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JUNE 12,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
National Commentary
ALONG THE COLOR LINE / Dr. Manning Marable
America must accept
its multiracial future
everal weeks ago, I visited Se
attle to participatein an educa
tional workshop at the Univer
sity of Washington. The meet
ingbrought together a group of
outstanding scholars to discuss the fu
ture development of ethnic studies on
American campuses. What was signifi
cant was that this dialogue was not
grounded in the old bipolar framework of
black and white. Americelndian, Asian
and Latino perspectives were central to
our discussions.
In Seattle itself, the city has become a
vibrant center of a wide spectrum of
cultures, ethnictraditionsand languages.
As of 1990, the Bureau of the Census
reported 135,000 Asian Americans in
metropolitan Seattle, eight percent of
the area’s population. Today, the Asian
Americans’ percentage exceeds 10 per
cent. Seattle’s historic black community
also has deep roots in the city.
But the most striking multicultural
experience was at a Saturday night party
I attended. I had been invited to attend a
gatheringofblack, brown and Asian trade
union activists and community organiz
ers, which was held at a private home in
the black community. The party was
festive, with a wide selection of foods and
beverages reflecting a range of cultural
tastes. Some workers at the gathering
represented unions from Nicaragua, the
Philippines, Brazil and other Third World
countries. Some were Communists, so
cialists, Democrats and/or Christians.
Many spoke more than one language;
nearly all were veterans of labor struggles.
Most of the Seattle residents at the recep
tion had been active members of Jesse
Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition in the 1980 s.
They spoke to me about their deep disap
pointment when Jesse decided inexplica
bly to dismantle his own progressive or
ganization and quietly succumb to the
Democratic Party.
We often tend to think of the world in
stark racial terms. Most of us believe that
racism has always existed, and therefore
it always will be. Human beings have
certainly exhibited extraordinary cruelty
toward each other on the basis of real or
perceived differences in their language,
ethnicity or cultural tradition. But Ameri
can racism endures, in part, because it is
inextricably linked to the economic and
political structures of power within our
society. People are oppressed “racially”
not fundamentally due to the color of
their skin: racism pays, and racism is
chiefly manifested in the inequality and
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If and when America has
the courage to face its
future, it will do so not
through the mirror im
ages of Western Europe.
The face of America’s
future is overwhelmingly
African, Asian, Pacific
Islander and Latine. It
speaks in many lan
guages besides English.
For us to face the future
we must be honest about
the dynamics of oppres
sion and the real chasm
of inequality which still
divides our nation.
powerlessness of the oppressed.
This perspective on the political
economy of race tells us that racism can
be dismantled and uprooted. With strong
coalitions across the barriers of color and
community, we could build a democratic
movement calling for the restructuring
of power throughout society. The fight
for full employment, universal health
care, decent schools for our children, and
adequate shelteris central to the empow
erment of black people. Yet as we fight
for these objectives as black folk, others
of different cultures and ethnic origins
can unite with us around the practical
questions of daily life.
Ifand when America hasthe courage to
face its future, it will do so not through
the mirror images of Western Europe.
The face of America’s future is over
whelmingly African, Asian, Pacific Is
lander and Latino. It speaks in many
languages besides English. For us to face
the future, we must be honest about the
dynamics of oppression and the real
chasm of inequality which still divides
our nation. But as we begin this process
of honest dialogue, we must start by
facing the images and colorful spectrum
of humanity which increasingly defines
the reality of America.
Dr. Manning Marable is Professor of
History and the director of the Institute
for Research in African-American Stud
ies, Columbia Un.versity, New York City.
Charles W. Walker
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CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL By Bernice Powell Jackson
More signs of hope: Jones and Newman
f you only watch television
uncritically and only know the ste
reotypes of young African-Ameri
can men, you might believe they are
all gang members and criminals.
But there are millions of young black
men who are making positive contribu
tions not only to their own communities,
but to the whole nation.
LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman, two
Chicago 18-year-olds, are two of them.
Jones and Newman have received a host
of awards for their journalistic work which
tells the story of their neighborhood.
Newman lives-in the notorious Ida B.
Wells housing project.
Their radiodocumentary ,Remorse: The
14 Stories of Eric Morse, was aired on
National Public Radio and told the story
of Eric Morse, the five-year-old who was
pushed out a window by two boys, 10 and
11 years old, when he refused to steal
candy for them. For this outstanding
story, Jones and Newman received the
THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT By Dr. Lenora Fulani
People really are coming together
magine this. A white Wall Street
executive in a New York hurry is
stopped on the street by a young
black man who is fund-raising on
behalf of an antiviolence program
forinner city youth. Theolder man pauses
to listen “for a moment,” and the young
man tells him about the program, which
is based on a new approach to human
development. The businessman starts
asking questions, forgetting about the
appointment he had been rushingto keep.
Among other things, he learns that the
teenager was on the road to trouble be
fore he began to participate in the All
Stars Talent Show Network; now he’s on
his way to college.
An encounter between a registered
Republican businessman who describes
himself as “right of center” and a teen
ager from the streets of black Brooklyn
has the makings of a serious vulture
clash. But, the businessman, whose name
is Joseph Forgione, is so impressed that
he gives adonation then and there. “I got
hooked on the program’s philosophy that
people can develop at any age,” he recalls
now. “I never liked the idea of writing
people off.”
Joe Forgione is a remarkable person:
successful, generous, concerned. Even
more remarkable is that he is one of the
nearly half a million affluent, middle
class Americans who give to the All Stars
and other developmental programs spon
sored by the independent Community
Literacy Research Project. It is because
the CLRP receives no government or
major foundation support that Ameri
cans from all walks of life—those who
give to its programs, and those who are
served by them—can connect in this way.
lam a founder an executive producer of
the All stars. Over the last year or two,
dJoe Forgione and I have gotten to be
friends. I want to introduce him to you
because he’sliving proof that Americans,
with all our .:xdflerena;—dcflul&mt and
poor, black white, young,
“right” and “left”—can create something
new with each other that turns out to be
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award,
making them the youngest ever to re
ceive the prestigious award and the first
radio documentary to win the prize.
Working with journalist David Isay, Jones
and Newman won the grand prize over
eight other journalists.
. The two young men were not out look
ing for the journalism prizes when they
made the documentary. “We were trying
to help the community so that this won’t
happen again,” said Newman in a recent
Jet Magazine article. “To throw a five
year-old out the window makes no sense,”
he added.
While they were happy to win the
award, they believe that the cost was too
high. “I’m still looking at the death of a
five-year-old, and for me to win an award,
Ican’t forget that,” said Jones. “If I could
give that award back to bring Eric back,
I would.”
Jones and Newman interviewed their
friends and neighbors about Eric Morse’s
developmental for everyone who partici
pates.
The only son of Italian-American work
ing class parents, Joe was the first in his
family to get a college degree. He went on
to a highly successful career in the world
of international finance; when he retired
recently he had reached the top echelons
of the corporate world, as a managing
director of Merrill Lynch. In other words,
Joe is someone for whom the American
dream came true. Now he’s devoting his
talent, his time, and his resources to
making the dream a reality for working
class youngsters of another generation—
black and Latino youth from some of
New York’s toughest and poorest com
munities.
Joe has kept on giving ever since he
first met the All Stars. He gives not only
his money, but his time, his energy, his
expertise and his extensive network of
friends and colleagues in the financial
Help to develop today’s children into
productive adults for the future.
Join PROJECT SUCCESS, a program
for at-risk youth for Celebration "97.
You or your business can sponsor a student
by purchasing a table for this event.
Proceeds will fund PROJECT SUCCESS'’s
After-School and Exploration Program.
Join us on Friday, June 27 for
Celebration’97 and together we
can make success a reality.
Call 724-0446 for information.
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death. They also talked to relatives of the
victim and the suspects. Eric Morse’s
mother gave her only interview to the
young men. “She felt comfortable with
us because she knew we would under
stand what she was going through. We
come from the same environment,”
Newman explained.
The two boys who killed Eric were
convicted and were sentenced to a maxi
mum security juvenile prison, becoming
the nation’s youngest children to be so
sentenced.
Inadditionto the Robert Kennedy prize,
Jones and Newman have also won a
Peabody Award and a Hillman Founda
tion award for their documentary. Their
first radio documentary, Ghetto Life 101,
done when they were 14 years old, won
more than a dozen national and interna
tional awards. They have recently writ
ten a book, Our America: Life and Death
on the South Side of Chicago. ;
community. A few weeks ago, for ex-|
ample, he gave a guided tour of the New|
York Stock Exchange to 17 young people|
enrolled in the Development School for!
Youth, the CLRP’s new leadership train-|
ing program. “I’ve had a lot of people be,
really good to me,” Joe said to explain his!
generosity. “It’s an opportunity to give,
back. Some of it’s selfish,” he hastens to!
add. “These young people—]l think they:
give a lot to us older people. You look at:
their bright eyes, and you think: This is
our future.” )
Last year the young leaders of the All|
Stars Talent Show Network had their|
own opportunity to give back by present-|
ing Joe with a “Phat Friend” award at|
the annua dinner held to honor adults|
who support the development of our|
youth. I believe that this is our future—|
all kinds of Americans coming together|
to reshape our country and our culture.!
Which is what people like Joe Forgione‘
are making happen. '