- Sep 12, 2009
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Exerpts from James Clingman's article:
Blackonomic$: Symbolism without Substance
—Ferguson to Jena
...There are many instances of Black men killed by police with
impunity. So what’s my point? Well, as I watched the church
services and listened to the speeches in Ferguson, I eagerly
awaited the speakers’ solutions. I could have missed it, but I never
heard a solution that centered on economics. I heard the
obligatory voting solution, in light of an embarrassing 12
percent turnout among Black voters, but an “I Voted!”
sticker will not stop a policeman’s bullet, and voting
alone will not change our condition in this nation.
Money runs politics, and when campaign donors are against
something they will get results from the politicians they support,
especially when their bottom-line is adversely affected. For
example, can you imagine Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Coca
Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Pepsi Cola CEO Indra Nooyi, NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver, Nike CEO Mark Parker, McDonald’s
CEO Donald Thompson, Diageo Liquor’s CEO Ivan Menezes, and
even Anheuser Busch’s CEO Thomas Santel, standing before
national media and calling for an end to injustices against Black
people? Nothing personal against these companies; it’s just as they
say in war, “collateral damage.” But the damage would stop when
the folks who run this country speak out....
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Perspectives_1/article_101743.shtml
Blackonomic$: Symbolism without Substance
—Ferguson to Jena
...There are many instances of Black men killed by police with
impunity. So what’s my point? Well, as I watched the church
services and listened to the speeches in Ferguson, I eagerly
awaited the speakers’ solutions. I could have missed it, but I never
heard a solution that centered on economics. I heard the
obligatory voting solution, in light of an embarrassing 12
percent turnout among Black voters, but an “I Voted!”
sticker will not stop a policeman’s bullet, and voting
alone will not change our condition in this nation.
Money runs politics, and when campaign donors are against
something they will get results from the politicians they support,
especially when their bottom-line is adversely affected. For
example, can you imagine Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Coca
Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Pepsi Cola CEO Indra Nooyi, NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver, Nike CEO Mark Parker, McDonald’s
CEO Donald Thompson, Diageo Liquor’s CEO Ivan Menezes, and
even Anheuser Busch’s CEO Thomas Santel, standing before
national media and calling for an end to injustices against Black
people? Nothing personal against these companies; it’s just as they
say in war, “collateral damage.” But the damage would stop when
the folks who run this country speak out....
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Perspectives_1/article_101743.shtml