Abandoned the Marxism and religion panel and plunged headlong and an hour late into the verbosely titled panel, Radical Black Perspectives Panel: Obama, the Crisis of Black Leadership and US Imperialism Running Amuck! Shouldn’t it be “amok”? If there was a play on words (muck), then I missed it. On the panel: Margaret Kimberley, Jon Jeter, Nellie Blair (chair), and Glen Ford.
I also missed the discussion on imperialism. Instead, I landed in the middle of statements by Kimberley, who said, and I paraphrase, black people will be the last to realize they’ve been snookered by capitalism. To which a member in the audience retorted that the idea was unacceptable—the black population is an unacceptable casualty because it would represent a major setback for the progressive movement in this country.
To which Kimberley responded, “We need to critique ourselves” and not take a brown face in the Oval Office for granted.
Jeter: Briefly discussed the inspiration and optimism he drew from the 2008 Republic Windows and Doors strike in Chicago in which 250 Latinos and blacks participated in a good ol’ fashion sit-down strike to obtain owed back wages—and won. Interestingly enough, the 200 Latinos knew that amidst their immigrant population, not everyone was straight on paperwork; and amidst the 50 blacks who participated, some were out on parole. In other words, many strikers had a lot more to lose than their jobs if arrested (deportation and more time in prison, for example). And still, they decided to sit together and fight for their rights.
Imagine, then, Jeter says, the U.S. in 20-30 years from now when the minority population of today will be the majority population of the future. Republic Windows and Doors could be a snapshot of the labor movement of the future.
Ralph Poynter, husband of jailed civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart, was in the house, piping up and reminding the audience that the black population is not monolithic in their opinions and class makeup. The vast majority may have voted for Barack Obama, and maintain an emotional connection to the president, but the group is cracking along class lines now.
Toward the end, Kimberley admonished the audience: “Stop worrying about the Tea Party, and stop worrying about Glenn Beck, just speak the truth.” To which she added, referring to the fired up, Leftist minority sitting in that room, that it is always a minority that makes changes.
To which I remind Kimberley, that the Tea Party is also a minority...
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Going all day without food and drink has taken its toll. I may or may not pop into another panel, but I risk passing out. Time to find some grub… the Yes Men are still to come.
JK Fowler is conducting an insane amount of interviews. I count a dozen so far... Let’s hope he pressed the record button, because the audio coming your way is a veritable Leftist bonanza!
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