o
Recent publ
ve I ented ct t
Afro-American youth are
rem bly reiatant and vir- .
tually unrepon lve to
tradito I, big- e pubUc
relatio and bl -time po
figures 'n they utUzc
major media to attempt to
commicate ith yo un er
Bia .
The study found deep and
profound alienation amo t
youth, nd a fundamental
Itreak of fatali m about the
promise of tomorrow-a
sense t "to�rrow may not
come, so let' live today" per-
mea youth consdo .
The youth, hile they view
, large blocb of TV, perceive it
from the postion of outsiders,
"knowing that the dramas,
i comedies and newa programs
are not'diaigned for their con­
sumption.
Only the urbo-tech m ical
form known Rapt 10urc
them, for it is borne of urban
youth consciousness, and
apcab to them, In their Idiom,
about lives lived on the mar- '
ginalia.
IT IS this profound dlsaaa-
'sociation that forced members
of the nouveau middle-d
Blaw to lament the youth
"the 100t generation."
But are they really "10It,"
aDd, if so, to wbom? Tbe Mar­
tlniquan Black Revolutionary,
Frantz Fanon once QPCDecl that
evety generation m t find U.
destiny, fulIDI it, or betray it.
In my father's geoeratio I
Southe.A:.1tox:@_ of... he .. 1 "T
rt . ttieli "cJ'iidiii to
, move their "u; I
lands with a promile of a bet­
ter nfc away from our hateful
bomelands in Dixie.
The dreams of that genera­
tion, sparked by vtaioDl of DeY!
homes, bettcr cclucation, new'
em and prosperity were, In
relatlve terma, realized by
some, but Northbound
Africans were DCYer able to
outrun the stigma of radam.
By the time the 50's and
60's generation came of age,
during the Nixon-Reagan­
BUlh eras, race once apin
defined the Umill of Black
aspirations, and with the lhift­
Ing of manufacturing jobs
back down South and abroad,
so went dreams of relative
prosperity. Tbe children of
this generation, born into
sobering poverty amidst shim­
mering opulence, tbeir minds
weanccl on Falcon, Creatian
TV exCCII while loekccl in
want, watching while sinister
politicians spit on their very
existence, tbcae youth are the
Hip-Hop/Rap Generation.
LOCKED OUT of the
legal means of material sur­
vival, looked down upon by
predatory politicians and
potlce, lefi with the least
relevant educational oppor­
tunities, talked at with con­
tempt and DOt talked to with
love, is there any question why
such youth are alienated?
Why the s rise?
They look at the livea they
live and don't see "civil rights
, progress," but a" drumbeat of
civil repression by a state at
war with their dJeams. Why
I I the surprise? ThiI isn not the
"lost generation."
They are the children of the '
L.A R.llion, tbe children of
the MOVE bombing, the
children of the Black PanlbelS,
and the grandchildren of Mal­
colm; far from "IOit" they are
propably the most a are
generation siDee Nat Turner's;
they are not so much "10It, •
they are "mislaid," discarded
by this increasingly l1ICist IYS­
tem that undremines their in­
herent worth.
They are all potential
revolu arlea, with the his­
toric power to tranatorm our
dull realities.
If they are "IOIt" --then, f1Dd
them.
VIEWS OPINIONS
World@1992
'ROLE MODELS FO� OUR CHILDREN NEED TO LOOK LESS '-IKE THEM, AND MORE LIKE YOU.
. I DID 0 no hat he
expec1ed me to uncle tand. I did not
kno whether to congratula him or
I
e 'ter"
•
•
A
Although � files of Loa Angeles
have temporarily died down, the
recent racial insurrection in the
streets bighllghll a fundamental
problem now squarely confronting
.. Black politi<3. Inaeasingly, there is
a growing gap between many
Afrlcan-American poUticians and
civil rights leaden and militant
mood of millions of YOlD1l inDcrcity
and working cl Blaca, who are
fed up with the Iystem.
The RodDey King case, as ell
the national controvelSysurrouoding
the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas
debate la t year, indicates a
breakdown of political consensus
among Black America's political
elite. Most Africad-American
I • leaders still believe in tbe old
political strategy of unquestioned
loyalty towan! the Democmtic Party,
and what can be called the tactics of
� ymbolic representation, "
Black. have been told for
generation that if nether
African-American from the upper
middle d is appointed to a high
position in the lePl system, elected
governor or to Congress, that the
entire race is empowered.
I
w
m
�.
,
"Symbolic representation" means
that because a Qarence Thomas is
Black, he sbarea our commonbistory
of racial oppression, aDd therefore
he'll look out for our interests once
he's safely in office. The problem
with these �tions is that they
ignore that clas identity and
ideological commitments frequently
outweigh racial membership in a
politician's behavior. Thomas may
be "racially. Black," but politically
and ideologically he's hostile to
African-Americ n interests.
Therefore, he should have been
vigorously rejected and opposed.
Why ome leaders couldn't
comprehend this speaks to their
basic confusion about the new
political approach we need now. '
The same problem exists with
Blacks' relations with the
Democratic Party .: "The majority of
African-American people agree that
our political process tinks, and that
lbe y tem rarely yields real choices
for us. Black voter turnout lipped
won to 44 percent in the 1988
presidentia1 con t largely due to
idespread alienation. Yet the truth
is that neither the Democrats not the
Republicans, by themselves, will
For
BI cannot
lumped together in the s me
category. Blac s ha e enou h
tro Ie already bcca 0 ental
eon .Theydonot�
extra burden of rongful, barmfW
and prejudicial categorizatio
n
ever initiate a progressive agenda for
domestic reconstruction, rebuilding
the cities, establishing universal,
public health, care, and attacking
discrimination. We must explore
ne� avenues to pressure the
De�ts from outside'the party's
ranks. Conversely, Black
conservatives' ,arguments
advocating that Blacks fall loyally
behind Bush, Buchanan and Quayle,
are of course advising us to leap from
the political fiying pan into the file.
oommunity. 1bi will require DeW
strategi ,new organizatio aDd a
new philosophy of political power.
First, we need a "ne
SNCC"--the Studnet Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee. At the
high point of the southern
de egregation movement tJprlJ
years ago, young people in SNCC
led hundreds of it-in
demonstrations and registered
thousands to vote for the fimt time.
We need to con truct a new
African-American youth protest
movement, tapping the energy from
our communities and directing it
toward constructive purposes. Our
new youth movement could attack
Black-on-Black violence, drugs, and
social problems like poverty,
unemployment, and the abuse of
Blacks within the criminal justice
system.
Second, we need a ne Black
political -think tank," a center for
political strategy which is directly
connected with the ongoing deba
and truggles in our stree • In the
early 1970's, the Institute of the
Black World, based in AUanta,
brought together progressive BlICk
I ould lite to enl treader
support In gathering informa­
tion about African-CaDadian
women who lived in Bri h
Columbi from 1858-1960.
This research part of my
PhD theaia on the wort of
Black women both i de the
home and in the community.
Previo studiea of British
Columbia'i African-CUadJan
community have concentrated
on the 19th century, mention­
Ing only a few prominent
omen. My reseudl II im­
portant because it trl to cor­
rect this Imbalance.
To the belt of my
too ledge, it is the first study
done in B.C. which eumiOP.l
the history of the Blac com­
III
tity fndfvfdual women,
men and ch1Jdren and am con­
Itructing genealogies utiUzfna
such resources as: the
manuscript censua, police,
church, cemetery and school
records, will and probate mea,
oewapepen, photoppbl, city
directories, oral hil1Ories, a-
ment rolla and secondary
IOUI"ClCI.
· I am wilHDI to sbare infor­
mation gained thus far with
anyone tracina their family
tree and may be contacted In
care 'of:
The History Department,
Simon Fraser Univellity, Bur­
naby, Be Canada VSA 1S6
Sherry Edmunde-Flett .
THE LOS ANG� uprising
illustrated that mo t middle class
Black leadeIS are totally out of touch
with the hip-hop, rap generation.
Today's Black youths are 0
alienated that they have been forced
to reaucitate a Black leader who died
a quarter. century ago--Malcolm
X--because be symbolizes their
current militancy and rage far better
than J e Jackson or anyone else
alive and on the political cene
today.
We mlBt revive the tradition of
Black protest in America, if we are
to haw any hope to inOuence publiC
policies aDd to empO er the Black
acholm bo cbaIlaJFd the system.
We DUd to reco truct our own
center for Black poUtical aoaIyaJa,
orlmted towards activism.
Third, e need to devise an
electoral stratelY hich is both
inside and oullide of the establilbed
two party system. By supporting all
independent and third party
challengel, and by permitting
"croll-cndorsements" in which
progrestives could run
limultaneo lyon pro ive party
slates 11 for the Demo.rcratic
ticket, can maximi:m our political
options.
We can revive the freedom
struggle of African-American
people, but only if we are illln& to
break with the failed policies and
outlook of the L
Dr. Manni,.g Marabl� is
Professor of Politit;QJ Scienc� tWl
Hutory, University of Colorado,
Boulder. -Alont 1M Color LiM­
appear: in over 250 publkadoIU
iIItenuJtion.ally, tWl a rllllio veniOll
u brHdcast by ".ore tluua fifty
stDtioru tlCTOSS NortJa�