by Jeff Hitchcock

Several years ago I read about the political right's "echo chamber." The idea was, and is, that a news story emerges and media of the political right pass it back and forth, reflecting and commenting, and sometimes acting, as the story bounces (echoes) around.

As I search for news, it's inevitable that I run into the right's echo chamber. The political left has an echo chamber now as well. But it's less likely to mention news of race unless the story ascends to the level of a "Katrina" or a "Jena." The stories I find through the right's echo chamber are often minor "outrages" that have not been reported widely in mainstream media. These "outrages" are often connected to race.

The current example (there will be a new one every two or three weeks) involves an attempt by the University of Delaware to train residence staff in anti-oppression points of view. Central to the "outrage" was a definition of whites being collectively and unequivocally racist. This is a view that circulates in anti-racist circles. (Story 1, Story 2).

Last month's story in the political right's echo chamber was about Indoctrinate U, a new film by a budding Michael-Moore-of-the-right, Evan Coyne Maloney. Type the search terms "Delaware" and "Indoctrinate U" together into Google. The roughly 1,000 listings will give you an idea of how the right's echo chamber works. Over the matter of a few days, they put Delaware's training program out of business.

The white anti-racist community needs an echo chamber. No single source can make one. It calls for several sources of media picking up and spreading stories important to our community. Support your local white anti-racist publication, and if there isn't one, then start one.

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Last week's editorial struck a nerve. Several members wrote. Here's what they said. CLICK HERE

In the wake of Jena, hundreds protest hate crime in West Viriginia. A different and sinister protest is called for Jena on January 21, Martin Luther King's Day.

A local school turns from majority white over seven years, and begins innovative program.

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) shows its color.

Striking writers strikingly white.

Most people have heard the recent racist statements of Nobel Prize-winner James Watson. The context reveals more than the nonsense of a senile old man,. Watson followed in his predecessor's footsteps while lay white people invent a new form of "scientific" racism.

Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews blames Sudanese for not integrating.

Malta supports anti-racism program in soccer (football).

Northern Ireland wants employers to stop racism in the workplace.

A South African calls for critical engagement with policies favoring whites. Another examines changing white attitudes and practices.

Texan white supremacist speaks to cheering crowd in Russia.

In the United Kingdom, racial profiling continues.

White Privilege Awareness Movement forms at Towson University.

An Indiana University writer highlights racism as a problem. Another writer at Indiana critiques blackface displays by white people. Another white person tired of the identity. At the University of Wisconsin at Madison, a writer ponders the role of race in sports.

Peggy McIntosh speaks at Boston college. A person attending reflects on the talk. Shakti Butler appears at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Chris Doucot speaks at the University of Connecticut about white privilege. High school students commended for survey on racial attitudes.

In the midwest, a lone black school worker fights white racism.

A reformed white supremacist consults at troubled school district.

Same-sex couples raising children less likely to be white, wealthy.

Panelists discuss transracial adoption, and reflect on white intersections.

"Liberals, Racism and the English Language in 21st Century America: Keeping It Real" by Larry Pinkney. The Black Commentator, November 1, 2007.

"HARD TRUTH-Understanding White Supremacy (1 of 3)" by Min. J. Kojo Livingston. The Louisiana Weekley, October 15, 2007.

"The Towering Racist Inferno: Disaster Capitalism in Cali" by Glen Ford. Black Agenda Report, October 31, 2007.

"Commentary: Why Is It Always the Learned, 'Intelligent' Racists Who Spout Nonsense about Black Intellect?" by Deborah Mathis. BlackAmericaWeb.com, October 22, 2007.

"Lessons from the New World" by Gina Cassidy. Orion Magazine, September/October 2007.

"The Hysterical Defense of 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Tells Much about America's Racial Backslide" by Earl Ofari Hutchinson. AlterNet, November 5, 2007.