The last word on Jayson Blair – e-Mailbox

The Jayson Blair – New York Times affair is a portal to the labyrinth of American racism. Deep in the tangle of passageways and diversions lies the central question of Power. Notions of prestige, merit, fairness and process present themselves along the way, drawing the visitor into intriguing areas of tangential discussion. But it’s all really about who’s got the Power – to hire or fire, promote or discard, elevate or vilify.

In our May 15 Cover Story, subtitled “Blaming Affirmative Action for White Folk’s Mistakes,” we attempted to get to the heart of a matter that is made elusive only by the pervasive racism that beclouds American perceptions.

The problem at the Times is a general American problem which, through the magic of corporate media’s efficient dissemination of shared white delusions, is made to appear as an aspect of Black group unworthiness.

A good way to begin this week’s EmailBox column, we think, is with a letter requesting “clarification” of our May 15 commentary. Patty Brockingham, of Victoria Island, Canada discovered through a posting on IndyMedia Victoria. Below is her letter, followed by our response:

replied:

As Washington Post columnist Terry Neal points out, the New York Times “diversity” program that introduced Jayson Blair to the paper recruited 37 persons, only 16 of whom were minorities. “Of those, seven have been promoted, and only three – of which Blair was one – have been black,” Neal reported. The program began in 1995.

No wonder the Times makes such a fuss about the Blair embarrassment – he represented one-third of their Black “diversity” success stories! It is clear that the paper was not prepared to expose itself to any large measure of Black malfeasance – or excellence.

Racists are capable of turning almost any tool to the purpose of humiliating non-whites. reader Janet Hoo knows the deal. She writes:

Thank you for this thoughtful article. I am grateful that voices such as yours are out there.

It is no slight against non-African American minorities to point out that affirmative action was originally conceived to redress specific historical injustices against Blacks. Then, in the blink of an eye, all racial minorities were compelled to compete with one another in the affirmative action sideshow, and white women were thrown into the mix. We have wound up with no choice but to defend the feeble, limitlessly subjective concept of “diversity” – not a call to “action” at all, but an amorphous and highly manipulable “goal” divorced from history.

Given the actual results of the New York Times recruitment and promotions program, as outlined by the Post’s Terry Neal, it is fair to say that the Times never really mounted an effort worthy of the name affirmative action – at least, not for African Americans.

Haiti: Deep wounds and strangulation

Voices from Haiti speak of an escalating, U.S. abetted terror campaign against supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. American diplomats, frustrated that a three-year aid embargo against the island nation has failed to topple the elected government, openly employ the language of “regime change.” (See “U.S. Plots Regime Change in Haiti,” May 15.) Assassins and saboteurs associated with previous military rulers operate with impunity from the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Uncertainty envelops the buildup to next year’s bicentennial celebration of Haiti’s glorious victory over French slavery to become the world’s first Black republic. As a discreetly anonymous observer reported from the island:

“The symbolism of having a populist government in Haiti, that represents the interests of the poor black majority, is intolerable to US foreign policy, especially as all the parallels with the history of US slavery are sure to be drawn,” said a well-placed observer who must remain nameless due to the atmosphere of terror in the country. “They want a subservient client in power when the bicentennial comes down. They cannot control Aristide, therefore they must do as they always have in these situations, destroy him and his government by any means necessary.”

In an April 24 Guest Commentary, former TransAfrica Forum President Randall Robinson wrote of an unfolding, “bloodless coup” that has, nevertheless, proved fatal to many thousands of Haitians:

The U.S. cites “irregularities” in Haiti’s 2000 elections to justify the aid embargo. contributor Kevin Pina supplied this retort from a member of President Aristide’s Lavalas Party:

“Regardless of the problems we had with our elections it is pure hypocrisy for the US to lecture us about democracy and methods for counting our ballots. It is very ironic that the world’s first black republic, which arose from the world’s only successful slave revolution, is being lectured to by a government whose methods of determining victory in a presidential election were originally designed over 200 years ago by a small clique of white male slave owners.”

Reader Steven Hunt digested these articles, and seethed.

Victory declared for Glover

Actor/activist Danny Glover is deeply involved in Haiti’s bicentennial celebration. As chairman of TransAfrica’s board of directors, Glover has also spoken out against the U.S. embargo against Cuba and Bush’s war on Iraq.

Judicial Watch and other Hard Right outfits demanded that MCI fire Glover as the telecommunications giant’s ad spokesman. TransAfrica mounted a counter campaign, urging MCI customers to email and telephone their support for Glover. (See “Danny Glover Targeted as MCI Spokesman,” May 15.)

Last week, TransAfrica President Bill Fletcher issued another “Urgent Alert”:

“Our contract with Danny Glover runs through January
2004 and we intend to honor our contract… “

This message resonates with the sound of victory for our “Dial-in for Democracy” Campaign. It was launched in response to the right-wing attack on TransAfrica Forum Board Chairperson Danny Glover. Our action alert last week asked friends and supporters to contact MCI to insist that it not back down in its relationship with Danny in the face of attacks from right-wing extremists. Our alert was followed by an outstanding commentary by Tavis Smiley on the Tom Joyner Morning Show (May 15th), along with other media attention. A massive response ensued. MCI was deluged with telephone calls, e-mails and faxes.

This morning we confirmed that the message above is the official position of MCI. To put it in another way, we won!

On behalf of TransAfrica Forum, I personally thank you for your overwhelming support. Dial-in for Democracy was not simply about defending Danny Glover and his right to appear in television spots for MCI. It is about Danny Glover’s right to free speech without fear of being targeted and isolated from any entity with which he chooses to be associated. It is about the rights of all of us to be free to oppose the policies of this administration without fear of reprisal, repression or the bully-type tactics that characterized the war on Iraq. If these extremists can successfully silence Danny Glover, they are a step closer to silencing all of us.

While this immediate campaign was a success, none of us can afford to rest on our laurels. What has become clear is that there are active forces who wish to narrow the acceptable space for debate. Using smear tactics and fear, their hope is to crush opposition to their agenda. We cannot ever permit this to happen. This effort in support of Danny is a reminder that in a society that professes democratic values, we all have a right, and in fact a responsibility, to express our views and be heard.

Again, thanks very much for your support.

In struggle,

Bill Fletcher, Jr., President
TransAfrica Forum

For those who appreciate Danny’s artistry, please note, he is currently performing on Broadway in Athol Fugard’s critically-acclaimed “Master Harold” and the boys.

These days, we will take our victories anyplace we can find them.

EP Verdi makes an interesting contribution to the MCI-Glover conversation:

“WorldCom Deal in Iraq Troubles Critics“

It doesn’t surprise me that Bush supporters/employees are bringing pressure to bear on MCI. Smear campaigns against critics of Bush and the invasion of Iraq have been fanned by big financial/political supporters of Bush (such as Clear Channel, the radio network that blacklisted artists like the Dixie Chicks). The editors of Rock and Rap reported that ClearChannel first started harassing the Dixie Chicks at the behest of the White House.

Note that MCI isn’t “firing” Glover … just “moving to new creative [ad campaign] which is more closely tied to our new MCI corporate branding campaign in terms of its look and feel.”

I hope more publications expose the White House’s inexcusable campaign of harassment of artists’ dissent.

Barbara Bruneau got her licks in, while the campaign lasted.

Elaine Cole, of Joseph, Oregon, had written the Glover case off as lost. (And, of course, the victory was only partial, in that Glover was not terminated, outright.) Although Ms. Cole was a bit off about the outcome, she’s on the mark about everything else.

I think I pretty well covered it all. Mr. Glover is too fine a man to jeopardize his integrity by associating with criminals.

I use the term “hyena” when describing corporations like MCI. They lurk, they steal, they laugh while they’re doing it.

We like Ms. Cole’s style.

Malcolm, an upright Black Man

The demeanor and character of Malcolm X shaped the moral outlook of a generation of Black men and women. Malcolm stood – as a Man.

The Negro “revolution” is controlled by these foxy white liberals, by the government itself. But the black revolution is controlled only by God. The black revolution is the struggle of the nonwhites of this earth against their white oppressors. The black revolution has swept white supremacy out of Africa, out of Asia, and is getting ready to sweep it out of Latin America. Revolutions are based upon land. Revolutionaries are the landless against the landlord. Revolutions are never peaceful, never loving, never nonviolent. Nor are they ever compromising. Revolutions are destructive and bloody. Revolutionaries don’t compromise with the enemy; they don’t even negotiate. Like the flood in Noah’s day, revolution drowns all opposition, or like the fire in Lot’s day, the black revolution burns everything that gets in its path.

(From “Chickens Come Home to Roost” speech, December 4, 1965)

C. Lee wrote us the most poignant letter of the week.

Sex overstated in African AIDS

The rich and the racist always describe problems that they choose not to address as “intractable” for one reason or the other, while pursuit of their own comfort and privilege is eminently “tractable.” Thus, the intractable aspect of the African AIDS pandemic is said to result from unique and fatal patterns of sexual conduct south of the Sahara.

In our May 15 item, “Sex Less a Factor in African AIDS,” we noted the findings of economic anthropologist David Gisselquist, who has concluded that sex is an exaggerated factor in the spread of the virus.

Poverty and lack of development are the great abettors of AIDS in Africa – a fact that should have been obvious to anyone not intent on condemning Africans to some special, subhuman zone of amorality. It is clear that a racialist view of sex and AIDS is as virulent a threat to Africa as the disease, itself.

Gisselquist’s conclusions are widely shared, as we were informed by David Crowe, President of the Alberta (Canada) Reappraising AIDS Society.

People have swallowed the story that Africa is a seething orgy for years. But, this appears to be thinly disguised racism with politically correct icing. It is ironic that AIDS is fading away in America which is more sex-obsessed than anywhere, but in Africa when many cultures are quite sexually conservative, and many people have more basic concerns than sex (e.g. getting enough food to eat) AIDS is supposedly growing rapidly.

Gisselquist’s papers postulated two hypotheses. They argued against heterosexual transmission and they argued for medical transmission (e.g. dirty needles).

That second hypothesis seems more tenuous, and it is not the only possible alternative hypothesis. Another is that AIDS is not an infectious disease in Africa at all. Note that the definition of AIDS used in the Third World, the W.H.O.’s ‘Bangui’ definition, allows AIDS to be diagnosed without an HIV test based on three of the following four symptoms – persistent fever, cough, diarrhea or weight loss (> 10% of body weight).

This sounds remarkably like what one would expect from malnutrition, exposure to parasites, poor living conditions, and lack of treatment for tropical diseases. The real scandal may be that by redefining malnutrition as AIDS the solution becomes … you guessed it … expensive (and highly toxic) Western pharmaceuticals rather than adequate nutrition, clean water and housing!

Unwanted DC Vouchers

Washington DC’s residents overwhelmingly oppose private school vouchers. The District is among the most Democratic jurisdictions in the country. Mayor Anthony Williams handily won re-election last year, and need fear no Republican challenger in the foreseeable future. Only three months ago, Williams vowed to resist White House pressures to accept $75 million dollars in unwanted voucher money, calling that his “immovable position.”

Suddenly, as if massively dosed with Ex-Lax, Williams was moved to abject capitulation, as we reported in our May 8 piece, “Black Spinelessness in High Places.”

He has exposed himself as just another Voucher Trickster – albeit one lacking even minimal skills at sleight of hand. He robs the office of all dignity, and shames a Black city.

Steve O’Sullivan writes to put in “a shameless plug for my wife Melody Webb,” who heads the anti-voucher “Coalition for Accountable Public Schools.”

We urge our DC readers to check out the Coalition’s web site.

Sharpton’s responsibilities

views Rev. Al Sharpton’s presidential candidacy as essentially an intra-Black Democratic affair whose effectiveness must be measured in terms of its impact on Black power within the Party. (See “What the Black Presidential Candidate Must Do,” April 24.) Electability has nothing to do with it. Rather, the primaries present an opportunity to counter the contention that the Black bloc vote has been extinguished – wishful thinking enthusiastically embraced by corporate media, Republicans and many white Democrats.

David N. Johnson is concerned that the Black candidate energize the electorate from the bottom, up.

Black Harvard in perspective

While rummaging through our archives, Harvard Ph.D. candidate Jason Glenn came upon a Guest Commentary he found unsettling. Shelton Amstrod’s December 5 “Harvard: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Institution” is a sweeping indictment of both the university and a large chunk of its Black alumnae.

Ultimately, those Blacks who seek to append themselves to this corrupt legacy will suffer a shameful disgrace. For increasing numbers of Blacks today are in complete agreement with the great “uneducated” freedom fighter Fannie Lou Hamer, who could not have been clearer when recounting the battles she fought for political representation and justice:

“Everybody that would compromise in five minutes was the people with a real good education. I don’t understand that – I really don’t to save my life. Them folks will sell you – they will sell your mama, their mama, anybody else for a dollar.”

Doctoral candidate Glenn, at Harvard’s Department of the History of Science, believes Mr. Amstrod’s piece lacks proper context.

As Carter G. Woodson tried to teach us as far back as 1933, it’s not the institution or any inherent evil on the part of people who attend them that produces racism among whites and self-hatred among Blacks, but the content of the textbooks. If the texts are the same, it doesn’t matter where the student went to school. What does make the difference is the perspective with which a student reads those texts. If you know the texts you are reading are the ones used to validate and legitimize the current world system, and replicate – generation after generation – the set of behaviors that keeps that system in place, then you read those texts with the purpose of deconstructing them, not as the truth that would make one “educated.” (And Woodson, by the way, received his Ph.D. from Harvard – the very first Ph.D. whose parents were slaves – and one could by no means classify Woodson as a “ruined Negro.)

I write this not trying to defend Harvard, heavens no, but just to add some balance to the discussion. I would hate to have Harvard singled out as the seat of racism and have people attending Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Brown, etc., thinking their schools do not have a similar history.

New Orleans funk

Thaddeus Delay is a bookstore manager at Xavier University in New Orleans, a city of many contradictions that escape the tourist. Delay describes his current occupation as “working for the white man,” while he aspires to achieve “a better day.” In between, the scene gets gloomy.

It is truly amazing the depth of ignorance in this society. I applaud you on changing the curve ever so slightly because it is an uphill battle. Keep up the good fight.

We hope and trust that Mr. Delay’s place of employment has Molefi Kete Asante’s latest work in stock. Dr. Asante is an esteemed author and professor at the Department of Africology, Temple University – and a reader.

Dr. Asante’s book is available at Amazon.com.

Keep writing.

gratefully acknowledges the following organizations for sending visitors our way during the past week:

BuzzFlash.com

Democratic Underground.com

Black Planet.com