American Race-Relations Regressing
Written by Paul I. Adujie
New York, United States

A man cannot come to your home and congratulate your mother for not being a prostitute, to do so will amount to the ultimate insult; says Boyce Watkins who is currently a Finance Professor at Syracuse University.

The above comments, were made in response to Fox Television commentator’s goof-offs Bill O’Reilly, of Fox TV‘s "The O’Reilly Factor" blundered after meeting a prominent African American leader, the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Bill O’Reilly, an ultra conservative, extreme rightwing public affairs commentator, visited Sylvia’s, the famous restaurant in Harlem, New York City in the company of Reverend Al Sharpton, a renowned African American activist; At the end of the visit, Bill O’Reilly was quoted as saying "I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks, primarily black patronship" (patronage)?

O’Reilly and persons like him just make my head spin, what with the monumental ignorance that they publicly exhibit?. His dumb comments encapsulates and exemplifies the state of affairs in race-relations in today’s America which appears to be retrogressing

Mr. O’Reilly garrulously stereotyped African Americans and generalized about African Americans as if he was talking about cavemen or persons from mars or 17th Century civilization in today’s world or as if describing animals from whom he did not expect decent human behaviors. He talked about them so inelegantly, that he betrayed a common attitude among whites like him, who seem to be shocked upon learning we too, bleed blood or that we have normal lives and actually sit to enjoy fine dining without expletives!

This week has been very difficult in race relations in America. Racism was part of America's past. Racism is still a major disease that ravages America. This week rekindles an apt question asked by a Nigerian recently. Do Africans understand racism?  In this regard, I am wondering how American racially motivated incidents of the past several days is being viewed by Nigerians and other Africans!

In the past ten days, we have learnt or have been reminded of the double standard in the criminal justice system in America which appears not to have changed from Jim Crow laws of yesteryears as Jena, Louisiana prosecutors informed African American High School boys, that he could ruin their lives with a stroke of his pen and he does with the help of a judge. A young African American, Mr. Bell, is still unjustly imprisoned for participating in a school yard fight. A school yard fight that had it genesis from unequal right and unequal justice in Jena. Jena High School had a tree, under which only white students could sit and frolic.

African Americans sought the "consent" and "permission" from the school administration, to be able to also sit under the same tree, sometimes. And school administrations says, no problem! Upon exercising this innocuous right, white students or their parental cohorts hung nooses from the tree. A clear reminder of the repugnant and reprehensible practice of how white America historically terrorized and lynched and brutalized African Americans.

African American at Jena High School reported the explosively provocative nooses display to the school administration and school administration did no more than slap the white students on the wrists. Then, palpable tensions ensued and it culminated into frequent schisms and physical fights, local prosecutors attempted intimidating African American students with threats of ruining their lives with a single stroke of his pen.

Boys will be boys, especially in High School, where adolescent hormones rages over the surface often. More fights ensued and violence intensified, a white student who allegedly taunted African American students in the melee, was roughened up and severely bruised and then, all hell broke lose. 6 African American young boys were summarily charged with attempted murder! This was in December 2006. Seething complaints bubble to the open, and the hypocrisy and double standard of American criminal justice system is laid bare for the world to see. A court declares Mr. Bell, a juvenile, who ought to be tried, but not as an adult. Mr. Bell, the only one among the Jena 6, who is currently incarcerated and jailed as an adult, remains in detention despite this court order. Local prosecutors and a local judge who appears in cahoots, are adamant in keeping Mr. Bell in jail. And there Mr. Remains; despite nationwide uproar over the disparity and inequality in the criminal justice system versus comparative treatment of white with the perennial maltreatments and injustices which are visited upon African Americans.

As if in simulcast, an overlapping event occurred in Las Vegas, where there was the wide spread demonstrated and apparent desire by some to retry or even lynch O. J Simpson for an offence which he was previously acquitted, more than ten years ago, as Mr. Simpson’s laughable and foolish behavior in Las Vegas is turned into a ten count charge of armed robbery, kidnapping and what appears to have been staged, contrived and orchestrated to teach Mr. Simpson a lesson. Mr. Simpson acted foolishly and ineptly, and in all the silliness, it was clear that his white “friends” were following a script as they betrayed him. The sophomoric events in a hotel room on that fateful day, were tape-recorded and broadcast in every media. It was such a hoax and hoopla over very little, by dishonorable.

Clearly, it is obvious to even a fleeting observer that a majority in white America, including high profile trial and defense lawyers who ought to know better, are still seeking Mr. Simpson’s blood, in the murder, by unknown persons, of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman over ten years ago. It will be recalled, that Mr. Simpson was tried and duly acquitted by a jury of his peers. This is how it is supposed to work in America. Unless you are an African American accused, rightly or wrongly, of murdering of a white?

During this week as well, I have been glued to Public Broadcasting Service, as I watched Ken Burns’ PBS series documentary on War, the Second World War in which the American government and people famously claimed righteous defense of freedom and liberty, while simultaneously, it was fashionable to deny African Americans freedoms and individual liberty at home, while African Americans were segregated at home. And While African Americans were segregated in fighting units in the American Armed Forces.

African Americans were frontally attacked by White American soldiers, African Americans were attacked, terrorized and brutalized by White Americans civilians as well, all these, during the Second World War, when America was fighting wars in Europe supposedly for freedom and liberty, to which African Americans were not entitled or accorded in America from fellow Americans who are white. African American civilians working in military industrial complexes were segregated, after they were repeatedly terrorized and mauled by white Americans.

In plain English, there was a raging war in America in which white Americans brutalized African Americans and it was viewed as God ordained pecking order and divine and a given. Why did America have to travel thousands of miles to Europe to fight one Adolph Hitler, where there were millions of Adolph Hitler’s minis on US soil?

This week also marked 50 years of the forced racial integration of an Arkansas High School, which led to the Army National Guard leading 9 African Americans into a High School, that was all-white population. Can anyone imagine a child any where in the world being escorted by soldiers to attend High School classes? An event that is supposed to be so mundane and taken for granted in every part of the world, but for the African Americans, platoons and brigades upon brigades of military protective escorted were a necessity.

African Americans High School students at the time recounted this week, how were nevertheless, spat on, humiliated and demeaned, but the African American youngsters preserved and we witnessed the enduring raw emotions a couple of days ago, as the 9 African Americans recounted their unsavory experiences of fifty years ago… even as President Bush’s administration have sought to dismantle Affirmative Action programs, and efforts that were geared toward addressing historical injustices meted out to African Americans. President Bush with his Republican Party, have enacted legislations that seek to dismantle individual freedoms and liberty even as it continues to stack the US Supreme Court with neo-conservative justices with a view of entrenching ultra conservative social policies

It is against this backdrop, that Bill O’Reilly’s ignorant comments, in which he generalized and stereotyped African Americans, should not be viewed as an isolated misperception.

There is a pervasive double standard and hypocrisy in the way white America treat African Americans. Some were beginning to assume that these racist actions, utterances and attitudes are merely in the past. Fredrick Douglass was right about racism hydra-headed issue of our time. Unfortunately, this week is proof that racism remains an American pandemic!

Sources www.boycewatkins.com and www.nytimes.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 This week has been very difficult in race relations in America. Racism was part of America's past...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 27.09.2007 01:42

truthsayer33  Villager

# 2 Paul,thank you for your write up. If only our wonderful leaders would protest the brutal treatment of African Americans by the white power structure, when they meet George Bush. The problem of course is that we brutalise and lynch in Nigeria too. I look forward to any observations you have on the position of the Native Americans. Posted by truthsayer33| 27.09.2007 07:12

Celticologist  Villager

# 3 "Clearly, it is obvious to even a fleeting observer that a majority in white America, including high profile trial and defense lawyers who ought to know better, are still seeking Mr. Simpson’s blood, in the murder, by unknown persons, of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman over ten years ago. It will be recalled, that Mr. Simpson was tried and duly acquitted by a jury of his peers. Unknown persons?. Well, duly acquitted because smooth Johny Cochran did a good job to make OJ feel like he didn't do it. Posted by Celticologist| 27.09.2007 11:33

Auspicious  Villager

# 4 =Celticologist;20914177>"Unknown persons?. Well, duly acquitted because smooth Johny Cochran did a good job to make OJ feel like he didn't do it. Yes, UKNOWN PERSONS, Celticologist!!!! That is what the Court System said and so shall it be! Did the glove which the law said was used to commit the murder fit? DID IT FIT the accused??? The answer is a resounding NO! So, deal with it, man - unless you actually saw O.J. commit that murder, he stands innocent of the accusations. The Government had its chance to argue that he did, wether rightly or wongly, and it failed at it. Hence the man is innocent. Case Closed - GBAM! Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 27.09.2007 11:53

Auspicious  Villager

# 5 Hi, Mr. Adujie! I feel your annoyance at the Fox News "bloviator" called Bill O'Reilly. He is one of the few arrogant, jaundiced people out there who unfortunately have been privileged to find a Medium through which they propagate their ignorance for the listening and viewing pleasure other ignoramuses and narrow-minded bigots out there across America. But care must be taken not to label America for the sins of an ignorant and bigot few. The American Society is still one of the fairest ones when it comes to race relations in this World and we must appreciate the journey the Society has been through, from the Jim Crow days, throught the MLK days till present. It has not been an easy feat. The thing is, when one's sole-purose is to be on the lookout for racism, you will find racism in everything you encounter - mostly where it is non-existent. An innocent smile may come across to you as a racist smile; a friendly gesture is miscontrued as racist. A friendly invitation may be seen as an attempt to see if you have a tail behind you! :D On a serious note though, yes, racism still exists in many ways around us but to go out there crying out that race-relations is falling may be an exergerration - unless, of course, yours is a good and honorable sensationalization of the issue to threaten those few bigots out there and chase them back into their racist holes. Then I am with you. While we are at it, let us remember that even amongst us 'victims' of racism by the Oyibos, racism is alive and thriving, from Nigeria to Rwanda to Ghana. That is why, even on NVS, some are still buried deep in their ethnic bigotry, such that they cannot see anything beyond their ethnic limitations or the bigtotry they've been fed from infancy. According to Crimsonbabe, that was "just my $0.02 cents". Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 27.09.2007 12:11

Rose  Villager

# 6 =Celticologist;20914177>"Clearly, it is obvious to even a fleeting observer that a majority in white America, including high profile trial and defense lawyers who ought to know better, are still seeking Mr. Simpson’s blood, in the murder, by unknown persons, of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman over ten years ago. It will be recalled, that Mr. Simpson was tried and duly acquitted by a jury of his peers. Unknown persons?. Well, duly acquitted because smooth Johny Cochran did a good job to make OJ feel like he didn't do it. I bet you won't have a mumbling word to say about Phil Spector considering all the evidence supporting a conviction. This is what we mean about your hypocrisy and double standards. Posted by Rose| 27.09.2007 12:43

Rose  Villager

# 7 Great write up, ILN. There have been so many incidents as of late and whites are definitely growing bolder and more blatant when it comes to displaying their bigotry. Another thing we find very worrisome is how many non-whites now pledge their allegiance to America by indulging in the same racist practices hoping to curry favor along the way. Posted by Rose| 27.09.2007 12:53

ikechiji  Villager

# 8 More Blacks and Hispanics Live in Prison Cells Than in College Dorms While there are different ways one can "spin" this data, still a very telling statistic. By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Sep 27, 2007 (AP) More than three times as many black people live in prison cells as in college dorms, the government said in a report to be released Thursday. The ratio is only slightly better for Hispanics, at 2.7 inmates for every Latino in college housing. Among non-Hispanic whites, more than twice as many live in college housing as in prison or jail. The numbers, driven by men, do not include college students who live off campus. Previously released census data show that black and Hispanic college students commuters and those in dorms far outnumber black and Hispanic prison inmates. Nevertheless, civil rights advocates said it is startling that blacks and Hispanics are more likely to live in prison cells than in college dorms. "It's one of the great social and economic tragedies of our time," said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the Urban League. "It points to the signature failure in our education system and how we've been raising our children." The Census Bureau released 2006 data Thursday on the social, racial and economic characteristics of people living in adult correctional facilities, college housing and nursing homes. It is the first in-depth look at people living in "group quarters" since the 1980 census. It shows, for example, that nursing homes had much older residents in 2006 than in 1980. The new data has limitations. In addition to not including commuter students, it does not provide racial breakdowns by gender or age, though it does show that males make up 90 percent of prison inmates. Also, most prison inmates are 25 or older while 96 percent of people in college housing are age 18 to 24. The data show that big increases in black and Hispanic inmates occurred since 1980. In 1980, the number of blacks living in college dorms was roughly equal to the number in prison. Among Hispanics, those in college dorms outnumbered those in prison in 1980. There are a lot of reasons why black students do not reach college at the same rate as whites, said Amy Stuart Wells, a professor of sociology and education at Columbia University's Teachers College. ... Posted by ikechiji| 27.09.2007 13:16

Auspicious  Villager

# 9 =Rose;20914215>Another thing we find very worrisome is how many non-whites now pledge their allegiance to America by indulging in the same racist practices hoping to curry favor along the way. Hi, Rose! Now that is definitely disturbing. Can you highlight examples of these instances for our collective memory upgrade? I am not contesting your claim (nor validating them either); I am just curious to know more about these. Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 27.09.2007 13:21

Celticologist  Villager

# 10 =Auspicious;20914188>Yes, UKNOWN PERSONS, Celticologist!!!! That is what the Court System said and so shall it be! Did the glove which the law said was used to commit the murder fit? DID IT FIT the accused??? The answer is a resounding NO! So, deal with it, man - unless you actually saw O.J. commit that murder, he stands innocent of the accusations. The Government had its chance to argue that he did, wether rightly or wongly, and it failed at it. Hence the man is innocent. Case Closed - GBAM! Auspicious. The glove constitutes 0000.1 among other evidences that actually fitted well. The government did not fail. The jury just happened to be the best that money could buy. If you add that with a hard punching F Lee Bailey etc at your defense.....You'll be just fine. Personally, I believe that fame and most importantly money really helped his case, but can never fully absolve him. Not many americans in similar circumstances have been that lucky. Posted by Celticologist| 27.09.2007 14:16

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