OPINION/ FORUM
CHRONICLED
Ernest H. Pitt pubiyw/co-founder
Elaine Pitt busim ma??er
T. Kevin Walker mmging editor
Sk'W ts
WSSU Phoio by Ganea Owm
Wide Receiver Tehvyn Brantley celebrates the Rams
success on Saturday.
Joy in the
Ram Nation
Anyone not impressed with what Winston-Salem
State University has accomplished under the leader
ship of Chancellor Donald R. Reaves is literally blind
in one eye and can't see very well out of the other one.
Reaves has built a cadre of professionals in all areas of
academia, sports and facilities.
Reaves brought Bill Hayes back, who brought
Connell Maynor and Bobby Collins to the athletic
department. Both of those young men are responsible
for the Rams holding two CIAA Championships at the
same time (not sure if that's ever happened before).
nut. . _ nrnniv ? ?
miner way, waau is enjoy
ing successes never seen in
the past.
Next week, the Rams
begin their journey to win the
Division II National
Championship for a record
second time (they didn't win
last year but came a game
shy of it). No other HBCU
that we know of has attempt
ed that feat, let alone
accomplished it. These are
monumental accomplish
ments for "TC." Reaves'
decision to stay in the CIAA conference can be
viewed now as nothing short of "genius." Not only did
that move make WSSU more competitive but it saved
the necessary money to invest in other things like rais
ing the academic standards and recruitment of stu
dents and faculty who ultimately will make the univer
sity better.
The amount of positive state and national press
that the university, and consequently, this city and
state have received because of the Rams' successes
cannot go unmentioned or unacknowledged. That's
positive press that can't be bought. It is a story that
speaks to what this entire city is all about: success in
all areas of life, including college athletics.
We are absolutely thrilled about our "TC" and ain't
ashamed to say it. We're behind you one thousand per
cent WSSU. Know that you are appreciated in every
way. Hats off to Coach Maynor for another undefeated
season, to Coach Collins, reigning CIAA basketball
champions; to Carol Davis and the new Enterprise
Center, an S.O.Atkins CDC.
There are many, many new developments going on
at WSSU and in the coming weeks and months as
you've no doubt been reading and there will be more.
God bless the chancellor and the WSSU Rams!
Hearts
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GOP Self-Hate
Bill
Fletcher
Guest
Columnist
Leading up to
November 6, I found
myself focused on the mat
ter of voter suppression and
electoral shenanigans com
mitted by die Republicans.
This concern was not for
nothing. Prior to and on
Election Day, there were
myriad attempts to subvert
the vote, particularly the
vote of people of color. On
Election Day in
Pennsylvania, for instance,
there was a voting machine
that would convert an
Obama vote into a Romney
vote (and this was captured
on film). Frivolous voter
challenges started well
before Election Day itself,
again targeting African
American and Latino vot
ers.
What was most striking
about the 2012 election,
then, was that in the face of
this attack on our right to
vote, there was something
akin to a popular revolt by
the African American and
Latino electorate. Latinos
voted more than 70 percent
for Obama and African
Americans 93 percent.
But those figures do not tell
enough. It was the turnout
that was so significant.
Despite efforts by the polit
ical right to dampen
African American enthusi
asm for Obama using the
issue of same-sex marriage,
this tactic failed dismally.
And Romney's cynical
anti-Latino approach, as
evidenced during this pri
mary campaign, came back
to bite him in the rear.
It was more than this,
however. It was something
that you had to feel if you
waited in line to vote. I
went three times to try to
engage in early voting. The
first two times the line was
out (he building and I
decided to return at a later
date. On die third time, I
thought that I had arrived
early enough only to dis
cover that the line started
well within the building. I
was on line for two hours,
and this was early voting.
Around the U.S., there
were stories like that one.
People standing in line for
seven hours in order to
vote.
In effect what we saw
was a counter-attack by the
African American and
Latino electorate against
those who would attempt to
disenfranchise us. The
obvious intent to eliminate
African American and
Latino voters, rather than
scaring us into submission
and docility, energized us
to turn out in record num
bers. There are many les
sons there and one is that
we can actually overwhelm
the other side by sheer
numbers and audacity.
There were many other
things about the election
which I have reflected
upon, but one is a question
that I must pose to African
American and Latino
Republicans. It is sim
ple: How can you associate
with a party that quite con
sciously set out to disen
franchise African American
and Latino voters? I must
ask, what level of self
hatred must one have to
actively support a party that
purged voter lists to elimi
nate potential Democratic
Party supporters, many of
who were African
American and Latino? I
must ask, what level of
self-hatred must one have
to actively support a party
that regularly used coded
language in order to appeal
to a racist impulse among
many white voters
Get back with me on
that, okay?
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the
immediate past president qj
TransAfrica Forum and the
author of "They're
Bankrupting Us"- And
Twenty Other Myths about
Unions." He can be
reached at papaq54<3>hot
mail jcom.
Republicans Still Don t Get It
Raynard
Jackson
Goeat
Columnist
With the elections now
over, I am stunned with the
postmortem coming from
the Republican Party and
the lack of substantive
analysis from its opera
tives.
Those who follow my
writings know that 1 have
written extensively about
the shifting demographics
of our country and the need
for Republicans to ade
quately address this issue.
For this, I have been con
stantly criticized by fellow
Republicans, not for the
substance of what I wrote,
but for sharing my views
with the public.
Romney was by far the
biggest loser of this elec
tion cycle. How is it possi
ble in the 21st Century to
run a national campaign
with no Blacks or
Hispanics of consequence
on staff? Well, Romney
managed to do it And you
wonder why Blacks voted
against Romney to the tune
of 93 percent and
Hispanics 70 percent?
These groups were often
not voting for Obama, but
against Romney. The sad
and unforgivable part was
Romney and his team were
not even cognizant that
they had no people of color
on staff. Republicans are
so used to hiring all of their
friends and children of their
friends, that they have truly
become colorblind or just
Mind to people of color.
Let me be clear: When I
say on staff, I mean people
with hiring authority, budg
etary control, or the ability
to get a meeting with the
boss put on the calendar.
But, it's i not just
\
Romney. The RNC, under
Reince Priebus, has no
Blacks or Hispanics in
powerful staff positions;
the House Campaign
Committee, under
Congressman Pete
Sessions? Ditto. The
Senatorial Committee,
under Sen. John Comyn?
Ditto. So, this issue of lack
of diversity is a structural
thing that permeates every
level of the Republican
Party.
The second biggest
loser was Black
Republicans. The harshest
criticism of me has come
from Black Republicans
who are looking to be vali
dated by Whites in the
Republican Party (most of
them are in Texas, Florida
and the D.C. area). Whites
in the party know they can
count on diem to validate
the most extreme behavior
and rhetoric coining out of
their mouths.
I believe I am the only
Blade Republican with a
national media platform
who called for Romney to
remove John Sununu as
national co-chair of his
campaign because of the
racist language about
President Obama. I am the
only one who harshly criti
cized Romney and Priebus
for not having any Blacks
or Hispanics on staff. I am
the only one who criticized
Romney for speaking
before the NAACP without
having a message or any
thing substantive to say. I
am the only one who criti
cized the Party for its
dearth of Blacks and
Hispanics at die convention
over the summer. I am the
only one who called for
Sarah Palin to sit down and
shut up regarding her
"shucking and jiving" com
ment about President
Obama. These are just a
few examples.
So, to these Blacks that
have their daggers con
standy aimed at my back,
you should know that I
have helped to raise more
than $300,000 for
Romney's campaign and
since December, have
helped raise more than $1
million for Republican can
didates this cycle. In other
words, I have earned the
right to criticize my party.
Post-election, the party
leadership is talking with
out saying anything.
Republicans are saying
things like: "We need to do
a better job communicating
our conservative message
to minorities." What? Are
you kidding me?
?
Why has the media
never asked these
Republicans to define what
"conservatism" is? But,
this highlights the
Republican's problem
when it comes to diversity.
They want to come into our
community and tell us what
we have to believe, as
opposed to asking us what
we believe and use that as
the basis of building a
mutually beneficial rela
tionship.
Until the party actually
starts hiring minorities on
every level of the patty,
spending money travelling
to meet with minorities,
and tones down the incen
diary language coining
from our party, we will
never make any advances
with the minority commu
nity.
So far, the patty is talk
ing loud and saying noth
ing.
Raynard Jackson is
president A CEO of
Raynard Jackson A
Associates, LLC., a
Washington, D.C.-based
public relations/govern
ment affairs firm. He can
be reached through his Bfei
site, wwwraynardjack
son.com.
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