I want to impress upon the family how important it is to read about their history, especially now in light of what is happening.  To put it succinctly, the gains your forbears have fought and died for are slowly being eroded by the Conservative movement.  The statements made by Senate Majority leader Trent Lott is just a drop in the bucket compared to what their agenda is about. Let me give you an example: you hear the Conservatives call for states rights, right?  Well, mostly you hear it coming from the Southern States.  If states are granted their "rights" then they would have total autonomy to do as they wish, that means segregate the schools, push back Civil Rights Legislation, remove hate crimes laws from the books, etc., and the Federal Government would be unable to anything.  In other words, the Federal Government would be limited in what it could do to prevent the states from enacting oppressive laws.  READ THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FEDERALIST PAPERS, KNOW YOUR CONSTITUTION and the FEDERALIST PAPERS.

Remember, it was the Federal Government that mandated school desegregation and all the Civil Rights Laws, to which the states, especially the southern states (begrudgingly) had to comply. (If we are bound by the Constitution as citizens of this country, why do we need Civil Rights Laws?) But this is only one example, another is the school voucher issue, which would in effect be a form of legal segregation.  The rhetoric sounds good--the public school is failing your child, wouldn't you want their child to have a good education?  Then here is some money to send them to private school.  What is not said is that some private schools can refuse to take your child.  Another, there isn't a private infrastructure to accommodate all the children, but still, money would be siphoned from public education. This is private enterprise at work.  And when your child can't cut it there is no remedial program to help them develop their skills, they are kicked out.

I hear what the conservatives say (I listen to talk radio everyday).  Yesterday, what in effect was "Black people are stupid", came from a Black conservative educator, Walter Williams who teaches economics at George Mason University.  He was substituting for Rush Limbaugh.   Don't be fall asleep on the rhetoric that is bandied about or you'll be in trouble--question everything!

For those who may doubt what I'm saying, you can go to your local library and check out Pat Buchanan's "Death of the West", or G. Liddy's "When I was A Kid this was A free Country", since I do not advocate spending your hard earned dollars on these books, but I nevertheless urge that these books be read.  If you do not have a library card, get one; and use it for this very
purpose--to read books you have no desire to buy but must be read anyway! 

And to those who have a strong aversion to books written by Whites, let me ask this: How effective do you think you can be in this societal struggle knowing nothing about your opponent and your opponent knows everything about us, the greasy Chinese food we eat, the booze we drink, what we smoke, the number hours we spend glued to the T.V., the Hip-Hop we listen to, our inclination to party, and our aversion to their books.  Your opponent knows how illogical and irrational we can be.  Learn about your opponent, think as he thinks.  Read about the ancients to learn about the contemporaries, read Aristotle, Plato, Tacitus, Cicero, Thucydides, etc.  Learn about his psychology.  Your strength to do battle will come when you can use his words and deeds for your own advantage. 

Books are expensive, I know.  But here's a bit of knowledge I will share with you: there is a used book store beneath the Wheaton (MD) library that sells books for as little as .50 cents, most are $1.00, and good hardcover books too.  You can get a book on any topic you can think of.  They have a damn good section for Afrikan & Afrikan-American studies.  I am there at least twice a week.  Those white folks have some good books about Black people, books I've never fathomed existed (Do you think they read about us?). It's right off Georgia Ave., just above University Ave. in Silver Spring (MD).  If you don't like crowds go on Saturday mornings. Then there is Daedelus Books in Columbia, MD which sells new books for as little as $5.00 or $6.00. I'm their often too.  So you see, knowledge can be gotten inexpensively. 

Let think seriously about nation building and stop the foolishness.  Let us try, as best we can, to educate ourselves about the world about us, then can we speak of harmony and unification.   Without harmony, unification can't exist, and without unification harmony is impossible.

With love,
your brother,

Wayne

Last Update:01.31.2004