AN OPEN LETTER TO (Far Right) CONSERVATIVES REGARDING RACISM

TO ALL FAR RIGHT CONSERVATIVES OF THIS COUNTRY,

Who are and have been fervent supporters of our former President-Who-I-Will-Not-Name-On-This-Blog since 2016,

And who see people of color who bring up racial issues such as Black Lives Matter as reverse racists…

This is something that I have wanted to vent about, get it off my chest, for quite a while;

The notion of Blacks – African Americans and otherwise as there are far more Black people of African descent on this planet who don’t live in these United States than those who do – other people of color, Muslims, Jewish people, and the LGBTQ community being seen by at least some conservatives on the far right as racists in reverse whenever anything is written on sites like Yahoo about various issues that the people in those populations still have to face.

Every time I read an article regarding some racial or cultural issue such as the police profiling, harassing, and murdering unarmed Blacks, i.e., George Floyd four years ago,

Or regarding the persistent inequalities in some form that plaque seemingly every group of people that are not Caucasians of European descent, Christians of certain Evangelical sects, heterosexual, conservative, male, wealthy, or any combination of those six attributes,

Comments that scream “REVERSE RACISM!!” and how those authors are being so “DIVISIVE!!”, that shout about how it’s the fault of people of color, etc. that their situation is as unsatisfactory as it is, abound.

The prevalent thought I have had while reading those comments is that those folks who are screaming how it’s the blacks, Latinos, Asians, Muslims, etc. that are the racist bigots,

Have no idea what the word “racist” means.

No clue about the definition of the word.

Well,

To all those far right-wing conservatives out there, allow me to give you the official definition of a racist…

A person who sees people of a race, skin color, and/or ethnicity not his or her own as being inherently inferior to the race such a person belongs to with regards to mental, emotional, and intellectual attributes.

Of all the articles covering the issue of racial, ethnic and cultural inequalities and injustices that I have read on sites like Yahoo, and I have read quite a few of them over the past few years,

I have yet to read something that implied, gave the impression, or flat-out stated that whites are inherently, mentally, socially, and intellectually inferior to blacks or other people of color.

And I do not expect to ever read such on those sites.

I have also never gotten the impression that the ones writing those articles are racist or divisive in any way, shape, or form, according to the definition of racist that was stated above.

I do not and have never felt that those writers had or have any kind of racist or divisive feelings about Caucasians, particularly far-right Caucasians.

Rather, they were expressing the problems and issues that continue to plague this country and the world.

I honestly don’t know what else to say regarding this issue, except that I hope and pray that those who may feel like this post pertains to them at least try and keep an open mind when reading this.

I’m aware that there may be some who might think of me as a so-called “reverse racist” who is being very “divisive” after partaking of this piece,

In which I respond that I am NOT any kind of racist and, having grown up and continuing to live in arguably the most racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse region of this country, have NEVER been any kind of racist whatsoever.

And will NEVER, EVER be one.

Nor am I being divisive in any way, shape, or form as these United States has been divided ever since the Constitution was ratified in 1787, the Southern states only agreeing to ratify such on the condition of being able to keep their slaves, who were seen as two-thirds of a person.

I suppose that’s all I have to say about that.

THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS,

I wish everyone nothing but peace.

#Period

#EnoughSaid

#DropTheMic

Sincerely,

Someone who has had significant concerns regarding this issue for a long time

AMEN TO THIS! In fact, racism and hate have no place ANYWHERE.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: My Annual Commemoration

MY ANNUAL MUSINGS REGARDING THE MONTH DEDICATED TO BLACK PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT

So here I am,

Sitting up in my bed on what’s been a very rainy day in Southern California – with more to come – as I type this,

Pondering about these twenty-nine (as you know, it’s a leap year) days that are slated to commemorate and celebrate the vital and essential contributions that African Americans have made to get these United States to the point where it’s considered the best country on this planet;

It certainly is such in the opinions of the 10,000 migrants from mostly Latin American countries that cross the Rio Grande on a daily basis to try for a better life,

That conservatives have been foaming at the mouth over for seemingly forever.

Contrary to what you may be thinking,

As important, admirable, essential, and heroic as they all are,

It’s not my intention to rattle on about the people that are always mentioned this month like,

• Martin Luther King
• Fredrick Douglass
• Rosa Parks
• Harriet Tubman
• George Washington Carver
• W.E.B. DuBois
• Marcus Garvey
• Booker T. Washington
• Madame C.J. Walker
• Jackie Robinson
• Malcolm X
• Sidney Poitier
• Oprah Winfrey

Or even Kamala Harris.

Or Barack and Michelle Obama.

Instead,

My thoughts concerning this month in the context of the state of how things concerning African Americans are socially in particular are thoughts that I simply can’t help thinking…

For instance,

I can’t help thinking about how anyone can REALLY see America as a country where loving it is mandatory when it has definitely NOT loved too many Americans who happen to be Black, particularly from low income inner city areas;

Ask the families of…

• Michael Donald
• James Byrd
• George Floyd
• Ahmaud Arbery
• Michael Brown
• Breonna Taylor
• Trayvon Martin
• Freddie Gray
• Eric Garner
• The nine African Americans murdered by that White supremacist at that church in South Carolina
• The more than 4,400 Blacks lynched in the U.S. over the decades

If America loved those people listed above.

Not to mention the open season on people of color (as well as Jewish people, too) by far right-wing, MAGA conservatives that has been prominent since former President You-Know-Who was elected in 2016.

It’s said that you’re supposed to love America.

But the evidence has shown that America has no love for a whole lot of people who happen to be Black of African descent – except for those “exceptions” like Candace Owens, Tim Scott, Larry Elder and Clarence Thomas,

Or who happen to be Latino – except for people like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz,

Or who happen to be Asian – does the “Stop Asian Hate” campaign enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic ring a bell?

And with Florida and a number of other states maneuvering to ban the teaching of Black History from their schools and colleges,

How could I not have thoughts of how too much of America has no love for people who look like me?

As someone with a bachelor’s degree in history, that hits pretty close to home.

All right, I’m aware that I’m rambling – here’s what I am getting at…

With the social, political, and cultural climate being what it is,

It’s more important, vital and essential that Black History, along with all other forms of history outside of those focusing on people of European descent, is emphasized everywhere and during every month.

Not just during February.

Or from September 15th through October 15th in the case of Latinos.

Or March in the case of women.

In my humble view that may not mean that much to too many folks, especially to those who probably don’t agree with me,

The only way that this country can TRULY be considered the greatest country in the history of this planet is by celebrating and emphasizing the ethnicities and cultures of ALL those who live in these borders, not just those who descended from a European country.

Which is why Black History Month (in this case, being that it’s February) is more than necessary and important;

It is essential and vital.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

HOW TO MAINTAIN DIVERSITY IN COLLEGES WITHOUT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The ultimate goal of any college student…

ONE PARTICULAR WAY THAT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING CAN MAINTAIN RACIAL, CULTURAL, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AMONG ITS STUDENTS WITHOUT INVOLVING RACE IN ADMISSIONS

I don’t think I have to detail the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the affirmative action cases at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, effectively killing a tactic to prevent schools from being more or less all-Caucasians of European descent (with various mixtures of Asians and a small number of “token” Blacks and Latinos) and righting the evils of racist Jim Crow segregation that permeated among the vast majority of colleges and universities for the bulk of the 20th century.

Like in other issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, the reactions are extremely polarized as people are either ecstatically celebrating or sadly mourning the Court’s decision to have this country’s over 8,000 institutions of higher learning no longer take race into consideration when deciding who to admit into their halls and classrooms.

Though I have my strong opinions regarding this issue, which considering where I have stood on other issues that I’ve expressed on this blog one can pretty much figure out,

I prefer to voice a particular and personal opinion as to a way that colleges and universities who, while not being allowed to take race into the equation as far as admissions, can continue to go a long way to diversify their student bodies and prevent their campus from being “whitewashed” (again, with a mixture of Asians and a relatively scant few Blacks and Latinos who are historically seen as “tokens”).

It’s something that the ten institutions in the University of California system – of which one of them, UCLA, happens to be my alma mater – have been doing as part of their admissions policies ever since Proposition 209 ended affirmative action in that state in 1996, dropping Black and Latino enrollment at the most selective places like UCLA and U.C.Berkeley, otherwise known as “Cal”, by approximately 50% at first, but with this strategy has increased the number of Black and Latino students to pre-Proposition 209 figures:

REPLACE “RACE” AS A FACTOR IN ADMISSIONS WITH “SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS”

A typical desk in a typical college dorm room…

Rather than merely being Black, a Latino, or a Native American be a factor in getting admitted,

Have a student’s socio-econiomic status, particularly the poverty and hardships he or she went through in his/her community as they achieved 4.0+ grade point averages, SAT scores in the high 1400s and 1500s, and their involvement in endeavors such as community work (i.e., neighborhood clean-up, after school tutoring, volunteering at nursing homes, feeding the homeless) carry more weight and be more of a significant factor in whether the people deciding whether to admit such student sends an email saying “Welcome to…” or “We regret to inform you…”

I believe it’s safe to say that students from poor, inner city neighborhoods have a more difficult time, sometimes much more of a difficult time, achieving academic success with the various temptations and pitfalls from such inner city and its cultures, than students from affluent neighborhoods who have internship programs, SAT prep classes, and many other privileges and advantages at their fingertips.

Being that African Americans and Latinos tend to proportionally outnumber Whites and Asians in inner city neighborhoods and poverty levels,

This, in my opinion, is a good way to keep the levels of diversity from going down in the absence of affirmative action programs.

On top of everything else, this strategy will enable colleges and universities to be able to continue to offer students a chance of achieving the American Dream – a satisfying career and a place in the middle class – who otherwise may not be afforded that chance.

Of course those students from the inner city and other areas of poverty need to be in the top ten percent of their classes at an extremely bare minimum; from my understanding, the University of California system’s policy offers automatic admission to the top four percent of the graduating classes of every high school, from Watts and Oakland to Beverly Hills and the most exclusive private schools in Bel Air.

And of course significant financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants must be mandatory.

I’ll sum this all up by making this bottom line short and to-the-point…

Substitute Socio-Economic Status for Race as a factor in admissions decisions, and the higher learning institutions in this country will be better able to continue to achieve and maintain a diverse student body.

I don’t know how to make that any clearer.

Of course oppostions and objections will be made,

But if colleges and universities want to maintain diversity and prevent a possible defacto segregation of their schools,

It would behoove them to partake of this alternative method.

That’s all I’m going to say on this issue.

Institutions of higher learning are best when the student bodies look like this…

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2023: My Annual Thoughts

OKAY, HERE WE ARE FOLKS.

ANOTHER BLACK HISTORY MONTH HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN.

But I have to be honest,

It’s a very sad state of affairs when the biggest news concerning African Americans as the month commemorating the many, many significant accomplishments of that community over the past four hundred-plus years that I was born into and am a part of is underway,

Is yet another young black man – Rest In Peace, Tyre Nichols – being murdered by the (Memphis, TN in this case) police, one of the over 130 Black people of African descent who died at the hands of law enforcement since 2015 alone.

The kicker to me when I first heard about this was that the five police officers who took Tyre’s life were of the same ethnic group as him:

Black!

As opposed to the policemen who killed George Floyd, Eric Garner, Brianna Taylor, and so many others being white, which has pretty much always been the case in these matters.

Of course when I thought about it, a family member concurring such,

It didn’t take long to realize that when it comes to policing and mistreatement/killing of blacks and other people of color by such,

It really doesn’t matter what the skin color of the cop wearing the badge is as for too many of those policemen of color, only one color matters as far as they’re concerned…

Blue.

In other words, it’s not just a black vs white, or brown vs white, thing.

And it’s every bit as horrible for those five African American cops to murder Tyre as it would have been if it were five white cops who brutally killed him.

This certainly overshadowed the milestone of the upcoming Super Bowl featuring two starting black quarterbacks – Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs – for the first time,

Which will undoubtedly be among the events, people, and accomplishments celebrating African Americans and the African American community that will be mentioned in school at this time of year forever after.

After all,

Who can really and truly 100,000% care about that outside of the greater Philadelphia and Kansas City areas when a young brother was beaten to a pulp and had his life needlessly ended by authorities whose job is to (ahem) “Protect and Serve”?

It’s honestly a little difficult to put any personal emphasis and honorable mention regarding who invented the stop light and the gas mask (Garret Morgan), who did significant things with peanuts (George Washington Carver), who constantly risked her life to help slaves escape north (Harriet Tubman, who incidentally is about to have her likeness put on the $20 bill), and who were two very prominent literary icons of the early to mid-20th century (Langston Hughes and James Baldwin)

Not to mention celebrating the usual icons like Martin Luther King, Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, and Jackie Robinson.

Not when Blacks and Latinos are still being seen by too many police officers across these fifty states as thugs and hoods that need to be controlled, hunting them down and treating them like animals that need to be put down because they have a broken tailight on their car or because they were doing 33 miles an hour in a thirty mile an hour zone.

And not when animosities by far right wing, MAGA conservatives who worship, I mean support, our former President-Who-Will-Never-Be-Named-On-This-Blog toward people of color are more frequent and pronounced than ever;

You should see the comments of articles regarding racial/cultural issues from sites like Yahoo – many of them look like they were written by longstanding members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Oh well,

As I tend to say,

“It is what it is.”

Like everyone else, I’ll commemorate and celebrate the achievements, accomplishments, and contributions of my fellow Black people of African descent in these United States not only this month,

But every month as should be the case.

However,

It’s a bit frustrating and induces a sense of resignation in me that a young Black man who was murdered by members of his town’s police department is being mourned as the month designated to be the one celebrating African Americans has started.

In the meantime, having said all of this,

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER AND WILL ALWAYS MATTER.

Substitute “Tyre Nichols” for Trayvon Martin here…

An Online Conversation I Had Regarding Racial Tensions and Issues

These words painted on this street sums up my sentiments exactly…

AN HONEST EXCHANGE WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT AGREE WITH ME ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF RACIAL TENSIONS IN THIS COUNTRY

Recently on a group on Facebook that I’m a part of,

I read a post by a guy who lamented how when he watched Christian movies as of late,

He has been skipping those Christian movies with a predominantly Black cast because, while he insists he’s not a racist and does not support white supremacy, he’s tired of all the racial tension that has been abundant in this country and of being called a racist because of the fact that he’s White with conservative views.

He asked if he was the only one who felt like he did.

Being an African American male, I felt compelled to write in the comments section.

Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote…

“You’re seeing and hearing (racial tension) because it’s still a big issue. Despite having had a Black president and vice-president, too many people of color – not just Blacks, but Latinos and Asians as well – are catching the opposite of Heaven all over the world in many ways…

“They are NOT getting the two things that we all want on this earth – complete equality and complete fairness.”

“…one does NOT have to be a white supremacist, wearing sheets/burning crosses, to have racist feelings and attitudes. Tons of people see blacks in a negative light and dislike them but would never burn a cross, call anyone the “n” word, or lynch anybody…”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but tons of folks see white conservatives as people who, at best, need to prove that they’re not racist because of white conservatives have done and their attitude now (calling blacks the “n” word, disapproving of interracial relationships, police profiling and killing like what happened in Buffalo).”

I made it clear to him that I didn’t think he was a racist, because I didn’t know him and wanted to follow what Matthew 7:1 said – “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” And I made it clear that I wasn’t trying to attack, offend, or impose anything negative towards him, but was only trying to find out his true thoughts and attitudes because as Malcolm X said in his Autobiography,

“Raw, naked truth exchanged between (blacks and whites/liberals and conservatives) is what a lot more is needed of in this country – to to clear the air of the racial mirages, cliches, and lies that this country’s very atmosphere has been filled with for four hundred years.”

Which was manifested by me asking him why he didn’t partake in movies with black casts, what he has done to show that he wasn’t racist, and did he see blacks and other people of color as needing to be “in their place”.

Long story short, since my posts and answers were long as were his and another lady’s who entered the discussion…

This guy and the lady’s reactions and statements pretty much towed the party line for white conservatives, particularly in being very sensitive to being seen by many blacks, liberals and other people of color as racist bigots; the lady wrote at length about her co-worker, a Black man and a liberal who they share a good friendship with and despite their differences.

I know folks may be thinking “tokenism” right now, but she stated that she had many friends of color.

My last word to the young man was this…

““It should be no secret that there are some subjects/issues that…liberals and conservatives in general will have to respectfully agree to disagree and put it behind (them).”

I KNOW that I will not convince any conservative to change his/her views, in race issues or anything else.

And I REALLY know that no conservative of any race, ethnicity or gender will change mine.

To be honest, though the exchanges between me and the two conservatives on Facebook ended up going okay with no real hard feelings as I felt we were honest with each other, which I was glad about,

The way the racial, political, and ideological tensions are going today, I really can’t be sure if things will get better due to the lack of willingness of folks on both sides to compromise or flat out change their views, me included.

In fact, I wouldn’t be at the least surprised if things got worse a la more riots like in L.A. thirty years ago and in cities throughout this country for George Floyd a couple of years ago.

I pray it doesn’t happen, but the way things are now, it just might be an inevitability.

I certainly hope and pray that it’s not.

In my next post on this blog (I’m not 100 percent sure when that will be, but it will be soon),

I’ll go at length at how this country has never really been the United States of America but rather the Divided States of America, and how it has been such for as long as there has been an America – 246 years to be precise.

Stay tuned.

OH, ONE MORE THING:

I know I don’t have to tell you about the nineteen young kids and two adults – one a longtime teacher – who were murdered by a mass shooter at an elementary school 80 miles outside of San Antonio, Texas.

It goes without saying how horrible that is, as for the many, many other shootings and killings like what happened in Buffalo recently;

I know I don’t have to tell you about that either.

It goes without saying that prayers and condolences need to be offered;

I’ve offered mine.

#PrayForBuffalo

#PrayForUvalde

One of the many protest marches concerning George Floyd’s murder in 2020…

THE SMACK HEARD ‘ROUND THE HOLLYWOOD UNIVERSE: My One and a Half Cents

No explanation necessary, as I’m sure that everyone in the free world – except for probably North Korea – has seen this by now. Photo courtesy of hellomagazine.com

EVERYONE HAS OFFERED THEIR VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF WILL SMITH SMACKING CHRIS ROCK DURING THE RECENT ACADEMY AWARDS.

HERE ARE SOME VIEWS AND OPINIONS ABOUT THAT INCIDENT FROM LITTLE OLD INSIGNIFICANT ME.

For anyone with the pulse that wasn’t under a rock on the planet Neptune,

I don’t have to say what went down at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood this past Match 27th during the 94th rendition of the biggest event in the entertainment world.

I will say that my initial reaction as Will was smacking Chris and yelling at him to keep his wife (Jada Pinkett-Smith) out of Chris’ “…f***ing mouth!”,

Was that it was all staged for comedic effect.

I learned pretty quickly that it wasn’t.

Of which my prevailing thoughts and opinion of the whole affair was thus…

What Chris did was wrong, joking about something (I won’t reiterate what the joke was, as everyone knows by now) that was apparently a sensitive topic for Jada. Even though he may not have known about her alopecia condition, he still should have left it alone.

However,

What Will did was worse.

It wasn’t WHAT he did – any man who defends and protects his wife should be commended – it was HOW he went about it.

Regardless of what Chris said or how insensitive it was, violence – physical or otherwise – should NEVER be used as a reaction for ANYTHING.

EVER.

If it was my wife, girlfriend or mother that was being talked about like that and I went on the stage, I would have said in a calm manner, “That was out of line, insensitive, and just plain hurtful, and I demand an apology,”, rather than merely smacking or hitting him.

OR EVEN BETTER: I would have waited until I had an opportunity to go backstage to talk to him, to demand an apology in private rather than in front of the whole world on international television.

In fact,

I would go so far as to state that what Will did was a setback for the African American community and Black people in general, for this reason;

One of the prevailing negative stereotypes about Blacks and Black men in particular is that they are prone to violence.

That they will throw fisticuffs or even shoot guns at the drop of a hat or at even a hint of being disrespected.

Which only adds fuel and strengthens the view of racist whites that blacks are such, that in their mind and opinion they are so-called “animals” as I’m sure they say after hearing about some gangster drive-by shooting or rioting, “Look at how those n*****s act!”

Which I suspect was said by quite a few far-right conservative whites who are fervent supporters of our former President-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

What Will did only helped the far right white conservative’s negative stereotypical view of Blacks.

That, as much as anything else if not more, is what saddened me, because…

If we as Black people in these fifty states and around the world are to attain full equality and fairness, we as a community need to smash the negative stereotypes that too much of society still has of us.

In other words, we as African Americans need to be a part of the solution, NOT a part of the problem.

Will’s actions to Chris at the Oscars was a part of the problem after he, through his actions throughout his career – which included his triumph in winning the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard” – was a part of the solution.

I’m well aware that he profusely apologized to Chris and the Academy, and Chris should be credited and commended as being the bigger person by refusing to press charges.

I feel that at the end of the day, Will made a bad mistake that will have consequences.

That does not mean that he shouldn’t be forgiven – I want to make that clear that people should forgive in a “Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone” way.

I’m sure that Will, after dealing with whatever consequences that may come his way, will eventually be forgiven for his violence.

After all,

Chris – as evidenced by his not pressing charges – has apparently already have.

That’s the gist of what I think about all of this.

Let me know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.

Will Smith (center), holding his newly-won Best Actor Oscar, with his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith (far left) daughter Willow (2nd from left), and sons Jaden (2nd from right) and Trey (far right). Photo courtesy of celebrity-today.com

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022: Reckonings From A Personal Point Of View

Photo by Alyssa Rose on Pexels.com

IT’S BEEN OVER THREE WEEKS SINCE THE PREVIOUS POST WAS PUBLISHED ON THIS BLOG…

BEING THAT BLACK HISTORY MONTH HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN,

I RECKON THIS IS THE PERFECT TOPIC TO WRITE ABOUT;

The times being what they are in this country not only for Black people of African descent,

Not only for all people of color,

But for anyone not,

• White
• Christian (preferably Protestant/Evangelical)
• Conservative
• Heterosexual
• Male, and…
• Wealthy

Although these United States had an African American Commander-In-Chief for two terms totaling eight years,

Although these United States currently has a woman of color – who’s part Black and part Asian – as the Vice President who is a heartbeat away from being this nation’s first female Commander-In-Chief,

And although with Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer retiring, President Joe Biden has announced that he will fill that opening with an African-American woman; J. Michelle Childs, a U.S. District Judge from South Carolina, has emerged as a leading candidate,

I don’t know if things have been this bad with Blacks in America since the blatant bigotry of the Jim Crow era, what with people like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Trayvon Martin needlessly getting murdered by the police (though the cops who killed Floyd and Arbery were found guilty and are now serving long prison sentences),

The efforts by Republican leaders in numerous states to make it more difficult for blacks to vote,

The continued outward presence of far right groups that have made it plain that they see African Americans and other groups of color – as well as women, non-Christians, and the LGBTQ community – as “lesser”,

The recent bomb threats at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) such as Howard, Spelman, Southern, Bethune-Cookman, Morgan State, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State,

Numerous Blacks on pro football coaching staffs who are more than qualified to be head coaches of teams getting passed over for such, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers currently the only Black head coach in the National Football League,

A league where 70% of the players on their rosters are black, by the way,

Brian Flores, who was recently fired as the coach of the Miami Dolphins, suing the NFL over the extreme dearth of black head coaches and other head coaches of color and candidates not truly being given a fair chance in interviews despite the “Rooney Rule”, which requires teams to include people of color for interviews for head coaching jobs,

And in a particular case, the women’s gymnastics team at my collegiate alma mater, UCLA,

A team well known for their racial and ethnic diversity and their embracing and celebrating of such,

Experiencing considerable tensions due to a racist incident involving one of the Bruin gymnasts;

For details of these tensions, click on the link below to check out this post that I recently wrote for my sports blog, SoCal Sports Chronicles:

http://www.socalsportschronicles.wordpress.com/2022/01/31/ucla-womens-gymnastics-my-reckonings-of-the-recent-troubles-with-that-team/

I SO agree with this sign, because I SO understand how she feels. Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Though I can’t speak for anyone else,

And though I certainly see it as very important to acknowledge and celebrate Black History and the accomplishments of African Americans not only this month, but every month,

These current tensions, hardships and troubles that Blacks as a whole in this country are experiencing, as well as other groups of color like Asians as they have been subject to increasing numbers of racist incidents, spawning a “Stop Asian Hate” campaign,

Have made historical events like George Washington Carver’s work with peanuts and how his research with that crop improved farming in the South,

Benjamin Banneker designing Washington, D.C.,

Dr. Charles Drew developing the first large scale blood banks,

Garret Morgan inventing the first stop light and the gas mask,

Madam C. J. Walker being America’s first Black millionaire due to her line of hair care products,

Booker T. Washington founding Tuskegee University,

And W. E. B. DuBois founding the NAACP,

Not to mention the annual commemoration of the exploits of big names such as Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X,

Seemingly and regretfully not as pertinent somehow.

At least to me.

And at least compared to the racist troubles that Blacks and other people of color are currently going through in this country.

I think that’s why I featured photos of “Black Lives Matter”, “I Want To Be Heard”, and “End Racism Now” signs on this post; because in certain ways I feel people who are not white, conservative, straight, male, wealthy and Christian are no closer to having complete,

• Equality,
• Justice, and…
• Fairness

Than they were in the 1950s and before.

Which seems to be the ultimate goal among the far right and those who still worship – I mean follow – our former President-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,

To go back to a time when everyone knew and accepted their place without any protest, regardless of how much of a “lesser” they were seen as or how unfairly they were treated by those in power.

Please don’t misunderstand me when I say that in my book, Black History Month will always be a time for a commemoration and a celebration of a group who essentially built this country and have – as a group – persevered in the face of some of the worst treatment in the history of this planet.

However,

I can’t help but feel a tiny bit discouraged that complete and total equality, justice, and fairness in all areas and facets of American life are about as far from being realized among people of color (in this case) as it can get.

All right, that’s enough rambling from me.

Of course it goes without saying that I hope Black History Month goes well for everyone.

#BlackLivesMatter

#EndRacismNow

Photo by Kelly L on Pexels.com

MY STAND AGAINST ASIAN HATE: And For The Asian American/Pacific Islander Community

Very eloquently put! And pretty much says it all. Photo courtesy of wlfi.com

EXPRESSING MY SOLIDARITY WITH THE ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY IN THE FACE OF THIS BIGOTRY AGAINST THEM

To be perfectly honest,

I think it should go without saying when I state that I fully, completely, and totally support the Asian-American community in their stand against the racist incidents that have befallen them during this COVID-19 pandemic.

It obviously upsets me greatly to see Asians getting blamed for the coronavirus that has plagued this country and this planet in this past year-plus.

It also reminds me of when the Japanese Americans, including those who were born in the U.S., were forced to internment camps like Manzanar after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 after being suspected by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and millions of others of being spies for Japan – or at least sympathetic to Emperor Hirohito and military commander Hideki Tojo.

As well as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, keeping Chinese immigrants from coming to America for fear of the loss of jobs to those from China who, among other things, made up the vast majority of workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad.

They did not deserve to be forced to sell everything they owned and herded into cattle trains to camps in the middle of nowhere; I’m so glad they got reparations of $20,000 each after the war and after the powers that be realized the horrible mistake they made.

And Asians definitely did not and do not deserve to be,

• Spit upon
• Cursed at and being told to “go back to your own country”
• Attacked and knocked down in the case of the elderly
• Have our former President-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (yes, he still is referred to that as his name will never appear on this blog!) refer to COVID-19 as the so-called “Kung Flu”

And other bigoted atrocities that they have been subjected to due to the ignorance of far too many people who are, basically speaking,

Blaming a group of people for something they had absolutely nothing to do with.

Much like the commitment shown by those in the Black Lives Matter protests, it’s wonderful to see these massive protests and rallies in support of stopping this racism against them.

I’m certainly with them in spirit.

And for the exact same reason as I’m for #BlackLivesMatter,

I am very much in favor of stopping Asian hate.

And all other kinds of hate for that matter.

For those folks out there on the front lines marching with the signs and the chants and the speeches, I say,

Well done!

Right on!

Keep up the fight!

I’m with you!

And I will work to help this cause by confronting any racism or racist comments, microagressions, etc., whenever I see or notice such in my community, educating those perpetrators about how uncool, wrong, and bigoted they are (in a civil way, of course; I certainly don’t want to engage in any fights or otherwise stoop down to their level).

#StopAsianHate

That “Not Your Model Minority” sign in the middle of this pic is an excellent statement at this rally in Austin, TX. Photo courtesy of texastribune.org

WHAT WE WANT: Two Things That People of Color, Women, LGBTQs, and Others Not Under the “White Privilege” Umbrella REALLY Desire

Photo by Marcelo Chagas on Pexels.com

HOPEFULLY THIS WILL IN SOME WAY ANSWER WHAT “MAINSTREAM” AMERICA HAS UNDOUBTEDLY BEEN ASKING FOR THE LONGEST TIME

In the midst of all the sometimes extreme animosity throughout this past decade between Americans who are,

• White
• Conservative
• Wealthy
• Straight
• Male
• Christian (preferably Protestant)

And Americans who don’t come under any of those descriptions,

I’ve very much reckoned that many, if not most, of the conservative Caucasians of Anglo-Saxon, particularly far right conservatives who remain under the spell of the former president-who-must-not-be-named, descent have very much wondered and asked this question:

“What do (Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, progressive Whites, Liberals, Women, LGBTQs, non-Christians, the poor) want?!”

Being someone who doesn’t come under the descriptions of being White, conservative or wealthy, I believe I’m able to offer two things that we who do not fit any number or combination of the six attributes mentioned want out of the experience of living in these United States…

• COMPLETE AND TOTAL EQUALITY
• COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAIRNESS

Let’s elaborate…

ANY reasonable person in this country – and elsewhere for that matter – has to readily acknowledge that for as long as there has been a United States of America, either as colonies under Great Britain or as an independent country,

People who are not white, wealthy, Anglo-Saxon, or Protestant have been brutalized in the worst ways possible, through extreme discrimination laws and outright bigotry as well as slavery.

For Blacks of African descent, this brutalization has been going on for 400 years.

For Native Americans, this brutalization – in the form of relocation to reservations ala the “Trail of Tears” and outright genocide among other horrible atrocities – has been going on for over 500 years.

For Asians, particularly the Chinese and the Japanese, this brutalization – in the form of outrages like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the internment camps that the Japanese-Americans were forced to endure during World War II – has been going on for well over 150 years.

In other words,

Ever since not only Christopher Columbus – who incidentally never set foot on what is now U.S. soil – “sailed the ocean blue” in 1492, but also since the first permanent settlement in America was founded in Jamestown in 1607,

People who are not the six attributes that I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this post have been treated about as far from equally or with fairness as people can be treated.

For all those who are screaming, “But they HAVE been treated fairly and equally! Look at all (pick any celebrity of color/female celebrity/LGBTQ celebrity/neighbors or others they may know who have ‘made it’) have done!!” right about now, consider this…

If the people who are,

• Of color
• Liberal
• Female
• LGBTQ
• Non-Christian
• Of a lower socio-economic status

Were TRULY have been treated with complete fairness and equality in these fifty states…

• African-Americans would not only have never been enslaved, put under Jim Crow laws, and lived under terror of not only those who would lynch Black men who so much as even looked at a White woman, but the police today who would and have murdered Black people for pretty much no reason at all (read: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, and countless others – RIP to all of them by the way). Blacks would never be put in jail for a significantly longer time than a white person who committed the same crime.They would never be subject to people clutching their purses whenever they are near them, or followed around in stores, or being “discouraged” to buy homes in certain neighborhoods, or being denied jobs despite being far and away the best qualified candidate for such because they “wouldn’t be a good fit”; in other words, the microagressions that Blacks suffer on a daily basis would not exist.
• The exact same goes for Latinx, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans as well as non-Christians and LGBTQs. In fact, the reservations that the Native Americans have been pretty much forced to live on for over 200 years would not exist.
• LGBTQs would have never been brutalized in the form of “Gay bashing” and denied services such as the right to marry or even to buy a wedding cake at certain places of business, simply for wanting to express their love for another person the same way that heterosexuals do.
• Non-Christians, particularly Muslims and Jews, would have never suffered much of the same discrimination, bigotry, and microaggressions that people of color and LGBTQs have suffered; the way that the Muslim community was treated after the terrorist attacks on 9-11 comes to mind, and as for the Jewish community, I remember a movie made in 1992 called “School Ties”, starring Brendan Fraser as a Jewish kid who goes to an exclusive prep school and, when it’s discovered that he’s Jewish, suffers through all kinds of hell from his classmates, played by actors who would go on to become big names like Ben Affleck, Chris O’ Donnell, and Matt Damon.
• People who are of a lower socio-economic class would not be forced to work more than one minimum wage job – which still pays less than $15 an hour in most of the country – with the money earned from such jobs not being enough to make ends meet, and subsequently be one paycheck away from having to live inside a tent on the street.
• In fact, when it comes down to it, the homeless problem in this country would not exist.

The Bottom Line:

What those in this country who are not any of combination of the six attributes that I named at the beginning of this post want is,

Is to have the exact same equality and fairness that those who have ALL of those six attributes have.

Whether or not these two things become a reality in mine or anyone else’s lifetime is anyone’s guess.

I hope I did a decent job of explaining all of this.

RACIAL ISSUES HEATING UP AT MY ALMA MATER: A Few Thoughts

Royce Hall, the centerpiece of my collegiate alma mater…

UCLA, THE INSTITUTION WHERE I RECEIVED MY BACHELOR’S DEGREE THIRTY YEARS AGO, HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS FOR SOME NOT-GOOD REASONS.

HERE’S MY ONE AND A HALF CENTS ABOUT IT…

I reckon everyone in Bruin Nation has heard about,

• Christian Secor, a far-right student who matriculated at UCLA who founded a campus organization called “America First Bruins”, having stated that this country should be a “Whites Only” nation, being one of the multitudes who stormed the Capitol on January 6th as part of an insurrection, even sitting in former Vice President Mike Pence’s chair during that riot, and…
• Chris Weiland, a member of the Bruin track and field/cross country team, being dismissed from that program for using nasty bigoted language, including the “N” word, in a text message and video

In addition to that, the UCLA women’s gymnastics team’s plan to wear “Black Lives Matter” leotards in an upcoming meet has stirred a bit of controversy on Facebook as when a photo of such leotard was posted onto that site, the comments were divided between supporters and the “All Lives Matter”, “shut up and play” crowd that has been polarized ever since “Black Lives Matter” began.

These are the thoughts that have been prevalent in my mind regarding this issue that has reared its head in Westwood…

Though I’m sure that many, many folks, Bruin students and alums and otherwise, are shocked over what has been happening, I’m not.

Because as everyone knows (or should know), racism is everywhere; no place or institution on this earth is completely, 100,000% racism-free.

Here’s a good illustration;

Does anyone remember the classic 1971 movie Billy Jack, featuring a half-Native American with wicked martial arts skills who uses such skills to fight bigots?

In one key scene, in answering his friend who suggests that they find a place that’s not racist/sexist/etc., Billy answers,

“In what corner of the entire…planet exists where men truly care about each other and truly love each other. You name me such a place and I’ll never harm another human being as long as I live. JUST ONE PLACE! That’s what I thought (when the friend couldn’t name anywhere).”

In a university with nearly 45,000 students, with over 31,000 of them being undergrads,

To expect all of them to be completely non-racist/sexist/homophobic or completely culturally sensitive is, to be honest, unrealistic as the only difference between Secor and Weiland and others on the Westwood campus who share their views – and there are at least some, as evidenced by the presence of the America First Bruins – is that Secor and Weiland were outwardly blatant in their views and got caught.

As not only a UCLA alum, but also an African American, of course I’m glad that action was taken with those guys – that should go without saying – though if I were Secor’s coach I would have expelled him from the team at the onset, rather than suspend him and bring him back in giving him what was essentially a “second chance”.

My most prevalent thought regarding all of this:

That it’s my fervent hope that the African American community, particularly Black high school students and families who aspire to attend a prestigious college (UCLA has been ranked as the #1 public university in the nation for the past four years and counting),

Does not get put off or scared off by what has happened in Westwood in the form of, “UCLA’s a school full of bigots, I’m sure not going to send my child there!” or “I’m not going to apply there!”

Because of such ends up being the case, the racist bigots who don’t want the diversity that UCLA has been long heralded for, who wants UCLA to be a white school, will have won.

In fact, I want to see more African American students apply and get accepted into the Bruin Nation, to show those far right racists that “We’re not going anywhere!”

An increase of Black students at UCLA would really show those bigots, and drive them crazy.

And make me even prouder of being a member of Bruin Nation than I already am.

So I guess my message to all those Black high school seniors out there who are considering attending my alma mater is this:

“Apply to UCLA! And if you get accepted, come to Westwood! Join the Bruin Nation! Because we can’t let the bigots who don’t want us there win; we can’t give them the satisfaction! We must make our presence felt and let people know that we’re not going anywhere!”

A nice view of UCLA’s Royce Hall, Powell Library, and Bruin Walk as well as Century City and Downtown L.A…