Quite a few reports left out the following from the actual press release:
Significant numbers of African Americans believe in conspiracy theories about AIDS, and black men with such beliefs are less likely to use condoms as a precaution against spreading the HIV virus…(more…),
As the title suggests, the basic translation of this statistic/survey is simply that a good percentage of blacks today still do not trust most white people and government. For those of us that are in the over 30 crowd, we have witnessed such suspicious tragedies as the Tuskegee syphilis project, the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. , Malcolm X, and the Jim Crow laws of the south. More recently, the dismissal of 4 LAPD officers of charges for the senseless beating of a black motorist did very little to improve are trust of white people or “the system” (better known as the government). [Hey, let’s not forget if you were one of those that saw the movie Rosewood right before or during a work week. :) ].
There is one other element to this anti-trust mixture that I think is very important to mention. Many of our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. have also contributed to this negative trend as well. As a , I remember all the stories I would hear various family members that would recall all of the times a white person did them wrong. As the stories were being told, I can remember my aunts in the room shaking their head while saying “um – um – um.” The men in the room would just say something like “see there! That’s why… (you fill in the blank)”.
To this very day, when I am telling a hot sex cams story about something that happened to me, I still have friends that will inquire weather or not the people that I am talking about were white or black as if the outcome would have been drastically different if it had been a white person (trust me, its is a hard habit to break ;) ).
Whites on the other hand are guilty as well in this “lack of trust” conflict. One obvious place you will see this is when a black person enters into an environment and is not dressed like everyone else (who happens to be white). Regardless, when you compare the two groups, it is my belief that we as black people tip the scale in this game of distrust. I believe that one of the biggest issues that place us over the top is made up of two words: Affirmative Action.
Once a much needed plan to even the playing field in America, affirmative action has now turned iinto a vice that is used to further divide us as a nation (In short, affirmative action says two-fold: to whites it says that you can never be trusted to be fair to people of color. To blacks, it says that white people and/or the government are innately flawed when it comes to allowing us to have equal opportunities. In other words, “once a racist, always a racist“. In short, affirmative action can be seen as institutionalized distrust.
As I have said many times before, like anywhere else America may not be perfect, but it has certainly come a long way. Otherwise, I do not think that many of our brothers and sisters from Africa and other people of color would be still coming to this country to make a living.
The political “playas” that stand on the corner of Unending Black Struggle and Injustice Ave. would want to keep us in an unending state of distrust of white people so that they can more easily reap the spoils of white guilt while at the same time embolden their image as a so-called leader of black people.
I am not proposing some kind of great love fest between blacks and whites. Instead, what I realize is that at some point we are going to have to start trusting white people on a much greater scale than we have been in the past. Otherwise we will see ourselves once again at the back of the bus – this time , of the global economy.
BET reports (click here for full story):
Three years ago, critics charged that the 34-year-old Kilpatrick held wild parties in the mayor’s mansion at taxpayers’ expense, complete with strippers, prostitutes and plenty of liquor. Kilpatrick and many close to the mayor called the claims a racist attempt to discredit him. As the charges simmered – rising to the level of urban legend – a state attorney launched a major probe into the allegations. The investigation found no wrongdoing on behalf of Kilpatrick and his chaturbate staff.
“When you’re a young African American man with an earring, it’s hard for people to believe you’re a good husband and father,” Kilpatrick told The Associated Press.
Personally, I hope that there is nothing serious discovered beyond the Lincoln Navigator he leased for his family with city funds (you have to read the whole story for all the details). I prefer to let the investigation to play itself out (trust me, I’m not holding my breath–the story is not that interesting to me). What I did notice was the question that BET posed to its readers:
Is Kilpatrick giving Black politicians a bad name or is his a case of racial stereotyping?
It is the first part of this question that caught my attention. My answer is simply “NO". Mayor Kilpatrick is his own man that makes his own decisions. The way he chooses to live his life has no bearing on mine or any other black person I know. Suggesting that Kilpatrick is giving ALL other black politicians a bad name is like saying that Mussolini gave all Italians a bad name. Once again, we play right into our own stereotypes by suggesting such mess.
I also go into detail of this “one person represents the whole race” ideology in my posting: On the whole “Black Leader” thing
Stay tuned…
For the next few days (at least) I will be discussing the current slave trade that is going on in Africa. It is my hope that these series of postings will motivate you to take some action on this widely neglected issue here in the United States (especially within the black community). Because of the large amount of information that I have on this topic, I have no choice but to make this into a series of postings so that you as the reader can easily digest this information.
Dr. Samuel Cotton (pictured below) was a leader in the movement here in America to end slavery in Sudan and Mauritania. Here is his quick bio:
Columbia University lecturer and pioneering figure in the movement to end modern-day slavery in North Africa, first learned about contemporary slavery in Sudan and Mauritania while working as a freelance reporter for African-American newspapers in his hometown of New York City. Shocked to discover that thousands of black Africans were being held as chattel slaves, Sam became a leading advocate for their emancipation, even undertaking an undercover mission to aid slaves in Mauritania. He was the founder and executive director of the Coalition Against Slavery in Mauritania and Sudan (CASMAS).
In 1996, he testified before Congress about his findings and appeared on an NBC Dateline exposé of slavery in Sudan. In 1999, he produced a film and published a book, both called “Silent Terror,” documenting his trip to Mauritania and issuing a call to action for Americans, particularly African-Americans, to join the new abolitionist movement In addition to his activism , Sam also assisted Mauritanian and Sudanese refugees who came to New York in finding employment.”
Unfortunately, in 2003 he succumbed to a brain tumor; however his work continues to this day. Click here to find out more about The American Anti-Slavery Group
What has infuriated me about this whole issue is how most black politicians and political organizations have opted to completely ignore this whole issue while at the same time continue to persuade millions of black Americans that the petty racism that we may experience today is of a much greater importance. In 1995, Dr.Cotton wrote an article entitled Sorrow and Shame: Brutal North African Slave Trade. Here is an excerpt of that article; however you are encouraged to click on the following link https://www.jasminlive.mobi/, to read it in its entirety.
One African stated that “African Americans have been at the forefront of the international campaign against apartheid. . . Yet as an African working in the field of human rights in Africa, I am constantly struck, and saddened, by the extent to which a combination of factors have discouraged the majority of Black Americans from speaking out about human rights abuses in sub-Saharan Africa.” Said Rakiya Omaar, a Somali, in the Washington Post. ” Each year, hundreds of Black Americans visit the famous island of Goree in Senegal, from which many of their ancestors began the painful voyage to enslavement. Yet, just a short distance north of Goree are villages and refugee camps providing sanctuary to thousands of blacks who ran away to escape slavery in Mauritania, some of them as recently as three months ago.”
Why don’t African Americans speak out about chattel slavery in the sub-Sahara? Why does Jesse Jackson’s office refuse to give a statement? The AASG has repeatedly, over the past months, mailed documentation and faxed material to the office of Jesse Jackson. Follow-ups with Jackson’s aide Lisa Gibson did not yield a response. The author faxed documentation on March 9, 1995, to the Rainbow Coalition at the request of aide Jeff Griffith. The fax was received, and Griffith said that “Jesse Jackson is busy with affirmative action, and like anybody else, Jesse gets tied up and can only speak on one issue at a time. Right now, slavery is not on his agenda.” However, I was told to call the following day for a statement. Sadly, Jeff Griffith met an untimely death and all the material was allegedly lost. His superior, Stephanie Gadlin, requested that I fax the material again and and call later for a statement. Ms. Gadlin felt that the slavery issue would be good for Reverend Jackson to have on his agenda, since he is scheduled to go to the Middle-East. No statement was issued.
Two years ago, on July 15, 1993, White Congressman Frank Wolf wrote a letter to Benjamin Chavis who was serving as the Executive Director of the NAACP. “Most recently, I received a copy of a very disturbing State Department cable containing reliable information that in Sudan, human rights abuses such as kidnapping, slavery and the export of women and from southern and central Sudan are escalating dramatically, despite the denials and rhetoric from Sudanese government officials. . .I hope that you will speak out against the continuing cruelty which has caused the people of Sudan so much pain and suffering. The efforts of the NAACP could be the difference between life and death for millions of people.”
Benjamin Chavis did not respond, and Rep.White wrote again to Chavis on August 19, 1993. “Since I last wrote to you, thousands more in southern Sudan have died. Please let me know if the NAACP is willing to step forward. Please let me know if you will personally become involved. This is not an easy task, but the combined efforts of many Americans – could result in saving the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people” There would be no response to this letter or a similar plea sent to Randall Robinson, Executive Director of TransAfrica, on August 19, 1993. [My input: Let me remind you that Randall Robinson is one of the leading advocates in the current reparations movement here in America]
The weight of the evidence indicates that Whites are really the only ones working to stop the slave trade, and that Black leaders have no real interest in stopping the buying and selling of Black Africans. This slave trade is common knowledge in Congressional circles and shamefully, Black leaders have not educated the African-American public on an issue central to their history. Are Black Americans playing at being Africans and in reality have no real love or attachment to Africa and African people? Could it be that African-Americans are in love with a fantasy Africa and do not possess any real understanding of African realities and world views? These questions require critical thinking that will move African-Americans past the kente cloth and fashion, to examine if there is a relationship between them and the African. The presence in the United States of the Mauritanians and the Sudanese refugees can be a spring board for the exploration of African realities. (more…)
Lester Kinsolving (a columnist, talk show host, reporter, and White House correspondent) writing for AFSI (Americans For A Safe Israel) has also observed this same avoidance of current slave trade issue by not only black leaner-ship,but the Episcopal church:
This may–or may not–have been also uncomfortable to a New Yorker named Edmond Browning who, this summer, accepted a medal from Arafat.
Surely his acceptance of this medal was embarrassing to those among the nation’s 2.4-million Episcopalians who still take seriously the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Murder.” For Browning, the Arafat Medalist, is their denomination’s ranking prelate, as Presiding Bishop.
The Episcopal Church News Service even put out a news release, pointing to Browning’s acceptance of this medal. (They did not mention that it came from the most accomplished serial killer of Jewish civilians since Heinrich Himmler.)
Bishop Browning’s acceptance of the Arafat Medal took place this summer during the denomination’s General Convention in Philadelphia. During one of this convention’s news briefings, I asked Browning about the fact that among 300 proposed resolutions, not one concerned the nearly one-quarter of a million black slaves held in bondage today in the African countries of Mauritania, Ghana, and Sudan.
When the bishop attempted to evade the question, I asked him if he was opposed to slavery. Most of those attending this press conference laughed–since a majority of them are diocesan flacks.
I then noted that the American Anti-Slavery Group has reported that liberal church denominations have refused to speak to the issue of slavery today. And Browning replied that he would be glad to meet with any such group.
“Meet with” is no commitment to taking a stand. And the American Anti-Slavery Group noted: “Black leaders are AWOL–or worse. The NAACP resolved to ‘come to the front of this battle’–but has not. The Congressional Black Caucus encouraged us–then went mute. Jesse Jackson’s office told us he wouldn’t touch the issue because it sounded ‘anti-Arab’ (We have three Muslims on our board).”
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Browning simply must have known of African slavery today–from Newsweek ’s repeated coverage; from the Baltimore Sun ’s sending two intrepid reporters to Sudan to buy–and then free–a black slave; or from his fellow Anglican bishops all over Africa.
But since the slave owners and slave traders are Arabs and Muslims, Arafat Medalist Browning deflected the question. And the Episcopal diocesan flacks laughed.
For the record, I have been very hard-pressed to find any firm position by black politicians/political organizations. Any position that I have found came after much pressure from front line individuals/organizations in war against modern slavery. Also, please note that there are some prominent black Americans that are giving voice to this issue (Danny Glover is one of them). Hopefully, I will be able to highlight their efforts in this series.
Throughout this series, I will be adding additional links that will provide you with additional information on this widely ignored issue.
Weekend Health Clinic: Why!!!
As the traffic to this site continues to pick up, I feel that it is important to give a brief explanation of this particular series of postings entitled Weekend Health Clinic.
In the last 7 years, I have seen 5 people very close to me die due to a variety of illnesses. Besides being very traumatic to me, these series of events provoked me to take the initiative to explore what causes diseases. To my discovery, I found that our diet (the way we eat) is the leading factor behind most diseases. Cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, eye problems, heart disease, etc. can all find their roots in the years we spent eating foods that are in effect slowly killing us.
I also became especially troubled after reading the various health statistics out there that show black folk leading the negative trend in bad health. Having a history of working with mentoring youth, I have had a front row seat experience to witness first hand this negative health trend in its early stages. Everyday, I would see our beautiful young boys and girls drinking sodas, eating candy, chips, etc. as a first meal for the day. The public school system (although is getting a little better in this area) has a long history of contributing to this bad health trend right in their own cafeterias.
Being a person who loves to research, it would be very easy for me to rattle off statistic after statistic that do nothing but tell us the obvious: WE are killing ourselves with the two most potentially deadly utensils in the kitchen–the knife and fork.
Everytime I hear about someone dying at an early age (especially US), I can’t help but ask the question “could it have been prevented?” This is just my small way of providing information that will hopefully extend your life.
For years, I dismissed holistic health as a “white thang” until the statistics that show US dying at a faster rate told me otherwise (false perceptions can be a deadly thing!). I allowed my own cultural bias to keep me in ignorance as it relates to health.
Much of what you will see posted in this section I have personally applied to my own diet. Although it has been gradual, I have seen the improvements in my own life as well as the life of my family. This is why I want to share this information with you.
I do not sell any products (I do not make a good salesman), nor am I trying to make you into some tree-huggin’ grass eater. All that I want to share with you is how by making small but gradual changes to your diet, you are actually reversing the curse of bad health that may have been in your family for years. Also, please keep in mind that I am not licensed in the medical field in any way. All that I offer is information that I have both obtained and applied to my own life–and have seen the results. In the end, it is you that has to judge for yourself.
The reason why I do this? Simply put: I love MY people and I do want us to continue to die unnecessarily.
Here’s to your improved health!!