Disturbingly on target
A number of  readers
pass us around to their friends via e-Mail. Last weeks cover
story, Bush's
Black Attack Dogs, made the list of D. V. Poole. Here's some
of what Brother Poole said.
This article from the September 2,
2004 online issue of The Black Commentator (blackcommentator.com)
is painfully, disturbingly on target. Given our direct review,
discussions
and observations, we advised in Spring 2003 that the political
Administration appeared to be INTENT upon creating obstacles to anything
that would
directly raise the Black vote. We believe this to be strategically
deliberate, well thought out (and not free of a certain level
of malice), and specifically implemented.
The tends
to be radical, highly culturally conscious, and African American
Centric. Directionally, I tend to agree with
their overall
observations but tend to take great exception to the final conclusions
often drawn. This time, however, they are consistent with my
own observations.
Most recently, there have been a spate of stories
out of Florida where the Florida State Police have opened files and
visited
in their homes
more senior-aged African Americans (over 50 and up) who have
been "seen" as "active" in voter registration
and voters' rights activities
in
Florida....Especially in Dade and Broward Counties where in 2000
thousands of African American voters (1) had their votes mysteriously
"thrown
away," (2) wound up on the "Former OR Suspected Former
Felons" lists
that Florida refused to vet before the election, (3) had to navigate
past police cruisers to get to designated voting places, and,
finally, (4) were steered away from voting places by White officials
who pointedly
told people, "they are already closed."
With the amount of documentation on these practices, you must
understand that the Department of Justice found no cause for
a Federal level
investigation. Of greater distress to myself and others - who,
I will remind you, tend
to the Independent Fiscal Conservative in our views - is what
appears to be an absence from the field of the top African American
politically-oriented
institutions in (A.) focusing attention on the need to establish,
counter-observation, video-surveillance, and protection for African
Americans who wish to
vote and (B.) energizing our country to protect the right and
power of the Vote in the nature of a free Republic.
Remember, carefully, the hatreds unleashed upon African Americans
as a people by first, Reagan's "Welfare Queens," and then by
Bush I's "Willie Horton Campaign." Understand that we have
not recovered from these "Blows In Blackface." And
perceive with great clarity that the Karl Roves of the world
actively court,
solicit, support, grant favor to, promote, encourage, endorse,
embrace, seek funding from, reward, and advise those groups of
people who actively
to this day seek the harm, hurt, containment, impoverishment
and economic destruction of non-European-ancestried Ethnic Americans
(particularly
Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American,
and Native American/First Nations Peoples). Nothing grieves me
as much
as finding myself writing these words. However, be advised: If
you want to flush out the things under rocks, shine a light under
it. No
darkness can be sustained under the constant and unremitting
light of truth.
So! Bracing for some of the backwash on this, I wish for you
to read this with great care. There is way more truth underlying
BlackCommentator.com's
observations than is remotely healthy for any form of Democracy
to indulge, let alone promote. And make no mistake, we find the
intent
of creating a highly divisive America using Ethnic Minorities
as convenient pawns exactly what the political authoritarian
manipulists
behind the
current Administration have done, are doing, and will continue
to execute. And if I seem a tad angry, consider that I am far
more highly
annoyed.
And I am distressed to find this country so "happily" embracing
tactical policies similar to those espoused in the 1924 political
work, Mein
Kampf. The unlearned lessons of history are doomed to repetition
until we understand the need to be the higher level of peoples
in spirit
that we were meant to be. This cannot happen when a dominant
political party embraces a raison d'etre to alienate selected
populations for
whatever the reasons. And no democracy or republic can long sustain
it.
We are, as are most Americans, simply capable and endowed as
BETTER than this. Our real challenge is going to be in seeking
out the balance
necessary to reach such a goal.
Richard Macintosh is a Radio BC listener.
The Radio BC on the Swift Boat to Nowhere is right on the mark! Exactly!
Thank you.
Our commentary of June 24, 2004 on the Hip-Hop leadership conference
brought this reaction from a person known as DPEASEHEAD.
While I agree that there is no legitimate hip-hop leadership currently
in existence, and that a lot of hip-hop is foolish, self-hating
minstrelism, I do have problems with the established civil rights
leadership. Whom,
I ask, allowed the vacuum to form within the Black youth community
in which forms of gangster "culture" have thrived? After
hundreds of years of the same thing, why wasn't the Civil Rights
establishment ready for the election shenanigans in Florida or
in any other state
where the possibility of scamming Blacks exists? Why hasn't it
been more effective in preserving Black-owned farmland, in gaining
justice
for Black farmers or in combating a racist "criminal justice
system" gone
mad?
I think that there are too many naive people in the Civil Rights
community who trust American (White dominated) institutions
to do the right thing in spite of their history of almost never doing
the right
thing, and in spite of their real interest in maintaining Black
disadvantage. I believe that there are too many reactionaries in
the Civil Rights
community who hate and fear Black youth as much as the White
racists whom they allegedly oppose.
I think too much time is spent
celebrating
incomplete victories, leaving youth and others to deal with
the consequences and realities of those long ago and incomplete victories.
Hip-hop "leadership" is
not our biggest problem.
Having read the Think
Piece in our September 2, 2004 issue, "The Continuing
Miseducation of the Negro" by Edward Rhymes Ph.D., Blogger
Sondjata found
numerous problems with the information presented and called his very
interesting critique "Cosby on the Brain".
I'm not sure if Bill Cosby has ever gotten so much midshare among
AA's since the heyday of The Cosby Show. It is most disturbing
to see how otherwise educated and informed people choose to demonize
Bill
Cosby on the basis of incomplete reporting and a whole mess of
supposition and innuendo. The Black Commentator, whom has had some
of the best "progressive" black
writings found on the Web, has continued to sink into the quagmire
of Cosby hating, and has employed numerous others ( white even)
to continue to pile garbage on Cosby. After a two week reprieve BC
came
back with more vitrole in the sideways commentary of one Dr. Edward
Rhymes. Now after Dr. Rhymes' last guest column on that site I
sent him a copy of my original commentary and we had a pleasant
exchange
where we ultimately agreed to disagree on the specific subject
that some blacks equate being eduucated as being white. Now we are
all entitled
to our own opinion, but as a Dr. and teacher, Dr. Rhymes knows
that he should be able to present alternative arguments or at least
indicate
that such positions exist. To begin his latest commentary Dr. Rhymes
says:
It is the relative ease in which we as a people appear to believe
the worst about ourselves. While a great deal of time and dialogue
has been spent, lately, on our presumed sociopathic behaviors,
we have ignored something even more sociopathic – our disturbing
tendency to demonize ourselves.
I must agree. In fact just today I had to respond to someone online
who insisted that blacks were inherently intellectually inferior
to whites and possibly everybody else on the planet. Their "proof" being
the apparent lack of "known" geniuses" and "accomplishments" in
the hard sciences. So on this point I must agree with Dr. Rhymes.
Rhymes continues:
It appears that if we hear something negative about ourselves
we are quick to take ownership. “Black people are drugs addicts and
drug dealers,” and our response? “Yep, that’s us.” “Most
Black folks are lazy and on welfare,” and our response? “Yep,
that’s us.” It seems that we don’t challenge, we
won’t question and we do ourselves a great disservice.
I'm not sure who Dr. Rhymes is talking about. Certainly I have not
heard any black celebrities (including Dr. Cosby) make any claim
that most black folks are lazy (though the argument could be made,
but
not the way it's being set up here). Nor have I heard any black "leader" or "celebrity" (including
Dr. Cosby) claim that blacks make the most of the persons on welfare.
Most of the blacks that I know, who are critical of black behavior
themselves, will quickly point out that whites make up the majority
of the welfare cases regardless of what the TV tells us. So I would
like for Dr. Rhymes to at least substantiate his claim by pointing
out which celebrity has made such claims and when.
Rhymes continues:
Nowadays I can rarely turn on my television or radio without
hearing some African-American analyst defending affirmative
action (almost
apologetically) as if we, as blacks, have been the greatest
beneficiaries of it. This just isn’t the case. Although
ethnic minorities have greatly benefited from affirmative action
policies, white
women, statistically, have benefited more than any other group
from affirmative
action.
Again, Dr. Rhymes has it right when he says that blacks have been
the main defenders of Affirmative Action. He is also correct when
he states that white women are the main beneficiaries of such programs.
Again, I would like for Dr. Rhymes to provide us with the names of
Celebrities or leaders who have been saying that blacks are the main
beneficiaries. From my perspective the leadership, celebrities and
educators that I know of, all decry the fact that Affirmative Action
has been diluted to be a "diversity gimmick" rather than
a true repairative tool for African-Americans.
Rhymes continues:
We are portrayed as oversexed or lascivious and yet the porn and adult
entertainment industry is dominated by whites. Luke Skywalker, R.
Kelly and Snoop Dogg are mere drops in the bucket compared to Hugh
Hefner, Larry Flint and the Hustler, Penthouse and Playboy empires.
Nevertheless, it is African Americans that get accused of being rampant,
sexual beasts, unable to control our urges, unable to keep our legs
crossed, unable to keep it in our pants. And do we take a stand against
such flawed and misleading characterizations? No, on the contrary,
we are more than willing to accept full title to them.
Well we all should know about the source of sexual anxiety in white
America. But, ummm, has Dr,. Rhymes been studying the porn industry?
I mean, I want to know? what kind of research has he been doing? Well
ok.. I'm kidding. I just wanted comic relief.
Rhymes continues:
It also seems that we love to decry the notion that our young
people can tell us what the words are to the latest rap album,
but can’t
tell us who James Baldwin is. My beautiful brothers and sisters,
allow me to let you in on something: I have taught more white students
than I have black students and I know a great many white students
who cannot recite the preamble to the Constitution or the Declaration
of Independence and can’t tell you who William Lloyd
Garrison is, but can tell you the lyrics to the latest Ludacris
song. How
come they don't come under the same condemnation as our African-American
students? Once again, a shortcoming that is prevalent in society
becomes a specific black identifier.
I was going to save this one for last but I'll touch it now. Again,
I don't believe that a single celebrity or leader has stated that
black people have all the problems and whites don't. If I'm wrong
I would
invite Dr. Rhymes to provide us with specifics as to who said what
and when. The issue with many of us "self critiquers",
especially those of the Garveyite strain, is that while "all
have fallen short" what we do has a larger impact on us than
those of whites. One common comment I hear among my peers is that
a white youth who
wants to act a fool in school can decide later in life to straighten
out and take advantage of tha racial preferences afforded him in
hiring, housing etc. Not that it's fair or right, but that it's an
option,
and option often taken. However when black youths squander their
time in school, the sysem is so crafty that they may find themselves
at
a permanent extra disadvantage. When a group has as many disadvantages
on it, such as those detailed in the Urban League's numerous reports,
it should be understood why blacks who want us to "rise up" would
be extremely critical of negative behaviors of certain black youths.
It is a mistake to then imply that by being so critical we are overlooking
the dumb behaviors of whites. I believe that this is the point missed
by Dr. Rhymes and, unfortunatly, The editors of The Black Commentator.
Dr. Rhymes continues:
We are crossing the dangerous threshold where myth is becoming
reality and reality is becoming myth (this is increasing
with each passing
day). We have cloaked ourselves in the stereotypes of the most
contemptible aspects of this society and have treated them
as if they are unique
to our culture and identity. Makes no difference to us if the
majority of drug dealers and users are white, makes no difference
if the “typical” criminal
is a white, non-Hispanic male or that black males are less
prone to abuse their partners than whites.
Dr. Rhymes puts out questionable information here. The Department
of Justice in a report entitled Violence By Intimates published in
1998 showed that while Blacks have shown the greatest decrease in
incidences of murders by intimates, the rate of murders by intimates
are 3 to5
times the rate of white males/females. So while it would be correct
to state that blacks have been putting in work to decrease the rates,
the fact is that at the end of the day we are killing each other
more often than whites. Also according to the same publication poor
people,
regardless of race, have up to a 7.8x rate of domestic violence than
those making $75,000 or more. So, for instance, when Dr. Cosby directed
his attention to "the lower economic people" and asking
them ( the men) to stop beating on the women, he was dead on target.
Of
course we can argue that all people should stop domestic violence,
but as stated earlier we, my peers, are concerned with what blacks
are doing.
Similarly, with the issue of drug dealing: It would be agreed
that most drug dealers and purchasers are white. But what does that
really matter to those in housing projects and other places where
the black drug dealers are killing their kids and making thier neighborhoods
unlivable? They are concerned with the black drug dealers and users
they have to face each and everyday, Why should we NOT address those
individuals? Again, this doesn't negate the facts of use and dealing
it merely puts them in a context.
Dr Rhymes Continues:
Where was the “well done” for our young black sisters when
the press release from the National Center for Health Statistics (dated
December 17, 2003) stated that teenage pregnancy had gone down by 30
percent in the past decade and that the sharpest drop of any group
was African-American teenage girls – 40% in the last decade and
50% since 1991? Where was the collective “bravo” for our
young people when the U.S. Department of Education's National Center
for Education Statistics and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau
of the Census acknowledged that the African-American dropout rate (as
of 2001) was at 10.9% - the lowest it’s ever been? Also, it was
almost identical to the national average (meaning all students) of
10.7%. Most of us appear to be unaware of this information – so
it appears that our youth aren’t the only ones who need to study
more. Yes, I’d love to see the dropout rate down to 0%; but that
shouldn’t preclude us from celebrating what we have achieved.
I think it would be wonderful if none of our young women became
pregnant in their teenage years, but I am proud of what they
have done. The
high-profile prophets of black negativity, who are so geared
up to impugn our youth, could not be found to herald their triumphs
just
as enthusiastically.
Again, like he did in the reporting on domestic violence, Dr, Rhymes
gives us a partial picture of teen pregnancy in black communties.
The Guttenberg Institute released a report entitled U.S. Teen Pregnancy
Statistics shows that while it is indeed true that the rate of black
teen
pregnancy has dropped dramatically, black teen pregnancy rates(15-19
yoa) is almost twice that of whites (71.4/1000 vs. 154/1000). In
fact, the same report shows that in every state that kept records,
the black
rate of pregnancy is always higher than that of whites. However it
must be noted that in raw numbers whites teens get pregnant more
than black teens, except in New Jersey and New York (a focus area
of Bill
Cosby). Now I won't get into the philosphical argument about whether
teen pregnancy and abortion is right or wrong. Nor will I say that
the drop in the rate is not to be commended, but clearly, if teen
pregnancy is an issue of concern, then the rates are still an issue
of concern.
On the drop out rate, I question these numbers. While it may be
true, and I stress may because according to the Civil Rights Project
at Harvard
University the governments' ' official census data of high school
graduation rates is obtained from surveys of individuals who self-report
their own education status. Furthermore, the US Department of Education
surveys take in only about half of school districts nationally. Many
of the non-reporting districts are in areas with high dropout rates;
that the drop out rate in high schools are 10.7% nationally. The
graduation rates tell a way different story. In 1998 the average
graduation rate of black ( and you must graduate to move onto university)
was 56%. If only 10% are dropping out, what happened to the near
40% that did not graduate? Did they drop off the planet? To all the
Cosby
criticizers
I have pointed these things out to, none, not a single one has
presented information to the contrary. If Dr. Rhymes has information
to refute
these claims I would surely give him the space here at Garvey's
Ghost to present that information.
Dr. Rhymes continues:
Further evidence of this need to falsely indict ourselves, are
the comments Spike Lee made on the Tavis Smiley Show (Thursday,
July
22) when he insinuated that blacks don’t embrace and support
dramas as much we should – citing the lack of turnout for movies
such as Antwone Fisher. Interestingly, Denzel Washington (producer & director
of Antwone Fisher) was on the program the following day. Tavis put
the question of whether or not blacks supported dramas as they should
and Denzel’s answer was: “Well dramas, first of all,
don’t do as well, period. Black or white, they don’t
do as well.”
I've heard this debate and I've listen and watched Spike Lee talk
about this topic a number of times. First lets say this: Spike Lee's
recent movies have not been that good. I say this as a Spike Lee
fan. It's been pretty much down hill since Malcolm X. But I think
the true
discussion about black drama has been around black historical drama.
When I've had this discussion the movies that come up are Daughers
of the Dust, Get on the Bus, Bamboozled and Oprah's Beloved. The
issue has actually centered around blacks supposed desire to see "positive" role
models and films "relevant" to their history but then fail
to give mass support to the movies mentioned.
Rhymes continues:
After watching the interview I decided to research to ascertain
which claim was true. I found that of the top 100 highest
grossing movies
of all-time, there were only 6 dramas (and a few of those were
not what I would call “true” dramas – Titanic, Gladiator,
to name a couple). I also looked at the top grossing dramas that
were released during the summertime (summertime being important because
that’s when dramas usually do the worst – studios like
to roll out the action flicks) since 1982. Out of the 59 dramas that
were listed, 9 were either produced or directed by African Americans
(Do The Right Thing, Boyz-N-The Hood, Mo Better Blues – if
you haven’t noticed, two of these movies are Spike’s);
had a predominately black cast (What’s Love Got Do With
It) or one or more of the leading roles were portrayed by African
Americans
(Corrina Corrina, Courage Under Fire, 187).
This illustrates my point. Boyz in the Hood, Mo Betta, Do the Right
Thing were all contemporary movies that with the exception of Do
The Right thing didn't even begin to touch the deeper levels of racism
in America. 187, which is one of my favorite movies, is fiction and
has a lead black character that could have easily been white. In
fact
the movie itself was written by a teacher, though I do not know the
race of that teacher (and don't particularly care). So again, while
Rhymes is correct in his surface analysis of Spike Lee's comment,
I believe that the observation is out of context. After all if, movies
such as Beloved had as strong a suport as Baby Boy, then we'd have
seen more movies like it.
Rhymes concludes:
Why should I have to answer questions about the supposed deviant
behavior of the black community, when whites do not have
to do the same? The
minute I answer one question, I am saying: “I am inferior.” For
me, it is absolutely that simple. Do we, in the black community,
have real concerns? No doubt about it. Can we do better? Yes, most
definitely. Misconceptions, miseducation and misleading stereotypes
do not offer any real answers. The Christian scriptures tell us
that “you
shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” As
we, as a community, declare war on irresponsibility, ignorance,
crime, poverty and the vast number of concerns that we face;
we must be
circumspect. I would think that we, who live in present-day
America, would know exactly what it means to declare a war
based on flawed
and unproven information.
Let's answer that last question. It's the same as my previous discussion
on black behaviors. In reality I don't have to answer to whites for
black behavior. In fact in "mixed company" I refrain from
doing so for the very same reason that Dr. Rhymes does. However,
these issues can, should and are brought up by blacks to other blacks
( as
was done in Cosby's speech) and we should be answerable to each other.
Isn't that how community works? One does not inferiorize oneself
by asking and answering questions asked by the community. Only if
the
charges are false is it an inferiorizing act to claim such charges.
Unfortunatly Dr. Rhymes falls victim to the same Misconceptions,
Mis-education and misleading "stereotypes" he attempts
to refute. In his quest to, as the Yoruba say, to not let good be
the enemy of best,
he gives us a few half truths and uses them to smear unnamed and
unverified "leaders" ,"reporters" and "celebrities." Fortunately
for us there is the internet where statistics can be found by any
and everyone who takes the time to look up the information.
Peace.
Regarding Black dropout rates, we agree that they are far higher
than reported. Otherwise, we're in far greater accord with Dr. Rhymes
on most of the points discussed.
And, if the media
would stop pushing Cosby in our faces, would
not have him on our brains.
A reader named Haki had his hackles raised by our comments on Armstrong
Williams.
I'd like to thank you for your expose, putting
it mildly, on the brilliantly deceptive, outrageously opportunistic,
postal boy for the conservative
elite.
This man's ability to evade discourse, render caveats is
truly unparalleled in the history of a people.
Your article
merely exposed
what most Afrikans know: a person without knowledge is
a person ripe for exploitation.
We've commented on the activity of Williams a number of times. If
you ever want to find out if we have written about something, please
visit our Google powered search page to locate anything on BlackCommentator.com.
On July 22, 2004 the Freedom Rider column by Margaret Kimberley entitled, "No
Civil Rights in Kentucky" prompted a response from Amos Jones,
a former Lexington Herald-Leader journalist who filed suit against
the paper. Jones says the Herald-Leader has a lot of answering to do.
The Lexington Herald-Leader is garnering praise nationally for having
published a July 4 clarification expressing regret for the Kentucky
newspaper’s failure to cover the Civil Rights Movement in Central
Kentucky. But what reporters Linda Minch and Linda Blackford
left out of their long and unnecessary story is that the newspaper
is the subject of a damning race-discrimination lawsuit revealed
nationally on the editorial page of The New York Amsterdam
News only last month
-- a lawsuit filed by a grandson of the leading civil rights strategist
in Lexington from 1940 to 1968!
If it is to establish its journalistic authority on racial matters,
then the current leadership of the Lexington Herald-Leader, including
publisher Tim Kelly (who has been there for years), will have to answer
many nagging questions about the newspaper's treatment of blacks, questions
whose answers I have yet to receive from Executive Editor Marilyn Thompson
but which were addressed by white Herald-Leader managers in the lawsuit
last year.
For instance, why did Acting Copy Desk Chief Peter Mathews, after
months of mistreating the only black-male copy editor in the history
of the Herald-Leader, place on the intranet statements Mathews made
falsely linking him to sadomasochism and bondage with a white woman
colleague in her fifties, later testifying under oath that his conduct
was "appropriate for the workplace"?
Why does the Lexington Herald-Leader still employ Mathews?
Why did a black editor and a black reporter write memoranda exposing
Mathews’s having “hollered at” this copy editor
as if he were a black slave?
Why did former Executive Editor Amanda Bennett then call a racially
segregated meeting in which she singled out blacks and disclosed confidential
personnel records of the black victim, later affirming and condoning
her actions in sworn, recorded testimony?
Why did Knight Ridder, which owns the Lexington Herald-Leader, subsequently
promote Bennett to Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer?
Why did the Lexington Herald-Leader offer buyouts to 22 percent of
its black journalists in 2002?
Why were at least two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints
of racial discrimination recently filed against the Lexington Herald-Leader?
Why did two black Lexington Herald-Leader journalists file affidavits
last year detailing years of discrimination at the newspaper?
Why does the Lexington Herald-Leader, which claims to embrace diversity
initiatives, employ the services of and pay tens of thousands of
dollars annually to the 100-lawyer firm of Stoll, Keenon & Park
LLP, all of whose lawyers are white, according to statistics the
firm provided
recently to the National
Association for Law Placement.
I would advise Stoll, Keenon & Park LLP that this is not 1897,
the year in which they were founded, and that it’s time for them
to enter the 21st century and hire a minority attorney. If
they are opposed to having a Negro, then they could at least try
a qualified
Native American, Hispanic, or Asian-American.
And I would advise the Herald-Leader to come clean, repent, and
atone for their atrocious actions. There is no other way to establish
their credibility in racial matters after decades of abusing Lexington’s
black citizens and journalists.
A former Knight Ridder National Scholar, Amos
Jones is a second-year student at Harvard Law School. Reach him
at [email protected].
13-thousand faces will never feel another
Spring rain U.S. military deaths in the Iraq campaign
passed the 1,000 milestone Tuesday, September 7, 2004 with more than
800 of them during the stubborn resistance that flared after
the Americans brought down Saddam Hussein and pirate President Bush
declared
major
combat over. The tally was compiled by The Associated Press based on
Pentagon records and AP reporting from Iraq.
General Tommy Franks of US Central Command has said, "We
don't do body counts". Why not, are Bush
pirates not proud of killing about 12-thousand civilians in Iraq? After
all they weren't born again Christians. Perhaps the lack of a body
count exists because even to the insane pirates it would reveal the
racist truth and conflict with our goal to "liberate" the
Iraq people and make them
free. Please don't miss reading the cover story in this issue of for
an analysis of how a Bush victory accelerates the redlining of American
in the rest of the world.
It's only 9/11 stupid!
While the Kerry campaign fights to ignore peace, jobs and justice
(see our cartoon of
last week), Dick, the Bush attack dog, has made one thing perfectly
clear. VP Cheny issued a warning in Iowa this week about
voting for Kerry. The Dick said if we make the wrong choice
on Election Day we face the threat of another terrorist attack.
In case you missed it
This is a new No Fools Allowed feature that will list a bunch of
noteworthy items we feel you did not want to miss.
- This week in Popular
Bluff Missouri, Bush said, "Too many
good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't
able
to
practice their love with women all across this country."
- Michael Moore says he won't submit "Fahrenheit 9/11" for
consideration as best documentary at this year's Academy Awards.
Instead, he's going for the bigger prize of best picture.
- A closer look at the August census figures on poverty show almost
half of poor Americans live in the suburbs. A report in The
Nation by Peter Dreier says, "Today, 13.8 million
poor Americans live in the suburbs--almost as many as the 14.6
million who live in central cities. The suburban poor represent
38.5 percent of the nation's poor, compared with 40.6 percent of
the total who live in central cities."
Keep writing.
Question of the week
Will enough progressive voters turn out on November 2nd to defeat
Geoge Bush? gratefully
acknowledges the following Websites for sending visitors
our way during the past month:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
http://www.ebonylove.net/
http://www.liberaloasis.com/
http://volokh.com/
http://new.blackvoices.com/
http://www.americanpolitics.com/
http://membersc.blackplanet.com/
http://www.buzzflash.com/
http://www.commondreams.org/
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