With the worst environmental disaster in history washing up on our now oil-soaked shores and the country embroiled in a red-hot immigration debate that is forcing us to ask exactly who is an American, its easy to see why the age-old problems of the inner city have slid off the nation's radar.
The NAACP wants to change that - at least for a day.
The nation's largest and oldest civil rights group is planning, along with labor unions, a protest march in Washington D.C. on Oct. 2. The aim of the "One Nation" march is to remind Congress and President Obama that minority neighborhoods remain "zones of pain" for black and brown people.
I commend the NAACP for planning the gathering. Its good to see the organization activating the local branches of activists across the country - its most powerful weapon.
At the same time, however, theres's a question that troubles me. Will the march end up being a waste of time?
Everyone connected with the march will feel good for a day. It will capture news headlines nationally and will bring some short-term attention to the plight of urban America. But If you think the march will achieve something lasting, you have another thing coming.
For one, President Obama has already heard absolutely everything that will be said from the podium on Oct. 2.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have taken Obama to task for not paying enough attention to an urban agenda. The president has responded, saying that programs designed to lift all American will help everyone and will have a disproportionately positive result for minority communities.
It's not that Obama has forgotten about an urban agenda. He simply disagrees with civil rights figures on how to address it.
If NAACP President Ben Jealous or Rev. Jesse Jackson are expecting a check for a massive aid program addressed to the inner city fall from on high, they have a long wait ahead of them.
A larger problem is that some people are questioning whether civil rights marches have outlived their usefulness.
In the 1960's, much of white America was shocked by images of black freedom fighters being attacked by Southern law enforcement officials with fire hoses and attack dogs. Large national marches were a logical and strategic follow up to further teach the nation about Jim Crow living in the South. Things are different now.
Everyone knows the problems of the inner city today and that includes Congress and President Obama. A march may make us feel good for a day. But what will it accomplish on the second day and every day after that?
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Comments: (22)
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By: BillSchrier on 6/14/2010 5:12PM
That's right, "marching" and disturbing the peace by interferring with traffic (otherwise known as rioting) is the answer to everything according to blacks. Instead of working hard, earning a paycheck, taking care of their children, they'd rather "march" to grab entitlements other race's don't get, because they don't "march" like blacks.
This is exactly what your god Obama also believes, as his previous experience is being a "community organizer", i.e. "march" organizer.
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By: mswll4 on 6/14/2010 8:41PM
BillSchrier, you are right. The NAACP is no good. During the march, they will fell good for one day. And after that, business as usual. I have no use for JESSE JACKSON OR AL SHARPTON. They are a bunch of COMMUNIST.
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By: elle40 on 6/14/2010 11:53PM
Bill, I couldn't resist responding. Your posting are very ignorant and foolish, just like you, but I have discovered you enjoy this website, because it is an outlet for you to say in a blog environment what you lack the courage to say out loud [publicly]. It doesn't matter how many times people correct you, your joy comes from being a miserable white man (or other ethnicity) who sits around criticizing African Americans. How do you find the time to do this? Oh!!!!! You don't have a job, you're lazy, you're in pain and have a sick desire to inflict verbal pain on others. I understand. You really are very funny. You're an uneducated white man who has probably been hurt by an African American and this is how you retaliate. Bill, you can do better than that. Come on! Grow up! You can get another job. Don't be scared! Deal with your pain [other than blogging and hating on African Americans]. It's really pathetic of you.
Also, you either don't get out much or don't have a television to watch, but let me give you a capsule summary on the latest marches. The Gay Rights March was not an organic platform from African Americans. The Immigration March, also did not originate with African Americans. The Breast Cancer Awareness March was not an African American idea. The Tea Party March truly was not an African American Production. Bill, do you get the picture? We're not marching holding up traffic- - You have us confused with our Latino Brothers and Sisters. We're in school, working hard, raising our children, and constantly trying to ensure the likes of you do not impeded our progress. So get the facts straight Bill before you blog. Can you do that? Is that too hard for you? Bill, one last thing, it's not nice to talk about people negatively the way you do. STOP that!
NOTE: Obama never organized a march. There you go with erroneous facts. Come on Bill, get it together. Yes, You Can!! Wink! Wink!
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By: Observer on 6/14/2010 5:21PM
The NAACP needs to get more ambitious. What we need as minorities now is better representation in the upper echelons of the workforce. Just go to any large bank or law office and you will see that black people and hispanics are under represented. If you see a black man in bank like JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs he is probably working security, I rarely see hispanic men there at all and if you happen to see a black woman you know she works in HR. Now that we have educated minority people we need to get them working in these high paying industries or what was the point?
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By: BillSchrier on 6/14/2010 6:39PM
And how do you propose to "get them working" in these positions? By the standard tried-and-true practice of "marching" or screaming "racism" and these companies"? Or crying to the government EEOC to force businesses to hire unqualified blacks just to get the government off their backs?
Why is this farce of private companies being forced to hire blacks so important to you? Why not just have the government send you your entitlement check for doing nothing, after all that's all that's really happening anyway.
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By: BillSchrier on 6/14/2010 7:14PM
And, if by chance, the rare qualified black is hired by a private company, and would have been hired anyway, HE will suffer from the stigma of the EEOC forcing companies to hire other unqualified blacks. His co-workers will just assume he's unqualifed and got hired just to fill the minority quota required by the government. Sure, they won't say so, as that would get them fired for "racism", but belive me that's what they're thinking (with great justification). So, not only are racial quotas unfair to more qualified whites, they are also unfair to the rare qualified black who unfairly suffers a stigma due to them.
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By: a on 6/14/2010 5:57PM
i'll march if Obama Marches! lets see if he can walk the walk he sure just talks the talk lately 9/11 and all that stuff!
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By: showoffpoetry on 6/14/2010 6:10PM
NMarches are a waste of time and resources. We need to use that energy to build a black economy. And solve at least 50% of all our problems if not 99%
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By: Sharon on 6/14/2010 6:29PM
No! Marching is NOT the answer....one word EDUCATION!! That is all that it needed!
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By: BillSchrier on 6/14/2010 6:35PM
"If NAACP President Ben Jealous or Rev. Jesse Jackson are expecting a check for a massive aid program addressed to the inner city fall from on high, they have a long wait ahead of them."
What do you mean "if"? Of course that's what they expect. Marching (rioting) to demand taxpayer money as a handout has always worked before. Why not now? Especially with a president who is a "community-organizer-in-chief".
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