Thread: Isn't This Racism ??

University of Minnesota instructor, Susana De Leon calling white people "WETBACKS" ? http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S15962.html?cat=5

Comments a University of Minnesota instructor made at a rally are causing controversy about what is and is not considered racist.
Susana De Leon, an activist and part-time instructor of Mexican-American studies, was involved in a verbal confrontation at the rally in Owatonna.

"Yes, people from Europe are wet backs man... their backs so wet because they had to cross an ocean to get here," De Leon said at the rally.

De Leon is also an immigration attorney who led the rally in Owatonna.

She added that it is not possible for minorities to be racist against white people.

More about De Leon:

Susana is a Xicana activist who works on issues of social justice in the Latino community. During her life she has been active as a community organizer in the areas of immigration, domestic violence, women’s empowerment and cultural resistance. She is an immigration attorney and a lecturer at the University of Minnesota.

Susana is a recognized leader and frequent speaker with respect to issues of immigrant rights, educational rights, and police abuse of authority. She is a Board Member of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. She has worked with a number of community organizations, including ISAIAH (a faith based pro-immigrant group), the Local Impacts Working Group (which passed resolutions in St. Paul and Minneapolis barring police questioning about immigration status), Women of the Red River Valley, Centro Campesino, Immigrant Women Coalition Against Violence, Casa de Esperanza, Peacemaker Center, La Escuelita, La Raza Student Cultural Center, and the Minnesota Human Rights Center. In those efforts she has regularly met with and presented to elected representatives, including Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, U.S. Senator Mark Dayton, U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, and city and state elected officials. She also resists oppression and racism through her leadership of Kalpulli QuetzalCoatlicue, a traditional Aztec Dancers circle created to empower and train young women and men as leaders in the Mexican community of south Minneapolis. She is also the mother of a seven year old daughter and eleven year old son.

http://www.law.du.edu/NLLSAconferenc...sanadeleon.htm

You know Jolie, I did not post a reply on the original thread because at that time I was actually rather perturbed with the subject. I had been listening to talk radio for 2 days on the subject. I breaks my heart to see such a young child already currupted with so much contempt toward another race....yes, to be a RACIST!

Here in Mempis our black population outnumbers the white population. Most of our elected officials are black...and mainly for that reason. Last night I was sitting here listening to the police scanner because I heard the Police helicopter hovering and I wanted to check to see what was going on (we live in Midtown Memphis). I left the scanner on for a while (never learned about the helicopter though) and during this time out of all the calls, the "suspects" were black males. And they have the nerve to say that we are profiling? I don't get it. I am not saying that crimes are not committed by whites also....they are...but the majority of the crime in this city is committed by blacks.

Our murder rate as of yesterday morning (haven't listened to the news today) was at 59 for the year. Two days ago there was a armed robbery at a bank branch in Kroger....in broad daylight with a store full of people. Just for the heck of it they also shot one person in the face with a shot gun. I have not heard anything on the status of this person.

I try not to be prejudiced because I believe that we are ALL created equal. It seems though that the only time that I even run into this problem is when I live in Memphis (this is my second time to live here). I get so tired of everything being about race. In my opinion that only makes the racism problem worse. I have never been handed anything in my life, I have always had to work for it. So when one "race" is given things based on their race, yes it ticks me off. I have no problem with people being given a helping hand...the problem is when the helping hand is EXPECTED and people chose not to help themselves.

Originally Posted by tngirl

I try not to be prejudiced because I believe that we are ALL created equal. It seems though that the only time that I even run into this problem is when I live in Memphis (this is my second time to live here). I get so tired of everything being about race. In my opinion that only makes the racism problem worse. I have never been handed anything in my life, I have always had to work for it. So when one "race" is given things based on their race, yes it ticks me off. I have no problem with people being given a helping hand...the problem is when the helping hand is EXPECTED and people chose not to help themselves.

I agree with you. I see people not color.

im so sick of all the hate filled people
in the world im sick of people who hate another because of race
to me i dont care what color you are you are human and bleed red
i also think that all those racist groups are cowards because they are scared of what is different

Black Caucus opposes Jefferson treatment
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON - A drive by the Democratic leadership to strip embattled Rep. William Jefferson of his committee post triggered a backlash Thursday as the Congressional Black Caucus opposed the move and said the Louisiana lawmaker deserves a "presumption of innocence."

The caucus chairman, Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina, told reporters that some black voters might ask why action was sought against "a black member of Congress" when there was neither precedent nor rule for it.

Jefferson has not been indicted and has denied all wrongdoing in connection with a federal bribery investigation that has netted two convictions. He has rebuffed repeated calls from Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and others to step aside until any involvement is clarified.

Watt spoke after a Democratic leadership group voted to strip Jefferson of his committee post, at least temporarily. The entire rank and file was then summoned to debate the issue but postponed a vote until next week.

A vote by the full House would be required to force Jefferson to step aside.

"I can guarantee" he will not voluntarily step aside, said Melanie Roussell, Jefferson's spokeswoman.

The maneuvering came as part of a determined attempt by Pelosi, D-Calif., to ease Jefferson from his position. "I feel he should step aside," the minority leader told reporters. She declined further comment, but spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said any charge that race was involved was "absolutely untrue. This is about upholding the highest ethical standard for every member of the Democratic caucus."

Democrats intend to campaign against Republicans this fall by accusing them of presiding over a "culture of corruption." Jefferson's continued presence on the committee presumably would allow Republicans to blur the issue in the midterm elections.

Several officials said Watt had spoken up at the meeting of the rank and file to invoke a rule that provides for a five-day delay.

Emerging from the session, he distributed a statement that said the Congressional Black Caucus perhaps has a "unique appreciation of our nation's constitutional guarantee of the presumption of innocence."

The statement added the group "therefore opposes suggestions that some have made to force Rep. Jefferson to resign from Congress or to remove him involuntarily from his position on the Ways and Means Committee in the absence of precedents that have been historically applied and will be consistently applied in the future."

Speaking for himself, Watt was more pointed.

He said the leadership was open to a charge that it was acting out of political expedience. "It's about to blow up in their face," he added.

Referring to black voters, who are among the most loyal Democrats in the electorate, he added, "You've got a whole base of people out there who believe that the Democratic Party takes them for granted already."

If action is taken only against someone who "is a black member of Congress, then our community will legitimately ask what in the world are you doing?"

While Jefferson has not been indicted, two men have been found guilty in the probe.

Brett Pfeffer, a former Jefferson aide, was sentenced to eight years in prison last month for conspiring to commit bribery and aiding and abetting the bribery of a public official.

Vernon Jackson, 53, chief executive of iGate Inc., a Louisville, Ky.-based telecommunications company, pleaded guilty May 3 to paying more than $400,000 in bribes to Jefferson.

Additionally, the FBI claims that it videotaped the Louisianian last summer taking $100,000 in bribe money and that agents later found $90,000 of the money stashed in a freezer in his home.

FBI agents carried out a weekend search of Jefferson's congressional office last month, triggering an outpouring of criticism from congressional leaders claiming they had encroached on Congress' constitutional powers.

In response, Bush ordered the material taken be turned over the a Justice Department official not involved in the investigation.

Race was a further complication in the episode. Jefferson is black, and some Democrats say that black voters could be alienated if he is forced aside.

"The rule is you lose your leadership position or chairmanship" after indictment, said Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, who is also black.

Pelosi recently prevailed on Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia, to step aside as senior member of the ethics committee after questions were raised about some of his legislative actions. But he remains a member of the Appropriations Committee, with broad authority over the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060609/...on_congress_10


Oh, Yeah - it is because he is BLACK ...

nothing to do with the $90,000 in *cold cash* marked bills hiden in his freezer

Hawaiian school admissions questioned
By MARK NIESSE, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jun 20, 4:47 AM ET

HONOLULU - A wealthy private school created exclusively for its indigenous people is asking a federal appeals court to allow it to continue its race-based admissions policy.

Fifteen judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday in San Francisco about whether the Kamehameha Schools can continue to limit enrollment to Native Hawaiians.

While the courts have generally ruled against favoritism in education based on race, the Kamehameha case is different. The school receives no federal money. And its policy was based on the will of a Hawaiian princess 10 years before the monarchy was overthrown.

"Her whole intent was to provide a means for educating her people so they could compete in a society that was changing so quickly," said Kekoa Paulsen, a spokesman for Kamehameha Schools.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit initially ruled 2-1 against Kamehameha's admissions policy last August. But the full court announced in February it would reconsider that decision. The admissions policy has remained in place while appeals are pending.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of an unnamed white student who was denied admission in 2003.

"We've had a lot of conflict, including the Civil War, about treating people differently based on their race. I think we're mostly past that, but unfortunately Kamehameha wants to go back to an era of privilege for citizens depending on what race you are," said Eric Grant, a Sacramento, Calif., attorney representing the boy, who recently graduated from a public school.

Kamehameha Schools was established under the 1883 will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop as part of a trust now worth $6.8 billion. Part of the school's mission is to counteract historical disadvantages Native Hawaiians face in employment, education and society.

Admission to the elite school is first granted to all qualified Native Hawaiian students. Only one in eight eligible applicants get in, and tuition is 60 percent subsidized by the private trust.

Of 5,400 students enrolled at the school's three K-12 campuses, only two do not have Hawaiian ancestry.

The case is an emotional one here, with Native Hawaiians claiming they are rightfully entitled to a quality education, and taking that away would further undermine their culture.

Following the initial ruling against Kamehameha last year, 15,000 people marched through downtown Honolulu in protest.

"We're not asking for a handout. We're asking to be able to take care of our own," said Miki Kim, a 1976 Kamehameha Schools graduate who organized a rally last fall supporting the school. "This country is not fair."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/...awaiian_school

___

On the Net:

Kamehameha Schools: http://www.ksbe.edu/

9th Circuit: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/

racism only applies if you are anything but white ?

As Duke rape case unravels, focus turns to prosecutor
Wed Dec 27, 8:22 AM ET

Last March, when a young black woman who had been hired to strip at a Duke University lacrosse team party accused three white players of raping her, the case became a national sensation. The instant storyline was one of jocks gone wild, with echoes of North Carolina's sorry racial past.

Today, the case is looking less like a vicious crime perpetrated by privileged athletes and more like an example of prosecutorial misconduct by the local district attorney. More broadly, its handling shows the danger in making snap judgments and should give pause to anyone who cares about fairness in the legal system.


It's possible, of course, that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong has damning evidence that hasn't been disclosed publicly. But his record so far reflects these questionable actions:

• Rushing to judgment. When the case erupted nine months ago, Nifong shamelessly exploited the racially charged atmosphere in the middle of an election campaign, calling the accused "hooligans" and likening the incident to cross burnings. He obtained grand-jury indictments against three of the players. Then, on the Friday before Christmas, he abruptly dropped the rape charges after the accuser told investigators that she's no longer certain that she was penetrated by a penis, the legal definition of rape in North Carolina. Despite inconsistencies in the accuser's accounts, Nifong said he would pursue kidnapping and sexual offense charges that carry similarly severe penalties.


• Bringing charges based on flimsy evidence. The 28-year-old accuser has given several contradictory versions of the incident. She first told authorities that 20 men had raped her, then that no rape had occurred and finally that three men raped her.

Her identification of the men derived from a biased photo lineup that included only team members. At one point, she identified as an assailant a young man who wasn't even at the party. A fellow stripper initially told police the accuser's story was a "crock."


• Sitting on evidence. DNA tests turned up no link to the lacrosse players. The head of a lab retained to analyze DNA samples testified Dec. 8 that he and Nifong intentionally excluded from a report the finding that the accuser's clothes and body had DNA from other, unidentified males. Nifong had known of the complete DNA report for seven months and previously told a judge that he'd turned over all relevant evidence.


Even if the remaining charges are ultimately dropped - the next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5 - the damage has been considerable. The three accused players face at least 12 years in prison. The lacrosse team's schedule was cancelled last season. The coach resigned. Duke's reputation was stained.


The school's lacrosse team isn't angelic. Some of its conduct - hiring strippers, underage drinking, use of racial slurs and crude e-mails - fueled the outrage. Lawyers for the accused players have been skillfully releasing evidence favorable to their clients and may be holding back less flattering information.


Even so, Nifong's performance raises so many troubling questions that it's time for the North Carolina Bar Association to investigate and for Nifong to step back from the case. If he won't go voluntarily, a judge should replace him.


Being a prosecutor doesn't mean simply trying to win convictions or blindly accepting the word of a troubled accuser. It means respecting the rights of defendants and setting aside political expediency. Most of all, it means seeking justice and the truth, even in a charged atmosphere where many have jumped to conclusions based on stereotypes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/200...nstoprosecutor

Had this been three young black athletes facing the same situation, Jackson and Sharpton would have been all over this - and it would have been all about the "race card"...

White Nationalism Put U In Bondage

White nationalism is what put you in bondage
Pirate and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin
Drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with
Steel, tricks and deceit.
Nothing has changed take a look in our streets
The mis-education of she and Hegro — leaves you on your knee2grow
Black lands taken from your hands, by vampires with no remorse
They took the gold, the wisdom and all of the storytellers
They took the black women, with the black man weak
Made to watch as they changed the paradigm
Of our village
They killed the blind, they killed the lazy, they went
So far as to kill the unborn baby
Yeah White nationalism is what put you in bondage
Pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin
They drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with
Steel laden feet, throw in the tricks alcohol and deceit.
Nothing has changed take a look at our streets.


This is a beautifully written poem. Very moving, the history is accurate and relevant. It may be helpful to analyze it line by line. Google all names and events and it may help to clarify the historical accuracy. Amazing Child! I wish I had read this poem a few weeks ago for my History class It would have been a nice addition to a paper. I think the negative response comes from the audience's level of understanding of American History.
History is very cleansed to say the least at an elementary school level. I can Understand an ignoranced based response from this age group.

Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

“I pledge allegiance to my black people. I pledge to develop my mind and body to the greatest extent possible. I will learn all that I can in order to give my best to my people in their struggle for liberation.”



Can you imagine the uproar if someone walked into a public school, told the minority kids to stay seated while the white kids recited trash along the same line ??

Try changing "black people" to "Women" or "Humans" or "Children of the world" or "Culture" I find nothing racist in that statement.It is about unity and the struggle to grow..........