race."
Today it' obvio that the
while power 1ructuIe in �rica
mI t whi in neral ve
�� the truth 0 eolm'
anal • 0 the continuing opp -
ioh 0 most in this country
through benign neglect, blaming
the victim, denial aOO iOOiffercnce.
M importantly, Blacks ha
also been running away from
viewing their own opp im­
ages in Malcolm' mirror 0 truth.
For Blaclcs to 100 at that mirror
would be a "reality check" that
expo e our degraded
socioeconomic conditions the
way they really are, rot es we
fantasize them to be.
TO LOOK IN that mirror,
would mean Blacks would have k>
accept social responsibility to
change the unjust coOOitiom that
produce negative self-images.
As Spike Lee's movie places a
new spotlight on Malcolm X, it
gives Blades woo escaped from
Malcolm's minor am message
the first time an opportWlity again
to 100 listen, and learn. During
Malcolm's life he taught Blac1cs
foW' politicallessom:
rust, Malcolm 18ught us the
principle of truth. � co nt of
bisRS�
frotn "�LRlDliL._"'�
about our corxlitiom. He told us
that if we did mt 1dl the truth, then
we did oot deaerYe fieedom.
Seoooo, Malcolm 18ught us k>
be politically objectfve. Ifwe used
our history as a fi'aIm of�fe�,
then the�'s 00 point in looking for
fairness am justice in this COWltry.
He told us if we expeded this, we
expected a chicken to produce a
duck egg. Malcolm expected us k>
organize owselves politically to
protect our own human ri�.
Third, Malcolm taught us that
we must affirm our cultural
heritage. Malcolm wxlclStood
that accepting our culture arxl
identity would provide us with us
with a psychological defense
agairst racism arxl the fee� of
inferiority. .
AS MALCOLM XS18ted: "A
race of people is like an iOOividual
man; until it ises its own talent,
takes pride in iB own history, ex­
presses its own culture, affirms its
own seltmod, it can never fulfill
i1Self."
FoW1h, Malcolm 18ught us that .
we must become eoooomically
self-reliant as much as possible.
For Malcolm economic self­
reliance initially involves a re­
education program in the Black
community in regards to
economic control of our resources.
Malcolm realized that as long
as we remain totally dependent on
whites to create economic oppor­
tunities for us, then Blacks will be
constantly waiting and suffering
from high unemployment and
poverty.
Moreover, Malcolm taught
whites a lesson. In contrast 10
popular belief Malcolm suppo�
coalescing with progressive
whites politically. This rreant that
if whites are serious about estab­
lishing racial aOO economic justice
in this country, they soould strug­
gle in white communities to
change racist attitudes.
Finally, Malcolm did his job 10
teach Blacks the truth. � Blacks
we mist leam lessons from our
experience whetl)er we want to or
rot, For Blacks not to ackoow­
ledge Malcolm's lessons the filst
� w igoorance, rot to learn
from his message the second "time
the .,
is a tragedy. Go see �Vle.
Kenny Anderson, Chairman
Ponta.c Black
Actlvtsts Lague
Bill Clint ' I
Coll vic ry 0
been le ed
of elve y , of epublican rule.
But the cle m [ority of ri
voted et r for erot or B h, not
Clinton. The AI Governor
re Iy didn't win the p iden y:
George B hit it. B h will be
remembered chiefly for hi
narro of political vi ion, an
b nee 0 pe ethi, d .
heep-like devotion to corpo te
in
Political power' never e erei d
in hi toric 1 vacuum. Every
American election from 1948 until
1988 d occurred in the con It of
the Cold War, and the international
conflict be een the United Slat
d the Soviet Union. In lecting
leader, m ny American vote
thought of the qualities necessary for
leadership against what Reagan
termed the "Evil Empire."
Expertise in international affairs,
ome intimate knowledge of
America' military arsenal, and even
personal experience in th rmed
forces w considered nearly
essential. The Cold War's dome tic
impact was to push the entire axi of
American politics to the right.
Reagan's ri e to power in 1980 w
kwarh
am'
•
J
I epublic n
c enged e g
by denouncin . economic pl
"Voodoo Bconomi It; elve y
later, he become Voodoo' High
Pri 1.
But hi tory never land till.
With the collapse of the Berlin Wall,
the disman- tIin of the Soviet bloc
in Europe, and fin By the
termination of the USSR, everything
changed. Both the United State and
the Soviet Union ctually 10 ,t th
Cold War.
The real cos to the American
people hould be weighed by
hundreds of billion of dollars
annually w ted on nuclear and
at the Consulate General of France in
New York City. Eugene Jacques
Bullard, the grand on of an
American slave, was made
Chevalier of the Legion of Honor of
France.
"His father came from the I Jand
of Martinique. His mother was a
Creek Indian. She died when Eugene
was six years' old and shortly after
that he began a Ii fe of adventure for
a boy who from the age of eight
seems to have looked after himself
Completely.
"He made his way to France
because his father told him Negroes
were treated as equal there.
"In World War I, heenli ted in the
Foreign Legion and then tansferred
to the 170th Infantry, and be was
later the first Negro aviator.
"He was a member of the French
Underground in World War nand
the Germans seized all property he
had been able to build up very
successfully in France. He returned
Dr. anning Marable is
Profes or of Political Scimu a'!4
History, University 0/ Colorad4
Boulder. "Along the Color LiII��
appears in over 250 public«iou,
and is broadcast by mor« dum 6IJ
radio talons internatioMlly.
. .. And moet of all.
let U6 give thanks to people who
don't care what their community locke like
and throw their garbage out of the 'window
������
onto the ground outelde
their homes J
I
r
Unci
By JAMES E. ALSBROOK missions against the Germans. pilots requested transfers to the U.S.
A Black man described in white Gen. Benjamin. O. Davis Jr., . Air Squadrons. The white pilots
newspapers as "probably the most leader of the famed Tuskegee were accepted, but Bullard was
unsung bero in the history of U.S. Airmen, spoke at the ce�m�ny. The rejected 85 a pilot by the United
wartime .aviation" received bust was �reated by Eddie Dixon, the States Military because he was
Pos thumous honors and . Black arust and culptor. Black. .
Bullard flew at least 20 mi sions
international acclaim October 14, in
D C BULLARD WENT to France against the Germans and was praised
Washington, . . for his skill and valor.
H . E Bull rd th Bl k because hi father had told his family l'
e 18 ugene a, e ac I ed uall He remained in France, and when
'1 t h f ght lth th F h Ai that all p.eop e were treat eq y. cu
puot w 0 ou Wl e rene r there. He walked and hitch-hiked to France surrendered to the Germans
Force in World War I.
f Newport News, Va., and stowed in World War TI, Bullard was in his
A bronze bust Sculpture 0 him away on a hip to Scotland. He forties and worked with the French
was unveiled before an admiring gh E g1 d Underground. .
. . the W ld W I Gall worked his way throu n an to
audience irr or ar ery F h he i '-� the F' He was a marked man and was
D· M h ranee, w ere e lOl� OI'CIgn
of the 1 play useum at t e Lesi be Id gh H forced to flee to the United States.
Smithsonian Institution. gion w n 0 enou . e was
The only men selected for this transferred to the regular French Bullard's exploits became known
distinction are Bullard, who left Army during World War I. in New York in the fifties, and he
home in Columbus, Ga., in 1902, Bullard was woUDded twice in appeared with Dave Garroway on
1916 at the Battle of Verdun, but he "The Today Show" and Eleanor
when he was eight years old, and the recovered and went back into action. Roosevelt wrote about Bullard in her
feared German fighter pilot ace,
Manfred von Richthosen, better Wounded again, he received a column, "My Day," on October 31,
known as the "Red Baron." medical discharge. In 1917 he 1959.
Bullard was a vicious and fearless re-enlisted as a fighter pilot trainee. .
When America entered the war in
fighter pilot called "The Black 1917, Bnllard and white American
Swallow of Death." He flew 20
"A VERY interesting little
ceremony took place on October s,
ion
I
to America after World War nand!
became an elevator operator at RCA I
in New York City. ,
"His medals are too long to Ii t I
here, but they culminated in the:
ceremony of October 9, and I think:
we in America hould be proud of1
thi man who now live in ourt
country after hi long service to the I
French which he loved. " I
In ddition to tbe medal
mentioned, by Eleanor Rooseven.l
Bullard received t least 14 more I
citations and medals including the 'I
Croix de Guerre.
Bullard knew Josephine Baker!
and other Black performer who I
visi ted France.
He died in 1961 in Ne Yor t
Bullard.had "psychic mobility."
He dreamed of better places and:
condition . Bullard I 0 had:
"geographic mobility." He went to :
better pi ces nd conditions. He' an:
excellent role model for Black youth. ..