Reparations: The Blog for Economic & Political Empowerment - by Simmonds Ballentine, LLC

Does ONE "Day of Repentance" Balance 400 Years of Slavery?

2009-02-03T14:33:00.003-05:00

They may not like me for this...

Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori, and others in the Episcopal Church said they hoped I would continue posting about the "Service of Repentance" held on October 4, 2008. I haven't written much, and debated if I ever would. Yet looking at the commemorative pen given at the event, I couldn't refrain from writing this.

The pen says: "Day of Repentance." And, how true that is! And, that's not just my frustration. It's one shared by many, including Dr. Ed Rodman.

Upon reading the pen, I found myself asking: "Does ONE "Day of Repentance" balance 400 years of slavery?"

There has been little to no follow up from the National Church on this "initiative." Yet as she hid her sins for countless years, she hid her sins on that day by repenting in private - rather than out in the open. It seems that the hiding of sins continues, as the Church has done nothing since to make this initiative more than perfunctory.

As I've said before, there are "Three Steps to Healing: Repentance, Reparations & Reconciliation." Yet, if you stop at step one is that gesture really sincere? Or, was it some way to simply appease the "White Guilt" that holds the majority captive?

Does ONE "Day of Repentance" balance 400 years of slavery?

In "God's Long Summer," Charles Marsh states:

Christian love must shape concrete solutions and new visions for the disenfranchised and the poor.

The Episcopal Church - by her own admission - did its share of disfranchising Black people, while supporting and condoning and profiting from the Institution of Slavery. So, how can she feel it enough to throw out an "I'm sorry," while hoarding the gains of her pillage?

The Episcopal Church - again, by her own admission - helped set Black people at a disadvantage. Even her own Black priests were/are set at a disadvantage. How can she then do nothing to bring about true healing?

I've been waiting to see if something more was coming...some committment to building private schools in Black communities, some efforts to bring parity to the pensions of White and Black priests, some committment to calling the Nation to conscience on the racial disparities that still plague our society...some sort of sign that the somber attitude of the actual service had manifested in a change in attitude post-service. I have seen none and so I wonder:

Does ONE "Day of Repentance" balance 400 years of slavery?

I think there's more that should be done. If this is supposed to be ONE church, it seems to me efforts should be made to making it whole. It would seem that, that is what "Christian love" would require?

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Congress Determines Only White Women Need Paycheck Fairness!

2009-01-08T14:19:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow, Congress will vote on a so-called "Paycheck Fairness Act." The Bill is supposed to address disparities in pay. However, the Bill only refers to gender disparity. When I called Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro's (D-CT-3) office, I asked if I was misreading the Bill or if it only addressed gender disparities. The lady responsible for the Paycheck Fairness Act stated that it - in fact - dealt only with gender disparities, but that in doing so it would cover Black, Latino and Asian women.

Hunh?! How so? Must be that Congress has determined that only White women need paycheck fairness!

Reparations means that we refuse to believe the hype! Look at this chart detailing pay disparities.

The Wage Gap, by Gender and Race

(median annual earnings of black men and women, Hispanic men and women, and white women as a percentage of white men's median annual earnings)

Year	White men	Black men	Hispanic men	White women	Black women	Hispanic women
1970	100%	69.0%	n.a.	58.7%	48.2%	n.a.
1975	100	74.3	72.1%	57.5	55.4	49.3%
1980	100	70.7	70.8	58.9	55.7	50.5
1985	100	69.7	68.0	63.0	57.1	52.1
1990	100	73.1	66.3	69.4	62.5	54.3
1992	100	72.6	63.3	70.0	64.0	55.4
1994	100	75.1	64.3	71.6	63.0	55.6
1995	100	75.9	63.3	71.2	64.2	53.4
1996	100	80.0	63.9	73.3	65.1	56.6
1997	100	75.1	61.4	71.9	62.6	53.9
1998	100	74.9	61.6	72.6	62.6	53.1
1999	100	80.6	61.6	71.6	65.0	52.1
2000	100	78.2	63.4	72.2	64.6	52.8
2003	100	78.2	63.3	75.6	65.4	54.3
2004	100	74.5	63.2	76.7	68.4	56.9
2006	100	72.1	57.5	73.5	63.6	51.7

Source: U.S. Current Population Survey and the National Committee on Pay Equity.

Clearly, Black men are earning less than White women. And, Black women are earning substantially less than White women. Surely, the Paycheck Fairness Act will do nothing for Black men - as Rep. Rosa DeLauro's office told me. But, how will the Paycheck Fairness Act really help Black women?

Maybe I'm stupid (some will surely say I am). But, it seems to me that the most this act would do is raise the pay of Black women to equity with Black men. Truly that is a start. But then once White women are on par with White men, we'd be left with the racial pay gap. Am I missing something?

Must be that Congress has determined that only White women need paycheck fairness!

People want to say that reparations isn't needed. But, here is a clear example - and this is not Affirmative Action. It is not a handout. It is fairness. When Congress looks at the pay disparity between the genders they agree that something must be urgently done. Yet, either they have not even looked at the pay disparity between the races or they don't think that something must be urgently done. Again, as I was told by Rep. Rosa DeLauro's staffer: it (racial pay gap) is an important issue, but it is not dealt with by the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Presently, I'm waiting on Congressional Black Caucus Executive Director Patrice Willoughby to respond to my question about why the Congressional Black Caucus chose not to address this oversight. Or, do they agree that only White women need paycheck fairness?

Email the Congressional Black Caucus, or call: 202.226.9776 and let them know that you want them to call for the Paycheck Fairness Act to be amended to include racial disparities! Unless you agree that only White women need paycheck fairness...

Come and get your reparations!

An Open Letter to Various Leaders in The Episcopal Church On The Evolving Implementation of the 2006 General Convention Resolution A123

2008-12-02T22:00:00.003-05:00

by: Ed Rodman

It is with some trepidation that I feel called to write this open letter at this time. I would ask you to indulge me by taking the time to read it in its entirety so that any things that you may have heard or assumed about my various public statements on this issue can be viewed in their full context. This letter is intended to affirm, educate, chastise, and invite us to a deeper dialogue toward the beloved community. Before I begin I should make certain biographical comments, for those who do not know who I am, so that you can appreciate that this comes from a working knowledge of much that has brought us to this point on this issue.

I am a sixty-six year old Black Episcopal priest, who has served his Church as faithfully as I have been able since my ordination in 1967. Prior to that I was a history and political science major at Hampton Institute in Virginia, and one of the founders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Hence I can claim a forty-eight year history as an advocate for social justice and an unyielding opponent of all forms of oppression. During my career I have had the pleasure of helping to found the Union of Black Episcopalians (originally UBCL), the Episcopal Urban Caucus, the Consultation and the first three iterations of the National Church Anti-Racism Program. Much of this was made possible by the good graces of the several bishops of the Diocese of Massachusetts (Anson Stokes, John Burgess, Ben Arnold, John B. Coburn, David Johnson, Barbara Harris, David Birney and M. Thomas Shaw) who permitted me to exercise my ministry as Canon Missioner in these arenas for the national Church on an unpaid seconded basis except for the years 2000 to 2003 when I was a paid consultant to the Anti-Racism Committee; as well as local struggles…from prison abolition, Boston School Desegregation Crisis and many other struggles for justice too numerous to mention here. I am currently a professor at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts where I work in the area of Pastoral Theology, Urban Ministry and Anti-Oppression Studies. I say these things not in pride but in order to establish a foundation of credibility and commitment that I have been blessed to have been able to maintain over these many years.

Having said this, I wish to be very clear that I affirm, support and commend the current leadership of the Presiding Bishop and her staff, as well as that of her predecessor in their willingness to stand tall on this issue and commit their time and the programmatic resources of the Church to see that we remain faithful to the task of combating the sin of racism. In whatever follows, I hope that this ringing affirmation is crystal clear and informs the rest of this letter as a teaching tool and an invitation to deeper dialogue. I should note here that since my election to Executive Council in 2003 by the General Convention, I have felt a strong obligation to be faithful to those who voted for me in the full knowledge of my strong sense of commitment and willingness to speak truth to power. One by-product of that election was to resign as the paid consultant to the Anti-Racism Committee, so that there could be no conflict of interest and equally important, exercise an oversight function on this an other social justice programs that are too often under threat, misunderstood or ignored by too many in the Church. And, it is in this capacity as an elected Executive Council member that I write today, in the full confidence that I speak for many on these matters. What now follows is the education which I promised at the outset.

Many of you may be surprised to know that this is the third such letter that I have written to the leadership of the Church over the last fifteen years. The first was in 1993 when as the convener of the Black Leaders and Diocesan Executives Think Tank in support of Black Ministries that I called into question the serial termination of nearly all the Black male executives on the staff of the national Church in less than a year. It precipitated a frank meeting, with then Presiding Bishop Browning, which attempted to educate him on the appearance of institutional racism that these terminations exhibited on their face. While I was unable to convince him of this fact at the time, subsequent events enabled him to respond more positively to my second open letter in 1995 on the subject of “A Lost Opportunity,” which can be found in the Episcopal Urban Caucus publication, To Heal the Sin-Sick Soul. The presiding officer’s prompt response to that letter led to the creation of the Anti-Racism Training Program which was a necessary programmatic response to the House of Bishops Pastoral Letter on the Sin of Racism and the several General Convention resolutions which had committed the Church to a three triennial year cycle focused on this issue. This was extended at the General Convention in 2000 and the formal committee on Anti-Racism was established and an appropriate staff person was hired to oversee the effort. In the previous three years it had been done on an ad hoc basis with a $100,000 contribution from the Diocese of Massachusetts, and my seconded time. There is a long story which I will not bore you with in this letter of institutional resistance and personality clashes which would make a wonderful novel but are beside the point of the primary objective of the training. Sadly because of the controversies over mandatory versus voluntary in regard to who should take the training and how it was to be administered obscured the fact that the objective was to bring about change on all four levels of our corporate life, i.e. individual, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. It was to that end that Resolutions A 123 and A 127 were brought forward to the General Convention in 2006 and whose implementation is in no small measure an objective test of the effectiveness of the training and other actions to bring about an authentically welcoming and anti-racist institution. The jury remains out on this latter question, but, the circumstances surrounding the first public effort to implement a key portion of
Resolution A 123 is instructive while A 127 remains unattended.

And, now I will give the chastisement. It is not my purpose to cast aspersions or to make accusations, what I do know is that the resolution clearly called, in part, for a public apology by the national Church at the National Cathedral for its complicity in, and the benefits derived from slavery in the United States of America. This did not happen. Further no satisfactory answer has been given to explain this decision. Many have urged the presiding officers in light of this fact to consider some major event at the General Convention in which a better expression of the intent of the resolution could be made manifest and the several dioceses who have attempted to do the
historical research as requested by the resolution in other sections might have a national platform to educate the church on their findings. This may in turn inspire others to do likewise and still others in the spirit of this resolution and A 127 to examine the Church’s less than glorious relationship with Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Let us hope that this will occur. What did happen was a two day event at the historic St. Thomas African Episcopal Church in Philadelphia on the 3^rd and 4^th of October 2008. Many of us had great difficulty with this decision inasmuch as it created the curious dynamic of those seeking to apologize to those who had been aggrieved inviting themselves to the house of those who had been offended. This and other “curiosities” were more than amply addressed by the Reverend Doctor Harold Lewis and the Honorable Byron Rushing in their remarkable presentations on the first day. It is their talks which need to be widely circulated in the Church, both in print and on DVD, as they address the critical issues of the legacy of slavery and how we might approach the future, in light of the fact that the first step was being taken by the Church in publicly acknowledging its sins of omission.

Had the program ended there, it would have been a great success on its face, because those to whom the apology was being offered were able to articulate in some detail those things for which the apology was needed. Sadly, on the second day a service was planned in which there was to be a liturgical expression marking this event and providing an opportunity for our current Presiding Bishop to lead the service and address the issue. She did her job with grace, clarity, amazing insight and honesty, however, the decision was made to begin the service with a litany which was neither historically correct nor appropriately structured to acknowledge that one group of people was apologizing to another group of people who for all of the history of slavery and most of the history of the Episcopal Church have been separate and unequal, and the people of color specifically excluded from the Councils of the Church. Hence a litany which did not permit the group aggrieved to respond or to acknowledge their presence, especially in their own house, was the ultimate of racism and insulting to many of us who could not understand how people of color were to participate in a litany which correctly chronicled the sins but of which we were the involuntary subjects or as Tonto said to the Lone Ranger, “what do you mean WE” . Of equal importance the litany did not recognize nor give legitimacy to the history of protests begun by Absalom Jones and carried forward by Alexander Crummel and all those lay and clergy leaders who endured exclusion from the House of Deputies and General Convention until the 1930’s. Also, the litany did not acknowledge nor give legitimacy to the many white Church leaders, known and unknown, who protested slavery, established the colonization societies, and dutifully took messages to the General Conventions from the Conference of Colored Church Workers during the long period when Black folks had no voice much less a vote.It also ignored the many efforts at uplift carried on by black laity and clergy,particularly in education,which continue to be supported by the Nat. Church to this day. As Maya Angelou has so eloquently said, “History with all of its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.” It is to this dictum that we must rededicate ourselves as we go forward.

To conclude, I would like to offer you an invitation in the form of a quotation that I used to open my remarks at the conclusion of the Friday educational event, they were penned by the noted peace maker Vern Neufeld Redekop in his seminal book From Violence to Blessing. In the introduction to his chapter on reconciliation he makes the following observation:

“Reconciliation means to stop imitating the entrenched patterns of past violence, and to imagine, imitate and create life patterns of well being meeting the identity needs of Self and Other.”

I firmly believe that we are struggling mightily to live into this understanding of reconciliation and that we have enough time and effort invested in it to not allow this little bump in the road to set us off track and keeping our eye on the prize. One of the reasons that I delayed writing this letter until after the election was that I was hopeful that Barack Obama’s one person anti-racism training program would prevail, and as he noted, now gives us a chance to make a change. Regardless of how you feel about the election or the growing fears that the alarming economic crisis are raising, now more than ever the Church has to stand up and continue the internal dialogue and the external struggle to combat racism. History teaches us that in these critical moments of transition and the promise of change, the desire to return to the fleshpots of Egypt often keep us prisoners of our fear rather than having the Gospel eyes to see the Red Sea being parted. Now more than ever we must attempt to live into every way that we can find the profound truth of my favorite saying “Let there be peace among us and let us not be instruments of our own or others oppression.”

Thank you for reading this and let us march on until victory is won.

Peace,

Ed Rodman

Thanksgiving/Remembrance Day 2008

Black Like Me, American Like the Rest, or a New American?

2008-11-06T01:23:00.001-05:00

What an amazing time in which we live!

With the election of the first "Black President," comes with much election and so many expectations. Not only in America, but also across the African (and entire) world people have hopes that this will mean something.

See highlights of the watch party at Ebenezer Baptist Church:

I too am excited - albeit cautiously. I guess it's as Congressman John Lewis said in this clip: the election of Barack Obama is not the promised land. And, while we celebrate this true milestone in the development of our Country, I want us to keep our eyes on the prize.

Don't think that the mere election of a Black man means all is well. Reparations means recognizing the value of a Black President. And the question remains: is President-Elect Barack Obama black like me, American like the rest or a new American? What should he be? What will he be?

There are some Blacks who would like to believe that because we have a "Black President," we will finally see our "fair shake" in this Country. There are some who believe that there will finally be due attention paid to the racial disparities in America. There are some who see President-Elect Barack Obama as a "magic bullet" - a savior or sorts, who will make everything better. There are some of us who hope (and expect) him to be "Black like me."

In theory and in truth, there is (and never will be) a "Black President." In theory (but not in truth), there has never been a "White President." The President is - and always will be - constrained by the majority (Government by the People). The majority is White. So, the President will always be directed by the whims of the majority - of White people.

So, will President-Elect Barack Obama be "American" like the rest? Will he continue the status quo? He speaks of how improving education for all will ultimately benefit Black Americans. Will he continue this naieve approach of trickle-down policies in education (and other programs) that he so detests in economics?

Or, will we see a New American? The Obama campaign has shown a coalition of the races, genders, sexualities and other dividing lines. He was able to unite them to head in one direction. Can this new American spirit translate to eradicating racial disparities in this Country?

This later option would be the best. But, it cannot happen without our (Black) effort. We cannot sit back and expect that President-Elect Barack Obama will be able to be the Black man we want him to be. We cannot sit back and allow President Obama to maintain the status quo. But, if we shrink back into political dormancy that is exactly what will happen...majority rule dictates that.

Freedom is only a part of Liberty. Freedom can be given, but Liberty must be taken. And, to this day we have failed to seize hold of Liberty. The only hope is in a New America where everyone embraces Liberty and has a stake in the American Dream, and - Black people - we cannot let this moment pass us by.

America - and the idea of America (Liberty - not imposition of any kind) - is the hopes of all the people in all the world. Just look at the celebration in Kenya:

Seeing a Black man rise to the highest seat of power in the world is truly inspiring. And, one can only imagine what Africans in every corner of the Continent must be thinking. We hope they do not think that President-Elect Barack Obama will be "Black like them" and immidiately address their concerns - allowing them to continue in lack-luster governance and corruption. We hope the leaders of African Governments do not sit back and allow the continuation of the status quo that heaps arduous interest rates on the backs of impoverished countries and uses "humanitarian aid" as a means by which to subject countries to the "Will of the West."

The best option would be for a "New American" President Obama...one who empowers nations to embrace Liberty and self-sufficiency. But, it will be incumbent upon the nations of the world to embrace the ideals of Liberty and call upon those ideals to create not only a more perfect Union, but also a more perfect world.

Make no mistake: President-Elect Barack Obama is not our reparations. But, we have been presented with an opportunity to seize hold of Liberty...around the world, it is ours for the taking.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Barack Obama

Black Women & Sarah Palin

2008-10-27T21:35:00.001-05:00

In all things there is a silver lining. Take Sarah Palin...

Many people see her as a strange pick and question her qualifications. But, there are positives to Sarah Palin. What are they? What benefit can be accrued from her candidacy?

Personally, I feel that American can learn a great deal about Black Women from Sarah Palin. What she has done by choice, Black Women have done for generations out of necessity. It is rare that Black Women are able to choose between career and family. And, the womanhood of Black Women has been called into question by those on the Right - who believe a family woman should be at home. Black Women have also faced attack from those on the Left - who believe a career woman shouldn't be beholden to a family. (Extreme generalizations, yes - but, a snapshot of the issue.)

While at the RNC Convention, I was asked what I thought about Sarah Palin. Thanks to Johnnie Morgan out in Cali for finding this clip for me.

What do you think? I would love to hear from you! Come and Get Your Reparations!

Minds need to be repaired!

2008-10-24T16:05:00.001-05:00

Ok, the crazy is definitely coming out...proving that reparations is still needed.

As I've said, reparations is more about repairing peoples' minds - so that we can think clearly and rationally. There is nothing rational about this:

Here's the original report:

But upon further investigation, we learn that it was all a hoax.

A HOAX!!! What?

The report states that Ms. Todd told multiple stories. She failed a lie detector test. And, the "B" that was carved into her face is backwards - as if done while looking in a mirror. They charged Ms. Todd with filing a false police report. They should also charge her with "Conspiracy to Incite a Riot," don't you think?

Minds need to be repaired!

You mean to tell me that this girl bludgeoned herself and mutilated her own face? That's crazy! And, she did it in order to fuel racial tensions. She blamed the stereotypical "Big Black Man." That's why Ashley Todd should be charged with "Conspiracy to Incite a Riot." Do you remember Emmitt Till?

This is what he looked like before he was accused of whistling at a White woman:

This is what he looked like after being accused of whistling at her:

If this was the result of a Black man being accused of whistling at a White woman, what do we think would happen to a Black man accused of attacking & mutilating a White woman?

Ashley Todd's actions were reckless. And, to go to such lengths over the election only demonstrates the climate. No - to be against Obama is not necessarily racist. But, to frame a Black Man as Ashley Todd did is explicitly racist. And, such lengths imply that minds need to be repaired.

We have work to do. Come and Get Your Reparations!

Ashley Todd, Reparations, Barack Obama, John McCain

Proof that Reparations is STILL Needed...

2008-10-19T23:17:00.001-05:00

At times, you'll hear people arguing against reparations. They'll say: Reparations aren't needed...this stuff happened so long ago. Why can't you people just get over it?

Well, here's a retort: "why can't you people just get over it?!" It seems as if there's still need for repair on both sides of the color line. Did you see this:

Obama Effigy Hung From Noose

It seems to me that reparations is still needed. Minds still need to be changed. Christianity is supposed to be a religion of love. Yet, still our beloved faith is perverted by those who would use it as a bludgeon to oppress others. Christ calls us to be reconciled, one to another in love. Yet, this gentleman spews his hate. As Dennis Brown said: "Love and Hate Can Never be Friends"

Dennis Brown 'Here I Come'

Here folks, is your proof that reparations is still needed. All we need is to look at the anger and hatred that is being uncovered by the prospect of a "Black President." Just like an unhealed wound, Obama's candidacy is the curious child picking at a scab...the wound now throbs with pain.

If we are to truly see CHANGE in America, we must begin "Taking Steps Towards Reparations." If we do, we will reap beautiful fruits. Let's get to work - for the sake of our Country.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Have You Seen the "Obama Bucks?"

2008-10-17T14:35:00.001-05:00

What do you think?

When people can find no other way to express themselves than this, does it not scream for Reparations?

Reparations is not simply for the victim. Or better, the victim is not simply the oppressed. The oppressor (and descendants of the oppressor) are also victimized. In many cases the oppressor's victimization is worse, for the oppressed at least know they've been victims. The oppressor walks around arrogantly, thinking nothing is wrong with them while spewing their hatred.

We all need reparations! Now more than ever...

Come and Get Your Reparations!

McCain - Palin, George Wallace & the Seeds of Hatred and Division

2008-10-14T18:05:00.001-05:00

By now, many of you have heard the remarks by Civil Rights Warrior turned Congressman John Lewis. In a statement dated October 11, 2008, Rep. Lewis said:

Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

Everyone is up in arms about this comment. Even people who agreed with the sentiment have distanced themselves from the implication that the actions of McCain and Palin are similar to those by Governor George Wallace. Even John Lewis has distanced himself from the comments!

Rather than distance ourselves from those comments, Reparations demands that we take the time to deeply analyze the meaning. As for me, I feel this is true. The actions of McCain and Palin are similar to those by George Wallace.

Now, I know that hurts. It hurts McCain deeply, and it angers his supporters. Honestly, I don't believe McCain is a bigot. He's a politician (a desperate one), and he's doing what modern politicians do: what it takes to win. What he needs is excitement. He needs energetic crowds. Based on the demographics of his following, the easiest way to rev up the energy would be as he has done.

So, where are "the seeds of hatred and division?" And, how has McCain been sowing them?

McCain - Palin's Tv Ad: "Dangerous"

People who think in terms of Reparations will understand this immediately. And, others will understand by this explanation. The point is not that McCain is racist. The issue is the environment which is being created - giving comfort for those who are racist to spew their hatred.

Additionally, as in the "glorious days" of the Ku Klux Klan, the McCain Campaign has allowed "preachers" to spew their hatred in the form of prayer - giving comfort to bigots that they are doing God's work. Watch this:

This is why we need reparations. Without reparations, we end up with instances like this:

McCain Supporter At Rally: "Kill Him" - Note McCain's face (he heard it, but said nothing)

These types of comments are being heard all over. These represent a taste of the (unintended) fruits of McCain's seeds. And as difficult as it may be, McCain will have to face the results of his campaign efforts.

This is a delicate situation. It shouldn't be - but it is. Why? Because we've never conferred reparations, and we've never had reconciliation. It is a shame that people must walk on eggshells. But unless and until we deal with the deep-rooted issues that divide us, we will remain divided.

The issue of racism is rearing its ugly head, and forcing us to deal with issues the mainstream wants to tell us are resolved. And, it may not be too much to suggest we raise the racist threat level to high. I hope nothing happens to any of us. I would be saddened and disappointed, but not surprised. Many people are having feelings with which they would rather not deal. And, to be rid of those feelings some are spewing it from their mouths. I hope that's as far as it goes...

That's why Reparations is much more than a check. And, if people really want to have "real debate" on the "issues of concern" they will begin taking steps towards reparations, as I said here before. And, by taking these steps we will be able to create a more perfect Union.

If you love America - you'll work for a more perfect Union, as our Constitution suggests.

If you love America - you'll Come and Get Your Reparations!

The Second Amendment - Ultimate Voter Protection

2008-10-09T12:26:00.003-05:00

Today on Public Radio, I heard an interview with famed Investigative Reporter Greg Palast. He and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. produced a comic book entitled "Steal Back Your Vote."

You can download a copy of the comic book for a donation of any amount. In this comic book, the authors detail ways in which the powers that be are attempting to suppress the votes of Blacks and other minorities. It also details suggestions for how people can "steal back their votes."

Why is it that after the 15th Amendment, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and numerous subsequent provisions we are still talking about voter suppression? Why do we need a so-called "Help America Vote Act" and Election Assistance Commission? Why is it that with every problem, we enact more bureaucracy only to create further problems? This commission was established to deal with the problems of the 2000 Presidential Elections, only to result in the problems of the 2004 Presidential Elections.

Democrats will tell you the fault belongs to Republicans. But when asked why the Democrats won't stand strongly against these tactics, Greg Palast said both Parties are complicit. In a blog post entitled: "The 2008 Election Has Already Been Stolen," it's clear:

BuzzFlash: Then why do you think –
Greg Palast: — why don’t Democrats stand up?
BuzzFlash: The U.S. House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats. It’s like saying, well, $320 million is missing from a bank but we’re not going to investigate that.
Greg Palast: You’re forgetting it’s not about the two parties. Vote theft is mainly a racial issue in America, and it’s a class issue. The white caucus is a lot bigger than the black caucus. They don’t call the Congress a millionaire’s club for nothing. There aren’t many guys in there — or women — who are not millionaires. So it’s the millionaires versus us. It’s the white caucus versus the black caucus, which is of great concern. So the vote is along racial class and economic lines, not along party lines. Party lines are pretty much meaningless. There’s pretty much one party — the party of the cash. But I’m not one of these people that says there’s no difference between the Democratic and Republican Party. The question is: is the difference meaningful? That’s all. When it comes down to voter issues, remember that the Democrats in power there were elected under the racist, broken, classist system. If you fix the voting system, a third of those Democrats could never win a primary. The last thing that they want is poor people to vote.

Now, let me put a picture of Mr. Palast up here so you can see - he's a White man.

I have repeatedly stated that Reparations is a movement of Liberation - of Liberty. When will enough be enough? Reparations - again - cannot be had from external Acts of Congress. Reparations comes from a people freeing themselves from the whims of these thieves.

Behold the Second Amendment - the Right to Bear Arms. Jesse Ventura reminded us at the Rally for the Republic:

It's not about hunting and fishing. If our government gets out of control, we have the right to take it back.

Another site goes further:

The true purpose of the Second Amendment, as noted by Judge Silberman
in his opinion in the appellate court, is to ensure that we the people
would have the means to protect our inalienable rights, among those
rights are life, liberty and our individual pursuit of happiness,
against an oppressive government. And if our government were to violate
our social contract, the people would have a moral obligation “to throw
off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security.”

The Second Amendment is the ultimate voter protection. And, this is why that Amendment exists. Embrace the Second Amendment and watch voter suppression dissapear.

Vote fraud is an infringement upon our Constitutional Rights. It ushers in the tyranny of government against the governed. So long as we are unarmed, the powers that be are able to keep us away from the polls. Then to keep the wool over our eyes, they (Democrats) enact legislation to deepen the myth that they are "on our side."

Where is the Black Panther Party? Abiding by the law, they embraced the Second Amendment and armed themselves to defend the community from government tyranny. If they were still around, do you think we'd be talking about voter suppression? If there were armed Panthers standing outside of polling stations across the Country, do you think Blacks would be illegitimately turned away?

Firearms bans do serve a purpose in the Black community. But, it's not to protect us from crime. Criminals don't need the law in order for them to carry guns. So, don't be fooled that these laws keep guns off the street. They serve to prevent us from embracing Liberty and defending our inalienable rights. And, it will continue so long as we continue to allow it.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Taking Steps Towards Reparations

2008-10-04T13:06:00.007-05:00

O God, may we, the Church, by acknowledging manifold sinfulness in the support of slavery and its associated evils, hereby pledge to adopt a new spirit and application for freedom and respect, leading to redemption and reconciliation, and may we, the Church, henceforth and ever, value and love others as we do ourselves.Here from the closing prayer of the opening litany for the Service of Repentance of the Episcopal Church, we find the formula. First we must acknowledge wrongdoing. Then we must pledge to change our ways. Lastly, we must take actions that lead to redemption and reconciliation.

Today, I attended the Service of Repentance at African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, PA. Let me start with this: I am a skeptic. One of the things which prevent me from being part of the Western Church is the hypocrisy in its absolute refusal to acknowledge its participation in the sin of slavery. If, we as Christians, are to be reconciled one to another, this denial is the ultimate apostasy, and an affront to the Gospel of Christ.

But, in taking steps towards reparations I must explore possibilities.

So, when I was informed about this "Service of Repentance" I had to see for myself - is it real? And, that remains to be seen. I will say this: I was humbled by the level of self-deprecation in the "Litany of Offense and Apology." With such a profound expression, I couldn't help but wonder if people were really hearing what they were saying.

Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori opened the service with these words:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we are gathered here to express our most profound regret that the Episcopal Church lent the institution of slavery its support and justification based on scripture, and after slavery was formally abolished, continued for at least a century to support de jure and de facto segregation and discrimination. We gather to repent, to apologize for our complicity in and the injury done by the institution of slavery and its aftermath and to amend our lives, to commit ourselves to opposing the sin of racism in personal and public life, and to create communities of liberation and justice.

To me - this is the basis for why reparations! Again, this is not about money. But, it is about the true Christian work of reconciliation. And, this is the work of the the Church for clearly the Church "lent the institution of slavery its support and justification based on scripture."

So what is the reparative principle? Well for one, it means that the Church now has a duty to work to lend its support and justification based on scripture to ending racism wherever it exists. And, since the Church "continued for at least a century to support...segregation and discrimination," this commitment must not only be confined to "ending racism," but also - and most especially - to combating the disparities caused by the institution of slavery and the legacy of that institution (discrimination), on down to the present day.

In apologizing for her "complicity," the Church cannot simply say: "I'm sorry." As with personal scenarios, an apology proves futile if it is not accompanied by suggestions of what one will do differently in the future. That is taking steps towarsd reparations: having acknowledged wrongdoing, we must work to make things right. It is this "making things right" that helps to both "amend our lives" and "create communities of liberation and justice."

Reparations is absolutely necessary, and is the natural next step. Bishop Jefferts-Schori continued:

Therefore, I invite you to join me in recalling the lamentable events that scar our past and the wounds that continue in the present. Let us seek God's forgiveness that we may be transformed more fully into the Body of Christ witnessing to God's abundant love.

Many folks - especially Whites - on both sides of the color line are afraid to revisit the events of the past. The principle of Sankofa symbolizes one taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge. It is embodied by two different symbols.

I think these symbols are telling. Of course, we look back in order to understand our past and not repeat it. But, we look back in love - and with love, and for love. It is looking back, and taking ownership of what was done that will cause us to be transformed as a people and as a society.

If you are near an Episcopal Church (even if not Episcopalian), I challenge you to approach the Church to see what they have done and are doing in response to Resolution 123A. The question still remains: is it real? Is this going to be more than a perfunctory gesture to superficially absolve the Church in the eyes of men? Or will this be a truly committed effort to attain absolution in the eyes of God?

After speaking with Bishop Schori, I believe it is her intentions to see this be a committed effort. But, only time will tell if other forces will defeat "the best laid plans..." The battle is difficult, for this service was supposed to be held in the spotlight of Washington, D.C. in the National Cathedral. But, objections drove this effort out of the Nation's Capitol to the outskirts of Philly, where it could happen - almost - in secret.

In future pieces, I will further analyze the litany for you - detailing what it means for us as a people. I will also analyze Bishop Schori's sermon, and the striking things she said. As many have said, our hope is that the word "reparations" is no longer seen as a dirty word, but that people would embrace it as a means by which we can all come to be reconciled one to another, by the Grace of God.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Three Steps to Healing: Repentance, REPARATIONS and Reconciliation

2008-10-03T23:07:00.004-05:00

In 2006, I spoke of Reparations as an Expression of Christian Love. But, it is also a Christian duty.

Today marked the commencement of the Episcopal Church's two-day Service of Repentance. (See article here.) Despite a mandate for the service to be held in the National Cathedral in DC, the service has been hidden away in a historic Black church in Philadelphia. As Dr. Harold Lewis noted, the legacy of slavery is a National Problem - not a Black problem. To deny it the gravitas of the Cathedral and our Nation's Capitol is not a good start.

When asked why they did not hold the Service of Repentance in the Nation's Capitol, the excuse was that it would be too expensive to use the Cathedral. In other words, it would be too expensive for the Church to use its own facilities?! Honestly, that smells fishy...I think we know the real reason for avoiding Washington, D.C.

Nevertheless, there is great work being done in certain pockets of the Episcopal Communion. For instance, the Diocese of Mississippi has formed a Committee on Racial Reconciliation that is recording Church History in the State as it relates to the institution of slavery. There is the Diocese of North Carolina that has conducted its own "Truth and Reconciliation Commission." And, there is the Diocese of Maryland with the Commission on Reparations for Slavery - yes, in Maryland.

As I think on what's been said, I begin to understand the way to relate the importance of this theme. There were churches that profited from slavery...churches that owned slaves. There were priests and bishops that owned slaves.

In the Episcopal Church's General Convention Resolution 123A we read:

Resolved, That we express our most profound regret that (a) The Episcopal Church lent the institution of slavery its support and justification based on Scripture, and (b) after slavery was formally abolished, The Episcopal Church continued for at least a century to support de jure and de facto segregation and discrimination...

So, the Episcopal Church has at least acknowledged that it was complicit in the sin of slavery. They have further acknowledged that, that sin has had (and does have) a profound effect upon our society.

This conference took place after the Race and Reconciliation in America Conference that was hosted by former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen and his wife - actress and playwright - Janet Langhart Cohen. At that conference, it was made clear that "reparations will bring about racial reconciliation." And at this conference, we see the crucial role that repentance plays in all of this.

One White person responded that the discussion was depressing, to which Dr. Lewis said: "the truth sometimes is." A later commentator - also White - reminded us that "gold is refined by fire," and that we must embrace the pain in order to reap the reward.

Reparations is the work of everyone - and it is legitimate (and much needed) work. Reparations should not be a dirty word. It should be a humbling word that helps us to own are faults so that we might truly repent and ultimately reconcile.

So, don't be afraid - Come and Get Your Reparations!

Why Obama Must Win

2008-09-23T13:31:00.003-05:00

Many of you know I am hard on Barack Obama. And, I will continue to be - not because I dislike him...I have nothing against him: I've actually met him and think he's a nice guy. My issue is not with him...my issue is with us - Black people.

My criticism is because we cannot afford to simply rubber stamp any candidate - including a Black one. Yet, in the absence of any real choice (any choice that the majority will research) - and being faced with the lesser of two evils, it's a catch twenty-two. Do we elect the Black candidate (lesser) and at least have a Black man? Or, do we vote against the Black candidate (lesser) and prevent America from blaming Black people for the mess that will come, regardless of if it's McCain or Obama?

To achieve reparations requires us to make tough choices that may seem far fetched. But, that's the reality.

Yet - as I say constantly - I am race-first...not anti-anyone. But, I understand that of all Americans - Black Americans have long been furthest from the Cause of Liberty. And, ultimately Liberty is what we want. So, I must think thus: what puts us closer to the path of Liberty?

Honestly, the best thing would have been for Senator Obama to have lost the Democratic Primary. For or goal is to "capitalize on the new American political landscape." The problem is as Brother Malcolm said:

The black man in North America was sickest of all politically. He let the white man divide him into such foolishness as considering himself a black "Democrat," a black "Republican," a black "conservative," or a black "Liberal"...when a ten-million strong black vote bloc could be the deciding balance of power in American politics...

Right now, Blacks are stuck in the Democratic Party. Not because we necessarily agree with their platform, but essentially because that's what we know. We don't challenge either Party on issues of particular concern, specifically to the Black Community. We simply accept their "cookie-cutter policies" hoping that one day 'ole massa will do right by us!

If Obama had lost in the Primary - if Hillary was allowed to steal the election, maybe Black people would have awakened to a new sense of awareness: neither Party has the interests of Black people at heart...neither has a solution. Maybe if he had lost, the stranglehold of the Democratic Pary would have been loosened, and we would have begun to challenge all Parties to speak to our issues. But, he won...so we move forward.

And, still hoping for a political awakening forces me to realize that only an Obama victory even has the potential to fulfill that goal. For, if he were to loose, the only thing we would do is blame racism - specifically Republican racism. This, in turn, would deepen our blind allegiance to the Democratic Party - leading us further down the road to serfdom.

This is why Obama must win. Or, maybe herein lies yet another angle for why he must not? What do you say?

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Black People Waking Up? Or, Stupid? Your thoughts...

2008-09-20T23:31:00.003-05:00

What do you say?

Come and Get Your Reparations!

First African Country Receives Reparations for Colonialism

2008-09-14T00:19:00.004-05:00

Here's an article reprinted with permission of Mr. Bill Reed:

Under Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s prolonged and persistent pressure for justice, Libya became the first African country to receive apologies and compensation from a former colonial power. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi recently apologized to the North African country for damage Italy inflicted during 40 years of colonial rule and signed an agreement to pay $5 billion as compensation to resolve colonial-era disputes.

Libya’s leader said the settlement opened the door to partnership between the two states. Long a pariah among Western powers, Gaddafi called the treaty “historic” and that it “marked the defeat of colonialism”. Gaddafi said "Tyranny has a price which must be borne by the perpetrators," while Mr. Berlusconi said the deal ended “40 years of misunderstanding”.

Italy was a minor player in European whites’ “Manifest Destiny” of domination over lesser races to shape the world in their image. During their Colonization Period European nations extended their sovereignty over territories beyond their borders by establishment of either settler or exploitation colonies during which indigenous populations were directly ruled, displaced, or exterminated. For almost a century European countries engaged in systems of direct political, economic, and cultural intervention and hegemony over weaker, and almost always non-white, nations. Italy invaded Libya in 1911. It also invaded Ethiopia and occupied Eritrea and Somalia.

When Italy invaded the North African country that borders the Mediterranean, much of the European thinking was that colonialism was legal. Rome and Tripoli Rome have spent years arguing over compensation for the colonial period. But, Gaddafi doggedly pursued reparations and labeled colonialism as “crimes recognized in international law”.

Although the Italian Reparations have numerous self-serving tenets, African leaders are pondering: “Will the move set a precedent?” And, “Whether other former colonial masters will pay reparations for the civil wrongs and human rights abuses they visited on former ‘subjects’”?

Until Italian confession and penance, former colonial powers had refused to acknowledge the legal and moral basis for reparations for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, human rights abuses and other international injustices they committed in Africa. Mr. Berlusconi told Libyan journalists that the $5 billion compensation was a “material and emotional recognition of the mistakes” that Italy had made during colonialism. But, many said say that the deal has much more to do with Italy’s concern about oil and immigrants.

Mr. Berlusconi said he’d pay $200 million for infrastructure projects over the next 25 years, including a coastal highway across Libya from Tunisia to Egypt - to be built by Italian contractors. There will also be a colonial-era mine clearing project. Italy also returned an ancient statue of Venus, the headless “Venus of Cyrene”, taken to Rome during colonial times.

Italy has been swamped by thousands of African migrants trying to reach its shores by boat and Berlusconi wants Gaddafi to crack down on African migrants and Italy is to pay for $500 million of electronic monitors along Libya’s coast as part of the compensation package.

“In this historic document, Italy apologizes for killing, destruction and repression Libyans during the colonial rule,” Col Gaddafi said. Gaddafi has pushed for the United States of Africa for years. Libya is a North African country that borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north and lies between Egypt to the east and Sudan to the southeast, the former Ottoman territory is an area of almost 700,000 square miles, 90 percent of which is desert. Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa by area, and the 17th largest in the world. Oil was discovered in 1958 and has transformed its economy. The capital, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of Libya's 5.7 million people.

Now that Libya has been compensated by its former colonial master, who will follow suit? France, a major ex-colonial force in Africa, downplayed the treaty as "strictly an arrangement between Italy and Libya to enhance relations between Libya and the international community, including European".

Proper restitutions will begin when all Europeans acknowledge they benefited from colonialism and that it was a crime against humanity whose consequences are still with us.

If they can do it, so can we. What do you think? Is it possible for other African countries to get their reparations? Is it possible for us? What do you have to say?

Come and Get Your Reparations!

What is Stopping Black Liberation?

2008-09-11T22:00:00.005-05:00

I was thinking about this song, and the rallying cry of M1 and Stick. We as a people, have been saying we want freedom...that we are still enslaved. And, I thought of it in light of this:

If freedom is what we want, it is ours for the taking. Let the revolution begin.
-Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto

This has been the aim of Black Liberation - freedom. And, here's someone stating that - in America - freedom is ours for the taking, if we want it. How could that be?

In the conclusion of his book defining the path to Liberty, Dr. Paul says:

Ours is not a fated existence, for nowhere is our destiny etched in stone. In the final analysis, the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves. If the people want to be free, if they want to lift themselves from underneath a state apparatus that threatens their liberties...and spews forth endless propaganda about how indispensable it is and how lost we would all be without it, there is no force that can stop them.

Basically, the theory of this book is that if people return to the Constitution they will find the tools to ensure their Liberty. So, it should be said that if we embrace the Constitution we will fin the tools to ensure Black Liberation...because if we want to be free there's no force that can stop us.

Now, of course some will say I'm naive and that the government stops us, or the system stops us, or racism stops us. But, you know something?

Excuses are tools of incompetence. They build monuments of nothingness and bridges that lead to nowhere. Those who specialize in excuses seldom excel in anything else.

And, as I read Dr. Paul's book I had to face the harsh reality. The statement still remains, "if freedom is what we want, it is ours for the taking."

So, what is stopping Black Liberation? What is preventing Black people from securing Liberty? Could it be that we don't really want freedom? What do you think?

Let the revolution begin. Come and Get Your Reparations!

Why Did We Not Hear About this More?

2008-09-08T10:30:00.004-05:00

And, then look how he tries to use Clarence Thomas to validate his argument.

The only problem with O'Reilly is that Clarence Thomas is Black and he felt as though he was being lynched. We have some waking up to do! What do you think of this issue?

People say, "why can't we just move forward? Why can't people just forget?"

Well, this is a classic example of why we can't move forward, and why we can't forget. And, these aren't just the sentiments of a Black man. These sentiments are shared by President Bush.

Did you hear his comments in the first clip? If you didn't pay much attention to them, please listen again. They're very powerful, and I think they have great application to the Jena 6 mess. What do you think?

45 Years Later - A Dream Deferred

2008-08-28T13:23:00.005-05:00

I fear that a Black president would be an excuse for some to say, "We've paid our debt," and to avoid the much harder work.

Today we commemorate the 45th Anniversary of the so-called "I Have a Dream" speech. I say "so-called" because the speech was over 2/3 complete before Dr. King starts speaking about a "Dream."

Forty-five years ago, Dr. King mounted the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to demand justice. As he said, he came to "cash a check." Forty-five years ago he said, "when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to every American was to fall heir.

"This was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation."

Watch and listen to the speech as you read on:

Forty-five years ago, Dr. King did not simply espouse a Dream where "little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little White boys and White girls and walk together as sisters and brothers." Racial reconciliation is the culmination of this Dream. But, in Dr. King's "Dream" this reconciliation cannot happen until this nation rises up to "live out the true meaning of it's creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

You see, Reparations will help us to realize the Dream.

We will not all be created equal until the child born in the ghetto has the same chance to achieve greatness as the child born in the suburbs. We will not all be created equal until a Black person going to a hospital has the same chance of survival as the White person in the same hospital. We will not be created equal until "Black Culture" is part and parcel of American Culture, and not treated as some sort of "sub-culture."

Reparations will help us to realize the Dream.

The dream is not realized simply because a Black man stands as the Democratic Nominee. And, the "fierce urgency of now" is this: the opportunity for us to make progress on overcoming racial disparities is slipping away.

You hear pundits, preachers and politicians alike declaring that this moment marks the "Post-racial" era. They want you to believe that Obama's nomination will open the flood-gates of opportunity for Black people. But, the National Urban League tells a different story.

Take the housing crisis for example. Urban League President Marc Morial states:

In fact, according to 2006 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, more than 50 percent of blacks received subprime loans compared with less than 18 percent of whites.

People will use Senator Obama's nomination (on the Anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" Speech) as a testament to the "progress" that's been made. They will all be proud of the "Color Blind Society." But, United for a Fair Economy states in their "State of the Dream 2008" report:

Because people of color are disproportionately poor, many individuals will be helped by some of the proposals. But the "color-blind" nature of the policies will not have any effect on closing the racial economic gap. In fact, race is conspicuously absent from the Democrats' agenda.

Reparations will help us to realize the Dream. Affirmative Action has failed us. And, Black Presidential candidates are not the solution. Yes, it feels good. But, feeling good "don't pay the bills."

Those who have read the entire text of this "I Have a Dream" speech realize that he's arguing for a form of reparations. Yet, while we compare Senator Obama to Dr. King on this (now doubly) important date in history, we're faced with the fact that Senator Obama is against reparations. He says:

If we have a program, for example, of universal health care, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because they're disproportionately uninsured," Obama said. "If we've got an agenda that says every child in America should get — should be able to go to college, regardless of income, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because it's oftentimes our children who can't afford to go to college.

Yet, United for a Fair Economy says again:

Moving everyone one rung up the ladder won't change the fact that those on the lower rungs are disproportionately people of color.

And, those on the lower rungs will continue to be on the lower rungs...moving the ladder up higher doesn't manifest equality - only a higher standard of inequality.

Tonight, you will hear them speak of racial progress. Yet, as Bill Reed points out:

White households’ average net worth of $468,200 is six times that of black households’ $75,000. Blacks’ plight is not being represented in political parties’ platforms and if nothing is done to accelerate black progress, it will take blacks 6 years to close the high school graduation gap, 71 years to close the disparities in college graduation and 581 years to close gaps in per-capita income gap and 1,664 years for the one in home ownership.

If you haven't seen enough, here are some more sites:

All of this, and they lull us to sleep by saying that Barack Obama is the realization of Dr. King's Dream.

Now, my problem is not with Obama. This is the mainstream and the media using this situation to their benefit. This is the mainstream using this historic moment as another opportunity to further neutralize the political power of the Black community.

Reparations will help us to realize the Dream.

Forty-five years ago, Dr. King did not speak out simply so that Black men could run for President. Dr. King spoke out demanding equality. So, I say to you today, my friends, that the dream is yet to be achieved. I say that we still have much work to do. I say, go ahead and support Obama if you like. Yet regardless of your choice, to realize the dream we must become vigilant. We must organized if we are to protect ourselves from those who will day that "racism is dead."

In a 2004 questionnaire, Senator Obama told the NAACP, "I fear that reparations would be an excuse for some to say, 'We've paid our debt,' and to avoid the much harder work."

Well, I agree. And, I fear that a Black president would be an excuse for some to say, "We've paid our debt," and to avoid the much harder work." So, let's get to work!

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Reparations Will Address Specific Black Concerns

2008-08-06T15:58:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, the UHURU Movement challenged Senator Obama at a rally in St. Petersburg, FL. Here's the video:

Reparations will address specific Black concerns. Senator Obama will not address the concerns of the Black Community, until more of us challenge him as these brothers did. In order for us to challenge him, we must have an agenda. And, once we challenge him we must be able to hold him accountable for his response. Here's the link to some more background on his response, from SleptOn Magazine.

Reparations will address specific Black concerns. We can expect no political figure - Black/White/Other - to think about the Black Community until we force the issue. On our Google Group, we invite you to help us put together a viable program for reparations.

Reparations will address specific Black concerns, but we are the ones who must develop the plan. Let's see if you have some ideas to move this forward...

Come and Get Your Reparations!

There is No Excuse...

2008-08-06T12:57:00.002-05:00

I’m sorry, Torch Snatchers!

Last night, we were to discuss the Rising Tide Theory and Senator Obama’s stance on reparations. In our response, we called Obama’s position naïve. Well, some people have considered our response a bit harsh and unfair to Senator Obama. Some say that we ought to wait until he wins the election before we start making demands. So, to address this issue we scheduled last night’s Reparative Talk Radio program: “Does a Rising Tide Really Lift All Boats? The Obama Doctrine.”

We were all set to discuss the issue and present the foundation for a viable reparations plan that could be promoted by a presidential candidate. I think it is quite possible to extend such a tax exemption for the same amount of generations as were enslaved (i.e. four generations of slaves = four generations of exemption). What do you think? If you don’t mind, would you enter your thoughts here?

Yesterday, technology struck: difficulties with our internet service precluded us from completing the show. So, I would like to apologize to all of you for the confusion and hope you will continue to support our efforts.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Reparations Will Protect Us from Obama's Naiveté

2008-08-04T16:37:00.005-05:00

Ok...if you read the blogosphere you'll see many people outraged that Obama has voiced his opposition to Reparations. Now, I definitely understand why he made that stance. As Jeremiah Wright said, "Barack Obama is a politician, and he does what politicians do." How can we believe that he would say anything different?

Now, what Senator Obama says sounds nice. And, frankly as US President that is the most we can - and should - expect him to say. Nevertheless, we must understand that in this instance a rising tide may raise all boats, but some boats will still be sinking.

Reparations will protect us from Obama's naiveté. If one person stands 5'6" and another at only 5', and we put them both on the same 4" platform, the first person will remain 6 inches taller than the other, right? That is the shortsightedness of Senator Obama's thinking on this issue.

Black people are at a disadvantage. Those in the race of capitalism do not need any head starts. If indeed the race goes to the swift, why not find ways to put everyone at the same starting point and let competition determine who wins?

So, reparations will protect us from Obama's naiveté. Because, there is no way that programs to help "all" Americans will ultimately benefit Black Americans. For, through programs to benefit all Americans, Black Americans will continue to be behind...we will continue to be at a disadvantage.

Yet, I am not one to call for greater government intervention into the affairs of Black People. I believe that greater intervention comes at the detriment of our community. Ultimately, the solution will come from within ourselves. Especially being of the minority, there is no way that the Federal Government will ever do anything for the distinct benefit of our interests.

We must remember, Senator Obama is running for President of America...not of Black America. And, he will not do anything specific for Blacks simply because he's Black. The only way he will be justified in doing anything specific for Blacks is if the Black Community is active and engaged, forcing Obama to address our concerns.

Reparations will protect us from Obama's naiveté because if we as Black people put all our hopes in him, we will be lost. As Professor Vernellia Randall said to The Huffington Post: aid to the poor in general won't close the gaps poor blacks would still trail poor whites, and middle-class blacks would still lag behind middle-class whites. Instead, assistance must be aimed directly at the people facing the after-effects of slavery and Jim Crow laws.

The best response for obtaining reparations comes from the Late Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie:

The people themselves must come to realize their own difficulties in the development of their community and try to solve them by collective participation following an order of priority and taking their potentiality into account.

It is well known to you all that recognizing one's problems and striving hard to challenge them is a mark of an attempt at self-sufficiency. Self help in the benefits to be acquired through education, will save the individual from asking someone's assistance.

It is our responsibility to do the work necessary to obtain reparations. To be fixed by someone else would only replace one form of dependence with another. So no, I do not want Senator Obama to endorse a government sponsored reparations plan - not yet. We're not ready...and frankly that would let society off the hook. But, I will say that the Senator's public statement is quite shortsighted.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Reparations Will Bring About Racial Reconciliation

2008-07-26T08:58:00.005-05:00

This past Thursday & Friday, I had the honor of covering the Race & Reconciliation in America Conference. It was hosted by former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen and his wife - actress and playwright - Janet Lanhart Cohen.

The conference was amazing. And, on your behalf we conducted many interviews: Louis Gossett, Jr. ("Fiddler" from Roots), Noel Ignatiev (Author of How the Irish Became White), Peggy McIntosh (scholar on White Privilege), former Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander, Simeon Wright (Emmitt Till's cousin), and the Cohens. All of them spoke to us about Reparations and the need for Reparations.

Reparations will bring about racial reconciliation. Like the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey stated, we work to "conserve the rights of our Noble Race, while respecting the rights of all mankind, believing always in the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God." Ultimately, we are to be reconciled. And, in order to have true reconciliation we must have truth. But, some "can't handle the truth!"

Yet, truth was the spirit of this conference. And, the Cohens did a great job at starting the discussion. When we analyzed the "Meeting David Wilson" documentary, the downfall was the discussion afterwards. It was far too academic - even the two Davids had that opinion. We need discussions on racial issues, and that discussion must be at the level of the community.

At the Race and Reconciliation Forum, people were very open. Discussions became intense at times, but were always conducted in love. It was a great step - but it must be carried forward. Follow up is crucial if any true headway is to be made.

This is just an intro post. In the days and weeks to come, we will dissect these interviews and observations to give you more insight. So, brace yourself - there were some very surprising comments on reparations...all leading to one conclusion.

Reparations will bring about racial reconciliation. But, that will only happen if we have honest discussions about the rift. What do you think needs to be discussed? What topics need to be addressed? You can post your comments here or in our group.

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Reparations Will Free Us from the Burden of Misleaders

2008-07-16T07:08:00.004-05:00

After a long hiatus, last night we had the re-emergence of "Reparative Talk Radio!" The topic for discussion was: "Must We Wait Until They Die?" And, the issue at hand (born of Jesse Jackson's comments) was how to deal with the hoard of misleaders and irrelevant organizations of the Black Establishment that are preventing the progress of the people. The answer is that: reparations will free us from the burden of misleaders.

Here's the show:

Reparations will free us from the burden of misleaders. Those such as Jesse Jackson would like us to continue arguing the same dead end points, shirking personal responsibility for Government responsibility and asking us to wait on the benevolence of malevolent institutions.

Must we wait until they die? To me, the stakes are too high for us to "wait until they die." Dr. King told us, "Why We Can't Wait." If you have not read that book, you can purchase a copy in our book store: Reparations Books. Yet, that book clearly explains the thoughts of his generation in the struggle against those who felt that civil rights needed to wait.

Well, now we are faced with those who say that the fight against racial disparities must wait. We are faced with Jesse Jackson and others who continue us down the path that has led to unparalleled racial disparities. And, they want us to wait...Yet if you think about it, each of you can give me at least 5 reasons why we cannot wait. And, if you understand "Why We Can't Wait," you also understand why reparations will free us from the burden of misleaders...

Now, Come and Get Your Reparations!

Reparations Will Bring Blacks Better Leadership

2008-07-10T14:35:00.003-05:00

I do not know if you have seen this. But, watch it first - then we will talk...

Reparations will bring Blacks better leadership. We have talked on a couple occasions about crabs in the barrel. And, it affects us at every level. A few months ago, I spoke with a prominent Black Congressman and Obama supporter who described this problem. And, it resulted in this posting. This Congressman told me that the reason other prominent Blacks are not supporting Barack is that they are Crabs in the Barrel. He said they feel that Barack has not paid his dues - that they have been around longer than him and he needs to wait.

This is indicative of the larger problem that is stalling our community. Black Leadership that refuses to pass the torch to the younger generation. These Civil Rights Stalwarts believe that because we have not walked with Dr. King, participated in Bloody Sunday, had to endure segregation or faced any other of those ills that we are not entitled to take the reins of the Movement. They want us to sit by and watch them lead us into greater and greater disparities.

But, reparations will bring Blacks better leadership. Our current leaders place the emphasis at the wrong point of the problem. These are the same leaders who guided us into greater racial disparities than faced at any time since slavery. These are the same leaders who - as the masses became poorer - enriched themselves from the struggle.

So, now - as they told Bill Cosby - they tell Barack Obama that he is "talking down to Black people." These are the same misleaders who lull us to sleep while society runs amok, utterly destroying our community. They are the ones who have us all confused.

Reparations will bring Blacks better leadership, leadership that will stop us from waiting for the Government to do something for us, and inspire us to do for self! Self-sufficiency is what we need, not more Government programs and greater Government dependence. We need freedom!

Why wait for the Government to help us? Do we really trust them to be benevolent? Do we really believe that they will act out of the goodness of their hearts to do what needs to be done in order to better the Black Community?

So, why must we be concerned about what the Government is or is not doing to improve racial disparities? What are we doing to overcome racial disparities? Or, are you saying that we do not have the ability to solve our own problems?

It is futile to wait for a negligent government to start caring. It is pointless for us to hope that a system built to work against us will magically - without our effort - begin to truly embrace and support us. It is ludicrous to expect that more money or government programs will erase the damage that has been done to the Black Community.

Current Black Leaders are little more than substitute teachers...stand-ins to carry us from the era of Dr. King and Malcolm X to whomever will step in to fill the void. They have been complaining about the same problems for about 40 years. Ever since King and Malcolm were assassinated, nothing has been done...the same problems persist.

It is time to snatch the torch from these stalwarts and set some of them out to pasture. Those who leave willingly would be more than welcome to serve as advisers because we cannot forget our past, and their lessons are invaluable. But, if we do not act now the jealousy and complacency of these misleaders will bring us to destruction. The people are counting on you...

Come and Get Your Reparations!

Reparations Will Give You a Proper Understanding of Holy Scripture

2008-07-09T06:48:00.004-05:00

This posting was sparked by a few events. First, I was in attendance at a "RoundTable" discussion entitled, "Politics and the Pulpit." It's a precarious topic because I do not agree that the Government, Political Parties or any organization can empower the Church. The Church's Power - and empowerment - comes from God alone. And, although I disagree with that premise, I honestly thought it was a commendable effort by the group's founder to engage Black Hill Staffers and others in discussion about issues of substance. Yet, the speech by Senate Chaplin Barry C. Black was indicative of foundational problem affecting our people.

Chaplin Black spoke of what he called our "dual citizenship" in heaven and on earth. And, you could tell from the subsequent discussion that many were uncomfortable with what was said. It reminds me of some of those plantation preachers who consistently and singularly preached the slaves obedience to his master.

Reparations will give you a proper understanding of Holy Scripture. And, with that proper understanding we will understand the importance of our role as a people. It is the preaching of misleaders that has us throwing away the Holy Bible as "a book distorted by White People for the subjugation of all others." It is the twisting of the Word of God that leads us to try and discredit Christianity as "the White Man's Religion."

The Holy Bible teaches submission, not subservience. Christ preaches meekness, not docility. There is no "dual citizenship." We owe our allegiance to earthly authorities only as they are in submission to God. Yet even when they are out of line, we do not resist their "authority" out of our respect for God.

There can be no "dual citizenship," for St. Paul tells us in Philippians: "our citizenship is in heaven." And, Christ tells us that "no one can serve two masters...for he will either love the one and hate the other, or hate the one and love the other." So, to tell someone that Christian Faith demands us to be "patriotic" is a perversion of the Truth.

Reparations will give you a proper understanding of Holy Scripture. And, it was that proper understanding that drove countless many of the Ancient Church to submit themselves to mutilation and martyrdom under Diocletian and other tyrants of old. It was that proper understanding that comforted numerous American slaves as they endured mutilation and tyranny of America's Diocletians and despots. And, it was that proper understanding that culminated in the "Era of American Martyrdom" that we refer to as the Civil Rights Era. (You may wish to read Wade in the River to learn more about this.)

Allow this clip to put things in perspective:

See: reparations will give you a proper understanding of Holy Scripture. And, by no means is this a political posting. I place that clip her for this purpose: how can on (Dr. Dobson) be so arrogant as to speak of someone twisting words of Scripture when Western Civilization itself was built on a perversion of Scripture? Do not accept this perversion! Take Action!

St. Paul also instructs us that we are to follow the Gospel as it was preached by the Apostles...and that any preaching of the Gospel (Scriptures) that is not in alignment with those early teachings must be regarded as invalid. When we do this, we will understand our role as a people...and as humanity.

Come and Get Your Reparations!