o
op
und rcoun
Arc n
(P T' 0)
ve the example 0
me t 1 ttended w
I program in Long Is1and,
York. that co ted of
panel of law chool repre-
sentati and ttomeys.
One of the panelis an
African American law profes
or from one of our
predominately Afrie n
American colleges.
Another panelist a New
Yo Afro-Puerto Rican
attorney.
I mention the profi or'
p ee of employment only to
point out the severity of the
sibation within this tory.
THROUGHOUT THE
professor's presentation, she
continued to peak about
"mloorities." TIle fad that she
worbd at an African university
didn't seem to matter.
Near the end of ber talk, she
turned to the Afro-Puerto Rican
attorney and said matter of fact
ly that "You look Black, but
you are clearly Hispanic ac
cording to your name."
The attorney then replied
that be w indeed both Black
and Latino and that this African
roots ran as deep as that of any
African American or Afro
Quibbean.
"My first language hap
pened to be Spanish," he said,
"while yOUlS is English."
We, Africans, need b stop
being undercounted - and
more importandy, stop under-
EED, MAN'Y_ .. ..
are African, not all, but enough.
Some will say yes if asked,
some will say no. T1fe cultural
richness of the numerous Latin
American nation reflect
African, European and Asian
roots.
'(please be ure to read the
third par of this series, which
concludes with a guest essay
from my friend 8nd colleague,
Dr. Angela Jorge of the State
University of New York/Col
lege at Old Westbury.)
Within many Latino com
munities in this country, darker
Latinos are proudly connecting
with African Americans in
ways that go beyond many su
perficial coalitions.
As one who strongly
believes in political ,and
economic coalitions, 1 am
equally opposed to those that
are really just opportunities for
a select few to cut deals that
only they and a few others
primarily benefit from.
It will take more than
"prominent per onalfues"
parading as leaders, continuing
to peak of "Blacks, Hispanics
and other minorities ... "
IT IS AS if they are
signed "the Blacks," "the
Hispanics," "the Asians," .. the
Native Americans," "the poor
and despised."
Yes, coalition building be
tween ethnic groups remains
vital to our communities' fu
tures. At the same time, it is
also important to open nne's
eyes to deeper cultural roots
, that run between orne of these
communities. '
Sometimes I cringe and
sometimes I laugh when I hear
that "by the year 2000,
Hispanics will 'be the nation's
largest minority."
Let's get serious. Let's get
busy. Let' set the record
traight. "By the year 2(0), the
, African (including the Afro
Latino) community will con
tinue to grow and be tronger"
.- provided we ,( under
counting ourselves. pread the
word.
HILTON: HIGHER
EDUCATION is designed to
dialogue with college and
world readus. Edua:ltim is
ongoing and certainly not
limited to classroom tudy.
La's talk, (714) 899-0650.
VIEWS OPINIONS
• t : •
Y co TRA T, uburban
cboo not only have more money
to pend, but they are ble to alocate
thei ources more generously on
. .
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\
DR
NIB
ARABLE
..
olie
n
ed r
, .
By JAMES E. ALSBROOK'
A whi te profe sor at Ohio
University this week asked me why
Black people were "so completely
upset" over the jury decision in the
trial of police who beat Rodney
King. '
"After all," he aid, "bad jury
decisioJ"s happen to white people
almost every day."
He said King was not killed or
permanently injured and really
ould be a big winner because King
will " ue the pants off" the Los
Angeles Police Department and wi th
that tape sbowing the beating, King
will win plenty of money - maybe
"a cool million or more."
"I . h tho e police bad beaten
me and I bad that tape for support,"
be continued. "With a good lawyer
pleading, I'd be financially set for
lifc." '
My response w that because
thi professor is white, be probably
never would have been beaten as
King WIS. ADd if by some Duke he
bad been beaten, the all-white jury
probably would have properly
decided against the police. But in
King's case, the jury approved the
ame ttack that understandably
een by Bl cks a brutal, enjoyable
and allow blc message expressing
domination and contempt for Black
people. Double standards are
rampant in America.
THIS PARTICUlAR instance
and type of beaq by hite police
amounted to a declaration of race
uperiority by the white police, and
the all-white jury' verdict of police
innocence amounted to a legal
confirmation of thai alleged
uperiority.
The jury's dedsion implied that'
the arbitrary abuse of Blacks 'by
white police lepl.
Historical precedents largely
unkDownby OIt hi support the
quic and negative reaction of
di clllti of the inner city.
Education i one of the fe
brid which exi t that Ip to
Ie d people from poverty,
homel n and illiteracy the
promise of better Hfe. We need to
bro den that brid e th m Ive
feder I initiative, hicb can
improve the qu lity of ghetto
choo , giving millio of Bla
Latino, and ian-American youth a
better chance for opportunity and
equality.
"
Dr. Manning Marable i
Professor of Political Scienc« mul
History at the University 0/
Colorado- Boulder. "Along tM
Color Line" appear; in over 250
publications, and is broadcast by
more than 60 stations
intematio1UJlly.
READERS WRITE
ChDuJult's letter arrived as 1M
paper was going to press. We hIJd
an Associated Press artick by
Irwin on page one about the sluJot
ing 0/ Raphal!l Dent and wanted to
inclutk the eyewi.tnus accOUlll by
ChDlQl.llt, which we did in a sUle
bar article. Her � was iNul
vertDltly snipped off the end 0/ the
letter in the rwh to press. We
apologize and thanJc hq for cor-
�t:�: !M 1; .... 1.... >#
,
.1 HtJ<t'S ONE: SURE, WA� TO G6T ::�. 1
:� .. THEIR "TfENTIO(\Lq, - - - � � ....
---0 r provio d
� witn account
paper; one that I had grown to
respect.
Please let me know your inten
tions regarding this matter.
aarabara J an Westbrook
Chenault
Detroit
Editor: .We .apologize. No
,plqgilU.i lAv.JVJlI ••• i tC1ul,/J...
.: "
Conyers joins Black
publishers critiCizing Clinton
By M. AUSE MORGAN
A letter which I composed and
maile� to you was printed on the
front page of your paper, Vol. XIY
, No. 43, Sept. 13-19, 1992 edition.
My writing was ttributed to Jim
Irwin.
I spoke with your ssistant,
Anita, and was told that a 'correc
tion would be made in the next
issue. 1 feel ad that the correction
has not been made and that my
�1�r-c:J.'<"�:""'''�i.ft ...... � ..... 41 ..... �WJ .... tJu .. .J)l . "by your
Sm'" to ",. Mlchltl!n Cltlz""
Black Publishers invitation.
He added that the Democratic
ticket h benefited from hundreds
of thousands of dollars of free adver
t�men1S in the Black press.
The Midwest Region' of the Na
tional Newspaper Publishers As-
ociation has charged the C inton
campaign with taking the African- CONYERS STATED THAT he
American vote for granted, during a
news conference on Saturday in. was unable to understand the Clinton
Detroit. campaign's actions considering that
"We re here to express a strong they have a multi-million dollar na
dissatisfaction to the Clinton/Gore tional presidential budget and their
need of the Black vote.
campaign and Ron Brown, Members of the Black Publishers
Democratic Party Chairman, regard-
ing what we call a promise of the group sent a letter to the Clinton
inclusion of the Black press of campaign which stated:
America, made directly from Clin- " .. .After our meeting with you,
ton that, so far, has not been kept," Governor Clinton, on September 26,
stated AI McFarlane, president of the 1992 it was our understanding that
Midwest Region of the Black Pub- the Clinton/Gore ticket was going to
Usher's Association. make a serious effort to reach the
"We've got to tum out to vote in - Black community through the Bleck
the African-American community press.. .
for Qinton and Gore to kill Bush in As of this date, no Clinton/Gore
Michigan. Now how can you do that �r "Get out the vote" political �dver
if you haven't put a dime into the nsements have been placed m any
Black newspapers?" challenged Black newspaper in the country ... "
Congressman John Conyers, who "We are not trying to defeat
joined in the new conference at the Governor Clinton, we're just tired of
pec
training
Blacks. Some history books have
spoken of slavery .as a benevolent
institution - almost a blessing for
Black people.
The books did not tell of the
"implusive" beatings slaves took at
the hands of Simon Legree-like
taskmasters - the "police authority"
on the plantation. They did not
mention rapes, amputation of hands,
feet and genitals by slave catchers as
related in lave narratives and in
Haley' "Roots."
Nearly every Black man I know
has had unpleasant encounters with
white police, most of whom seem to
think it is their. duty and privilege to
assert conspiciously and forcefully
an authority over and contempt for
the Black man.
When 1 worked for the
Afro-American Newspapers andJhe
Social Security Board in Baltimore,
r ate at the old Alpha Cafeteria on
Pennsylvania Avenue. One evening
a white police officer sept
forcefully into the dining room,
rushed to my table and shouted
arroganUy, "Hey, boyl Is that your
da�ed car parked out there?"
SI'ITING WITH MY attractive
date, I was angered by hi hostile,
superior, disrespectful manner. 1
stood up and told him 0 while
implusively reaching for a knife on
the table. My date jumped to her feet
and stood �tween the officer and
me. She gently pushed me away
while telling him that the car was not
ours.
In the Afro-American that day we
had published a front-page story
with the picture of young Black
man lying in a coffin after having
been killed by police. My anger over
the story and photo of the probably
innocent man in his coffin was
strong.
The white 'officer, with hi
redneck drawl and trashy, Ku Klux
looks, glanced at the other bo tile
the obvious contradictions of ignor
ing the best way to get the African
American community,· Itated .
Conyers who added that The .
Michigan Citizen 'urnmed up � .
reason for the news conference In a
recent article entitled "Criticize
Clinton but Beat Bush."
"If these publishers feel betrayed, .
they have a right to feel betrayed. .
You can't ignore the Black preu: .
said Conyers.
A statement made in the The .
Detroit News/Free Press Sunday edi
tions said according to JetIrey Wat· .
son, deputy field coordinator for the .
Clinton campaign, "We bought DO
full page ads, but we a�tua11y bought
smaller ads In an unprecedented
amount."
The midwe t Black Publi ben
are still searching for those ads. The
Midwest Region of the NNPA
comprised of 39 newspapers in 10
states.
now
Black faces in the room, backed to
the door and rushed out
Over the years I have seen
incidents of threatening, dispting
and obnoxious white police behavior
toward Black people.
These officers are perceived by
many Black men not as impartial
guardians of the law but as agen1S
dedicated to the protection of the
ocial and political values of the
most bigoted, conservative whi in
a given 'community. Thi police
attitude translates into either the
threat or fact of unequal protection of
the law.
;
A law ui t P ying maybe millions
to Rodney would help change the
attitude of many whi .
But hen Black people w the
beating of Rodney King they w
hocking and brutal racial inj tice,
The acquittal of the white officers
said the beating of Blac by white
police w approved.
'.