Reparations is easiest broken down: Repair Nations. Not speaking from a Christian perspective makes reparations seem selfish. Not speaking from a Nationalist perspective is paramount to wishing to be fixed by someone other than ourselves. Our perspectives are skewed & we're about to launch another "we shall overcome" type movement, marching & looking for additional handouts. Reparations is an issue of self-sufficiency, not finding some new crutch on which to lean.
I was thinking about this song, and the rallying cry of M1 and Stick. We as a people, have been saying we want freedom...that we are still enslaved. And, I thought of it in light of this:
If freedom is what we want, it is ours for the taking. Let the revolution begin. -Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto
This has been the aim of Black Liberation - freedom. And, here's someone stating that - in America - freedom is ours for the taking, if we want it. How could that be?
In the conclusion of his book defining the path to Liberty, Dr. Paul says:
Ours is not a fated existence, for nowhere is our destiny etched in stone. In the final analysis, the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves. If the people want to be free, if they want to lift themselves from underneath a state apparatus that threatens their liberties...and spews forth endless propaganda about how indispensable it is and how lost we would all be without it, there is no force that can stop them.
Basically, the theory of this book is that if people return to the Constitution they will find the tools to ensure their Liberty. So, it should be said that if we embrace the Constitution we will fin the tools to ensure Black Liberation...because if we want to be free there's no force that can stop us.
Now, of course some will say I'm naive and that the government stops us, or the system stops us, or racism stops us. But, you know something?
Excuses are tools of incompetence. They build monuments of nothingness and bridges that lead to nowhere. Those who specialize in excuses seldom excel in anything else.
And, as I read Dr. Paul's book I had to face the harsh reality. The statement still remains, "if freedom is what we want, it is ours for the taking."
So, what is stopping Black Liberation? What is preventing Black people from securing Liberty? Could it be that we don't really want freedom? What do you think?
Let the revolution begin. Come and Get Your Reparations!
And, then look how he tries to use Clarence Thomas to validate his argument.
The only problem with O'Reilly is that Clarence Thomas is Black and he felt as though he was being lynched. We have some waking up to do! What do you think of this issue?
People say, "why can't we just move forward? Why can't people just forget?"
Well, this is a classic example of why we can't move forward, and why we can't forget. And, these aren't just the sentiments of a Black man. These sentiments are shared by President Bush.
Did you hear his comments in the first clip? If you didn't pay much attention to them, please listen again. They're very powerful, and I think they have great application to the Jena 6 mess. What do you think?
I fear that a Black president would be an excuse for some to say, "We've paid our debt," and to avoid the much harder work.
Today we commemorate the 45th Anniversary of the so-called "I Have a Dream" speech. I say "so-called" because the speech was over 2/3 complete before Dr. King starts speaking about a "Dream."
Forty-five years ago, Dr. King mounted the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to demand justice. As he said, he came to "cash a check." Forty-five years ago he said, "when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to every American was to fall heir.
"This was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation."
Watch and listen to the speech as you read on:
Forty-five years ago, Dr. King did not simply espouse a Dream where "little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little White boys and White girls and walk together as sisters and brothers." Racial reconciliation is the culmination of this Dream. But, in Dr. King's "Dream" this reconciliation cannot happen until this nation rises up to "live out the true meaning of it's creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
You see, Reparations will help us to realize the Dream.
We will not all be created equal until the child born in the ghetto has the same chance to achieve greatness as the child born in the suburbs. We will not all be created equal until a Black person going to a hospital has the same chance of survival as the White person in the same hospital. We will not be created equal until "Black Culture" is part and parcel of American Culture, and not treated as some sort of "sub-culture."
Reparations will help us to realize the Dream.
The dream is not realized simply because a Black man stands as the Democratic Nominee. And, the "fierce urgency of now" is this: the opportunity for us to make progress on overcoming racial disparities is slipping away.
You hear pundits, preachers and politicians alike declaring that this moment marks the "Post-racial" era. They want you to believe that Obama's nomination will open the flood-gates of opportunity for Black people. But, the National Urban League tells a different story.
Take the housing crisis for example. Urban League President Marc Morial states:
In fact, according to 2006 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, more than 50 percent of blacks received subprime loans compared with less than 18 percent of whites.
People will use Senator Obama's nomination (on the Anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" Speech) as a testament to the "progress" that's been made. They will all be proud of the "Color Blind Society." But, United for a Fair Economy states in their "State of the Dream 2008" report:
Because people of color are disproportionately poor, many individuals will be helped by some of the proposals. But the "color-blind" nature of the policies will not have any effect on closing the racial economic gap. In fact, race is conspicuously absent from the Democrats' agenda.
Reparations will help us to realize the Dream. Affirmative Action has failed us. And, Black Presidential candidates are not the solution. Yes, it feels good. But, feeling good "don't pay the bills."
Those who have read the entire text of this "I Have a Dream" speech realize that he's arguing for a form of reparations. Yet, while we compare Senator Obama to Dr. King on this (now doubly) important date in history, we're faced with the fact that Senator Obama is against reparations. He says:
If we have a program, for example, of universal health care, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because they're disproportionately uninsured," Obama said. "If we've got an agenda that says every child in America should get — should be able to go to college, regardless of income, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because it's oftentimes our children who can't afford to go to college.
Yet, United for a Fair Economy says again:
Moving everyone one rung up the ladder won't change the fact that those on the lower rungs are disproportionately people of color.
And, those on the lower rungs will continue to be on the lower rungs...moving the ladder up higher doesn't manifest equality - only a higher standard of inequality.
Tonight, you will hear them speak of racial progress. Yet, as Bill Reed points out:
White households’ average net worth of $468,200 is six times that of black households’ $75,000. Blacks’ plight is not being represented in political parties’ platforms and if nothing is done to accelerate black progress, it will take blacks 6 years to close the high school graduation gap, 71 years to close the disparities in college graduation and 581 years to close gaps in per-capita income gap and 1,664 years for the one in home ownership.
If you haven't seen enough, here are some more sites:
All of this, and they lull us to sleep by saying that Barack Obama is the realization of Dr. King's Dream.
Now, my problem is not with Obama. This is the mainstream and the media using this situation to their benefit. This is the mainstream using this historic moment as another opportunity to further neutralize the political power of the Black community.
Reparations will help us to realize the Dream.
Forty-five years ago, Dr. King did not speak out simply so that Black men could run for President. Dr. King spoke out demanding equality. So, I say to you today, my friends, that the dream is yet to be achieved. I say that we still have much work to do. I say, go ahead and support Obama if you like. Yet regardless of your choice, to realize the dream we must become vigilant. We must organized if we are to protect ourselves from those who will day that "racism is dead."
In a 2004 questionnaire, Senator Obama told the NAACP, "I fear that reparations would be an excuse for some to say, 'We've paid our debt,' and to avoid the much harder work."
Well, I agree. And, I fear that a Black president would be an excuse for some to say, "We've paid our debt," and to avoid the much harder work." So, let's get to work!
A few days ago, the UHURU Movement challenged Senator Obama at a rally in St. Petersburg, FL. Here's the video:
Reparations will address specific Black concerns. Senator Obama will not address the concerns of the Black Community, until more of us challenge him as these brothers did. In order for us to challenge him, we must have an agenda. And, once we challenge him we must be able to hold him accountable for his response. Here's the link to some more background on his response, from SleptOn Magazine.
Reparations will address specific Black concerns. We can expect no political figure - Black/White/Other - to think about the Black Community until we force the issue. On our Google Group, we invite you to help us put together a viable program for reparations.
Reparations will address specific Black concerns, but we are the ones who must develop the plan. Let's see if you have some ideas to move this forward...
Last night, we were to discuss the Rising Tide Theory and Senator Obama’s stance on reparations.In our response, we called Obama’s position naïve.Well, some people have considered our response a bit harsh and unfair to Senator Obama.Some say that we ought to wait until he wins the election before we start making demands.So, to address this issue we scheduled last night’s Reparative Talk Radio program: “Does a Rising Tide Really Lift All Boats?The Obama Doctrine.”
We were all set to discuss the issue and present the foundation for a viable reparations plan that could be promoted by a presidential candidate.I think it is quite possible to extend such a tax exemption for the same amount of generations as were enslaved (i.e. four generations of slaves = four generations of exemption).What do you think?If you don’t mind, would you enter your thoughts here?
Yesterday, technology struck: difficulties with our internet service precluded us from completing the show.So, I would like to apologize to all of you for the confusion and hope you will continue to support our efforts.
Ok...if you read the blogosphere you'll see many people outraged that Obama has voiced his opposition to Reparations. Now, I definitely understand why he made that stance. As Jeremiah Wright said, "Barack Obama is a politician, and he does what politicians do." How can we believe that he would say anything different?
Now, what Senator Obama says sounds nice. And, frankly as US President that is the most we can - and should - expect him to say. Nevertheless, we must understand that in this instance a rising tide may raise all boats, but some boats will still be sinking.
Reparations will protect us from Obama's naiveté. If one person stands 5'6" and another at only 5', and we put them both on the same 4" platform, the first person will remain 6 inches taller than the other, right? That is the shortsightedness of Senator Obama's thinking on this issue.
Black people are at a disadvantage. Those in the race of capitalism do not need any head starts. If indeed the race goes to the swift, why not find ways to put everyone at the same starting point and let competition determine who wins?
So, reparations will protect us from Obama's naiveté. Because, there is no way that programs to help "all" Americans will ultimately benefit Black Americans. For, through programs to benefit all Americans, Black Americans will continue to be behind...we will continue to be at a disadvantage.
Yet, I am not one to call for greater government intervention into the affairs of Black People. I believe that greater intervention comes at the detriment of our community. Ultimately, the solution will come from within ourselves. Especially being of the minority, there is no way that the Federal Government will ever do anything for the distinct benefit of our interests.
We must remember, Senator Obama is running for President of America...not of Black America. And, he will not do anything specific for Blacks simply because he's Black. The only way he will be justified in doing anything specific for Blacks is if the Black Community is active and engaged, forcing Obama to address our concerns.
Reparations will protect us from Obama's naiveté because if we as Black people put all our hopes in him, we will be lost. As Professor Vernellia Randall said to The Huffington Post: aid to the poor in general won't close the gaps poor blacks would still trail poor whites, and middle-class blacks would still lag behind middle-class whites. Instead, assistance must be aimed directly at the people facing the after-effects of slavery and Jim Crow laws.
The best response for obtaining reparations comes from the Late Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie:
The people themselves must come to realize their own difficulties in the development of their community and try to solve them by collective participation following an order of priority and taking their potentiality into account.
It is well known to you all that recognizing one's problems and striving hard to challenge them is a mark of an attempt at self-sufficiency. Self help in the benefits to be acquired through education, will save the individual from asking someone's assistance.
It is our responsibility to do the work necessary to obtain reparations. To be fixed by someone else would only replace one form of dependence with another. So no, I do not want Senator Obama to endorse a government sponsored reparations plan - not yet. We're not ready...and frankly that would let society off the hook. But, I will say that the Senator's public statement is quite shortsighted.
This past Thursday & Friday, I had the honor of covering the Race & Reconciliation in America Conference. It was hosted by former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen and his wife - actress and playwright - Janet Lanhart Cohen.
The conference was amazing. And, on your behalf we conducted many interviews: Louis Gossett, Jr. ("Fiddler" from Roots), Noel Ignatiev (Author of How the Irish Became White), Peggy McIntosh (scholar on White Privilege), former Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander, Simeon Wright (Emmitt Till's cousin), and the Cohens. All of them spoke to us about Reparations and the need for Reparations.
Reparations will bring about racial reconciliation. Like the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey stated, we work to "conserve the rights of our Noble Race, while respecting the rights of all mankind, believing always in the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God." Ultimately, we are to be reconciled. And, in order to have true reconciliation we must have truth. But, some "can't handle the truth!"
Yet, truth was the spirit of this conference. And, the Cohens did a great job at starting the discussion. When we analyzed the "Meeting David Wilson" documentary, the downfall was the discussion afterwards. It was far too academic - even the two Davids had that opinion. We need discussions on racial issues, and that discussion must be at the level of the community.
At the Race and Reconciliation Forum, people were very open. Discussions became intense at times, but were always conducted in love. It was a great step - but it must be carried forward. Follow up is crucial if any true headway is to be made.
This is just an intro post. In the days and weeks to come, we will dissect these interviews and observations to give you more insight. So, brace yourself - there were some very surprising comments on reparations...all leading to one conclusion.
Reparations will bring about racial reconciliation. But, that will only happen if we have honest discussions about the rift. What do you think needs to be discussed? What topics need to be addressed? You can post your comments here or in our group.
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