President Abraham Lincoln v President & General of the Confederacy, George Washington and the American Civil War!!Had late President & General George Washington been a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, we might have never heard of General Robert E. Lee, or President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis. Why?
President George Washington in order to protect the institution of slavery, his slaves and his favorite slave would have served in a dual role. He would have been President and General of the Confederate South and its Militias! History would have recorded Abraham Lincoln v George Washington, a man of honor and a scab!
# 21 Rev. C. Solomon Says: May 7th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Common sense, do you recall Dr. King’s speech at the March on Washington?
A black friend of mine, from DC, called to consult with me about a year ago. Why? She was concerned that her African-American teenage son had a proclivity for white girls, I reminded her of Dr. King’s speech, with respect to a color blind society, and his dream of a time that would come when people would be judged by the content of their character and not their skin color.
Ironically, I attended an affair at Stanford a few months ago that was sponsored by a former colleague, Professor Clay Carson, editor of the King Papers and the MLK encyclopedia. Clarence Jones, Dr. King’s former speech-writer and attorney was present. It was the first time that I had the pleasure of meeting him. There were other prominent former civil rights leaders present from all over the nation.
You wouldn’t have cared for that audience, because all of the brotha’s, including Clarence Jones were married to white women. The majority of Dr. Carson’s staff members who were working on the King Papers, were white. However, I ask you again, what is it that the member of the civil rights movement fought for?
Someone sitting in that audience might have concluded that the civil rights movements sole basis was to eventually change the racial climate in America, so that black men could be with white women. If we are going to be a truly color blind society, black Americans are going to have to get over what they accuse whites of being, race conscious. Have you forgotten that Dr. MLK dated a white woman, and proposed marriage to her, however, daddy King and the family forbade it? Judge Thomas, who is he married to? Should he stop loving her because she is white?
We can never overlook the contribution of white Americans to the black cause and to the cause of social justice for all people. Many of them were ostracized, tortured and murdered as a result of supporting our freedoms. To wit, my uncle in the early 1920’s was captured in Mississippi, hung up in a tree, as whites shot 56 holes in his body. Should I be angry with all whites because of what a group of knuckleheads did to my uncle?
Ironically, you don’t seem to have a problem accepting the white people who accept and support Senator Obama - is it okay to use them in order to get what you want? BTW, if some white Americans who are supporting Senator Obama’s campaign read your threads, they would see you as more of a Reverend Wright figure than me. Think about that!
My last comment I think: Once a month all of the male black staff and faculty members at Stanford met in what we called the Amen Corner. We discussed black issues. I raised their ire as well when I explained that we cannot on one hand criticize white Americans for certain misbehaviors, if we are so willing to repeat the same behaviors.
I explained that as leaders at Stanford, we should fight for social justice for every person, student, staff or faculty, regardless of the color of their skin.
Think about it common sense, you have feelings of racial animus, I transcended that years ago! Get angry with injustice, instead of racial groups!
Sorry for the length, however, the other thing that concerns me about Senator Obama, given his current retrenchment campaign, has to do with all of the people in the ROW who are looking for someone in the USA to stop American injustice around the world.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee said it best at one of our CBC Legislative Conference meetings in DC a few years back, i.e., we need to stop talking about racism, and call it what is, ‘white supremacy’!
White Supremacy is the cause of the pain and suffering of nations like Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Pakistan…, and much of the continent of Africa…! Obama has not shown that he has the strength, willingness or ability to stand up to the spirit of white supremacy; and having said that the majority of white people are not white supremacists.
Do you recall what happened when El Hajj Mailk El Shabazz visited Mecca for the first time, he returned to America with a whole new outlook, just before forming OAAU?
My objective is to undo what racist white Americans have done to the world, and to support a genre of leaders (regardless of color) who have the ability, willingness and capacity to lead the fight. John Brown died for us!
I will not repeat the behavior of whites and some blacks and become a racist myself. A black woman asked me once, aren’t you married to a white woman? I asked, why would you ask me that? She replied, men like you who are articulate, professional (and handsome- I added that comment) typically abandon the race and turn to white women!
We’ve got to get past our own sickness; again it points to a deeper pathology that is all too common in the white as well as the black community!
If we’re not careful like many in the bible: Miriam and Aaron, Jeremiah (Can the Ethiopian change his skin?), Peter (who didn’t eat unclean things or deal with certain racial groups), are a few example that came to mind!
# 22 Rev. C. Solomon Says: May 7th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I trust that Reverend Brown will tolerate my loquaciousness.
However, you have put a lot on my mind to. The first time I visited Mt. Vernon, home of our first President in Virginia, I was stunned. The first stop on the tour was the slave quarters. I asked the docent, as we continued the walking tour, having stopped in the rear of the plantation at a spot where approximately 96 black slaves are buried - how many whites lived on this plantation at any given time.
He knew where I was going, given that over 350 slaves supported that plantation at one time or another. He dropped his head and said, customarily 4 to 8. The famous defense attorney who was a frequent visitor at the OJ Simpson’s trial, his words come to mind. Atty. Spence said, some blacks do not have the same perception of the 1st President as his fellow whites had.
I smiled when I read Jerry’s comments in his book, given that my perception of the 1st President from that day until now is that he was nothing more than ‘a pimp’!
Every single person that I shared my perception with, white or black was shocked by my adroitness. I asked, what would you call a black person who exploited 350 people in order to get everything that he wanted, tailor-made clothing from England, food, shelter…?
Frankly, I am very aware that white leaders, from presidents, supreme court justices, governors, sheriffs, attorneys, pastors, teachers…, were in fact land-grabbers (native American land), rapists (of black women and girls), murderers, home-wreckers…!
Some blacks responded to me, well, that was the way it was back then. My answer was no it was not, the majority of white people with consciences believed that the institution of slavery, and the mistreatment of blacks was wrong. Had George Washington been alive, contemporary with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington would have been the commander, move over Robert E. Lee, of the south!
To their point, that it was the way that things were then - it stayed that way as long as it did because not enough people stood up to fight for the strength of their convictions. In summary: Obama is not showing the strength to stand up and fight for justice, he continues to capitulate each time that he has had the opportunity to show his mettle, or strength of conviction.
His heart may be in the right place, however, the jury is still out with respect to whether he has the wisdom or strength that is sufficient to stand up to white backlash, or the results of 400 years of white supremacy!
If you are interested in following up and reading Common Senses' response, go to the Faith in Action Blog, http://faithinactiononline.com/2008/04/30/jeremiah-has-a-rightobama-severs-whats-left/. He will be responding shortly.
Peace & Grace
Rev. C. Solomon
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