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8
APRIL 17,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
National Commentary
ALONG THE COLOR LINE By Dr. Manning Marable
Race, responsibility and
history in these United States
npost-civil rights era America, most
white commentators on issues of
race emphasize the necessity for all
of us to become “color blind.” That
is, we should be “blind” to the real
or imputed differences that divide people
by skin color or phenotype, by our physi
cal appearances, or our genetic back
grounds. We should learn to become
“comfortable” with the differences which
are reflected in the color spectrum of
humanity. And to reinforce this perspec
tive of white tolerance, we are often
quoted the words of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. that people should be judged
“not by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character.”
The “color blind thesis” almost al
ways is accompanied by an appeal to
“forgive and forget.” The logic of this
argument is as follows: “Black Ameri
cans were terribly oppressed during
slavery and Jim Crown segregation.
But there’s been much social progress
inrecent years, thanks to the construc
tive cooperation between the races. We
need to move beyond ancient griev
ances and racial bitterness towards
taking personal responsibility for our
own lives. After all, we are all respon
sible for ending racism.”
With certain variations, this is the
basic argument that is repeated over
and over again in the white media, by
white political leaders and institutions
about the dynamics of race. The argu
ment is that African Americans must
stop being so “sensitive” and “defen
sive” about the problems of their people
and communities. “Responsible” black
adults supposedly should understand
why a white middle-class couple walk
ing to their parked automobile at mid
night becomes fearful when they are
approached by several African-Ameri
can teenagers. All of usbear part of the
blame fo}gp\'bfiiiaicé‘. :
In popular films and culture, the mes
sage is the same. At the beginning of
Die Hard with a Vengeance, a white
man stands in the center of Harlem on
Amsterdam Avenue, wearing a huge
poster sign reading: “I hate Niggers.”
A cluster of justifiably outraged young
black men surrounds the undercover
white cop. Yet the film portrays the
African-American males as emotional,
dangerous, unstable, threatening. In
the award-winning film Pulp Fiction, a
white criminal “accidentally” blows off
the head of ayoungblack man when his
Eun discharges. Covered with blood
nd gore, the white man and his black
gartner take refuge in the suburban
ome of another white man. The sec
ond white man is outraged that this
“dead nigger” was dragged into his
home. Yet to display that he’s not
really aracist, the film then shows that
this bigot is married to an African-
Tribute to J. Philip Waring to take place April 23rd
The Paine College Senior Class will pay a special tribute to Mr. J. Philip
Waring at their Chapel Program on Wednesday, April 23, 1997,at 11 a.m.
in the Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel of Paine College.
The program will feature a special presentation of Mr. Waring's life and
his impact on the lives of the graduating seniors.
For additional information, please call Cassandra Norman, Senior Class
advisor, at 821-8361.
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We will never uproot
racism by pretending
that “everyone” shares a
common responsibility
for discrimination and
inequality. Black people
were not “equal part
ners” in the construction
of slavery, segregation
and ghettoization.
American woman. The fact that he has
a sexual relationship with a black
woman is supposed to illustrate that
his tirade of racist epithets has nothing
to do with hatred or personal preju
dice.
The white corporate-controlled me
dia loves to present stories about “black
bigotry.” When the Oakland, Califor
nia board of education suggested that
African-American young people may
learn best in an environment which
validates the language they speak in
daily life, blacks were attacked for “re
jecting” standard English. When Afri
can-American students demand Black
Studies courses, or advocate residen
tial housing on campuses which em
phasizes black heritage and culture,
they are charged with “self-segrega
tion.” Affirmative action programs are
often described in the press as being
based on “racial preference” -- despite
the fact that the overwhelming major
ity of those who are the chief beneficia
ries of affirmative action are white
women.
We will never uproot racism by pre
tending that “everyone” shares a com
mon responsibility for discrimination
and inequality. Black people were not
“equal partners” in the construction of
slavery, segregation and ghettoization.
We weren’t personally or collectively
consulted when the criminal justice
system imprisoned one-third of our
young men, or when we suffer with
twice the unemployment rates of
whites. To be “color blind” is to be
blind to the history of oppression. To
forget the past is to permit those in
power to evade their responsibility for
black inequality in the present.
Dr. Manning Marable is professor of
History and director for the Institute
for Research in African-American Stud
ies, Columbia University, New York
City. “Along the Color Line” appears
in over 300 publications throughout
the U.S. and internationally.
Opinion
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CHILDWATCH By Marian Wright Edelman
Parents need sensible tv rating
hat kind of TV shows do
your children look at? Do
you worry if their favorite
shows contain violence, sex
or inappropriate language?
If your children are like most children,
they spend an average of four hours aday
in front of the tube. One recent student
found that children are bombarded with
more than 2,000 television messages a
day. And Black children watch more TV
than other children. Two-thirds of Black
fourth-graders watch four or.more hours
of TV.a day; compared with one-third of
white fourth-graders and a half of His
panic fourth-graders. On average, a Black
household watches 72 hours of TV per
week, 49 percent more than other house
holds. With hundreds of channels to
choose from, I think parents need help to
make good choices about what their chil
dren should and shouldn’t watch. And
parents need to stop using TV as a baby
sitter.
Earlier this year, the Implementation
Group for TV Ratings, headed by Motion
Picture Association of American presi
dent Jack Valenti, introduced a rating
system based on age, just like the movie
system, that consists of six broad ratings.
The ratings provide no information for
parents about the content of television
programs -- no hints whether a show has
a lot of violence, or sexual content, or
both. Under the industry’s rating sys
tem, Y represents programs suitable for
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL By Bernice Powell Jackson
Honoring Paul Robeson
pril 8 was the 100th anniver
sary of the birth of Paul
Robeson, another of our
nation’s nearly unknown he
roes. Now there is a way to
help educate many Americans about this
American Renaissance man and to honor
him at the same time.
Despite great obstacles and facingmuch
racial prejudice, Paul Robeson entered
Rutgers University in New Jerseyin 1915
and graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa
scholar and an All-American football
player for two consecutive years. He was
the second African American to graduate
from Columbia University Law School.
But Paul Robeson was more than a
scholar and athlete. As an actor, his
portrayal of Othello on Broadway re
ceived great acclaim. His deep bass voice
singing folk songs and spirituals such as
“Old Man River” was known around the
world. He was beloved in Russia, India,
England and Japan and eastern Europe
because he sang the songs of the peoples
of the world in the language of those
people and touched their hearts. For
thirty years, from World War I until after
World War 11, Robeson’s extraordinary
achievements kept him in the world spot
light.
But Paul Robeson was more than an
outstanding scholar, athlete and per
former. Paul Robeson was a man deeply
committed to the struggle for justice and
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children two to six years old, Y 7 pro
grams are for children seven and older, G
programs are suitable for all ages, PG
suggests parental guidance, 14 means
unsuitable for children under 14 and M
programs are for mature audiences only.
I agree with the dozens of academic
experts, child advocates, members of
Congress and parent, health, religious
and education groups across the country
that parents would be better off with a
rating system that describes content by
using symbols such as “V” for violence,
. “L” for Janguage and “8” for sex. A
similar system has been used by Home
Box Office and other premium cable tele
vision channels for the past decade, and
we ought to have it on every channel.
“It is important to know what exactly
is in the shows children are planning to
watch,” says psychologist Dale Kunkel, a
leading researcher on the media’s effect
on children. “Research has shown that
children learn behaviors by watching oth
ers, and TV presents a huge range of
behaviors to learn from, including vio
lence.”
. Violence in our communities and in
our nation is caused by a combination of
factors, includingeasy availability of guns,
poverty and violence in the home. But
TV violence increases children’s risk of
becoming violent, overly fearful, ornumb
to victims.
Parents say they want all the help they
can get. A recent poll sponsored by the
peace in the world. ,
Robeson, however, paid a high price for
his outspokenness against racism and on
behalf of peace. During the 19505, he
found himself a target of Joseph
McCarthy and the House Un-American
Activities Committee, which declared al
most anyone a “communist” who es
poused views which they disagreed with.
Robeson was never charged with a crime
and never arrested or put on trial. But
Robeson’s love of the Russian people and
their culture and his deeply-felt commit
ment to peace made him a natural target.
Branded a communist, Robeson found
it impossible to get work anywherein the
U.S. and he was denied a passport. He
was not even allowed to leave the country
for travel not requiring a passport -- to
Canada, the West Indies and Mexico. All
doors to stage, screen, concert hall, radio,
l'lx‘xv and recording studio were locked to
m.
Paul Robeson was a man who bowed to
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PTA found that four out of five parents
polled preferred a rating system based on
content and using letters to warn par
ents when violence, coarse language, and
sexual content appear in programs, rather
than a rating system based only on age.
Of course, norating system can replace
parental responsibility. In addition to
being careful about the messages we
allow into our homes, we should limit the
amount of television our children watch.
We need to read more to our children, to
encourage them to read on their own, '
and to spend more time sharing our proud '
history and culture with them. And
sometimes we need to watch television !
with our children. Television can be
educational as well as entertaining, and *
we need to seek out and support positive
programs. :
Urge the FCC to approve a ratings
system that provides necessary informa- .
tion about the programs your children
may watch. Make your opinion heard by
calling the FCC toll-free at 1-888-CALL- '
FCC or by sending e-mail to'
vchip@fee.gov. ‘
Marian Wright Edelman is president '
of the Children’s Defense Fund, which '
coordinates the Black Community Cru
sade for Children (BCCC), whose mis
sion is to leave no child behind and to '
ensure every child a healthy, head, fair, -
safe and moral start in life. For more
information about the BCCC, call (202)
628-8787.
no one. When summoned before the
House Un-American Activities Commit
tee and asked why, if he liked Russia so
much, he had not stayed there, Robeson
replied, “Because my father was a slave
and my people died to build this country
and I’'m going to stay right here and have
a part of it; just like you. And no fascist
minded people like you will drive me
from it. Is that clear?”
Because of his stand against the Con
gressional witch hunt, Robeson became a
“persona non grata” and his name is
almost unknown to young people. But
his is a name, his is a voice, both singing
and speaking, that the world needs to
remember.
Now the post office is considering a
stampin his honor. Write the U.S. Postal
Service at Citizens’ Advisory Stamp Com
mittee, ¢/o Stamp Development, 475
L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4474 E., Wash
ingtun, D.C. 20260-2437 to ask them to
make a Paul Robeson stamp.