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Editorial/Column
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‘It’s Nation Time!’
ontroversial writer,
artist, and Civil Rights advocate Imamu Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) comes to mind when we view the breadth of racism that per- meated the 2018 mid-term elections across this nation in practically every state.
Baraka spoke to a higher sense of duty for his African American brothers and sisters, urging them to rise above petty distractions and to stay alert to the core of racism and where it stems from. He coined the term “It’s nation time” in response to the rhetorical question, “What time is it?,” in the late 1950s and early 1970s. Baraka also wrote a poem, “The Nation Is Like Ourselves.”
His writings also served as reminders “of all our po- litical and social realities,” an assertion that we are “no better or worse than we allow ourselves to be,” and that our positions are re- flective of the larger picture around us.
Unfortunately, we have failed to pass that message on and those of us who lived through the 1950s, 60s and 70s have forgotten the message.
Indeed, the racist speeches, advertisements, Facebook messages and robo calls proved that hate and racism is alive and well in the 21st century (2018)
America. Through it all, Black voters still did not turn out and vote and the racists won.
Today, I want to share some of the racial tactics used by Republicans, Re- publican Committees and the National Republican Governors Association for the mid-term elections that obviously turned out the racist vote.
People of color (non- white) running for city, state, and national offices were attacked in many racist ways from New York to California and from Ohio to Texas. It appears that racism is no longer behav- ior to be ashamed of and racists need not hide their hate. Sadly, all of the racist tactics were by Republi- cans.
Here, in Florida, we are very much aware of the Gillum vs. DeSantis race wherein DeSantis used several code words includ- ing “don’t monkey this elec- tion up.”
In the Georgia guberna- torial race, candidate Stacy Abrams was pictured in a photo-shopped ad showing her holding a sign that de- clared her a “communist who supports the Muslim Brotherhood,” a picture from a women’s march showing her next to a Pales- tinian woman wearing a hijab, and in an ad showing tap dancing feet.
Widely publicized was a Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith using the phrase “I would go to a public hanging” and cham- pioning voter suppression of college students.
In the Texas 22nd Con- gressional District race, the Republican candidate called his opponent “a “lib- eral Indo-American who is a carpetbagger.”
The Democratic candi- date for Lieutenant Gover- nor of Wisconsin was falsely accused of kneeling during the national anthem at a State event.
An Arizona candidate, Paul Gosar, whose broth- ers and sisters publicly said he was a racist and sup- ported his opponent, won the Congressional House seat for Arizona’s 4th Con- gressional District.
Other examples in- cluded mailers depicting a Jewish candidate clutching wads of cash, reference to a candidate as bad example of a “Mexican...Mexican- American and American.
If you want a full list of the more than 20 races for candidates who were dis- paraged with racist tactics by Republicans, I suggest you Google the October 18, 2019 edition of the Huffin- gton Post.
Indeed, brothers and sisters, the hate that exists in this country today is just as dangerous as it was dur- ing the Jim Crow era. We need to wake up and use all of our power (economic and political) to neutralize the vestiges of hate in America lest some Americans at- tempt to repeat a history they could hardly under- stand. Harrambee.
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Why We Should Care About Jamal Khashoggi
ost certainly, time flies at light-speed when try-
ing to keep up with world events. Take, for in- stance, what happened seemingly yesterday, to American citizen-Saudi Arabian transplant Jamal Khashoggi. A veteran journalist-critic of Saudi Arabian government, he made the mistake of going to Istanbul to get married and was – so we and the CIA believe – was accosted by Saudi covert operatives, was literally torn to pieces never to be seen again by living eyes.
All fingers point to complicity of the Saudi Arabian royal family, but the Trump Administration refuses to believe such complicity, even at the insistence of our own CIA. Consequently Khashoggi’s assassination has become a sore spot and political quagmire for Ameri- cans around the world, all of which many say is logisti- cally over our heads.
So, the 64 million dollar question for John and Joan Que American citizen is simply, “What does it mean to us?”
Just recently, the new head of the CIA refused to ad- dress the Senate to share all she knows about Khashoggi’s circumstances. She simply didn’t show up and nobody would explain why or where she went.
However, the conclusion remains the dissolution of Khashoggi and its aftermath will probably end up being a casualty of world diplomacy or another mys- tery like the death and whereabouts of FLA-CIO Jimmy Hoffa . . . In other words, a situation where certain things fall apart. Our question to such conclusion is, “What would happen if such a mishap happened to us?”
God forbid that America would turn schizophrenic wherein the right of free speech and the press would find itself severely under fire. But if an American-Saudi journalist could lose his life because of his profession, are we ever so safe?
And let us not stop there. If such a thing did happen in America, how soon might it be before common citi- zens could be suspect and killed for slips of the tongue or pen or keyboard? If not with Khashoggi, where would it stop?
A poet once wrote, “When they came for the Com- munists, I said nothing because I wasn’t a Commu- nist.” The poem ended, “And finally, when they came for me, there was no one left to speak up for my de- fense.”
That’s why we should care about Khashoggi.
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