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READERS WRITE
Why w an important
tory untold? .
tori on the min' ter, he will
only make us all aware what is
really going on around the world
concerning all people but mostly
Black people.
This was my first year sub­
scribing to the Michigan Citizen
ne paper. I must y that I am
more informed reading your
newspaper than I am reading
the Michigan Chronicle which I
have been a subscriber for the
last ven years.
P. S. It would be great to re­
ceiu or read a response in your
newspaper concerning my di ap­
pointmentll
Editor
in .
Vete from t previous
March on Washington in 1968
and 1983 embraced ch other,
and recalled the triumphs and
tragedi of their political p t.
ALTHOUGH THERE was
pontaneous inging and ch nt­
ing in unison, the noise from the
crowd was muted by the high
humidity and overwhelming
heat. Th U.S. par police ti­
mated at 3:80 p.m. that the
crowd numbered ome 75,000
people.
NAACP I dar Ben Chavis
placed the ize of the demon-
ration at 200,000. As I stood at
the foot of the podium, looking
back upon the ofpeopl I
roughly judged t gathering at
100,000, at least. Butregardl nay,
I, Craig A. Adam would lik
to extend my ubscription for a
period of one y r. My check of
twenty-one dolla . enclosed.
I also have a comment for the
editor. On March 25, 1993 Min­
ister Lou' Farrakhan came to
the city of Detroit for a fun­
draiser that was for an excellent
cause. I was very disappointed
that the Michigan Citizen did
not do a tory on that positive
event.
I personally called the Michi­
gan Citizen here from Washing­
ton State to express my
disappointment. I was told that
the journalist who was assigned
to do the story was unable to
make the event due to a last 0 ar r. Adams,
minute change or something to
that effect. Thank you for your subscrip-
Now if! was the owner of the tion renewal. We apologize for
Michigan Citizen ne spaper, not covering the speech of Min.
Louis Farrakhan we had in-
t ha . r 0 .� 'e . tended and assigned a reporter
WQ ld not ha bl. to cover.
I feel that the Michigan Citizen
should have had a reservedjour- In our defense, we have pro-
nalist on hand ready to take the vided coverage of Min. Farrak­
story in case of a last minute han many times in the past as
ha we agree that he has a message
c nge. for all of America.
My point is, the readers of
your fine newspaper should be Our ability to provide such
bl to 1 h coverage grows in direct propor-
8 . e re y on t e newspaper to tion to the number of readers
do positive events that occur
around the state of Michigan. who subseribe to the paper. So,
Especially when you have a very with your subscription renewal
positive person like Minister comes the very support we need
Farrakhan who will tell the peo- to do the right kind of job report­
ple nothing less than the truth. ing news of importance. Thank
Please inform all the editors you.
and journalists of the Michigan
Citizen, do not be afraid to do
By JAt.£S E. ALSBROOK
Just a few days ago Senator
Carol Moseley-Braun won a vi­
tal "strike one" toward "striking
out" today's second-class citizen­
ship suffered by Black people in
America.
She persuaded an initially in­
different but later-aroused U.S.
Senate that th confederate flag
represents slavery and oppres­
sion, is racially divisive and can­
not be used in a symbol that
bears the official approval of the
United States government.
This "stike one" is exceedingly
important. For th first time the'
fedj!ral government has offi­
cially rejected a flag used by th
Ku Klux Klan, the Skinheads of
America, the American Nazi
Party and various other cts or
encla of bigotry, racism and
white superiority.
When the Senate rejected this
ugly ymbol and its inept ap­
pendages and trappings, it de­
prived racis and bigots of a
Government-registered and ap­
proved "sacred emblem" that
honored past and present vio­
lence and various other. shame­
ful attempts to supp Black
people.
NO ,TIME HAS come for
Moseley-Braun and other like­
thinking per ons to throw
"strike two. "
The second rik cons' ts of
two parts. Part A is the gaining
of a national understanding and
acknowledgment that past
methods of handling the race is­
sue have failed and have re­
sulted in today's rampant
poverty, dispair, hopelessn
and expense.
Part B is the gaining of a na­
tional consensus that the "no­
mestic Marshall Plan"
advocated. by Whitney Young
should be undertaken
This plan would include the
new concept of "enterprise
zones" to develop jobs and neigh­
borho d-owned businesses in
the distressed areas, and pro­
vide neighborhood educational
and counseling centers, that
would supplement public
chools and be authoriz to use
penalties and incentives to en­
courage "mainstream behavior"
in tb neighborhood.
AMERICA SPENT billions
of dollars to rehabilitateEurope
and its allies following World
War IT, along with many more
billions to rehabilitate Japan.
ow it is cooperating with
other nations to Ip the former
Soviet Union, a country consid­
ered one of our deadliest foreign
enemi 'over the past 50 Y'
and has poured more billiot
into Israel and various other for­
eign aid beneficiari .
o . the time for Am rica
to treat itself - to cure its own
affliction. That aftliction is the
internal strife that occurs in the
form of riots in the ghettoes.
When the riots of Los Angeles
were reported overseas, every
one of the 25 to 30 foreign ne
reports I could find or see trans­
lated accused the United Sta
of short-sightedness, economic
prejudice and social neglect, all
causing tJ:le riots.
"STRIKE THREE" is an offi­
cial U.S. Government apology
from President Clinton and the
Congre . . The apology would
recognize wrongdoing for the
years of slavery and discrimina­
tion since 1619, when Blacks
were dragged ashore on orth
America in chains.
This official apology from the
U.S. Government would give
Black people a new respect for
United States la , customs and
practices. It. would release
whites from t aw ward i­
tion of feeling guilty about their
own and their ancestors' racial
mi deeds and eliminate and
need of many white people to use
or invent tereotypes to justify
t . r past and p nt practi
of racial discrimination.
Some stand-pat conservative
politi cia angry bees of the
riots, are more inte in re-
venge against ghetto Blac
than they in elimi ting t
o
basic causes of the uprising.
However, the apology coupled
with the "Domestic Marshall
Plan" would clear the air and
provide a valuable setting for a
new era of much-improved race
relations in this nation.
JACKSO URGED div­
to go forward "to build D
structures for freedom,
hiel for hope in our to
soul of America.·
Th m jor contro ray to
erupt at the March re­
fusal by March organizers to
permit Black nationalist I
Louis Farrakhan to speak. Back
on August 13, Rabbi David
Saperstein of the Religious Ac­
tion Center of Reform Judaism
issued a "confidential and per­
sonal" fax to the top leaders of
the mobilization-King, Faun­
troy, Jackson, Chavis, others.
Saperstein observed that hun­
dreds of Jewish organizations
and synagogues throughout the
northeastem states were going
to be contacted to partici� in
the March. Unfortuna ely,
Saperstein commented, two
"major problems have arisen­
which might culminate in the
withdrawal of "all of the Jewish
groups. - Saperstein had been in­
formed that -8 tentative decision
was made yesterday to invite
Rev. Louis Farrakhan. I don't
need to tell you, - he noted, ·what
a devastating blow this would be
to the solidarity of the coalition
upporting the March. "
Saperstein also opposed the
decision "to extend invitations to
representatives of the Palestin­
ian and Israeli peace delegations
to speak. -
. . Although NAACP officials
and other March leaders refused
to comment directly. on the
Saperstein memo, some kind of
discussion occurred between the
principals over the potential
. controversy. A decision was '
reached not to permit Louis Far­
rakhan to speak. Even activists .
who are critical ofFarrakhan ex­
pressed surprise at this decision,
especially considering that he
had been permitted to speak at
the 1983 March on Washington.
Despite this controversy, the
march accomplished its major
objective- revitalizing the
spirit of activism in Black Amer­
ica.
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