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Volume 3 Issue 38… Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race… September 29, 2000

Note: The DISH is based on themes from T.H.I.N.C. (Teaching Humanity In New Consciousness): The Chrysalis of Evolution. According to the President's Initiative on Race, "The issues that this book brings to the forefront are important in our efforts to achieve the goals set forth by the President for the Initiative. This work will serve as a solid resource for us as we begin to examine these critical issues." For your copy of T.H.I.N.C., The DISH or to submit comments, contact ICIM, Inc. at (404) 244-6023 or email us at icim@bellsouth.net. The DISH © 2000

Without question, former American tennis great turned sports commentator John McEnroe is a patriotic American. Yet, from "news of the weird" from down under comes a report of discord in the U.S. ranks. This dissonance is coming from none other than Mr. Tennis, John McEnroe. In his youth, McEnroe, Mac-the-Mouth to many, was the bad boy of tennis. Worse than the pot calling the kettle black, now he is Mac-the-knife, as in the one he keeps trying to put into Venus' back. His badmouthing the country's best chance for winning Olympic gold medals in tennis is not good form, especially when this should be the time for nationalism. When it comes to these African American women, Mac forgets to front in the name of patriotism.

After Pop Williams rebuffed his wacky publicity stunt to make a few bucks, Mac is getting back with petty criticisms of the sisters in the press. He ignores their contribution to tennis to report "they not speak to white women in the locker room." Mac knows whites do not practice being polite to blacks, so why place the social onus on the Williamses' backs? Were they welcomed into the locker room? Why are white women not speaking to them? Good questions no one bothers to ask, including Mac. Why is that?

A real American hypocrite, Mac might be mellower with age, but his mouth keeps getting him into trouble. In his public tirades against the Williamas sisters, he is victim to America's age-old dilemma of espousing noble values but practicing something else entirely. As he grays, Mac-the-Mouth shows he is a son of the south. Blah on his hostile plantation mentality, which prevents him from appreciating what Venus and Serena have done to elevate the game of tennis.

Recently, a UGA sorority sister wrote a letter to university officials regarding discrimination in her organization's recruitment. Her insight sheds light on the social evil of racism. Much like Jeff Pearlman's Sports Illustrated interview with John Rocker, it showed how everyday people harbor ill-feelings and stereotypes that promote a white supremacist perception, which when acted on marginalizes non-white people.

Initially, the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) did not reveal the young woman's name. We applauded that decision, feeling it was the right thing to do, given what happened to Charles White, III. In mid-December 1999, Charles White, III died in a freak car accident. His letter to the campus newspaper criticizing an Emory University fraternity - Kappa Alpha- for flying the Confederate flag got printed in the AJC. White's letter heated up the debate about changing Georgia's state flag to remove the Confederate battle emblem.

While it may shock some, it comes as no surprise the young woman who wrote the letter is being criticized and ostracized by some whites at UGA. There will be more, now that the AJC has revealed her identity. Refusing to follow the double-think that is an integral part of this society is social suicide. For public consumption, everyone claims to believe in freedom, justice and equality, but in reality they believe in the three-fifths compromise for African Americans. Elitist social organizations, like fraternities and sororities, including black ones, reflect a society, which adheres to the color rule of law. Kudos to the sister who sees people not skin color! Keep railing against the hypocrisy!

By John Burl Smith

Last week students in South Georgia at Valdosta High School were ordered to stop representing Goth. Principal Charles Booner takes a very conservative pro death penalty Christian view of freedom of expression. He feels it is his duty to protect the "safety and tranquility" of their peace loving, God fearing town by dealing with Goth as a threat. Even though Goth does not violate any dress codes, Booner has taken authority upon himself to stamp out what he sees as a corrupting influence. Students are targeted based on their make-up, brightness of hair color and darkness of dress. Slave descendants call such singling out and disparate treatment "racial profiling."

Run Children Run is a voter educational initiative by The Richard L. Kirksey, Jr. Memorial Foundation to encourage young people to take a personal interest and an active role in political decision making. Their future depends upon it. More than a fad, millions of white and black youth embrace "Goth" as a realistic approach to the dire prospect of achieving the American dream. One could describe this consciousness as neo-pessimism. Goth's dark foreboding acknowledges American democracy is the wool pulled over our eyes to hide the fact everyone is a slave to the WTO and IMF. Reflecting some of humanity's best hopes, these young people are passionate defenders of the planet.

Goth devotees visualize a world driven by greed, racism, sexism and homophobia. They feel victimized by America's "prisons for profit" economy. Fast tracked along America's harsh zero tolerance, mandatory minimum sentencing, "War on Drugs" edge, these youth rail against restrictions on their personal freedom, and right of self-expression. "Gothees" believe status quo ideals are marketed as fads and fashions. Pressed to the wall by survival needs, they believe buying into such materialism makes them cogs in the giant corporate machine that grinds poor and powerless people into dust. Goth recognizes that participating in the machine's inexorable crunching leads to one's own destruction.

Goth dress and facial make-up portray their perspective, like Afros and black skin. Students at Valdosta High share a deep pessimism for the future without freedom of expression. Amidst such gloom, young people must still stand up for themselves, not because it will make everything better, but because, if they do not, things will surely get worst. Run Children Run.

John 2000

Hood Notes

by D. Stands

I attended UGA as a legacy. The deafening silence following Allison Davis' charge of racism at the University of Georgia (UGA) among sororities and fraternities screams hypocrisy among Georgia's educators, politicians, and business leaders. Senatorial candidate Zell Miller says he will "take Georgia values to Washington." But, he does not specify whose heritage will be represented. Georgia does not need any more Roy Barneses, who fly their true colors once elected.

Unlike Andrew Young and Hank Aaron's defense of John Rocker, no one has questioned why Allison was forced to withdraw from UGA. The sorors responsible for the racist incident, not only are still in school, they were rewarded for their behavior. They are now in charge of diversity training for UGA. Moreover, no one has pointed to Allison's character as reflecting the values UGA prizes in its students. I know UGA is a hostile learning environment for slave descendants.

Atlanta Vibe

For every generation, young people represent salvation, the hope for change. The Atlanta Vibe community of poets and musicians are in the forefront of the struggle for change. Through art, they tell our story and raise consciousness. For the last three years, they worked tirelessly to make the Mecca a spoken word powerhouse. Understandably, we were stunned when the Vibe was not included in the National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) main spoken word event. Basically, NBAF dissed local art they felt would offend whites.

The Vibe rails against such hypocrisy, cornerstone of the status quo. Spoken word artists tell our story, using hard core facts that define being black, rather than the pablum pressing past the lips of "visible blacks." On October 4, 2000, join the hard-hitting ATL Vibe at A.H.O.P.P. (African House of Prosperity and Positivity) for an Experimental Spoken-Word Performance (ESP) Open Mic hosted by Yohanness Sharriff Smith. Show starts at 8PM. AHOPP is located on Ralph D. Abernathy across from the West End Mall. For more information, please call 404-244-6023.

Disgruntled says: When you get right down and dirty, the difference between how Republicans and Democrats treat blacks is not worth a penny with a hole in it. With both, the black condition stays relatively the same.

Disgruntled feels: ABC should cast John McEnroe as Bobby Riggs in the made for television movie about the battle of the sexes, the televised tennis match between an old white boy, Riggs, and women's tennis champ Billie Jean King. John could use the cash, moreover, maybe then Mac will leave the Williams sisters alone.

Disgruntled wants to know: Why do Cobb and Gwinnett Counties have voting members on the MARTA board when these counties refuse to join the transportation authority and their citizens do not pay the sales tax that funds MARTA?

DeKalb County is the richest majority black county in America. Yet, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC 9/21/00) four white women control the county's purse strings. A master's stroke, the AJC pictorial layout poignantly illustrate the black predicament with these women on top and black men digging in a muddy trench beneath them. This layout is the story. In the majority white northern end of the county, art centers and other amenities are funded with tax dollars. South DeKalb, which is majority black, had Soapstone. It only offered line dancing and closed shortly after blacks began asking, "where is the money?"

Our county commissioners are mum. South DeKalb's interests are not represented; we do not receive a fair share of the amenities funded with our tax dollars. At the state level, our inferior position is clearly seen in the MARTA sales tax debacle - more taxation without representation. Sadly, a majority of Atlanta, DeKalb and Fulton Counties' state legislators voted for HB 1615 to extend the MARTA sales tax to 2047. Without asking residents' permission or considering its impact on the future of our grandchildren, our elected representatives voted to enslave their children to fund economic growth and development in white regions.

Fulton County Commission Chairman Mike Kenn is right. DeKalb and Atlanta should unite behind his effort to make the state and the region fund MARTA - Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. MARTA has been taken over; it is the major cog in the wheels of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). Any of our elected representatives that refuse to fight to remove this burden from our grandchildren's children's shoulders should be targeted for removal from office. If you do not know how your representative voted on the GRTA bill (SB57) and the MARTA sales tax extension (HB 1615), visit The DISH online to find out. Click on MARTA Sucks.Com go to Run Children Run and find out how your legislators voted. It is up to the people to replace legislators and commissioners that do no act in our best interests.

Rick Epting, a Decatur, Georgia elementary school teacher, wrote a letter to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC, 9/23/00) about a comment made by Bob Costas, a sports announcer. Defending his beloved Peach State, Epting took exception to Costas' comparison of Georgia and Australia. His effort to debunk the "myth" that Georgia began as a penal colony fell short of its mark. According to any number of respected historians, including Current, Williams and Freidel (American History: A Survey), Costas' penal colony comparison of Georgia and Australia is fact.

From their learned historical perspective on the founding of the state, the authors wrote: "Georgia, the last of the mainland colonies, was unique in its origins. It was founded by neither a corporation nor a proprietorship, and its guiding purpose was neither to make profits nor to create a sectarian refuge. In the beginning Georgia was the work of trustees serving without pay. Their main purpose was twofold: to provide a new start in life for Englishmen imprisoned for debt, and to erect a military barrier against the Spaniards on the southern border of English America.

General James Oglethorpe, a hero of the late war with Spain, was much concerned about the need for a buffer colony between South Carolina and Florida. As head of a parliamentary committee investigating English prisons, Oglethorpe also knew at first hand the plight of honest debtors rotting in confinement. He conceived the idea of solving both problems at once by resettling such prisoners as farmer-soldiers on the faraway frontier." Is this myth or denial? More important, is what teachers are telling Georgia's children fact or feel good fiction?

Stress, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, stokes and in general, reduced life expectancy, etc., are by-products of a hostile environment. We have explored the causes and consequences of a hostile environment. The root of America's social disorder is slavery, which shaped management practices in the work setting and other aspects of socioeconomic intercourse. Historically, those most adversely affected are African Americans, who are paid less for similar work, receive fewer opportunities for training and advancement, then are harassed, intimidated and fired, if they complain about disparate treatment. African Americans attempting to receive the same considerations extended to white employees are downsized out of employment. An excellent example is the impact of FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) on black employment.

When mental health is a consideration, African Americans are blatantly discriminated against. Stress is not a relevant factor. Blacks cannot suffer from debilitating depression, though we are the most negatively affected by America's social organizations and the nation's dominant management philosophy. We do not receive the humane considerations extended to white people like Tipper Gore; white people expect and receive special treatment; mental health is a valid consideration when dealing with the sensibilities of white people.

From Inertiafilms@juno.com: "A common theme in much of these newsletters is slavery. I think, the truth must be pointed out - the slaves in West Africa were sold into slavery by their own kind--the black race. Therefore, the white man bought the slaves from black men. Both were at fault. The evilness depicted in much of The DISH is rooted in slavery----the slavery of sin. Since we are all sinners, we do in fact need "healing" as you say. This "healing" can only be found in a Person that cares nothing about what social class you are from, what color you are or what continent you live on. That Person of "healing" that offers the forgiveness of sins is Jesus Christ..... and Jesus Christ alone.

As a child, my mother charged me with learning. She did not question what or why; just "learn something new everyday." I asked my own questions and went in search of answers.

Early in my quest for knowledge, I wondered why my folks were so poor; what was the source of this grinding poverty? My daddy strained to write his name; I learned after my mother died when he was an old man that my father could not read. A young person, I blamed poverty on "a lack of education." Yet, the more I learned, the more I realized that did not explain the black situation, because blacks can be trained to do anything. Since they are capable of learning, getting a formal education is a matter of opportunity. Moreover, blacks worked hard to survive, so it is not a question of effort.

Clearly, I needed to learn more to understand and explain the black condition. After extensive study, in the late 1970's, I identified the problem and wrote a politically correct treatise for submission to the Mid-South Journal of Economics. The paper entitled "Recession and Unemployment: A Retrospective Analysis of the Economic Welfare Loss" was published in 1982. The research for this paper employed scientific methods to show demographics such as age, sex, geographical location, educational attainment, etc., do not explain the gap in black and white family incomes. Even when comparing single women head of household incomes, the gap remains.

My lifelong research has been replicated numerous times. Even the President's Initiative on Race validated the 1982 analysis. Basically, slavery or "the Three-fifths Compromise is alive and well. It is deeply rooted in how black Americans are valued in this society, how we view ourselves and how others view us." THINC

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro waited for a friend to walk home with after school. Brave, when his friend did not show up, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro said, "I just walked home alone."

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