I got this email from one of my political Yahoo group

[FrenchieCat]

I have an issue with the black community.

Where are you? We need you.

You get disenfranchised in the Florida 2000
election. No marches. No demonstrations. Nary
a peep. The same thing happens in Ohio and
Florida and other states in 2004 and still no
marches and no demonstrations. A cop tazers
an eight month pregnant black lady. Pulls her
out of the car and gives her 50,000 volts. It
apparently was not enough volts to shock the
black community. Not a peep is heard.

Where are you? We need you. I was counting on
you to have the will to do what the white
community has not had the will to do. To take to
the streets, to be vocal, to get in their face
and demand change.

I saw you do it before. I saw Martin Luther
King lead the black community to do great things.
You beat the system. Not an easy feat. It was
beautiful.

Where are you? We need you. I hope you have
not forgotten what dangers your fathers and
mothers faced to get you what you have today.
Some were murdered. They were just as much
soldiers then as the soldiers in Iraq are today.
The difference is they were fighting for their
own rights in a country that promised equality
in its own constitution. The Republican Christian
right did not want to give those rights to you.
You were just "niggers" to them. You fought them.
You marched. You demonstrated. You won great
victories. You were fantastic!

The Democratic Party helped to pull you up.
Kennedy. Johnson. They risked political
suicide to help. The South went Republican
as a backlash to those "communist, nigger lovin'
Democrats". The Democratic Party also paid a
price to make this country a place where the
Constitution is for everyone, not just for
Christian White Boys.

Where are you? We need you. What would Martin
be doing today if he hadn't been assassinated?
Would he just stay at home and do nothing?
Would he be sucking up to Bush and the Neocons?
Or, would he be doing what his conscience and
his soul and his God told him he must do? You
had such great leaders then. Where are they
today?

I too have a dream. A dream that the common men
and women of this country will rise up against
its masters in non-violent protest. A dream
that we will organize, like you organized, and
say we will not accept the status quo any longer.
A dream to return this country to a democracy
instead of the fascist state that it now has
become.

Fascism walks on cats feet. It sneaks up on you
and is already chewing on your neck before you
realize it. It drains the life blood from your soul.
It anesthetizes your mind before it eats you.

Think, what would MLK do? Then, you know what we
all must do.

Your future is our future.

[FrenchieCat]

1. In my mind, I thought....WTF? This was my response.....

Take it from a black person from the Black community....Me:
Maybe Black folks are tired of being everybody's "Front line soldiers"....it's like why should 12% of the population be the only ones to have to show up and march for voting rights all of the time? Hell, 1/2 of us are too busy struggling to stay alive! Maybe your beef should be with the "other" communities....cause Black Folks have always done what they could do! Maybe it's someone else's turn to take up the slack.

How's that?
-----------------

[mark414]

2. that's a good response

first "you guys" couldn't do anything, now "you guys" won't do anything :eyes:

[Swamp Rat]

12. Yep n/t

[Brewman_Jax]

3. Good grief!

:wtf: when do black people get a break? :eyes:

When 12% of the population control <1% of the engine of industry, that's not a lot of political clout.

You might want to remind the writer that those civil rights bills signed by LBJ didn't happen until WHITE people of good conscience were beaten and killed also--black people had been dying for their rights for years.

What is REALLY needed is for the writer and other white people of good conscience to educate other white people and use their skin privilege to wake them up to vote in THEIR best interest.

We don't need another lazy white guy to tell us what we already know and what to do. :grr:

[Tigress DEM]

5. I keep trying to convince John Conyers to run for Prez.

Wouldn't it just be easier to have someone in that office who knows the issues from the inside out and who is just awesome on every issue I've cared about here on the DU.

Election Reform.
The Ohio Tragedy and the legal battle.
Blocking these appointees who make no sense at all:
Gonzales - Bolton

Bunch of other things too.

I'm white and I wish people of color would explain things to me sometimes, but I really wonder if it wouldn't just be easier to run a black candidate for President and smack that glass ceiling good. Heck, put in Barbara Boxer in as VP and shatter the glass ceiling for women at the same time. She's already chewing up the Senate, give her more power to that bite.

[FrenchieCat]

6. Conyers is not going to run......

but I do agree that he is a wonderful congressman....and wish for more like him....Black and unafraid. However, I am a pragmatist....so Conyers in '08, ain't gonna happen.

I think we can appreciate a lot of our great Democrats without running them for the highest office in the land.

2008 will be here soon enough, and my sig line does give me away....but I will say that a tough Bad Assss like Conyers, someone who doesn't shy away under criticism on a national level, is exactly who want in our next presidential nominee.

Until then, I say......gotto work on media reform. The media is the one that made the difference in 2000, 2002, 2004 and will make the difference in 2006 and 2008. If we don't start working "them"......it won't make a difference who we present to "represent" us.

[Tigress DEM]

7. How about as VP then?

I mean Connyers totally blows me away everytime I hear what he is doing and the DEMS could just stumble over themselves again in every kind of way if they don't get open to addressing racism and classism in the USA - especially after the neocons have been mucking things up lately.

Also, if you know anyone who would be able to help about with addressing racism here on the DU, I've started a thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3654667&mesg_id=3655559&page=

Sorry it's such a long URL, I gotta get out to that tiny url site.

[bobbieinok]

14. isn't Conyers 70???

[politicasista]

8. I like him over Jesse (LOL!)

[Brewman_Jax]

13. What is needed is

that society to evolve enough to allow John Conyers or anyone who is not a white male to be a viable candidate. We still have too many people walking around who don't like the idea that black people can vote, and their numbers are legion.

You wish that people of color would explain things to you. The real question is, Are you willing to listen? Too many whites are like the "usual suspects" and want to discount the fact that the racial caste system is still in place. They say that slavery is history and has no bearing on the present, racism is over and we all can hold hands and sing "Kumbayah."

If you want to do some reading, may I suggest Tim Wise's essays found at www.timwise.org

[noiretextatique]

4. the magical negro thing has grown quite tiresome

the CBC tried and got shot down. i am not sure they'd be moved by this plea.

[politicasista]

9. How has it grown tiresome?

Is it the lack of black leadership in the community?

[FrenchieCat]

10. No....

The fact that White folks consistently look toward the black man to fight his battles. Whether it's putting Black soldiers on the front lines of wars...literally; or expecting Blacks to gather up and march...say due to what happened in Ohio during the election, kinda of like during the fight of the 2000 election....

It's like enough already!

Plenty Black folks feel like saying....It's your turn, now....cause I've got to get to work.

[politicasista]

11. Oh, I see

I agree with that. We lead they follow or do their work while they play.