African American
Related: About this forumPublic Apology To Black Lives Matters
Yesterday I wrote this diary: Which Lives Matter More. In it I questioned the strategy used by #blacklivesmatter activists who interrupted a candidate forum at Netroots Nation. I stated that their actions alienated their allies.
I was wrong to do so.
Those without power who seek justice should always have the right to speak truth to power.
I'm ashamed and embarrassed by what I wrote.
I have made a commitment today to volunteer for the Bernie Sanders campaign and will fulfill that obligation. Additionally I am the chair of Dallas Kossacks (primarily because they could not find anyone else). I will remain chair only until we can find someone else to take that spot, then I will resign.
What I did and said was stupid and arrogant. I do not deserve any kind of leadership role in the progressive movement as I acted against the very things we are trying to achieve.
I'm going to try to do no more harm.
I apologize.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/19/1403616/-Public-Apology-to-Black-Lives-Matter
This was a nice apology from someone who reacted badly at first. I hope to see some of this at DU.
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lovemydog
(11,833 posts)Thanks for sharing it. Yes, I hope to see some of this here at DU too.
In this book I'm reading about the Black Panther Party, called Black Against Empire, there's stuff like that going on too. I like reading about how SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) and the NAACP also had instances in which they joined with the Panthers but always did it from a standpoint of letting them lead.
Some interesting parallels to today, and some distinctions too. One distinction that I've seen is that now days there is less of a top down approach, more of an approach that seems to say there is no one leader who speaks for all of us, we will listen to all black voices and share those voices whenever we have the opportunity. Also, I'm now on the sections about the dissolving of the Party and while some of it is depressing there's also cause for a lot of optimism because some of the most important things they were doing (free breakfast programs in schools, demanding black history courses at universities, diversifying police forces, ending the war in Vietnam) occurred or were successfully incorporated into the system.
Black lives matter is also an incredibly important movement and I am hoping some of the thing they're demanding (more accountability and diversity on police forces, major prison reform, immediate federal review of deaths at the hands of police, bolder jobs programs) will be implement too - and soon.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)There is no reason we cannot include the black agenda within the democratic agenda. We need to take care of all of the people in our nation, and bring everyone up to a place here the quality of life issues (prison, policing, racism, poverty, violence)can be taken care of. We cannot just accept whatever we are offered, we have to let pepople know, our votes will be earned, not given.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Is how so many people, of all colors but mostly white, don't realize that this effects all of us. Every single one. Not caring, not addressing, putting these issues that directly effect people of color but mostly black people, diminishes each of us.
And anyone that doesn't realize that if this horror doesn't stop soon, this will just be the beginning and anyone not part of the oligarchy is next.
It's similar to the war on women in the control part. Anyone that thinks controlling women will be where they stop is living in a fantasy world.
It doesn't matter how the message was initially given. It doesn't matter how it was initially received. It doesn't matter who the message was given to. What matters is that the message is out there. That it is in the spotlight. That we continue to fight for the end of the genocide if black people.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)And this shows us that ignoring issues that do not affects us can backfire if we do not pay attention. Lessons learned and moving forward I'd like to see this life or death issue recieve the atrention it deserves.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Above all else.
We better have learned something. Oy vey!
bravenak
(34,648 posts)marym625
(17,997 posts)I hope that some fences can be mended too.
spqr78
(73 posts)"One distinction that I've seen is that now days there is less of a top down approach, more of an approach that seems to say there is no one leader who speaks for all of us, we will listen to all black voices and share those voices whenever we have the opportunity"
Good luck with that. My suggestion is that you develop a form of silly sign language to keep your meetings from getting out of hand.
It worked out so well for Occupy, I'm sure it will work out for you.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)For the record I'd like to see some better and longer lasting organization as well.
But hey, thanks for the unsolicited advice. 
spqr78
(73 posts)But my disappointment (anger) with Occupy is still pretty fresh.
The feeling of momentum was incredible, I was genuinely filled with hope. Which for a Gen-X cynic was something new.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)"Too many people who are way smarter than me have convinced me I am wrong. I apologize."
bravenak
(34,648 posts)I wish more people would be like this guy.
marym625
(17,997 posts)
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)
Number23
(24,544 posts)K&R
bravenak
(34,648 posts)
sheshe2
(83,839 posts)K&R
bravenak
(34,648 posts)sheshe2
(83,839 posts)No, I won't hold my breath.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)
kenn3d
(486 posts)All my children are black, but I do not speak for African Americans, and I do not speak for Bernie Sanders. Despite any misguided attempts either to speak for him or to silence him, I wept tonight to read his speech in Louisiana.
https://berniesanders.com/remarks-senator-sanders-southern-christian-leadership-conference/
I hope someone there recorded it and will share it online.
I hope for the standers and for understanding.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice. We know their names. Each of them died unarmed at the hands of police officers or in police custody. The chants are growing louder. People are angry. I am angry. And people have a right to be angry. Violence and brutality of any kind, particularly at the hands of law enforcement sworn to protect and serve our communities, is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
We must reform our criminal justice system. Black lives do matter. And we must value black lives.
We must move away from the militarization of police forces. We must invest in community policing. Only when we get officers into the communities, working within the neighborhoods before trouble arises, do we really develop the relationships necessary to make our communities safer.
We need a federal initiative to completely redo how we train police officers in this country and give them body cameras. States and localities that make progress in this area should get more federal justice grant money. Those that do not should get their funding slashed. The measure of success for law enforcement should not be how many people get locked up.
For people who have committed crimes that have landed them in jail, there needs to be a path back from prison. The federal system of parole needs to be reinstated. We need real education and real skills training for the incarcerated.
We must end the over incarceration of non-violent young Americans who do not pose a serious threat to our society. It is an international embarrassment that we have more people locked up in jail than any other country on earth – more than even the Communist totalitarian state of China. That has got to end.
The war on drugs has been a failure and has ruined the lives of too many people. African-Americans comprise 14 percent of regular drug users but are 37 percent of those arrested for drug offenses. From 1980 to 2007, about one in three adults arrested for drugs was African-American.
It is an obscenity that we stigmatize so many young Americans with a criminal record for smoking marijuana, but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for causing the near collapse of our entire economy. This must change.
We need to end prisons for profit, which result in an over-incentive to arrest, jail and detain, in order to keep prison beds full. We need to invest in drug courts and medical and mental health interventions for people with substance abuse problems, so that they do not end up in prison, they end up in treatment.
But we have to go beyond just violence perpetuated by the state. As we saw so horribly in South Carolina, there are still those who seek to terrorize the African American community with violence and intimidation. We need to make sure the federal resources are there to crack down on the illegal activities of hate groups. We need a new social movement to let all the racist haters out there know that they will no longer be accepted in a civilized society.
In addition to the physical violence faced by too many in our country we need look at the lives of black children and address a few other difficult facts. Black children, who make up just 18 percent of preschoolers, account for 48 percent of all out-of-school suspensions before kindergarten. We are failing our black children before kindergarten! Black students were expelled at three times the rate of white students. Black girls were suspended at higher rates than all other girls and most boys. According to the Department of Education, African American students are more likely to suffer harsh punishments – suspensions and arrests – at school.
We need to take a hard look at education system. Black students attended schools with higher concentrations of first-year teachers, compared with white students. Black students were more than three times as likely to attend schools where fewer than 60 percent of teachers meet all state certification and licensure requirements.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)
Cha
(297,462 posts).. and the best description of what went down towards supporters of #BlackLlivesMatter @ NRN.
Wow.. so glad he came to his senses and made a public apology.. like a commenter stated..
"this sincere apology. It takes a strong person to do this. Bravo!"
Mahalo for this, bravenak.. It's most heartening and encouraging. 
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Cha
(297,462 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)never from the "usual suspects". The ones that answered here, they are the real ones, positively speaking. The "usual suspects" are too blinded by their privilege to see the error of their way. There are some bonified racists in that group and no one who thinks can deny this. I imagine all the other liberal and progressives campaigns in this day and age of the New Jim Crow amerikkkan culture has their bigots. It's just a certain candidates supporters who are so holier than thou when it comes to racial issues and even when their candidate is tweaking his campaign and doing some soul searching, because of #Black Lives Matter, these clown here can't. This next 16 months or so will be an eye opener for those have have not been dealing with the kind of undercover racism that has keep racism from ever being taken seriously as a systemic and institutionalized problem that continues to kill beautiful people as children, young adults in their prime for no more than a forced traffic violation. From my 67 years here dealing with racist american culture and with the last 250-300 years generally, I will never trust this country to every do the right thing when it comes to racists and their presence among decent people. Most of white america could give a damn less if racism is conquered. It does not affect them. I'm not going to do much this election, but vote for whomever. If I am pleasantly surprised by a turn around of a candidate, some candor and honesty, that will be a plus. I'm going to be on the kick of pointing out the privileged and their whiny, transparent and self serving reasons as to why racism can never be conquered. I've seen that so much since that certain candidate stumbled during NN. I'm just going to vote, I'm done with the undercover racists of the Democratic Party. I'm not done pointing out their hypocrisy though...that's the fun part.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)This nation tells them that they are better and they absorb that message and constantly stress the rest of us out. I keep reminding them that this shit will never just go away and black folks just shut up. I try to tell them this nation will not hav a great white resurgence where they will go back to having the huge advantage they enjoyed back in the past. The nation is browning and they will have to learn to share and learn to shut up sometimes like the rest of us ALWAYS have to do.
AllFieldsRequired
(489 posts)I wonder if undercover is even right. But I get what you mean.
I am watching teaparty members try to "make hay" out of the racial discontent in the Democratic Party over the "Black Lives Matter" and Bernie issue.
It is the job of the white liberal to police his or her own party because we damn sure have enough to do dealing with the GOP and Teaparty element.
It is almost as if it doesnt matter what your political beliefs are, party affiliation, if you are white and you live in the United States Of America, you have issues with race, period.
Whether it be trying to maintain privilege or denying the existence of it.
I dont think any white politician is capable of seeing the issue and dealing with it the same way a black person or latino person would.
Look at what happens anytime President Obama comes even close to the race issue. On those rare occasions when he has dared to venture into that stream;
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/236721-george-zimmerman-bashes-obama-for-incendiary-remarks-on-trayvon
or any of these events of his presidency, if he goes anywhere near a shooting of a black person story, he is attacked, viciously.
President Obama seems to have been the target of relentless obstruction with the sole agenda of hurting his legacy.
Maybe this whole race problem isnt his to solve, maybe it is ours, us white people.
Stellar
(5,644 posts)That would be nice, but these people are EVERYWHERE. You can't turn around without somebody slamming you about their opinion that you did not agree with.
