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Letters to the Editor
Spring 1999

Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1999
From:
Patricia Shoemaker
Subject: letters to the editor

I have been accessing your pages for about four months now---this has been part of a real learning curve for me (a Nebraska-bred middle-aged college prof of Irish-Indian-Scottish-German descent: talk about hyphenated Americans!). It was just good to see a web-page that focused on this, since it is a primary struggle for me at a predominantly white post-secondary institution to try to communicate why we are so blind to other cultures: why we don't attract faculty, or students, or why students are "grumbling" and don't seem happy when someone plans a "multicultural banquet" (cringe).

However, it wasn't until tonight that I came across the letters to the editor, and I have to say that these have really spurred a J-curve in awareness. Very depressing. But I tell myself that maybe it's just that the email crowd is not ---- representative? hopefully. I can imagine the mental contortions you all might have gone through to come up with a web-page identifier. I wonder if you get both ends of the continuum (e.g., advocates and racists) using "white" and "euro-american."

I guess I have two great motivators for my interest in learning as much as I can about white identity development and white culture, and about multiculturalism in general. I miss Tampa, first of all...most of my time is now spent on a predominantly white campus in the mid-atlantic region. Second of all, my heart and life are in education, and I see too many missed opportunities. Children who are overlooked and who must adopt "new names" when they come to our classrooms. Families who always feel uninvited. Caring educators who are blind to their own cultural encapsulation and who unintentionally perpetuate aspects of an institution that runs by the rules of dominant culture.

So keep up the good work. Your resources are life-lines that can help us learn to be more culturally competent as teachers, principals, school counselors and psychologists, and teacher educators. When you look at the mathematics, that can touch a lot of people.




Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999
From: Kevin Shannon
Subject: identity focus

Try substituting for the word “race” the meaning “habit, custom, manner, wont”.

We can all see in ourselves distinct habits, customs, manners, and wonts that make us who we are. Even the ritual of forming New Years resolutions is an attempt to get rid of unwanted habits/customs/manners/wonts and nurture new and better ones.

Now try viewing the concept (habit, custom, manner, wont) as an identity next to the existing concepts of “race” given to Americans via the US census. The first is more “real” since we all have habits/customs/manners/wonts, and the second concept of “race” via the US census portrays 0 habits, 0 customs, 0 manners, and 0 wonts (referring to those little boxes: White, African American, American Indian, . . .). They are murky and nebulous at best. We all have a sense, to some degree or another, that this second one is flawed or fundamentally false, and this is why: It is based on false concepts.

In society today what is actually happening is THE CONCEPT OF “RACE” IS BEING RE-DEFINED, OR BETTER DEFINED and it will naturally, eventually, settle along the meaning of habit/custom/manner/wont; which was and is the meaning in God’s eye. The difficulty being experienced today is a result of many people being (officially) led astray from that meaning for so long. People have tried to live within the false census identities which stem from mistaken concepts and institutions have, in turn, built on top of these flawed foundations.

The various census protests regarding race classification that exist today are a natural rebellion to something that is, at its core, unnatural and false. Checking American Indian as a form of protest however, to me, would be akin to fighting a lie with a lie.

A better approach would be first for us all to consciously think of ourselves according to our habits, customs, manners, and wonts, and to lay claim to those as our true “race”. (Wow - what abundant diversity exists in that Light) - And secondly align ourselves with others this way, discarding the old notions of “race”. Everyone wins this way, according to one’s habits/customs/manners/wonts. And the energy currently wasted on the false concept of “race” can be put to rest or put to better use (for example developing better habits/customs/manners/wonts). The debate, then, is not based on, in, around, from, or because of, false identity concepts. Shall we throw out the old census concept now or just continue to “not see/acknowledge” the lie it perpetuates?

Please note that when we discuss this subject as an “inherited concept from the past” and a “false teaching” then people are able to view it (the concept) apart from oneself; and this allows one to save face, and step away from it, if so chosen. A pretty good approach for peacemakers.

The rebellion I agree with (Mary) was of the peaceful coupon clipping type. Here, we cut out the race classification section out of the census, and took it to Bible study. We told God about this injustice and He said: “habit/custom/manner/wont” (it’s even there in the Greek).

There is so much energy surrounding this topic, . . . let’s use it for good. Let’s build around and from this much more accurate meaning “habit/custom/manner/wont”. Things will be a lot better because results will spring forth from a Truth. We will wind up with more excellence because we will be looking squarely at the ingredients that make excellence. Among them: habit/custom/manner/wont.

In Christ,

Kevin Shannon
From: LIGHT8000@email.msn.com

p.s. - did the substitution at the beginning of this article make sense to you?, try it with any (identity) label out there.




Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999
From: jj
Subject: (no subject)

Were you ever interested to know what goes on in Americas fire departments? Black Americans are being murdered at an alarming rate? Illegal activities such as larceny, drug dealing, is made legal by people that are paid by your tax dollars. please check out my sight. I need your help!!!

http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/parliament/2049/

I need all your response, tell everyone you know, we can make a difference, and uncover this together’

thnx jj




Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999
From: Ghassan Hage
Subject: New Book

You might like to add my new book to your library which is about whiteness and white nationalism in Australia and in general, i think it would be of interest to anyone interested in the subject. Ghassan Hage, White Nation: Fantasies of White Supremacy in a Multicultural Society, Sydney: Pluto Press and London: Commerford and Miller, 1998. ISBN 86403 056 9.

Regards and good luck with your excellent work, Ghassan Hage




Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999
From: David Crisler
Subject: Please help me debate with online racists

Please help me! My local bulletin board has been overrun by racists discussing the abolition of affirmative action, the scientific proof that blacks are genetically inferior to whites, etc.

I am the only one countering their highly biased views and I'm afraid I'm not doing too good a job, as I tend to get emotional. Not only that, they harass, mock, insult, slander, lie, and gang up on me for daring to challenge their ideology. Their dishonest tactics used to discredit me in any way possible are incredibly dishonest. They like to don false persona to appear to be more than they actually are in order to create the "illusion of majority". Then, they accuse anyone else who opposes them as using false persona as well! The hypocrisy, dishonestly, and psychological projection is driving me crazy!

This bulletin board is offered as a service of my local newspaper, the Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Fl. USA) and I don't like the way these people are representing my community online. A lot of people from out of state check in to see what Tampa is like, and they see these people with their racist comments dominating the board. I'm afraid it will encourage other racists to move here.

I need reinforcements and volunteers to help couter their garbage!! Please help by signing up to participate on the Tampa Bay Online bulletin boards:

http://iseek.com/TampaTalkz/signup.htm

You have to register, but they send you a password via e-mail really fast.

PLEASE HELP! TELL A FRIEND!




Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999
From: Community Jim
Subject: The importance of your work

Hello,

I think that your work is a very, very important part of outgrowing racial divisions and injustice, a milestone, and in hours of searching I haven't found anything else on the Web that even comes close to it.

Some people want you to say "European American" instead of "white." That would exclude people in other countries, and the masses of people in this country who don't know or care about their european ancestry. It also might include some people that have never been and never will be considered white.

Some people don't like the word "culture." I think that there is such a thing as a white culture, but at first I thought that what you're doing isn't really about culture. Now I think that culture, in its broadest sense of cultivating, really is the best word. A "white" classification affects a person's possibilities and experiences all through life, and influences her development. Your work could be described as a study of the implications for personal growth of being called "white."

Now that "european americans" have been invented, that will need to be studied too. That may or may not have a place in your work, but would not be at all equivalent to what I think and hope you're trying to do.

===
"No man can attain his true station except through his justice. No power can exist except through unity. No welfare and no well-being can be attained except through consultation." -Baha'u'llah




Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999
From: BALLARDCJ@aol.com
Subject: Not am organization for white people.

The opening statement speaks for itself. I bet you wont get very many white people as you refer to me and my kind staying long here. It sounds more like a white slamming area to me how can white change what can whites due to make the world a better place. If your organization is truely interested in a wide varity of input you need to be more enclusive and not so exclusive. I am a white female 36 and have felt very excuded by your statements which put me on the defensive. I hope however I have helped your white study.

Editor's Note: We have changed the opening line of our little ditty to read "Not an organization for white supremacists." As this letter writer correctly points out, the previous wording, "Not an organization for white people," appears to exclude all white people. Our wish, and our actual experience, is that we receive support from both white people and people of color in significant number.




Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999
From: Amegroid
Subject: Up date; Race identity by skin color is declared dead!

Press Release

RACE IDENTITY BY SKIN COLOR IS DECLARED DEAD BY AMEGROIDS,

THE NEW NATIVE AMERICANS

After more than 500 years of being assigned an identity by others, a group of multiracial Americans have declared a new identity for themselves. In the future they will be known as the New Native Americans, and belong to a race known as the Amegroids. The name is taken from the continent of their birth; "AMERICA".

The absolution Of race identification based on skin color will mark the beginning of a new era in race relations and the start of a truly color blind society. President Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Halle Berre, have a publicly stated that they have a mixed race heritage, therefore they could all qualify as Amegroids, the New Native Americans.

Mixed Race Americans in both North and South America are estimated to number more than 450,000,000. They make up the largest segment of the population in the "AMERICAS". Old political and social systems are feeling the impact of this large multiracial group on their institutions. Even though positive advancements have been made, there are still many people who oppose these changes and are not willing to concede this new reality.

In the 21st Century, the 23 countries that make up "The Americas" will move closer together economically. They will have a combined Gross National Product (GNP) estimated to be more than 10 trillion dollars and a projected population of more than I billion, this will make It one of the most powerful nations In the world. Mixed Race Americans will help shape this new economic and trade superpower.

In 1980, the Amegroid Society of America, (ASA) was established in the United States. Its purpose was to give sanction to Amegroids. The Amegroid Society is opened to mixed race Americans who have a racial heritage that include at least two of the three major root races [Negroid, Mongoloid, Caucasoid] and was born on the Continent of America. ASA is a cultural and social membership organization that accepts members that are not suffering from a lack of identity.

However, biological qualifications alone may not be enough to qualify for membership in the Amegroid Society. Society-members are strong minded, self-sustaining individuals who are not affected by or accepting of others race classifications or philosophies. They are capable confident people that have their own culture, religion, and philosophy and have not sought to camouflage themselves by identifying with any of the three major root races.

To enlighten the general public the Amegroid Society sponsor public forums, private discussion groups, heritage workshops and seminars. The Amegroid Society is also compiling a registry for Amegroids; it is the official record book of the Amegroid Race. The registry will allow future Amegroid offspring to trace their racial heritage in America.

The history and future outlook for the Amegroid Race is detailed in a new book called Amegroids, The New Native Americans. If you or your offspring have a multiracial heritage or knows someone who does, this book is a must read.

Web Site: www.Ameribiz.com/asa.htm

E-mail: Amegroid@prodigy.net

Editor's Note: This version of the press release replaces an earlier version submitted on April 18, 1999.


Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999
From: Karmella Haynes
Subject: Wow...I'm almost speechless....
Hello,
 
I guess I'll let myself, an african woman, be very optimistic for a second....I am very impressed by this site and what it has to offer. I saw Marimba Ani on the book list, so I'll assume that YURUGU is a recommended book. So, you'll understand me when I say (with my old world mind) that maybe with the encouragement of reading the books that you recommend on your web site, humans will finally be able to return to a state of TRUE harmony (not Plato's idea of harmony where one class rules a subservient lower class) and whites can reunite their reasoning minds with the spiritual reality (instead of trying to conquer it). I beleive that this would help them establish a unique, yet harmonious culture...if they choose to establish a new manifestation of the old-world "asili".
 
Thaks for your time,
Karmella Haynes (maybe I'll have an african name soon :))



Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999
From: Community Jim
Subject: how I found you

Hi,

I thought you might like to know how I found your site.

I came across a white racist site, and after running away I remembered my diversity principles and went back to see if I could find any good in it.

One of my conclusions was that people from Whiteland need the same help and encouragement as everyone else, to develop a healthy self-image and cope with racial caricatures, discrimination, and violence against "white" people, and that this would go a long way towards making them easier to live with.

I decided we need some place for abused and angry Whitelanders to go for sympathy, support, and assistance besides hate sites.

One of the searches I did to see if anyone was working on this was "white culture," and that's how I found you.

Jim

===
"No man can attain his true station except through his justice. No power can exist except through unity. No welfare and no well-being can be attained except through consultation." -Baha'u'llah




Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999
From: Kelly Smith
Subject: Change for the better

Hello

I am seeking support for the establishment of a place for people of color and all other people who want to live with out race_based anything. I am contacting as many businesses, influential persons, and organizations to create a pool of funds and connections to create a Mormon -like place for non racial existence. if you can direct me to or help me contact any one to help this along I'd greatly appreciate it as would the world, I'm sure.

Thanks

Kelly Smith at www.marlinrain@cruzers.com




Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999
From: Karmella A. Haynes
Subject: Hmmmm...

I am quite skeptical about the whole "amegroid" thing. Their culture is geographically limited? What an infantile view of identity. I am willing to bet that their so-called "new culture" is nothing but another manifestation of Eurocentric culture. They probably have no idea what old-world view cultures are like. Looks like the mulatto hypothesis has really worked the way the white supremacists wanted it to. According to this hypothesis, African plus anything else is not "African" but a class above the African. The original ancient human population, no matter what seemingly different sub-groups there were and no matter how "mixed" a person was, still considered themselves "black" (Africanity is not bound by land). Through mentacide, the mulatto hypothesis has insured that Africans can never produce Africans again.




Date: Sun, 16 May 1999
From: Paige Straley
Subject: Guilt

Letter to the Editor:

I stumbled onto this site, and am amazed. I am a white man, and proud of it. I do believe that ourrace made this country great,and that too much admixture of other races will bring us down. sometimes one has to face the issues squarely, you know.

You guys are whining and seem to be ridden by guilt. give it up! Our fathers were more aggressive, smarter, and better organized than any of the other racial groups, and we got to the "new continent" of North America first.

One may as well forget about being sorry for the aborigines that were here. Any cultural group reasonably well organized that got here would have bulldozed them. We treat 'em right now, and early times were, well, earlier times. And the truth is, they are vey threatened by the makeover of the american population.

So: be proud of being white. Stop all immigration right now. Protect our land and protect our culture.

More people go with my thoughts than with those expressed by your group. And it is a gut feeling too, meaning that in the end it is not easily changed. That is because it is tribally-correct.

Best wishes.............Paige Straley




Date: Sun, 16 May 1999
From: George Winkel
Subject: Letter to the Editor Dear Mr.& Mrs. Hitchcock:

I still feel largely at sea trying to understand your message about whiteness. I am a white husband-father in a white+Asian family. Our Eurasian son is grown, and in his twenties.

Maybe I have been spoiled by Southern California. Maybe because Asian and white blend so easily together (e.g., almost slipping my mind at times I was married interracially) -- I had to read closely and pour over the issues trying to figure out what the multiracials' problem seems to be. At last -- at long last -- I think I do understand (even share) the multiracials' outrage. I know now about the "one-drop" rule, "hypodescent," and "historical series approach" tabulating. I want to see "Multiracial" emerge into nationwide recognition. I staunchly oppose its suppression, and the continued concealment of multiracial children, including mine, in minority monorace anonymity. (My wife and I didn't raise our son to be just another "Asian victim" of "white racism.") But I have not been able to understand you yet.

Your talk of "de-centering whiteness" gave me the wrong idea for a long time. I took you for another voice of the liberal civil rights establishment -- someone braying for Affirmative Action entitlements, and denying multiracial people really exist. (E.g., I thought you were another of those pretending the race-lines can't be crossed.)

In the nature of things some white persons may have to settle for second or third as people of color (maybe including members of my family?) come along competing for place. But I prefer adopting the economists' optimism about a growing economy being like "a rising tide lifting all boats," or a "larger pie not merely bigger slices." Why can't racial integration proceed that way? I feel I would rather see Colored elevated as White than behold the opposite process. Must it be like Affirmative Action: does my little family's "privileged" white lifestyle have to be "decentered" for us all to live equally at a commune, lower level?

Granted too many white people have too long been guilty of riding high on a hog of "white privilege." On the other hand, white people have slipped quietly down from their pedestal over the last 35 years, and hardly anyone seems to have noticed. For over a generation-and-a-half white people have been giving up privileges which I remember they once held exclusively. Across America's length and breadth this surrender of power has been mostly consensual, voluntary, or in accordance with law. Otherwise, the occasional violent opposition of white opponents of school desegregation, forced bussing, and all the rest could never have been overcome.

Nowadays troupes of White Supremacists and KKK types are paraded on TV talk shows, but I believe these and their sympathizers are only a freak sideshow in the overall panoply of white racial tolerance. For now, White still is the majority, a fair target of criticism with its past. Certainly there is inequality still. But some inequality may have more complex roots than simply white bigotry, and the lines separating these from simply scapegoating the white majority is wholly unexplored. Let me comment, too, on some racist criminal atrocities lately perpetrated by sick Whites: I think these scattered incidents reflect societal pathology that may not even directly bear on race. By analogy, does anyone seriously think the fact a few disturbed men attack women indicates that war between the sexes is imminent?

In fact, I think this may be the right time for a process of rapprochement between the races. I think white people will listen, if you can explain to them why they need not feel concerned for their mythical racial purity. They might surprise you understanding how, without the mythical "One-Drop" rule, we nearly all could be near or distant relatives after 400 years living together (Black, White, Hispanic, and Indian -- Asian, too) here in America. They can be informed that the I.Q. test bell curve comparisons correlate to class differences; that there is no evidence any race is evolved genetically superior/inferior to another race. They can understand the biology of race now, too. The subject need not be hidden or denied any longer (in fact, its continued suppression invites trouble, I'd say). We are living in a time when advanced genetic science are becoming household words. It is no strain on ordinary white people comprehending that human racial traits evolved individually, and are inherited separately -- whereas the names of "races" are made up, arbitrary: The various names (Asian, Caucasian, Mongoloid, Negroid, Black, White, ..., etc.) reflect a crude 18th Century taxonomy superimposed on the smooth continuum of related and interrelated human phenotypes (racial features) undulating seamlessly around the world -- they can understand that. Can you? Finally, I suggest white peoples' reacting to racial stereotypes, misinformation, and to their fears of the unknown does not necessarily mean they harbor intractable racism. A little patience with this most segregated race of all could pay off.

Race-based politics seem to me like clashing titans overhead. But despite their storming on up there, I think down at the grassroots people can come together. For example, demographic trends toward interracial marriages (like yours and mine), if continued at the growth-rates they have enjoyed for the past 40 years, imply some or all the separate races may blend away in the next century. No doubt peoples always will form enmities. But I would love to see the great, arbitrary human delineations founded upon J. Blumenbach's 1775 book on "race" fade away. Wouldn't you? I do believe arguing clearly will help.

Sincerely, George W.




Date: Thu, 20 May 1999
From: donald gevers
Subject: White Culture

I have been White all my life, and without divine intervention, there's a good shot I will remain so. I had no choice in the matter. With this in mind, I have read some of the letters to the editor,and to a small degree, I am offended.

Is this orginization sitting in judgement, or attempting to define an enigma that only White people understand? Myself, I lay no claim to sit in judgement of other cultures, nor will I ever attempt to define other cultures. If this what you are doing, you are causing just as much damage to White Culture as the skinheads and all the other idots who do not understand honor, integrity, and responsibility. Please don't claim to understand me, I would have no choice but to feel insulted.

Donald C, Gevers, Jr.

(Letter to the Editor)




Date: Thu, 20 May 1999
From: Jamie Brunzell
Subject:

Colored people, for we live in a tainted place. Colored people and they call us the "human race". We got a history full of mistakes, and we are colored people who depend on a Holy grace. - Dc. Talk-- Jesus Freak

I can write this huge ass letter on how wrong it is for you to be the way you are, but I am not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to ask you to think about the actions, words, and deeds that you have done. Has it got you anywhere in life? Has it made you more of a unified people? Hell, has it made into a man? The actionsand deeds you perform, dictate the lives you led. My name is Jamie Brunzell, and I am here today by God's grace to tell you that Jesus loves everyone, no matter the skin color.




Date: Tue, 25 May 1999
From: Joanna Christophe
Subject: I would like more information on your Center!

I am very happy to see that there is an organization of this nature in existence. As the single Black parent of a biracial son, I have often been worried about finding a way to explain his ethnicity to him as he grows older. Since his father is not a part of his life, and his ethnic background is comprised of more than one culture, I truly welcome the opportunity to learn more about multiculturalism myself. I think your website is a wonderful addition to my favorites folder.

Joanna Christophe




Date: Sat, 29 May 1999
From: Christine Michelle Wilson
Subject: Letter to the editor

I am a 32-year-old Euro-American woman who has lived since the age of 10 in Hawaii, which out of all of the states probably has the smallest percentage of White people. If the 'center' of mainland America is White, then the center of Hawaii culture and politics is Asian(primarily Japanese, plus Chinese, Korean and Filipino). Hawaiians and other Polynesians are marginalized. A White person here is never 'invisible', we are always noticed and termed 'haole' and are forced to make adjustments and considered the 'outsiders'. This seems to be especially true for White women. White men typically integrate into local society by marrying Asian women(Japanese or Filipino), while White women are not considered especially desirable either by Asian men or by the type of Asian-identified White men who tend to leave the mainland for Hawaii. Thus in my experience I have known several White female friends who get fed up with the social scene here and move back to the mainland, as I plan to in the near future. On the surface Hawaii is often termed a race-blind paradise(usually by the same Asian-identified White men), a multicultural melting pot, however if you are looking for true cultural diversity including African, Latino and European as well as Asian culture, New York is more a true melting pot. Here we have each individual Asian culture staking its own turf, while the rest of the world is represented by American mall culture. I see California and other states following the path that Hawaii has set(just substitute Latino for Asian) and it scares me. The politics of racism can only lead to misery and inequality, regardless of which group is in power.

Christine Wilson
email: cmwilson@hawaii.edu




Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999
From: ANASTASIA
Subject: Letters to the editor

Sir:

The European-American Issues Forum, of which I am an activist, is a civil rights organization dedicated to the eradication of racism amongst all ethnic groups and is made up of volunteers all across the U.S. We are further dedicated to promoting and preserving our different European cultures and heritage through education, celebration, recognition and legislation. We further commit our resources to the eradication of racial and ethnic animus toward all people.

We find that the "white culture" you speak of in your editorials is lacking ethnicity and identity. They are puzzled in a country which is full of hyphenated-Americans who are having months dedicated to their culture and ethnic studies, while they just remain "white." "White" = no culture, no heritage, no nationality, no country in which to call their own home land. Members of our organization refer to themselves as "European-Americans." This term brings us to the equal level as other ethnic groups in the U.S. Also, many of us "whites" are the children of European immigrants and we still speak our languages, along with English. We have pride in our heritage, but are proud to be American, and, as you, we are not "white supremacists;" we discourage supremacy, and encourage values and pride in our different cultures.

Respectfully, C. Anastasia Guarnotta,
European/American Issues Forum-Boston....www.eaif.org




Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999
From: A.D. Powell
Subject: "The Boondocks" Comic Strip Promotes "One Drop" Myth

A new comic strip called "The Boondocks" is promoting the "one drop" myth and ridiculing "interracial" marriage and ancestry in the comics pages of daily newspapers throughout the country. Its creator, "black" cartoonist Aaron McGruder, has made no secret of his contempt for free choice in "racial" identification.

Most of "The Boondocks" seems devoted to the bullying of a multiracial girl, "Jazmine DuBois," by the pint-sized black militant protagonist, "Huey." The "Huey" character is, according to "The Boondocks" web site (http://www.boondocks.net/huey.html), the spokesman for the cartoonist. It is "Huey's" mission to force "Jazmine" to renounce her European-American ancestry and "white" mother in favor of an allegiance to his Afro-centric, white-hating, black-militant ideology. He insists that the numerous ethnicities in her ancestry equal nothing but "black."

"Jazmine's" parents are ridiculed to show McGruder's opposition to official "interracial" marriages. Her "white" mother is presented as a frivolous liberal who doesn't realize that she can never understand any "black thing," and her father, Tom (no accidental use of that name), is presented as inferior to the black-militant child, "Huey," in understanding the "racial" realities of the world. Not surprisingly, McGruder opposes official "interracial" marriages while making "Jazmine" into a sex symbol for young "black" males like "Huey." His web page describes "Jazmine" as a "confused cutie-pie" (http://www.boondocks.net/characters.html). We've heard THAT song before!

"Huey" insists that "Jazmine's" frizzy hair gives her no choice but to be "black" (despite her fair skin, green eyes and light-brown hair (http://www.boondocks.net/jazmine.html). You can bet the rent that no one in "The Boondocks" will defend Jazmine by pointing out that plenty of "white" people have "frizzy" hair or that Latinos and North Africans with far more "black" ancestry than Jazmine do not call themselves "black" and do not fear that anyone can force them to do so. No one will point out that "Jazmine" has the legal right to reject a forced "black" identity and call herself anything she desires - even "White.". The game is given to "Huey's" black militancy because the author makes sure that he never encounters a truly logical or sharp response to his bullying.

The "Jazmine" character's rejection of forced, mutually exclusive racial categories is described as "utopian" and "confused" on "The Boondocks" web page. It may come as news to McGruder that many people in this country agree with "Jazmine." Not only has the Multiracial Movement forced an increased awareness and use of mixed-race terminologies, but the Libertarian Party has advocated the total abolition of legal "racial" categories. You will never hear about that in "The Boondocks."

Aaron McGruder's comic strip presents a 1960s "Black Panther" view of the world. It's time he grew up and accepted the fact that the world cannot be neatly divided into "black" and "white."

I urge your readers to e-mail local newspapers in which "The Boondocks" appears and protest McGruder's "one drop" racism.

A.D. Powell




Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999
From: Sonia Stovall
Subject: Letter to the Editor

I'm interested in reading the material on your website and I'm glad I found it.I'm currently conducting focus groups of white females and how they intepret their relationship (in society, on a personal level) with their african-american counterparts for my book. If you know of any research or studies that might be helpful, please drop me a mail. As a young african-american woman from a multiethnic background raised in an all-white town, I'm glad to see that something like this exists. Minorities are tired of trying to explain themselves in the hope of acceptance. It's time that white america understood that, in some respects, who we are is partially due to what we were made out to be. Changing that needs to come from all sides. You site gives me hope that my "mixed" daughter will be able to grow up without choosing a side.

sonia hollimon-stovall shs

"You'll find that some of the truths that we cling to rely heavily on our perspective." Obi Wan Kenobi




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