Sunday, December 30, 2007
White Pride and how it can be a positive thing
White Pride, as soon as you say it you envision Nazi's, skinheads, and racism. Those of us who are trying to be allies in a more equitable world often find ourselves feeling guilty, or wanting to crawl back inside our whiteness and hide. Well we don't have to be ashamed of being White. We can be proud of being White as long as what we do as White people is something positive for the world around us. If you're truly trying to make the community you live in more equitable than you can be proud you are White. You can stand up with your head held high, because you are doing something to make a change. You don't have to consider White Pride something that is reserved for Fascists, or people filled with hatred. In fact I suggest that we, as white people who are allies in the fight for justice, we should take White Pride back.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Why can't Black people get their shit together. I mean they've had almost 150 years
Also entitled one of the stupidest questions ever asked. Actually, let me rephrase. The question is more ignorant than stupid, especially if you don't have the benefit of good info. I myself used to hear this and think that there had to be a reason that African Americans hadn't made the strides the whites had in this country. I knew it wasn't reasons like they were lazy, or welfare moochers or any of the stereotypical reasons, but I still didn't have a good come back for those who insisted that they had had enough time.
Well many classes and books later and I have found a lot of valid reasons. A couple of which I would like to discuss here. My info comes from various sources, and I am of course, as always, writing as a white man. I cannot and will not speak to the black experience in this country. There are several excellent African American authors that do it better than I could ever pretend to. I encourage you to look them up on your own. I know that Toni Morrison is a name that comes up often in disccussions of race writings. But I digress onto the examples.
1. "Black people in this country haven't really had almost 150 years"- In fact they have never really had a period of time that they were ever given anything like an equitable system in which to compete. The main problem with the ignorance that I and my fellow White brothers and sisters have in this misunderstanding is that we were never properly educated. The history books that we, and others, learned from were done in a linear fashion. That is looking at history as always improving. Slaves were freed, things kept getting better after that for everyone. Well, all of that is complete nonsense.
Recently, thanks to James Loewen's book, Sundown Towns, I have read about a period of history regarded as the "Nadir Period of Racism." this was mainly from 1890-1930, but the affects are still felt today. See, after the Civil War things did get a bit better for the African Americans in this country. There was a real sense of national pride behind being anti-racist and many towns were integrated and proud of it. In fact there were black postal carriers, factory workers, and even black people in politics. Hell, up until 1933 we had black professional football players and even a black coach. Not to say that the African Americans were the White's equal, because they weren't given the opportunities to move into real positions of authority on the whole. However, things were heading in the right direction. By 1890 the Civil War had been over for some time and most of the people in the United States hadn't been alive during the war while even fewer had actually participated. That, along with the Democratic parties almost constant attacks on the Republican party to shut the hell up about integration, which finally did get the Republicans to shut up, ended us up in the Nadir period.
During the Nadir, African Americans were chased from towns and cities all over America. Forced out of jobs that they previously held as well as communities that had until recently welcomed them. "All White" communities became the rule rather than the exception. Whole counties were "Sundown." The South oddly enough was the exception, of course they wanted to make sure that their supply of cheap, exploitable labor didn't stray off, and so most Southern towns and counties weren't sundown at all.
OK, so there went almost 30 years of trying take at least small steps in the right direction. Add that to the 40 years of the Nadir and you have 150-70=80. So maybe they have had 80 years to get their shit together. Except that isn't true either. Without going into a detailed history of what happened to further screw all of the non whites in this country lets just assume that things didn't make much progress until 1964. 5 years before I was born, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and the Civil Rights bill became a law. So lets see 1930 to 1964 is 34 more years, so 80-34=46.
I doubt that any truly educated person believes that even since 1964 that the black people in this country have been given a fair shake and an equitable system in which to operate. Let's assume though that you do find someone who says that racism isn't all that bad and uses the 150 years argument. Well let them have the 46 years, and then ask them how long the white person in this country has had to get their shit together. Well, let's see, White folk have been kicking around in the USA on a regular basis since, lets say Jamestown in 1607. Quick math and 2007-1607=400. So white people have had 400 years to get their proverbial shit together. As compared with the pitiful, inequitable 46 years that the African American has had. Not really such a great reasoning point after all, is it?
2. "The Bootstrap Myth"- Also referred to by some sociologist as the "Horatio Alger Jr Myth." Horatio Alger was this author who wrote several books whose main theme was people rising through the ranks to become these powerful people. There are many things very wrong with this myth, but the biggest one is that if you don't have bootstraps to begin with, you can't very well pull yourself up by them.
Now again, I can cite volumes of examples as to how African Americans and other non white people in this country have gotten the short end of the stick. These would include unequal access to resources that allow a person to be successful (e.g. decent education, safe living environment, health care, etc). That is really just a start, and I encourage you to do your own research in this area. There is tons of info everywhere on the unequal distribution of resources in this country. Read one or two of the articles or books, and this theory falls apart.
So my answer to the question itself of "Why can't Black people get their shit together? After all hasn't it been almost 150 years?," is this...They never were given any real opportunity to do so. That's why African Americans like Oprah, Barrack Obama, etc.. stand out in our minds so vividly. Because they beat the ridiculous odds, they are the exception that proves the rule. Black people that I know, in my estimation as a white male, would do every bit as well for themselves if not better than their white counterparts if they were ever given any real and equitable opportunity to do so.
Think that last part is crap? Name two major inventions that changed the course of human development aside from electricity and steam power that a white person is responsible for. Even those two were built on from previously existent concepts. All of it adds up to this, no one has an equal chance to rise up and be something if the moment they are born they have a boot in their back. Later.
Well many classes and books later and I have found a lot of valid reasons. A couple of which I would like to discuss here. My info comes from various sources, and I am of course, as always, writing as a white man. I cannot and will not speak to the black experience in this country. There are several excellent African American authors that do it better than I could ever pretend to. I encourage you to look them up on your own. I know that Toni Morrison is a name that comes up often in disccussions of race writings. But I digress onto the examples.
1. "Black people in this country haven't really had almost 150 years"- In fact they have never really had a period of time that they were ever given anything like an equitable system in which to compete. The main problem with the ignorance that I and my fellow White brothers and sisters have in this misunderstanding is that we were never properly educated. The history books that we, and others, learned from were done in a linear fashion. That is looking at history as always improving. Slaves were freed, things kept getting better after that for everyone. Well, all of that is complete nonsense.
Recently, thanks to James Loewen's book, Sundown Towns, I have read about a period of history regarded as the "Nadir Period of Racism." this was mainly from 1890-1930, but the affects are still felt today. See, after the Civil War things did get a bit better for the African Americans in this country. There was a real sense of national pride behind being anti-racist and many towns were integrated and proud of it. In fact there were black postal carriers, factory workers, and even black people in politics. Hell, up until 1933 we had black professional football players and even a black coach. Not to say that the African Americans were the White's equal, because they weren't given the opportunities to move into real positions of authority on the whole. However, things were heading in the right direction. By 1890 the Civil War had been over for some time and most of the people in the United States hadn't been alive during the war while even fewer had actually participated. That, along with the Democratic parties almost constant attacks on the Republican party to shut the hell up about integration, which finally did get the Republicans to shut up, ended us up in the Nadir period.
During the Nadir, African Americans were chased from towns and cities all over America. Forced out of jobs that they previously held as well as communities that had until recently welcomed them. "All White" communities became the rule rather than the exception. Whole counties were "Sundown." The South oddly enough was the exception, of course they wanted to make sure that their supply of cheap, exploitable labor didn't stray off, and so most Southern towns and counties weren't sundown at all.
OK, so there went almost 30 years of trying take at least small steps in the right direction. Add that to the 40 years of the Nadir and you have 150-70=80. So maybe they have had 80 years to get their shit together. Except that isn't true either. Without going into a detailed history of what happened to further screw all of the non whites in this country lets just assume that things didn't make much progress until 1964. 5 years before I was born, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and the Civil Rights bill became a law. So lets see 1930 to 1964 is 34 more years, so 80-34=46.
I doubt that any truly educated person believes that even since 1964 that the black people in this country have been given a fair shake and an equitable system in which to operate. Let's assume though that you do find someone who says that racism isn't all that bad and uses the 150 years argument. Well let them have the 46 years, and then ask them how long the white person in this country has had to get their shit together. Well, let's see, White folk have been kicking around in the USA on a regular basis since, lets say Jamestown in 1607. Quick math and 2007-1607=400. So white people have had 400 years to get their proverbial shit together. As compared with the pitiful, inequitable 46 years that the African American has had. Not really such a great reasoning point after all, is it?
2. "The Bootstrap Myth"- Also referred to by some sociologist as the "Horatio Alger Jr Myth." Horatio Alger was this author who wrote several books whose main theme was people rising through the ranks to become these powerful people. There are many things very wrong with this myth, but the biggest one is that if you don't have bootstraps to begin with, you can't very well pull yourself up by them.
Now again, I can cite volumes of examples as to how African Americans and other non white people in this country have gotten the short end of the stick. These would include unequal access to resources that allow a person to be successful (e.g. decent education, safe living environment, health care, etc). That is really just a start, and I encourage you to do your own research in this area. There is tons of info everywhere on the unequal distribution of resources in this country. Read one or two of the articles or books, and this theory falls apart.
So my answer to the question itself of "Why can't Black people get their shit together? After all hasn't it been almost 150 years?," is this...They never were given any real opportunity to do so. That's why African Americans like Oprah, Barrack Obama, etc.. stand out in our minds so vividly. Because they beat the ridiculous odds, they are the exception that proves the rule. Black people that I know, in my estimation as a white male, would do every bit as well for themselves if not better than their white counterparts if they were ever given any real and equitable opportunity to do so.
Think that last part is crap? Name two major inventions that changed the course of human development aside from electricity and steam power that a white person is responsible for. Even those two were built on from previously existent concepts. All of it adds up to this, no one has an equal chance to rise up and be something if the moment they are born they have a boot in their back. Later.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Middle Eastern Americans: America's New Nigger
Does that phrase offend you. Does the fact the word "Nigger" is right there in front of you seem offensive? Good! I hope that all of my white brothers and sisters find offense in that term. But that is how we are treating the Middle Eastern people in this country, oh sure we have great terminology like, "Camel Jockey," and "Raghead." All of it used to to degrade a whole community. Middle Easterners have become our new niggers in America, the group that we get to blame now for our troubles. Oh sure we still have plenty to say about the state of the African American community, but Middle Eastern people are the hot new scapegoat.
So why is that. Well some people point to 9/11 as a reason. After that day all of the Middle Eastern people in this country were viewed with suspicion. OK, well why didn't we view all white people with suspicion after Timothy Mcveigh leveled the building in Oklahoma, or Ted Kazenski the Unabomber, or any number of abortion clinic bombings perpetrated by whites in this country. I'll bet the first thought going through your head was, "Oh, well that was different." Why? Probably because you believe it was the act of one or two crazy white people. AHA!!!!! And there it is, the Oklahoma City bombing and the rest was all an act of an individual, while apparently the 9/11 tragedy was a whole community.
In order to understand this obvious contradiction in ideals, you have to look again at white privilege. See, as white people we have the distinct advantage of seeing ourselves as individuals, not as part of a member of a larger group. No one would stop a white man in the street and ask him to speak for the whole white community. However, watch any local news program where they are asking a black person for their opinion and inevitably that person is speaking for the black community as a whole. How absurd is that? How can one individual speak for a whole community. He or she can't, but as white people we classify others into categories so they can fit neatly into our vision of the world and how it works. It helps to verify our "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch" ideology
So back to the Middle Eastern people and our new hatred. Well 9/11 scared white people, not that it didn't affect other people in our country, but white people really felt vulnerable. A black commentator that was on a show with Tim Wise said to a white woman in the audience that he was sorry that all of the white people were running on 9/11, but that black people had been running for 400 years. She got upset and told him, "How dare you compare the black experience to 9/11." He replied quite politely, "How dare you compare 9/11 to the black experience." See, as white people we were the ones most affected by 9/11. Our lives got more complicated, we had someone to be afraid of. Black people have had reason not to trust the white man in this country for centuries. It was a new thing for us, not the kind of irrational fear we have of black people that they will steal our purses or assault us. Not the ridiculous notions that we have of so many other minorities in this country, but real honest to god fear that there were people who really wanted to kill us. Well, ask any black person in this country that is at least partially versed in black history and he or she will tell you that they have lived with that fear since we forcibly abducted their ancestors and forced them into slavery.
Until we start viewing the acts of terrorism as what they are, which is acts by a minority of people, than we are going to continue to make the lives of Middle Easterners miserable. I know far too many families in this country that are Middle Eastern that just want to live in peace. They sure as hell didn't want their lives made worse by the acts of a few radicals, but that's what they got. Now despite having nothing at all to do with any of the acts of 9/11 they still get to be treated as if they were personally involved just by the fact that they share an ancestry or common background as those who did it.
Next time you catch yourself thinking this way. Thinking that the actions of a few justifies hatred of a whole race of people, I encourage you to take a good look at the proud history of white people. Can I blame you for slavery, the holocaust, and the huge number of other atrocities that white people have been responsible for. You probably wouldn't like that much at all. So stop doing it to everyone else, that person that is unlike you is every bit as much an individual with individual feelings as you are.
Later on I will post some info on how we as white people today, despite not being directly responsible for slavery, or a host of other lovely things we did to minorities in this country, are still reaping the benefits years later.
So why is that. Well some people point to 9/11 as a reason. After that day all of the Middle Eastern people in this country were viewed with suspicion. OK, well why didn't we view all white people with suspicion after Timothy Mcveigh leveled the building in Oklahoma, or Ted Kazenski the Unabomber, or any number of abortion clinic bombings perpetrated by whites in this country. I'll bet the first thought going through your head was, "Oh, well that was different." Why? Probably because you believe it was the act of one or two crazy white people. AHA!!!!! And there it is, the Oklahoma City bombing and the rest was all an act of an individual, while apparently the 9/11 tragedy was a whole community.
In order to understand this obvious contradiction in ideals, you have to look again at white privilege. See, as white people we have the distinct advantage of seeing ourselves as individuals, not as part of a member of a larger group. No one would stop a white man in the street and ask him to speak for the whole white community. However, watch any local news program where they are asking a black person for their opinion and inevitably that person is speaking for the black community as a whole. How absurd is that? How can one individual speak for a whole community. He or she can't, but as white people we classify others into categories so they can fit neatly into our vision of the world and how it works. It helps to verify our "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch" ideology
So back to the Middle Eastern people and our new hatred. Well 9/11 scared white people, not that it didn't affect other people in our country, but white people really felt vulnerable. A black commentator that was on a show with Tim Wise said to a white woman in the audience that he was sorry that all of the white people were running on 9/11, but that black people had been running for 400 years. She got upset and told him, "How dare you compare the black experience to 9/11." He replied quite politely, "How dare you compare 9/11 to the black experience." See, as white people we were the ones most affected by 9/11. Our lives got more complicated, we had someone to be afraid of. Black people have had reason not to trust the white man in this country for centuries. It was a new thing for us, not the kind of irrational fear we have of black people that they will steal our purses or assault us. Not the ridiculous notions that we have of so many other minorities in this country, but real honest to god fear that there were people who really wanted to kill us. Well, ask any black person in this country that is at least partially versed in black history and he or she will tell you that they have lived with that fear since we forcibly abducted their ancestors and forced them into slavery.
Until we start viewing the acts of terrorism as what they are, which is acts by a minority of people, than we are going to continue to make the lives of Middle Easterners miserable. I know far too many families in this country that are Middle Eastern that just want to live in peace. They sure as hell didn't want their lives made worse by the acts of a few radicals, but that's what they got. Now despite having nothing at all to do with any of the acts of 9/11 they still get to be treated as if they were personally involved just by the fact that they share an ancestry or common background as those who did it.
Next time you catch yourself thinking this way. Thinking that the actions of a few justifies hatred of a whole race of people, I encourage you to take a good look at the proud history of white people. Can I blame you for slavery, the holocaust, and the huge number of other atrocities that white people have been responsible for. You probably wouldn't like that much at all. So stop doing it to everyone else, that person that is unlike you is every bit as much an individual with individual feelings as you are.
Later on I will post some info on how we as white people today, despite not being directly responsible for slavery, or a host of other lovely things we did to minorities in this country, are still reaping the benefits years later.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Books I've Read and Books I am Reading
The biggest way in my opinion to start on the path of equitability is to inform yourself. Fortunately social justice is getting a lot of attention and so there are some good sources of info. I'd like to discuss a couple of books I have read as well as some I am working on.
White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son by Tim Wise- Tim Wise is the guru of White Privilege. He has written tons of articles on the subject as well as this book. If you want an inside look as well as an extremely eye opening book on the subject of white privilege, look no further. I found many fantastic examples that I hadn't thought about in this book. His book is approachable, and easy to read. I barely put it down as each page seemed to have a new revalation for me to think about. If you are serious about change than you have to read this book.
Race Manners for the 21st Century: Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americans in an Age of Fear by Bruce A. Jacobs- If you have been doing reading already, some of this book may seem repetitous. However, if you want a first good book on the subject of race relations this is a great one. Not that the book offers nothing to a more seasoned reader of social justice issues. I found many fantastic examples, and Jacob's offers excellent summaries at the end of each chapter to help get the ideas across
Working Toward Whiteness, How Americas Immigrants Became White: The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs by David Roediger- You know we haven't always been classified as white, who knew? Well Roediger does and that is what his book is all about. Now this one reads like a textbook. Lots of facts, figures, and relevant dates make it for slower reading. What I like about it is the amount of info in here. I am still working on it, and it sheds light on the history of white people in America and how it took awhile until we came to this melting pot that became the white race and how we lost a lot of ourselves in the process.
Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American History by James W. Loewen- Oh my what a proud tradition we white folks have, and Loewen brings up yet another one. Sundown Towns are those lovely little towns and cities that had the "Don't let the sun set on your black ass in _______" signs outside of them. Think they're a thing of the past, think again. Loewen is adept at bringing out into the open a rarely talked about part of American History. I just started this one, but it is quite good. For those who want to take the road that things have gotten better and why are we dragging all this ugliness up again, I would say read this book and answer your own question.
So there you have it. On later posts I will give some links to excellent sites for educators as a well as anyone interested in furthuring the cause of Social Justice. Happy Reading.
White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son by Tim Wise- Tim Wise is the guru of White Privilege. He has written tons of articles on the subject as well as this book. If you want an inside look as well as an extremely eye opening book on the subject of white privilege, look no further. I found many fantastic examples that I hadn't thought about in this book. His book is approachable, and easy to read. I barely put it down as each page seemed to have a new revalation for me to think about. If you are serious about change than you have to read this book.
Race Manners for the 21st Century: Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americans in an Age of Fear by Bruce A. Jacobs- If you have been doing reading already, some of this book may seem repetitous. However, if you want a first good book on the subject of race relations this is a great one. Not that the book offers nothing to a more seasoned reader of social justice issues. I found many fantastic examples, and Jacob's offers excellent summaries at the end of each chapter to help get the ideas across
Working Toward Whiteness, How Americas Immigrants Became White: The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs by David Roediger- You know we haven't always been classified as white, who knew? Well Roediger does and that is what his book is all about. Now this one reads like a textbook. Lots of facts, figures, and relevant dates make it for slower reading. What I like about it is the amount of info in here. I am still working on it, and it sheds light on the history of white people in America and how it took awhile until we came to this melting pot that became the white race and how we lost a lot of ourselves in the process.
Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American History by James W. Loewen- Oh my what a proud tradition we white folks have, and Loewen brings up yet another one. Sundown Towns are those lovely little towns and cities that had the "Don't let the sun set on your black ass in _______" signs outside of them. Think they're a thing of the past, think again. Loewen is adept at bringing out into the open a rarely talked about part of American History. I just started this one, but it is quite good. For those who want to take the road that things have gotten better and why are we dragging all this ugliness up again, I would say read this book and answer your own question.
So there you have it. On later posts I will give some links to excellent sites for educators as a well as anyone interested in furthuring the cause of Social Justice. Happy Reading.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Color of Change
Colorofchange.org is an excellent website for those who want to see what is happening in this country as far as racism and inequitability. I recently got an email from the wanted pass on the information contained in it so that more people could act on yet another injustice against the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
Dear Friend,
During the worst housing crisis in New Orleans history, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is pushing a deeply flawed plan to demolish thousands of units of affordable housing, with plans to rebuild only a fraction. If HUD gets its way, the majority of affordable public housing in the city will be eliminated--essentially shutting out thousands of low-income Katrina survivors who have been fighting for over 2 years to return home.
Tomorrow, the New Orleans City Council will vote on whether or not to permit HUD to carry out its demolitions, and several council members are on the fence. We need to show the city council that people across the country want our federal government to do better than HUD's plan, and that we want the council to vote against it.
I joined ColorOfChange.org in calling on the city council to vote against these reckless and premature demolitions and insist on a fair redevelopment plan. I also sent a message to President Bush, calling on him to stop HUD from beginning its demolitions. Will you join me?
http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2706-491845
New Orleans Housing Crisis
With New Orleans in the middle of a serious housing emergency, it just doesn't make sense to destroy housing that's in good condition. Rents have gone up 45% since Katrina, the city has already lost 9,000 units of affordable housing, and half of families that want to return home make less than $20,000 a year. In the last two years, New Orleans' homeless population has more than doubled. Many of the units HUD plans on destroying are in very well-constructed buildings that were barely damaged by Katrina, and would require a minimum of renovation to provide quality housing, even if only temporarily.
HUD's flawed redevelopment plan
Whatever your views are on public housing, HUD's redevelopment plan is ill-conceived and irresponsible. HUD refuses to rebuild the same number of affordable public housing units as it destroys. HUD's plan would destroy 4,600 affordable public housing units, while the new mixed-income housing would only include 744 units of affordable housing--and building those units will take several years. The inevitable result will be thousands of low-income residents--most of whom are Black--pushed out of the city.
Questions have also been raised about the motivations behind HUD's plan. The head of HUD, Alphonso Jackson, and his staff are under criminal investigation for corruption in HUD/HANO's process for handing out contracts related to the redevelopment plan. The contract for demolishing and rebuilding the St. Bernard housing project was given to a firm that owes Jackson at least $250,000 (and as much as $500,000).
No Demolition without a solution that makes sense
At best, HUD has a goal that many think is good (moving towards mixed-income housing), but a deeply flawed plan that will be disastrous to New Orleans residents who need the most help. At worst, HUD is pushing a plan that will help enrich its secretary and his cronies, while leaving working-class people out in the cold and dramatically reshaping the class makeup of New Orleans. Either way, it would be a huge mistake to let HUD push forward with demolitions until these issues are addressed and resolved.
Will you join me in calling on the city council to reject the plan, and on President Bush to stop HUD from proceeding?
http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2706-491845
Dear Friend,
During the worst housing crisis in New Orleans history, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is pushing a deeply flawed plan to demolish thousands of units of affordable housing, with plans to rebuild only a fraction. If HUD gets its way, the majority of affordable public housing in the city will be eliminated--essentially shutting out thousands of low-income Katrina survivors who have been fighting for over 2 years to return home.
Tomorrow, the New Orleans City Council will vote on whether or not to permit HUD to carry out its demolitions, and several council members are on the fence. We need to show the city council that people across the country want our federal government to do better than HUD's plan, and that we want the council to vote against it.
I joined ColorOfChange.org in calling on the city council to vote against these reckless and premature demolitions and insist on a fair redevelopment plan. I also sent a message to President Bush, calling on him to stop HUD from beginning its demolitions. Will you join me?
http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2706-491845
New Orleans Housing Crisis
With New Orleans in the middle of a serious housing emergency, it just doesn't make sense to destroy housing that's in good condition. Rents have gone up 45% since Katrina, the city has already lost 9,000 units of affordable housing, and half of families that want to return home make less than $20,000 a year. In the last two years, New Orleans' homeless population has more than doubled. Many of the units HUD plans on destroying are in very well-constructed buildings that were barely damaged by Katrina, and would require a minimum of renovation to provide quality housing, even if only temporarily.
HUD's flawed redevelopment plan
Whatever your views are on public housing, HUD's redevelopment plan is ill-conceived and irresponsible. HUD refuses to rebuild the same number of affordable public housing units as it destroys. HUD's plan would destroy 4,600 affordable public housing units, while the new mixed-income housing would only include 744 units of affordable housing--and building those units will take several years. The inevitable result will be thousands of low-income residents--most of whom are Black--pushed out of the city.
Questions have also been raised about the motivations behind HUD's plan. The head of HUD, Alphonso Jackson, and his staff are under criminal investigation for corruption in HUD/HANO's process for handing out contracts related to the redevelopment plan. The contract for demolishing and rebuilding the St. Bernard housing project was given to a firm that owes Jackson at least $250,000 (and as much as $500,000).
No Demolition without a solution that makes sense
At best, HUD has a goal that many think is good (moving towards mixed-income housing), but a deeply flawed plan that will be disastrous to New Orleans residents who need the most help. At worst, HUD is pushing a plan that will help enrich its secretary and his cronies, while leaving working-class people out in the cold and dramatically reshaping the class makeup of New Orleans. Either way, it would be a huge mistake to let HUD push forward with demolitions until these issues are addressed and resolved.
Will you join me in calling on the city council to reject the plan, and on President Bush to stop HUD from proceeding?
http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2706-491845
A Matter of Privilege
Often when you start the journey of learning about your own white privilege it takes some time to dissect a situation. Take for instance a situation at my work in which my white privilege was in full force, and it wasn't until I really stepped back and looked at the situation from different angles that all of the aspects came into play.
I work in mental health, and at the facility that I work at we have three registered sex offenders. The facility is a minimum security, lock down facility, and the three people mentioned can not leave without being under supervision of the staff. In any case, a couple weeks ago the sheriff department showed up at the facility to confirm that these three people were there. The staff who went out to answer the door was my fellow coworker, Kim. Now I need to tell you about Kim as it is important to how I viewed the situation. Kim is female and Asian. When she went out to answer the door she told the officers that she would have to check with her supervisor before they would be allowed access to the facility. The officers told her that they needed to see the clients to verify that they were there. Kim came back in the office and told me what was going on, and I told her that I could deal with them while she contacted our supervisor. I went outside and met with the three officers that were present. Two white officers and a Sargent in charge whom was African American. I told them that we were working on a solution and that I would be right back out after I heard from our supervisor.
After several phone calls and dealing with the higher ups I finally got permission to go outside and tell the officers that as an employee of the company I could verify that they were there. At that point one of the officers said, "OK that's all we needed." He then took down my info and they were on their way.
So what does all of this have to do with my white privilege. Several things not least of which was the way that the officers dealt differently with my coworker Kim than they did me. They told Kim that they had to actually see the clients or have them at least brought out so that they could verify them. I was told no such thing. Secondly, as soon as Kim came in and told me what was happening I took it upon myself to go "handle it." This right here was my subconscious assumption that as a white male it was my place to take charge of the situation so that it would be taken care of. That very attitude got me to thinking about the way that Kim had handled the officers by telling them that she needed to go check with her supervisor first. She was absolutely right to do so, but would I have done the same thing? I think I might not have. As a white male in this country I have the privilege of seeing police as friends and as someone who would in no way have reason to hurt or harass me. I view them through my privilege as being completely trustworthy. I may have just let them come on in without a second thought, after all I have no reason to mistrust police. I am not saying that Kim has a reason to mistrust them, just that she stopped and took the time to analyze the situation before acting.
So, many times even when you are looking for it, as a white man in this country your white privilege can go completely unnoticed by yourself. I also question the fact that the lead officer was black, and that he dealt with me in a more positive way than Kim. Is it because even as a person in a job with the power and authority that comes with being a policeman that he had a more deeply ingrained lesson. That lesson being that because I was white and male that I represented some kind of automatic authority. How messed up is that? My coworker who dealt with the situation in a better way then I would have, was treated differently by an officer who was a minority as well. I talked to my friend Kim about all of this and she didn't seem concerned in the least about any if it. I can't speak to her experiences growing up or what she had to deal with. What I can speak to is my own experience as a white male in this country who has just barely started to open his eyes to the inequitable ways that things are run.
I encourage my fellow white brothers to do the same. Open your eyes and see our world for what it really is. A world were we can act with conviction even if we have no basis to do so. A world in which the very color of our skin and our sex at birth gives us privileges we have never earned. Until we start to really see things for the way they are, we can never really heal ourselves from the wounds inflicted from that very privilege.
I work in mental health, and at the facility that I work at we have three registered sex offenders. The facility is a minimum security, lock down facility, and the three people mentioned can not leave without being under supervision of the staff. In any case, a couple weeks ago the sheriff department showed up at the facility to confirm that these three people were there. The staff who went out to answer the door was my fellow coworker, Kim. Now I need to tell you about Kim as it is important to how I viewed the situation. Kim is female and Asian. When she went out to answer the door she told the officers that she would have to check with her supervisor before they would be allowed access to the facility. The officers told her that they needed to see the clients to verify that they were there. Kim came back in the office and told me what was going on, and I told her that I could deal with them while she contacted our supervisor. I went outside and met with the three officers that were present. Two white officers and a Sargent in charge whom was African American. I told them that we were working on a solution and that I would be right back out after I heard from our supervisor.
After several phone calls and dealing with the higher ups I finally got permission to go outside and tell the officers that as an employee of the company I could verify that they were there. At that point one of the officers said, "OK that's all we needed." He then took down my info and they were on their way.
So what does all of this have to do with my white privilege. Several things not least of which was the way that the officers dealt differently with my coworker Kim than they did me. They told Kim that they had to actually see the clients or have them at least brought out so that they could verify them. I was told no such thing. Secondly, as soon as Kim came in and told me what was happening I took it upon myself to go "handle it." This right here was my subconscious assumption that as a white male it was my place to take charge of the situation so that it would be taken care of. That very attitude got me to thinking about the way that Kim had handled the officers by telling them that she needed to go check with her supervisor first. She was absolutely right to do so, but would I have done the same thing? I think I might not have. As a white male in this country I have the privilege of seeing police as friends and as someone who would in no way have reason to hurt or harass me. I view them through my privilege as being completely trustworthy. I may have just let them come on in without a second thought, after all I have no reason to mistrust police. I am not saying that Kim has a reason to mistrust them, just that she stopped and took the time to analyze the situation before acting.
So, many times even when you are looking for it, as a white man in this country your white privilege can go completely unnoticed by yourself. I also question the fact that the lead officer was black, and that he dealt with me in a more positive way than Kim. Is it because even as a person in a job with the power and authority that comes with being a policeman that he had a more deeply ingrained lesson. That lesson being that because I was white and male that I represented some kind of automatic authority. How messed up is that? My coworker who dealt with the situation in a better way then I would have, was treated differently by an officer who was a minority as well. I talked to my friend Kim about all of this and she didn't seem concerned in the least about any if it. I can't speak to her experiences growing up or what she had to deal with. What I can speak to is my own experience as a white male in this country who has just barely started to open his eyes to the inequitable ways that things are run.
I encourage my fellow white brothers to do the same. Open your eyes and see our world for what it really is. A world were we can act with conviction even if we have no basis to do so. A world in which the very color of our skin and our sex at birth gives us privileges we have never earned. Until we start to really see things for the way they are, we can never really heal ourselves from the wounds inflicted from that very privilege.
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