[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Message to White Progressives

[John W.]

At 10:24 PM 1/3/2006, you wrote:

>From: Tchiguka at aol.com
>Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 23:24:42 EST
>To: peace at lists.chambana.net
>Subject: [Peace] Message to White Progressives
>
>
>Dear White Progressives:
>
>I find it mindboggling that you can fight for the human rights of people 
>in Third World countries, thousand of miles away, but cannot, or rather, 
>are unwilling, to fight for the human rights of black Americans and other 
>people of color in your own country. Just mindboggling.
>
>Racism is not a secondary issue, regardless of what you like to think. Yet 
>your group is still called Anti-War, Anti-Racism Effort, with emphasis on 
>"anti-war."
>
>White progressives, you need to seriously check yourselves.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Muata Tchiguka


Hello, Muata,

Thanks for writing.  I'm not an active member of AWARE, but I am on their 
mailing list, and I suppose I could be considered a "white 
progressive".  Without disagreeing with you in the slightest or even 
feeling particularly defensive, I'd like to ask, if I may, what in 
particular occasioned your remarks here.  Do you have something specific in 
mind that we white progressives should be addressing or involving ourselves 
in?  I, for example, have been active since the summer of 2001, together 
with some others and more or less beneath the radar, in trying to get 
Citizen Police Review Boards for the cities of Urbana and Champaign.  If 
successful, that would, one hopes, benefit persons of color.  I know other 
white progressives who are or have been engaged in similar enterprises, 
such as the Living Wage Coalition, county jail reform, and the Independent 
Media Center's Books to Prisoners program.  But perhaps we should be doing 
more.  Do you have concrete suggestions for us?   Can you engage us in 
dialogue?

Equally sincerely,

John Wason