CNN Fires Rick Sanchez for Speaking Out Against Racism

Rick Sanchez was the coolest brother on CNN. No, he wasn't a brother in the technical sense of the word, but he's the closest we might get on CNN for quite some time. Rick was the host of 'Rick's List,' a daily CNN show that featured the latest and most relevant news and commentary. As a Cuban American, Rick related to the world in a way that was unique and authentic. He cared about issues that affected the poor and minorities, and he used his platform for a productive purpose.

Why am I talking about Sanchez in past tense? Because he was fired by CNN this week.

I doubt that you'll see the story about Sanchez's firing on CNN, but the anchor was released like an injured running back after calling Jon Stewart, host of 'The Daily Show,' a bigot. During an interview on 'Stand Up' with Pete Dominick, Sanchez spoke for nearly 20 minutes about how much of media is run by "elite Northeast liberals," who consider Hispanic journalists to be second-rate. When Dominick claimed that Stewart, who is Jewish, is a minority like Sanchez, he didn't agree. He argued that the wealth and power of the Jewish community does not put them in the same boat as black and Hispanic people.

During the interview, Sanchez said Stewart is a person with "a white liberal establishment point-of-view" who "can't relate to a guy like me." Sanchez also felt that Stewart is "upset that someone of my ilk is at, almost, his level."

Sanchez went on to say the following:

"White folks usually don't see it. But we do -- those of us who are minorities and women see it sometimes, too, from men in authority."

He went on to describe a conversation he'd had with an executive from CNN:

"I really don't see you as an anchor, I see you more as a reporter. I see you more as a John Quiñones -- you know, the guy on ABC. . . . Now, did he not realize that he was telling me. . . . An anchor is what you give the high-profile white guys, you know. . . . To a certain extent Jon Stewart and [Stephen] Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart's a bigot."

CNN is an interesting network, and Sanchez's comments were interesting as well. By stating that the Jewish community is disproportionately powerful in our country, Sanchez certainly has evidence in his favor. Three of the justices on the Supreme Court are Jewish, although they represent roughly 2 percent of the population. Also, by working together on a consistent basis, Jewish Americans have created a significant amount of wealth and power, which hardly makes them an oppressed minority group.

Sanchez's comments, by noting the power of the Jewish community and differentiating it from that of Hispanics, do not appear to be the least bit anti-Semitic. For one to argue that the power base of the Jewish community is the same as that for Hispanics would be ridiculous. So, the idea that Jon Stewart is a minority in the same vein as Sanchez is ultimately incorrect. All the while, Sanchez's comments were dangerous, because he was taking on the power structure by speaking openly against racism, which is typically what most minorities implicitly agree NOT to do when they are given opportunities with major institutions. That's why you almost never hear of prominent athletes or celebrities speaking out against racism, even if they are telling the truth.

When senior administrators at Syracuse University pushed to fire me for speaking out against the university's racism three years ago, most of my black colleagues would only agree with me behind closed doors, but were terrified of speaking in public. I wasn't angered by their reaction, for it was entirely predictable in a country and university with such a well-documented history of racial oppression. The only reason I was protected from the "Out Spoken Negro Slaughter House," was because strong African Americans, like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Michael Eric Dyson and Julianne Malveaux came to my defense and refused to allow others to understate the impact of my scholarship. When people of color stick together, we can win the battle against racism. To this day, people of color who speak up must face a level of professional terrorism that keeps most of us quiet. If we are not quiet, we end up like Rick Sanchez, who is now standing in the unemployment line. I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Sanchez got the ax. The disease of racism is strong with most American institutions, and the backlash of this cultural poison can be devastating when it's honestly confronted. That, my friends, is why President Obama cannot and probably never will have a national conversation on race.

What's also interesting is that by firing Sanchez and replacing him with former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, CNN also finds itself in a hypocritical quandary. Nearly 10 years ago, Rev. Jesse Jackson was removed from CNN for a violation of its ethics policy. Jackson, who'd just been revealed to have conceived a child outside his marriage, was immediately fired from the network.

All the while Spitzer, the man who went on a crusade against prostitution during his time as Attorney General, eventually admitted to regularly hiring prostitutes himself. This was enough to have him resign from the governor's office, but for some reason, CNN gives him a pass. One could argue that by firing a black man for having a child out of wedlock, yet overlooking another man's decision to consistently break the laws he's sworn to enforce, makes Sanchez's point quite clearly. There are privileges to being white in America, and Sanchez is probably right about the bigotry he's encountered as a journalist. CNN should not have fired Sanchez, but the truth is that they are powerful enough to not really care. That's the definition of white privilege.

One more point about CNN is that the network is in serious need of a racial overhaul. The National Association of Black Journalists has consistently called for CNN to hire more journalists of color, and while they've made some strides, we are still riding in the backseat of the corporate car. The lack of minority presence in key decisions for the network shows itself in the way the special "Black in America" continues to miss the mark on many fundamental dimensions of the black experience. Additionally, I am still waiting for the black or Hispanic version of Nancy Grace, Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer or Larry King. In many ways, the executives at CNN still don't get it, and the firing of Rick Sanchez reiterates that point.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.