>>> Rakesh Bhandari <bhandari at phoenix.Princeton.EDU> 01/19 5:06 PM >>>
Yoshie, Charles, Raphael and others:
First to Charles: as I said in private correspondence, family caps do raise the specter of racist eugenics and must be fought, but we should not let that fight carry over to paranoia about unversal access to birth control and abortion. That is, there is the danger that feminism will be seen as part of the conspiracy of black genocide. I think there is a real danger of such conflation. ________
Charles: There is a long history to this. In _Women,Race and Class_ Angela Davis discusses the historical example of the famous feminist Margaret Sanger at the beginning of the century. She became a eugencist at the end of her career. The burden is sort of on the other foot. It is the feminists who should be careful not to repeat the error of falling into racism.
"Paranoia" is not an apt term. Wellfounded caution based on the history of the White establishment coming up with some new way all of the time to try to depopulate the Black community. And usually they have a moral or politically correct motive expressed; But on this one has to look at the material impact, that is pragmatically. What is the actual, physical and demographic result of White proposals to improve Black people ?Not "what does the latest ideological fad among White intellectuals tell us to do?"
Progressive feminists are not controlling which "birth control" policy prevails in this country. There are two birth control policies, you know ? And that's not paranoia. The problem is naivete about this fact, not paranoia. Of course, there is male supremacy within the Black community, and your challenge to that aspect is correct. But that is the MINOR aspect. The MAJOR aspect still remains white supremacy including its expression as a genocidal assault on the Black population. To call that paranoia is a racist coverup. One need only recall the Tuskeegee syphillis torture/murders to see what this White Nationalism is capable of.
-clip-
Rakesh: However, I would mention the following problems in Charles' post.
a. Detroit may have unique demographics among major cities--still haven't read Judith Stein's or Thomas Sugrue's books on the history of Detroit (I would like to read these before responding to Charles' comments on Coleman Young); ______ Charles: Detroit and DC have the greatest Black concentration, but the "inner city" as synonymous with Black has been general in this period. White flight was much more general than just Detroit. To deny residential segregation at the intiative of Whites as a general process in the U.S. is a waste of time. Of course, it is not absolute, but it is a good social generalization.
I urge you to read the autobiography of Coleman Young instead or those other books.
It is _Hardstuff_.
______________
at any rate, Charles' post concentrates on white racism only while I raised the question of whether separate black organizations would undermine cooperation with the other groups that inhabit America and the same cities as blacks, as much as some may like to forget. After all, the very Chicago in which the BRC was held is quite a diverse place. Do we just wish things wouldn't be more complicated than black/white? _____________
Charles: Your analysis is distorted , if you don't concentrate on white racism in analyzing the relationship between Black people and organizations and other people of color. This is some of what creates nationalty in the other groups as well. Also, I think Rakesh is exaggerating this issue. I don't think other people of color are alienated from Black people because of Black organizations. Black power was a model for Brown, Red, and other self-empowering efforts in the 60's and 70's.
Rakesh: b. it is possible that there are black leaders/organizations which have a stake in the continuing segregation of the black community and thus wish to preserve it. _______
Charles: Again, as long as there is White Nationalism, self-organization is a legitimate tactic for Black people. Different people employ it in different degrees. The NOI is wellknown for employing it the most, but what about the Black Christian churches which have many times more members than the NOI ? Of course the church bureaucrats have a stake in perpetuating their gigs. Given that racism and White Nationalism have gotten worse rather than better for the last 20 years of Reaganism, why should they dissolve themselves pursuing some phantom of unity in Rakesh's head ? Again as long as your analysis does not make White Nationalism your prime concern, your analysis of Black nationalism and self-organization is totally unrealistic, out of real context.
This false accusation that Black leaders are "pimping off of the Black freedom movment" when racism is allegedly solved is one of the main lies of REAGANISM. It is characteristic of Reaganite racism -the lying denial of racism, the proclamation that it is solved. And then the lying claim that anti-racist leaders are on a sort of welfare. Reagan himself said this explicitly. Rakesh is repeating the heart of the rightwing (as Chuck says, whitewing) line on this issue in this period.
Rakesh: For example, we should not underestimate how much the Frances Welsing racially separatist ideology does affect black peoples' understanding of the world and increase skepticism about viability of that idealistic interracial cooperation so contemptuously dismissed by Kwame Ture under the influence of Malcolm X who only began to urge participation in the civil rights movement because he thought that would turn blacks against whites. _________ Charles: I'd estimate that less than .01 % of Black people have heard of or comprehended Welsing's theory. For those who understand genetics, it seems to me that she misuses the technical genetic term "recessive".
Kwame Ture is dead and not widely followed in the Black community today. Malcolm X has been addressed at length on this thread. Briefly, as long as white nationalism is so fierce, it is necessary for Black people to have an aggressive policy of self-love and self-respect, promotion of Black pride. This is an obvious first principle of mental health. It is necessary to have a powerful rejection of one's oppressor's conceptions of one; and an affirmative, self-determining self-concept in its place. If you don't get it ask me and I'll explain it at more length.
______
Rakesh: The belief in the intractability of anti black racism racism redounds to the advantage of those black elites who benefit
1. from keeping blacks in black exclusive organizations which they get to lead; 2. by winning office due to the compulsive voting for and supporting black politicos regardless of ideology and program; 3. by getting rich by encouraging a loyalty to buy black, no matter how shoddy or overpriced the merchandise, as a contribution to the advancement of the race as a whole. ______
Charles: There is certainly opportunism among Black leaders, but it is not of some special type different from the opportunism of White leaders. This is the old double standard racism. Black in every field and endeavor must adhere to a higher standard than Whites, according to racist analysis and practice.
Black people lament and struggle against the weaknesses of their leaders, but this does not at all remove the need and cause for Black self-organization, which cause is White nationalism. __________
Rakesh: There is also the danger that the race based organizations will refuse to cooperate in strikes and boycotts if the company agrees to more minority franchising. In his Jesse Jackson book, Reed reports that PUSH was willing to do just that. Doug noted it in a LBO too. ________
Charles: Yes, this occurs. Henry Ford was able to prevent the union from coming in at Ford for a while based on Black "scabbing". This is exactly the Marxist analysis of why racism hurts White workers. By segregating themselves from Black workers, they dividthemselves and are vulnerable to the boss.
Black communists and other leftists struggle against the disuniting tendencies in Black self-organization.
But, again, Rakesh has the order, priority and emphasis backward. Within the total picture, Black workers and people cannot and should not give up their own self-organization until White workers and people give a clear and convincing sign that they are giving up White nationalism and racism, segregation and separation FIRST. Also, Rakesh exaggerates the racially] exclusive policies of Black orgs. in general. Most Black organizations are open to Whites. Whites just don't want to join; or else they typically try to control them. ________
It simplifies black politics if we view all organizations as simply blameless victimized variations on the theme of black self defense from white racism. What are we to make of Earl Picard's criticisms of the economic strategy of Operation Push--it was in Telos in the mid 1980s? ________
Charles: Who is "we" ? It is not for White people to criticize the petit bourgeois weaknesses of Black organizations (organizations
necessary because of White Nationalism).
"We" don't view Black organizations or anything else simply. Everything is complex, a unity and struggle of opposites. From that complexity we isolate the most important and determining factors. In this case, that is victimization and oppression, not opportunism in the leaders. Black organizations are not only victims ,but they are victims in relation to White racism and nationalism. ________ I-clip-
Rakesh: In objecting to criticism of black nationalism, Yoshie raises several important questions.
I have been making an argument for why it is important for minorities to participate in integrated worker and pinko organizations, more important than race exclusive ones. You call the argument hot air while not proving that race exclusive congresses are actually not the utopian ventures. You also seem not to think there is any problem of compulsive anti communism in minority communities that needs to be confronted. That people are not seriously separatist does not mean that they are not anti-socialist, or anti communist like white or brown or yellow workers. ________
Charles: I have participated in integrated worker and pinko organizations for 25 years. I have given you some of the reasoning for my conclusion that both these and Black self-organizations are necessary. I can also tell you from practical experience that it is your plan for only integrated orgs. that is a utopian idea until Whites make a big hit on their own nationalism.
In the last Mayoral election in Detroit, it was a long time Black nationalist, Ed Vaughn, who carried the anti-corporate, anti- General Motors banner. You underestimate the objective progressive nature of much Black nationalism ( as in say the Black Panther program). Your fear of Black self-organization hints at lack of awareness of the "paper tiger" or "scarecrow" dimension in the strategy of all oppressed groups or nations that are in a struggle with a materially superior enemy. You have been scared off by the bluff feature that is intended to scareoff racists.
-clip-
Rakesh: course since there are at present no other organizations really defending black people directly or indirectly, we should all enthusiatically support the BRC even if we express criticisms and hope that their initiatives are meant to draw and are successful in drawing support from other minority working class and feminist groups and the working class generally.
Charles: This is a some progress. There are other Black orgs. defending Black people's interests though. You don't seem to have a deep factual understanding of the Black community.
-clip- Rakesh: skimmed through Mark Solomon's history of CP/black relations today, _____ Charles: I can assure you that Mark Solomon. a veteran White radical and comrade, supports the BRC.
Charles Brown