches into Italy, Ireland, Spain, Puerto Rico, Taino and Native American Indians as well as Africa. And that’s just the parts I can name off the top of my head.

Beyond the mix of ancestry, African Americans don’t all live in the ghetto or speak eubonics. While watching any major news media, especially if you see the news internationally, you may not realize it but not all African Americans are poor. [I realize that those who are Black reading this will say “I know that”, but I reach 62 nations on average every month and not everyone reading this is Black or American]

Many African Americans are quite educated. We are doctors, lawyers, businessmen and women, professors and a multitude of other professions. Few of these professionals, if any, speak like JJ from Good Times or Snoop Dogg. But the media would liken us all to a rapper far faster than Secretary of State Condellezza Rice. [I’m not saying that all rappers are uneducated, but I will say I’m only aware of 2 that actually graduated college since the inception of rap. There may be more but it’s not spoken about much and seen little in their public personas.]

So given all that, what is “acting white”? Is being successful now restricted to that one particular race? Speaking our collective native language well is a racial preference? Dressing in clothing that both compliments and stands out well in any social occasion is betrayal to a race?

Doesn’t that sound stupid? Perhaps if you look at it conversely.

If Reverend Jackson said that Senator Obama could act more Black by ‘speak with smaller syllable words, misuse the meanings of those words or just make them up, dress in baggy ill-fitting clothing that are more appropriate for an 18 year old in a dance club, lose several jobs by being late or not showing up, take drugs in public, and walk around eating fried chicken.’

Doesn’t sound white does it? Doesn’t sound Black either. It just sounds foolish. Acting like a grown man (or woman) should be enough. The color of the skin is just a birthright and that conveys no obligations to any corporate ideology, no matter how many music videos and commercials are made saying so.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Counting 5 years plus Part 2 - 9.10.2007.2

Continued from Counting 5 years plus Part 1 ...

But as for African Americans and Iraq. I have heard many say, this is not our war. That this is merely a war over oil, and something only the rich are concerned about. Some have said it’s a battle against other Black people and they will not support it. Yet I have never heard the media discuss this.

If this is a sentiment held by many African Americans then it needs to be addressed. Issues that separate America do not go away without being brought to the light and dealt with. The fact that only Dennis Kucinich is willing to support, and even speak about, reparations and or a national apology for Slavery should be example enough.

I will take a stab at this though. Iraq is not Bush’s war, its America’s. Al Queada attacked America. While some (Rosie O’Donnell) may not believe fire can melt steel, I and steel workers understand that it can thus when the Twin Towers were attacked it was an attack against me and you. Perhaps if more of the people questioning this fact were in NYC and had friends that were there they might realize this. Being Americans that are Black, which means they were attacking us too.

Across the world, African Americans are seen as Americans first, color second. That’s not a guess, it’s what I have lived. So when Al Quida says they want to destroy us, they mean everyone that does not believe their fanatical brand of Islam. So we are as involved in this war as anyone. Another thought to keep in mind. Many Africans do not see Black Americans as being the same as them. We are Americans, not Africans. Some may feel Al Quida is Black, but this is not a reciprocal thought. Moreso, they wish us dead not because of race, but because of religion. Even if they might agree on color (which the German men - arrested prior to attacking Americans in Germany – were white to my knowledge but were of the same fanatical faith) faith trumps all. So for those it applies to, don’t fool yourself that an agent of Al Queada would spare Harlem any more than Wall Street.

As for oil, I’ll grant it was probably one reason among many. Just as freeing slaves was one cause of the Civil War – though probably 5th on the list no matter how time has romanticized the facts and improved its importance. Is that a bad thing? No. America uses a lot of oil. There is no difference in race when it comes to electricity to run the lights, computers or gas for the cars. All Americans use oil, and more of it available is good for America, until we find a separate energy source. To claim that oil is of no benefit to any group in the nation is a lie. It may not be the best reason, but the reality is that it is a reason all the same.

So what will happen in the next 5 years? Will we still be fighting the Iraq War? Will Michael Vick be just getting out of jail, or returning to the NFL? Will R Kelly finally go to court and stand trial for his actions – and will the family of the girl that was raped still be working for him? Will Wesley Snipes have cleared his name and proven the government’s claims false? Will there finally be coverage of issues and events that African Americans find important, or just the spotty headline grabbing tidbits that fall far short of real journalism? Or will the major news media still be chasing and incised by OJ Simpson.

Do your kids understand Bid Em In? - 9.6.2007.1

I just heard something rather troubling. This is in regards to the Bid Em In video. A friend just mentioned that two of her children recently saw a video and captured nothing from it. Let me be clear, one child is 22 the other is 16. They have no concept of slavery. One referred to the video as "selling hoes" and the other thought it was an auction of people. There was no mention of that the people were Black or that this was during colonial times. There was no anger over the video, or any emotional connection. This is opposed to the very emotional and angry response to the Read-a-book BET public service announcement.

In speaking with a friend the conclusion seems to be that kids today have no connection to slavery. The concept just does not come to mind. It's almost as if to them it never happened, which is somewhat understandable since it’s never spoken about. I have no kids so this is a matter I wouldn't readily expect, nor conceive of. But a great point was made and it deals with Black history month. For all of the Leave No Child Behind rhetoric and all of the increased curriculums, there is nothing mentioned about slavery itself. When was the last time you recall seeing Roots on TV or heard that it is available on DVD? [Hey BET; think you could run this sometime?]

There been many studies about the Holocaust to remind children in the world of the atrocities that happened some 60 years ago. Yet there are no equivalent programs at high schools and in many colleges to address slavery in America, to my knowledge. As a nation we discuss taking the land from the Indians, the Japanese internment, the Holocaust in Germany, the killing fields in Southeast Asia. Even most recently the problems in Bosnia, but it is verboten should we speak about slavery in America. And the result is that young adults, African-American young adults, can watch a powerful statement about their ancestors, and neither raise an emotional response nor contextual one. That seems wrong to me.

My friend’s children are intelligent, the 22-year-old having gone to college. These are not gang-bangers, drug addicts, criminals, or wanna-be-felons (in other words, rappers). I am amazed. So I ask you to help me out in understanding something. Let's call it an informal survey, a fact-finding mission, or just bloody curiosity. Those of you who have children or grandchildren, who have not yet seen the video, take an opportunity and show them this. After they've seen it, asked them what they've seen. Don't tell them beforehand anything about the video, and then asked them their response. And then please come back, and send me an e-mail or make a comment and let's see what the general sentiment is out there.

If the generations coming up now have no concept of their past then they will be doomed to repeat the hardships that occurred then. They will have the American Dream in reverse. As it has been constantly said ‘history repeats itself, if we do not learn from the lessons of history.’ I for one will not sit idly by and allow my nephew (or other young adults) to have to experience the same things my grandmother and great-grandmother and fathers experienced.

This is what I would do you think?

** I first posted this video in A bit on my Labor Day - 9.3.2007.1 but I will repost it here for ease.**

JP Morgan Chase on Slavery apology Part 2 - 5.15.2007.2

Continued from JP Morgan Chase sharholders vote on Slavery apology - 5.15.2007.1 Part 1...

Similar thoughts were held by Pete Flaherty, President of National Legal and Policy Center, who said,

“If JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon were alive 200 years ago and owned slaves, the apology would be appropriate. Otherwise it is about as cynical and as hollow as you can get.”

For its part JP Morgan did not back down. The company sought to have this resolution blocked by the SEC. That failed, but the JP Morgan Chase held the position issued in 2005 as stated in its proxy. The vote took place today during the Annual Meeting which started at 10am.

As stated by Mr. Joe Evangelisti, representative of JP Morgan Chase, to me directly via phone, the resolution only garnered approximately 2 ½% of votes. This resolution failed, and I commend both JP Morgan and its shareholders for that fact.

At a time in the nation where we are rightly punishing individuals that use the public airwaves to attack innocent citizens with crude racial slurs, and are taking to task entertainers that are using that same public radio medium (along with ringtones, music videos, and other mediums) to spew equally offensive comments under the pretext of artistic expression, we must stay aware. While some 97 ½% of votes stood behind JP Morgan Chase, the balance of the voters did not. Politicians continue to reject the thought of an apology or reparation. Legislation continues to be stagnant on addressing the past. The United States government still has never made a public apology, while apologies and reparations to Native American Indians and Japanese Americans have been.

This is the quiet, seldom spoken fact of American history. It is a lesson in humanity that we cannot learn from since we refuse to even address it. Some of us, from every creed and race, have looked in the mirror and come to terms with the past. But as seen in the need for a vote at JP Morgan Chase today, some have not.

The cost for a lack of vigilance is more than mere words, in my opinion. The stakes have not changed. Racism and the means to divide our citizens continue to exist, merely waiting for a time when few are watching to take root and prosper. In a world of soundbites and 30 second news clips it’s easy to lose sight of what is happening. But if we do lose sight, if resolutions are brought and commendable acts are rescinded, we travel a path to repeat history. That path is painful and detrimental to everyone, not just those targeted initially with injustice.

I’m happy to state that JP Morgan Chase stood their ground, that the shareholders in majority agreed, and that the apology and scholarship continue to exist. This is another step to a better, greater America in my opinion. Now let’s take another step.

This is what I think, what do you think?