[Peace-discuss] Anti-racism pamphlet draft

[Lisa Chason]

Anti-racism pamphlet draftI think this piece is so good -- many angles, many good points, all well tied together. Two changes: in section II, in the line "a homosexual-free sanctuary for bigots" change to "a supposedly homosexual-free sanctuary for bigots". In section VI What You Can Do, in line 2 starting with "Remember" -- delete "that." It should read:
"Remember, they...". 
Also, skip a line before section II.
Lisa
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Al Kagan 
  To: peace-discuss at lists.groogroo.com 
  Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 9:32 PM
  Subject: [Peace-discuss] Anti-racism pamphlet draft


  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. (See http://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. (See http://www.census.gov/hhes/ income/histinc/incperdet.html, http://www.chn. org/, and http:// 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. (See http://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 See http://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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