Volume 3 No 8…..Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…..March 3, 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. All rights reserved The DISH © 2000

by John Burl Smith

In the movie, The Matrix, Morphius tells Neo, "You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he believes he will wake up." Considering myself fully conscious in 1967, I was aware of the inequities endured by slave descendants, nevertheless I was Neo. Buying into a strategy that deflected the bleak prospects of African American life, my attitude was "somehow things will get better."

My great grandfather, The Circuit Rider, Rev. Burl Lee, when asked why he never moved to the city where things were better, with jobs, money and freedom, would say, "Better for a black man in America is the strength to keep struggling. You just have to make your struggling count." Confusing words, their truth eluded me for years. However in hindsight, their meaning gleams clear.

His wisdom unlocked the caged assets blacks represent for America's economic system. Africans arrived as slaves, and their descendants remain in economic bondage. Seeing my great grandfather in back breaking labor daily, sharecropping land he could never own, like those who left for the city, I swore a different fate.

The inevitability of waking up and/or things getting better suggests blacks live in a dream world of temporary circumstances. Morpheus and The Circuit Rider caution trap doors or escapes into another reality are not inevitable. Some realities encase us tightly, like papier mâché body suits, limiting our actions, but not protecting us from outside forces. Some nightmares never end. One's only salvation is to struggle to survive their horrors.

America is built on slavery. Its institutions were developed to support, reinforce and perpetuate exploiting African slaves and their descendants. A better life for blacks must occur within that system. African Americans have not always crawled on their knees begging white folks. After fifty years of chasing the American dream, I recognize the wisdom of accepting the reality: I will probably die a slave like my father and his father's fathers. With struggle and death the only reward for a slave, I will return to BLACK POWER 1967 and live like the slave I am. Power to the people!! John 2000

by Cherie J. Hayes

Professor Cromwell was a Louisiana State Legislator back in the late 1880s to early 1900s (exact dates unknown). As far as we know, Cromwell was the first black business owner in St. Cloud, Minnesota. We stumbled across a possible slave trade that happened during 1840-1860. Since MN was part of Louisiana, and later Missouri, during those early years, it was not a free state, because it was not yet a state. Recent search of historical documents yielded an 1861 issue of the St. Cloud Democrat, which contained an advertisement for "African Saloon and Barber Shop, Professor Cromwell, Proprietor." The advertisement states Prof. Cromwell regarded himself as "A genuine African." The story on Cromwell reported his business was set afire by local drunken whites after an argument regarding the Civil War. Cromwell did reopen for a short time, but then moved to Louisiana to further his political career.

If anyone has more information or is related to Cromwell, please email us at cjhayes@uswest.net. Our city has been nicknamed "White Cloud" for decades. With a growing black population, it is very important to teach people our history did not begin with slavery.

Disgruntled Says: A Forsyth County, Georgia grand jury failed to indict a store owner of any crime for killing a fleeing, unarmed alleged burglary suspect, thereby sanctioning murder and reinforcing the notion that property is more valuable than people. In Georgia and New York, whites can kill blacks for "perceived threats" based on a stereotype.

Disgruntled wants to know: Now that Bush has sold his soul to racist South Carolina and Virginia voters and killed a grandmother, how does he hope to convince the rest of us come November that his acts show compassion?

Disgruntled feels: Polls showing Americans, while claiming to be Christians, support the death penalty are either wrong or Americans are blazing hypocrites!

University of Georgia (UGA) President Michael Adams gets kudos for his decision to continue using race as a factor in UGA's total student index, which is used to determine admissions for about 20% of each freshman class. Prior to hearing the suit filed by civil rights attorney Lee Parks on behalf of several whites, US District Judge Avant Edenfield advised UGA that its policy was discriminatory. Parks anticipated a court victory based on a strict constitutional interpretation.

It is unconstitutional to discriminate against whites to favor blacks, yet the same law nods at discrimination against blacks to favor whites. Strict construction makes the law unfair, yet the Constitution does not address fairness. The use of legacy in college admissions is the perfect example of race discrimination that favors whites. Legacy is an acceptable factor in college admissions, whereas, the affirmative use of race, which favors blacks and other racial minorities is unconstitutional. Few examining this situation speak to the fact that whites earned legacy status on the backs of blacks, who paid taxes to fund public institutions of higher learning but were denied access and opportunity to earn legacy status in them; blacks were barred from attending public universities. Kudos to Adams for sticking to his guns. His decision provides a few blacks with opportunities to receive a tax-supported education.

Habitat for Humanity builds affordable housing for poor people using volunteer services; its success shows what is possible when we pitch in and work together. Imagine what we could do in Texas, if we could channel the energy of those bonfire worshiping young people into building homes for the homeless, instead of torching a small forest. With homes needed and resources scarce, we can find better ways to rev-up school spirit.

Some local volunteers found the experience rewarding. They were shocked to learn Habitat in Detroit is foreclosing on several homeowners. Built with volunteer services, homeowners are required to pay for the materials. Granted, the resulting mortgage payment of principle, interest, insurance and taxes may be low, relative to others, it can be a burden for the poor, formerly homeless. When the monthly obligation is not met, Habitat homeowners are tossed back on the street and into the pool of homeless, even in Detroit's winter. Understandably, this tainted their experience knowing the people they helped build homes for are once again homeless. Non-profits must do more than pay a 10% lip service to the causes they purport to serve. Like organized religion, non-profits are big business, which racks up billions in charitable contributions. Volunteers must beware that some are profiteers masquerading as faith-based organizations. Know that non-profit does not mean no one is getting wealthy. These organizations are not Mother Teresa, who helped the poor on the streets of Calcutta.

Soul Vegetarian's Righteous Vibes will sizzle with the explosive rhythms of Solkonfiscation ATL's hottest Afro-centric fusion band. Dropping consciousness like a mad bomber over Kosovo, Yohannes Sharriff Smith will host spoken word; the poet's list is limited to twelve. So, all you house rockers and mind knockers better get there early. Doors open @ 9 PM Saturday March 4, 2000. That's Soul Vegetarian located at 879 Ralph David Abernathy in the West End.

by Dot

"Classic, rather than being a taste that merely quenches a thirst, Coke satisfies an addiction. The soft drink, once a delivery device for cocaine, acts as a delivery system for caffeine, a highly addictive drug." Disgruntled 2000

Coca Cola's treatment of its black employees is classic. Based on the southern plantation style of management, the Coke black work experience has been dismal. Coke has no defense against its history, but it plans to get away with blatant racism. To favorably position itself in an employment discrimination lawsuit filed by several current and ex-employees, Coke downsized employees from its ranks who could be party to the litigation. Clever, Coke created a waiver only black employees are required to sign to get "an enhanced" severance package. In the real world, this "enhancement" is bribery, but in the heart of Rocker country, whatever Coke does is legal. By signing the waiver, ex-employees cannot join the discrimination lawsuit, provide evidence or give testimony. Drenched in linear secularism and armed with a strict interpretation of the Constitution, i.e., blacks are second class citizens, a local judge sanctioned Coke's use of the racist waiver. Few were surprised by the judicial opinion, after all, Atlanta is a microcosm of America, where blacks possess "no rights whites are bound to respect."

Agonizing over whether to sign the form, most blacks found ending their days on Coke's plantation painful. Begging to stay for half the pay, some loyal ex-Cokers were given armed escorts off the premises, after receiving pink slips and severing their affiliation with the Coke plantation. Classic, Coke adhered to well-established southern tradition. Old slaves were forced off plantations without resources, health or youthfulness. Unequipped for survival outside the plantation, they were fodder for continued Southern dawg exploitation in a system based on black marginalization.

Coke is an integral part of Atlanta, Georgia and America. Its management reflects the dominant philosophy of Rocker country. The Confederate battle emblem, which graces Georgia's flag, is there for a reason. More than decoration, it is southern heritage. Where it is prominently displayed, the ruling elite openly practices institutionalized racism. Georgia's flag announces to the world that this is Rocker country. Quite naturally, employment is based on the southern plantation style of management, making Coke another symbol in Rocker country.

The Devil at Work

by John Swails

Yes!! Let them have it Dot! I have always said; if you let the devil talk long enough, he contradicts himself. That's part of the way you know he is the devil!

It is time for this hypocritical society to be exposed for what it is and has been since the "releasing" of slaves. In truth, blacks have never been represented by anyone or organization that was really in power. Why should they? African Americans are citizens of this country in name only! We were never let out of the cage; the cage was only made a little bigger, and since we could not readily see the "bars," we assumed we were no longer imprisoned.

Anyone taking a brief look at the economical structure of this country, both present and potential, can easily see the obstacles both purposely and strategically placed. Atlanta, for example, has one of the largest African American populations of computer consultants in the United States. Over 90% of the computer related jobs, from support to LAN administration, are held by African Americans, yet nearly all of the immediate supervisors over these positions are white, and if not the immediate supervisor, the managers and CIO's definitely are. For one to accept this as normal, one would have to believe Atlanta's blacks are incapable of holding such positions. Now, it strikes me as quite odd that we perform the actual applied labor, apparently better than most, since we make up the majority of the computer support labor, but we are incapable of managing that same labor. Our position in this country has been held in check since we were brought here, and while tactics have changed, the agenda remains the same. In addition, we have allowed ourselves to be subdued by the trinkets and gifts or our slave owners and have fooled ourselves into thinking we have arrived!!

by John Burl Smith

Generally, Americans believe blacks are stupid. Reparations are a case in point. German hatred was an essential mechanism of the Holocaust. It facilitated the destruction of more than six million Jews, but greed was behind it all. The "Final Solution" was an economic scheme designed to rob Jews of their wealth while incinerating the evidence. This analysis is borne out by reparations paid Jews by not only Germans, but the world. The United States even kicked in $25 million in conscience money. Meticulously planned and carried out, Adolf Eichmann's memoirs reveal Nazis kept the same types of records as any other business. Only an assiduous bureaucracy continues ploddingly grinding unaffected by human misery. Economics, rather than hate, fueled the Nazi bureaucracy.

Comparatively, America's black Holocaust of slave bondage extended over three hundred years and another one hundred thirty-five years of second class citizenship. Unlike for Jews, America has not offered one penny of reparation to slave descendants. Revelations about Rosewood, FL and Greenwood, OK have proven America is guilty of genocide against African Americans. Most white Americans think of slavery as a noble Christian experiment. They believe it civilized black heathens by allowing them to live and work around white people. Picturing "happy darkies dancing and singing" as they work the fields purge whites of guilt. "Blacks are less than whites" is a delusion codified in the U S Constitution Article 1 Section 2, preserving the African American 3/5ths Compromise slave status.

The "final Solution" and the 3/5ths Compromise are the same. They identify a group that can systematically be robbed of their wealth, while the legal system underwrites the theft. This is free enterprise in America. The American government helps Arabs, Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Afghanistani, Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants set up shops in black communities and participate in the robbery. Even though African Americans are taxpaying citizens, the government refuses to provide assistance.

Europe refused to believe Germans were actually engaged in a Holocaust. Again in Rwanda, Kosovo, East Timor and Congo, the United Nations refused to believe systematic murder and robbery was underway. Hundreds of African Americans were massacres at Greenwood, Ok and Rosewood, Fl, simultaneously thousands were lynched, like Amadou Diallo. How is it possible for the United Nations and The International Court of Justice to continue ignoring African American charges of genocide against America? My Mama didn't raise a fool! John 2000

"I need a lawyer willing to handle a "Shopping While Black" case. My son, Garvey, was detained by a security guard in the downtown CVS pharmacy at Five Points. He subscribes to Vibe magazine; he carried an issue with him when he went into the store looking for an ATM machine. As he left the store, the guard detained him. To no avail, Garvey tried to explain that he subscribes and had it when he arrived, but they accused him of stealing the magazine and called the cops. He was almost arrested - - the cops did not show up. They photographed him, and he is banned from all metro Atlanta CVS stores." Send any attorney leads to Yemi at ytoure@mindspring.com

"I am writing a piece on youth homelessness and wondered whether you had any information on the extent of African American youth homelessness, in particular regarding the notion of 'hidden homelessness'. If you can help I would be grateful." Email: skil353@clara.co.uk

From: LSti870508@aol.com "I know the government knows blacks and the poor are stupid, because we fall for the same old news every election. Do they really care who we vote for? No, because all power is in their hands. So, why are we still wasting energy asking them to help us or to speak out about us for us? Please make me understand! When I listen to the campaign commercials of those running for office, I say to myself, they are using my tax dollars to play kids' games with our lives. No agenda, there are just kids' games one after another. And, we sit back on our depressed butts and allow it to continue.

Meantime, the poor get poorer and blacks continue lagging behind like lapping dogs. Blacks believe a man called Jesus is coming back to save the world and prepare a safe place for them. So, blacks give their money to a church to have their names put on a list so Jesus will know who has or has not given money for his return. Those of us who have not given will not benefit from his return. Everything the rich created takes from those they consider unworthy. We have paid much and are still paying. When do we wake up?"

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