Why Does Racism Exist?

[Dawn Moline]

And now, let us see if we can actually have an intelligent conversation about racism - and I welcome all opinions. Someone once told me the other day that the excuse for racism is that it (in anger), it is the simplest, easiest, most succinct way to cut someone to the quick.

But that doesn't quite cover it. Many words, many insults have been used in everyday conversation, without any anger associated with it at all. Do each of us really have those thoughts, or do we simply get them from our parents?

I like to imagine us someday in an era where color isn't ever considered at all, I'm not sure that day will ever come - not in my lifetime anyway.

The following will present some of the most famous incidents of modern times:

[Dawn Moline]

"Kramer's" Racist Tirade -- Caught on Tape
Posted Nov 20th 2006 8:30AM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: Train Wrecks

WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL

Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. Kyle Doss, an African-American, told TMZ he and some friends were in the cheap seats and he was playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it.

The camera started rolling just as Richards began his attack, screaming at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."

Richards continued, "You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a ******! He's a ******! He's a ******! A ******, look, there's a ******!"

The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a ******."

One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary."

After the three-minute tirade, it appears the majority of the audience members got up and left in disgust.

Attempts to reach Richards' reps were unsuccessful.

http://www.tmz.com/2006/11/20/kramers-racist-tirade-caught-on-tape/

[Dawn Moline]

Mel Gibson DUI, Racism, Anti-Semitism
Posted in Actors, Crime by Elliott Back on July 29th, 2006. [Del.icio.us]

After being detained by police on suspicion of DUI, it was discovered that Mel Gibson was driving with a blood alcohol content of .12, where the state legal limit is .08. According to TMZ, Mel spewed racial epithets throughout the arrest, a fact the police covered up after the fact.


A screen from Apocalypto, Mel Gibson’s new movie

According to the original uncensored police report, Mel Gibson repeatedly said “My life is f****d” and became increasingly agitated. When asked to cooperatively step into the officer’s car, he allegedly said “”I’m not going to get in your car” and bolted. After being subdued and on the way to station, and inside the station itself, Gibson became difficult. Here’ some of what he said:

You mother f****r. I’m going to f*** you.
F*****g Jews… The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.
Are you a Jew?
What do you think you’re looking at, sugar ****?
According to the TMZ, the original report was covered up because it would cause too much scandal:

Deputy Mee then wrote an eight-page report detailing Gibson’s rampage and comments. Sources say the sergeant on duty felt it was too “inflammatory” [… and] would incite a lot of “Jewish hatred,” that the situation in Israel was “way too inflammatory.” It was mentioned several times that Gibson, who wrote, directed, and produced 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ,” had incited “anti-Jewish sentiment” and “For a drunk driving arrest, is this really worth all that?”

Personally, you’d think that the police would be on the side of Truth and Justice than on covering up what a celebrity drunk said about a race. The shame is on Mel Gibson, not America.

http://gossip.elliottback.com/2006/07/29/mel-gibson-dui-racism-anti-semitism/

[Dawn Moline]

Racism and Harold Ford

His loss in the Tennessee Senate race taught a bad lesson. Quite simply, if he were white, he would have won

By TA-NEHISI COATES
SUBSCRIBE TO TIMEPRINTE-MAILMORE BY AUTHOR
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 08, 2006
For almost a day now, I've been stewing over Harold Ford. I wasn't particularly rooting for him, given that I agree with only about 30% of anything I've ever heard him say. I also question the house logic that a Ford victory would have represented some sort of great achievement for African Americans. Even if he won, the sun would still come up; we'd still have to deal with dumb bosses, intractable kids and spouses who talk past us. So I was apathetic about a Ford victory. But it's hard to take him losing like this. I'm skeptical of anyone who pins their misfortune exclusively on the color of their skin. But in Harold Ford's case, the awful truth is simple: if he were white, he would have won.

When I first saw the infamous "Harold, call me" ad, I perhaps gave too much credit to the electorate. Ford had opened a small lead at the time, and I dismissed the pundits who argued that the polls were overestimating the willingness of white voters to endorse a black candidate. The ad's obvious appeal to racist stereotypes won't make a dent, I thought.

Ford's loss doesn't mean that we're back in 1956. But to lose over the ancient fear of miscegenation is ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as the G.O.P.'s attempts to woo blacks across the country. This was the year when President Bush addressed the NAACP, Ken Mehlman made very big appeals to African Americans, and Republicans fielded a dazzling array of black candidates. But all of them, with the exception of Michael Steele, lost by large margins. Steele came close to beating his Democratic opponent in the Maryland Senate race, Ben Cardin, but black voters still went for Cardin by a three-to-one margin, according to the Washington Post. It's not that African Americans necessarily reject a Republican agenda, but that they suspect Republicans have no qualms about appealing to the lower instincts of bigots. And the Ford race proved them right.

Ford wasn't above appealing to lower instincts himself. His campaign had no problem deploying the vague rhetoric of family, in hopes of demonstrating that a Democrat could be staunch in discriminating against gays. Ultimately Ford's hope was to build a rainbow coalition, one that would unite rednecks and the ghetto in mutual homophobia. If I lived in Tennessee, I couldn't have voted for either Ford or his opponent, Bob Corker. That doesn't make the style of Ford's defeat any less disappointing. But at least it makes it poetic.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1557013,00.html

[Dawn Moline]

THREE DAYS OF HELL IN LOS ANGELES
A Series of Reports prepared by the Emergencynet News Service (ENN) in "real-time" as the events were unfolding.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-EMERGENCYNET NEWS SVC.-04/29/92-2145CDT


L.A. POLICE ACQUITTED, RIOTING STRIKES S.E. LOS ANGELES
By Clark Staten

Los Angeles, CA - In an unexpected climax to a year of racial strife surrounding the alleged L.A.P.D. beating of Rodney King, a jury of six men and six women found the officers not guilty. The jurors were unable to reach a conclusion regarding one charge against Officer Laurence Powell, age 29, for using excessive force under the color of authority. A mistrial was declared by Judge Stanley Weisberg on that one count, with eight jurors voting for acquittal and four for a guilty verdict.

Sgt. Stacey Koon, Officer Theodore Briseno, and Officer Timothy Wind were found completely not quilty on all counts of official misconduct, excessive force, filing false police reports, and assault with a deadly weapon. District Attorney Ira Reiner said that no decision had been reached in regard to whether or not to retry Officer Powell on the one count that was declared indecisive.

An eighty-one second video tape, captured by a concerned citizen, sparked the controversy regarding police brutality and led to eventual indictments of the officers. Many months of investigation, charges, and counter-charges followed the release of the video tape. Various segments of the community in Los Angeles were polarized as the details of the played out daily on local television stations.

A trial ensued. It was moved to suburban Simi Valley, CA, due to pre-trial publicity and the seemingly premature release of the now "infamous" tape of the police wielding batons and striking King repeatedly. A jury was chosen that contained eleven white jurors and one of Philipino descent. Black civil rights activists complained that no blacks were chosen for the jury and that the choice of jurors was another example of racism.

The trial and surrounding investigations also sparked unprecedented criticism of Police Chief Daryl Gates and the entire Los Angeles Police Department. The Christopher Commission was formed and did find occasions of racism and institutional brutality. Police officers in Los Angeles were also found to have used official computer systems for insensitive and racist remarks. Calls were received for the resignation of the Chief Gates.

Lawyers for the officers charged in the allegations argued that the policemen believed that King was acting under the influence of the animal tranquilizer PCP, which often causes violent and unpredictable behavior that has resulted in the injury of numerous emergency responders and law enforcement officers. They also testified as to King's combativeness that didn't appear on the tape. King was not found to have been using PCP, but was found to have a blood alcohol level of.19, which is more than double that allowed in most states as indicative of "drunken driving". The evidence was weighed and the jury found the four officer not quilty after seven days of deliberations.

A reaction to the acquittal of the four officers was immediately received from blacks and civilrights activists. The Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, said; "We must express our profound anger and outrage (at the acquittal), but we also must not endanger the reforms that we have made by striking out blindly". He continued, "We must demand that the L.A.P.D. fire the officers who beat Rodney King and take them off the streets once and for all".

California State Senator Ed Smith said that he was also shocked. Smith was quoted by the United Press as saying, "It's hard to beleive that there was no sustaining of the charges at all...the world saw the videotape and if that conduct is sanctioned by law in California, then we have to re-write the law". Exec. Director Ramona Ripston of the American Civil Liberties Union called the verdicts "a travesty of justice".


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http://www.emergency.com/la-riots.htm

[Dawn Moline]

Response to the Jury Verdict

According to late afternoon and early evening news reports, citizens of the Southeast and Southcentral area of Los Angeles have decided that they can't wait for laws to be changed. Reportedly, numerous occasions of rioting, arson, and looting are taking place at the time of this report. Live helicopter news reports showed the air over several neighborhoods appeared to be filled with smoke. Los Angeles Fire Department officials report that as many as nine (9) large stores are burning, and that numerous cars have been "torched" in an attempt to block intersections.

The Los Angeles Police 77th Station is said to have requested reinforcements due to the violence that is believed sparked by the police acquittal. The Cable News Network (CNN) reported that they had received a report of "white motorists" being pulled from their cars and "beaten" by a crowd of black youths. No official source would confirm the type of injuries in the area of the disturbance, but an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) source said that the situation was "extremely fluid" and that fire department medic units had been called to several locations.

A L.A.P.D. police sergeant, who asked not to be identified, said that the police department was activating a "tactical recall", which would cancel days off for all police officers and cause them to immediately report for work. Officers were seen at several locations to be wearing the standard "riot gear" that is used during periods of unrest and to protect officers was assaults. A Los Angeles Television station (KTLA) is reporting that few officers were in evidence in the area of the reported violence and looting, but that they appeared to be assembling at area police stations.

As the story continues to unfold, senseless violence seems to beget senseless violence. Parker Center in downtown Los Angeles reportedly has been under "seige" by a large crowd of protestors since shortly after the jury's announcement. Several reports of arrests have been received, but most observers agree that the police officers there appear subdued and restrained in their actions. Sporadic events of violence and arson, in predomantly black neighborhoods, continue to be reported.

One witness said that the atmosphere and conditions were reminiscent of those at the onset of the "Watts Riots" that shook Los Angeles following the death of Martin Luther King. City residents are said to be "holding their breath" and praying that the seemingly isolated "lawlessness" doesn't spread to engulf the entire city in vengence for the actions of a jury that made a decision.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-EMERGENCYNET NEWS SVC.-04/30/92-1700CDT

[Dawn Moline]

MAJOR RIOT IN LOS ANGELES, THIRTEEN DEAD, 192 INJURIED

Los Angeles, CA - Following a jury verdict which acquitted four L.A.P.D. officers of charges resulting from the video- taped beating of motorist Rodney King, Southcentral Los Angeles erupted in a violent and deadly outburst of arson and shooting. Local police and emergency medical services officials report the deaths of as many as nine (9) people and injuries to another 138.
As the sun rose over Los Angeles, more than forty (40) major fires still burned out of control. They were part of an estimated 140 fires that were set in the Southeast and Southcentral parts of the city. During the night, firefighters and paramedics were hardpressed to keep up with the requests for emergency response to more than 140 fires. Reportedly, they came under sniper fire on several occasions, from rooftops surrounding the fire scenes. One Los Angeles firefighter is reported in stable, but serious, condition at an area hospital following his being shot in the face while fighting a blaze.
According to a police spokesman at least five (5) people have been shot by police and one was killed in a gun-battle in the city's Inglewood area. A spokesperson for the Daniel Freeman Hospital says that they have treated at least fifty (50) citizens with "riot-related" injuries. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) officers say that all available city ambulances are "on calls" and that mutual aid from Los Angeles County and Orange County has been requested. At least 192 people are reported to have been taken to various hospitals in the L.A. metropolitan area.
Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley has been following the rsie of violence and has repeatedly called for calm among the city's black citizens. Observers report, however, that many of those participating in looting and arson are not black, but rather, youths of hispanic and caucasian origin. Reports were also received that numerous reputed "street gang" members were seen to be participating in the violence and shooting.
Mayor Bradley is said to have declared a local "State Of Emergency" and requested a California disaster declaration. Mayor Bradley is also reported to have issued a "dusk to dawn" curfew which prohibits people from being on the street during nighttime hours. He also issued orders prohibiting the sale of firearms and gasoline (other than into vehicle tanks) to Los Angeles citizens. The Mayor also announced that all Catholic and public schools in the Southern part of Los Angeles have been closed and will not reopen until further notice.
According to California Governor Pete Wilson, he has activated more than 2,000 National Guardsmen to help quell the rampage in Los Angeles. The Guardsman are reportedly members of Military Police Units and are said to be armed with sidearms and M-16 rifles. Police spokespersons indicate that the Gueardsmen have not been used for law enforcement duties, but to secure areas that have been previously cleared by police. An unidentified Army Sergeant was reported to have said that the guard is "on stand-by" awaiting the orders of police officials.
As the morning progressed, numerous eyewitness reports of additional looting were seen on KPLA T.V. and the Cable News Network. Hundreds of citizens of all colors were seen to be breaking into stores, almost at will, and leaving with armloads of merchandise. Several new fires were reported by the L.A. Fire Dept., these in addition to those that still burned out of control in several locations. Fire Chief Donald Manning appealed to L.A. citizens to discontinue the practice of assaulting and shooting at firefighters who were attempting to fight the conflagrations.
In afternoon developments, the Bank of America is reported to have been closing all of it's Los Angeles branch banks and moving money to safer locations, away from the chaos that is spreading through various neighborhoods. Other businesses are said to be closing and boarding up their windows in an attempt to prevent future looting. Reports were received that the crowds of looters were said to be moving into an area on Hollywood Blvd. and that the thievery seems to be spreading as the day progresses.
As lawlessness continued, President George Bush called for calm and a stop to "anarchy" on the streets of Los Angeles. He said that he had conferred with U.S. Attorney william Barr, Mayor Tom Bradley, and Governor Pete Wilson in an effort to provide whatever assistance might be needed to stop the senseless arson, violence, and looting. President Bush is said to have several key staff members monitoring the situation closely and available to provide federal assistance should it be needed.
An unidentified Los Angeles Police officer provided a concise commentary on the state of affairs in Los Angeles; "Things are totally out of control here... and we expect it to get worse when it gets dark...I hope we all live to see tommorow".
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-EMERGENCYNET NEWS SVC.-05/01/92-2200CDT
L.A. INSURRECTION SURPASSES 1965 WATTS RIOTS, 38 DEAD, MORE THAN 1,200 INJURED
By: Clark Staten, EMT-P
Los Angeles, CA - The latest reported deaths in Los Angeles bring to thirty-eight the total that have been killed as the result of the fires, riots, and shooting that has plagued this second largest American city. The death toll has risen following another night of violence and mayhem that is said, by some, to be the consequences for the acquittal of four L.A.P.D. officers in Simi Valley, CA on Wednesday.
The current totals of dead, injuried and damage done now exceed those that occured in 1965, when residents of the Watts section of Los Angeles erupted after the arrest of a black man by a white highway patrol officer. Thirty-four (34) people died in the following six-days of chaos, 1,000 were injuried, and $200 miilion dollars in damage was done. Older eyewitnesses say that the most current riots far exceed the days of the Watts riots, both in intensity and level of violence.
As 4,000 regular Army troops and 1,000 federal law enforcement officers move into Los Angeles, people have begun to actually assess the severity of this latest day of "revolution". They find thirty-eight (38) people dead, 1,250 people injuried, 3,600 structural fires, hundreds of businesses looted and closed, and more than 3,000 people arrested. At least four (4) police officers and three (3) firefighters have been shot and hundreds of other injuried as they attempted to control the fires and lawlessness of the past three days.
A "Dusk to Dawn" curfew has been imposed by Mayor Tom Bradley, in an effort to prevent citizens from congregating into the groups that have controlled the streets in recent days. The curfew also finally has "teeth" as 4,000 California National Guardsmen assist the police in securing areas of previous violence. This evening, the National Guard Units were also "federalized" by President Bush and supplemented by another 4,000 Army and Marine troops with orders to act as "Light-Infantry" and to "return fire if fired upon".
Reports are received at the time of this report that authorities may be gaining a tactical advantage and that, with the help of an added 9,000 law enforcement and military personnel, the situation may be under control by the weekend. According to current reports, there have been fewer fires and shooting incidents since the curfew was instituted on Friday evening.
The wave of destruction, which had spread from Southcentral Los Angeles to Downtown, to Pasadena, to Hollywood, and to Koreatown, has not always seemed just a response to the Rodney King verdict. Often in it's intensity, the "rioting beast" did not pay attention to the race, color, or creed of it's victims; it struck indiscriminately. Early video tapes of the "rioters" sometimes showed middle class white youths, street gang members, and those that have been associated with radical organizations such as the American Communist Party.
Differing agendas seemed to be "at play" in differing circumstances. Much looting appeared to "opportunistic" in scope and origin. Entire families were seen working together to steal from stores in their own neighborhoods. Often, what was being stolen was not of any necessity, but rather luxury items such as designer gym shoes, radios, and starter jackets. Frequently, it just appeared that it was those "without" were taking from those "with", because they could.
In other situations, the anger and frustration was expressed by pulling white motorists from cars and trucks and brutally beating and kicking them. In one such case, Reginald Oliver Denny, was pulled from his truck as he stopped to prevent hitting looters who filled the street. The incident was captured by a helicopter television news crew as it occured and was broadcast live. Some viewers said that the violence that was portrayed was as "violent and sickening" as any that occured to Rodney King. Denny was taken to Daniel Freeman Hospital after the furious beating, and has been upgraded from critical to serious, following brain sugery to remove a blood clot.
Arson was another way that some people vented their rage of various kinds. Fire Chief Donald Manning was quoted as saying that the Los Angeles Fire Dept. has responded to more than 3,600 fires in the past three days. Further, he commented that at given times during the past two days, the L.A.F.D. was receiving calls for three (3) fires every minute. He said that this level of need for service far exceeded the department's ability to respond and that this call volume was five (5) times that of normal.
Manning said that additional fire units were called from all over California to help fight the conflagrations that spread through neighborhood after neighborhood. Efforts were also reportedly hampered on numerous occasions by sniper fire and direct confrontations against firefighters. One firefighter was quoted as saying yesterday; "I'd feel a lot more secure if they gave me a rifle". He was responding to the fact that at least three firefighters have been reportedly shot while in the performance of their duties, and that often police officers were not available to accompany and protect fire units while they performed their already dangerous duties.
Los Angeles Police say that the circumstances also "unleashed" criminals, street gangs, and others who's only motive in involvement in the riots was that of profit. They point out the fact that this was also felt to be the perfect opportunity to justify acts of violence, by street gang members, against members of the police department. Police Chief Daryl Gates admitted that on several occasions his forces had also been "overwhelmed" and unable to respond to even calls for assistance from fellow officers and firefighters. This reportedly enabled those that would engage in revenge against any official agency to feel that they could do so with impunity.
As the senseless violence reached it's peak in Los Angeles on Thursday night, reports began to be received that it had spread to other cities and states across the country.
• 1. In Northern California, 1,400 people were arrested in San Francisco as rioting engulfed the city's downtown area. A State of Emergency was declared there and a curfew established.
• 2. In Los Vegas, a mob of two-hundred (200) people went on a rampage, setting fires, and engaged in sniper fire and drive-by shootings. Local law enforcement officials admitted that they were overwhelmed and requested the activation of the Nevada National Guard. The Governor complied and control has reportedly been somewhat re- established. Reports were received of several arson fires.
• (3.) Seattle was struck by mobs of 50-100 people, who randomly broke windows and and looted numerous cars in downtown Seattle during the night Thursday and early Friday. Police say that forty-five (45) people were arrested and five (5) injuried during the violent spree. Firefighters responded to twenty-eight (28) fire calls during the unrest, including five (5) buildings that were termed "suspicious in nature".
• (4.) Further East, Black protestors in New York City reportedly pulled two white men from a truck, stabbed one and beat the other. An estimated two-hundred (200) protestors attacked the doors at Madison Square Gardens causing injuries and property damage. Another crowd of four-hundred (400) black youths reportedly stormed a popular shopping mall and smashed windows and stole merchandise. Shops and businesses were damaged as the "melee" traveled over several blocks. As many as eighty (80) arrests were made and several police officers injuried. Many NYC employers were said to have released workers from work early to avoid further occurances.
• (5.) Police in Atlanta, GA were confronted on Friday, by hundreds of black protestors. This followed a night of three-hundred (300) arrests and fifty-seven (57) injuries. It also prompted the use of teargas and a call for the Georgia National Guard to help combat large crowds of people looting and throwing rocks and bricks. Mayor Maynard Jackson called for calm and understanding, as he counselled college students that had originally begun peaceful protests which escalated into wide-spread violence.
Sporadic acts of violence, arson, and property damage were also associated with the Los Angeles Riots in such cities as Tampa, FL, Pittsburg, PA, Birmingham, MS, Omaha, NE, and several other locations.
As night settled over several cities, residents took to their homes, prayed for an end to senseless violence, and waited for the morning light to see if the fragile peace was to endure. Fire, Police, and EMS Officials hoped for even a brief respite from the constant stress and danger of angry citizens and harrowing rescues. Everyone wished that the madness would be over.
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http://www.emergency.com/la-riots.htm

[Dawn Moline]

The History of Apartheid in South Africa

South Africa (see map) is a country blessed with an abundance of natural resources including fertile farmlands and unique mineral resources. South African mines are world leaders in the production of diamonds and gold as well as strategic metals such as platinum. The climate is mild, reportedly resembling the San Francisco bay area weather more than anywhere in the world.

South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the seventeenth century. English domination of the Dutch descendents (known as Boers or Afrikaners) resulted in the Dutch establishing the new colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal. The discovery of diamonds in these lands around 1900 resulted in an English invasion which sparked the Boer War. Following independence from England, an uneasy power-sharing between the two groups held sway until the 1940's, when the Afrikaner National Party was able to gain a strong majority. Strategists in the National Party invented apartheid as a means to cement their control over the economic and social system. Initially, aim of the apartheid was to maintain white domination while extending racial separation. Starting in the 60's, a plan of ``Grand Apartheid'' was executed, emphasizing territorial separation and police repression.

With the enactment of apartheid laws in 1948, racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the sanctioning of ``white-only'' jobs. In 1950, the Population Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent). The coloured category included major subgroups of Indians and Asians. Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance, and descent. For example, a white person was defined as ``in appearance obviously a white person or generally accepted as a white person.'' A person could not be considered white if one of his or her parents were non-white. The determination that a person was ``obviously white'' would take into account ``his habits, education, and speech and deportment and demeanor.'' A black person would be of or accepted as a member of an African tribe or race, and a colored person is one that is not black or white. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. All blacks were required to carry ``pass books'' containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas.

In 1951, the Bantu Authorities Act established a basis for ethnic government in African reserves, known as ``homelands.'' These homelands were independent states to which each African was assigned by the government according to the record of origin (which was frequently inaccurate). All political rights, including voting, held by an African were restricted to the designated homeland. The idea was that they would be citizens of the homeland, losing their citizenship in South Africa and any right of involvement with the South African Parliament which held complete hegemony over the homelands. From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were created, denationalizing nine million South Africans. The homeland administrations refused the nominal independence, maintaining pressure for political rights within the country as a whole. Nevertheless, Africans living in the homelands needed passports to enter South Africa: aliens in their own country.

In 1953, the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed, which empowered the government to declare stringent states of emergency and increased penalties for protesting against or supporting the repeal of a law. The penalties included fines, imprisonment and whippings. In 1960, a large group of blacks in Sharpeville refused to carry their passes; the government declared a state of emergency. The emergency lasted for 156 days, leaving 69 people dead and 187 people wounded. Wielding the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the white regime had no intention of changing the unjust laws of apartheid.



The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent protest, were severe. During the states of emergency which continued intermittently until 1989, anyone could be detained without a hearing by a low-level police official for up to six months. Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently after gruesome acts of torture. Those who were tried were sentenced to death, banished, or imprisoned for life, like Nelson Mandela.

http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html

[Dawn Moline]

Timeline of South African Apartheid


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1841

DavidLivingstone went to Africa to preach the gospel, he was convincedthat only British government was strong enough to end the slavetrade.

1869

French built a canal across the Isthmus of the Suez.

1872

In orderto incourage trade and exploration, Henry Stanley toldManchester business leaders. "There are 40 million people beyond theCongo".

1875

Europeans c! ontr olled less than 10 percent of the continent.

1884 & 1885

European countries met in Berlin to lay down rules for the newcompetition for lands in South Africa.

1900

An agreement was signed that gave British a privileged position inthe British colony of Uganda.

1900

90 percent of Africa was divided into colonies.

1948

The South African government began to limit the freedom of blackAfricans even more when it launched a system of apartheid.

1952

Nelson Mandela and Tambo opens the first black legal firm in SouthAfrica.

1956

Nelson Mandela was charged with high treason and found not guilty.

1959

The parliament passed new laws extending racial segregation bycreating separate bantustans, or homelands, for South Africa's majorblack groups.

1960

Black protests against apartheid reached a pea! k wh en in anincident called sharpeville massacre, police killed 69 people.

1962

Nelson Mandela was arrested & sentenced to life imprisonment

1965

Rhodesia gained its independence. Only whites were represented inthe new government.

1974

Because of apartheid the country was expelled from united nations.

1976

More than 600 students were killed in Soweto and Sharpeville.

1977

The leader of the protests, Steve Biko, was killed in policecustody.

1980

Zimbabwe gains independence. After, sporadic outbursts ofviolence.

1981

The Dumbutshena Report is commissioned by the government toinvestigate events surrounding the Entumbane uprising

1982

CCJP sends a confidential report to the prime minister expressingconcern at army excesses. Government reinstates the Indemnity andCompensation Bill first us! ed in 1975, granting immunity fromprosecution to government a gencies.

1983

The government allows farmers to re-arm, to protect themselvesfrom dissidents.

1984

It is declared that since 1983, dissidents have murdered 120,mutilated 25, raped 47, and committed 284 robberies.

1986

ZIPRA commanders in jail for 4 years are released.

1987

It is announced at a rally in Bulawayo that Unity is imminent.

1988

An Amnesty is announced for all dissidents, and 122 surrender.

1990

The state of Emergency is not renewed.

1990

De Klerk lifted the ban outlawing theAfrican National Congress(ANC).

1990

De Klerk frees Mandela from prison.

1991

Nelson Mandela became President of theANC

1991

International Olympics Committee lifted a 21 year ban barringSouth African athletes from Olympic Games.

1994

Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as President of SouthAfrica.

http://www3.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/nph/twt/apart/timeline.htm

[Dawn Moline]

Martin Luther King:
The I Have a Dream Speech
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In 1950's America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color, blacks, Hispanics, Orientals, were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950's were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education; and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950's and the 1960's. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, raising the ire of local officials who sicced water cannon and police dogs on the marchers, whose ranks included teenagers and children. The bad publicity and break-down of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some anti-segregation demands.

Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, where he was arrested and jailed, King organized a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he evoked the name of Lincoln in his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The following is the exact text of the spoken speech, transcribed from recordings.


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I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"[/b]

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http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

[Dawn Moline]

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
From Jennifer Rosenberg,

At 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, King was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel.
At 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, a shot rang out. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who had been standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, now lay sprawled on the balcony's floor. A gaping wound covered a large portion of his jaw and neck. A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper's bullet.

Violence and controversy followed. In outrage of the murder, many blacks took to the streets across the country in a massive wave of riots. The FBI investigated the crime, but many believed them partially of fully responsible for the assassination. A man was arrested, but many people, including some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s own family, believe he was innocent.

What happened that evening?

A Dedicated Leader

When Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as the leader of the a Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, he began a long tenure as the spokesperson for nonviolent protest in the Civil Rights Movement. As a Baptist minister, he was a moral leader to the community. Plus, he was charismatic and had a powerful way of speaking. He was also a man of vision and determination. He never stopped dreaming of what could be.

Yet he was a man, not a God. He was most often overworked and overtired. And he had a fondness for the private company of women. And though he was the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, he did not have complete control over the Civil Rights Movement.

By 1968, violence had edged its way into the movement. Black Panther Party members carried loaded weapons; riots had erupted across the country; and numerous civil rights organizations had taken up the mantra "Black Power!"

Yet Martin Luther King held strong to his beliefs, even as he saw the Civil Rights Movement being torn in two. Violence is what brought King back to Memphis in April 1968.

Striking Sanitation Workers in Memphis

On February 12, thirteen hundred African-American sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike. Though there had been a long history of grievances, the strike was begun as a response to a January 31 incident in which 22 black sanitation workers were sent home without pay during bad weather while all the white workers remained on the job. When the City of Memphis refused to negotiate with the 1,300 striking workers, King and other civil rights leaders were asked to visit Memphis in support.

On Monday, March 18, King managed to fit in a quick stop in Memphis, where he spoke to over 15,000 who had gathered at Mason Temple. Ten days later, King arrived in Memphis to lead a march in support of the striking workers. Unfortunately, as King led the crowd, a few of the protestors got rowdy and smashed the windows of a storefront. The violence spread and soon countless others had taken up sticks and were breaking windows and looting stores.

Police moved in to disperse the crowd. Some of the marchers threw stones at the police. The police responded with tear gas and nightsticks. At least one of the marchers was shot and killed.

King was extremely distressed at the violence that had erupted in his own march and became determined not to let violence prevail. He scheduled another march in Memphis for April 8.

On April 3, King arrived in Memphis a little later than planned because there had been a bomb threat for his flight before takeoff. That evening, King delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech to a relatively small crowd that had braved the bad weather to hear King speak. King's thoughts were obviously on his mortality, for he discussed the plane threat as well as the time he had been stabbed. He concluded the speech with


Well, I don't know what will happen now; we've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life - longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the Promised Land. And so I'm happy tonight; I'm not worried about anything; I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
After the speech, King went back to the Lorraine Motel to rest.

http://history1900s.about.com/cs/martinlutherking/a/mlkassass.htm

[Jake]

I feel that racisim exists because the vast majority of the people on this planet are, for lack of a more eloqeunt word, stupid. I honestly believe that the majority of people alive today have, quite literally, a double digit IQ. Racism would cease to exist if we all came to grips with the fact that there are clear differences between us. Pretending that we are all the same is delusional. I don't think we should be color blind, I think we need to open our eyes to the full spectrum. Then people would be able to respect that for all the differences there may be we are all just bipedal hominades. Different sizes and colors make life interesting, and worth living.

Jake

[HereForNow]

I feel that racisim exists because the vast majority of the people on this planet are, for lack of a more eloqeunt word, stupid. I honestly believe that the majority of people alive today have, quite literally, a double digit IQ. Racism would cease to exist if we all came to grips with the fact that there are clear differences between us.
Jake

Yet the word stupid is descibing one of these differences......

Besides, those people who have IQ's beyond 99 have only accomplished a better way of doing really stupid things.
I do agree that we are all different though. Emotion is something that is often felt the same.
And that is what I consider in my dealings with others.

[Volitzer]

It's not so much race but the whole ghetto scene and attitude they have that people despise.  It's the same thing as an uneducated reddneck hick from the country.

What's odd is that those races of people who occupy ghettos and act all ghetto are the same ones that push their race card agenda.

[HereForNow]

I know alot of people with that mantality and if you are real with them and treat them with the same respect you demand of them, it tends to follow suit. I'm poor, and yet I've adapted more to life long learning.
Others who have been poor their whole life, tend to beleive that this way of life is all they will ever be.
I have 5 teen-age guys who help me all the time with remodeling and land-scaping. These kids all work jobs now, and have become great providers for their families.
 It took this old head as they call me, to just take the time to show them more.
Not tell them. Show them! One more thing I've adapted to very well is the way all these culturally different people and I help each other without a singal red cent needing to be exchanged. We barter with just about everything.
 When something major comes up like a house fire or foreclosure, no one yet has turned their backs on these people.
Racism is a joke to most of us because it doesn't dwell among us.
I laugh about being called uncle cracker, and my good friend "M", cracks up at me when I joke and call him a border jumper....



I lead by example, and now I have these young men interested in more then hangin out and lookin tough.
They even take interest in ghost hunting.  LOL


They started off being friends with my younger brother in law and now they ask for me when they need someone to talk to about things.
 
They call me dad....
Fear is why there is hatred in racism.
End the fear by teaching these kids something besides hating white people or any other nationality.
They have all the potential that we do and more if your willing to let go and just love them.
I did, and I used to despise these kids for the same reasons they despised me.
Now for the life of me, I can't remember why I didn't like them. Maybe, I just stopped looking at them on the outside and saw the baby that they once was.
I am poverty level by American standards but I am glad for this. It to taught me that I am not always going to get what I want. Yet, I want and like what I have more because of this.

It's what I taught all my "young bucks", and now they respect themselves and the community more.
For a poverty neighborhood, I can boost that is it one of the cleanest neighborhoods in Erie.
For once we are all coming together because these kids are creating positives alternatives to what they have known from the past.

Again, this very small step that myself and my neighbors have taking has broken down many of those formerly racisist blocks that used to be there. This is starting to touch more and more of our neighbors and it's exciting for me.
People aren't locking themselves in their homes anymore. They are out there with their neighbor ready to lend a hand with anything.

Black and whites alike do know that their are meaningless differences between them and yet it doesn't even matter.
We are all close friends who can get lots of things accomplished in a singal day without a singal argument.
I look forward to seeing them outside. Especially when it comes to carrying 1/2 sheetrock  up to the second floor of my home.   LOL

Ofcourse because they are younger, the look of dread is also something to look forward to when they are carrying the next 3 sheets at a time. I smile and tell them to keep it simple and leave the ego at the curb.