The DISH

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Vol. 13 Issue 15…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…April 11, 2010

Venue for an Artist

Speech by President Bill Clinton

In 1995, the University of California had a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined system wide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). African Americans made up less than 3% of University of California's enrollment and alumni.

President Bill Clinton delivered the commencement speech to graduates of the University of California, San Diego UCSD to underscore his opposition to Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in admissions in 1996. He used this speech to announce he was launching a year long campaign against racism (1997) and offered a vigorous defense of affirmative action, which was designed to overcome the effects of past government based discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women.

"We must not re-segregate higher education, Americans should engage in a candid conversation on the state of race relations to prepare for the day when America will not have a single racial or ethnic majority. If, 10 years from now, people can look back and see that this year of honest dialogue and concerted action helped to lift the heavy burden of race from our children's future, we will have given a precious gift to America.

We have torn down the barriers in our laws -- the color line, black and white signs. Now we must break down the barriers in our lives, our minds and our hearts. I have seen what Americans can do when they let down their guards and reach out their hands, when we are not driven to it by some emergency or social cataclysm. Honest dialogue will not be easy at first. We'll all have to get past defensiveness and fear and political correctness.

I see affirmative action as the nation's effort to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, especially relating to, or when supporting broad social, political, and educational change. Affirmative action programs are essential beyond the level of secondary education in institutions of higher education, which include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools and foundations in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, engineering, music and art. Without an effective alternative to assure equal opportunity real change will not happen.

There are barriers to honesty, emotions may be rubbed raw, but we must begin. In the end, we have to be judged by whether what we do makes sense or not, and whether we achieve real results. The United States as a whole will be weakened if it fails to cultivate the potential of all its people.

I know that many people in California voted to repeal affirmative action, and did so without ill motives, but the results are dramatic and devastating. I ask you to come up with an alternative. I would embrace it, if I can find a better way. I urged those who support affirmative action to continue to embrace the concept and engage in outreach. And to those who disagree or are uncertain, I asked those Americans to reject the disturbing tendency to condemn entire racial or ethnic groups because of the actions of a few. Americans must accept that they now comprise a kaleidoscope of colors and ethnicities and not allow the old, unfinished business between black and white American to evolve into a dilemma for other races.

Can we define what it means to be an American not just in terms of our ethnic origins but rather in terms of our primary allegiance to the values America stands for? Our hearts long to answer yes, but our history reminds us that it will be hard. I am a Southern son with Hope, Arkansas as my prism; therefore I am offering a three-pronged plan of action for the next year to deal with race. I will devote one presidential event a month to the topic, as the Dialogue on Race advisory board traverses the country gathering sentiments from Americans in a series of town hall meetings.

I will propose legislative and other initiatives to address high unemployment among minorities, housing discrimination and the huge backlogs at federal agencies that enforce civil rights laws."

Intuit's Vibe

Racism Still Sadly Continues

By Amit Chubbah

Racism comes in many different shapes and forms

Sadly I have had my fair share since I've been born

Judged before I have been even given a chance

Delaying my future and for my career to advance

My parents tell me of stories they have had to endure

I wish racism was a sickness with a dose of medication to cure

Thankfully there are good hearted and educated people

Who can look beyond skin color and treat us all as an equal

Why would another person's skin color be such an issue?

Get to know them; they might have things in common just like you

I am so fed up of hearing "They from so and so, they all the same"

Everyone has differences but skin color is not to blame

I wonder sometimes is it because the racist themselves are afraid to mix

Who knows, I am only looking for a solution to get it fixed

It's a major problem none of us like or need,

How sad to hear, a racist sees skin color the only reason to want to make you bleed

You see films like 'Mississippi Burning'

I think to myself that was then but when are racist going to start learning?

If humans never saw in color, what would it be like then?

I am sure everyone would get along and call each other friend

I hope my kids and the next generation never get to witness racism first hand

Lets pray for them racism was an issue in the past that no longer stands

Life is hard as it is, without the need of racism

Like supporting our family and giving our kids a good education

Ways to stop racism should begin at home and school

Getting along will be our biggest advantage, our strongest tool

I did have people who I did call friends

But their racist views meant our friendship had to end

It does not matter, if your white, black or brown

You should feel safe to walk and talk in any town

Racism has to be erased from every country and every street

Knowing racism is not an issue when there's someone new we meet

Everyone has the right to go anywhere they choose

Because whilst racism is still alive, no one wins, everybody lose

To those facing racism, all I can say is be brave and stay strong

To those racist, deep down in your heart you must know it's wrong!

God blessed us by putting us here, giving us all different shades of color

We're not meant to have the same color skin, but we all can respect one another

Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1963 "I have a dream"

But up to now it has yet to be seen

Bit of History

Dr. John Hope Franklin

"If the house is to be set in order, one cannot begin with the present; he must begin with the past."

Born in Oklahoma on January 2, 1915, John Hope Franklin learned the power of words and ideas in his early childhood. Rare during this period, both of his parents were college educated. Franklin graduated from Fisk University (1935), where he fell in love with history, and earned his doctorate from Harvard University (1941).

According to Dr Franklin, "My challenge was to weave into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of blacks so that the story of the United States could be told adequately and fairly." Dr. Franklin began teaching at Fisk University. He taught at St. Augustine's College, North Carolina College, Howard University, Brooklyn College, University of Chicago and was the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University.

Dr. Franklin's numerous publications include The Emancipation Proclamation, The Militant South, The Free Negro in North Carolina, Reconstruction After the Civil War, A Southern Odyssey: Travelers in the Ante-bellum North, Race and History: Selected Essays, 1938-1988, The Color Line: Legacy for the Twenty-First Century, My Life and an Era: The Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin and Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin (2005), and his research at the time of his death dealt with "Dissidents on the Plantation: Runaway Slaves." With more than three million copies sold, Dr. Franklin's signature work -- From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans -- has also been his most successful. It was first published in 1947.

Dr. Franklin was the recipient of more than one hundred honorary degrees and numerous other awards and accolades, including induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Trumpet Award (1994), the Organization of American Historians' Award for Outstanding Achievement, the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He has served on many national commissions and delegations, including the National Council on the Humanities, President's Advisory Commission on Ambassadorial Appointments, delegate to the 21st General Conference of UNESCO, Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions at Cambridge University, Consultant on American Education in the Soviet Union, Fulbright Professor in Australia and Lecturer in American History in the People's Republic of China.

Active in numerous organizations, he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Negro History, as president of the American History Association (1979), the American Studies Association (1967), the Southern Historical Association (1970), the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa (1973-76), and the Organization of American Historians (1975). Dr. Franklin has been a member of the board of trustees at Fisk University, the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, Dr. Franklin served as chairman of the advisory board of President Bill Clinton's One America: The President's Initiative on Race.

Dr. Franklin appeared on C-Span's In Depth in which his book -- Mirror to America-- was featured. On the call-in program, topics discussed were wide-ranging from his childhood, Oklahoma race riot, education, working with Thurgood Marshall on the 1954 Brown v. Education case and his encounters with institutionalized racism, which Dr. Franklin candidly discussed -- a facet of life his entire life.

The John Hope Franklin Collection for African and African-American Documentation resides at the Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library and contains his personal and professional papers. Professor Franklin died at Duke Hospital on the morning of March 25th, 2009. (Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org, www.c-span.org, and http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/bio.html)

Hood Notes

Panel Fields Race Questions

"Ask a Black Person a Question," an event inspired by a Dave Chappelle skit and a similar event held by Queers and Allies called "Ask A Queer A Question," was held in late March on the campus of Kansas University (KU) to provide an open dialogue about race relations and black culture in general. According to James McIntosh, a senior from Kansas City, Kansas and co-organizer of the program, "The purpose of the program is to bring about a better understanding of cultural differences, something that kind of goes under the radar at KU." The program is designed to allow students of other cultural backgrounds to ask questions about black people as a means of creating an interracial dialogue in a safe and open-minded environment.

This year's panelists fielded questions posed by the nearly 80 students of different backgrounds in attendance. The six panelists included Dr. Marvin McIntosh, a physician in the Kansas City area and KU alumnus, Dr. Dorothy Pennington, KU professor, Cody Charles, complex director of Lewis and Templin residence halls, Jordan Brown, president of the Black Student Union and a senior from Bloomington, Alabama, Koga Moffor, a senior from Overland Park, and Marshanda Willingham, a freshman from Kansas City, Missouri

As one might expect, the questions were fairly typical. Sample questions at this year's program included: (1) Do you prefer being called Black or African-American? (2) Do you feel as if welfare and affirmative action have had a positive or negative affect on black culture? (3) What experiences made you identify with being part of a black culture? (4) As a minority on a predominately white campus, do you feel KU is accepting of other races and cultures? (5) Why is there a double standard with the use of the "n-word?" (6) Why do Black people call one another the "n-word?" (7) Is it appropriate when a teacher targets you when they ask a question about black culture in class, such as slavery or civil rights?

The race dialogue program at KU, which has an extremely small black student body, is now in its third year. According to one observer, the black KU student body is so small that some people are under the impression that there are no blacks attending this university.

Organizers encouraged participants to ask tough questions and panelists expected some questions to be touchy or stereotypical, but they attempted to answer everything in order to eliminate some of the misconceptions of black people prevalent in this majority white setting.

Opinions of the program varied. Not everyone took away from this event the same impression. Even black participants did not view every issue raised from the same perspective. However, the variety of opinions, which reflects different life experiences and backgrounds, contributed to the dialogue. (Source: www.kansan.com)

The Usefulness of a Dialogue on Race

By John Burl Smith

When President Bill Clinton launched his "Dialogue on Race" initiative, conservatives immediately attacked it. Their talking points charged that it was "unnecessary meddling in race relations, it would reopen old wounds from the past. Since the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, America has come a long way; such a discussion would cause more harm than good and only divide people." Conservatives' ultimate strategy was to turn the dialogue into a debate on racial preferences as it relates to African Americans. They made racial preferences synonymous with affirmative action and a quota system. Their argument resonated with whites who believed affirmative action gave blacks an unfair advantage they had not earned.

Several points need to be made clear not as a defense of affirmative action but to establish the facts regarding African Americans, preferences, quotas and white privilege. First, President Clinton was the first president since Abraham Lincoln to recognize the grave injustices blacks endured. Secondly, federal and state governments enforced discrimination with federal policies and states' laws. White citizens, as a result, built up huge advantages over blacks which they came to understand were privileges related to being white.

Next, it was the federal government that made blacks second class citizens and maintained racism and discrimination as functions of government, just as Nazism enforced discrimination and hatred of Jews in Germany. Therefore, white hatred for blacks was government inspired and codified in the US Constitution in Article I Section II (the 3/5 Compromise). This article set up an historical pattern or quota system based on blacks receiving 3/5 of that which whites received. The 2/5 taken from blacks through discrimination and racism accrued to whites socioeconomically and politically. The US system of government and institutions, which were supported by the tax dollar of blacks, developed based on this 3/5 system of denying slave descendants access is akin to apartheid that developed in South Africa.

Pressure generated by the civil rights struggle and black power movement during the 1960s and 70s, riots before and after the death of Dr. King, the prospect of ever escalating violence, lack of opportunity and increasing poverty pushed many whites to talk about doing something about the problems of African Americans. Originally, the concept of affirmative action was conceived to make up for this historic 2/5 quota system that helped whites and deprived black Americans. However, once conservatives realized affirmative action would become national policy, they insisted women and other minorities be included.

Expanding affirmative action to include white women changed the program from being an effort to make up for past discrimination against blacks resulting from segregation to discrimination resulting from any kind of disparate treatment. With that switch, white women moved to the front of the line. White women, who supported and benefited from segregation, through their husbands and fathers, could now claim discrimination by them. Hence, contrary to what conservatives claimed, rather than being about racial preferences and quotas for African Americans, affirmative action was hijacked and turned into a means for white men to reward their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters.

Overwhelmingly, affirmative action helped white women at the expanse of blacks, the very people the program was supposed to help. Moreover, when a white woman's challenge failed as a minority, she brought suit against affirmative action based on reversed discrimination. More importantly, white women did not become champions of fairness and equality as a result of benefiting from affirmative action; they joined the "good old boys" and helped bar the door to keep blacks out by campaigning against affirmative action.

The US news media, more than any single entity, are responsible for the failure of Pres. Clinton's Dialogue on Race, because rather than separating facts from fiction, mainstream media pandered to the racism and prejudices of whites. The white-controlled media framed their coverage to make the Dialogue on Race appear to be an attack on hard-working white people by lazy uneducated and unqualified blacks. Much in the same way the media did during the period of lynching throughout the early to late 1900s when newspapers fanned the fires of murder and mayhem, mainstream media were the dagger in Caesar's back.

Today, a Dialogue on Race would be useful in helping whites come to grips with the fact that white privileges based on depriving slave descendants of their human rights is now being examined by the Human Rights Council. The US will have to live up to international standards of fairness, equality and justice. It will have to state what it plans to do to insure its treatment of slave descendants meets those international standards. But more importantly, for the first time black people will be able to challenge the US in a formal setting where its responses will be judged against the standards to which it holds other nations.

News You Use

In a race with time, the progress on racism continues to lag behind

By Haniyyah Sharpe

Without confrontation, race relations in the U.S. will continue to struggle. Nearly 60 years after the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, the United States witnessed one of the biggest milestones in history: the election of its first black president. To many, this illustrated a shift toward the progress society has made to end racism. However, the prejudices and mistrust built up among races still exist today.

"We've made great strides, but we still have a way to go before we totally resolve issues around race," said Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights activist, during a panel discussion held on race at the National Constitution Center March 18.

There is no doubt we have made progress since the civil rights movement regarding race issues. However, there are still many people who cannot manage to have a productive discussion about race.

Racism insinuates a group of people's inheritance or superiority over another group and acting out based on that belief. People need to be explicit about race - name the things that they are talking about. How can we confront racism if we cannot ask the question or confront the issues of power?

The difference between today's racism and racism during the civil rights movement is that it is more covert than in the open. "There is a generational change in racism because everyone understands now that racism is evil," Jesse Washington, a race and ethnicity writer for the Associated Press, said. "During the civil rights movement, people were proudly racist. They were proudly segregationist, and it was accepted. Now, everybody understands that it's not the case and that society is in a transition phase right now.

"Everybody has biases and prejudices. It is part of human nature. We are just figuring out how to recognize thoughts and counteract them. Racism is still out there, but there is also a lot of unconscious racism that goes on," Washington added.

Racism is complex and an observable fact that affects everyone. There are unconscious and subconscious forms of discrimination and institutionalized racism, creating advantageous privileges in polices regarding economics and health care. Socially, this type of racism involves dividing society based on income or education.

However, the race discussion cannot be discussed behind closed doors, and certainly not behind others' backs. If a person who claims not to be racist and treats everyone with respect while in public but talks badly about a certain race in the confines of his or her home, he or she is not much better than the person who talks poorly about a person's race face-to-face.

The idea of racism is intentional, individualized and blatant. What's even more disturbing is there are laws and structures to it. Educating today's society about racism is only part of the solution.

"Dialogue about race does very little," psychology professor Dr. Kareem Johnson said. "People may not be motivated to see the world. What needs to happen is that people need to see change with their own eyes." But, if we can discuss how to make rules, we can change the rules. Haniyyah Sharpe can be reached at haniyyah.sharpe@temple.edu.

Disgruntled wants to know: The Atlanta metro area, like so many others all across the United States (US), is planning a series of events to commemorate the Jewish Holocaust. Survivors and their descendants are encouraged to share their experiences and recall the horrific events that claimed so many innocent lives. These events are viewed as cathartic; they inform current generations of the evil acts committed by past generations in the hopes that future generations will not repeat past errors. In addition to the annual events, there are museums and memorials dedicated to the Jewish Holocaust, which occurred on foreign soil. The question that naturally arises is, given all this activity surrounding a tragedy that occurred elsewhere, when will Georgia and the rest of the United States devote a faction of the time and resources dedicated to the Jewish Holocaust on the greatest holocaust ever perpetrated against black people right here in the United States of America?

Disgruntled says: Last week's Creative Loafing, the hard copy distributed in metro Atlanta, featured an article entitled FARTA: Thanks to the State, Our Transit System Stinks. Written by Thomas Wheatley, the article's online version at www.creativeloafing.com dropped the creative title. Wheatley makes some cogent points about MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority). What he failed to say outright is obvious to those of us who have followed MARTA. Much of the blame for the pitiful condition of Georgia's only viable public transportation system lies squarely on the doorstep of racism. A racist Georgia General Assembly passed legislation that prevents the state from giving MARTA a penny, while it dictates how MARTA spends its revenues. As a result, Georgia has lost out on millions, if not billions, of dollars in federal public transportation dollars since MARTA's inception. Now, the same racist mentality that crippled Georgia's public transportation is busy at work trying to devise a scheme to complete the state's takeover of MARTA. Whatever scheme it devises will surely negatively impact the majority black population in Atlanta and DeKalb and Fulton Counties that have supported MARTA from its inception with a one-cent sales tax. I wish there was a lawyer in the state worth his salt willing to take on these racists!

Disgruntled feels: Typical! Despite several failed attempts, State Rep. Al Williams again this legislative session revived his resolution calling on the state of Georgia to issue an apology for slavery. After all, not just individuals, but the state owned slaves. Six other states, Florida, Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia, have passed resolutions apologizing or expressing regret for slavery. The U.S. House voted in 2008 to apologize for slavery, and President Barack Obama has said such an apology was appropriate but not particularly helpful in improving the lives of black Americans, a typical statement from the first black president when it comes to anything that may positively impact black Americans. Even more typical, rather than offer an apology or statement of regret for slavery, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and some of the state's Southern neighbors are gearing up to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in 2011. Perdue signed a bill last year establishing April as Confederate Heritage and History Month in Georgia. Governments, schools, businesses and residents are encouraged to participate in programs throughout the month celebrating the Confederate States of America. These celebrations will, no doubt, ignore the fact that the Confederate States of American fought to maintain slavery.

Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls

Email www.reddingnewsreview.com...Black lawmakers hit 'racist' health care protesters...By Robert "Rob" Redding Jr. ….March 21, 2010...Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Barbara Lee today blasted the "racist and inflammatory incidents" during yesterday's health care protest by apparent Tea Party members. "For a protester to spit on a public official and hurl hateful epithets is wrong, it speaks to a deeper motivation that has nothing to do with the issues at hand," Lee said. "No one should fan the flames of hatred nor tolerate this despicable behavior which draws from one of the ugliest periods of American history. "The incidents yesterday are examples of the unfinished business of America," the California Democrat said. "We cannot sweep race and racism under the rug. Our nation needs and deserves a national dialogue on race."

Email www.ajc.com Virginia Gov. admits the obvious: slavery and the Confederacy are inextricably linked...By Cynthia Tucker...After a round of scathing criticism from liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has apologized for issuing a proclamation honoring Confederate Memorial Day which did not mention slavery. He amended the proclamation to reflect historical accuracy. However, Wednesday afternoon the governor issued a mea culpa for the document's exclusion of slavery. "The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission," McDonnell said in a statement. "The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed."

Email www.washingtonpost.com In a neighborhood of despair, Obama stays silent...By Courtland Milloy...So President Obama made another surprise visit to a war zone -- this time to Southeast Washington for Easter services at Allen Chapel AME. But instead of addressing the battle-weary congregation, as he did with the troops in Afghanistan last month, Obama fell curiously silent. The president neither spoke nor shook hands, didn't wave or even turn around in his pew to smile at the 700 or so churchgoers who began arriving as early as 3 a.m. to see him. Allen Chapel is less than a 10-minute drive from one of the city's worst shootings in recent memory. Five young black men were wounded and four killed in a drive-by shooting. You would think Obama could have taken to the pulpit and shouted: Enough already! He had made a campaign promise to revitalize urban America, and what better way to make good on his word than declaring war on Depression-era jobless rates, Jim Crow-era incarceration rates and post-Reconstruction hopelessness and despair in his own back yard? All we got instead was grainy video of him in muted communion while a fawning congregation acted as if he were the risen Christ and not a politician who owed them a debt. ...You have to wonder though: In Afghanistan, cash is being handed out to Afghan kids in exchange for their guns; more money is being offered to entice them away from the drug trade; billions are being spent on jobs and education programs. In Afghanistan, Obama thanked U.S. soldiers and civilians for their efforts to "keep America safe and secure." In Southeast, he sent up a prayer and, with a veritable army of Secret Service and D.C. police officers protecting his motorcade beat a hasty retreat back to the White House.