"Civil Rights Justice on the Cheap"

 

NY Times Sunday Review by Diane McWhorter

This anniversary year could have been an opportunity for Birmingham to practice some rigorous truth and painful reconciliation. It has ended up being a balkanized, largely ceremonial affair. The city’s Empowerment Week, an underpublicized festival of imported panelists and celebrities concluding today, exemplified the crux of the mission’s flaw: why is it so difficult to extend the notion of empowerment to include the powerless? We are more comfortable devoting civic resources to media events and monuments, like the life-size sculpture of the girls unveiled in Birmingham this week, than addressing the persistent casualties of the history being commemorated.

 Modern-day Americans seem loath to do the right thing unless it’s also the smart thing — even “compassionate release” has to be touted for its cost-saving virtues. Birmingham’s black-majority city government knew it had to sell the yearlong commemoration of 1963 as a big economic boon and named a co-chairwoman highly palatable to the business establishment, the native daughter Condoleezza Rice.

 Federal judge orders Chris McNair be released from prison.

McNair is the father of Denise McNair, one of the four little girls killed in the KKK's bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1963.

Why do they still hate us so much?

Texas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson said progress is being made but vigilance is needed.
"There is nothing we can take for granted," she said. "There is not a person in this room that says they don't want equality, but when you start breaking down what equality is, things change, people differ."

All that blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice wiped away with a 5-4 vote.

"For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more tired we are constantly experiencing it." - Barbara Smith

HELL NAW They Ain't Fergittin', Not Now, Not EVAH!

 H/T The Crimson and White

When a sitting United States Senator says we need 100 more Senators like Jesse Helms in the Senate, after the United States Supreme Court overturned Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act on the grounds the south was no longer racist because we elected an African American President,  it's pretty clear why the Civil War Never Ends, especially in Sweet Home Alabama, because it is a culture that is ingrained, embedded, and institutionalized  in the hearts and minds of white folks from the cradle to the grave.

 But if you look at the state of Alabama, an awful lot of the people that run this state (government and business) came through the greek system at UA.  The white branch of the greek system.  So it isn't just an academic thing, and it isn't just student choice -- we all know that alums will have considerable input on whether the first (or second or third) black or white student will be accepted -- this is about whether people of some different color have a chance to get a foot onto this important ladder.  Right now, evidence says they have essentially zero chance.

The allegations of segregation, racism, and discrimination in Alabama's University Greek System aren't new.  The Old South Parade at University of Alabama just bite the dust two years ago.

What is the Old South Parade you ask?  I'll let Fox News distort, I mean, describe, it for you. Links inserted for clarity.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –  A white fraternity that traces its roots to the Civil War and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is again facing complaints over its antebellum-themed events.
This time, University of Alabama alumnae are upset after Kappa Alpha Order members wearing Confederate uniforms and carrying battle flags paraded past a historically black sorority as the women celebrated the group's 35th anniversary.
The fraternity has been forced to halt its "Old South" festivities on some campuses because of claims of racial insensitivity, and Alabama members have apologized for pausing in front of Alpha Kappa Alpha's sorority house during this year's parade.

mooncat said it best

The Old South has perfected the art of victimhood and put it on a pedestal right up there beside the hoop-skirted women of the silver screen, to be celebrated it at every opportunity.  This is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  It's time to leave the dead past in the past, guys, and move forward to at least the 20th century even if you can't yet bear to join the rest of us in the 21st.  I feel sure Robert E. Lee, whom you claim to revere so much, would offer the same advice.

"For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more tired we are constantly experiencing it." - Barbara Smith

Update~It's Friday the 13th for those of you who get a kick out of that type of stuff

 

 Fri Nov 13, 2009 at 09:24:18 AM CST

  

I don't care if it's Friday the 13th, 2013 or Friday the 13, 2009,  I will always remember Friday the 13th as the unlucky  day my posting privileges were revoked at Left in Alabama,  and the lucky day I was forced to start my own blog.  It wasn't the first time I first time I was banned/booted/censored, and I'm sure it won't be the last.  Para quoting the great poet Langston Hughes  I swear to the Lord I just can't see why Freedom of Speech means everybody but me.

Speaking of Freedom of Speech, here is your laugh out loud for the day...Talk radio host Dale Jackson has the nerve to scold Huntsville City Councilman Will Culver for "attempting to to chill free speech."

Let's recap gist, emphasis mine.

Conservative talk radio host Dale Jackson came to Thursday’s Huntsville City Council meeting with a stern message for Councilman Will Culver.
During a council meeting on Aug. 22, Culver said he may sue Jackson for alleging that Calhoun Community College hired Culver in 2010 for political reasons. Culver, a former Huntsville police officer and chief city magistrate, spent about two years at Calhoun as a criminal justice instructor.
Jackson said a 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case, New York Times v. Sullivan, “raises the bar very high” for a public figure to successfully sue a citizen or journalist for libel.
“Asking you questions is allowed, and it should be encouraged,” said Jackson. “You should not be attempting to chill free speech. It’s very important. People have died for that right.”
Jackson said legendary University of Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant is the only public figure from the state in the last 50 years to successfully sue someone for defamation.
“You guys are public officials; don’t (threaten lawsuits) to people,” he said. “It should never happen again.”

That's right (pun intended), Dale Jackson,  the same person who was not a journalist before he was a journalist, who screens callers for his radio show, and censors African American comments on his blog has the nerve to scold the African American City Councilman about Freedom of Speech.  Oh, OK.   Psst Dale!  Your 15 minutes of fame are up, you may sit all the way down now.

People in the Rocket City are celebrating the largely unsung hero's who integrated the public schools 50 years ago.  And that's fine, but if you walk into any Rocket City School 50 years later the student population will look like it did 50 years ago.  Symbolism is nice, but substance is better.

Speaking of symbolism and substance,  why is everyone is acting like they are surprised the University  Greek system has a little race problem, and that bad old habits of the past are not the same bad old habits of the present?

UA's student newspaper The Crimson White broke the story yesterday, reporting that while students at several sororities wanted to recruit a black student, alumnae and advisers overruled them. 
Alumnae from one sorority threatened to pull funding if they admitted the girl, who students called a stellar candidate with a 4.3 high school GPA and close familial ties to the University. 

Left in Alabama's resident Sorority Girl says it's not segregation by the schools, but by the students themselves.

 AKA... (4.00 / 1)

...is a black sorority.  And while there were member who were hassling the poor black girl who joined our white sorority, I can't say for certain (and in fact I doubt) that this was behavior that was encouraged by the chapter itself.  I can certainly say that the national AKA organization does not condone such.
That's why this isn't going to be easy to crack down on.  The University of Alabama when it was integrated had previously had an official policy of discrimination.  The Greek organizations have no such policy and in fact are very diverse in some chapters (though this is rare).  Plus, there's not exactly a stack of complaints from people who have wanted to cross over into other organizations and feel that they were discriminated against.  And even if there were, you'd have to still be able to show that there were not other factors (GPA, conduct, etc.) that contributed to not being accepted.
Affirmative action scenarios are insulting to all parties and are in fact a polar opposite of the very purpose of the Greek system-- which is to be grouped with similar interests.  If you're bringing in a black girl who plays no sports into a white sorority filled with jocks just because she's black, it's going to be miserable for everyone.
I know there have been issues of racism among some members of sororities and fraternities.  Perhaps it would be best to start there.  I know that those are not actions of the organization itself, but that student is just as much a representative of that organization (as well as the school and any other club he/she belongs to) if he's hanging out of the frat house and yelling racial slurs.  That behavior should be reprimanded by both the school and the fraternity.  And if it is not, then we can safely assume that there's a problem, and the group in question can be addressed by the school.  If it is addressed by the organization involved, I don't see any reason to penalize the group than I would denounce all Muslims because of a terrorist who yelled "God is great!" before he blew himself up.  I know that Alpha Delta Pi had conduct codes and a system set up for dealing with such issues.  And I'm willing to bet that most of the others do as well.

WRONG then. WRONG now. The last paragraph hits the nail on it's head. The purpose of the Greek System for African American is public service, not wanna be jocks and debutantes.  Black Greeks can cite examples of recruiting whites. Can white Greek organizations do the same? NO.  Now if  you're black and can play sports and add to their trophy case that's another story.....

"Alabama is now No. 1 in the country and it is hypocritical to cheer the boys on on Saturday afternoon and lock the sisters out of the sorority on Monday," Jackson said in an interview Friday afternoon. "The school should come down hard on those sororities."

Speaking of the bad habits from the past being the same bad habits of the present, remember when some  people (not to be confused with all) said they were withdrawing their financial support from the Alabama Democratic Party as long as Joe Reed had power?

I'm just saying....

"For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more tired we are constantly experiencing it." - Barbara Smith

How someone looks after their head has been slammed against the concrete with great force

 

Tallahassee Police Break Housewife Christina West Orbital Bone During DUI Arrest

Video Medical Examiner testifies to the extent of George Zimmerman's injuries

Compare and Contrast.

"For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more tired we are constantly experiencing it." - Barbara Smith

I'm Back! Did you miss me?

 

In case you haven't noticed I've been away from blogging for a spell due to my real life colliding with my blogging life. But that's good thing because I needed a mental health break from the EVIL, INSENSITIVE, HEARTLESS world of cut throat politics. On the down side, I had to depend on the liberal media (snark) for news and information, which means I have to play catch up to find out what's really going on in the world.

Looks like there's a  lots of political intrigue going  in Sweet Home Alabama including a lawsuit filed, but not served against fellow blogger Legal Schnauzer.  You can read all about the intrigue yourself, but this comment  on Legal Schnauzer caught my RedEye:

True, a lot of life time tax payer Republicans have lost confidence and trust in the Alabama Republicans' political party line style of managing their government, and the Declaration of Independence addresses this specific loss of respect by the people, that they should throw off such a government, as a last resort.
Therefore, Murph is probably thinking it's about time us Little People got off our asses and found a strong independent candidate[s]. Why, because regardless the dissatisfaction among the Republicans, many are never going Democrat

So let me see if I have this right (pun intended), republicans are dissatisfied  but they are never going democratic....Why?  What's so bad/wrong/ with the democratic party?  Inquiring minds want to know.

According to Left in Alabama, the GOP failed in their attempt to replace a democrat with  republican and cost tax payers $320.000.00 to boot.  So much for GOP fiscal conservatism.

On a sad note,  Alabama State Representative Demetrius Newton has gone on to Glory. Rest In Peace thy good and faithful Servant. You will be missed.

Long before Demetrius Newton started his 27-year career representing part of western Birmingham in the Alabama House of Representatives, he was fighting against segregationist laws in courtrooms around the state.
Newton, 85, whose death was announced this morning, filed a number of lawsuits during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s that sought an end to segregationist laws - including separate waiting rooms at train stations, the inclusion of African Americans on juries, and the rights of protestors to march.

 Remember when the Supreme Court overturned Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act because things had changed in Sweet Home Alabama?  The more things change, the more they don't.  Oh well, at least Alabama is still #1 when it comes to college football.

Did George Zimmerman and the media try to pull off a Weapon of Mass Distraction?  The reason I ask is because Zimmerman's domestic dispute was all over the mainstream media, but I didn't hear/see a peep about the The Medical Examiner in the George Zimmerman case preparing a $100 million dollar suit   He reportedly will allege that the medical examiner, the state attorney's office and Sanford Police Department were all biased against Trayvon. Bao was fired last week for undisclosed reasons.

"He says their general attitude was that he [Martin] got what he deserved," Attorney Willie Gary told Channel 9.
Gary said Dr. Bao was made to be a scapegoat and was wrongfully fired from the medical examiner's office. He said his client was prepared to offer proof that Martin was not the aggressor.
"He was in essence told to zip his lips. 'Shut up. Don't say those things,'" Gary said. 
Gary said prosecutors never asked Dr. Bao a question crucial to their case.
"He wanted a question that would have allowed him to explain to the jury with scientific evidence how there was no way Trayvon Martin could have been on top of George Zimmerman," Gary said.

Meanwhile in Florida  an African American Florida man was arrested and tried for, get this, walking on the wrong side of the road. 

A Florida man is suing the sheriff’s office in the county where he lives for throwing him in jail and putting him on trial for walking on the wrong side of the road.
According to First Coast News, Bobby Wingate, 36,  was walking along Oliver Street when he was approached by an officer asking questions. Andrew Bonderu, Wingate’s attorney, says his client responded to the officer’s questions by telling him he didn’t have time to talk.

On the national front, after President Obama's address to the nation regarding Syria the Talking TeeVee Pundit Heads insist he do, I still oppose War with Syria.

All life is sacred. All of us are sickened by the images of dead children lined up in rolls on the ground. No one condones such atrocities. If the U.S. bombs Syria, even more innocent children, women and men will die. One cannot save people by bombing them.

Been there.  Done that.

"For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more tired we are constantly experiencing it." - Barbara Smith