Okay. I admit it. It's me. I speak for White people. We had a Caucasian caucus on Confederate Memorial Day and I was elected emissary because of my genetics. In the future I will try and make broad ranging statements and try to be available when a comment needs to be made or questions answered. Now I'm off to listen to another rendition of "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window".
Kidding aside, there are several underlying points in this discussion that are quite poignant and several good things that have already been said. One of the best pieces of this discussion I think, is the raising of awareness with the hopeful shifting of the paradigm away from the segmentation that continues to reinforce segregation amongst our various culures. To really understand the discussion, I think you have to look back at history. For several hundred years, "White" has been considered the status quo or the default. There was no definition or citation of "White leadership" because of this consideration. Black leadership, Latino leadership, GLBT leadership became defined as such because they were contrary to the "norm". I'll focus on Black leadership because it was the main topic raised and for brevity. But historically, Blacks have not had a voice or representation on a daily basis. They were not allowed to. Institutionalized racism and systems of oppression did not allow it. And to cross that rubicon meant death or something worse. Thus when a Frederick Douglas spoke up, he wasn't labelled simply a leader, he was a Black leader. When Martin Luther King or Malcolm X or Fannie Lou Hamer spoke, they were Black leaders. In some regards it is an intentional/unintentional marginalization, in some regards it is the larger population trying to find where things fit in contrast to what has been taught and permeates our society regarding race and achievement. In addition, when these people spoke, they were dealing with different approaches to the same core issues. The majority of the Black community was unified in it's need to address oppression and racism. Thus a leader of the Black Community existed because there was a common enemy or goal. As we fast forward to today, issues and faces have changed. There is not one or two single issues or one or two single perspectives, and that is progress in many regards. But what it also calls for is this shift from segmenting or labelling people in these areas, while not forgetting or diminishing the importance of the issues, especially ones that affect primarily Black people or other marginalized groups. Ron Edwards may have a different approach than Randy Staten, who may be different from Don Samuels' who may be different from Natalie Johnson-Lee's. Each approach may be valid, especially if there are a committed group of constituents behind them and it resonates with the concerns of the larger community, but I prefer to think of them as leaders IN the Black community versus leaders OF the Black community. I look forward to the day when it will be okay to drop the "Black" off the label and make it just leaders of the community, but many people aren't any more ready for that than they are to integrate "Black history" with regular history. In essence, the issues that we face: Who's the next superintendent, are convenience stores okay, where and how do you voice concerns about police officer interactions and where are money and resources flowing to and from are not Black/White issues, but rather human and civil rights issues. They are often framed in terms of race because of historical perceptions or current propensities, but the core is about human dignity and civility. About doing the right thing and being aware of historical and racial factors while not getting derailed into them. Who speaks for White people? No one does, anymore that one person speaks for all Black people. The need now is to focus on the core issues and develop solutions that work across racial and cultural lines. The need is for people to be treated equally and fairly across these segmenting factors. And if you find that a Randy Staten or a Don Samuels or a Booker T. Hodges says something that resonates with you or is leading the charge, then support them. Follow them as you will, but remember that they're not leaders of a segmentation of society, they're leaders period. Leaders who may represent certain issues or constituents, but in the end just leaders not reserved or restricted to certain areas. Move beyond the rhetoric and deal with what's right and necessary. Jonathan Palmer Victory REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
