The 90`s

If racism occurred at a 'white' college...

Note: Written by Howard Barbanel, Published Week of April 27th- May 3rd, 1994

There's a whole lot of braying emanating from the "hallowed halls" of Howard University, that august institution of higher learning that has been self-described as "the black Harvard."

Weak-kneed university administrators, hiding under the supposed shield of the First Amendment have been tolerating a virtual hate-fest on their campus this year. On this campus is an organization called "Unity Nation" that has been responsible for all kinds of anti-Semitic utterings at various rallies throughout the year.

This past Tuesday, "Unity Nation" held another rally.  Among the "distinguished" guests at this suspicious occasion were Khalid Muhammed of the Nation of Islam who spouted off the following "truths" (Farrakhan's word) at Kean College recently:

"Who are the slumlords in the black community...Who is sucking our blood in the black community? The so-called Jew."  "The Federal Reserve ain't really owned by the Federal Government...it's owned by the Jews." "They are the most influential in newspaper, magazine, print media and electronic media.  They have our entertainers in their hip pocket...they have our athletes in the palm of their hands." "Brother, I don't care who sits in the seat at the White House. You can believe that the Jews control that seat...they control the finance, and no only that, they influence the policy-making."  And so on and so on and so on...

Also at this H.U. rally was the esteemed Dr. Leonard Jeffries, head of Black Studies at CCNY, that noted scholar who keeps espousing the canard that the Jews were responsible for the slave trade along with the Jews' running a conspiracy against blacks, among other things.  Also at the rally was the student agitator Malik Zulu Shabazz, specialist at anti-Semitic jingoism and rabble-rousing, now training in the minor leagues of campus life before the hits the big-time when he graduates.

No one, especially those of the "politically correct" are particularly upset about this university's providing a forum for the purveyors of hatred.  Erstwhile New York gubernatorial candidate Howard Stern, sometimes called the "shock jock" for his sometimes sophomoric monologues on his nationwide radio show, is also known for succinctly tapping into the truth. Talking about this very subject on his show recently, Stern asserted that "if a white university starte behaving in this fashion, there would be a, when I say white university, I mean typically white institution, all hell would break loose in this country."

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Louis Farrakhan says there is a "Jewish media conspiracy to destroy him" and he asks, "Why is that we can see a Schindler's List but there is nothing that is said of the holocaust to black people, which was 100 times worse than the Holocaust of the Jews?

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) obviously sees its advancement taking place by associating with Farrakhan and his ilk.  As quoted recently in The New York Times, the NAACP board said that its leaders who resist any pressure to distance itself from Mr. Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.  Benjamin F. Chavis, executive director of the NAACP, has called for closer ties with the Nation of Islam and among Chavis' close advisors are a longtime attorney of Farrakhan's and a former official of the Marxist government of Grenada.

Meanwhile, that prince of pomposity, the Reverend Al Sharpton is running for U.S. Senate against the venerable Daniel Patrick Moynihan.  In his quest for the holy grail - political power - he has accepted the political endorsement of none other than Louis Farrakhan. In explaining this, Sharpton declares that "I will accept all organizations that have been positive in our community, including the Nation of Islam."  In further rationalizing of his Farrakhan support, Sharpton asserts that "You (the Jews) cannot chose the leadership on the other side of the table. We must respect indigenous leaders in each community."

Colin Ferguson is the black guy who killed six and wounded 25 others on the 5:33 Long Island Rail Road train to Hicksville a little while back.  His defense in court? Why, "black rage" of course. American (read white) racism drove Ferguson insane. He was victimized by white society and was compelled to act.  His defense attorneys? None other than Willian Kunstler, the self-hating Jew (he also defended Kahane's and Yankel Rosenbaum's killers) and Ronald Kuby, a refugee from the radical 60's.  Kuby has been very candid in his defense of "black rage." He really says in New York Magazine that "the more the white community fears African-Americans, the better." He also goes on to say that "We're just saying that he (Ferguson) was not responsible for his own conduct.  We're saying white racism is to blame."

A 1992 survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that blacks are more than twice as likely as non-Jewish white to hold negatively stereotypical views of Jews.  In New York, black radio stations like WLIB and WWRL rant on all day against the Jews as does much of the black print media.

Howard Stern his it on the head again: "You know what I've got to laugh about all this, because, first of all, it, it's amazing to me who a black guy, who is sitting there in bad economic times, sitting there trying to figure out what his problem is in life, why he's not succeeding and if I took two hours of my time to hear somebody speak, who was gonna (sic) give me the answer about why my life was so miserable, and he (the speaker) got up there and he said:  The reason you're so miserable is the Jews, I'd punch him out."

When 11 members of Congress, black guys, are not willing to denounce Louis Farrakhan when you have a situation where black universities will not denounce...you've got to understand something.  If there is a wave of acceptance of this stuff, and you have to feel bad about it, because you sit there, and you look at how most of white America must love this, watching the Jews and the blacks fighting, it's a great comedy.  The two most hated groups on Earth, scrapping with each other...because there's some powerful, white WASP sitting there, somewhere, going, 'those dopes.'"

The people ultimately damaged in all this are the blacks because anti-Semitism won't further their economic situation, it won't engender friendlier relations with the rest of America, it won't help their quest for better education and housing, and it just won't win friends or influence people.  It will only serve to further ghettoize them and retard the efforts of many to join the mainstream of American society.

What about the Jews?  Why should we care? Are we being too sensitive?  The answer is best encapsulated in the following snippet of conversation from the new film, The Paper, between Michael Keaton and Randy Quaid.  Keaton asks Quaid, "When did you become so paranoid?: Quaid answers, "When they started going after me." As for the Jews, we must continue to expose these bigots so as to discredit them further and to keep vigilant should mere hateful rhetoric transform itself into more large-scale vandalism or violence against American Jews as was the case in Crown Heights and at the Brooklyn Bridge.  We must defend ourselves in every way and at every sphere against attacks either verbal or physical so it is made abundantly clear and sundry that the Jew of 1994 is not the Jew of 1934. We will not be maligned, we will not be abused and we will not be attacked. Anti-Semitism may be in vogue in some circles, but for us, the truth never goes out of style. We must continue to educate the public so bigotry is kept on the run and so as not to give satisfaction to the David Dukes and KKKers out in the hinterlands.