[Peace-discuss] Anti-racism pamphlet draft

[Morton K.Brussel]

It is a little late to be commenting about the Anti-racism pamphlet, 
but since we are preparing to distribute it again in connection with 
MLK day, I thought I'd reread it to see if it needed any upgrading.

In summary, I think it is an effective, comprehensive, and excellent 
pamphlet, and should be distributed.

I would only add the comment that the racism discussed is of a peculiar 
type, and NOT necessarily related to race as it is genetically (or 
ethnically) understood. My point is that discrimination, the 
downplaying and subordination of others' lives, is often a byproduct of 
other effects, economic, geopolitical, …. It can emerge simply by 
virtue of the fact that a power elite strives to retain and strengthen 
its power.  It is often a devaluation of the others' lives in the 
interest of enhancing ones own.  Marx would cite it as a manifestation 
of the class struggle.

Thus, if we wish to control the fossil fuel resources of the world, 
residing to a large degree in the middle east, then it is natural that 
we try to impose our will on the peoples of that area; if they resist 
our will, we will seek to destroy them. That they are Arabs or Muslim 
may well be of secondary significance. Similarly, much of the "racism" 
cited in the USA is a result of the push to concentrate wealth in the 
hands of those already having it. Thus, one can argue that slavery in 
the USA, and elsewhere, had largely an economic basis. (In ancient and 
not so ancient times, the enemy, although essentially of the same 
genetic or ethnic stock,  were often made into slaves.) The elimination 
of a fair tax system, of social spending, of privatization, etc.., are 
all actions which punish the already poor, which in the U.S. are to a 
large extent afro-American and Latino.  It is not necessarily a result 
of whites regarding peoples of color as inferior, although that too can 
play a large part (for to believe that one's opponents are truly 
inferior obviously makes it easier to devalue their lives, use their 
energy, and grab their possessions.). The causes of discrimination are 
often hard to disentangle.

Competition for resources and wealth have always brought into play the 
degrading of the "other", what we now commonly call "racism" . But it 
seems cleat to me that the driving force is not necessarily racism in 
the sense of skin color or other physical characteristics.

I do not expect or recommend that this argument be incorporated into 
the pamphlet, but I thought that I would express my point of view with 
the intention of elucidating some of the issues involved.

MKB

On Aug 24, 2003, at 9:32 PM, Al Kagan wrote:

> Here is our draft pamphlet.  Please send comments back to Al, Mike or 
> Linda. Many thanks
>
> The Connections Between War and Discrimination
>
> I. War and Discrimination Connections
> Wars intensify racism in the US. Japanese-Americans were interned 
> during WWII, Viet-namese were derided as "gooks," and now Arabs and 
> Arab-Americans are investigated as if their ethnicity alone makes them 
> terrorist suspects.  Dehumanization makes it much easier to fight and 
> kill.  On a deeper level, the relationship between race and class 
> means that all minorities suffer during wartime.  The US military is 
> disproportionally black and Latino. Those at the bottom of the 
> socio-economic ladder are most likely to be unemployed, and therefore 
> more likely to "volunteer" to be put in harm's way.  As more funds are 
> shifted from critical social needs to military adventures, 
> unemployment rises, education suffers, and our quality of life 
> degrades. Sexism is also fueled by militarism. War means rape of 
> innocent civilians and more violence against women at home. Murders of 
> military wives by their  recently returned husbands are just the most 
> obvious brutal evidence of what war does to human beings. And women's 
> status in falling in Iraq as the previously secular society becomes 
> more dominated by reactionary forces.  Only peace can provide the 
> opportunity to build a better society. 
> II.  The Military Needs Poverty and Racism
> Reasons for enlisting are varied and multifac-eted, but according to 
> the Rand Corporation, "[People usually] join because the military 
> of-fers employment prospects superior to what they could obtain in 
> civilian life." While blacks comprise only 12% of the population, they 
> rep-resented 32% of the Army in Gulf War I,  and not surprisingly only 
> two members of Congress had children on active duty. 
>
> What else does the military offer?  A 90% like-lihood of sexual 
> harassment and 30% likelihood of rape for women soldiers, a 
> homosexual-free sanctuary for bigots, 50% of the front lines and a 
> glass ceiling for blacks, and a sub-minimum wage for all entry level 
> soldiers. Veterans comprise 1/3 of the male homeless population, and 
> working veterans receive pay significantly lower than non-veterans. 
> Over 70% of college-aged soldiers never see a dime of financial aid 
> from the military.
>
> III. The US Economy and Social Welfare
> Unemployment, living wage, and affordable housing are all related to 
> racism and war.  Peo-ple of color are hardest hit when the economy is 
> bad.  They suffer the highest rates of poverty, and need the social 
> services that are often cut when funds are shifted to the military.
>
> The total US unemployment rate was 5.8% for the year 2002.  But notice 
> the disparity in the rates of 5.1% for whites, 10.2% for blacks, and 
> 7.5% for Hispanics. (Seehttp://stats.bls. gov/cps/). Working people of 
> color get paid less than whites. The per capita income for whites 
> living in the US in 2001 was $24,127.  Compare this to  $14,953 for 
> blacks and $13,003 for those of "Hispanic Origin." 34% of white 
> children  are low-income compared to 57% of African American children 
> and 64% of Latino children.  
>
> The federal minimum wage is insufficient for the survival of many 
> families. Many cities in-cluding Urbana have established their own 
> "living wage" laws. We need to pass similar laws in Champaign and the 
> surrounding com-munities. (Seehttp://www.census.gov/hhes/ 
> income/histinc/incperdet.html, http://www.chn. org/, andhttp:// www. 
> prairienet.org/helpbook/)
>
> IV. Discrimination Against Arabs & Muslims
> The "War on Terrorism" has relegitimized racial profiling.  The 
> grassroots movement against racial profiling had made significant 
> progress before 9/11, but repressive forces have used fear to overturn 
> these victories.  Several thousand Arabs and Muslims have been 
> detained and hundreds have been deported for minor visa infractions.  
> People from a list of 21 mainly Muslim countries have been forced to 
> report for "Special Registration," and many have been detained on the 
> spot including many Christian and secular Arabs.  Some have fled 
> across the border to Canada to escape the possibility of indefinite 
> detention without access to lawyers and contact with family and 
> friends.  Names of those detained have not been made public. We do not 
> know the real totals of those detained, but we do know that Special 
> Registration is not protecting us from further terrorist attacks.  
> Even US citizens have been detained without access to basic legal 
> procedures.   Local Muslims report increased discrimination of all 
> kinds, especially against women wearing head scarves. Locally, an 
> undergraduate UIUC student was picked up and detained for weeks 
> because of his Palestine solidarity work.  AWARE has established a 
> Mutual Aid Pact to help those targeted because of their ethnicity, 
> religion, or political views under the War on Terrorism legislation. 
> (Seehttp://www.anti-war.net/MAP/.)
>
> V.  Racist Crime Policies
> American crime policies and law enforcement bear a striking 
> resemblance to the current "War on Terrorism."  These policies are 
> similar in that they wrest control from a politically and economically 
> weaker people under the guise of humanitarianism, bleed the respective 
> commu-nities of their resources and vitality, and prevent future 
> empowerment. The domestic prison system disproportionately affects 
> low-income people of color, while the most noted victims of current US 
> wars are Arabs and Muslims.
>
> While the US population is 12% black, the prison inmate population is 
> 46% black. And an overwhelming number of those blacks are non-violent  
> drug offenders.  Note that 74% of those incarcerated for drug offenses 
> are black, but that 72%  of all illicit drug users are white.  The 
> mass media falsely characterizes drugs as a black 
> problem."Tough-on-crime" politicians point to black incarceration 
> rates  to show the effectiveness of their policies. This perpetuates 
> the misconception that blacks are more inclined to criminality. 
> Current crime policies effec-tively silence the communities needing 
> gov-ernment aid and social change.  Felony convic-tions have 
> politically disenfranchised 13% of the entire adult black population 
> who are unable to vote. Finally, we note that the US prison system is 
> a $32 billion-a-year industry and it is becoming increasingly 
> privatized. Corporations now profit through incarceration and can 
> lease in-mates out for extremely low wages.
>
> VI. What You Can Do
> Stop the Wars.  Elect candidates who support peace and racial 
> equality.  Talk to your local and national candidates about these 
> issues. Write to your current elected officials.  Remember, that they 
> are supposed to work for you. Ask them to introduce or support 
> legislation to make our society more peaceful and equitable.
>
> Support the creation of local police review boards.  An Urbana board 
> is currently under consideration.  It would be comprised of com-munity 
> members who would provide input to the City Council and investigate 
> complaints lodged against the police. Work with your local school 
> boards and city councils to ensure peaceful and equitable practices.
>
> Form coalitions with other like-minded groups.  Get involved in your 
> community or increase your current involvement by forming coalitions 
> to make your voices stronger. Work for passage of a living wages laws 
> in the City of Cham-paign and surrounding communities 
> Seehttp://www.ilchamber.org/kc/hr/hr020914A.asp
>
>
> AWARE
> Anti-War Anti-Racism Ef-fort
> http://www.anti-war.net
>
> Weekly meetings on Sundays at 5 PM at the Independent Media 
> Center,     218 W. Main St. in downtown Urbana
>
> -- 
>
>
>
> Al Kagan
> African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
> Africana Unit, Room 328
> University of Illinois Library
> 1408 W. Gregory Drive
> Urbana, IL 61801, USA
>
> tel. 217-333-6519
> fax. 217-333-2214
> e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
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