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Volume 2 Issue 24 ….Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race ….July 2, 1999

With July 4^th, America's Independence Day, just days away, it is useful to review events in our quest for freedom. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776, the vast majority of African Americans were slaves. More important, the institution of slavery became legal with the adoption of the Great Compromise on July 19, 1787. "The Great or 3/5ths Compromise provided that the states should be represented in the lower house in proportion to their population, and that three-fifths of the slaves should be included in determining the basis for both representation and direct taxation. The three-fifths formula, though seemingly rather arbitrary, gained some degree of logic from the assumption that, in contributing his labor to the wealth of a state, a slave was on the average three-fifths as productive as a freeman." While this truth may have been self-evident to the founding fathers, as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, i.e., that " all men are created equal, "in 1776 all men were not free, nor were they treated equally.

by Dot Smith

Given the attack against Atlanta's affirmative action program by the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SELF), revisiting Smith's paradigm is instructive in separating rhetoric from reality. Like most well-meaning non-African Americans, Matt Glavin, spokesman for SELF, eloquently speaks of the ideas espoused by Dr. King during the civil rights struggles. Beyond the rhetoric, Glavin just wants Atlanta's affirmative action program axed to eliminate any potential for reversed discrimination.

In reality, eliminating affirmative action, out of fear it may harm a white men, leaves no remedial measure to address the socioeconomic imbalances created by slavery, Jim Crow segregation and today's institutionalized racism. Doing nothing to correct this imbalance, which is what SELF and well-meaning non-African Americans desire, dooms African Americans to perpetual group poverty and second class status.

Let us be real. Well-meaning non-African Americans pretend slavery and Jim Crow segregation did not occur; when it comes to institutionalized racism, they practice denial. However, not only did slavery and Jim Crow segregation happen, America's current socioeconomic strata are a function of those experiences.

Specifically, the chasm of inequality or economic welfare gap between white and black Americans dates back to the Three-Fifths or Great Compromise (1787), which established the value of black human capital, i.e., a black man is worth 3/5ths or 60% of a white man. This value of black human capital exists today. Using black and white median income data, Fig. 1 graphically depicts the 3/5ths relationship. The stability of the income gap or chasm of inequality between black and white incomes defies competitive market analysis. For lack of a better term, this market aberration is called institutionalized racism.

Fig. 2

Fig. 2 shows the black and white unemployment rates over roughly the same period. The black unemployment rate averaged 2.1 times the rate for whites. This difference in unemployment rates is an important factor in maintaining the chasm of inequality, since most Americans derive income primarily from employment. Naturally, a relatively higher unemployment rate for one group assures an income gap; twice as high guarantees the perpetuation of the 3/5ths Compromise.

Affirmative action is the only remedy advanced to influence the economic welfare gap. In reality, affirmative action is little more than a bandage slapped over a gaping hole in the American social fabric. Without reparations to mend it, how can America afford to dismantle affirmative action? If we succumb to the rhetoric of SELF and other well-meaning non-African Americans, blacks will be neo-slaves working for minimum wage in the next millennium too. History

by Dot Smith

On Saturday, June 5^th, the DeKalb County Board of Education held the second of two (2) meetings to inform the community about efforts to address recommendations contained in its curriculum audit, which was conducted by Phi Delta Kappa International. The independent review of our public school system used documents, interviews and site visits to evaluate the system's performance in five areas:

Published in 1998, Phi Delta Kappa 's curriculum audit used adjectives like ineffective, inadequate and insufficient to describe DeKalb's performance. The problems identified in this audit are not new. Statements aimed at rectifying them have been published before, yet the problems persist. Their persistence reinforces the notion that changes in public education will come not from the top down, but from the bottom up. The impetus for real change, such as eradicating inequities in the distribution of resources among DeKalb schools, will come from individuals in the schools and community, not the board of education and school administrators.

The audit results should have caused concern among parents, teachers, administrators and the general public. However, that concern was not in evidence based on the meeting's meager attendance. Held at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, GA, the gathering drew fewer attendees than the first sparsely attended meeting. Such a low turnout does not bode well for making those much needed changes in DeKalb's public school system and the way we educate our children.

DeKalb has the largest public school system in Georgia; it has more than 92,000 students. Approximately 75% of its students are black or African American. Where were their parents on Saturday? DISHing It Up Hot!

by Daryle W. Allen

I came here seeking family,

Looking for my Past.

I came not knowing what I'd find,

Not knowing what to ask.

I've posted many queries and

Read so many views,

I've seen so many have success

And some, still overdue.

Sometimes my research faltered,

With not much data earned.

But, my success was not in who I found

But how much I had learned.

So, hats off to Afrigeneas

And all that you have been.

For here we all are family,

And here we all are friends.

About Me: My name is Daryle W. (William) Allen. I am as follows: Age: 49 (soon to be 50) Born: 9/26/49. Employment: 30 years US Govt. employed. Married twice with four (4) children, ranging in age from 7 to 28. I also have four (4) grandchildren. I enjoy photography/videography, genealogy, poetry and playing golf whenever time permits. Venue

The clearest assessment of Vice President Al Gore's explanation of the gap in black and Hispanic family income compared to white comes from Peep City Barnabas. Specified as less than one-tenth of white families, Gore said the gap "captures the accumulated impact of history cascading down through the generations." Poetic, but not poetic justice, according to Barnabas.

Apparently, the Vice President's analysis agrees with The Chasm of Inequality proposed by Dot M. Smith in 1981. Gore's gap, which is Smith's chasm, represents a stable interaction between race, unemployment and medium family income going back to slavery. From Barnabas' perspective, Gore's identification is patently transparent because this "accumulated impact of history over generations," i.e. slavery and segregation, still exists, yet he does not favor reparations for African Americans.

Considering Barnabas' point of view, Presidential candidate Al Gore takes great pride in his Tennessee roots. A slavery state, Tennessee is the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan. Looking at the Gore family tree, unless they were all carpetbaggers, slave masters and slaves hang from its branches. Although his father opposed segregation, such credibility is not inheritable. Therefore, as part of the segregated South, Vice President Gore seems more at home in his great-grandfather's world, than his father's. Americans like Al Gore continue to deny that what happened to African slaves and their descendants during segregation mirror holocaust atrocities and ethnic cleaning in Kosovo. Pointing to this disconnect between those personally responsible for slavery and segregation and today, they feel no responsibility for the collateral impact of white privilege on African Americans.

Peeped ducking The Dialogue on Race, Gore has not shown a close working relationship with African American business, education and community leaders. Furthermore, Barnabas says, "Like George W. Bush, Jr., Gore could not point to a single situation where he risked his white privilege speaking out against discrimination. A Dixiecrat, safe in his white world and blind to the changes occurring just beyond the tip of his nose, Gore has failed to see where Democrats got their margin of victory last November. "There is none so blind, as he who will not see." Phantom Scribbler -- the pen that writes and moves on.

Congratulations to Students for a Free Tibet. Your campaign helped mobilize world opinion to support Tibetan sovereignty. The World Bank's proposed payments to move citizens from China into Tibet would have underwritten displacing Tibetans in their own country, shades of Kovoso. Some may consider it small; it is a victory nevertheless. You fought a battle that needed fighting. This young generation struck a blow for powerless people the world over. We salute you! Kudos

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro tried a different camp on Monday. On his first day at the YMCA sponsored program, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro lost his trunks in the swimming pool. Afraid he would be too embarrassed to return, when asked if he would like to go back, he declared, "Sure, that one is fun!" Batcave

Disgruntled wants to know: According to every opinion poll mentioned in the media, George Bush, Jr. is leading all candidates for the Presidency by wide margins. Meanwhile, Bush has said nothing! Who are the pollsters polling? Dummies?

Disgruntled feels: Compelled to seek and speak the truth!

Disgruntled says: If SELF succeeds in killing affirmative action, African Americans should take to the streets en masse to bring an end to white privilege. Disgruntled

Featured twice in The DISH's Venue for an Artist, Keneatha Knight has tapped into her other talents and the vibe scene in Nashville, TN. On July 11^th, Renee', as she is called by those who know her, will perform at The Spot, located at 2219 Elliston Place. If you are in the area, check out this rising spoken word star.

Yohannes Sharriff Smith will again host Spoken Word at Soul Vegetarian, as Righteous Vibes presents another Saturday night live with resident DJ Jamal Ahmad (WCLK). On Saturday, July 24^th, join Yohannes for food for thought and the body in the West End at Soul Vegetarian, 879 Ralph Abernathy. Doors open at 9PM. Other Vibes

Answer to knight.lisa@epamail.epa.gov Thanks for your kind words about my editorial, Ethnic Cleaning or Manifest Destiny (Vol. 2 issue 19). The American news media does not acknowledge The DISH, therefore, they definitely are not interested in my work. In my struggles, I have found orthodoxy and rituals teach us to seek truth through messengers. Authoritative voices obscure one's ability to separate the message from the messenger. Freedom of thought allows truth to penetrate through dissonant reflections, "practicing what one preaches." Consider, there are thousands of fish in a lake, one man with a net can only catch a few. However, it is infinitely better to spend one's life catching a few fish each day, than to spend one's life trying to convince the world to help catch them all. Changing hearts and minds is like catching fish. One must keep one's eyes on the dragline.

l

I believe African Americans should be compensated for slavery. Their whole lives and history were erased along the Middle Passage. These folks worked for nothing! Average up all their pay over a few lifetimes. Don't forget to add in all the pain and suffering for being raped, producing children who could be ripped away and sold. Don't forget to include being beaten hundreds of times, having their dignity and self worth taken away. Include being half brothers and sisters to the same people who beat them and never gave them credit for building most of AMERICA. The really poor descendants of slaves are still not being helped, some are the poorest folks you have seen. I feel they should be compensated; they were treated beyond the realms of decency. They were made slaves because of greed, let their descendants be compensated for the damage. Email: apehangmom@aol.com.

l

Delayed for reasons the military will not specify, Marteller Pollack, Jr. recently received the Bronze Star for heroism during WWII. (AJC 6/25/99) Though the local press will never print it, we know why it took so long to recognize his contribution; Pollack is African American. His award was delayed because he is a second class citizen, therefore not worthy of timely recognition for a valuable contribution. Though denied justice and freedom at home, black men were placed in the infantry and sent to the frontline where many died defending liberty abroad. The DISH….More Mailbox

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