Subtly racist values were defeated at AWARE meeting
- Boyce Watkins
Staff Columnist
On Comedy Central's "Name that Politician," they asked: "What politician openly questioned whether or not the Jewish Holocaust occurred?" The answer was (surprise!) Pat Buchanan.Here's another question: According to DeWayne Wickham of USA Today, what politician used to "hurl snowballs at a bus he called the 'Boston Blackie' that carried black domestic workers through his neighborhood?" The answer is (surprise again!) Pat Buchanan .
The fact that there are actually foolish Jews and blacks who support this candidate shows just how deeply veiled racism has become in America.
Because they don't understand history, most Americans have trouble seeing the white supremacist roots of modern-day conservatism.
I would be interested to know which Republican candidate is endorsed by the Michigan Militia, The White Patriot Party, the Christian Identity, The Order and other white supremacist groups.
When it comes to affirmative action, immigration, crime, etc., there is a strong correlation between the beliefs of these kinds of groups and those of conservative Republicans.
It is also not surprising that Buchanan won primaries in Louisiana and New Hampshire. Louisiana also supported another famous racist by the name of David Duke, and New Hampshire has still decided not to adopt the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday for some st range reason (as if we can't guess).
If these people truly believe in American values, they will recognize Dr. King, for he was the most patriotic American who ever lived.
Who else would go through such ostracism, punishment and physical brutality, yet still believe in America and its capacity for goodness?
However, all is not lost. There is a new generation of conscientious intellectuals who will lead us to a better day.
Last week, the AWARE (Alliance Working to Achieve Racial Equality) meeting I helped facilitate was a huge success. We had the largest turnout in the group's history, and the discussions were absolutely stimulating.
I even noticed some friendly and not-so-friendly College Republicans in the audience, including the former president. Anyone willing to defend their beliefs in person is certainly worthy of respect.
However, the bulk of the College Republican organization was absent.
They decided (so conveniently) to hold their monthly meeting on the same night, at the same time as the AWARE meeting. I guess with people like Buchanan in your camp, there really is no way to defend yourself.
The brave souls who did come to defend subtly racist values found their arguments killed as fast as they were concocted.
Gerald Coleman, a student of philosophy; and Kelly Ellis, an English doctoral student, provided beautiful insights that were simply irrefutable. In a logical, non-threatening way, they were able to provide perspectives on blackness and institutionalized r acism that even the most highly educated black people do not understand.
Kelly Meget, John Lindsay and others also shared interesting thoughts. The educated, eloquent people at the meeting are exactly what we need to fight the war against ignorance and racism in America.
They understand that the standard, mass-regurgitated Conservative Republican arguments hold as much water as a broken glass.
Even people who came specifically to attack me were quiet as mice.
Why? Because the intellectuals at the meeting had an easy task: to prove that America is a racist society, and that racism is wrong. A very simple task indeed.
Most of those who attended the meeting left with new attitudes, including myself. One of the men in the audience came to me and said, "Boyce, before today, I hated you and I hated everything you wrote. But after today, my perspective has changed completel y."
Now, that's progress! There are many Americans who want to have a good heart. They must only be introduced to the truth. The people at the meeting were confronted with truth, and most of them did not reject it.
Staff Columnist Boyce Watkins is a mathematics graduate student.
©Copyright 1996, Kernel Press Inc.
