I'm just saying...

I’m sure many of you heard about the march on Washington Friday. In case you missed it, people from all over the country led by Al Sharpton marched around the Justice Department to demand more enforcement of hate crime laws.

The march was largely fueled by anger of the lack of federal intervention in the case of the noose-hanging incident in Jena and other recent noose-hanging incidents across the country.
I know we’re all not going to agree on the case of the Jena Six or its surrounding events, clearly. That’s not even up for debate specifically in this post.

And I know some folks across racial lines are going to always refer to people like Rev. Al Sharpton as troublemakers. (Just remember, Martin Luther King Jr. was commonly referred to as a troublemaker too back during the civil rights movement… Just something to think about.)

But if the federal government can deem it urgent and necessary to intervene on behalf of dogs (i.e. the Michael Vick dog abuse case) and baseball (i.e. the steroid case with Barry Bonds) can’t we at least agree that more federal action should be taken against a hate crime that symbolizes decades of gruesome, brutal, unjust murders committed throughout this country against a race of people?

If you still think leaving nooses around is just a harmless, kiddie prank, check this CNN special out. Or, better yet, watch it whenever it airs again and let me know what you thought.

March on Jena: The Intro

You know, when I first read the story of the Jena Six on our editor’s blog back in July, I felt sick. So sick that I wanted to get my thoughts out immediately. And I felt sick for several reasons: 1. I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard until then that something like this was going on just a few hours away from me. 2. The injustice that occurred is so disgusting and disappointing, but sadly, not shocking at all. 3. It's just a plain ol' sad reminder of the die-hard racism that still exists in the South and really the entire country.

I am optimistic, though, that people are putting their foot down and saying “No more!” However, is it me, or does it seem like everyone but Louisiana folks as a whole are even showing this the amount of attention, concern or outrage that this case warrants?

I mean, this is supposed to be 2007 not 1957, right?

Some say the March on Jena will be one for the history books as far as the number of participants. Among the big names expected to be in attendance include Michael Baisden, the very popular syndicated radio show host who's been largely credited with bringing this story to national attention and keeping it alive through his radio show; the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, of course; and the children of the late Martin Luther King Jr. I’ve even heard some prominent entertainers are going to be there.

I'll see for myself Thursday when I, along with Times reporters including Ashley Northington and Loresha Wilson, will travel there to cover the events. They’re going to bring you full coverage which you can find on shreveporttimes.com, while I share my personal account of the experience on here.
Times reporter Joel Anderson was already in Jena earlier this week and you can read more about that in tomorrow's edition of The Times.
Meanwhile, check back here and on shreveporttimes.com throughout the day for up-to-the-minute coverage of the March on Jena.

Say what?!

Before Wednesday, I really never paid attention to who Don Imus was. I’d seen him a few times on MSNBC, while channel surfing, but that’s about it.
Heck, I didn’t even realize that was his name until last week.

But, just like many folks, I was outraged to hear his remarks concerning the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Let me make this clear: I was outraged, not surprised.

I mean, come on, I’m not foolish enough to believe that the strides and accomplishments of the Civil Rights movement wiped away prejudice and racism like a magic wand.

And I’m certainly not naïve enough to believe that America is just one big happy family.

I also understand everyone has a right to their opinion, and even their own brand of humor.

Whatever goes on behind closed doors - whether I agree with it or not - as long as it’s legal it’s not really my business.

BUT, when you’re so callous, so brazen, so bold to utter ignorant comments like Imus did in a public setting, when you choose to put your ignorance on display for the world to see, THAT’S when I have a problem. That’s when I get concerned.

Nappy-headed hos? Really?

I’m not sure which words enrage me the most – the nappy-headed part or the hos part. Both words have long carried such negative connotations.

And used together they denigrated an already-downtrodden group. No, I'm not referring to simply the Rutgers women's basketball team, but black women as a whole.

Hearing him say those words made my skin flush with anger as if he were talking about my momma … my sister … me.

And when did these words become acceptable language for public fodder or consumption?
The sad truth is that maybe they always were, and Imus, just like Michael Richards, just happen to let it slip out.

I just heard snippets from Imus' interview yesterday with Al Sharpton and of course, Imus played that role of the innocent-yet-defensive-one, claiming he doesn’t believe what he said made him a racist.

He wasn’t intending to be racist, he said. He was just telling a joke that went wrong. Blah, blah, blah…

I’m so sick of folks hiding behind everything but the truth. You can’t ever make me believe that Imus, a man who's old enough to have lived through segregation, the civil rights movement, the second wave women's liberation movement and a host of other milestones in human history, wasn’t fully aware of what he said or the ramifications of what he said when he said it.

Words rarely roll of the tongue without some thought behind them. Whether intentional or not, words reflect conscious thoughts held in your mind based on your own belief system and perception. They're ingrained somewhere in your psyche, waiting to be used.

And Imus' words were racist, pure and simple.

I believe it is the responsibility of MSNBC, as a nationally broadcast media company, to make a bold statement against this kind of attitude and behavior. Lines have to be drawn somewhere to say that this kind careless language is unacceptable in mainstream media, period. A mere suspension is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.


If you’re still not convinced, let’s play dumb for a minute and ask this question: Would Imus have ever referred to a basketball team full of mostly white females as nappy-headed hos?

I doubt it, but I’ll let you be the judge.