It comes as no surprise to me that most church folk I talked to were unaware of former Education Secretary William Bennett's shocking remarks last week, where he posited that aborting "Every black baby” in the U.S. would help drive the crime rate down. But I am sure that employers heard it. I'm sure that colleges heard it. I'm sure the police heard it. As much fun as it is to go after Bennett, the truth is Bill Bennett got sucker punched. Our problem is not Bill Bennett. Our problem is racism. Scapegoating Bennett only makes the job of eradicating actual racism that much harder.
by
Neil Brown
So, what DO you advocate, Mr. Bennett?
While you have downplayed
your *candor and talk* to soften the blow of your hypothetical
position, you never really mentioned what you DO advocate?
How do we reduce the crime rate?
How do we get the young black thugs off the streets?
How do we stop these black folk from reproducing more thugs?
And, for sure, how do we get these young black ladies into the
clinic to raise an already high abortion rate?
The problem now is that you have come out of your neck with what
you think of a race of people. You cannot tell me that you
haven't thought about this for sometime now. See, I believe the
Word of God when it says that, out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth will speak [Luke 6:45].
I don't think we have a misrepresented view, and I think you
said exactly what you meant and meant what you said, since you
said it TWICE. I know you said you weren't a racist, I'm sure
you don't believe that you are a bigot. But you've said all this
after the fact. So, I'm wondering, how are you going to fix this
now? And I'm really wondering how you're planning to respond to
the millions of black folk that you have inadvertently offended?
(Right.)
I'm sure there are young people who never heard of you, never
heard your show and probably have no idea that you have spewed
such hateful propaganda into the air. But, I am sure that
employers heard you. I'm sure that colleges, ivy league
colleges, heard you. I'm pretty sure that the lady who shops at
Penny's will clutch her purse a little bit tighter when she
crosses the path of any black person in the store. I'm pretty
sure the police heard you, so they'll pull over the black guy
who's driving the Mercedes Benz he owns, in the nice, affluent
neighborhood in which he lives, keeping racial profiling alive.
So, what do you advocate?
Most of Black America advocates
trying to figure why we're struggling so much. Trying to help
the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Educate our young
people about our history because the school books in the public
system only deal with Dr. King.
Desperately trying to get as many of our kids in college as we
can, pushing them into science and math since we seem to be
getting left behind again. We're just developing computer labs,
trying to teach our young people that there is more to life than
just basketball, sports and endorsements in food, clothing and
cars. We're still trying to keep them from using 50Cent and
Snoop Dogg as real role models.
Trying to get young men to stop calling our women bitches and
ho's and chickens. Trying get our women to understand that every
man ain't a dog and that some of us are responsible.
I just wanted to say thank you for causing us have to push the
rock up the hill a little bit farther and for making that hill a
little bit steeper.
I just wanted to say thank you for saying what others wanted to
say, but were too scared to do it. Now we know what some of
white America thinks of us for real. And especially those in
positions of leadership, authority and lawmaking capability. You
should be proud of yourself for giving us the answer to the
reduction of the crime rate.
Neil M. Brown
3 October 2005
holla@neilbrown.org
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