Harvard Professor Gates Plans To Meet With Officer Again Over Beers

 

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The officer who arrested a top African-American professor said talks over beers Thursday evening at the White House were productive and the two men plan to meet again.

Sgt. James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates Jr. sat around a patio table with President Obama and Vice President Biden, drank beer, munched on snacks and talked about the arrest that has sparked debate about racial profiling and police procedures.

"It was a private discussion. It was a frank discussion," Crowley said of the meeting, but would not divulge specifics except to say that no one apologized.

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Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Says Without Slavery, WE would be Stuck in Africa!

YourBlackWorld: Dr Boyce, Jesse Jackson Talk Martin Luther King

Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.net

Quick Notes: I was on Jesse Jackson’s radio show again yesterday. Here is a link to Rev. Jackson’s first public speech since the Barack Obama incident. I also want to say congratulations to my attorney, Nicole Taylor, in Louisville, KY who just started her own legal practice. Nicole (one of the sharpest people I know) had a child at the age of 15, and then went on to graduate at the top of her class for her BA, MBA and JD degrees. She shows that we should never give up on our kids, especially young mothers.

The topic of Rev. Jackson's show was continuing the legacy of Dr. King. Most of us know how watered down Dr. King's dream has become and we sometimes forget the significant link between Dr. King's dream and the quest for economic equality. Here is a link to a study that you might find interesting. It shows that racism is still rampant in our country and that many people know it. This doesn't surprise me, since the United Nations Human Rights Watch has criticized our country heavily as a result of our nation’s commitment to maintaining a two-tiered society. In the report, they mentioned the following:

1) The disproportionate number of black men in the prison system (Note: this links directly to the high number of AIDS cases in our community, since the government does very little to stop prison rape).

2) Black men getting longer sentences for the same crimes.

3) Black men are far more likely to go to prison for the same crimes and less likely to receive adequate counsel (This links to the impact that Jim Crow and Slavery have had on the disproportionate allocation of wealth in our society - therefore, black men are statistically less capable of paying for expensive attorneys)

4) Black children are less likely to receive an adequate education (We know that many inner city schools are horrible. Also, the legacy of racial inequality creates lower wealth levels in the inner city and thus a lower tax base to support public schools).

Senator Obama expects your vote, so I hope you also ask for his vote. The fight today is not so much against racism: it is against racial inequality. Racial inequality is what you get when you’ve built the foundation of your society on racially destructive habits, norms and activities that advance one ethnic group over another. Even when racism leaves the room, racial inequality remains long afterward. In light of the recent apology for slavery and Jim Crow by our Congress, we might want to consider the following:

1) Since the Federal Government (our largest and most powerful institution) has apologized for slavery, oppression and Jim Crow, does that also imply that many of the smaller institutions in America (universities, corporations and media outlets over 100 years old) should apologize as well? For example, my institution, Syracuse University, spent over 100 years excluding African Americans from opportunity, thus leading to an incredibly skewed distribution of decision-making authority on our campus today. This leads to a lower quality of education for students of color and fewer opportunities for black faculty to have leadership positions. This is not just true here, but EVERYWHERE. The first step toward fixing a problem is to acknowledge it. It is also important to realize that the past does not live in a vacuum: it lives all around us. Most people, places, objects and concepts are here today because of something that someone did in the past - so addressing the present is a way to address the past.

2) Given that Congress has apologized for slavery and Jim Crow, what should our government do next? If I do something to harm another person, the first step toward healing is to acknowledge and apologize. I applaud Congress for issuing an apology. The next step, once I have decided to apologize, is to ask “How do I make it right?” If we are truly on the path toward racial reconciliation in our country, we must be responsible enough to ensure that we actually correct the damage that has been done. That means affirmative action programs are not seen as discriminatory, but rather, necessary in order to take affirmative steps to correct the firm commitment toward inequality that has crippled our nation for the past 400 years. Affirmative Action programs for White males and privileged Americans have been built for several hundred years and exist in American institutions today. Only additional Affirmative Action programs can help us achieve equality. In a racist, sexist society, you don’t get equality by accident. You have to take affirmative steps to work for it.

3) In a recent news story, I was asked (as a Finance Professor) about the feasibility of reparations. I would like to hear your ideas on how reparations should occur, given that reparations is the only logical way to correct the damage of the past. My thoughts on reparations are that sending everyone a check would be expensive, counter-productive and infeasible. Personally, I would like to see Senator Obama or McCain work toward a commitment to the following:

- Creating a path to ensure equal funding for inner city schools. When I speak at these schools, I notice a dramatic difference in quality from the schools I see in the suburbs. I don't want to see that anymore.

- A commitment to maintaining Affirmative Action programs to ensure that African Americans have opportunities to obtain jobs and college admission – we can’t assume people are going to hire us within decision-making hierarchies designed to advance the ambitions and cultural norms of White males: if a company has never hired a black manager before, there is no reason to assume they are going to do it now. We are less likely to be part of the "good old boy" networks that lead companies to hire and promote those who are politically connected. Many of you work for corporations that don’t hire Black managers and live in cities with depression-era unemployment rates for Black people. THIS IS WRONG AND UNACCEPTABLE.

- An assessment by a group of independent scholars and consultants to determine the institutional, social and economic damage of slavery, Jim Crow and a 400 year commitment to racial exclusion. For example, many universities have no tenured Black faculty as a result of racial exclusion, many corporations have no Black managers, White family wealth is 7 times higher than that for Black families and many media outlets have no Black hosts and little African American programming. All of this should be considered and put into proper context.

- Programs and plans to support the development of Black Businesses: Personally, I believe that every Black child in America should learn entrepreneurship (whether you teach them or someone else). Even highly paid Black professionals who have not learned the importance of economic responsibility and independence can become high-paid sharecroppers with no latitude for political or moral courage. Financial liberation is the key to social and political liberation, since you will always be a slave to the person who feeds your children.

- An increased commitment to head start and early education programs for children of color: Even the most hardened criminal started as an innocent child. It was our careless world that made him/her brutal.

- An evaluation of the educational system to ensure that the public is properly educated on Black history and the impact of past racial exclusion on modern day America: Part of the reason Bill O’Reilly has a show is because our country is so horribly uneducated about the impact of racism. That’s why silly people like John McCain and Ward Connerly can convince others that getting rid of Affirmative Action is the same as fighting against racism. Any educated person knows the difference.

Please state your own opinions by visiting our blog if you have something to say. My apologies for not being able to reply to every email. Either way, you know you have my love and support, and I appreciate your support as well.

Sincerely,

Dr. Boyce Watkins

www.BoyceWatkins.net

This message was sent from Dr. Boyce Watkins: Your Black World to bwatkins@twcny.rr.com. It was sent from: Dr. Boyce Watkins, 23F Queens Way, Camillus, ny 13031. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

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Juan Williams v. Dr Boyce Watkins on CNN, Fox

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

http://www.boycewatkins.net/

A friend (Valencia Roner) called me one night to ask if I watch "The O'Reilly Factor." I said "No, I don't watch silly, racist television programs." She then informed me that I might want to watch this particular episode. Why? Because I was the topic of conversation ... for the entire show.

I set the DVR and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning to watch what had been recorded. Valencia was right. They were showing images of my CNN appearances, and playing my comments repeatedly, like Sports Center Highlights.

I've never seen so many guests asked to comment about someone else's comments. The kicker was watching Juan Williams and Bill O'Reilly congratulate each other like brothers for allegedly winning the "smear campaign" placed upon them by CNN.

I listened to O'Reilly tell the world that CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, Mediamatters.org and other news organizations were all corrupt, but not him. Williams even wrote a piece about me in Time Magazine, in addition to making several radio and TV appearances to complain about my words.
Juan Williams

During the show, I honestly thought Williams was going to cry. This brought back memories, since I remember making a lot of conservatives cry in college. My mother said I shouldn't make grown men cry, and I felt bad. I was asked on CNN (and other shows) about Bill O'Reilly's racist remarks about Sylvia's, a black restaurant in Harlem.

In his comments, O'Reilly said that he could not get over the fact that the people were civil and well-behaved. He commended black people for finally learning to "think for themselves" and was relieved that there was no one in the restaurant saying "mf-er I want more ice tea." (Good thing no one was really thirsty!). O'Reilly tried to argue that his comments were meant to compliment the black community. He said that they were meant to defy stereotypes. As humbly and naive as a school girl, he argued that he was only intending to shed light on how racial stereotypes are bad for our society. Like the movie "Transformers", "America's Educated Redneck", Bill O'Reilly had morphed himself into Martin Luther King Jr.

On CNN, I essentially explained that anyone who thought Bill O'Reilly was suddenly a reformed racist who'd seen the light has been getting high with Bobby and Whitney too long. I've been on this man's show before, and he has consistently demeaned, degraded and devalued everything about black culture he could get his hands on (remember when he said that the Katrina victims would not have been stranded on rooftops if they'd chosen to get an education?) I also mentioned that I was unimpressed with Juan Williams' agreement and defense of O'Reilly.

Seeing Williams sitting there congratulating O'Reilly for his bigotry reminded me of the Negro in the white suit defending "massa" at all costs. His attitudes were consistent with his latest and most terrible book, which does nothing but blast black culture and black people, as if we are the sole causes of socioeconomic inequality. Therefore, I could only use terms I felt appropriate. I defined Williams as "The Happy Negro". On CNN, I compared O'Reilly's use of Williams to Hugh Hefner hiring a stripper to tell him that he's not a sexist. Williams was irate after hearing my words. In other words, "The Happy Negro" was no longer happy. I am not sure how smart or dumb Williams is (I have 3 times more education than him, but I guess he is of at least average intelligence). I hope he has enough sense to know that he is being used by a man who has consistently and reliably shown himself to be an enemy of black people.

I have, through my books "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College" and "What if George Bush were a Black Man?" consistently attacked problems in the black community. I have spoken to millions of African-Americans about the value of getting an education and managing their money. I support the black family and even proposed to my future spouse in front of millions of people, in order to give black men the courage to express love for our beautiful black women. I wish I could tell you how many times I argued with CNN producers to cover the Jena 6 story long before it was popular to do so.

So, everything that Juan Williams might say about advancing the community has been consistently on my radar screen. But here is where we differ. I am very hard on the black community about improving our plight. But I am also man enough to challenge the white community, the media, universities, corporations and other American institutions for their role in creating racial inequality. Racism is a disease that lies within the fabric of nearly every American institution. So, any conversation about racial inequality that does not include White America's flaws and roles in the process is ridiculous, misguided and counter productive. In mathematics, I learned that you cannot solve a problem without working with both sides of the equation. The functions and systems of that equation are at least as important as the individual parameters.

In other words, the systems in America play a powerful role in the creation of incentives, opportunities and outcomes of the individual. If a young lady is sexually molested by her father and grows up to become a prostitute, any weak man can say "Miss, your life is in shambles because you're choosing to be a whore." This might even be an obvious point, but it will also continue to erode her self-esteem and ignore the critical half of the equation. It takes a stronger man to first challenge the young lady, and then go inside the home and confront her father for what he has done to create the problem. There is no denying that her father should pay for his daughter's counseling, apologize, get psychiatric help, be made aware of and told to cease his present abusive actions and face punishment for what he has done. He cannot expect that his family will be peaceful as long as he has not acknowledged his role in the creation of his family's devastation. At that point, you also teach the daughter personal responsibility, and how to move beyond the past and toward the future. Why won't many men do this? Because the daughter is an easy target, and her father might kick you in the ass.

That is why many black conservatives won't challenge white America to have personal responsibility for their role in racism, for this is biting the hand that feeds them (how long would Juan be on the Fox News payroll if he were to tell White America that their institutions and attitudes are a large cause of racial inequality? Contrary to O'Reilly's indication, I am not compensated by CNN or any other networks for what I say). It also feeds directly into white supremacy to say "The black community is in shambles because black people are making bad choices. The 400 years of oppression have nothing to do with the last 30 years of expression." Hence, we have Bill O'Reilly getting his rear-end rubbed by Juan Williams, as they both agree that the little girl is nothing but a whore.

O'Reilly claimed that Rev. Jesse Jackson (another guest on the show) was appalled by what I said about Williams, but of course he could not validate his claims on camera. I got a call the very next morning from Jackson's daughter Santita and received no indication of disapproval from the Jackson family. I am sure that if they had disagreed, they would have told me personally. Santita is a good friend and straight shooter.

Williams, for some reason, thinks that he is contributing to the advancement of black people by teaming up with a proven racist who has KKK members and Neo-Nazis watching his show (you should see the language used in my hate mail). A man who has a problem with President Bush would not team up with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to go after Bush. No matter how valid his arguments might be, the fact is that such actions amount to TREASON and are ultimately destructive.

Having a black face does not mean you care about the black race. Clarence Thomas taught us that. Hence, at the end of the day, I still call Juan Williams the "Happy Negro".

I stand by my remarks and might even put it on a t-shirt. From the response I've gotten so far, I wouldn't be the only one wearing it.

Black Leaders coming hard after Fox News for their Racism

African Americans are coming hard at Fox News for their racism. Black people are no longer standing for their horrible words and the ways they are attacking Senator Barack Obama.