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Who Is Standing Up For Our African American Community In Race Related Issues In The Twin Cities?
Who is standing up for the African American community in race related issues in the Twin Cities?
The Latinos have churches, unions, politicians, priests, school support, media and white folks etc.
The Somali community has politicians, Hussein Samatar a School Board Member, school support, media, mosques and CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations).
The Hmong have politicians, media, white activists with some black activist joining in on challenges facing the community, school support and neighborhood non-profit groups
The African American Community and our youth have no one that is genuine stepping up for them. Many may call me a liar on this issue.
On January 11th, 2013 we had a black doll hanging situation occur at Washburn High School. Not one African American child was aired in interviews when it first became public on how they felt about the incident. It was not until a well rehearsed, very carefully planned open meeting held at the school two weeks later did the news media show African American students addressing the issue.
On February 14th, 2013 a racial fight took place during lunch hour at South High School. It seems it was between African American /Native American students vs. Somali students. Again, the only students interviewed or quoted where white or Somali. Not one African American students opinion was given on the incident.
Hussein Samatar posted on Facebook in regards to South High Incident:
I visited today South High School and met some of the parents and the students who have been affected by yesterday's food fight brawl at the school.
Contrary to what have been reported this incident was not primarily about racial tension. There are deeper issues and the students and their parents articulated clearly their concerns about the school this afternoon.
The South High School, district, elected officials leaders, and the community need to step up and serve all of our students fairly and equitably.
More to come!
It seems Mr. Samatar was not being forthright about just what parents and students he met with. It does not seem to me his agenda is to serve all students fairly and equitably when it reads in the Star Tribune:
School board member Hussein Samatar met at the school Friday with dozens of Somali students and parents, plus administrators. The first Somali-born Minnesotan elected to public office said the melee resulted from a feeling among Somali-American students that they're not respected at the school. He vowed to follow through with action. "It is a matter of safety and a matter of education and a matter of the future of the city," he said.
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/191400631.html
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/02/16/esmes-blog-helping-south-high/
It seems to me that Mr. Samatar is working for the best interest of Somali students and not for students as a whole with a program he has initiated. I have to ask what has Mr. Samatar done for the African American students in the Minneapolis School district?
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/12/07/somali-classes-south-high
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/01/23/h-s-class-teaches-somali-children-their-parents-language/
Samatar seems to be concerned about Somali students not being respected. How the hell does he think African American students feel when they are perceived as less then second class citizen with there voices being silenced. We know most black people through mug shots and vile written about them while everyone sits back and lets the feeding frenzy fester.
Can I blame a man to force his own agenda that will better help his people? No. It is no different then an email I received January 24th, 2013 after I put up my story on the doll hanging incident at Washburn, from a person with the last name Cousins who may or not be related to the principal at Washburn High School. Though the sender gave a first name I choose not to disclose that information. Below is the email in its full context:
To Whom it May Concern,
I'm writing you in about the videos posted on youtube and the article on your website regarding the incident with the baby doll at Washburn High School. I would urge you to do more research regarding the incident before posting anything more on the incident, and I further urge you to reevaluate what you have already written. Your article and videos do not even try to engage the complexity of the situation, what is being done in response to it, or how most of the students and the staff feel about it. What happened was terrible, and that is well understood with the students and staff at Washburn. There was immediate action taken, but there was also a pause to think about how to best engage the incident in a way that will bring about change.
However, your journalism has been a part of creating a non-existent boogeyman than is unsupportive and insensitive to the severity of the situation. Your interviews show uniformed angry people who don't have the sense to take their own ego out of the equation. It's a sad day when parents are put to shame bu (in email not my mispelling) the reason and thoughtfulness of teenagers.
If you're truly interested in engaging the world in a way that promotes tolerance, diversity, and equality, I urge you to write about what actually went on at the high school. Write about the way that the school has used this incident to promote dialog. But, if you want to write to make people angry, do it in a way that is less journalistically-sexy, but that talks about actual issues in Minneapolis. Write about the fact that we're continuing to segregate Minneapolis through the deconstruction of busing programs. Write about the debilitating tracking in our schools that keeps students from having access to the same resources as their classmates.
Or, you could continue to poor (again in email not my misspelling) gasoline on fires, incite anger, stifle conversation, and give activists and alternative news sources a bad name.
Activist and alternative news sources already have a bad name as they are no better then mainstream media. When the schools continue to put money in the pockets of an in-articulate boob like Al Flowers who uses children for self promotion what hope do our children have? Why has no one questioned Al Flowers and Llisa Jones of KMOJ Urban Agenda fame into what happened with the CSI program and the money that was given? Scott Gray, Louis King, Keith Ellison and school Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson stood behind promoting this fruitless venture. View Kare 11's story below.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=934093
complete editorial at:
http://unconventionalgrandma.com/
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