"Wednesday,
September 22, 2004
Council Embraces Racism as a Development Strategy
Detroit leaders buy into economic plan that would isolate the city and discriminate
against immigrants
The Detroit News
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Racism contributed significantly to Detroit’s decline, and unless the
city’s leaders change course, racism will keep Detroit from rising again.
Under the guise of creating more opportunities for African-Americans, the Detroit
City Council has embarked on an overtly racist path that treats immigrants and
other minorities who live or do business in the city as second-class citizens
and whites as personae non gratae.
The council might as well hang “Blacks Only” signs on every entrance
to the city.
The council voted 7-2, with only Sheila Cockrel and Kaye Everett dissenting,
to enact a plan that advocates racial isolationism and blames immigrant groups
for impeding black progress.
As a document, “A Powernomics Economic Development Plan for Detroit’s
Under-served Majority” belongs on the shelf with Adolf Hitler’s
“Mein Kampf.” As a policy, it belongs on the trash heap, which is
where it will take Detroit if implemented.
In a nutshell, the plan, produced by failed casino bidder Claud Anderson and
paid for with $112,000 of taxpayer dollars, would make Detroit officially a
black city, with public resources directed at encouraging black businesses and
attracting African-American residents at the expense of all other groups.
Rather than making up for or avenging the racism suffered by blacks for centuries,
it redirects it at other disadvantaged groups.
Powernomics treats immigrants and the entrepreneurial spirit they often bring
with them to America as a negative, rather than a positive force that can revitalize
a community and create jobs. The Arab business district in southwest Detroit,
the rapidly expanding Mexican business community and the emerging Chaldean business
strip in north Detroit are solid examples of what the energy and initiative
of risk-taking immigrants can accomplish.
Powernomics assumes that the pie is only so big. If immigrants get a slice,
there will be nothing left for blacks.
That’s a self-limiting theory. The formula followed by immigrant groups
is available to African-Americans. In fact, the report recommends that blacks
mimic the success of Arabs by focusing on education, pooling capital and resources,
and maintaining strong family networks.
Powernomics also makes the incredible assumption that outsiders — defined
as corporate America, white suburbanites and immigrants — anticipate a
“gold rush” in Detroit and are hurrying to stake claims that rightfully
belong to black Detroiters.
Investors are hardly rushing into the city. Suburbanites who are putting their
money in Detroit are motivated as much by altruism as they are by the uncertain
promise of profits. In nearly every case, they could make more money, and make
it faster, by investing in the suburbs.
Anderson’s plan advocates slamming the door on outside investors and abandoning
regionalism, the concept that city and suburbs must work together to promote
and improve Metro Detroit.
This is a fraudulent and hateful document. It would move Detroit in the opposite
direction from mainstream America, which is rapidly discovering the value of
diversity. The city would become an isolated backwater, a cultural curiousity
in an increasingly cosmopolitan nation.
And it would trample the civil rights of Arabs, Asians and Hispanics. Had a
majority white city endorsed such a plan, the U.S. Justice Department would
already be serving subpoenas.
There are some good points in Powernomics, including its emphasis on improving
schools. Also, the concept of an African Town that highlights the city’s
cultural and musical heritage is exciting, except for the part that calls for
using $40 million in casino money for a blacks-only loan fund.
On the whole, Powernomics is divisive. It is filled with excuse making and plays
into the entitlement mentality that continues to hold back African Americans
in Detroit.
Rather than flirt with the proposal, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should condemn it
— and in doing so send a strong message of reassurance to the investors
he is counting on to help rebuild Detroit."
Response to: Council Embraces Racism as a Development Strategy
Detroit News,
Editorials
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Detroit News Editorials look around and you will see an absence of African symbolism,
vibrant colors. Culture Relics, beads beadworks, textiles, languages, food,
clothing, music, etc, yet we are .community of over 800,000 African, yes I know
there are those who say,” I am not an African”,” I don’t
know anything about Africa”,” I was born in America, my answer is
ignorance and denial don’t mean that we are not African and the mere passing
of “ time” can’t denier us that fact or the point of no return,
the middle passages, enslavement, reconstruction, segregation, integration our
participation in the European wars, the civil rights movement, “racism”,
prating Christianity or Islam, assibilation, speaking English, earring degreed,
excepting someone else’s creation myth, none of these events from our
past robbed us of our Africanism, we are African because of our DNA, Ancestor
tendencies psychologically and spiritually deep in our genetic pool lying dormant
is our African spirituality waiting to emerge, the foundation for African town.
Greek town, Mexican town, China town, Pole Town, etc these are cultural who
have their own language and creative myth to explain how they came to be and
as long as they identity with their cultural they will survive as such. What
make them different is their symbolism, edifices, food clothing that their ancestors
developed after leaving Africa thousands of years ago, it is encoded on their
genes to insist on the continuation of their kind ask yourself why would any
people living in America would try to hold on to their cultural identity? in
The land of opportunity and the great melting pot.
Your primmest is that we all are American, without realizing that America is
a European cultural, look at the language, English, creation myths Christianity,
building Europe, laws European, the philosophy that govern European, the founding
fathers of your constitution were European base on a fight you were having with
England, the King James vision of the bible written by scholars at Cambridge
and oxford England,. The only people you have been able to trick in to, believing
that America is not a European cultural in African living in America for the
last 400 years.
We tried in the early 1800s to call ourselves African and you responded with
a threat to send us back to Africa. so we went back to calling ourselves Negro
( the word is neither and African concept nor an African world it is of Protégées
and Spanish origin from words meaning Black and was first used about 1550 prior
to the European in Africa each cultural has its own name and each individual
identifies himself or herself by membership in a group, the prefix Ba meaning
people and Ma signifies the individual personal), the name you felt comfortable
with, you allow us to call ourselves black, color, Ladies, Gentlemen ,Sir and
Madam Afro, African- American( we begin using in the late 1970s it meet with
resent by African in America and Europeans), etc.
the concept African town, a lot of African living in America will also fear
that concept and they will fight it, we are identify ourselves with a cultural
other than European., you allowed us to have our black bottom, hasten street,
etc., those titles don’t imply mental independent, this is the irony ,
African living in America shop and live in all of the above so call town and
never tried to stop them from existing as a cultural, and you call us races(
I will address this concept later) we force you to let us shop with you , go
to school with you live in the same community with you, use the public transportation
with you, and you say we are races that word was coned to explained you behavior
and it has no basic in African cultural , most of the above cultural town are
in Detroit, but if we identify an area as African town we are races.
You said for us to call a section of Detroit African town is racist, FYI Detroit
is a French name, 99.9% of all the streets in Detroit is named after Europeans
and 99.9% of all African born in America have European names and .9% of the
remain have Arab names, most of the schools, buildings, city government departments,
parks, hospitals have European names, bank and mortgage companies are owned
by European 90% the church were used by European first and we build new one
using European Architect and architectural designs. In fact the religions is
yours, you develop the K12 education system based on your cultural, 90% of the
public art is European and we pay you to continuous to educated us in you collages
and university and you call us races?( maybe we should change the name of Detroit
to Nyama.) to reflect the people living here?
The European and others, that are helping to revitalize Detroit are not leaving
because we name an area African town, I remember the owner of Crain Communication
said he would leave Detroit if we voted for casinos in Detroit, the last time
I looked he is still here, the contractor and developer in Detroit are Europeans
and they are not leaving because we call an area African town yet, you call
us races, what white supremacy school did you get you degree from?
You will not stop attacking Africans in Detroit, I think you know why Detroit
is the way it is and it is not because of so called racism its because you left
the city and maintained control of the infrastructure, real estate, news papers,
radio and television stations, and now you are back dusking and refurnishing
your building you never gave up ownership why is it that every time we put forward
an ideal outside of European cultural you become mean spirited?, I must remind
you , when we were relegated to small section in Americas cities, like, Harlem,
Delray ,Paradise Valley, etc. you came to be entertained and you felt safe.
As I reflect on African history their is nothing in our pass to suggest that
if African town come to be, it would be racist, you have plane vacations and
lived in Africa every secant you enslave and colonize us. Were you getting this
information that said African town is bad for Europeans and other? , you said
that” immigrants, other minorities and Europeans would become second-class
citizens and white as personae non grater”, like we are now! We sat and
watch the other groups spared their cultural identify, our goal was naval to
interfere with a cultural exhibiting it pride, remember most of the so call
towns came to be after our present in Detroit, I am amazed at how you have place
yourself as having an opinion when it comes to how we decide to call the area
that we will shop, entertain ourselves, in- gauge in economic development, live,
etc., that a lot of nerves and arrogance, it reminds me of when you set out
to civilized the planet.
How can Dr. Anderson slam the door on outside investors, when it is the outsider
who owns Detroit, you said “the city would become an isolated backwater,
cultural curiosity in an increasingly cosmopolitan nation” is insulting
and illustrate your stupidity and ignorance of the facts, I must remind you
of your history on this planet, you colonize most of the earth, enslave, raped,
murder, took land, force your will and cultural on everyone whom you came in
contact with, your history suggest that if their is any backwater it you.
We have engage you to treat us like you treat yourself you fought us with dog,
gun, laws and deceptions, and lies, tourism, news papers, etc, maybe we are
tired of your gifts, you are my child, you need to grow up and stop trying to
determine what is best for African in Detroit. Your leaderships lie and cover-
up facts and you have no ideal how off center you are in your views about the
planet and your place in it. You begin your editorial with the word racism,
Grosse Pointe, Ann Arbor, West Bloomfield ,Royal Oak, these are communities
whose culture is emerged in Europe are they racist? And did their communities
decline because they were segregated?
If we change the word race and replace it with culture would your conclusion
hold? The issues between African and European are a cultural one and if we continue
to argue with you over race you will maintain control. You say that Dr Anderson
propose trump, the so call civil rights of Arabs, Asians and Hispanics, these
are my children we are one in the same, the above are African, you comments
reap of you ignorance Have you been in our community lately?
The Arabs own at lease 90% of all the party stores, gas station hardware stores,
dollar stores, grocery stores, etc. European own the major retails stores, the
Mexican are doing quite well, the Asians and the Italians have their share of
the restaurants, and the Korean beauty supply business and all are well received
in our community, let me follow your logic if we select a section in the city
used tax dollars, (the city which is 81% African) to help with the infrastructure
we will infringe on the other people rights?
Have you forgotten that you enslave us strip us of our cultural and ancestor
tenacity, and insist that we mimic or assimilate your culture if we had a cultural
to identity with Detroit would not look like you never left. We have been enslaved
longer than so call freed. Was slavery our culture? I don’t think so we
used your language English, we celebrate all of your holidays as if they were
our Owen and some of my people think they are.
The 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Sweet Day, New Years etc., we
gauge ourselves by your standards, our goal is to mimic or assimilate you’re
cultural, and we look to NY, Paris. Italy, France, for the lasted fashions design,
the goals of the civil rights movement was to get closer to you. The Arabs,
Greeks, Mexicans, chins, etc. can’t tell the same story, that we tell,
they were not stripped of their culture, What surprised me is that you see us
as being different from you, that difference is superficial skin color, etc.
you strip away all of our cultural identity, except that which is past on at
the moment of conception coded in our DNA.
You have for years focus your time, money, intellect on our difference, I think
you know that we are 99.9% identical, you have mange’s to convince us
(people of color) to think of ourselves as racist and human, and you are the
superior one, now you would deny us the opportunity to target a section in Detroit
and call it African town, you should be honored that you are in the presence
of the oldest people on the planet.
In 1987 a Berkeley biochemistry lab sent shock waves through the scientific
community with the announcement that modern African genetic heritage had been
traced back through time to the African very origin that origin occurred in
Africa 200,000 years ago one Y chromosome study in the early 1990s concluded
that this African was a pygmy living 200,000 years ago in the forest of what
is call the Central Africa Republic
You are not trying to help the people of Detroit, if you were you would help
us connect with our culture, dismantle the K-12 European education system, that
we are force to fail, you begin you editorial with the word racism. What is
a race of people? In African biology what is considered races are groups that
are not distinct enough and never have been to be subspecies, individuals from
any two African populations have always been able to intermingle and interbreed.
We tend to choose mates from people living in similar social groups and in the
same area; we possess different physical features that result from a combinations
of geographic location and genetics inheritances.
Are you referring to skin color the most commonly cited signature of racial
differences, fewer than ten genes control the range or variation in our skin
color, from the darkest to the lightest tones, these genes occur in every African
to produce melanin skin pigments that can be black, brown, yellow or red. All
Africans have the genetic capacity to be come black or white, or any shade in
between it is the action or inaction of the enzyme tyrosinase that actually
determines how light or dark my skin will be and that depends on the environment
where I live, the wider apart two population live the more different can be
counted between them.
I was surprised to see you begin your commits with that concept, scene you have
taking a stand for what is right for the people of Detroit, am I to assume that
you are a student of the so call classification of races; Caucasian, Mongoloid,
Negroid, Capoid and Australoid by the Anthropologies Carleton Coon in the 1960s,
it has no basic in biology and he was wrong for publishing that garbage and
you are wrong for using that word and not doing your homework it don’t
matter if every one on earth is using the word it wrong. It looks like this
was a rush to judgment about African town.
Let me share another fact on the study of the African courtesy of the paleoanthropolgy,
I know you used the word human, what is a human? Any member of the species Homo
sapiens (wise African) the only living representative of the family hominid,
a group of upright-walking primates with relatively large brains all humans
are primates, 180 species of primates, we are essentially
African Apes, we share almost 99% of our genetic material, the information that
codes for our proteins, bones, brains and bodies, humans also possess 46 chromosomes
to an Apes 48; we are much nearer to them than we think, even if separated by
millions of years. All of these species were successful some time for long period
and went extinct 6-8 million years ago, except so call Lucy, this African did
evolve and since we are the only living member of the hominid family, if you
hear someone say I am a human, guest what they just said that they are a primate
and an African
African diversity today, around the world we appear very different from each
other there are differences in skin color, body size, limb-proportion, hair
texture and other physical features, differences in dress and countless cultural
customs, but our visible variety of size, shapes and features are remarkably
similar beneath the surface of our skins, the genetic sequences of two unrelated
individuals may be as much as 99.9% identical
You constantly complaint about how we” used ” your language , the
point is it is your language not ours, Language whether spoken, written, picturegraph
or symbolism exists in all African societies and exited in all known past societies,
all of these languages possess complex rules of grammar and certain nonfunctional
universal rules, between the age of two and three years, generally children
in all cultural begin to assimilate language naturally without cues or classes
from the experience and sensations around them the problems our children have
learn English is it is not there language.
The different that separated us from the Arabs, Chine, Mexican, Greeks, etc.
is their cultural identity, the two ingredients of a cultural is a language
and creation myth on how they came to be, we were unfortunate to have been enslave
and colonize and our language and creation myth eliminated and giving one in
it place, we have a sub-cultural, a collection of personal story to tell, but
no cultural, barbequing, dancing, picnics( pick-a-nigger),fish fry, Motown sounds,
jazz ( ass music) music, baseball, basketball, wearing colorful European cloths,
etc that not our cultural,.
We have been enslave longer thin so-called freed, was slavery our cultural?
I don’t think so, we were using your language English, excepted you creation
myth Christianity, celebrating your holidays as if they were our own, we gage
ourselves by your standers, we have master been you so good until you think
of us as you think of yourself, our goal was to mimic or assimilate your cultural,
but now we have decided to look to Africa for a cultural identity perhaps. It’
will begin with African Town, faith and beliefs will always fight with truth.
"Getting the African to study his or her cultural before the arrival of
the European in the 15th central is like iron trying to teach rocks how to rust."
I will leave you with a African proverb from the Lunda Ndembu people of Zambian
“ often a lot smoke comes from a kitchen, but on inspection there are
no more than one or two pieces of firewood; Meaning one must not be deceived
by imposing external appearances, for in reality there may be little substance
behind them.
Olayami Dabls
Executive Director
Mbad African Bead Museum/The America Black Artist