THE RIGHT ANGLE: Refuting accusations of racism - Opinions
I have come to realize that my last column has generated a great deal of controversy, and I would like to take this time, if I may, to explain myself in greater detail.
I have been approached by several students in the last week saying that they found the views expressed in my previous column to be racist. I would like to apologize to anyone who took them in that way. My column was not intended to be racist, and had I known it would be taken that way, I would not have written it. My overall objective was to express my disapproval with Angela Davis as the school's choice for a MLK Day speaker. It was my opinion that a more fitting speaker could have been chosen, and I stand by that opinion.
I have received a lot of emails asking me what I meant specifically when I used the word "sheep" in my last column. A lot of students took that to mean that I was referring to the entire audience, which was predominantly African-American. I was actually referring to the many people who seemed to be deeply engrossed in the socialist propaganda that had been handed out at the entrance to the event. I apologize profusely to anyone who thought I was making a racist comment with that statement. I tend to use the word "sheep" to represent anyone who adheres to the socialist ideals, whether they be white, black, or purple with yellow polka dots, and I saw audience members of ALL backgrounds reading the newsletter.
Some people have also accused me of saying that racism is not a problem in America today. On the contrary, I realize that racism IS a problem in America, but I feel that Angela Davis used that racism to promote socialism. The race issue is a touchy one, and I don't know for sure if it will ever be solved, but I do not think that socialism would eradicate racism, as I think Davis tried to imply.
The reason I felt the need to write out this apology is because I know I would not want to feel that my race or gender had been targeted by a student columnist. As a woman, I myself am from a historically disadvantaged group, and if a male columnist had made statements that I found to be sexist, I'm sure I would be angry as well as hurt. I never wanted to put anyone through that, and I'm very sorry if I did.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
An Evening With Angela Davis
THE RIGHT ANGLE: An evening with Angela Davis - Opinions
In last week's column, I suggested that Angela Davis might not be the best choice for a Martin Luther King Day speaker. While many people agreed with me, there were also those who tried to tell me that a person did not have to necessarily emulate Dr. King in order to speak in honor of him. I decided to give them all the benefit of the doubt and attended the event.
I arrived at Aycock Auditorium early Tuesday evening with about eight friends of mine. We were greeted at the door not by ushers, but by socialists handing out anti-Bush fliers, signaling what kind of event this would prove to be. Although we thought we were early, the auditorium was already packed, and we were forced to find seating in the balcony. As we settled into a row that could accommodate all of us, I looked around to get a glimpse of my fellow audience members. I found myself completely surrounded by hundreds of people who seemed to be deeply engrossed in reading the socialists' "Impeach Bush" flier. That's about the time I realized I would be spending the next two hours with a couple thousand sheep.
Angela Davis opened her speech with some thoughts on Dr. King: some background on his work, the hardships he faced in his career, some of his beliefs, and so on. I was shocked, yet relieved, to hear her actually speak on what she was supposed to be speaking on. Of course, it didn't last. Within a matter of minutes, Davis had not-so-subtly changed the entire mood of her speech from "Let's Honor Dr. King" to "Let's Impeach Bush NOW."
For the remainder of her time on stage, Angela Davis preached a message of hate to her audience. She spent a good deal of time making jokes about famous black conservatives such as Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Clarence Thomas. Apparently, according to her logic (and judging by the supportive applause from a good majority of the audience), African-Americans who become successful are no longer considered to be "really" black. Or maybe that only applies to conservative African-Americans. Davis never really specified, nor gave any reason for the apparent race change that occurs somewhere along the way.
And then of course there was the obligatory blaming of George W. Bush for Hurricane Katrina. Davis' conclusion on the issue? Kanye was right: George Bush does indeed hate poor black people. In fact, he spends so much time hating them, that I can't believe he has time for anything else. The way Davis painted President Bush, he apparently spends his every waking moment playing golf and dreaming up new ways to get rid of all black Americans.
Around this time in her rant, several audience members left the auditorium, including three of the people I was sitting with (who later told me they had better things to do with their time). Among the students leaving in disgust was a fellow College Republican who had actually been looking forward to hearing Davis speak. This student's uncle was one of the twelve miners that recently died in the Sago mine disaster only a few weeks ago, and she understandably had a serious issue with Davis blaming the Katrina debacle on racism. As she stood up to leave, she whispered to me, "Those people were left in that mine for hours while everyone just sat around wondering what to do. People called them rednecks and 'backwoods faggots,' but [Davis] doesn't want to mention that."
And she made a good point. Angela Davis seemed to be pushing the message that racism is the root of all evil in this country, but at least her tunnel vision was apparent to a few of us. If you're going to point to the African-Americans who have been hurt by an inefficient system, why not at least mention the whites who have suffered as well? Maybe racism isn't the problem in the Katrina disaster - maybe the problem is that humans make mistakes, and people suffer as a result, regardless of ethnic background.
Angela Davis ended her speech, not with some deep thoughts on how to bring about change in racist America, but by screaming, "Let's impeach Bush now!" After the cheering died down, Davis took questions from the audience. The very first came from a student who expressed disappointment over the fact that Davis had spent two hours telling us all what to be angry about, but not what to do about it. He asked her, "What can I do?" Davis' cowardly reply was that it was not her place to tell him what to do. Rather, she told the student, "You should be telling me what I can do."
This cop out of an answer shows the real problem in America. Everywhere, people are willing and ready to complain about the state of things, but no one is really interested in doing anything to bring about change. People like Angela Davis spend their lives telling people about how wrong and evil everything is, and yet they expect someone else to fix it for them. Davis needs to realize that nothing will ever get accomplished if everyone stands around blaming everyone else for their problems - just like I was forced to realize that I'll never get those wasted two hours of my life back.
In last week's column, I suggested that Angela Davis might not be the best choice for a Martin Luther King Day speaker. While many people agreed with me, there were also those who tried to tell me that a person did not have to necessarily emulate Dr. King in order to speak in honor of him. I decided to give them all the benefit of the doubt and attended the event.
I arrived at Aycock Auditorium early Tuesday evening with about eight friends of mine. We were greeted at the door not by ushers, but by socialists handing out anti-Bush fliers, signaling what kind of event this would prove to be. Although we thought we were early, the auditorium was already packed, and we were forced to find seating in the balcony. As we settled into a row that could accommodate all of us, I looked around to get a glimpse of my fellow audience members. I found myself completely surrounded by hundreds of people who seemed to be deeply engrossed in reading the socialists' "Impeach Bush" flier. That's about the time I realized I would be spending the next two hours with a couple thousand sheep.
Angela Davis opened her speech with some thoughts on Dr. King: some background on his work, the hardships he faced in his career, some of his beliefs, and so on. I was shocked, yet relieved, to hear her actually speak on what she was supposed to be speaking on. Of course, it didn't last. Within a matter of minutes, Davis had not-so-subtly changed the entire mood of her speech from "Let's Honor Dr. King" to "Let's Impeach Bush NOW."
For the remainder of her time on stage, Angela Davis preached a message of hate to her audience. She spent a good deal of time making jokes about famous black conservatives such as Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Clarence Thomas. Apparently, according to her logic (and judging by the supportive applause from a good majority of the audience), African-Americans who become successful are no longer considered to be "really" black. Or maybe that only applies to conservative African-Americans. Davis never really specified, nor gave any reason for the apparent race change that occurs somewhere along the way.
And then of course there was the obligatory blaming of George W. Bush for Hurricane Katrina. Davis' conclusion on the issue? Kanye was right: George Bush does indeed hate poor black people. In fact, he spends so much time hating them, that I can't believe he has time for anything else. The way Davis painted President Bush, he apparently spends his every waking moment playing golf and dreaming up new ways to get rid of all black Americans.
Around this time in her rant, several audience members left the auditorium, including three of the people I was sitting with (who later told me they had better things to do with their time). Among the students leaving in disgust was a fellow College Republican who had actually been looking forward to hearing Davis speak. This student's uncle was one of the twelve miners that recently died in the Sago mine disaster only a few weeks ago, and she understandably had a serious issue with Davis blaming the Katrina debacle on racism. As she stood up to leave, she whispered to me, "Those people were left in that mine for hours while everyone just sat around wondering what to do. People called them rednecks and 'backwoods faggots,' but [Davis] doesn't want to mention that."
And she made a good point. Angela Davis seemed to be pushing the message that racism is the root of all evil in this country, but at least her tunnel vision was apparent to a few of us. If you're going to point to the African-Americans who have been hurt by an inefficient system, why not at least mention the whites who have suffered as well? Maybe racism isn't the problem in the Katrina disaster - maybe the problem is that humans make mistakes, and people suffer as a result, regardless of ethnic background.
Angela Davis ended her speech, not with some deep thoughts on how to bring about change in racist America, but by screaming, "Let's impeach Bush now!" After the cheering died down, Davis took questions from the audience. The very first came from a student who expressed disappointment over the fact that Davis had spent two hours telling us all what to be angry about, but not what to do about it. He asked her, "What can I do?" Davis' cowardly reply was that it was not her place to tell him what to do. Rather, she told the student, "You should be telling me what I can do."
This cop out of an answer shows the real problem in America. Everywhere, people are willing and ready to complain about the state of things, but no one is really interested in doing anything to bring about change. People like Angela Davis spend their lives telling people about how wrong and evil everything is, and yet they expect someone else to fix it for them. Davis needs to realize that nothing will ever get accomplished if everyone stands around blaming everyone else for their problems - just like I was forced to realize that I'll never get those wasted two hours of my life back.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
UNCG Ignores Martin Luther King's Legacy
THE RIGHT ANGLE: UNCG ignores Martin Luther King's legacy - Opinions
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great man, and there are very few people who will dispute that. Around this time of year, Americans remember Dr. King for his wisdom and courage in striving to bring about racial harmony in a peaceful, non-violent manner during such a tumultuous time in history.
On Tuesday, January 17, UNCG will hold a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The keynote speaker for this event will be Angela Davis. Sean Olson from University Relations has described her as being "one of the biggest names in black feminism" in a University News article found on UNCG's website. In that same article, Audrey Daniel, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, stated, "The significance of Angela Davis to Martin Luther King's legacy is the fact that she challenged and continues to challenge social inequality in our society."
Angela Davis has been quite the controversial character in civil rights history. A member of both the Communist Party and the Black Panther Party, Davis fell in love with George Jackson, a fellow Black Panther serving time in prison for theft and murder, in 1970. In several letters written to Jackson, Davis promised to dedicate her life to freeing him using whatever means necessary. That August, Jackson's 17-year-old brother, Jonathan, attempted to free him by interrupting a trial with an automatic weapon, freeing three prisoners (and giving them guns as well), and taking a judge hostage in exchange for the release of George. The judge was killed, as well as two of the prisoners, and several other members of the courtroom were injured. The weapons used during this raid all belonged to Angela Davis, who suspiciously fled to New York three hours after the event.
The shotgun that killed the judge was registered to Davis, and under California law, abetting a killer before the act is guilty of murder as well. After living as a fugitive for two months, Davis was arrested and taken back to California, where the incident had occurred. Her 1972 trial proved to be one of much publicity and debate, with many people claiming she was no more than a political prisoner. She was acquitted of all charges, regardless of the fact that the prosecution had submitted 201 exhibits and called 95 witnesses. Because Davis claims she suffered for 18 months in prison unjustly, she has dedicated herself to the abolition of America's prison system.
How can anyone read the above story and think, "This is the kind of woman that I'd like to speak at my university in honor of MLK Day?" Regardless of whether or not she's guilty of murder, her involvement in the violent Black Panthers alone should prove that she is clearly not an advocate of peace, as Dr. King so firmly was. Her almost undeniable involvement in the killing of the California judge certainly underlines the fact that she is not the kind of woman you want as a role model. Why are we honoring her as one?
On top of everything else, Angela Davis is a hypocrite. In Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Warning to the West, the author describes how, after Davis' acquittal and release from prison, she was urged by a group of Czech dissidents to stand up for the Czechs being imprisoned for opposing Communism. Davis' reply was a cold, "They deserve what they get. Let them remain in prison." Her logic is a bit confusing. After all, she supports the abolition of prisons in America, which I would suppose means she doesn't want our murderers, thieves, and rapists locked up, and yet, she was fine with the imprisonment of the Czech rebels. Nevermind the fact that Davis herself was considered a "political prisoner;" apparently, those who dissent against Communism "deserve what they get."
I support Davis' freedom to rage against the "prison industrial complex" in America. I support her right to preach the wonders of Communism. What I do not support is UNCG's decision to have her speak in honor of Martin Luther King Day. It is a travesty to compare that woman to the greatest peace-loving civil rights leader of all time. I am also fairly certain that Dr. King would not want a Black Panther speaking in remembrance of him.
It is true that we still have a long way to go as far as racial equality is concerned in America, but it is also true that was have come a long way from the segregated schools, water fountains, and lunch counters. Dr. King did a great deal to advance the civil rights movement in this country; the same cannot be said for Angela Davis.
Some information for this column was taken from William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative history of the United States 1932-1972.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great man, and there are very few people who will dispute that. Around this time of year, Americans remember Dr. King for his wisdom and courage in striving to bring about racial harmony in a peaceful, non-violent manner during such a tumultuous time in history.
On Tuesday, January 17, UNCG will hold a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The keynote speaker for this event will be Angela Davis. Sean Olson from University Relations has described her as being "one of the biggest names in black feminism" in a University News article found on UNCG's website. In that same article, Audrey Daniel, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, stated, "The significance of Angela Davis to Martin Luther King's legacy is the fact that she challenged and continues to challenge social inequality in our society."
Angela Davis has been quite the controversial character in civil rights history. A member of both the Communist Party and the Black Panther Party, Davis fell in love with George Jackson, a fellow Black Panther serving time in prison for theft and murder, in 1970. In several letters written to Jackson, Davis promised to dedicate her life to freeing him using whatever means necessary. That August, Jackson's 17-year-old brother, Jonathan, attempted to free him by interrupting a trial with an automatic weapon, freeing three prisoners (and giving them guns as well), and taking a judge hostage in exchange for the release of George. The judge was killed, as well as two of the prisoners, and several other members of the courtroom were injured. The weapons used during this raid all belonged to Angela Davis, who suspiciously fled to New York three hours after the event.
The shotgun that killed the judge was registered to Davis, and under California law, abetting a killer before the act is guilty of murder as well. After living as a fugitive for two months, Davis was arrested and taken back to California, where the incident had occurred. Her 1972 trial proved to be one of much publicity and debate, with many people claiming she was no more than a political prisoner. She was acquitted of all charges, regardless of the fact that the prosecution had submitted 201 exhibits and called 95 witnesses. Because Davis claims she suffered for 18 months in prison unjustly, she has dedicated herself to the abolition of America's prison system.
How can anyone read the above story and think, "This is the kind of woman that I'd like to speak at my university in honor of MLK Day?" Regardless of whether or not she's guilty of murder, her involvement in the violent Black Panthers alone should prove that she is clearly not an advocate of peace, as Dr. King so firmly was. Her almost undeniable involvement in the killing of the California judge certainly underlines the fact that she is not the kind of woman you want as a role model. Why are we honoring her as one?
On top of everything else, Angela Davis is a hypocrite. In Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Warning to the West, the author describes how, after Davis' acquittal and release from prison, she was urged by a group of Czech dissidents to stand up for the Czechs being imprisoned for opposing Communism. Davis' reply was a cold, "They deserve what they get. Let them remain in prison." Her logic is a bit confusing. After all, she supports the abolition of prisons in America, which I would suppose means she doesn't want our murderers, thieves, and rapists locked up, and yet, she was fine with the imprisonment of the Czech rebels. Nevermind the fact that Davis herself was considered a "political prisoner;" apparently, those who dissent against Communism "deserve what they get."
I support Davis' freedom to rage against the "prison industrial complex" in America. I support her right to preach the wonders of Communism. What I do not support is UNCG's decision to have her speak in honor of Martin Luther King Day. It is a travesty to compare that woman to the greatest peace-loving civil rights leader of all time. I am also fairly certain that Dr. King would not want a Black Panther speaking in remembrance of him.
It is true that we still have a long way to go as far as racial equality is concerned in America, but it is also true that was have come a long way from the segregated schools, water fountains, and lunch counters. Dr. King did a great deal to advance the civil rights movement in this country; the same cannot be said for Angela Davis.
Some information for this column was taken from William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative history of the United States 1932-1972.
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