Letters to the editor

November 14, 2007

October 31, 2007

Of course, you’re right to challenge white anti-racists in this way. What kind of participation could make the most of white anti-racists, I wonder.

My daughter made me aware of the Jena prosecutions before they hit the mass media, as she had been following it all, along with her teenage friends, on the Net. She is also consistently the only person in her peer group (high school) to claim “white” as an identity description, and is frequently chided by white friends for doing something so “silly” and “obvious.” I think this public witness as a white anti-racist to her peers takes courage and leadership, and is a valid act of “movement.”

Do we know how many white people wrote to the newspapers or called in to talk radio to condemn the Jena judicial proceedings and the noose makers? If white anti-racists need to be talking to white racists or accommodators, newspapers and talk radio are a very important avenue for doing this. I don’t know whether that’s happening everywhere, but it happened in Philadelphia, and surely something caused the mainstream media to break frame and pick this story up long after it started circulating on the web. And it sure wasn’t the Democrats in Congress or anything like that.

Finally, maybe white anti-racists like ourselves need to think about, and ask our black colleagues, what kind of direct and visible involvement would be welcome. I’ve been asked again and again to work with other white people, and it is essential to avoid creating white spokespeople or Rolodex names that media and politicians can go to in preference to black leaders. If our most important impact is out of sight, among other whites, then our work as a movement is to track whether that influence is mobilized and if not, how it could be, not lament that white anti-racists aren’t more visible at media events.

Yours is a serious question, and I share your longing to see multi-racial groups of marchers. But that may be an old model that we should resist imposing on contemporary efforts. That’s my two cents for now.

Sharon

October 31, 2007

I appreciate the comments and concern. As for me, I was involved in behind the scenes logistics in Dallas. There was a white person from my groupt that did make the trip but it came up too fast for me to make arrangements at work. I find my greater struggle is with the complency of my white peers.

I do agree that we are invisible in the struggle. Shame on us.

Rob

October 31, 2007

The day of the rally in Jena our local community college held a solidarity rally. My husband was one of the three white speakers; there were two African-American speakers. Our rural area has very few people of color. The rally was organized by the community college's Upward Bound program coordinator, a white person whose spouse is African-American. Most of the estimated 100-150 people in attendance were students from the community college and two nearby four-year liberal arts colleges. My husband thinks approximately twenty percent of the participants were people of color, some of whom were internationals in addition to US citizens of color. The group exhibited a strong spirit of support for the Jena 6, and the rally received some press coverage in regional media outlets.

Barbara

October 31, 2007

Dear WACAN readers and organizers,

We're out here, but we're also swamped. Here in Minnesota, the struggle is against the genocide of the Dakota People starting in 1862 and continuing ever since. Now Minnesota is gearing up for "celebrating" 150 years of statehood, and that is on par with celebrating the glorious Third Reich, as far as the Dakota are concerned. In 1862, Governor Ramsey told the Minnesota State Legislature that "The Sioux people of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the state." He then executed that policy with concentration camps, death marches, bounties, forced removals, the largest mass execution in US history, and terrorist attacks on Dakota people and communities here and in neighboring states. Few whites here know how we came to this land, so that we can now benefit from its riches, and some of those who have been told have the reaction, "That's too bad, but I'm celebrating anyway." A Minnesota legislator said precisely that. So clearly there's huge work to do all over the country.

With friends and family, I started a nonprofit publishing company on restorative justice, and our third book, In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors: The Dakota Commemorative Marches of the 21st Century by Waziyatawin Angela Wilson documents this history as well as what Dakota people are doing today to seek justice.

Waziyatawin is working on a follow-up book entitled: What Does Justice Look Like? The Dakota Struggle for Justice in Our Mnisota Homeland. We at Living Justice Press are working hard to try to raise the funds to publish this book as well. Most foundations have the "no books, no publications" rule for nonfiction publishing in social justice, so keeping our publishing going continues to be a major struggle. We've all worked here on a pro-bono basis for 5 years now, so that all the money can go into the books.

If you're interested in our books (or donating), our Web site is:

www.livingjusticepress.org

So I just want you to know we're out here and working hard, which is why I don't respond. But I'm so grateful for your work.

In joined struggle for justice,

Denise

Executive Director
Living Justice Press
2093 Juliet Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
Tel. (651) 695-1008
Fax. (651) 695-8564
E-mail: DeniseCBreton@aol.com
Web site: www.livingjusticepress.org

November 1, 2007

Anti-Racist Action, not to be confused with white anti-racists, had a presence in Jena, and ARA-LA participated in the Jena demo in LA. But WACAN is a mystery to me. ARA is engaged in active anti-fascist work, and paying the price (white privilege or no) of taking arrests and beat-downs by cops and or nazis. ARA-LA has for 20 years been involved in coalitions led by revolutionary minded people of color, ranging from the Crack the CIA Coalition, the Jericho Amnesty Coalition and Unity Mission to Free the SF Eight, we have been involved in copwatching and material aid to liberation struggles and anti-colonial movements inside the borders of the US.

The satiric critique that you linked to, -- ouch indeed, if the shoe pinches, -- seemed spot on to me. The critique of white anti-racism as an oxymoron is correct. You can't base an anti-racist identity on a "white" identity. You can replace a white identity with an anti-racist and anti-colonialist identity. Anti-racism MUST be self-critical, and the consequence of a sincere and thorough self-criticism must be a commitment to revolutionary social, political, economic (and personal) transformation and liberation.

What does WACAN think of revolution? Unless you recognize that nothing less will begin to deal with the problems you talk about, it's no surprise you don't get much response.

--Michael Novick, ARA-LA/People Against Racist Terror

November 1, 2007

I like your questions and recognition that we, white people, are absent and are the problem. I, along with a few I graduated with from social work school started an undoing racism group but we all got busy and basically did nothing.

Since then I try and learn more and wrack(sp?) my brain for what I feel would be the most effective thing I could do to make a difference toward racially equality.

If there were any demonstrations for the Jena 6 in Chicago I never heard about them or I would have totally been there.

One problem I feel is that the white people who are really dedicated and pushing the issue of racially equality are...and this is not really a criticism but more of recognition of what the gap may be...are mostly intellectuals and I don't think intellectuals relate well to the ordinary white person on the street.

Example...Ida Hakim of CURE sent an email asking list members to view the N-COBRA's write up about Wachovia. OK. But it didn't really leave me with anything to do except add to my knowledge of the problem. But what I found elsewhere on the web site was a list of banks that are run by minorities or women. I found two in Chicago. Now I have something to do that I feel will contribute and make a difference toward more racially equality. Specifically, I will be changing my bank and 401K account to one of the two led by a minority race. And after I do it I will make my case to all the white people I know...and those that already feel they are doing all they can toward racial justice...like not being prejudice or something, now have a tool that they can be more confident is making a concrete difference.

Just what I've been thinking lately...thanks for asking and thanks for reading.

Lesa

November 4, 2007

I agree with everything you said. It's too bad that there wasn't more white people at Jena. I really wish that I had been able to go. I think one of the biggest problems I've noticed (however, not the only problem) in getting white people to fight against racism is that a lot of white people are ignorant about racism and really think that racism doesn't exist, or at least not to the extent that people of color say it does. If they do know anything about what Black people have gone through in this country, they think it all ended with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Then they hear stereo-types about people of color (such as Black people being violent) and believe them just because there is a Iarge number of Black people in the jails and prisons, without realizing what the true reason for this is - racism. I think the things you mentioned in the update - education, conscious-raising, the formation of local white anti-racist groups, and building alliances with people of color are extremely important. I believe that more than anything, white people need to be educa ted about racism and sometimes this can be difficult. Have you ever noticed that books about white anti-racists are never on the shelves in the book store? Any books about white people being against racism are not carried in the book store. The books exist, but you have to special order them. Institutional racism at hand? However, as membership on this site proves, white people are gradually becoming aware of these things,and that is the first step.

Melissa