Volume 2 Issue 32….. Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race ….. August20, 1999

In "black face" refers to segregation laws and customs which forced black entertainers to put boot black on their faces in order to appear on stage. Although most of today's popular entertainment evolved from black minstrel shows, whites controlled the business and used "Jim Crow" laws to control black entertainers' expressions. Outlawed in 1964, segregation is reemerging. To be successful, African Americans will have to "black-up" again.

Case in point, Tavis Smiley, TV talk show host on BET, is being forced off the air. Details are few. However, the street has it, BET, which is really white-owned, wants to focus less on controversial black issues. Problems surfaced when Tavis began covering such topics as racial profiling by police, police murders like Amadou Diallo and Tyisha Miller, and inviting guests who speak the truth about these issues. From behind the scenes, white Board members are attempting to force Tavis to be less of an advocate and not represent issues from the black community's point of view. It is about voice. The real aim here is to force Tavis out, silencing and removing one of the few black professional images in an otherwise white world. Can a brother be too black? Phantom Scribbler

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro enjoyed the summer break. Asked how he felt about the new school year, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro said, "This vacation is over; I'm ready." Other Bat Cave Moments

by Yohannes Sharriff Smith

(Revised reprint from T.H.I.N.C.)

From metro ghettos to the bloody Congo,

I call to my brothers.

On the wind with Mandela, Biko, DuBois,

Malcolm, Martin, Marcus and Nat.

I recognized the shame.

Now, truth's pain makes me scream

With a voice of reason.

Please hear my impassioned plea: Shed the shackles

Of an imprisoned mind and stand freely.

Let your ascension honor the family's sacrifice.

For centuries, ancestors gave their lives,

To save their seeds from the same fate.

History has been laid. Do not be afraid;

Turn the page, gain your conscious state.

Define your own fate!

Do not accept the reflected negative self-image

Of the European deviant!

Why hesitate? Find strength in aware intellect.

Let your life represent the sheer magnitude,

In the miracle of your existence!

We have faced seas of time and space,

Rising to swallow us in endless tides of sorrow,

While the cracker's complexion of culture

Would have crumbled under the pressure, we persevere.

Riders of the storm find those dim shallow waters

Of Anglo-Saxon insecurity and inadequacy

Only lap against our base, while our summits and peaks

Continually caress infinite possibility.

Comprehend this fact: Your determined power

Radiates from within your skin.

MELANIN is a gift!

Reveal the magnificence

Of your natural African attributes,

Emancipating the spirit, unite under this truth:

The beauty we possess

And express is without bounds.

This eternal force is purely exemplified

In children we bring forth.

The evolution is our seed,

For they inherit the richest culture

And most inspiring legacy ever witnessed.

Even the heavens quake with their infant cries.

Our BEAUTIFUL BLACK BABIES

Embody such divine energy

Mary's son must have risen a BLACK fist! Other Weekly Vibes

I read in the AJC about the $ 43 million in Enrichment funds given out by the State of Georgia. It is amazing how that much money could be given out and the two largest counties, DeKalb and Fulton, did not get a penny. As pointed out in The DISH, it seems discriminatory for counties like Cobb and Gwinnett to always get money and improvement projects, while Atlanta gets nothing. I have always voted for Mayor Bill Campbell, but it looks really bad for him not to say anything about all this money going elsewhere. I agree with The DISH, that the city should go to court over affirmative action, and to get Atlanta's rightful share of GRTA transportation funds and Enrichment money. When white folks ran Atlanta, they got all the money they wanted and blacks got nothing.

Informing the Public by Dot Smith

The DISH did not make the assertion that South DeKalb County is a classic case of environmental racism lightly. The vast majority of government-and-privately-owned industries, which foul the environment, are located in the southern part of the county. So many funk factories dot the south DeKalb landscape, it is little wonder area residents are confused about the exact source of the stench making the neighborhood funky. Environmental racism is a fair assessment, given the close proximity of Hickory Ridge, Live Oak, Seminole and Key Road landfills and Intrenchment and South River Waste Water treatment facilities.

There is no credible effort to determine the health affects of breathing such foul air over time; it cannot be healthful. In south DeKalb, groundwater contamination exists alongside obvious air pollution. This double whammy raises alarm bells for county residents immediately affected. Yet, their elected representatives are silent. Official procrastination on holding public information sessions and obtaining health assessments needlessly place more lives in harm's way. With no local media coverage, the absence of efforts by public officials to inform the public is frightening. The DISH is calling on the NAACP, SCLC, the Black Chamber of Commerce, Citizens for Justice, Atlanta Million Men, 100 Black Men, Second Chance Community Services, Inc., other civil groups, faith-based organizations and individuals to help inform the public about this and other important environmental issues. A series of events, which includes town hall meetings, is being proposed.

When it comes to the environment, everybody is a stakeholder. Each of us has a vested interest in Earth's welfare; everyone must assume some personal responsibility in keeping it livable. Environmental pollution does not discriminate; foul air and water obey no artificial boundaries; we are all affected, directly or indirectly, now and/or later. Environment pollution is a ticking time bomb. Only people working together can defuse it.

Join The DISH Funky Hood community information campaign. It is time to educate the public. Ideas and suggestions on creating a public forum on environmental issues would be greatly appreciated. Please call (404) 241-5942 or email us. Funky Hood Homepage

by John Burl Smith

Edward Albee, an American playwright, explores an abusive and destructive relationship in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Resembling the carnivorous nature of India and Pakistan disclaiming hostile intent, while maneuvering for tactical advantage, each antagonist verbally lays mines and fortifies. In this broader context, Virginia Woolf metaphorically reflects a society turned in on itself, gnawing at its wounds. Like Germany during the 1930s, where inflicting pain and terrorizing Jews were more than spectators' sports.

Reagan/Bush Administration portrayed cities as threatened by lawless violent black youths. Their cry of "law and order" began America's crackdown on gang violence. In a crisis mode, America focused its judicial power on two black street gangs, the "Crips" and "Bloods." Young black men became the face of crime in America. Reminiscent of J. Edger Hoover's Counter-Intelligence-Program of assassination, America declared war on black youths.

Laws were swiftly enacted giving police extraordinary powers to accost, disburse and arrest black youth in groups larger than two, if police simply suspected gang affiliation. In Chicago, 43,000 blacks were arrested in a three-year period. No statistics are available for those accosted and disbursed. Recently, a federal appeals court upheld the convictions of Sheik Omar Abdel- Rahman and nine followers for soliciting or persuading others to commit crimes of violence.

Replicating the wild wild west, today lawless gangs of marauding white men, calling themselves everything from "The Army of God" to the "Church of the Creator," are roaming the country attacking, and killing citizens with impunity. Insisting they have Constitutional protection, politicians make distinctions between what can be done to these gangs and the "Crips" and the "Bloods." Unlike black youth in Chicago, they are quick to point out that these white fanatics have First Amendment protection.

In 1968, J. Edger Hoover used FBI agents to infiltrate black power groups, undermined their leadership, and killed those who objected. There was none of this hand-wringing, when Co-Intel-Pro suspended the Constitution and assassinated Mark Clark, Fred Hampton, Mark Essex, and many other brothers, who advocated black power. Reflecting on how Jews stood by doing nothing, when such gangs raped black women and lynched black men, Malcolm X warned, "Chickens come home to roost." The wolf is at your door again! Click on The Genocide Chronicles: Wolf at the Door! Other Essays by Mr. Smith

Disgruntled says: It is a national sin and a dirty shame that more than a third of young black men are either in prison or on probation.

Disgruntled wants to know: What is the nature of the technology gap in Georgia public education?

Disgruntled feels: motivated. More Disgruntled

SELF is silent and so is the mayor's office. All is quiet on all fronts in the war to save affirmative action. According to some local political observers, this quietude is unsettling; it does not bode well for affirmative action. Some see real cause for alarm. "Anybody who has been around for more than a few years should worry about the outcome of this important issue," one observer remarked. With no skirmishes between the city of Atlanta and the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SELF) being covered in the local press, The DISH called SELF seeking more specific information on its threatened lawsuit against Atlanta's affirmative action program. Matt Glavin, head of the foundation, did not return our calls. However, under what is apparently a self-imposed gag order, SELF's chief counsel, Valle Simms Dutcher, indicated no information would be forthcoming, not even a projected date, or whether or not a suit would even be filed. The DISH called Lou Walker at the Black Chamber of Commerce for any information his organization may have on the save affirmative action effort. E. R. Wallace, BCC public relations, indicated the struggle goes beyond affirmative action for his organization. Focusing more on SELF than affirmative action, BCC plans to issue a public statement sometime in the near future on its role in the affirmative action effort. The mayor's office did not have any events planned in its ongoing efforts to save the program.

Commenting on "African American Aborigine" (TheDISH Vol. 2 No. 31): My mission is to elevate consciousness. Lessons learned are sometimes painful. Valuable ones can hurt teacher and pupil. However, as soon as I put the paper to bed, regret sat in for everything I said. The piece cut my mission too finely; I lamented. My excuse, if any is permitted is, black hair is a personal pet peeve. Still, picking on Monica specifically belittles my goal of awakening the black soul. For having done that, I owe Monica an apology. In asking her forgiveness, I ask that she consider any embedded subliminal messages she delivers.

Clearly, she must see the important role she plays in the lives of local black children. There are few black images in mainstream media. Granted blacks are not monolithic, but, what one does, when there are so few, affects the group image. Ask those successful black men who found themselves profiled driving while black. Saying "we're not a monolith" won't cut it. All you Monicas out there need to wake up and smell the revolution! If you are not a part of the solution, know then, you are part of the problem in freeing black people.

l

"After years of un-permitted fiscal opportunity, we were led to believe, we could achieve through education, without opportunity. Now, we know technology has left us in the dust. While we were getting educated, they knew education would be obsolete without the knowledge of technology. They used a formula on us that challenged us to go to our heavenly father, who has created all things, to give us the answers to the most mind-boggling technology. Now, they want to take that away from us without just compensation. We must be reparated for the unpaid labor our loved ones endured to make the slaveholder rich, while the children of the children of the children of our most beloved ancestors suffer still. Our ancestors' spirits must be wailing and moaning." Email: Donna Ford donnaaphrodite@yahoo.com

l

"When I think of all we do to appear less black, I am reminded of the first time I saw Whoopi, the standup comic. Beyond funny, part of her made-for-HBO routine included a segment about a little black girl, who pretends she is white with long blond hair. Putting a shirt on her head, she tossed back her newly acquired tresses; the audience roared in laughter. Whoopi's routine is as pathetic as it is hilarious. I mention it now, because it fits right into the whole role model problem facing black children that is highlighted in your article "African American Aborigine." Thanks for pointing out again that we must all become conscious of the images we project and the messages they send to our children. Having our children prefer to be white and imitating whites is not a good thing, when it results in extreme mutilation." Email: Sistasfirst@hotmail.com

Statement of democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley on abortion rights: "In the last four days, Vice President Gore's campaign staff has issued two different statements on the Vice President's position on federal funding of abortion. I think it is time for the Vice President himself to tell us where he stands on this issue. It took the Vice President's staff four days to research his record. That would not be necessary with me because my record on reproductive rights for women is quite clear. I have always believed a woman should have the right to choose, whether she is rich or poor, and my record has been consistent on this issue for 20 years." From: Bill Bradley for President Campaign webmaster@billbradley.policy.net

l

"Hatred is the bedrock of institutionalized racism. When white folks brutalized blacks for fun, there was little public outcry. Picnics were born out of these familial gatherings; the practice of killing blacks for sport became known as lynching. Now, murderous acts are called hate crimes. Harsh legislation to punish haters, those who kill people simply because of their skin color, sexual orientation or race, is being proposed. Calling these acts hate crimes, haters can get up to the death penalty. Laws will not change the hearts and minds of men driven by hate. Yet, of late, there has been a redoubling of efforts to legislate against hate in the wake of a new spate of hate crimes. Targets in the more recent fatal outings of hate have included not only blacks, but Jews, gays and even children. Women do not matter. As a group, women have always taken it on the chin from hateful men. Notice too, the group driving hate crime statistics are white men, the same group that gave us lynching and picnic." Dot More from the mailbag

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