Volume 4 Issue 29…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race… July 27, 2001

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. The DISH © 2001

by John Burl Smith

Turnout 75%: Unfurling his "bunker" mentality, President-select George W. Bush, Jr. strutted his stuff at the Group of 8 Summit in Genoa, Italy. Aware they were elected by less than absolute majorities in their respective countries, G-8 leaders hid out in a feudal palace, afraid to face the public they claimed elected them. Heaping disdain upon protesters, Bush heard only anarchy in their desperate replies. Sounding like Ariel Sharon's excuses for bombing rock-throwing Palestinian children, Bush claimed democratically elected leaders have the right to ride roughshod over the world, like he did in becoming the current White House resident.

Not only was the President-select not elected by a majority of voting Americans, the US Supreme Court stepped in and stopped the vote counting. Fearing Bush's chance of becoming president would be "harmed, "if the real count was known, the US Supreme Court forced Florida's Supreme Court to allow Bush supporters to throw out millions of legal votes and accept votes which violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act and other election regulations.

Protesters in Genoa are motivated by the conviction that democracy, one-person, one-vote, is not reflected by the G-8 leaders. G-8 decisions reflect the interest of large powerful multi-national corporations. Its leaders are dedicated to ensuring greater and greater profits at the expense of poor people and the environment. Seen in terms of votes, protesters represent real people facing real problems. Although, popularly elected by minorities in their respective nations, the bet is not one of these leaders could get 100,000 people to show up any place to support them without being paid.

The DISH asked, "Can a society at war with its children survive?" Instead of answering, the G-8 hid behind Bush's hard line rhetoric, fences and barricades to avoid facing their children. Europeans have now turned guns on their children, as in Tiananmen Square, the West Bank and America, where racial profiling, zero tolerance and the death penalty kill hundreds. Bush insists Europe accept deaths like Carlo Giuliani's, the Genoa protester that was killed by police, as collateral damage.

Children are not rogue states, therefore the G-8's response totally loses sight of the purpose of speech. Warring with one's children, while destroying the Earth is not a plan for survival. Les Misérables 2001 voices issues boomers fought their parents over thirty years ago. The absurdity here is that the G-8 leaders are following the only person who has absolutely no credentials at this level. Even Bush will admit, on days these subjects were covered in class he was playing hooky to get high.

The environment cannot recover under current conditions; it will continue to break down. Protesters in Genoa were more concerned about the world's condition when their grandchildren inherit the Earth, than whether or not they will have power for the latest gadgets or SUVs. They are unwilling to just sit back, while a puffed up neo-Nazi on a power trip destroys the environment. Violent protests are truly unacceptable, so provide an alternative! John 2001

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro had nothing to say this week. When I explained his fans would be disappointed, he assured me, "They will forgive you."

Disgruntled says: US President Bush's trip to Italy for the G-8 summit coincided with a spectacular eruption by Europe's largest active volcano, Mt. Etna. The volcanic eruptions intensified as police and security forces battled protestors on the streets of Genoa. Spewing lava and belching smoke, planet Earth seemed to say, "I do not like G-8 policies any more than the people protesting!"

Disgruntled feels: Power tripping! Colin Powell's hasty trip to the Middle East gave Israel the green light to declare war on Palestinians in the name of peace. Powell delivered to Israel America's playbook on maximizing a toehold on foreign soil to manifest destiny.

Disgruntled wants to know: WCAR is our best hope to throw off the 3/5 compromise yoke. If we cannot talk about this economic slavery there, we cannot discuss it anywhere. If not at WCAR, when will we have a voice?

Under the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted into the United States as a free state. The agreement allowed territorial governments in the rest of the Mexican cession to form without restriction as to slavery. While the compromise abolished the slave trade in the District of Columbia, it did not abolish slavery. It settled the boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico, and gave birth to a tougher Fugitive Slave Act, the only part of the compromise Southerners liked.

The "Georgia Platform" epitomized Southern sentiments regarding the agreement. "It declared that Georgia would acquiesce in the Compromise - but if the North disregarded the Fugitive Slave Act, or attempted to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, or denied admission to a state because it wished to have slavery, then Georgia would consider the compact broken and would protect its rights even to the point of seceding."

Under the Fugitive Slave Law (1850), "a Negro accused of being a runaway was denied trial by jury and the right to testify in his own behalf. His status was to be decided by a federal judge or by a special commissioner appointed by the federal circuit courts. He could be remanded to slavery on the bare evidence of an affidavit presented by the man who claimed to be his owner."

Following the Civil War, black codes were adopted by Southern State legislatures. These measures were the Southern solution to the problem of the free Negro laborer. Black codes were also the South's substitute for slavery as a white supremacy device. Economically, the codes were intended to regulate the labor of a race that, in the opinion of whites, would not work except under some kind of compulsion. Although the economic provisions varied in stringency from state to state, they all authorized local officials to apprehend unemployed Negroes, fine them for vagrancy, and hire them out to private employers to satisfy the fine. Some of the codes tried to force Negroes to work on the plantations by forbidding them to own or lease farms or to take other jobs except as domestic servants. Socially, the codes were designed to govern relations between the races and to invest the Negroes with a legal although subordinate status. While black codes conferred certain civil rights upon blacks, they also placed special restrictions on them that did not apply to whites. In the South, black codes were considered a realistic approach to a great social problem. For Northerners, they heralded a return to slavery. (Current, Williams & Freidel)

Politics Y2K1

On George Bush's first trip abroad, American mainstream media downplayed the protests. The level of protests was unexpected. After all, this is Europe, not Africa or Latin America. If Bush does not play well in Europe, the black and brown Third World is unlikely to warm to or embrace his conservative right wing politics.

On his second trip to Europe, while Bush waxed eloquently about his wacky policies at the G-8 summit, demonstrators protested in the streets. Again, American media ignored their complaints. In the aftermath of Genoa, two things are noteworthy. One is the consensus on Bush among the protestors. Unanimously, the diverse groups organizing protests agree; Bush is not a legitimately elected president of the world's dominant country. They contend his conservative politics on issues from the environment to the death penalty are out of step with the vast majority of humanity.

Two, they blame American mainstream media for making a Bush presidency possible. While presidents throughout American history have been criticized in the media, now it is bad form to say anything about resident Bush, whether he is in or out of the country. Last week, the media harshly criticized Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle for his remark about Bush's unilateralism.

Katherine Graham died last week. Her death seemed to herald the demise of the kind of press coverage needed in a democracy. As the candidate, Bush promised to use strict construction of the Constitution as his litmus test for judicial appointments. American mainstream media were silent. Any chance of changing America, the republic, into a democracy is being bushwhacked by a dumbed down media. More protest is expected.

I greet you brother, on behalf of those in the Diaspora working to give us a voice in the international arena. Historically, American blacks have been presented as caricatures or stereotypes in order to hide the truth about its institutionalized racism. Economic slaves one hundred thirty-eight years after Emancipation, we remain second class in our relative standing in the world. Recognizing that slave descendants need to break the isolation separating us from the rest of the Diaspora, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is trying to place our concerns before the upcoming United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia, Racial Discrimination and other Intolerance (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa August 31 - September 7, 2001. She is leading a chorus of diverse voices onto that international stage to address American institutionalized racism.

The Bush administration plans to speak for black Americans and are opposed to anyone speaking, other than the blacks Bush picks. Mainstream media have blacked out information on WCAR and Rep. McKinney's push to allow those in the Diaspora to tell their story in their words. Through The DISH, we have reached out and asked sisters and brothers, such as Tom Joyner of the "Tom Joyner Morning Show," Oprah Winfrey and Linda Johnson Rice, President and CEO of Johnson Publishing, Inc., to support Rep. McKinney's educational effort.

In the spirit of "We Are the World," a consortium of Atlanta artists, Poets for Peace, has called for an "International Speak Out" on August 16, 2001 to dramatize our need to speak officially at WCAR. They ask everyone in the Diaspora to send e-mails demanding a voice for slave descendants regarding racism, Zionism and reparations. Venues are planned in Atlanta to encourage people to make their voices heard.

Minister, your assistance is vital in reaching millions of Muslims in the Diaspora who are victims of racism and Zionism. The Final Call can help break through the wall of silence America has erected around WCAR. Taking the point, Rep. McKinney is standing up for all of us. We can, at a minimum, send e-mails or faxes, make telephone calls and write letters. The Nation of Islam (NOI) has always spoken out forcefully against racism and Zionism, while demanding American atonement for all related crimes. We in the Diaspora hope the NOI will support this worthy effort by adding its powerful voice to the WCAR chorus. If we want reparations, this is another step. Send e-mails to Secretary@state.gov, vasic@un.org, tshiawl.hchr@unog.ch, saragon.hchr@unog.ch or lwiseberg.hchr@unog.ch and be part of the conversation.

On August 16, 2001, S.P.E.A.K., The DISH, Poets for Peace and Congresswoman McKinney (D-GA) ask everyone to raise their voices to be heard at WCAR. Attend a local spoken word venue and join others in speaking out against racism. If you do not get on the microphone, go online and send an email. If you cannot get online, write a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Below is a sample letter based on excerpts from an official statement by Atlanta Attorney Harriett AbuBakr, representative for AFRE, a non-governmental organization (NGO) participating in WCAR.

African slave descendants are a new family among the families of man. Keenly aware of our kinship and our difference from others, including even the Africans from whose arms we were torn, today, we are part of a society established by those who enslaved our ancestors.

Slavery removed our mother tongue, culture and religion and subjected us to forced mixed breeding. We cannot look upon ourselves and say "I am this or I am that." Truth is we do not know. Stripped of our humanity, we have risen with the knowledge that we are human beings, and we are entitled to know ourselves, to be ourselves and to enjoy human rights.

As a new people, our call for reparations is motivated by a profound desire for justice. Our first concern is the restoration of our people. We want our will for our future generations to be made manifest in the society in which we live.

We have no place in the Constitution of the United States. To this day, it defines us as 3/5 of a human. Reparations for us must involve restoration of our human rights. We urge those working on our behalf to heed the cry for justice and reparations. We must insure their leadership leads to our restoration.

Swedish sociologist, Gunnar Myrdal wrote, "... the common idea that America is an immensely rich and affluent country is very much an exaggeration. American affluence is heavily mortgaged. America carries a tremendous burden of debt to its poor people. That this debt must be paid is not only a wish of the do-gooders. Not paying it implies a risk for the social order and for democracy as we have known it." Myrdal understood what those who object to paying reparations to African slave descendants do not. Two articles below address abuses that created the debt of which Myrdal spoke.

The Wall Street Journal article "From Alabama's Past: Capitalism Teamed With Racism to Create Cruel Partnership" by Douglas A. Blackmon (WSJ, 7-16-01) describes Alabama black codes. "In the early decades of the 20^th century, tens of thousands of convicts- - most of them indigent black men - - were snared in a largely forgotten justice system rooted in racism and nurtured by economic expedience. Most were charged with minor offenses or violations of "Black Code" statutes passed to reassert white control in the aftermath of the Civil War."

Blackmon details the modern slave system operated for profit by local law enforcement and corporations that used convict labor. The WSJ article is long and only subscribers can access it online. For more about it, contact the author at doug.blackmon@wsj.com. Blackmon's article provides some not-so-distant history that supports claims for reparations from the government and corporations that benefitted from black exploitation.

Written by Mark Bixler, "Forsyth County Day Laborers Plead Guilty"(AJC, 7-21-01) reported, "At least 20 Hispanic men in Forsyth County have pleaded guilty to standing too close to traffic while waiting for work on a road near Cumming." About ten of these pleas resulted in fines of more than $300. Black Codes 2001 are being run on Hispanics. For more about this current local practice, email Bixler at mbixler@ajc.com.

by Dot

CNN's Jeff Greenfield has a new show. Basically more CNN talking head stuff, do not buy the promotional advertising CNN runs to plug the half-hour daily re-runs. Greenfield tries to appear insightful and intelligent, but his recent conversation with himself on slavery and reparations lacked these qualifies. His guests, three forgettable characters, included a black guy, who, like Colin Powell, is one generation off some island, ran the same insensitive and arrogant line as Greenfield. They basically said, "Stop whining and move on. All that stuff happened a long time ago; get over it!"

Greenfield seems ignorant of recent history. Or, like so many Americans, he is in denial. The tenor of his soliloquy suggests both may apply. Greenfield needs to review Smith's chasm analysis, an empirical examination of American income and employment data from 1947 to the present. See Reparations at www.thedish.ws. Smith's study shows the recent experience of blacks approximates slavery as defined in the US Constitution.

Someone should tell Greenfield, we have moved on. Our demand for reparations is not based on the nearly 300 years of human bondage suffered by African slaves, but the modern economic slavery that defines our contemporary existence. Chasm analysis shows every aspect of black American existence is shaped by the racism inherit in the Three-fifths Compromise.

To Greenfield and company, while we have moved on from demanding reparations for slavery, we will stop whining when America pays reparations to those subjected to economic slavery today and apologize for the human bondage suffered by our ancestors. Even then, if whining is speaking out about institutionalized racism and its ill effects, then Greenfield and company must brace themselves for more whining.

Sister Poets Embracing Altruistic Kinship (SPEAK) held a silent auction and dialogue between men and women to benefit the MoorEpics' Slam Team, which includes Alexis, GA Me, Malik and Yohannes. Mad props to these young women for making the team's dream come true. The MoorEpics slam team will represent the Atlanta Vibe at the national poetry slam competition in style August 1 - 5, 2001 in Seattle, WA. Thanks all around to everyone that came out to support this event. Your presence made the fundraiser a resounding success.

On Monday, SPEAK joined Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, The DISH and Poets for Peace in raising awareness about racism and WCAR. The organization will help spearhead the August 16, 2001 International Speak Out.

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