One of the many things that disturbed me about Poynter
Institute’s Al Thompkin’s columns on the Jena 6 is that he treated
the nooses hanging from the “White tree” (two of course, not the
widely reported three) were just a childish prank that harmed no one. Not
so…Read on-
Current News |
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Perspectives: On Nooses, Blacks and
Dogs In |
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The Perhaps nothing symbolizes and crystallizes this racial
hatred and intolerance — which is ingrained in the very fiber of all
that is American — better than the hangman’s noose and the
lynching that it is used to perpetuate. The recent spate of cases involving
the hanging of nooses around the country is deeply disturbing, yet infinitely
revealing, particularly on the grounds of institutions where one should be
able to expect racial diversity and tolerance above and beyond that of the
larger society, i.e. educational, military and law enforcement
establishments. The noose incidents at Many are scratching their collective heads in amazement that
the Justice Department has not stepped into this seeming bigots’
free-for-all and launched a full-fledged investigation. What better time than
now when race relations are at what could only be called a modern nadir (or
low point) and when the criminal justice system is, it seems, woefully
two-tiered — one track for Whites and one for everyone else. Why, just last week, the U.S. Department of Justice
waded into the Michael Vick dog fighting melee and appointed a guardian for
the surviving dogs of the former ring! This, while on the very same day, the House Judiciary Committee
conducted hearings on the situation in Clearly, drastic measures must be taken to stem the tide
of racial hatred flowing in this land, once and for all. Not since the days
of Jim Crow have we witnessed such unmitigated cowardice and hate. Really, if
the truth be told, this is even bigger than Jim Crow. Indeed, Christopher
Metzler, director of diversity management and equal employment opportunities
at In view of this, in this correspondent’s humble
opinion, there are three steps that could
begin the process of correcting centuries of historical wrongs in Secondly, anyone convicted of a hate crime should be
thoroughly and utterly ostracized and marginalized, and basically relegated
to society’s “loser” heap. Think O.J. Simpson or Michael
Vick. And mind you, this should not just be limited to convicted felons, but
to anyone who advances racist and hateful sentiments in public, be they
written or verbal. These people should have no place at all at the proverbial
“table of brotherhood” — or sisterhood. Finally, diversity and inclusion training must become
standard fare in all American schools that receive public funding — and
it should begin at the very earliest levels. Teacher training programs in
this country must also incorporate this training into their curriculum
requirements. Further, our children must be taught true American history and
not some “Whitewashed” version which glosses over this
nation’s slaveholding past and centuries of institutionalized, systemic
discrimination. Only then will the young begin to understand what all the
fuss is about with regard to racism, affirmative action, reparations, and
other sociological issues of the day. Until the day comes when the political leaders of this
country are courageous enough to do what must be done to tangibly and
concretely correct the historical ills in this society — with laws,
enforcement, and funding — individuals and institutions of good will
must make every effort to affect change in our own backyards. The time has come when all persons in this country have
an equal shot at the American Dream, and are afforded all the vaunted
liberties of the American citizen, such as equal protection under the law. At
the founding of this nation, the African- descended American was considered a
mere three-fifths of a man and, as W. E. B. Du Bois noted in The Souls of Black Folk, Dr. Pamela D. Reed is a
diversity consultant and assistant professor of English and African-American
literature at |
Dr. Daufin’s Commentary:
I agree wholeheartedly with almost all of this
article. What troubles me is the author's call for draconian penalties
for those convicted of hate crimes AND SPEECH. I don't want to sign away
our First Amendment rights though certainly hateful people committing hateful
acts have hidden behind this noble Amendment. My real concern is that
history has shown a propensity for the laws that the oppresses struggle and
sacrifice to get passed end up being used against the victims/survivors who
sought to pass them. For example some of my expression of pain and
resentment for certain oppressors in my social activism Spoken Word poetry may
be described by sinister minds as hate speech against the oppressors. I'd
hate to get arrested at the next show I do as protest poets in Pakistan, some
Latin American countries, some African countries and former Soviet
Union/Russian (among other places) have long experienced!
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Rev. Dr. E-K. Daufin, Professor
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