I think it was Martin O'Mally who responded with, "All lives matter". Bernie
just wanted people to quiet down so he could talk. I think that when
politicians are confronted with these kinds of disruptions, they're put in
an impossible situation. People demonstrate their rage and hurt and what can
the politician possibly do in one speech, no matter how much he agrees with
them, to redress their grievances. He can, I suppose, ask the audience to
listen to what people are saying, with a time limit. Obama has done that
from time to time for Code Pink. Yes, I would hope that white people could
learn to overcome American racism. Some have, by virtue of individual
personality structure, experience, education. But a vast majority have not
because the way in which their world is organized, works against this.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 12:59 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Harriet Tubman and the Monetization of Black
History
Well Miriam, you think wrong on this one.
I fully understand the hurt and rage along with the hopelessness felt by
Black Americans. And indeed, all people of color who find themselves
imprisoned in the Bilges of our cities and towns.
Do I really "feel" what they feel? Probably not. But if I don't have the
ability to understand what people of Color face in this bigoted, racist,
White Elitist nation, then I'd better turn in my brain and move into the old
folks home.
What I do not understand is how so many White Working/Lower Class Americans
can be so brain dead that they are able to be led by the ear and pumped up
to blame, hate and attack other Working, Lower Class Americans purely on the
basis of their color or the way they dress, or how they do or do not
worship, or whom they choose to marry.
I do understand why many of our Working Class People take jobs such as
Police or Military. Jobs that are set up to protect and defend the very
oppressors of those being employed. They have made a conscious decision to
support the Master's life style in exchange for his money and His favor.
They have been bought and paid for, and cannot be counted on to support
their fellow Working Class brothers and sisters, even though they are little
better off. But to see a White truck driver, or a White logger, or any
White laborer curse and lash out at People who look or act differently is
totally beyond my understanding. While I do recognize that they have been
exposed to years of intense propaganda, so have all Americans. Why do some
of us see through the smoke and mirrors while others buy into the hate and
lies?
Anyway, understanding or not, if we don't get past labeling those who are
some different than we are, and begin to respect our differences and work
together, despite those differences, work together to win the struggle with
those who have controlled our lives for generations, we are condemned to
continue being used and being turned against one another.
Certainly if I had been Bernie Sanders, confronted by folks crying, "Black
Lives Matter!", I would have not tried to say, "Yes, but all lives matter".
That is not the focus of those calling out, "Black lives matter!" Of course
All lives matter. But Bernie would have been far wiser to have said, "Yes.
Black lives do matter. And as president, I promise to work to make certain
that Black lives do really matter".
Later he could speak to the need for all working class people's lives to
matter.
In the past I've touched on the fact that I seldom use the term, "Middle
Class", because I believe it is a handle or label devised by the Ruling
Class to further divide and confuse us. Any of us working class members who
are skilled at our jobs, whether we studied to become skilled, or learned on
the job,we are brothers and sisters
under the thumb of those who over profit by our labor. Getting past
the false labels would be a giant leap forward in our struggle to build a
People's government. But so long as some of us feel that we are better than
other people, we will simply be trading one Master Race for another.
Carl Jarvis
On 4/24/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I think that perhaps you underestimate the hurt and rage that peopleslavery.
of color justifiably feel. Perhaps the reason that some folks kept
saying that Bernie wasn't responsive enough to Black Lives Matter, was
that he was talking about the same thing that you're talking about,
and he wasn't verbalizing an understanding of the sharpness and the
continued immediateness of the pain. You know what happens to us as
blind people when we are away from our familiar surroundings and the
people who know us, the things that happen when we're out there in a
world filled with sighted strangers. You know about all of the
slights, the thoughtless things that people say and do, all of the
things that we overlook, about all of the times when we attempt to
explain or decide that it isn't wortwhile to try to explain. But the
people who make us uncomfortable, don't hate hus, or despise us. If
you're a black man, the people who make you uncomfortable really do
feel emnity toward you and you know it. They really do suspect you of
criminal intent. Remember many months ago when I said my younger
daughter was homeless? She's black and she was answering ads for
apartment rentals in Suffolk County. These were apartments in private
homes. I knew about a young white woman who was looking for exactly
the same kind of apartment at the same time. She found one within
about 2 weeks. My daughter found apartments, but when she looked at
them and expressed interest, the owners never called her back.Guess
why. All of the apartments were in houses owned by white people,
located in all white neighborhoods. The miracle was that she did
eventually find an apartment because the owner was black. She was
divorced and had children. Her ex husband was white and the
neighborhood was white. But because she was black, she was willing to
rent to my daughter. If you are an African American person who is
aware of your people's history, if you experience the constant large
and small reminders of your inferior status due to your race, if you
see what is happening to your brothers and sisters, you're going to
feel some separateness from other working people who are not targets
of racial oppression.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2016 10:06 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Harriet Tubman and the Monetization of
Black History
Miriam,
Understood. Certainly there is some difference, both in comfort level
and regarding freedom of movement, between myself, as a White man,
even as an older White, Blind man, and a Black Slave, whether that
slave worked the fieldss in the old South, or turns out products in
today's prison work shops. But still, we are all part of the Working
Class, even those who have been put aside and have no hope of working.
We still can have our distinctions, if only we could agree that we
have a common adversary. Why can't we accept our unique differences,
and still mount a united front against our long time Masters?
Carl Jarvis
On 4/24/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carl,
Yes, what you say is true. But it is also true that American wealth
was built on the labor of slaves. That isn't to diminish the plight
of working poor white people. But there is a huge amount of evidence,
much of it appearing in some recent books, some of which are on BARD,
documenting how our wealthiest old families became what they are
today because they benefited from the proceeds of slavery. And if
you take a broader view, the western european countries developed
their cultures, their art, music, literature, because of the
resources that they stole from the people whom they conquered in
Africa and Asia and because of slave labor on plantations in their
colonies. Among the more recent books on BARD, is one that describes
the direct relationship between specific colleges and universities, and
Capitalist.Regardless of what the wealthy have done to the poor, it just doessale."
not compare to what has been done to people of color in this country.
The institution of slavery ended and now we have slave labor done by
our prisoners who are forced to do the work of corporations while
imprisoned often, for possession of maraijuana.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl ;
Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2016 8:27 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: my blog carl jarvis
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Harriet Tubman and the Monetization of
Black History
William C. Anderson writes, "...Black people were and still are for
sale; Black history is for sale; and Black culture, too, is always
for
How very true. And, since Anderson is focused on Harriet Tubman, Isuch products.
have no grumble in his relating the transition of American Blacks
from Citizens, to Consumers. I simply want to point out to Mister
Anderson that this is a common condition of all Working Class
Americans, Black, White, Brown or any other Color. It's a crime to
think of the years of struggle by working class Americans to gain
inclusion in that statement, "We, The People", only to be side
tracked by the pressures of the American Corporate Capitalists, to
come to a place where we are merely "Consumers". But Capitalism must
grow and expand. To do this Capitalists must continue developing
"New, Improved", and innovative products. And consumers must do
their fair share by wanting and buying
We American Consumers have been conditioned to believe that ourgadgets we own.
happiness and our success are measured by how many new and improved
God forbid that we are wearing last years styles or driving an old
model car, or using an archaic common old cell phone.
But just like everything else, Capitalism has us looking outside
ourselves for Life's Rewards.
The concern should not be on whether Harriet Tubman's image be placed
on the twenty dollar bill, or not. The real concern, so far as I am
concerned, is why we pay so little attention in our history books on
Great American Citizens like Harriet Tubman, and instead drool all
over the likes of Andrew Jackson or Queen Elizabeth, or J. Edgar
Hoover, or General Douglas MacArthur. Our history books teach us the
glories of the Capitalists and the War Heroes...as long as they are
ranking officers.
So it is not just a Color issue. It is a Class issue. Working
people need to open their eyes to the fact that our color does not
make us any more or less subject to the contempt of the American
as others'We need to understand that if we are creating wealth for our
Capitalist Masters, it does not matter the color of our skin, or
whether we wear a blue collar or a white one. Men and women, young
and old, we are all in the same struggle. It's time we all got on
the same side.
Carl Jarvis
On 4/23/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Harriet Tubman and the Monetization of Black History Thursday, 21contradictions therein.
April 2016 00:00 By William C. Anderson, Truthout | Op-Ed Harriet
Tubman. (Photo: HB Lindsley / Library of Congress)Don't trust the
corporate media? Neither do we. Make a tax-deductible donation to
Truthout and support accurate, independent journalism.
There's a strange irony in printing the image of someone who spent
her life on the run because she was worth money onto money itself,
as a supposed honor. This hasn't stopped the US Treasury Department
from announcing a change replacing Andrew Jackson with Harriet
Tubman on the face of the $20 bill. While many people see the change
as progressive and indicative of respect, others have taken issue
with the
Capitalism, bolstered by slave labor and steadily craving more
chattel, showed the US Bill of Rights and the Constitution to be
fictional documents.
Now, as Tubman is chosen to grace US currency, we see the latest
chapter of a never-ending saga of consumption. Black people were and
still are for sale; Black history is for sale; and Black culture,
too, is always for sale.
Andrew Jackson -- whose image will remain on the back of the $20
bill
-- was a horrible president, to say the least. He was a man
dedicated to murder, despair, oppression and genocide. His face,
like the faces of many other US presidents, haunts onlookers who
know what commemorating such a person means. Those who gladly
welcomed the murder, enslavement and degradation of my ancestors as well
dollar.average.ancestors stare at us regularly from money, statues, statecase.
buildings, street names and more. This is a regular fact of everyday
existence in the United States.
The canon of capitalism tells us we should respect money more than
anything and cherish our right to use it freely. Therefore, putting
someone's face on a bill would be seen by many as a great honor.
However, money is exactly what drives much of the worldwide trauma
that capitalism creates.
Consequently, since Andrew Jackson was a slaver, purveyor of
Indigenous genocide and ruthless military man, having his face on
the $20 bill seemed quite appropriate.
If the general consensus were that money is something filthy and
that capitalism is a crisis, there would be no question about the
problems with putting Harriet Tubman's face on a piece of money.
This is not the
Money is something we need to function societally, something wereported:
aspire to attain and something we often cherish when we have it.
It's money's necessity in our everyday lives that will make many
view Tubman's presence as a respectful representation. Yet, it's the
continuous creeping of corruption, environmental decimation and
ruthless accumulation that argues otherwise. The overwhelming wealth
inequality, racialized poverty and gender pay gap that pervade this
country expose the "honor" bestowed upon Tubman as a blatant mistruth.
In recent years, false notions of progress tend to dominate public
conversations around "diversity" and "inclusion." From the election
of sitting President Barack Obama (who will likely be blamed by
bigots as if he single-handedly chose Tubman) to this change of face
in currency, these symbolic acts become scraps to appease
populations hungry for justice.
Moreover, monuments, commemorations and efforts to represent Black
people and our history often become engines to build capital. Civil
rights tourism allows travelers from around the world to visit the
places where Black people have been killed, enslaved and brutalized
while merely trying to secure some stability in an economy and
social hierarchy that excluded and marginalized them. Today,
visitors to places like Selma's annual Bloody Sunday commemoration
can buy civil rights products and attend often expensive events to
their heart's content, while reflecting on a tragic "past." The
Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast this year in
Selma was $50 general admission and $500 per table. In a recent
report titled "Still a City of Slaves -- Selma, in the Words of
Those Who Live There," the Guardian
In the US, joblessness for African Americans is roughly twice that
of whites. In Selma, which is 80% African American, joblessness runs
even higher. In 2010, unemployment in Selma reached 20%; it has
since been cut in half to 10%, but [is] still around twice the
national
Times.Wages in Selma (as for African Americans nationally) also badly lag
the country, with the median family income at roughly $25,000 --
half that of the US average.
There are countless theories offered by academics and politicians
about why African Americans disproportionately suffer higher
joblessness and lower wages -- a lack of education, dependence on
manual labor, technological shifts -- but to many Selma residents
those theories are just excuses for racism.
In Memphis, Tennessee, you can go to the very spot where Martin
Luther King Jr. was murdered and see a monument to him -- as well as
to the bank sponsors who didn't hesitate to advertise on the property.
Memphis, which has the highest energy cost burden in the country,
has struggled with a devastating poverty rate for years, with 30
percent living below the poverty line. Just over 13 percent of
lower-income households' income in Memphis is spent on energy.
The same is true in many other Black historical landmark cities
across the country. In terms of poverty, the cities that closely
follow Memphis for most household income spent on energy are
Birmingham, Atlanta and New Orleans, according to the Pittsburgh
Business
bills.These are three cities that make a lot of money on civil rights
tourism, and their rich Black histories in general. It's quite
distressing that in cities that market their history of brutality
against Black people to visitors, the descendants of those very
people are disproportionately impoverished and struggling to pay
their
Plus, these Southern states (especially Alabama and
Louisiana) are filled with wretched prison systems where Black
people are killed, tortured and brutalized, just as Black people
have been here for centuries.
There's no realm of existence where Black people can escape so that
our bodies aren't taken advantage of on earth. Both sides of the
political "spectrum" are intent on criminalizing Black communities
and subjecting them to state-sponsored violence, and they often
agree on making money off of the history of anti-Black violence as
well. It shouldn't come as a surprise that a Black liberator is
being used for money when many have already been making money off of
our histories of struggle at every turn.
Now, in the case of Harriet Tubman, she is being made into money.
Her face will be placed among men who would have sold her, killed
her and committed other egregious acts of violence against her if
they would have had the chance. She was a Black woman whose strength
seemed endless. She is not being honored by being placed on a weakening
as others'Black people have been through incredibly distressing times, and if
we know anything, it's that we cannot always depend on money. When
times have gotten rough for Black people, we've always depended on
our self-determination for our freedom. It's this realization that
leads me to ask: Why put a value on a people, a history and a
culture that's absolutely priceless?
Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
WILLIAM C. ANDERSON
William C. Anderson is a freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter:
@Williamcson.
RELATED STORIES
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Harriet Tubman and the Monetization of Black History Thursday, 21
April 2016 00:00 By William C. Anderson, Truthout | Op-Ed
. font size Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink
reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error!
Hyperlink reference not valid.
. Harriet Tubman. (Photo: HB Lindsley / Library of Congress)Don't
trust the corporate media? Neither do we. Make a tax-deductible
donation to Truthout and support accurate, independent journalism.
. There's a strange irony in printing the image of someone who spent
her life on the run because she was worth money onto money itself,
as a supposed honor. This hasn't stopped the US Treasury Department
from announcing a change replacing Andrew Jackson with Harriet
Tubman on the face of the $20 bill. While many people see the change
as progressive and indicative of respect, others have taken issue
with the contradictions therein. Capitalism, bolstered by slave
labor and steadily craving more chattel, showed the US Bill of
Rights and the Constitution to be fictional documents.
Now, as Tubman is chosen to grace US currency, we see the latest
chapter of a never-ending saga of consumption. Black people were and
still are for sale; Black history is for sale; and Black culture,
too, is always for sale.
Andrew Jackson -- whose image will remain on the back of the $20
bill
-- was a horrible president, to say the least. He was a man
dedicated to murder, despair, oppression and genocide. His face,
like the faces of many other US presidents, haunts onlookers who
know what commemorating such a person means. Those who gladly
welcomed the murder, enslavement and degradation of my ancestors as well
dollar.average.ancestors stare at us regularly from money, statues, statecase.
buildings, street names and more. This is a regular fact of everyday
existence in the United States.
The canon of capitalism tells us we should respect money more than
anything and cherish our right to use it freely. Therefore, putting
someone's face on a bill would be seen by many as a great honor.
However, money is exactly what drives much of the worldwide trauma
that capitalism creates.
Consequently, since Andrew Jackson was a slaver, purveyor of
Indigenous genocide and ruthless military man, having his face on
the $20 bill seemed quite appropriate.
If the general consensus were that money is something filthy and
that capitalism is a crisis, there would be no question about the
problems with putting Harriet Tubman's face on a piece of money.
This is not the
Money is something we need to function societally, something wereported:
aspire to attain and something we often cherish when we have it.
It's money's necessity in our everyday lives that will make many
view Tubman's presence as a respectful representation. Yet, it's the
continuous creeping of corruption, environmental decimation and
ruthless accumulation that argues otherwise. The overwhelming wealth
inequality, racialized poverty and gender pay gap that pervade this
country expose the "honor" bestowed upon Tubman as a blatant mistruth.
In recent years, false notions of progress tend to dominate public
conversations around "diversity" and "inclusion." From the election
of sitting President Barack Obama (who will likely be blamed by
bigots as if he single-handedly chose Tubman) to this change of face
in currency, these symbolic acts become scraps to appease
populations hungry for justice.
Moreover, monuments, commemorations and efforts to represent Black
people and our history often become engines to build capital. Civil
rights tourism allows travelers from around the world to visit the
places where Black people have been killed, enslaved and brutalized
while merely trying to secure some stability in an economy and
social hierarchy that excluded and marginalized them. Today,
visitors to places like Selma's annual Bloody Sunday commemoration
can buy civil rights products and attend often expensive events to
their heart's content, while reflecting on a tragic "past." The
Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast this year in
Selma was $50 general admission and $500 per table. In a recent
report titled "Still a City of Slaves -- Selma, in the Words of
Those Who Live There," the Guardian
In the US, joblessness for African Americans is roughly twice that
of whites. In Selma, which is 80% African American, joblessness runs
even higher. In 2010, unemployment in Selma reached 20%; it has
since been cut in half to 10%, but [is] still around twice the
national
Times.Wages in Selma (as for African Americans nationally) also badly lag
the country, with the median family income at roughly $25,000 --
half that of the US average.
There are countless theories offered by academics and politicians
about why African Americans disproportionately suffer higher
joblessness and lower wages -- a lack of education, dependence on
manual labor, technological shifts -- but to many Selma residents
those theories are just excuses for racism.
In Memphis, Tennessee, you can go to the very spot where Martin
Luther King Jr. was murdered and see a monument to him -- as well as
to the bank sponsors who didn't hesitate to advertise on the property.
Memphis, which has the highest energy cost burden in the country,
has struggled with a devastating poverty rate for years, with 30
percent living below the poverty line. Just over 13 percent of
lower-income households' income in Memphis is spent on energy.
The same is true in many other Black historical landmark cities
across the country. In terms of poverty, the cities that closely
follow Memphis for most household income spent on energy are
Birmingham, Atlanta and New Orleans, according to the Pittsburgh
Business
bills.These are three cities that make a lot of money on civil rights
tourism, and their rich Black histories in general. It's quite
distressing that in cities that market their history of brutality
against Black people to visitors, the descendants of those very
people are disproportionately impoverished and struggling to pay
their
Plus, these Southern states (especially Alabama and
Louisiana) are filled with wretched prison systems where Black
people are killed, tortured and brutalized, just as Black people
have been here for centuries.
There's no realm of existence where Black people can escape so that
our bodies aren't taken advantage of on earth. Both sides of the
political "spectrum" are intent on criminalizing Black communities
and subjecting them to state-sponsored violence, and they often
agree on making money off of the history of anti-Black violence as
well. It shouldn't come as a surprise that a Black liberator is
being used for money when many have already been making money off of
our histories of struggle at every turn.
Now, in the case of Harriet Tubman, she is being made into money.
Her face will be placed among men who would have sold her, killed
her and committed other egregious acts of violence against her if
they would have had the chance. She was a Black woman whose strength
seemed endless. She is not being honored by being placed on a weakening
Black people have been through incredibly distressing times, and if
we know anything, it's that we cannot always depend on money. When
times have gotten rough for Black people, we've always depended on
our self-determination for our freedom. It's this realization that
leads me to ask: Why put a value on a people, a history and a
culture that's absolutely priceless?
Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
William C. Anderson
William C. Anderson is a freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter:
@Williamcson.
Related Stories
Archaeologist, Black Feminist Unearths Contributions of African
Diaspora, Everyday People By Max Eternity, Truthout | InterviewAny
National "Conversation About Race"
Must Include Black Radical Tradition By Adam Hudson, Truthout | News
AnalysisFlag Controversies and Race Politics in a Civil War Town By
Graham Stinnett, Truthout | News Analysis
Show Comments
