For Those Who Still Believe People of Color Can’t Be Racist...

[bjorkfan]

Commentary: For Those Who Still Believe People of Color Can’t Be Racist, Sonia Pierre Has a Story for You

Date: Thursday, January 04, 2007

By: Gregory Kane, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Jeffrey Buchanan and I shot each other a glance. We could barely conceal the amazed looks on our faces.

We were listening to Sonia Pierre, a tall, slender black woman who was born in the Dominican Republic. But Pierre’s parents came from Haiti, which is on the western part of the island of Hispaniola shared by both countries. Pierre was talking about the racial classifications in the Dominican Republic.

“There is white, light Indian, dark Indian, trigeno — the color of cinnamon,” Pierre said. “There’s no recognition of Afro descent. What is black is Haitian.”

Pierre’s brief description of the bizarre racial situation in the Dominican Republic -- and “bizarre” might be too kind a word -- is what stunned me and Buchanan. I’m a 55-year-old black columnist. Buchanan is a young, white graduate of Johns Hopkins University. But we were both shocked to learn that there is at least one country with an even more wacky racial problem than our own.

Buchanan is the information officer for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. Every year, the organization gives out the RFK Human Rights Award. Pierre was the 2006 winner for her work in advocating for the rights of Haitian immigrants and Haitians born in the Dominican Republic. Pierre’s winning of the RFK Human Rights Award gets my vote for the most-ignored news story of 2006.

A Lexis Nexis search revealed only four stories about Pierre in 2006, two ran after she won the award, two before. Compare that to the hundreds of stories that ran about the plight of illegal immigrants in the United States.

Americans have had their humps busted lately about the supposedly disgraceful way we treat illegal immigrants, especially Latinos. But would any of those Latino illegal immigrants in the United States want to trade places with Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic? I think not. Those Latinos wouldn’t even want to swap places with native Dominicans who have Haitian ancestry.

Pierre, who was 43 when she received the RFK Human Rights Award in late November, was born on a batee in the Dominican Republic (A batee is a sugar plantation.). It was Haitian immigrants — documented and undocumented — who mainly worked those plantations. As she was growing up, Pierre saw how the Dominican plantation owners would treat the migrant Haitian workers “like their property.” She saw how those same owners and plantation supervisors would select the prettier Haitian women as sex slaves.

She remembers the Dominican field guards -- a veritable police force -- who “were very repressive and very anti-Haitian.” Seeing these abuses led Pierre to her first foray into political activism -- encouraging, at the age of 13, her fellow workers to strike.

These days Pierre uses her activism to fight for immigrant and citizenship rights for Haitian-Dominicans. Her mother, who’s lived on the same batee since 1951, can’t get legal documentation and still has to hide when Dominican government officials conduct deportation sweeps. In 1997, Pierre took up the case of two girls of Haitian descent who were born in the Dominican Republic who couldn’t get birth certificates and other documents showing that they were Dominican citizens, even though the law of the land says they are.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in 2005 that the Dominican Republic systematically denies Dominicans of Haitian descent citizenship based on race. Pierre received threats after the decision. The wording of the threats is most revealing.

“You that are trying to make our country blacker,” one caller said, “your children are going to pay for it.” The threat was made against Pierre’s four children.

“It’s evident that this situation happens because of racism,” Pierre said.

That “r” word is something most black Americans refuse to use unless we’re talking about white folks in America. We rarely, if ever, use it about other “people of color.” We assume that other “people of color” are cool with us, just because they’re “people of color.”

Pierre, growing up in the Dominican Republic, can’t afford such delusions. She knows the grief mixed-race black folks have given full-blooded black folks. And, being a descendant of Haitian parents, she probably knows the reverse is true.

There’s a story about how Toussaint Louverture, the Haitian slave who successfully led black armies to defeat Spanish, French and British expeditionary forces, asked his general Jean Jacques Dessalines why he had massacred both whites and mulattoes.

“I couldn’t tell the difference,” Dessalines is said to have answered.

It’s that kind of bad blood that feeds the racism in the Dominican Republic today. I tip my hat to Pierre for daring to speak out about it.


http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/sayitloud/kane104

[MadMaddie]

1. We suffer from the same type of racism within the black community

My mothers father was I think Cherokee and her mother black....my mother is very fair skinned for an African American....she is now 65...so when she was a child she used to have to fight to defend herself who picked on her because of her skin tone....so it goes on in America...

And then you have the reverse light black skinned models are preferred over dark skinned models....don't get me wrong there are black models but in comparison not many...

Oh well...it happens in all communities.

[bjorkfan]

3. Preference for fair females in black couplings

It seems to me that almost everytime there is a black couple in the movies or television, the female is noticeably lighter than the male. The Cosby Show, A Different World, Martin, Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids. What's funny about that is the white men I know who date black women have problem no seeing darked-skinned black women as attractive.

[MadMaddie]

4. You are absolutely correct...

This unfortunately goes back to America's history doesn't it...the lighter skinned slaves were made house slaves and the dark skinned slaves worked the fields....Even over 100 years later this has tainted American Blacks...we as a people have to move beyond hues and shades....if we expect others in the US to move beyond it.

[NOLALady]

5. Shades of Willie Lynch

[APGifts]

13. Historical TRUTH VS. MYTH & Legend

SOURCE:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/allpeople-gifts/the-facts-on-mixed-race/321878451159708
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.
Listed below are links to data on the Historical MYTH
of a Color-Based / Slave-Role HIERARCHY — as well
as the Urban LEGEND of Paper-Bag, Blue-Vein and
Other Allegations of Features-Based Entry ‘TESTS’:
.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4154
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4153
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/2885
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/2511
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1400
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
ALSO …. here is a brief COMMENTARY on … the constant
misapplication of the racist ‘One-Drop Rule’ ** (to the
people who are of any part-Black / Mixed-Race Lineage):

<** PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FACT THAT: [br />
The racist ‘one-drop’ “rule” was made ‘illegal’ in the U.S.
in 1967 by the U.S. Supreme Court via the ‘Loving vs. VA’ case
(i.e. The ‘Loving’ case) – where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled ...
--- 1) All ‘Anti-Miscegenation’ Laws found throughout the U.S.;
--- 2) The racist ‘VA Racial Integrity Act’ (upon which most
of the anti-miscegenation ‘laws’ were founded); and
--- 3) The ('black-lineage mocking' and exceedingly) racist
‘One-Drop Rule’ (upon which the ‘Act’ was based.)
… as being ‘UN-Constitutional’ (i.e. illegal, banned, etc.).]
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
THE FACTS are as follows:

1) It is often a surprise for people to learn that, in reality, there
is actually No Such Thing As a “Light Skinned Black” person.

2) Very few people seem to be aware of the fact that the term
“Light Skinned Black” is really nothing more than a racist
oxymoron created by Racial Supremacists in an effort to
forcibly deny those Mixed-Race individuals, who are of
a Multi-Generational Multiracially-Mixed (MGM-Mixed)
lineage, the right to fully embrace and to also received
public support in choosing to acknowledge the truth
regarding their full ancestral heritage and lineage.

3) The people who have been slapped with the false label and
oxymoronic misnomer of “Light Skinned Black” person are simply
Mixed-Race individuals — who are from families that have been
CONTINUALLY Mixed-Race THROUGHOUT multiple generations.

4) Seeing that every other Mixed-Race group is allowed the dignity
of receiving support in having itself referred to by the term that
it most prefers – the question becomes “Why should the
situation be any different for those Mixed-Race
individuals who are of an Multi-Generational
Multiracially-Mixed (MGM-Mixed) lineage?”.

5) If an MGM-Mixed individual would like to be referred to by the
term ‘Mixed-Race?? (which is what they actually are) rather than by
that of “Light-Skinned Black“ (a term, which, once again, has the
racist-origin of being nothing more than an oxymoronic-phrase that
was both created and coined by Racial Supremacists in an effort to
try to deny these Mixed-Race people their right to and support in
publicly acknowledging and also embracing their FULL-Lineage)
there is no reason that they (like every other group on the planet
– whether these groups are Mixed-Race or not) should not be
allowed the right to choose the term that society uses in referring
to them (and to have their full-lineage acknowledged within that term).
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
RELATED LINKS:
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4157
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/3331
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1399
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/2511
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1402
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1003
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/3998
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4065
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/3999
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1400

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

– AllPeople (AP) G.i.f.t.s.
[e-mail]
Founder and Moderator of the following
online Lineage-Discussion Communities
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed
http://www.youtube.com/user/APGifts
ts
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SOURCE:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/allpeople-gifts/the-facts-on-mixed-race/321878451159708

[azurnoir]

2. Old saying

If your yellow, you're an alright fellow
If your brown, stick around
If your black, stand back

That was pretty much the case in the old days

[ellacott]

6. It all depends on your definition of racism

Many people who say Blacks can't be racist do not use the same definition of that word that is widely accepted from the dictionary.

They say that Blacks can be prejudiced and bigoted. The example provided could be classified as prejudiced or bigoted.

[flashl]

7. Any thoughts on this?

Discussing the Jena Six controversy, CNN host Kyra Phillips said,

"Let's talk about the reality of the hate groups that are in that area and the reality of a mind-set that does exist." In response, conservative commentator Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson asserted: "I also agree that there are hate groups all around the country. There are skinheads, KKK, and the NAACP. The NAACP is a hate group as well."

Kyra Phillips video

---

I read: People of Color Who Never Felt They Were Black Racial Label Surprises Many Latino Immigrants, some time ago and found it interesting.

"I didn't realize I was black until I came here ".

That realization has come to hundreds of thousands of dark-complexioned immigrants to the United States from Brazil, Colombia, Panama and other Latin nations with sizable populations of African descent. Although most do not identify themselves as black, they are seen that way as soon as they set foot in North America.

[NOLALady]

8. The NAACP is a hate group as well."

:rofl:


"Although most do not identify themselves as black, they are seen that way as soon as they set foot in North America."

I first heard this from a lady in my genealogy group. While in Latin America, she was asked how did USA define Black Americans. She told them about the one drop rule of hypdescent. They replied that they also used a one drop rule but in reverse. If they had white ancestry, they identified as white.

I have a "white" daughter in law from Latin America. She came to one of our Club's social events and asked why weren't there more blacks there. I told her that most of the people there were Black. She seemed confused.

[Boojatta]

9. For those who say that people of color can’t be racists...

Colin Ferguson is a man who is known for shooting 25 people aboard a Long Island Rail Road train on December 7, 1993, killing six.

Trial testimony and notes found on his person indicated that he had planned the shootings in advance as a reaction to a number of personal slights and his perception that people and institutions were against him. Although his paranoid grievances centered on incidents that occurred in New York City and involved people of various races, he particularly focused his amorphous anger on white people. He decided that he wanted suburban Nassau County to be the "venue" for his actions, citing as one reason his desire that his crime not embarrass New York City mayor David Dinkins.

Ferguson boarded the 5:33 pm Hicksville Local commuter train out of New York's Penn Station. After the train entered Nassau County, he drew his legally purchased Ruger P-89 9mm pistol and walked down the aisle of the train, methodically shooting some passengers but not others. Not knowing the nature of the disturbance caused by the shootings, the engineer stopped and held the train at the Merillon Avenue station in Garden City, New York, where Ferguson was wrestled to the floor of the train by three men as he reloaded his weapon for the third time, and held him until the arrival of police.

Ferguson was convicted on February 17, 1995 of murder for the death of the six passengers who died of their injuries (Denis McCarthy, James Gorycki, Amy LoCicero, Theresa Magtoto, Richard Nettleton and Mikyung Kim) and additional charges for the nineteen who were wounded during the mass murder and received a life sentence for the crimes.

From:
www.physicsdaily.com/physics/Colin_Ferguson

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Leftist4Life]

11. some minorities bear "racist attitudes", but this article is missing the point

I think that it is evident that some minorities bear racist attitudes towards ONE ANOTHER. But the question is, where did those racist attitudes come from? They are embedded right into the WHITE POWER STRUCTURE which marginalizes them and encourages people to "act white" in order too get ahead in life. While it is still racism, it is arguably done more out of a need to survive within the said white power structure, rather than out of a conscious and willing decision, while on the other hand a white person who hates, say, African-Americans or Latinos, does it for the sole purpose of having someone to hate.

Now whether or not minorities can be "racist" towards the racists themselves is an entirely different story. Is it just retaliation for past injustices? Or is it merely a consequence of preconcieved notions and prejudices.

[Quartermass]

12. Sigh

There's is a lot of racism and bigotry in America period. I'd love to see the end of it all and people learn to let other people be.