Volume 6 Issue 25…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…June 27, 2003

By: Claude McKay (1890-1948)

HIS spirit is smoke ascended to high heaven.

His father, by the cruelest way of pain,

Had bidden him to his bosom once again;

The awful sin remained still unforgiven.

All night a bright and solitary star

(Perchance the one that ever guided him,

Yet gave him up at last to Fate's wild whim)

Hugh pitifully o'er the swinging char.

Day dawned, and soon the mixed crowds came to view

The ghastly body swaying in the sun:

The women thronged to look, but never a one

Showed sorrow in her eyes of steely blue;

And little lads, lynchers that were to be,

Danced round the dreadful thing in fiendish glee.

If we must die--let it not be like hogs

Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,

While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,

Making their mock at our accursed lot.

If we must die--oh, let us nobly die,

So that our precious blood may not be shed

In vain; then even the monsters we defy

Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!

Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;

Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave,

And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!

What though before us lies the open grave?

Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,

Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

About Me: "The Lynching" and "If We Must Die" are from Claude McKay's Harlem Shadows (1922). The Jamaican-born American became a prominent figure in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. Known for his poems and novels of black life, first in Jamaica and later in the United States, McKay used traditional forms to express unfamiliar ideas and themes, many of which related to the black experience. (Sources: http://encarta.msn.com and www.poetry-archive.com/m/mckay_claude.html) Venue Homepage

"Flag Wars:" A POV Gentrification Documentary

The root word of gentrify is gentry. According to Webster, gentry refer to "people of good birth, breeding and education." Gentrification is used most often in reference to the process whereby blacks are displaced in urban communities by whites. Gentrification issues include increased taxes due to rising property values, fines, liens and incarceration for violation of housing and zoning codes brought on by complaints initiated by the new (white) wealthier residents and unscrupulous realtors, and bank redlining, which prevents black homeowners from acquiring the funds for restoration and the upkeep of their property.

PBS' Point of View (POV) documentary "Flag Wars" is the work of filmmakers Linda Goode Bryant and Laura Poitras. It is an excellent case study of some of the issues that arise when blacks in an economically depressed neighborhood are displaced by wealthier more privileged white gays. "Flag Wars" is set in a Columbus, Ohio neighborhood, a microcosm of inner city USA where whites "gentrify" black neighborhoods. Ironically the two groups highlighted in "Flag Wars" are historically oppressed, yet gay whites still manage to enjoy privileges, such as access to financing not available to blacks. Blacks and gay whites are represented by the red, black and green liberation and rainbow gay pride flags, respectively. For more information on gentrification and "Flag Wars," see www.pbs.org/pov. Hood Notes Homepage

By John Burl Smith

Craps is a toss of the dice where the shooter fails to make his point and instead rolls a seven, eleven or two. A feeling of rightness derived from an unshakable faith that God is on your side breeds a kind of cocksureness about outcomes. Therefore, any gamble seems worth the risk, if the payoff is big enough. Then, craps turn up and the shooter's "covered bets" fall due. Emblematic of George Bush's roll of the dice against United Nations' weapons inspections, his "IOUs" are insufficient to cover his gamble. Fading the world by stating unequivocally that "We know Iraq has weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which pose an eminent threat to America and the region," Bush crapped out.

Millions of peace protesters pointed out that Bush's drive toward war had nothing to do with liberation but everything to do with controlling Iraq's oil, and other resources. Bush took a fraudulent case to the United Nations and it covered his bets. Upping the ante still more, he pulled in side bets from a so-called "coalition of the willing." Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vice President Dick Cheney perpetuated a subterfuge to cover Haliburton and a few select corporations' designs on Iraq's oil.

This is an administration that will say anything to get what it wants and no one seems willing to hold them accountable. 9-11 was a tragic, yet convenient, event that allowed Bush to switch dice, vacillating between WMDs and "regime change." The table loaded and bets stacked high, Bush tossed the bones for war on Iraq, like the Roman soldier's roll for the robe of Jesus Christ.

Contemptuous of the fact that world opinion was against him, Bush insisted before the UN, while assuring US citizens, that "weapons of mass destruction will be found." As the coalition of the willing bombed, burned and killed their way to a defenseless Baghdad, the ante rose even higher; Bush dubbed US's naked aggression "a war of liberation." Craps, the point of paradox in this bad wager, came when Bush refused to listen to experts, like Scott Ritter, or give inspections more time. The UN scoured Iraq for months followed by Bush's WMD hunters, but paradoxically, no banned weapons or chemical storage dumps has been found.

Craps, the light of truth shows that Bush's case for war was a pretext for naked aggression. Slithering backwards from his emphatic claims will not change the cast of the dice nor will pathetic ruses disguise the numbers showing. The stare at craps has quivered many who stayed at the gaming table too long and rolled one time too many. Apparently, faced with contradictory statements deduced from valid premises, the only logical conclusion is that the house must demand Bush be held accountable for his gamble.

The downfall of many would-be Caesars is the point of paradox produced by the intersection of their lies with the truth. It matters not whether it is self- delusion or deception of others, lies become reality, creating the eventual paradox. Bush's supporters are trying to make his lies a matter of national security, when it is a matter of integrity. Bush's ride over, self-reproach and recriminations are not refuges from the reality of craps staring at the American people. However, the ultimate point of paradox is that the lies Bush told cost thousands of lives, Americans and Iraqis. If the majority of US citizens do not care that Bush told such despicable lies in their name, integrity has ceased to be a fundamental characteristic of Americans. This means that they are not worth a CRAP and that is no paradox. Essays by John Burl Smith

Bomb Bush Campaign

Kicking off the Bomb Bush with Truth Campaign set for the July 4, 2003 weekend, Poets for Peace are pumping up its war of words. On the most American of holidays, Friday July 4, we call on everyone who participated in anti-war demonstrations during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq to speak out against the liars in Washington and London.

We want to bomb Bush with a barrage of letters, email, faxes and telephone calls. Everyone is asked to visit the offices of their elected representatives to demand an independent investigation, public hearings and condemnation of the Bush administration's campaign of deception to get congressional approval and UN support for the Iraq invasion.

We ask you to support the same kind of sustained truth bombings Bush poured on the people of Iraq, until Washington, London, the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) begin the process of indicting these new Adolf Hitlers. Lies can never defeat truth, if people will only speak it. For more information, contact thedish@surfglobal.net. News Homepage

Poverty, Riots and Public Policy

On August 11, 1965, a black crowd gathered in Watts, a Los Angeles suburb, to protest a traffic arrest. A policeman clubbed a bystander, igniting several days of rioting that left 34 people dead, hundreds wounded, and some $35 million in property destroyed.

Over the next two years, more than fifty riots rocked the nation. In 1966, the most serious riots were in Chicago, Illinois and Cleveland, Ohio. Of the eight 1967 riots, the worst occurred in Detroit, Michigan, where 33 blacks and 10 whites were killed.

In calling for law and order, President Lyndon Johnson warned that a real solution meant addressing the conditions that cause despair and violence. He appointed Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner to head a commission to investigate the social unrest and make recommendations. The Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, issued its report in 1968. It identified the complex problems of black ghetto life and recommended massive spending to erase these ghettoes and the inequities their occupants suffered.

The Kerner Commission concluded, "... our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white - separate but unequal....This deepening racial division is not inevitable. The movement apart can be reversed. Choice is still possible. Our principal task is to define that choice and to press for a national solution....Only a commitment to national action on an unprecedented scale can shape a future compatible with the historic ideals of American society."

A few weeks after the Kerner Commission issued its report, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Riots erupted in 172 cities, leaving 43 dead, 3,500 injured and 27,000 jailed. Rather than increase spending to fund President Johnson's vision of a "Great Society," Congress cut social programs. Johnson's successor, Richard M. Nixon, justified the cuts to control inflation, as he increased spending to prosecute the Vietnam War.

The record of US public policy, ostensibly implemented to eliminate poverty, reduce unemployment and rebuild black communities, has been a dismal failure. Blacks did not benefit from tax dollars spent on programs, such as revenue sharing, urban renewal, urban revitalization, urban renovation and the most recent effort under former President Bill Clinton empowerment zones and enterprise communities.

After the 1960s riots, public policy assisted white flight from inner cities. Suburbs rapidly grew as inner cities deteriorated, while being credited with the receipt of massive infusions of federal funds to reduce unemployment, eliminate poverty and fight crime. As financial institutions redlined, property values in black communities declined. Black businesses were forced to close. Former black business and entertainment districts, such as Beale Street in Memphis, Auburn Avenue in Atlanta and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, died.

Once the "black ghettoes" were redlined and razed, a new round of programs was implemented with federal tax revenues to fight poverty. Formerly black communities and commercial districts were revived. Gentrified, the once black-owned homes and businesses became white-owned. Formerly black-run entertainment hubs became cheap tourist traps immortalizing icons like Elvis Presley, instead of W.C. Handy and the other black artists that made these districts famous. (Sources: American History: A Survey, Current, Williams and Friedel, and Empowerment Zones By Dot Smith) History Homepage

Disgruntled says: The international food fight has gone from cattle and the very real threat posed by mad cow disease to genetically modified foods. In exchange for its generous financial assistance to combat AIDS in Africa, the US is browbeating African nations into accepting GM foods. With the European Union (EU) opposed to GM products, the food fight has intensified to the point of the US requesting that the World Trade Organization (WTO) convene a panel to hear the case of the EU ban on GM foods. With the scientific research all over the place, it is difficult to give advice. But, I think USA citizens should think twice rather than just accepting this stuff and stuffing our faces. Remember obesity is a serious issue, GM foods maybe the reason.

Disgruntled wants to know: On a crucial point in a tight third set, Belgium tennis player Justine Henin-Hardenne signaled she needed more time in the middle of Serena Williams' serve by holding up her hand. As the crowd booed Williams for pointing out what had happened, Henin-Hardenne did not acknowledge her action. Where are the media stories and locker room conversations among her peers on this unsportsmanlike conduct? Is Henin-Hardenne’s behavior, which shows the moral compass of a hedgehog, excused because she is white and winning by any means is all right? 

Disgruntled feels: Quagmire! Since his spectacular tail-hook landing on an aircraft carrier to announce the end of major conflict in Iraq, approximately a soldier per day has been killed in what could be called guerilla warfare. During the protracted incursion in Vietnam, the US found itself in a strikingly similar situation. While Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and others in the Bush Administration would like to avoid the term, quagmire could well describe the state of US involvement in Iraq, at least to date. More Disgruntled Moments

On Racial Divide!

By Dot

On behalf of the US, George W. Bush issued his most important statement on the state of race relations to date on the holiday commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. He announced his administration's intention to file an amicus brief opposing race-based affirmation action in the Michigan State University undergraduate and law school cases before the Supreme Court. On Monday, the Court handed down a split ruling that the pundits have yet to fully digest, but Bush quickly issued a statement agreeing with the Court's decision, even though it did exactly mimic his brief.

While Bush leapt into the affirmative action in higher education fray, he has yet to say anything cogent about the economic disparities that exist between black and white Americans. When two days of rioting erupted in Benton Harbor, Michigan, he was presented with the perfect opportunity to address the historic and glaring disparities between the twin cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, Michigan and the cities' residents.

One city is predominantly black and poor with high unemployment among youths and adults. In stark contrast, on the other side of the river that separates them, the other city is predominantly upscale and white with low unemployment and all the amenities that signify a high quality of life.

The riot in Benton Harbor followed a high-speed police chase in which a black man died. The police force patrolling Benton Harbor is predominantly white. This was not the first death at the hands of police, but it was apparently the final straw for Benton Harbor residents that claim they are racially profiled and oppressed. One even claimed the police did "high-fives" in response to the young man's death, an action reminiscent of crowds that gathered to watch the lynching of black men.

The Benton Harbor riot reminds us that the recommendations of the Kerner Commission have yet to be implemented and that this nation has not fulfilled "the historic ideals of American society." Not only is the US not a democracy, its black and white citizens remain separated by a sea of inequality. Far from achieving Dr. King's dream of a color-blind society, the US is on course to move further away from it without a second thought under the leadership of George W. Bush. DISHing It Up Hot! Homepage

Email www.csmonitor.com "What Bush Knew, When, by Daniel Schorr (6/20/03)..."What did the president know and when did he know it? Republican Howard Baker was raising that question 30 years ago in the Senate Watergate committee, hoping to shield President Nixon from responsibility for the break-in and wiretapping of Democratic headquarters. It turned out that Nixon knew plenty - more than Senator Baker had bargained for. The question arises again because of a bitter dispute, in part between the CIA and White House, about how Bush came to make a representation about an Iraqi nuclear program known in the intelligence community to be based on forged documents.

Email gaing@hotmail.com An Apology for Slavery to Mend Race Relations: An Opinion from Naomi Wolf for George Magazine: "We build memorials to what we want to remember, but a glance at our public monuments also shows just what we want to forget. Just off the Mall in Washington, DC, there's a vast museum devoted to a holocaust that took place in Europe; near the Potomac, there's a beloved memorial to a slaughter that unfolded in Southeast Asia. But you'd have to look long and hard over the American landscape to find any prominent recognition of our own homegrown holocaust - of the 250 years during which up to one American in five was held, scourged, and bred as chattel. America has a willful amnesia about its slave past. Daily life in Colonial Williamsburg has been painstakingly recreated for the stake of tourists. In the West, towns re-enact the days of the gold rush. But at the sites of the notorious slave markets --where thousands of African families were dispersed while sustaining the economies that supported white families - there is little or nor commemoration. The Mailbox

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