Volume 4 Issue 46…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…November 23, 2001

by Yohannes Sharriff Smith

In the stillness of a quiet room,

alone I stand holding warm tears.

As waves of pain roll,

I gaze at the broken heart’s full moon.

My mind will not forget

the sleeping body’s dependence

upon your passionate kiss.

Possessing my soul with such consuming need,

drowning me in loneliness.

We shared a gift of love so deep, so rare.

When the world would not allow a breath,

love became the air.

In your hypnotic eyes,

the sun would set and rise.

Upon your face the moon smiled,

as it held fast in the midnight sky.

A world of wishes is where I did live.

And, when I gave my childlike love,

never did I fathom a broken heart you would give.

Bit of History

Millie McGhee, author of Secrets Uncovered: J. Edgar Hoover--Passing for White? was age 10 when she discovered J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was a relative. Big Daddy, her grandfather - Clarence Allen - revealed, "That old goat is related to us, he is my second cousin." McGhee wanted to tell her classmates, but Big Daddy warned, "J. Edgar Hoover is passing." He would kill the whole family if she told anyone.

Haunted by the secret, McGhee, a former educator and youth academy director, spent six years researching her family's history. She discovered her great-grandmother, Emily Allen, was a "bed warmer" to William Hoover, a white slave owner. Unmarried, Emily bore children surnamed Allen and Hoover. According to McGhee, J. Edgar lived about twenty years thinking he was a white man, before being told by a family member his great, great-grandmother, Emily Allen, was mulatto.

While researching her family, McGhee learned many black people passed for white. She uncovered sociology and anthropology research data, which showed as many as 155,000 people passed from the Negro group to the white group between 1940 and 1950. During the century in which Hoover and his parents lived, nearly a million people crossed the color line.

McGhee admits, "I never wanted to be related to J. Edgar Hoover, I never even liked him. But his name just kept popping out as I was remembering my family's oral history. Yes, J. Edgar Hoover was a man that most people disliked, because of his self-hatred brought on by our own society.... I understand what caused his illness, what I call 'psychosis of racism.' It's too bad he didn't get the chance to be proud of his own bloodline. Nothing can be done about that, but what we can do is erase this hatred about skin color, and make sure that we are not responsible for another child having this kind of hatred." (Source: Essay by Carl A. Patton calpatton@aol.com. Email book inquiries to Big33eagle@aol.com.)

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is a work in progress (AWIP). He is eight years old. While barely tolerating the verbal antics of his talkative sidekick, Ty Chi, who is three years old, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro importantly declared, "I have grown too old to engage in idle prattle like my brother. I deal with serious subjects."

by John Burl Smith

The Lottery, a short story by Shirley Jackson, points up the religious zeal some traditions take on when people become committed to their observance. Like most American traditions, the particular practice in this story is shrouded in mystery. It opens with everyone gathered for the annual ritual of pulling the lottery winner. Every citizen's name is placed in the pool from which the winner is chosen. Family, friends and neighbors stone the lucky winner to death. Supposedly, this ritual sacrifice was a thanks giving to conjure bountiful harvests. There are no accounts of what happened to the winner's body.

According to so-called revisionist historians, America's annual pig out, Thanksgiving Day, has a grizzly beginning as well. Such scholars say that things got bone chillingly bad the first winters in Jamestown, Virginia. When food ran out, Pilgrims invited "Indians" to dinner. Here is where the fat hits the fire. Revisionists say, the invitation was not to dine but to be dinner. These historians maintain Pilgrims killed their guests that fateful November and lived off their 'red meat' the following winter. Americans love red meat.

An absurdity reflecting on Thanksgiving, as a religious observance and the devotion some Americans have for following the gluttonous tradition, begs the question, could some red-blooded Americans be holding "reality re-enactments" to get to the bare bones of this tradition? Everybody knows how tightly whites cling to the tradition of lynching and that some are compelled to act out their heritage periodically by beheading or dragging a black man to death or racist police killings like those of Timothy Thomas and Amadu Diallo. While giving thanks this holiday, consider doing as my family. We are boycotting the traditional Thanksgiving Day to honor those unfortunate souls invited to the first pig out and became pork. Please do not say grace! John 2001

In response to frequently asked questions at http://www.csa.com, "Agricultural biotechnology is a collection of scientific techniques, including genetic engineering, that are used to create, improve, or modify plants, animals and microorganisms. Using conventional techniques, such as selective breeding, scientists have been working to improve plants and animals for human benefit for hundreds of years. Modern techniques enable scientists to move genes (and therefore desirable traits) in ways they could not before - and with greater ease and precision."

In the United States, biotechnology is an important part of the American agricultural industry. The byproducts of biotechnology include, help in combating diseases through medicines, such as insulin for the treatment of diabetes. Researchers are creating innovative ways to boost the nutritional value of foods. In the fight against hunger, biotechnology can help increase crop yields and help the environment by reducing pesticide use.

The use of biotechnology is fairly widespread in the United States. Under the aegis of APHIS, the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), "over 5,000 field trials have been conducted since 1987. About 40 new agricultural products have completed all regulatory requirements and may be sold commercially. These products range from longer-lasting tomatoes to pest-resistant corn." While there are genetically modified foods sold in American grocery stores, "foods derived from biotechnology currently must be labeled only if they differ significantly from their conventional counterparts." So, there are few labels identifying these products as genetically modified foods.

Biotechnology has become an international trade issue. Some people are uncomfortable with the new technology and worry about its environmental, social and economic consequences. Europeans are especially resistant to bio-engineered plants and foodstuffs, given their historic distrust of governments' ability to ensure the safety of the food supply following the "mad cow" scare and more recent dioxin contamination. But, Europeans are not the only ones concerned about the unintended consequence of modified foods.

On Tuesday, April 24, 2001, PBS aired the joint Frontline and Nova report "Harvest of Fear" (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/), which explored both sides of the controversy. Harvest of Fear tells some compelling stories about technological breakthroughs and potential unintended consequences. According to producer Jon Palfreman, "Basically, this is a story about the increasing power of science to alter our world and the fear this power generates."

Disgruntled wants to know: Peaceful people - those who do not eat red meat, eggs, chickens, cows, pigs and turkeys- would like to know, what message do we send our children when we choose war over dialogue and negotiations in the name of achieving peace?

Disgruntled feels: Liberated! Every ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving recipe I possess from the turkey stuffing to sweet potato pie calls for eggs. Employing the pro-life line of reasoning, i.e., eggs are baby chickens, I am boycotting the ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving.

Disgruntled says: Watching the news is distressing. I turned the television off and went walking. Turning off the boob tube lifted my spirits and perspective. A news nut, I have come to the conclusion that American media suck. Having lowered the bar on Bush, talking heads assume average Americans lack gravitas too!

by John Burl Smith

Morphing into the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the War on Drugs, the domestic Counter Intelligence Program (Co-Intel-Pro) set up by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to assassinate black power advocates during the 1960s has morphed again. Even more astounding, it resurfaced in DeKalb County, Georgia of all places. Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Bush administration's Homeland Security sprang the announcement like a steel-trap. DeKalb is its new headquarters. Most Americans are unaware of Co-Intel-Pro's dastardly deeds beginning with the assassinations of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Moreover, Stone Mountain, DeKalb County, headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), was a favorite recruiting ground for Co-Intel-Pro operatives.

Former deputy assistant director of the GBI Moses Ector has been tapped to become DeKalb County's homeland security director. "The first to hold such a title in the state," Ector's appointment is an ominous sign for the bulging Arab and Asian population in North DeKalb. Under Attorney General John Ashcroft's new guidelines, such communities are targets, like blacks during Co-Intel-Pro. Concern among whites on the north side has been growing regarding the rapid growth, economic power and political clout of Arabs and Asians. Many white businessmen feel squeezed out by the clannish business practices of these foreigners and are screaming unfair competition. War is economic!

With the homeland security force setting up shop in DeKalb, Arabs and Asians feel their assets can become targets and their businesses' goodwill damaged by the hint of terrorist activity. Using Co-Intel-Pro as the model, once an individual or a business is associated with such an image, the government is free to destroy the person, business or community. Unlike blacks in the 1960's who were warned with fiery KKK crosses atop Stone Mountain, the homeland security boys (Co-Intel-Pro) will not bother knocking. Arabs and Asians have lots to give thanks for this holiday season; the war on terrorism has come to DeKalb County. Does this mean DeKalb is under marshal law? John 2001

Email: lburnham@coloredgirls.org (Excerpt from Speech by Linda Burnham) And, as you draw on sources of strength and inspiration, remember Barbara Lee's courage. Remember the heart it took to stand up and say, "I must vote my conscience." Remember the backbone it took to resist the craven consensus of 421 of her colleagues. Remember that each of us must struggle, as she did, to live up to the true definition of a patriot: "A patriot is one who wrestles for the soul of her country as she wrestles for her own being. A patriot is a citizen trying to wake from the burnt-out dream of innocence to remember her true country." --Adrienne Rich, "An Atlas of the Difficult World" Stand for peace as Barbara Lee did, as though the future of the planet depended upon it. For indeed, it surely does.

Email: viequessc@hotmail.com Letter to Bush: Our son died in the attack on the World Trade Center. We read your response and resolutions from Congress, granting you undefined power to respond to the terror. Your response does not make us feel better about our son's death. It makes us feel worse that our government is using our son's memory as justification to cause suffering for other sons and parents in other lands.

This is not the first time that a person in your position has been given unlimited power and came to regret it. It is not the time for empty gestures. It is not the time to act like bullies. We urge you to think about how our government can develop peaceful, rational solutions to terrorism, solutions that do not sink us to the inhuman level of terrorists. Phyllis and Orlando R.

Email: rljone01@louisville.edu Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Others: Everyone should know that the happenings at Auburn University are not isolated. On the very same night, members of Tau Kappa Epsilon here at the University of Louisville engaged in the same type of activity. In the case here, white members "blackened up" and wore prison outfits and pimp gear. One of the five black members of this frat even attended this "private" party as a Klan member. I know you are wondering, how sick have we become?

The most disturbing thing here is, as of yesterday, the University's administration had not responded. At least Auburn acted quickly to extend the usual symbolic apology. We have had to take matters into our own hands here and will have a student gathering next Wednesday. The list of demands presented to the Vice-President for Student Affairs are: 1) Bring the entire chapter of TKE before the people to apologize; 2) Suspend the frat; and 3) Identify the members who did this and expel them.

by John Burl Smith

The significance of Rev. Burl Lee's tripartite metaphor combining Job, Jeremiah and Amos always came in a second sermon. Clarifying conditions today in the Diaspora, the Circuit Rider would say, "I am a black man, as all black men, I am Job. Kidnapped and brought here as slaves, we suffer the plagues of Job. His salvation was the realization that in a totally dehumanized state, he still had his humanity." Clarity comes when one connects the dots and sees misfortunes are really blessings, lessons reflecting one's true condition relative to life and survival.

Jeremiah symbolizes the black man's struggle to speak in a world that has turned deaf ears and blind eyes to his plight and ignores his humanity. Our enslavers deny any responsibility for slavery and institutionalized racism. Therefore, our attempts to speak about reparations at the UN World Conference on Racism (WCAR) were muzzled. We were denied recognition; our humanity was ignored, like cries in the wilderness.

Amos, an ordinary man, represents the simplicity required to achieve clarity regarding our survival. For him, all we have is our humanity, and we must jealously cling to it in the face of racism, terrorism, lynching or any other denial of our human rights. As Job received rewards for his faithfulness, before 9-11 we did not know our newfound unity could survive the bombs of war. WCAR revealed slave descendants and those colonized by Europeans and dispossessed by Zionism are committed to achieving reparations. We remain united in our resolve. Through the prophet Muhammad, we learned ordinary people die everyday without significance. However, martyrdom, a form of "thanks giving," makes ordinary people far more significant in death than they ever are in life. THINC about it! John 2001

by Dot

For more than a few things, I am thankful. I am glad I decided to have children. It is an experience no one can tell you about; you must experience it. Of course, there are the grandchildren that would not be possible without children, but there is more to it than that. I love my children, and the grand kids are a joy and delight, especially when I can see them when I want and send then packing when I do not feel like being bothered with me much less demanding grandchildren.

I love nature, so I am thankful for the trees, flowers, birds and bees. As you know, I am especially thankful for John, mountains and oceans, which keep things in perspective. And, on a personal note, I am grateful for a body that works. I can walk, see and smell the grass growing. I can admire the beauty of Georgia's four seasons, like the fall when multicolored leaves lay fine carpets on front lawns. Though they do not last long - we rush to rake them up or blow them away with new technology - for a moment, there is natural beauty.

These days, I am thankful for my hair. There was a time - I am sad to say - when I wore it chemically straight. I am thankful for its curls (kinks) today. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Frankly, when I wore my hair straight, I did what blacks climbing America's corporate ladder do - imitate whites. Reinforcing my inferiority complex, whenever I wore it straight, my employers acted pleased, generous with praise. But, when I wore it natural, all I got were flack and stares. Bottom line, being natural is a matter of self-pride, because blacks are still last hired, first fired

I am thankful for so many things. But, there is one thing for which I wish. As we enter the season of peace and love, I wish sisters would stop using chemicals and learn to love being black. Single-handedly, sisters can reduce US dependence on foreign oil for chemicals, beat back black self-hatred and mend broken hearts

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