My criticism is that the writer assumes that, once again, that many of these societal problems are exclusive to black people.
http://www.thedailyaztec.com/media/p...-1009210.shtml
Radicals undermine black community
By Ari Whitten, Contributing Columnist
Published: Wednesday, October 5, 2005
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Today in America, certain prominent black leaders spend more time vilifying whites than they do working to improve the lives of members in their community.
It was only a few decades ago when the black community was led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who epitomized dignified leadership. He fought against hatred and injustice, was a true messenger of peace and fought for black Americans to have the same civil rights and opportunities as all other Americans. Thanks in large to his leadership, those guarantees are now in place.
However, the black community has its share of problems. High rates of crime and a large percentage of children born to unmarried couples and raised in single-parent households are immense problems. But these are not civil rights problems and their solutions will certainly not come from civil rights tactics.
Contemporary leaders of the black community such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and more radical leaders such as Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam and Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party, behave as though they are totally unaware of the advancements that have taken place since the 1960s and are still fighting the same fight that King fought decades ago. Their efforts are usually divided between demanding additional civil rights and blaming the ills of black Americans on whites. Neither of these tactics have proven effective.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there was an abundance of accusations of racism from black leaders, both from the radicals I've mentioned as well as from members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
For example, Farrakhan, who was recently in Charlotte, N.C. to rally support for his Millions More Movement said, "I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25-foot deep crater under the (New Orleans) levee breach. It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry," according to Charlotte's WCNC News.
Shabazz said, "This is more of a racist occupation of subjugation rather than a relief effort," in reference to the New Orleans Police Department, according to U.S. Newswire.
Even Jesse Jackson echoed accusations of racism saying, "It is racist to call American citizens refugees," according to The Boston Globe.
I believe most Americans saw Katrina as a disaster that impacted and displaced fellow Americans whose skin color was irrelevant. This was clearly evidenced by "Americans (giving) at least $739 million to help victims of the disaster, donating at a faster pace than for any previous emergency," according to Reuters.
Accusations of racism are by no means limited to white people.
For example, in 1991 in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y., riots began after a Lubavitch Hasidic Jewish motorist accidentally struck and killed a 7-year-old black child. An angry mob of black youths began assaulting Jews. After four consecutive nights, an undetermined number of Jews were seriously injured as a result of the assaults, according to
www.wikipedia.com.
A 29-year-old rabbinical student visiting from Australia was also stabbed to death. In the wake of what's now referred to as the Crown Heights riots, Sharpton led a march of angry African Americans, calling for the arrest and prosecution of Jews for causing the incident.
Even Jackson is not immune to using racial epithets, and during his 1984 presidential campaign he referred to New York as "hymie-town." In 2002, during a protest in Washington, D.C., Shabazz led chants of "the white man is the devil" and "Jihad," according to the Anti-Defamation League.
These men rely on hatred and the notion of widespread racism in America. They take every opportunity to divide the races and fabricate racism where none exists. They thrive by exploiting the black community - their money, power and media appearances depend on it.
Unquestionably, racism toward black people still exists in America, but this racism is not the ultimate cause of their current socio-economic circumstances.
As a member of an often-oppressed minority, I could easily blame racism when life doesn't go my way. But I know that in the final assessment of my successes and failures are of my own making.
-Ari Whitten is a kinesiology senior
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to
letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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