I read this article on WashingtonPost.com and I had to share it. It is one of the best articles I have ever read on the subject. If you don't believe check out this little nugget...
"And despite their inclusive mission statements, major civil rights organizations and leaders appear to be selling out black America for corporate money. Beginning in the 1980s, for example, the tobacco and alcohol industries meticulously cultivated relationships with leaders of black communities. Institutions such as the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund and the Congressional Black Caucus have counted those industries as major donors — at the expense of the health of the black community."
I couldn't agree more.
Now Haven, I don't know you. But it appears your blog is endorsing the Washington Post article about why blacks aren't endorsing the Occupy Movement. I am a former TV journalist who worked for 20 years in Louisville. Just want to state, concerning article, it is propaganda, not researched journalism. Just note the article reaches conclusions without investigation or comprehensive thinking. The long historical intro is an EDUCATED Now think. The movement is young. How many black folk DO YOU KNOW who could leave their lives, even single, to protest without ending for an brand new, white-led, undefined movement? As for Civil Rts groups - do you not know their activist agenda for the past, what 40 years, minus the propaganda in this article. The Post seeks to discredit the African American race foremost and closely behind is the Occupy Movement. Yes, black political groups have taken contributions from dubious groups to survive. And hey are compromise, somewhat. That's how it is the USA. But OUR political writers must make sure they know the entire historical context in which they comment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I will agree that this article may not be researched journalism, but I think it covers some of the present day problems that black folks, and the young occupy movement face. THe civil rights movement does have a long and glorious history, but in the present it has lost a lot of its focus. Same with the black Church. Now, I do disagree with the authors conclusion about why people have lost faith in black church. It's not the celebrity preaches. It's the fact that most black churches are no longer concerned with the community at large, but in trying to build the next family center. The focus has shifted from helping the community to helping their own church communities.
ReplyDeleteAs far as blacks folks in the Occupy movement, Once again I agree with the author. We are afraid to lose what little we have. Especially the black middle class. The black middle class a group wont rock the boat because they are afraid they could their job, and if its a high paying job, they are hard to come by. I see that hear in Louisville in all the time. This is what happens when we as group no longer own our businesses and we can't hire each other. We are dependent on someone else for employment. That's the main reson the church could be so active in the civil rights movement. It's our only independent organization, and now that the black church is largely sitting on the sidelines we really don't have anything else. The urban League, NAACP, and others can only do so much before they jeopardize their funding sources.