Educating racists about their racism
The Friday Flashpoints!
This may (or may not) come as a shock to some, but the older I become, the less tolerance I have for ignorant people!
Seriously, when I was in college at Morehouse, on a bitterly cold winter's day, if I wanted to read the latest magazines or even buy the newspaper, I had to get up, bundle up in warm clothing, and walk to Woodruff Library or over to the corner store.
But these days, all that I have to do is roll over in my bed, activate my phone, and the latest news is right there at my fingertips! Thus, anyone who is ignorant these days is making a deliberate choice to be a know-nothing, and what irks me is that the know-nothing types are growing more vocal each day in our political world from local school boards, to governor's mansions, to the halls of Congress and, in my James Earl Jones/Darth Vader voice, “I find that disturbing...”
Why Independent Journalism Matters
"We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us." This famous line comprised the opening words of the Freedom's Journal, the first Black owned newspaper in the United States, which began publishing on this day, January 21, in 1827.
The owners, Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, sought to provide a vehicle that reported (and analyzed) regional, national and international events—while pleading the cause for the abolition of slavery and the elimination of lynching. The newspaper at its height circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, as well as in Haiti, Canada and Europe.
The Freedom's Journal's abolitionist aim perhaps was best noted by its most famous sales agent, David Walker, a Black man who penned a series of articles advocating open rebellion that would later be dubbed "David Walker's Appeal." Walker's appeal, which was banned in the South, was the source of consternation for slave owners who feared that an organized rebellion in the region, where enslaved Blacks often greatly outnumbered whites, would be calamaitous. These fears were made manifest in 1831, when Nat Turner, a man considered to be a Negro mystic by some historians, led a rebellion in Virginia that soon found over 50 white men and women killed in the cause of Black liberation.
Freedom’s Journal, published weekly in New York City, discontinued in 1829 and was succeeded by a new weekly dubbed "The Rights of All." Still, the original newspaper and subsequent iterations serve as a source of inspiration for journalists of all stripes, but particularly Black journalists like Ol' Hobbs who understand the critical need to not only report the unbiased news facts—but to issue commentary on those facts that highlight the Black perspective on myriad issues.
Critical Race Cretins
As mentioned several times this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis insists on white-washing America's racist (and recent) past so, in the coming weeks, I will tag Ronnie's Facebook page into my posts that will teach truths to him (and his ilk) that they were never taught at school or in their homes.
Today's lesson is the old Florida A&M University Hospital, shown circa 1958 and more recently in 2020, one that is less than two miles from the governor's office in Tallahassee.
For those unaware, the FAMC/FAMU Hospital was the only full service hospital that treated Blacks in North Florida and South Georgia due to racist Jim Crow laws and customs. In fact, I have multiple siblings, cousins, and friends who were born at this very facility in the 1960's and early 1970's because my and their mothers were prevented BY LAW from being admitted at the all-white Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH).
For added perspective on how recent this racist history is, the FAMU Hospital closed in December of 1971—only a few months after TMH was integrated, and nearly eight full years after all such facilities were supposed to have been desgegregated per the Civil Rights Act of 1964; I was born at TMH five months after the segregated FAMU Hospital closed in May of 1972.
Florida Republican Senator insults veteran Democratic lawmaker
This week, Florida Republican State Sen. Ileana Garcia reportedly started yelling in the face of her elder Democratic colleague, State Sen. Audrey Gibson, during committee debate over Gov. Desantis's desired legislation to ban teaching real American history to avoid "embarrassing whites."
While the two were separated and calmer heads prevailed, Sen. Garcia then took to the airwaves where, predictably, she showed her rank ignorance with regards to history.
Among the low-lights of her commentary, Garcia, a Cuban-American, stated that Blacks should "get over" the past, "remember that Barack Obama was twice elected president," all the while claiming that "she grew up in a Black neighborhood" and was victimized by Black racism.
Sigh....
Garcia went on to add: "Critical race theory is I think that bringing to the public, bringing to the plate the fact that in the past we have had situations where there have been discrimination. As a Hispanic, I have been discriminated on all fronts. Should we take it personally? I don’t think that we should take it personally.."
There's so much I could say in rebuttal, but my Momma, Senior Bishop, and Pastor are faithful readers so, when I e-mail today's blog to Sen. Garcia later this morning, I will remind her that:
1. The Blacks in your neighborhood may have disliked you...they may have even despised you...but they were not “racists” because racism impliedly contains a power construct that Blacks lacked to enslave your family, beat your father, rape your mother, sell off your siblings, force your family to work as sharecroppers while refusing to "share" the profits from their labor; prevent you or your family from being treated at state-of-the-art hospitals or, simply eating, drinking, watching movies, or playing ball—all by law! Ergo, your ignorant comments this past week lack even the basic rudiments of logic!
2. You are of Cuban descent, you say? Methinks that if you chat with your Abuelo and Abuela 'nem that you very likely will find that you, too, have Black (African) blood running through your veins; looking at your brown skin and permed hair that can’t hide those edge roots, I’m relatively sure that you do!
Lest you forget, Sen. Garcia, that enslaved Africans outnumbered Europeans whites and intermingled and intermarried quite liberally over the past several centuries with whites and native peoples down in Cuba, a fact that no matter how much you kiss up to your white Republican colleagues, or wish to think that you can make ignorant comments like a Ron Desantis, that they will never, ever, see you (or yours) as one of them—no matter how much you wish it so, Senorita (“Missy”) Garcia.
The absurdity of Critical Race critics
One's history must be pretty damned deplorable for so many millions of Americans to wish to avoid “white embarrassment” by hiding the truth. The historian in me recognizes that while Germany recognizes its Nazi past and has never “honored” its World War II era leaders, that here in America, not only do millions of whites wish to laud violent and virulent racists long dead through public monuments, schools, and streets named in their honor, but when the stories are told of their viciously savage acts of inhumanity against Black people, Blacks are told to “get over it” or “let the past be the past.”
I assure all of my readers that the past will always be remembered—and tied into current events—here at the Point!
In Memoriam
The Hobbservation Point extends its most sincere condolences to the family and Sorors of Cheryl A. Hickmon, the recently elected National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority who passed away yesterday after a brief illness.
A South Carolina State University alumna and 1982 initiate into the Alpha Xi Chapter of the Sorority, Hickmon's life was commemorated all across social and traditional media yesterday by mourning Deltas across the world who must now prepare to say goodbye to a soul lost far too soon.
Requiescat in Pace, Madame President!
Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful weekend!
Can we recruit the twitter/ social media detectives to investigate who these men and woman are congregating around these lynched men? White people have documented their OWN cruelty and viciousness throughout the years to black people. They are the ones who took picture after picture of public lynchings and proudly standing next to the bodies of someone’s husband, father, brother or son. It’s time for these “ Christian “ men and women to be identified!!
On Point, Point by Poignant Point!