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Reparations or Else ... America's Fall
K\ KO\ DAMFLS
A feu week,*, ago a xclt -rj jjht -
eous President Clinton iournesed to
\1 emphis to lecture 40 black pastors
and l a \ people about the crisis of
crime and violence in America
Speaking at the church uhere
Martin Luther King delivered his
last speech before he was assassinat
ed. President Clinton, in an almost
scolding tone, talked about what he
felt Dr. King would think about the
violence that is ripping apart the
black community.
Clinton admonished black peo
ple to take responsibility for con
demning and stopping the violence
in the inner cities where ,'black--on
black crime'" is so prevalent. It was
j amazing that African- American
leaders would even listen to such a
? J . t ,
patronizing, condescending and
racist series of insults from a
President of the United State.
Martin Luther King must have
cringed.
If the President had done his
- hiwtcwnrk welt, he would have
heard the words of Martin Luther
King proclaiming: "I could never
again raise my voice against the vio
lence of the oppressed in the ghettos
without having first spoken clearly
to the greatest purveyor of violence
in the world today ? my own gov
ernment."
In that regard, the real question
facing Bill Clinton, the U.S. govern
ment and American society is who
will take responsibility for the long'
history of violence against African
people in this nation? Who will take
responsibility for the damages done
to the daughters and sons of Africa
as captives during slavery? Who
will take responsibility for taking
away ouronames, for the cultural
aggression, the long season of legal
ized lynching, the institutional
racism and ruthless exploitation
which plagues the African commu
nity in this very mnmenLin ounhts^
tor\ '
America is reaping the bitter
harvest of its nun past and present
policies, customs and practices ot
iniustice. Like the old tolks used to
sa> in the black community "God
don't like ugK
America does not deserve to
have peace until this nation ha*s
atoned tor all the crimes and atroci
ties corpmitt*^ in the struggle to
establish and maintain a neu
European, vk hue nation in this hemi
sphere: the conquest, and capture of
this land trom the indigenous people
and the genocide committed against
them: the seizure of land fjom
Mexico: the exploitation of the
Chinese and other Asian peoples:
ture and enslavement of untold mil
lions of Africans- to joi I in.the
Americas to create unimaginable
uealth for a growing system of cap
italism in Europe and America
based on our free labor.
The current crisis we face as
Africans in America is directly
rel atecLta^the-AfHcan4K>k>caus^ancJ"
the genocide committed against
African people in this country for
centuries. America must take
responsibility for its callousness and
neglect, its sins and criminal behav
lor toward African Americans.
America must atone, repent and
repair/heal the damages done to
African people under a racist, capi
talist system of oppression. There is
nothing wrong .with the African
community in the U.S. that repara
tions would not cure! '
In a recent article I called for a
massive ? boycott ? of ? "White
Christmas" if reparations were not
on the "American Agenda", by 1999.
H is mv conviction that we must,
emphatically reject the idea of blam
ing ourselves for our condition as an
oppressed people (as is current!) in
vogue -with many leaders in the
black community). An oppressive
L'.S. government and society must
? be- our- targets A v-we - pour-4?baHons
during Kuanzaa and at other cultur
al-political ceremonie* and celebra
tions. our ancestors must b<f o\er
come b\ anger b> our apath> and
inaction on the most important item
on the agenda to restore the race ?
reparations. The;. mu?t be asking,
did we struggle, suffer, bieed and
.5die in vain? What this generation of
African freedom fighters must take
responsibility, tor in leading African
people ouT^of the hell created bs
American societ> .
Our battle cr> must be repara- .
tions or else ... Those of us who are
? >
. serious -about the restoration of the
race must redouble our effort to
?educate, mobilize and organize the
.masses of African people to compel
? the U.S. government to pay a mean
ingful portion of the trillions of dol
lars legitimate!) owed to African
people for the centuries of free labor
that built this nation. And. America
must pa> for the physical., cultural
and spiritual damages done to our
people during the long and tragic
travail of slavery. Our ancestors
"^lifcmancl that we cease and -desist
from the fratricide, from self
destruction and self-cbndemnation
to make America pay for the
.African holocaust.
Our battle cr\ must be repara
tions or else ... boycotts, strikes,
civil disobedience, disruption, "any
means. necessar> " to achiev e justice
for Africans in Americav - c.
"Truth crushed to earth will rise
again." It is our sacred duty to rise
up in memory of our ancestors and
as a sacred obligation to those who
suffer now: to rise up to vindicate
? the Mile and legacy of atTof those
who struggled before us. so that we
might have a new African future
and a genuine new world order
There must be no peace, no recon
ciliation until America is forced to
meet our righteous demand for jus
tice. Our battle cry must be repara
tions or else ... America must fall.
Touring Our Roots
what do you and yours do as a
ritual for the Martin Luther King Jr.
holiday?
On the Fourth of July African
Americans usually join in picnics
and outings to celebrate our coun
try's independence. _ On
Thanksgiving and Christmas, we
to do honor to these holidays. Each
of our holidays has a ritual of
remembering its heritage, and as the
new King holiday evolves, year by
year, many more blacks will make
ritual and rites around who. what
and why we are as we are in
America today. One thing black
families can consider is to take it
upon themselves to take an African
American Heritage Tour.
to true equality, is Oherlin \s
Westwood Cemetery. Here in their
final*resting place are blacks and
whites together side-by-sicfe. as the\
*" were in their struggles.
Martin Luther King Jr.. too.
made Oberlin and Lorain County
one of his stops. He spoke here in
? the 1960s about -Remaining Awake
-Through a Great Revolution." He
also noted that this town was indeed
awake on the issue of social unity
and liberation for all.
Blacks families of today will
also find a reflective and meditative
setting here as they explore the his
tories of those who affected vital
changes in civil rights history. Sites
include the Martin Luther King Jr.
GUEST
By WILLIAM
COLUMNIST
REED
One place to start touring our
roots is in Lorain County. Ohio. In
Lorain County and Oberlin. Ohio's
rich African- American heritage
spans two centuries of an organized
black and white united fight for lib
erty. Few communities can claim a
stronger heritage for black freedom
as that of Oberlin. ^entered around a
well-known college of spirituality
and education. Oberlin's citizens and
students became actively involved in
the anti-slavery movement in the
early 1800s. Widely known as a
"hotbed of abolitionists" after its
founding in 1833, visitors touring
Oberlin today will find that the
town'^ residents provided a major
stopping point on the "underground
railroad." at a time when it really
wasn't popular in America to do
this. If you follow Frederick
Douglass". advice of the 1800s to
"follow the North Star to freedom.'1
you will find yourself in a county
that borders Canada, which during
the antebellum period, was the
"Promised Land" for escaping
slaves. In the Oberlin of the 1800s.
blacks were able to live their lives in
peace within the safe confines of this
town. A sight to see here, in regards
Park: homes that were Underground
Railroad locations; the Oberlin
College Archives; and numerous
modern African-American-owned
businesses.
In addition to its anti-slavery
fame. Lorain County's African
American history, culture, shopping
and multicultural events provide an
interesting backdrop for an enter
taining visit. People coming here to
see the "faces and places" that pro
duced significant change for the
country can stay at the Oberlin Inn.
Actually the only inn in town, the
Oberlin Inn has S99 weekend rate
that should make he lodging part of
a visit very accommodating.
What African Americans do as
nruals to celebrate their own history
i<* evolving. But education and
awareness of our history and growth
in this country can be valuable and
long-lasting for adults and especially
for our youth. Lorain County has
preserved meaningful parts of
African-American history and put
them on display. Oberlin's past and
pride in what it did at a pivotal time
in American history can insure visi
tors a sense of pride for tomorrow.
SHARE THE DREAM
"/ 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. "
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
We at Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated are committed to
-HUn4+n Luther King's ideals. To bring "The Dream" closer to reality, we
have instituted strong equal employment programs, developed student
scholarships, and increased our community involvement.
s-dkt
Coke -
Make Iiwrytlay
A Day For MI K".
The legacy of" Martin Luther King, Jr.. is
more than a dream. It > the power of love
and kindness that he set in motion. Today,
the need for MLk* (*More Love and
Kindness) is greater than ever before. And
sharing our lives, our love and our kindness
with others will help to keep the great work
of Martin Luther King, It*, alive.
^ ' y///oA// ;
Tobacco Company