[Peace-discuss] Observations on Anti-War Anti Racism

[Brussel Morton K.]

Thanks Ricky, for an excellent balanced update-history and commentary  
about AWARE's record relative to trying to join with the African  
American community in U-C on issues of peace/war and racial justice.   
I would only add that I remember Imani B. (?) saying, at an AWARE  
meeting to which she was invited, just what you note in the paragraph  
below. We also tried to approach pastors of the African-American  
community, but were not enthusiastically received. This has probably  
dampened further efforts of AWARE to unify with that community. Of  
course, that should not deter us from continuing to support that  
community.

Mort


On May 2, 2008, at 1:09 PM, Ricky Baldwin wrote:

> I know of at least two working groups that have attempted to  
> explicitly address the
> issue of AWARE's lack of ethnic diversity.  Currently there is an  
> "anti-racism" working
> group that reports back, I believe, mostly on solidarity work with  
> other groups like
> CUCPJ.  I know that a couple of times AWARE has cleared a big space  
> on its agenda to
> focus on race and the anti-war movement: a long discussion with  
> David R. and Sundiata
> C. from the Center for Democracy in a Multiracial Society, another  
> with Imani.  Someone
> can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe I recall most of those  
> dicussions ended
> with a general impression or specific 'advice' that there wasn't  
> much a group like
> AWARE could do to change its ethnic makeup - and maybe even that it  
> shouldn't try:
> maybe solidarity and participating in the work of groups led by  
> people of color (I'm
> paraphrasing) is more important than trying to "recruit" people of  
> color into our
> agenda.  Maybe that's right, maybe it's wrong, but that is my  
> recollection of these
> discussions.

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