[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Re: Memorial in Champaign-Urbana

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

While we can learn from history, we still have to recognize that different
times and different settings change the meaning and significance of
similarly fashioned events and activities.  Need it be said that the
Abolition Movement before the Civil War was basically a white movement set
against slavery and involved in helping slaves to escape their slavery; but
it was not necessarily a movement set on giving Blacks equal rights - only
making them free men. It also did not seek to help any other racial
minorities like the Native Americans.  To the end of abolishing slavery, I
do not think that the movement was very effective; to the end of helping
slaves escape to the North and to Canada, they were effective.  But no one
in AWARE has taken on anywhere near the risks that Abolitionists took on in
behalf of their cause or in assisting the minority communities in fighting
racism or acting in behalf of those communities in ways that would bring
down equivalent costs on their person as was the case of the Abolitionists.
However, I get your point.

As for Aware joining with the black community on several occasions in a
useful fashion.  One must realize that there is no single black community.
AWARE may have joined with certain parts of the black community on certain
issues; but the rest of the black community viewed the association with
suspicion and did not always see those whom AWARE joined with as being the
true representatives of the whole community including those whose interests
may have been different.  I very much think that the AWARE membership may
have felt that their associations with some interests in the black community
were effective; but at the end of the day, the white AWARE members packed up
and when home to their middle class residences in the white community
leaving the Blacks to fend for themselves and remain in the black community
with all its problems and disparities.  How many AWARE members patrolled the
streets of the Black community 24/7 monitoring and intervening in police
engagements, evictions from public and private housing, family service
taking of children etc. where the AWARE member (1) risked getting clubbed by
a cop, shot by a cop, or arrested and sentenced to jail or penitentiary
time; (2) risked being sued and losing their homes or jobs; or (3) risked
being attacked by their own neighbors or outsiders as race traitors.  Unlike
the white Abolitionists, who faced all these risks for hiding escaped slaves
and helping them escape, AWARE efforts tend to be nice safe symbolic
actions, which may appeal to the black establishment leadership but
generally do not command any respect from the more activist and progressive
members of the Black Community - especially the youth - as illustrated by
the inability of AWARE to attract black membership from the local black
community or even the University community. But again, I get your point.

-----Original Message-----
From: Morton K. Brussel [mailto:brussel at illinois.edu] 
Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2009 10:15 PM
To: LAURIE SOLOMON
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Re: Memorial in Champaign-Urbana

Was not the Abolition Movement before the Civil War basically a white  
movement? Ineffective?
AWARE has joined with the black community on several occasions,  
usefully I think.

--mkb

On Jun 2, 2009, at 10:42 PM, LAURIE SOLOMON wrote:

> AWARE is already a de facto and effective white only anti-racist
> organization which is unable to attract and maintain a racially  
> diverse
> membership or effectively take and promote anti-racist positions of  
> any
> convincing credibility due to its lack of any significant minority
> representation or ties to the various racial communities in this area.