Speaking Our Language

Hats off to Montgomery County, Md., schools for embracing the diversity of this great nation. According to a Washington Post article, some Montgomery County elementary students attend schools where English and Spanish languages are emphasized equally in the classroom in what is called dual-language immersion. The dual-language immersion program teaches youth at an early age the importance of communicating with people of other cultures. The goal of the program is to allow English-speaking and non-English speaking students to help each other become bilingual. Talk about breaking language barriers!

Contrary to what some politicians believe, who are advocating inane legislation enshrining English as the official language, we are a nation of immigrants who now share the same soil, a place where we can enjoy the freedom to speak in our native tongues. The article notes that in 2000, 17 percent of students enrolled in public schools were Hispanic, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And, the numbers are steadily rising.

With the demographic shifts taking place in the United States, we can no longer ignore the widening strata of diversity that makes up the American population. The unique aspect of programs such as dual-language immersion is that Spanish is not treated as a second language. It is given equal billing with English, so Spanish-speaking students are not regarded as being behind the curve when it comes to learning. In the Spanish classes, they are the experts and have the opportunity to share knowledge of their native language with the English-speaking students. And, this is a growing trend in schools across the country, with 329 similar programs nationwide. We say, onward and upward, as the walls built by language barriers come tumbling down.

ICE Tactics Warrant a Meltdown

Was ICE Director Julie Myers on the campaign trail? Her name did not appear on the ballot; yet, Myers is certainly politicking in her own way, having released an executive summary of ICE “accomplishments” in FY06—three months early and just days before Election Day.

With a lead-in that sounds more like a résumé than a report on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in the past year, ICE wasted no time in tooting their own horn to divert attention from their cruel and unjust immigration practices. On the surface, the ICE report sounds like a fairy-tale, citing a laundry list of so-called achievements such as tripling the number of fugitive operations teams and targeting transnational gangs. But, reading between the lines of the ICE report we find that these “strategies” are nothing more than scare tactics and brutality. The report, and ICE activities, must be viewed through a lens of humanity, one that sees the faces of the undocumented immigrants ICE coldly refers to as “illegal aliens.”

In August 2006, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report that border-crossing deaths have doubled since 1995 and that border patrol efforts to prevent deaths have not been fully evaluated. Regardless of whether or not they have official documentation required for citizenship, these individuals are fathers, mothers, and children. They have loved ones who are looking forward to their safe journey or return. It is our responsibility (“our” referring to ICE), as citizens in the land of the FREE, to develop measures that humanely address immigration issues and enforce a policy of protection rather than prosecution and punishment.

Black Like You

Stanley Crouch, in his article titled “What Obama Isn’t: Black like Me,” makes some harsh statements about what it means to be a Black American and who should (and should not) be included under this designation, in his view.

The essence of the article is an explanation of why a presidential bid by Barack Obama would give way to a “more complex understanding of the difference between color and ethnic identity.” First of all, it is difficult to understand why Obama’s presidential nomination would contribute to such an understanding. Tiger Woods, who is of mixed heritage, has achieved a mega-celebrity status and the public has raised few questions or made few assumptions about color vs. ethnic identity.

I’d like to take a moment to respond to some key points raised by Mr. Crouch:

1. Crouch: It was a “fascinating subplot” of the 2004 senate election in Illinois that Alan Keyes, Obama’s contender, was “unable to draw a meaningful distinction between himself as a Black American and Obama as an African American.”
   
   Response: Keyes did indeed attempt to discredit Obama’s “Blackness” during the Illinois senate race, to no avail. But, why should we tolerate or elevate this type of racism, which the The African Sun Times referred to as “inter-cultural bigotry”? We should not celebrate Keyes’ misguided effort to divide and conquer along racial lines during the election. In the public view, both Keyes and Obama are, equally, Black. Over and over again, the media confirmed the public’s perception: CBS News called it “the first U.S. Senate election with two Black candidates representing the major parties;” USA Today hailed Obama as the “fifth black U.S. senator in history.” No, this was not a “fascinating subplot.” It was nothing more than an embarrassing display of a politician’s lack of racial consciousness.
2. Crouch: “Other than color, Obama did not—does not—share a heritage with the majority of Black Americans, who are descendants of plantation slaves.”
   
   Whether we arrived here on a slave ship from Africa or journeyed here by some other means, we are ALL immigrants into this country, by force or choice. As Black Americans, we have a shared heritage of being structurally excluded in a country that has works within systems designed to keep Blacks out, down, and under. As immigrants to this country, we’ve fought together, sweated together, been subjugated together, and celebrated together. Today, although the “paper-bag rule” that slaveholders used to judge a person’s race based on how close their skin color resembled that of a brown paper bag, if you have brown skin, you are labeled as Black and treated accordingly. The difference between Black American and African American is preference in terminology.
3. Crouch: “In his new book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama makes it clear that, while he has experienced some light versions of typical racial stereotypes, he cannot claim those problems as his own—nor has he lived the life of a Black American.” Having not yet perused Obama’s book, we question if Crouch’s interpretation of Obama’s statements are true. If Obama does make this distinction, shame on him. Being subject to racial stereotyping isn’t the measuring stick for whether or not you’re Black, and to what degree. If Obama chooses not to associate himself with Black Americans, that’s his prerogative. It doesn’t make him any less Black in the eyes of Black America, or America in general.

Who made Crouch an authority on what Black is and what it isn’t? A former civil rights activist, perhaps he feels that his involvement in this movement gives him the credentials to determine what constitutes Blackness. Mr. Crouch must understand that membership in the intricate, interlinked racial group known as Black, also known as African American, is not earned. It is who you are, whether you like it or not. But, if his views are representative of Black America, it makes me wonder, where can I turn in my “Blackness” card?

Even a Child Can See It

Recently, I marveled with a colleague about how even toddlers can understand and discern differences in skin color. My colleague pointed out that a three-year-old, while visiting her office, noticed a picture in which her skin appeared lighter due to a photographic technique. The child questioned the color difference, asking why the photo made her look “whiter” than her medium brown complexion, a product of her Latino heritage.

So, if small children notice skin color, certainly intelligent, reasonable adults should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, yes, RACE MATTERS. Yet, amazingly, yesterday’s USA TODAY cover story featured an article that overflowed with quote after quote about how, in electoral races where African Americans are vying for seats that have never been held by a person of color, race somehow just “doesn’t matter” or “isn’t a factor.” Oh, if that were only true, it would be a paradisiacal world for all concerned.

Enough fantasizing. Let’s revisit reality for a moment, shall we?

People of color have made significant strides in the last 50 years in the political arena. We are no longer sitting in the back of the bus, or so to speak, in many levels of the political sphere. However, if color was no longer a factor and all things were truly equal, we would have influence and representation in all levels of government in equal numbers to Whites.

When will the pendulum swing in favor of people of color on the Supreme Court, the nation’s highest court of justice? Statistics show that 108 of the 110 Supreme Court justices appointed, or 98.2 percent, have been White; there has never been more than one African-American justice serving on the Supreme Court at a time. When those numbers become more racially balanced, perhaps then I will listen to claims that race doesn’t matter. At the governor level, only one African American, Virginia’s Doug Wilder, has ever been elected governor of a U.S. state. Tell me race doesn’t matter when at least half of the 50 states have governors of color.

Why is it that although it has taken decades for people of color to be able to break through the glass “race” ceiling and rise to positions of authority in politics and celebrate some key “firsts,” pundits are eager to denounce race as a factor in the electoral process? It may take decades for the playing field to be level, which is why in the meantime, we must keep race on the table, in the forefront, in the discussion. We cannot afford to ignore its impact on elections.

Those who insist that color is not a factor in the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deval Patrick (or any other candidate of color, for that matter) are out of touch with reality. The electorate is not color blind. It is Deval Patrick’s race that makes his potential election in Massachusetts such a big news item—the news is that he would be only the second Black ever elected governor in ANY state.

The USA TODAY article is rife with contradictions. Reporter Susan Page writes, “to win, these candidates have to appeal to White voters, of course—and in a nation where race continues to resonate.” But, the article also quotes such “experts” as David Bositis, of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, who is credited with saying race would not be the reason that Black candidates lose on Nov. 7, but rather it would be because of the same challenges faced by White contenders. But, by virtue of being Black, those candidates have to overcome obstacles inherent to the political structure as they emerge from the starting gate, certain misperceptions and fears widely held by White society. And, the White contenders are wasting no time in capitalizing on those fears and misperceptions. Kerry Healey, Deval Patrick’s opponent, who is White, is catering to White fears in ads that resemble the racist, anti-Ford ads that the Republicans are running to discredit Memphis Rep. Harold Ford, Jr.

Contrary to popular belief, the Nov. 7 election is NOT a test to see how much race matters; through a child’s eyes we see that it still matters, and that’s all we need to know.