Stop poisoning the race debate: How “respectability politics” rears its ugly head — again

[DonViejo]

It's not just white skeptics undermining the fight for equality. Here's why moderate Black folks are also to blame

BRITTNEY COOPER

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in local protests in Madison, Wisconsin, over the killing of Tony Robinson, a 19-year-old unarmed Black teenager killed by a police officer. It was an unusually warm early March day in the city, which encouraged several hundred people and many media outlets to show up for the protests. Despite my fatigue at yet another killing of an unarmed Black youth, I took heart in the sincere rage and unapologetic stance of the people. Their presence at the protests proved wrong all those naysayers who hoped that the burning embers of the Black Lives Matter movement would be extinguished in the harsh cold of winter.

Indeed this movement has its fair share of skeptics, including Black folks quick to declare the movement dead on arrival. When I listen to these people, I can never quite detect whether they are being descriptive or prescriptive, but frequently I’m convinced it’s the latter.

There is also a more insidious kind of participant in the movement, the moderate Black folks, the Respectables, I call them, who still believe that our energies should be spent demonstrating to white people that Black people can be self-critical. One such person is Jonathan Capehart. In a recent column for the Washington Post, Capehart argues, on the heels of the release of the official Department of Justice report on the shooting of Michael Brown, that Brown is an “inappropriate symbol” for this new, burgeoning movement. The DOJ report does ultimately back Wilson’s recounting of events, that Brown reached into his car, punched him, tried to take his gun, ran after being shot, and then turned around and came forward. Thus Capehart concludes that:

“now that black lives matter to everyone it is imperative that we continue marching for and giving voice to those killed in racially charged incidents at the hands of police and others. But we must never allow ourselves to march under the banner of a false narrative on behalf of someone who would otherwise offend our sense of right and wrong. And when we discover that we have, we must acknowledge it, admit our error, and keep on marching.”

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/03/18/stop_poisoning_the_race_debate_how_respectability_politics_rears_its_ugly_head_again/

[el_bryanto]

2. I hope you enjoy your long and fruitful participation at Democratic Underground

I'm sure this is just the beginning of years of discussion among your fellow liberals.

You know, unless you get banned immediately for being an obvious troll.

Edited to add - oops - banned before I even finished welcoming you to DU.

Bryant

[el_bryanto]

3. The article is well worth reading - Brittney Cooper pretty much always gives me things to think

about.

Bryant

[JDDavis]

4. This Jonathan Capehart action is worthy of serious discussion.

I think the Salon article is worth reading, as are many of the comments. I certainly do't agree with some of what is presented there, but this is certainly something we at DU can talk about respectfully.