A few days ago I posted a article that talked about a event at Southern University. See CNN Pundit Upset At Black Folks- Stop The Barbecue
As you can see the CNN pundit was getting on to average African Americans for not getting involved. In other words why were they AWOL!!
I sort of talked about why I thought this was so:
I would be interested in the racial demographics at Congressman Cao's townhall meetings. I went to a town hall with Senator Vitter recently and besides a couple of black politicos there like just two average African Americans. Strange since half my town is black. I saw the same dynamic when Dem Lt Gov Mitch Landrieu came to town. Besides the black State Rep and the black mayor of a nearby town(A PRO-LIFE REPUBLICAN BY THE WAY!! )it was all white
I think there are reasons for this. First they are pretty much taken for granted because well African Americans sadly vote in bloc for the Dems. This is not good democracy for several reasons. Also does some of the black political leadership want active black "lay" involvement at some of this stuff? If that happens other people in the community might say I enjoy this maybe I should be in the leadership!! I have seen that dynamic play out too.
But over the weekend a committed leftist did a post that really gets to the heart of the matter. See Former Leftist Activist, Turned FBI Informant, Pulls Back the Curtain On ACORN where he talks about his experience in Post Katrina New Orleans. I think there is a connection.
I want to focus on this part:
I first experienced ACORN in post-Katrina New Orleans. I was part of a relief organization, Common Ground Relief, which had been delivering much needed aid to the 9th Ward, an area that had been hit especially hard by the flood waters and by neglect. Rumors immediately began surfacing, questioning our motives and intentions. I was very confused by these rumors. Who was behind them? How could anyone question the vital work we were doing in the community? We lived and worked in the 9th Ward. We suspended our regular lives and, in many cases, left our families to travel to New Orleans to help those affected by Katrina and poverty. We slept on dirty plywood floors and shared everything we had with the residents. Most of us were white. Was our skin color the issue?
I knew from personal experience that the majority of the Black 9th ward residents didn’t care what color our skin was. It took me awhile to get over the hurt I felt at such allegations and to find out where they were coming from.
In the following weeks, I was made aware of the fact that ACORN had reopened its New Orleans office (several months after the storm). Various groups from around the city informed me that Acorn was upset with us because we were in “their” community and had not sought approval from ACORN to operate there. I was told that ACORN said that we were “privileged white people who had come to a Black community as saviors and we refused to work with local Black leadership.”
The more I pondered the matter, the more I realized what was happening. As usual in marginalized and impoverished communities, a small group of radical self-proclaimed leaders was insisting that all local aid and relief came through them—even if they were AWOL for several months. Though the majority of residents either hadn’t heard of ACORN or simply disagreed with their politics- ACORN insisted that they were THE Black leaders.
This was upsetting to me. Sure, the local pastor we worked most closely with was Black; but that didn’t matter to ACORN. It was as if Pastor Johnson didn’t count because he didn’t evoke the name of Elijah Mohammed or Malcolm X. It was as if Pastor Johnson didn’t count because he didn’t submit to ACORN’s mandate that ACORN was the sole leadership of Black New Orleanians.
As then director of Common Ground Relief’s 9th Ward project, I was warned by many that ACORN would ruin me politically if I didn’t submit to their leadership. I believed in what I was doing and how I was doing it. I refused to submit. The political fallout was almost unbearable. I just kept my eyes on meeting the needs of the community. When confronted by adherents to ACORN’s brand of race analysis, I pointed out that ACORN was not there immediately after the storm, so I could not have sought their leadership even if I had wanted to.
Over the following years, that particular style of political attack was prominent in New Orleans. Anytime that ACORN was displeased, the other party was deemed a racist. If the other party disagreed with the label or with ACORN’s agenda- they were met with “of course you feel that way. You are a racist.” Though it is clearly woefully inaccurate and unethical to use such an accusation as a political attack and as a means of shutting down philosophical debate and discourse, some at ACORN didn’t let that stop them. I refused to submit to it. I believed in listening to the majority of the community, who were desperate for our help, and not only to the self-proclaimed leaders. I paid a dear price for it......................
Do we see the overall problem here? See the connection? This is played out time and time again. This is the big problem that needs to be corrected!!!
There is much to commend Archbishop's Hughes of New Orleans Statement on Racism issued in 2005. See
“Made in the Image and Likeness of God” A Pastoral Letter on Racial Harmony.
But the above issue that is played out in spectacular fashion everyday in New Orleans and across this country is ignored. As it is ignored in the pastoral letter. I have no problem with a Pastoral letter that takes some time to talk about the issue "white privilege". But a Pastoral letter is not very honest if it fails to address the elephant in the room that everyone knows is there. I suppose we Catholics were in a bad position since we funding some of these ACORN groups.
Have the lessons been learned? "White Privilege" is also exhibited when don't want to rock the boat so we can get either the applause and political support of certain minority leadership while ignoring the real problem that hurts minorities the most. "White Privilege" is done when to protect our "own" interest we allow this happen as long as we are not really affected by it up close and personal.
Shall we learn? Or shall we just not rock the boat in this country and even in the Church.
In the above letter Archbishop stated:
Even though the Vietnamese community found itself outside the
civic decision-making structure, it has manifested a remarkable community resolve not only to
rebuild, but also to protect the neighborhood from harmful toxins connected with the dumping of
debris and to create a new and better community.
Why was this immigrant community able to that and others not!! Why do we see a Congressman CAO from this community rise as an unknown to become a Congressman. A congressman that has been under attack since day one from African American Leadership in New Orleans because well he is not black. To put a finer point on it he is not an African American that is part of the system they control for their own benefit. Is the problem that a black version of CAO would find it difficult to rise in the political system of New Orleans unless he went along with the "Machine" Is this not an example to quote the letter:
We need to recognize that racism can be both personal and institutional. It is personal
when it is expressed in attitudes or convictions that lead to racial slurs or the depreciation of the
value and the gifts of those of another race or culture either in word or in behavior (cf. Jas 3:1-
12).
It can exist even within one race when shades of color lead to unjust discrimination.
It is institutional when the organizations in which we live foster attitudes or practices that
lead to unjust discrimination (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-26). Institutional racism exists in our broader
society in economic and political life, our educational systems, and our housing or living
patterns.
Just asking.
Update-
I linked this on another forum and it was mentioned if I was aware that some of the leadership was white. Why yes. When the founders of ACORN are involved in a huge fraud scandal one notices that. Also we see ACORN's white liberal leadership exploits African-American workers, former employee says
But we know that ACORN is very involved with African American democrat party politics on a local and national level. The As we saw in the quote from the above leftist as to his experience
The more I pondered the matter, the more I realized what was happening. As usual in marginalized and impoverished communities, a small group of radical self-proclaimed leaders was insisting that all local aid and relief came through them—even if they were AWOL for several months. Though the majority of residents either hadn’t heard of ACORN or simply disagreed with their politics- ACORN insisted that they were THE Black leaders.
This was upsetting to me. Sure, the local pastor we worked most closely with was Black; but that didn’t matter to ACORN. It was as if Pastor Johnson didn’t count because he didn’t evoke the name of Elijah Mohammed or Malcolm X. It was as if Pastor Johnson didn’t count because he didn’t submit to ACORN’s mandate that ACORN was the sole leadership of Black New Orleanians.
As then director of Common Ground Relief’s 9th Ward project, I was warned by many that ACORN would ruin me politically if I didn’t submit to their leadership.
Needless to say some white liberal guys in New Orleans don't have that kinda of political stroke in the 9th ward in New Orleans by themselves.
Which is one reason the oldest African American Newspaper sin the Country based in New Orleans jumps to their defense with nice positive op-eds without noting the fraud or there is a problem!!!
ACORN is a part of a much larger problem. As a Catholic and believer in Catholic Social Justice and the needs to meet the problems of racism in all quarters and the evils of poverty I think we better start thinking of hitting the "restart" button of how we approach these matters. If not the problems will just get worse.
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