StraightWords E-Zine

Extra Special Event: Black Writers On Tour

LOS ANGELES Black Writers On Tour April 24
Dr. Rosie Milligan and Milligan Books will hold the annual Black Writers On Tour conference at the Crown Plaza Hotel, 5985 W. Century Blvd. The daylong gathering will include breakfast, lunch, workshops, a Poetry Jam competition, a children’s writing contest, and a session entitled “Let the Elders Speak.” There will also be networking opportunities, exhibits and readings. Richard Muhammad, editor of StraightWords E-Zine will be among presenters and Dr. Claud Anderson, author of "PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America," "Black Labor White Wealth" and "Dirty Little Secrets” is the luncheon speaker. General admission is free, but registration is required to attend some workshops and activities. The conference is dedicated to providing exposure to Black authors and writers, increasing book sales and motivating and developing new writers and authors. Call (323) 750-3592 for more information and to register.

Hell In A Halliburton Handbasket?

Lead Story March 17, 2004 Vol. 1 No. 6

By Richard Muhammad

(Editor's Note: This week's lead story is an updated version of a Special Report published on StraightWords E-Zine last week.)

Already battered by a congressional hearing, questions about record keeping and possible overbilling of contract costs, falling stock prices and a Justice Department probe, Halliburton, a major war contractor, was hit with criticism from the top military official in Iraq.

Halliburton’s fuzzy timetable for consolidating bases into fewer, but larger operations made troop rotations tougher and late payments to food service companies are a problem, complained Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, in a letter reported on March 15 by the Wall Street Journal and picked up by other media outlets.

Houston-based Halliburton has been given billions of dollars in Pentagon contracts to handle things like base building, laundry and meals for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former Halliburton CEO. The company had previously maintained the Army was happy with its performance.

“We knew this before this was a story,” said Nancy Lessin, of Military Families Speak Out, an organization of people opposed to war in Iraq and who have relatives or loved ones in the military, in a March 17 phone interview. Families have been sending food to soldiers in Iraq and have been told of problems with construction of shelter, filthy mess halls and other failures by private contractors, she said.

“Our kids are dying for Halliburton and Bechtel and it’s illegal, it’s immoral, and it has to end,” she said.

With the March 20 one-year anniversary of the Iraq war, many groups plan protests at the offices of firms like Halliburton, Boeing and Bechtel that are making huge amounts of money off of the military excursion.

Privitazation gone wild?
During a March 11 House Committee on Government Reform hearing, Pentagon officials admitted a contract with a firm hired by Halliburton had been canceled, but then reinstated because of a shortage of gasoline in Iraq. The same firm had been accused of overcharging the military for gasoline. Halliburton was also given a $1.2 billion oil contract by the Army Corp of Engineers despite the firm’s admission that two employees took millions of dollars in kickbacks, officials said. Since the self-confessed charges had not been proven, the contract was approved, officials said.

Auditors for the Pentagon found problems with how Halliburton-subsidiary KBR negotiated and was charged by subcontractors. A report from the auditors released at the hearing said KBR, formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root Inc., could not substantiate charges it billed to the U.S. government. KBR is the largest U.S. military contractor in Iraq, and its contracts could top off at about $18 billion, observers say.

Military auditors “identified significant deficiencies in KBR's estimating practices related to the award of subcontract costs,” admitted Pentagon Comptroller Dov Zakheim, referring to analysis by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, a financial watchdog agency. One official said the problem was a lack of documentation and clarity on how bids and charges for work were handled. Halliburton will withhold $176.5 million in billing for food while KBR responds to DCAA questions.

“Contractor performance in Iraq has been neither perfect, but is was not terrible,” Zakheim said.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) wasn’t so kind. “Instead of promoting competition, the administration is giving huge monopolies over huge sectors of the reconstruction effort. One company – Halliburton – gets all the work related to oil reconstruction in southern Iraq, and another company – Parson – gets all work related to oil construction in northern Iraq. And they have never had to bid against each other for any specific project,” said Rep. Waxman.

“The problems are compounded by the fact that many of the contracts that are being issued are ‘cost plus’ contracts. Under a cost-plus contract, the more the contractor bills, the more money the contractor makes,” he observed.

The leading committee Democrat accused the White House of “shielding contractors from competition.” Defense Department officials charged with oversight of the contracts are inexperienced and overwhelmed, Rep. Waxman said. He also released a memo that detailed millions of dollars in billing discrepancies.

Government probes or window dressing?
The Pentagon opened a criminal investigation late last month into the fuel contract and has asked the Justice Department for an investigation.

Justice Department involvement likely means the Pentagon feels more serious activity and violations have occurred that warrant more serious charges, said Bill Hartung, a senior research fellow at the World Policy Institute. Hartung co-authored a recent report on huge increases in war contracting with Frida Berrigan, deputy director of the institute’s Arms Project. Hartung is also author of “How Much Are You Making On The War Daddy? A Quick and Dirty Guide to War Profiteering in the Bush Administration.”

That probe will bear watching, given that it’s in the hands of Attorney General John Ashcroft and the question is how far the probe will go, Hartung said. If Halliburton was prosecuted and found guilty under the False Claims Act, punishments could entail fines triple the amount of stolen money, though company execs wouldn’t do jail time, he said.

According to Hartung’s analysis, Halliburton’s prime contracts with the Pentagon jumped almost 700 percent, from $483 million in fiscal year 2002 to $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2003. That does not include the $1.2 billion contract to rebuild oil infrastructure in southern Iraq approved amid concern about wrongdoing.

The Justice Department investigation needs to go much deeper than just Halliburton and should cover all contractors, Hartung argued. By his count, the Pentagon’s “Big Three,” Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Gruman split $50 billion in contracts in 2003. That’s on top of the Pentagon’s annual $400 billion budget and at least $180 billion spent on Iraq and Afghanistan, he added.

Pressure needs to be ratcheted up to keep government officials digging into wartime military contracting, Hartung said. “The Bush folks may realize they have to do something,” he said. “Letting Halliburton off scott free is not good politics.”

Unless contracts are pulled from companies that gouge taxpayers and a hard look is taken at the incestuous relationship between contractors and Defense Department officials, a single probe won’t do much good, Frida Berrigan argues.

The problem requires more than “window dressing, appeasing members of Congress who made the hearings happen and appeasing the public,” she said. Berrigan sees the probe as an effort to head off controversy.

There needs to be much more oversight, competition for contracts and corporate responsibility, she said.

A war profiteering commission would be a good start and could insist on greater transparency and hold Halliburton employees and other employees lawfully accountable for wrongdoing, Berrigan added.

But the overall larger trend of privatization of public service and its implications will take more than a commission, she warned.

Hartung also sees a war profiteering commission as a good next step. He believes the Senate should lead the commission and that the commission should subpoena power to compel testimony.

The public can help keep the pressure on through phone calls, e-mails and protests, he added.

Halliburton’s stock fell to $28.24, a drop of $1.73, as the company tried to fend off questions about its integrity. “We are disappointed, once again, that selective portions of audit reports have been released publicly even before KBR and the Army have made final reviews of the information,” said Randy Harl, president and chief executive officer, KBR, in a March 11 statement. “Releases of partial reports are inappropriate because the true and complete story cannot be conveyed.”

In fact, the release of these reports could violate established federal policy, Harl complained.

Harl also argued that “KBR delivered fuel to Iraq at the best value, the best price, and the best terms and in ways completely consistent with government procurement policies. KBR’s client, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided approval and direction for KBR to continue this important work so the people of Iraq would have fuel for transportation, cooking and heating.”

The company has other problems: Two Iraqi women who worked for KBR as laundry workers were shot to death March 11 and a Utah-based subcontractor has complained it hasn’t been paid $87 million for feeding hot meals to troops in Baghdad and Mosul. Event Source said it needs to get paid or find a way to stop losing money – some suspect that might mean serving cold sandwiches to soldiers.

Whites Still Dominate South Africa’s Economy

International News March 17, 2004 Vol. 1 No. 6

by Moyiga Nduru

JOHANNESBURG, March 4 (IPS) -- The 1994 multi-party elections that saw Nelson Mandela become the country's first Black president brought political freedom to the country.

However, the poll didn't give the new government any substantial power over the economy. Whites, who make up 13.6 percent of the population, still dominate trade and commerce in South Africa -- an inescapable legacy of decades of discrimination against Blacks.

Under apartheid, Blacks were largely confined to tribal homelands known as Bantustans where they were not allowed to own property or vote. Those who moved to cities found themselves restricted to shantytowns, where there were few prospects of finding a decent job.

"What happened in 1994 was just political independence. The Whites simply transferred power into Black hands. And they kept the wealth within their community," James Molefe, a security guard, told IPS. Molefe works in Cresta, a middle-class suburb of Johannesburg.

Such bitterness is widespread in the Black community. About 5.3 million people -- or 31.2 percent of South Africans -- are unemployed, according to official statistics. Most of these people are Black.

To help change the situation, President Thabo Mbeki has initiated a policy of "Black Economic Empowerment" (BEE) which is similar to the affirmative action programs adopted in the United States.

Essentially, BEE involves a balancing act of trying to draw Blacks into the formal economy without imposing regulations so intrusive that they might end up destroying business. Mbeki has pledged to spend about $2.4 billion to encourage empowerment within the next five years.

So far, government has enacted two laws to promote BEE. The first, the Mining Charter, calls for 26 percent of mines to be owned by Blacks within a decade. The second law, the Financial Services Charter, seeks to place a quarter of this sector in Black hands by 2010.

Government is also trying to integrate BEE principles in trade agreements. "Any free trade agreement will have to accommodate Black economic empowerment," said Xavier Carim of the Department of Trade and Industry.

While no one disputes the need to broaden South Africa's economic base, Mbeki's efforts have not drawn universally favorable reviews.

"They are just trying to create millionaires and billionaires," said Douglas Gibson of the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). He was replying to a question posed by IPS to party leaders.

"What South Africa needs is to develop a passion for growth," Gibson added. "Through growth we can create jobs and reduce poverty."

Patricia De Lille, leader of the Independent Democrats (ID), said Black empowerment was not a panacea for South Africa's economic ills. "It is the same people -- the rich and not the poor -- who are benefiting."

Musa Zondi of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the largest Black party after the ruling African National Congress, declined to comment on the merits of BEE -- this when he was questioned by IPS during a debate organized by the Foreign Correspondents' Association in Johannesburg on March 1.

But a day later Zondi joined IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi and the head of the Solidarity union, Flip Buys, in Pretoria to sign a charter that seeks to address the fears of Whites who feel threatened by BEE. Buthelezi said Whites were being excluded from appointment and promotion opportunities simply because of their skin color.

Some analysts insist, however, that there is cause for hope in this scenario of apparent doom and gloom.

"A great many positive changes took place during the past 10 years," Shoni Makhari of the Johannesburg-based empowerment rating and research agency EmpowerDEX told IPS on March 3.

Some of the most noticeable of these changes are at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

"The traditionally pale male boardrooms of JSE-listed companies are slowly beginning to embrace diversity," said Vuyo Jack, Chief Executive Officer of EmpowerDEX. "The number of Black directors increased last year in line with a trend dating back to 1992 when only 1.2 percent (from) the top 100 JSE listed companies were Black."

According to EmpowerDEX's latest survey of directors, Blacks now make up 14.7 percent of directors at JSE listed companies.

Various big firms have also put BEE policies in place. Anglo American, South Africa's largest company, is spending about $1.7 billion to encourage Black empowerment. It hopes to fill 40 percent of its local management positions with Blacks in five years. Currently, only 20 percent of the positions are held by Blacks.

However, certain Black groups have criticized the fact that Black elites are among the primary beneficiaries of empowerment.

In a recent statement, Dan Habedi of the opposition Azanian Peoples Organization (AZAPO), said, "Black Economic Empowerment was, from the start, not meant to bring about general transformation for ordinary people. It was an effort by Black Business to get, for themselves, some entrepreneurial advantages ... . They wanted economic policies that would benefit them."

"Some people may argue that everybody, irrespective of social standing or class position is given a chance to become an owner, because in most cases, as it happened in the selling of Telkom shares, all members of society are invited to buy shares and become owners," he adds. (Telkom is South Africa's leading telecommunications provider.)

But, says Habedi, this type of ownership does not necessarily translate into control. And "as experience has shown, ownership without control denies such an owner the opportunity to determine the scope and direction of his economic ventures."

Since 1997, Telkom has spent about $2.9 billion to ensure participation of Black, female and disabled South Africans in the economy, said a Telkom spokesperson. The company procures goods and services from suppliers run by people who suffered under apartheid legislation.
END

If There Was No Slave Trade

Guest Commentary March 17, 2004 Vol. 1 No. 6

By Kwaku Person Lynn, Ph.D.

One of the most unimaginable thoughts one could possibly think of is what the world would be like had there been no Trans Atlantic slave trade, or any form of slavery. The most obvious thing is that racism/White supremacy would not have existed. They were created out of slavery. Of course, there would be rivalries as there are high school and college rivalries, but not the negative brutal enslaving behavior based on the color of one's skin.

Attempting to survey this fantasy thought of no slave trade would require volumes of books to virtually reverse all of world history. Absent of that, let's briefly restrict our review to what it could have possibly meant for Afrika and America.

First, Afrika would be a completely different continent than it is today. It would have been the most scientifically advanced region in today's world. That may be a very difficult concept to digest considering the way Afrika has been portrayed for centuries as the dark continent with no intelligent history or culture.

In spite of this, it is no secret among scholars who have investigated and concluded that civilization, science, mathematics, engineering, technology as well as many of the elements needed to build a viable society had their genesis on the continent of Afrika. Had there been no slave trade, Afrika's scientific ingenuity would have evolved to an industrial/technological age creating modern societies.

One of the major differences may have been found in the economic organization.

Capitalism, the economic system of the western world, created during the slave trade, may not have existed in its present form. Amassing huge profits, sometimes at the deficit of human welfare, is the motivating factor of western capitalism. The economy would not have been dictated out of London or Paris, but from growing Afrikan financial centers. Because of a completely different value system in Afrika prior to European incursions, it is possible a more human-friendly economic system may have developed. There is a collective responsibility statement that supports that philosophy, "I am because we are. And since we are, therefore I am."

Without the deaths and illegal transport of some 40 to 100 million human beings in and out of Afrika, and no colonial period, most Black people in America today would have inherited the fruits of their ancestors on the continent. A common culture may have contributed to a more peaceful lifestyle. Afrika would have been a natural contrast of hundreds of ultra modern cities, deep forests and the maintenance of traditional societies. Dozens of first class universities would have existed. Thousands of corporations or similar entities would have been created to utilize the vast raw resources found nowhere else in the world. The collective insecurity and low self-esteem inherit with an enslaved population would have been non-existent. There would never had been a thought of being inferior to people of European descent.

What Afrika could have been without the slave trade is a reality we will never know. Of equal interest is what America would have been like. One thing we do know, there would have been no racial turmoil, slavery, segregation, civil rights movement, Black power movement or any struggles for equality. America would not be what it is today but for two basic reasons: one, European exploration would not have been as massive had Afrikans not given Europeans the boat technology and navigational skills to explore; two, the human labor would not have been available to build America with the absence of millions of slaves.

America today may have been equal to some of the underdeveloped areas of Europe. It certainly would not have been the world's playground. Places like Las Vegas may have never existed.

Taking that a little further, the Southwest portion of the country could have easily remained part of Mexico, with the Louisiana area still owned by France or Spain. The Caribbean Islands would not have a dominant population of Afrikan descendents, just the indigenous peoples who were there prior to the slave trade.

All of this is pure speculation. The possibility that strums up in the mind is simply a beautiful thing. There is no guarantee that this would have been a better world, for there still may have been a Napoleon or a Hitler somewhere. But if there was no slave trade, Afrika would have been strong and technologically sound enough to resist any successful invasions or conquering of its land. Because of the Afrikan spiritual heritage that fed world religions, maybe this could have been a better world. The only thing we do know, is that we will not know.

(Kwaku Person-Lynn is the author of “On My Journey Now - The Narrative And Works Of Dr. John Henrik Clarke, The Knowledge Revolutionary.” E-mail: DrKwaku@hotmail.com or visit www.drkwaku.com on the wide world web.)

Doing the honors ...

The cast of "Soul Food" and production staff accept NAACP Image Award.
All photos by Monica Morgan (c)

Singer Luther Vandross dominated the 2004 NAACP Image Awards, with his potential R&B ballad-singing successor Ruben Studdard of American Idol fame snagging a newcomers award and hip hop group Outkast adding honors from the country’s oldest civil rights organization to its collection. The hit ShowTime series "Soul Food," a spin off from a popular movie about a loving and enduring Black family, was selected as the top drama series.

The NAACP Image Awards program was held at the Universal Amphitheatre March 6 and was scheduled for broadcast March 11 on the Fox Network.

The 35th NAACP Image Awards ran into controversy earlier this year over the nomination of singer R. Kelly for an award. Kelly is facing child pornography and sex charges in Chicago for an alleged tryst with a minor that was captured on videotape. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume defused the controversy by changing the rules for nominations and stressing that the NAACP honors were intended to recognize “positive” images for Black Americans. Outkast once ran into controversy and a lawsuit over a song that carried the name of civil rights matriarch Rosa Parks. A U.S. District Court eventually dismissed the lawsuit by Mrs. Parks over use of her name and other issues.

Vandross, who is still recovering from a stroke, captured awards for best male artist, music video, song and album titled "Dance With My Father." The NAACP honors complement four Grammys won by Vandross in February.

In addition to the entertainment and writing awards, special awards were given to Bishop T.D. Jakes and the Dave Matthews Band. Shoshanna Johnson, the Black female soldier captured during the Iraq War was a special guest.

“Bishop Thomas D. Jakes has been called the ‘Shepard to the shattered,’ as he reaches out to the poor and the rich, the young and old; those behind bars, those in the classroom, people in the inner-city and people in the suburbs," said Mfume, who presented the Dallas-based religious leader with the President’s Award. Ray Charles was also inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame and Toni Morrison’s “Love” was chosen as best fiction literary work.

NAACP members voted on 1,146 entries received in motion picture, television, literature and recording categories. Each year a special committee of 150 industry and 150 NAACP leaders from across the country cast closed ballots for five nominees in each of 35 areas.

The national readership of the NAACP's "Crisis" magazine, and the leadership of the NAACP's 2,000 branches make the final vote on the winners. The accounting firm of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates, P.C. tabulates the nominations and final ballots.

The complete list of NAACP Image Award winners:
Music

Ruben Studdard
Outstanding new artist: Ruben Studdard, "Soulful," J Records/BMG.
Outstanding male artist: Luther Vandross), J Records/BMG.
Outstanding female artist: Alicia Keys, J Records/BMG.
Outstanding duo or group: OutKast, Arista.
Outstanding jazz artist: Ramsey Lewis, "Simple Pleasures," Narada Jazz/EMI.
Outstanding gospel artist, traditional or contemporary: Donnie McClurkin, "Donnie McClurkin ... Again," Verity Records.
Outstanding music video: Luther Vandross, "Dance With My Father," directed by Diane Martel.
Outstanding song: Luther Vandross, "Dance With My Father," J Records/BMG.
Outstanding album: Luther Vandross, "Dance With My Father, J Records/BMG.

Television

Nia Long

Outstanding actress in a drama series: Nia Long, "Third Watch," NBC.
Outstanding drama series: "Soul Food," Showtime.
Outstanding comedy series: "The Bernie Mac Show," Fox.
Outstanding actor in a comedy series: Bernie Mac, "The Bernie Mac Show."
Outstanding actress in a comedy series: Mo'Nique, "The Parkers," UPN.
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series: Dorien Wilson, "The Parkers."
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series: Camille Winbush, "The Bernie Mac Show."
Outstanding actor in a drama series: Steve Harris, "The Practice," ABC.
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series: Mekhi Phifer, "ER," NBC.
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series: Loretta Devine, "Boston Public," Fox.
Outstanding TV movie, miniseries or dramatic special: "D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear."
USA Network.
Outstanding actor in a TV movie, miniseries or dramatic special: Charles S. Dutton, "D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear."
Outstanding actress in a TV movie, miniseries or dramatic special: Whoopi Goldberg, "Good Fences," Showtime.
Outstanding actor in a daytime drama series: Kristoff St. John, "The Young and the Restless," CBS.
Outstanding actress in a daytime drama series: Victoria Rowell, "The Young and the Restless," CBS.
Outstanding TV news, talk or information, series or special: "Judge Mathis," syndicated.
Outstanding variety series or special: "2003 Essence Awards," Fox.
Outstanding Performance in a Youth Children's Program: Raven, "That's So Raven," Disney Channel.

Raven Symone

Bernie Mac

Motion Picture
Outstanding motion picture: "The Fighting Temptations," produced by MTV/Paramount.
Outstanding actor in a motion picture: Cuba Gooding Jr., "Radio," produced by Sony/Columbia.
Outstanding actress in a motion picture: Queen Latifah, `Bringing Down the House," Buena Vista Pictures.
Outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture: Morgan Freeman, "Bruce Almighty," Universal.
Outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture: Alfre Woodard, "Radio."

Singer Beyonce, who starred in "The Fighting Temptations," at award ceremony.

Literature
Outstanding literary work, fiction: "Love," by Toni Morrison, Knopf.
Outstanding literary work, nonfiction: "Why I Love Black Women," Michael Eric Dyson, Basic Civitas Books.
Outstanding literary work, children's: "My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up With the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," by Christine King Farris, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Shoshanna Johnson, Iraq War veteran, was an NAACP special guest.

Bishop T.D. Jakes and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume.
(All photos are copyrighted by Monica Morgan and reproduction is prohibited.)

Free ride

Photo: Monica Morgan

Tracee Ellis Ross (UPN "Girlfriends"), left, and Flex Alexander (UPN "One on One") prepare to take off in the new 2004 performance pickup truck, the Chevrolet SSR during a Celebrity Ride & Drive Brunch at an exclusive "Stars and GM Cars" event March 6 at Universal Studios Hollywood Sound Stage 6. Ross and Alexander hosted the event. Looking on are GM's Edward T. Welburn, GM North America Vice President of The Design Center, Kevin Williams, VP Quality GM North America and Roderick D. Gillum, GM Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity. "Stars and GM Cars" paired personalities from music, television, sports and film with the hottest models from General Motors.

The celebrity event provided the media, celebrities and community leaders the opportunity to test GM's latest vehicles, while celebrating this year's Image Awards nominees with fun, food and live entertainment.

Farrakhan: America must face past slavery

Lead Story Vol 1 No 5 March 3, 2004

by Richard Muhammad

Min. Farrakhan gives passionate argument for justice during Saviours' Day 2004 address.

CHICAGO— “If America is unwilling to look at the horror of the transatlantic slave trade and what happened to us as a people, there will never be a chance for good relations between Black and White,” said Min. Louis Farrakhan, in his annual Saviours’ Day address at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.

Speaking to several thousand people in the packed arena, the leader of the Nation of Islam spent two hours walking through U.S. history, scripture and current conditions to explain why Blacks must have reparations --and justice.

“White folk do not know what happened to us and they don’t know why they are in the privileged position that they are in today based on what happened to us,” Min. Farrakhan said Feb. 29.

Slavery is seen as too painful and divisive a subject for discussion, but ignoring that harsh truth and history doesn’t solve the problem, he said.

Americans suffer from “national amnesia about the impact and the reach of slavery,” he said, citing Gary Wills, the White author of “Negro President: Jefferson and the Slave Powers.” The author also said as understanding of slavery grows, “it will become clearer just how much slavery has affected all aspects of American life,” the Minister noted.

The slave trade and slavery fueled the economic development of America and Europe, the industrial revolution, and slave populations, counted as 3/5’s of a human being, helped catapult many of America’s early presidents into office, the Minister said.

Many modern financial institutions, like Barclay’s Bank and Lloyds of London, and leading cities in America and Europe were built on the enslavement of Blacks, he noted.

Africans endured the tortuous journey across the Atlantic Ocean in the holds of ships, lying chained together in cramped, dank quarters, bathed in vomit, perspiration and human waste, he said. Slaves died from diseases and endured beatings to instill fear, the Minister said. Sailors raped African women and those who tried to starve themselves to death were forced to eat, he said.

The low estimate is 15 million Africans were stolen from the motherland, with other estimates as high as 100 million, Min. Farrakhan said. Slavers wanted the youngest, the brightest and the best as they raped Africa of people, he noted.

Enslaved Africans first brought to the New World went through a 64-year process, from 1555 to 1619, and were stripped of the knowledge of themselves and made slaves, the Minister said.

Under depraved slave masters, Blacks endured cruel torture, were dehumanized, breed and sold like animals, he said. The heads of rebellious slaves were mounted on poles, slaves were lynched, the flesh of slaves flayed open by whips, pregnant women beaten and salt poured into open wounds to induce pain, he said.

“The present generation of Whites had nothing to do with what happened to us. Therefore, they’re argument is, ‘we didn’t do it. I’ve never lynched none of you people, so why don’t ya’ll stop whining,’ ” he said. “If the government of the United States, Congress, the Supreme Court, state legislatures, governors are willing to look at the problem, you will see something that will give you a different thought on what is justice and why Blacks continue to cry out for justice.”

“Are you the present generation of Whites better than your fathers? You didn’t do it, but the responsibility to correct the wrong is on your shoulders,” the Minister said.

Blacks too, must learn the history of slavery to understand the need for reparations, he said. Not just money, but knowledge and institutions to restore Blacks, the Minister said. “In the word reparation is the word repair,” he said. “When something is repaired, you bring it from a broken state back to its original state or condition.”

Blacks are also especially damaged from flawed Christian, Islamic and Jewish interpretation of scripture, the Minister said.

That interpretation, which some scholars say originated in the Talmud, said that Blacks were the descendents of Noah’s son Ham and doomed to subservience, he said.

But that is a lie, the Minister said. Blacks fit a prophetic picture, but the prophecy relates to the seed of Abraham going into bondage in a strange land for 400 years and coming out with great substance, Min. Farrakhan said. And there is divine force and judgment that will topple America if she fails to act properly, he warned.

“Reparation is a political term. Justice is spiritual and political,” Min. Farrakhan said. “For reparations you have to appeal to a government and they may listen and they may not listen. Justice that God has set in the balance in the universe caused Jesus to say, ‘he who lived by the sword shall die by the sword. He who has lead into captivity will go into captivity and a man shall reap what he sowed.’ "

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich) and sponsor of a bill to study reparations and reparations advocates Conrad Worrill, of the National Black United Front; Rev. Willie Wilson of Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, D.C, Rev. Al Sampson of Fernwood United Methodist Church in Chicago and Alderwoman Dorothy Tillman were was among special guests at the Saviours' Day address, and presenters at weekend of workshops and a town hall meeting devoted to reparations.

(From left) Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Nation of Islam First Lady Khadijah Farrakhan, TV show Judge Greg Mathis, Min. Farrakhan and former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry at post Saviours' Day dinner hosted by the Minister and his wife. (Below photo) Former pro basketball star Larry Johnson greets Mrs. Khadijah Farrakhan during reception at the National House of the Nation of Islam in Chicago.

Photos: Monica Morgan

More U.S. ‘nation-building’ in Haiti?

International News Vol 1 No 5 March 3, 2004

By Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON, Mar. 1 (IPS/GIN) - After three years of malign neglect toward the Americas' first Black republic, the administration of President George W. Bush now finds itself confronting a nation-building challenge in Haiti of staggering proportions.

The U.S.-facilitated -- unconfirmed reports say dictated -- departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide Feb. 29 and the landing of U.S. and French troops in the capital Port-au-Prince have clearly opened up what Bush himself called a “new chapter” for Haiti, but whether that will include “a hopeful future,” as he put it, remains very much in doubt.

While Haitian Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was sworn in as interim president, U.S. officials here March 1 were casting about for ways to form a credible government pending elections that must take place within 90 days, according to the country's constitution.

“The U.S. doesn't have much to work with,” said Jocelyn McCalla, director of the New York-based National Coalition for Haitian Rights. The notion that setting up a new electoral commission and initiating a serious political campaign given the weakness of the various parties risks transforming any election held within that time into a “sham,” he told IPS.

“The opposition coalition is too eclectic, and I think it will collapse very quickly,” he suggested, while Aristide's Lavalas movement “was really more of a following than a party, and it's doubtful that it can survive Aristide's absence.”

But even the constitution of an interim government could prove very difficult, according to analysts here, who said they were very concerned about the intentions of the armed rebels, whose three-week-old uprising accomplished what the unarmed opposition had been unable to do in three years.

Among its leaders are former officers in the Haitian Army that overthrew Aristide in 1991 and that he successfully abolished after U.S. forces returned him to power in 1994.
Other leaders included men, such as Louis Jodel Chamblain and Jean Tatoune, who were in the top ranks of the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH), a paramilitary group that conducted a reign of terror against suspected Aristide sympathizers during military rule.

Secretary of State Colin Powell made an indirect reference to some of these men when he said, there are “individuals we would not want to see re-enter civil society in Haiti because of their past records, and this is something we will have to work through.”

The apparent leader of the rebels is Guy Philippe, a former U.S.-trained Army officer who gained a brutal reputation as police chief of Delmas and Cap Haitien before fleeing into exile after leading an unsuccessful coup d'etat against Aristide in 2001.

While Philippe has previously denied any interest in gaining power and promised to cooperate with U.S. and international forces sent to maintain the peace, he appeared to change his tune. Asked by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on March 1 if he expected his forces to be represented in the new government, he replied, “I don't 'expect' it. I know that we will be part of it.”

Philippe and his followers, many of whom are former soldiers, have also made no secret of their desire to see the Haitian Army reconstituted; indeed, some analysts expect they will make that a condition for their cooperation in any disarmament process.

Some right-wing elements in the opposition, including representatives of the traditional mulatto elite that effectively ran Haiti with the army until Aristide was restored to power, have already spoken in favor of the idea.

But popular-based human-rights groups, labor unions and peasant organizations that linked up with the elite to oppose Aristide are likely to feel seriously threatened by any possible resurrection of the military.

Already, they and international groups with which they are allied are calling for the U.S.-led Multinational Interim Force -- as the new U.N.-authorized peacekeeping operation is called -- to undertake a major effort to ensure the complete disarmament of both the rebels and pro-Aristide militias.

“The failure to disarm the disbanded Haitian military and paramilitary in 1994,” said Amnesty International on March 1, “has been one of the root causes of ongoing political violence in Haiti.”

London-based Amnesty also called for the Multinational Interim Force to arrest Chamblain and Tatoune, who were both convicted for political murders in the mid-1990s.

Beyond restoring order, disarming the various forces, and putting together a credible interim government and electoral process, Washington and its allies also face a formidable task in restarting the economy, which has been starved for economic assistance since 2000 when Washington and other donors began withholding aid to protest allegedly flawed parliamentary elections.

While much of that assistance is still being held by international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, and could be disbursed fairly quickly if the major donors agree on a strategy, Washington itself might have to pony up several hundred million dollars more a year in aid to keep the hemisphere's poorest economy afloat, according to James Dobbins, former President Bill Clinton's special envoy to Haiti in the mid-1990s.

Writing in the New York Times as the anti-Aristide rebellion spread 10 days ago, Dobbins also urged that much of the aid should go to building up state institutions, which had been sorely neglected after Aristide's restoration, in part because of Republican antipathy for Aristide in the U.S. Congress.

To Republican ears, all this sounds like “nation-building,” a practice they disdained during the Clinton years and which Bush, of course, promised to forswear in the 2000 elections.

But with the Bush administration already committing tens of billions of dollars to “nation-building” exercises in Afghanistan and Iraq, complaints from Republicans are likely to be muted at best.

“There will be another exercise in nation-building, which the president ran against in 2000 but now he's going to end up having to do,” said William Kristol, the neo-conservative editor of The Weekly Standard, on Feb. 29.
The alternative -- more chaos in Haiti and the likely outflow of thousands of Haitian “boat people” seeking refuge in the United States -- is clearly of great concern to the administration, which deployed Coast Guard vessels around Haiti precisely to pick up and return people trying to flee the country last week.

Indeed, it was the interception of more than 500 boat people late last week, as well as suggestions by Aristide that he might encourage an exodus, that apparently persuaded the administration -- which is already looking ahead to November's presidential election -- to change its position of seeking a power-sharing arrangement between Aristide and his opposition to one of ensuring his removal.

“Despite the lofty pronouncements that they wanted to save democracy in Haiti and that this time they're going to get it right,” said McCalla, “the U.S. interest in Haiti is limited to seeing that Haitians do not come here in large numbers.”

“But if that remains the predominant thinking in Washington, then we will face another disaster in the future,” he added.
END

Guest Commentary: 'The Passion' And The Truth?

Vol 1 No 5 March 3, 2004

By Kwaku Person-Lynn, Ph.D.

There has been a clarion call for the scholarly community to respond to the depiction of Jesus the Christ in the latest religious Hollywood blockbuster "The Passion Of The Christ."

A subterranean discussion has for decades centered on whether Jesus was a Black man. Before tackling this issue, let us first look at what various sources say about his mother. When attempting to discover who a person was, an effective methodology is to investigate that person's ancestry.

In one of the most important books on this subject, The Cult of the Black Virgin by Ean Begg, author, former member of the Dominican Order and psychoanalyst, a telling statement was made: "Emile Saillens (author of Nos Vierge Noires, Leurs Origines) estimates from the evidence that is available that by the middle of the sixteenth century, before the depredations of the Huguenots, there were 190 statuettes of the Black Virgin in France."

Continuing with Begg, a conversation he quoted in his book is very revealing. "In 1944, Leonard W. Moss, entering the church at Lucera in southern Italy, came across his first Black Virgin and asked the priest, 'Father, why is the Madonna black?' The response was, ‘My son, she is black because she is black.’ ”One of the most poignant pieces of evidence hangs in The Church Of The Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine. The Discovery Channel aired a documentary on Jesus some time ago. Before entering the room of Jesus reported birthplace, at the top of the portal hangs an elaborate painting of Mary and her son, both Black.

It seems the authorities in charge would not do such a thing without a valid reason.

William LaRue Dillard, minister and author, in his book Biblical Ancestry Voyage, cites the following, "When Pope Pius was head of the Vatican state, an official postage stamp was issued with the Virgin Mary as a Negro on it.
There was a similar stamp in Spain commemorating the Black Virgin and Child."

Having taken a cursory look at the mother of Jesus, the Christ, let us now turn our attention to the main character. There are numerous portrayals throughout the globe, but the first to be found were in Europe, where the image of Jesus being Black is an old idea. Depictions can be found in France, the Cathedral of Millan; in Germany, the Cathedral of Augsburg; in Italy, the Church of San Francisco (at Pisa). There are several places where Jesus and Mary are both portrayed Black. For example, Our Lady of the Hermits at Einsiedeln, Switzerland; the Russian Black Madonna, the Notre Dame of Kazan; Shrine of the Black Madonna, Queen of the Pyrenees, Spain; The Sicilian Black Madonna, the Black Virgin at Tindari; the Black Madonna, Notre Dame of Hal, near Brussels, Belgium; Our Lady of Czestochowa, in Poland.

The Bible, King James Version, which many refer to as the word of God, has several chapters that refer to the color of Jesus. In Daniel (Old Testament) 7:9 says, "and the hair of his head like the pure wool.” Revelation (New Testament) 1:15 reveals “his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace." Additional references one can turn to are Ezekiel 1:27 and 8:2.

The beloved elder and the most published Black biblical scholar to date, Dr. Charles B. Copher, in one of his popular lectures, "Black People In and Of the Bible," traces the Black ancestry of Jesus, primarily using a genealogical approach. He also states that the original Hebrews, Israelites and Jews, including Abraham and Moses, were Black. Dr. Cain Hope Felder, the very renowned biblical scholar at Howard University, in his three essential works -- Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class, & Family, Stony The Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation, and the African Heritage Study Bible, which illustrates the role Afrikans played in shaping Judaism and Christianity -- has provided tons of evidence describing Jesus physical appearance. According to Dr. Dillard, he also suggests the entire Old Testament has no Whites in it.

We cannot blame Mel Gibson for making the movie. After all, moviemaking is a business first, and he knew he had an instant hit. What is most important is what you believe. There is an abundance of evidence to confirm what has been stated. The key question is, are you strong enough to wipe away long held beliefs that can be mentally crippling, and continue on the path of a spiritual consciousness?

(Kwaku Person-Lynn is the author of On My Journey Now - The Narrative And Works Of Dr. John Henrik Clarke, The Knowledge Revolutionary. E-mail: DrKwaku@hotmail.com, or visit http://www.drkwaku.com/)