,
Lester's World
Lynching Of Lani Guinier
EDITORIAL
The AA P under the le dership of their new dir ct r,
Ben havi tood up nd took the first tep down the road
to freedom with th announcement unday an end wm nt
fund h d be n e tablished.
The $2 million eed m ney used to tart the fund came
from the late Reginald Lewis, millionaire Afri n
Ameri n u in m n. ., the AA P will rai e an th r
7 milli n nd then us th intere t earned by the mon y t
tand on their own, free of corporate donations nd cor­
p rate pres ure.
Raising that other money ought to be 'easy. One dollar each
from every African in America for three weeks running and
the NAACP would exceed their goal. Then if Blacks con­
tinued to give at the same rate, one dollar per week per
per on we ould free up P H, then L, then the Urban
L u. In the ther nine month of the year ne d liar p r
p rs n p r week could into savin ace unt in Black
h n
w Yr.
n
ir
Don't Di . Your Sis-
ew Y r May r David Dinki_!ls has l��ched public
relation campaign, "Don't Dis You�inkins hope to
aw ken in the mind of young men that calling women by the
B nd H. w rd , grabbin making obscene gestures is not
ho.
Y ung people may turn their no e up at bat they will
con id ,but e '11 bear the message.
Th whole gangsta rap business .thrives simply becau e
white f lk control the record industry and that s the kind f
mu i white folks push. Like so many other problem ur
y ung people face, this too is because we have, not provided
the opportunities for our young people. .
Don't Dis Your is is a healthy, welcome first tep. ow
the older folks need a campaign aimed at them. omething
that communicates the message: take control of 'your com­
munity so that the benefits arising from that community come
t tho wh live in that community.
odn y -i
a n' only on
By Mumia Abu-Jamal
The internationally televised po­
lice aggravated ault of Black LA.
motori t, Rodney King, truck mil­
lions as a n ty revelation of the ugly
underbelly of how White cops and
Black civilians interact in the dark
streets 0 America.
Manyapologi ts for the police de­
cried the Kin video an aberration
from the norm, and tended to justify it
based upon the purported threats
po ed by that particular "defendant" .
(a variation of the so-called "big­
nigga" defense).
At least one reputable rudy, how­
ever, reveal the brutal Rodney
King/L.A.P .D. encounter was just one
of many a ro America, painting a
vivid portrayal of a nationwide pattern
o violent aul by White cops
against national rmnonti .
The rudy, a 2-year urvey of both
national and re ional new papers
found, in th words f tudy condu -
tor )0 eph Feagin a Uruversity 0
,Florida ociology profe or, that
"Rodney King' beatin I n t an iso­
lated incident."
D F • LLOW U.F.
researcher Kim Le ch utilized tho
NEXUS computer y tern in search 0
pu licati ns from Jan. 1 to May
1 m to un ver 130 reports of police
brutality. If on p th obvio ,
that n t 11 u h in iden are even
ever reported (much I publi hed),
then it urred at I t 4 tim a
month or once a week, during th
re rt penod.
The Fea 10 tudy howed that Af- ,
ncan-Amencans or Latino were VI -
'the brutality in 97 percent of
u h , wh re wtute ps were
,centrally IOV tved in ()V r 9 percent
o th ,ttin.
"W 've t und," 'cud Lersch, "that
ttl ly mvolv d T(,U of
I .
White police officers assaulting a
Black or Latino" (In Thes Times, 3
May 1993).
Indeed, Lersch noted, th data re­
vealed a national pattern that could
best be termed "routine."
The UF study researchers, in an
attempt to check their results against
a presumably reliable ource, that is
the U.S. Dept. of Justice, bought their
tudy results.
In March '91, when King' brutal
video ating was fueling Interna­
tional outrage, then-U.S. Attorney
General Richard Thornburgh ordered
a Justice Department urvey for th
previous 6-year period.
LTHOU HIT' B
pleted over a year a 0, it h never
been released, not even to th e U.F.
r earcbers.
The nationally broadcast televi-
ion how Am rican Iustice, reI ed
recently an tonishing report reveal­
tog that in a 10-year period. from
1 1-1991, over 7 ,000 ( evenry­
nin tho,us'and!) es of po lice brutal­
ity, co t-to-co t occurred. 79, !
Tho e numbers, If urate, mean
over 7, assaul ts by policy a year In
America. A civilian i brutalized on
the average, over 65 tim a month
by police; ov r 164 um a week!
The police, tool of whit tate
'capltali t power, are a force creaung
cha in the community, not
They have created more crime,
rnor di ruption, more 10 prop-
erty, life and pea th n any gr up
crirrunal 10 the nation.
In Am rica, ecaus of the poli
ang, riots are inevitable and blame
must be laid at th 'feet of t e claim-
109 to "pea 0 fieers" who brutal­
th people they are w rn to rv.
. "
in
Unive
School, be
ial divi io
civil ri
firmly in
Hamilton Ho
ball,
rights.
Withoutqu tion hewouJd e
been the ideal choice for . tant
At rney General for Civil Righ .
Yet Lalli Guinier w t victim of
carefully ore trated campaign
character ination by th e-
trem Right, and in the moment 0
tru th, w trayed by the admini-
tration he had ught to erve.
What were t b ic charg lev­
eled ainst Guinier?
curs.
What radical re orms?
Guinier endorsed propor-
tional representation, or cumulative
voting, in certain instances in bich
minorities are unable to receive
,
,
m
o
rc
By Stephanie E.
eyers
com-
"I'm bored .. .l don't have any­
thing to do .. .l don't want to work .. .I
hate to read! " We have all heard
th e comments from African
American children. And ortu­
nately th comm nts reflect atti­
tudes that contnbutc to poor chool
performance' ch 01 drop ou ,teen
pregnancie and juvenile delin­
quency.
Bored, unmotivated children arc a
big p lern, if we are oing to de­
velop a new en ration of capable,
rrspi red Afncan Americans who can
mpete and ucceed in the next cen-
tury.
We can not conunu .to pas th
buck to th cho I, televi ion,
chureh and community genci to
rnouva our children, It s time to
a cept the fact that the bu k top
her wi lh you, and me!
In me mstan .Itnmkchitdren
aren't motivated because they are
around dult wh e r d and un­
motiv ted.
In other mstan , children are
around adults who ar so busy that
they push Ide their children.
pouse .. .1 feel powerles ."
Listening children quickly reach
the conclusion that there is no reason
to work hard, study and excel be­
cause there is gloom and doom at the
end of the road.
In other households, children are
around busy, busy adults. Adults
who are totally absorbed wi th climb­
ing career ladders, flying around the
country, and chasing the all mighty
dollar. Children with busy, busy par­
ents know very little about what tbeir
parents actually do for a living.
These children are "out of the loop"
lD their own parents liv and feel
very unimportant '
But we say we want th next gen­
eration of African American a Its
to be capable, competent, achieving
individuals.Jf that is our goal, we are
going to have to motivate th m while
they are children. We are th ir role
models! We imply have to do tter.
hopes for the future. Share your daily
challenges with them. Analyze situ­
ations and map out strategies to­
gether. Pas on to them tbe wi dom
and inspirational principles that were
p ed on to you when you were a
. child.
Secondly, play the game of learn­
ing one new thing a day.' Make sure
your conversations wi th your chil­
dren are about something informa­
tive. Conve ations that only cons' t
of complain ,memorized cripture,
'or "he aid, she 'aid" are BORING!
Make it a point to discus new ideas
and mtormanon with your ern Idren.
Everyone can learn one new tlu ng a
day. You can, too!
Third, read, read, read. Fore
yourself to go to the bookstore or
new tand and brow e until you find
a ubject that inspires you and your
children, Any ubject will do: .. Afri­
can American history, prize fighters,
famous mgers, poetry, etc. Read to­
gether am talk about what you are
reading. So what if it ta es a year to
read one book out loud' you're doing
it together!
Fourth, eep n gative people
away. Don't let neg tive people
com around your chi ldren. If your
relativ , neighbors or friends are al­
way talking negative, treat them Ii e
poison, because they are ! Avoid de­
ping people, 110 matter who they
are. Neither you nor your children
need to hear anymore about how hard
MOTIV no I W RK!
Keeping yourself "pumped up" i a
daily, investment of time and energy.
Children can't motivate them-
elves-they need help! You III t
become th inspiration for the Afri­
can American children ID your envi­
ronment. You must become the
motivator. Listed below are a feZ
iet to get you started:
Firsl, get Involved with your
child. Talk with children daily about
their success , disappointments am
I TH FIR
bored hildren are affected by bern
around nng adults. All they hear
are mplatn, d pI'C.!'sion and frus­
tration.
Inn ent children Jl t n (0 talk
like, "They won't let me get a �
because I'm Black .. J hate my'
T FIRST, HE proudly crowed
about her nomination to Blac con­
stituen .
Then, tbe rightwi ng assault and
mountain li spread, the Presi­
dent became increasingly cautious,
hiding once again behind hi Attor­
ney General Janet Reno. Finally,
when the "neoliberal" publications
su h as the ew Republic cam out
against Guinier, the pres ure became
just too much for the white South­
erner to handle.
Even reactionary and raci t com­
mentators such as Patrick Buchanan
understood that Chnton' failure to
support Guinier's nomination was
political tupidity. By abandoni
Guinier and by not penni tting her
defend herself before the Senate ub­
committee, Clinton alienated hi
core poli tical base, and howed a
failure of poll tical courage.
An articulate defense of her ideas
could have persuaded a majority of
enators, fresh from the embarrass­
ing ituation of the Thomas-Hill
hearings of two.years earlier, to en­
dorse Guinier.
Clinton failed to comprehend th t
it is alway better to fight for your
principles-especially when your
principles are worth fighting for.
Dr. Ma""ing Marable is Profes­
sor of History and Director of the
Institute for Research in African­
American Studies, Columbia Uni­
versity, New York. "Along the Color
Line" appears in over 250 publica­
tions and is featured by more than 60
radio stations internationally.
I
,
r
life is, or how you're climbm the
"rough ide of the mountain."
IN Y, K your
wn life. If you are unhappy, do
something about it. Children learn by
example. If you are " tuck" in a b d
ituation, and you tay 10 it that i
what your -children will do. Find
way to molivat yourself and in­
clude your children in the pr CS.
Take th m to work with ou. how
them pia in the communi ty. Let
them belp y u on a proje t. If y.ou
top focusing on y urs I and tart
f usin on them. y u '11, ee wonder­
ful r ult. It
Mouvating our childr n 1\ cs en­
nal if Afncan Americans are g in
to fioo the resolve and trcrr th to
pro� into the next entury. We
must raise a gen ranon of y uth who
et p itive goals and achieve them.
We each have the power wuhm us t
turn around the elf-defeat d, unmo­
tivated children wh tand he or us.
Let' do It!
tephanie E. Mey r i. a former
assistant s retary for the u.s. De­
partment of Healtk and Human Serv­
ices. he is currently a
writer/consultant for the District of
Columbia. Write to P.O. Bo 70427
Washington, D.C. 20024. '