Economic and racial inequality exposed in French Caribbean protests

 IF you grow up black in the Caribbean you grow up as a member of the majority and you enjoy all its accompanying rights and priviledges.

In history class kids are taught that their country, the region and by extension most of the North American continents was built on the backs of African slaves and that they are a descendants of these slaves.  All black children in the Caribbean grow up knowing that their dreams are not limited by race and that if they truly work hard they can accomplish anything. Be it a doctor, lawyer, fire fighter or even prime minister black children in the Caribbean KNOW that he/she will NEVER be asked, ” Can a black person really become prime minister? ”

In many cases White and East Indian West Indians have retreated from the political arena. Many choose not (Trinidad and Guyana are the exceptions) to participate in the political life these island states.  Since the granting of Independence (which for many of these nations occurred in the 1960s) political power was swapped for economic power.

It has long been obvious to Caribbean populations that the members of the business elite, mainly the descendants of former colonial masters, East Indian and Chinese indentured labourers, that these handful of families and (in many cases it really is just a few families) exert disproportionate economic influence based on their relative small numbers. In many cases these descendants make up less than 1% of the population yet control 80% of the economic resources with two exceptions once again Trinidad and Guyana.

Granted political power has allowed many in the Caribbean to enjoy a relative high standard of living but Caribbean leaders have often expolited and in many cases fail to seriously address lingering racial tensions that have exploded periodically in the last 50 years-the business class are not solely to blame. 

However,  with the deepening of the global economic crisis and its consequences become clearer and clearer every day for the average citizen those who have controlled the reigns of power for so long have now become targets of popular anger and protest not just in America but across the globe.  Americans aren’t the only ones who are mad as hell!

Sadly, the social structure in the Caribbean a product of its colonial legacy has remained almost unchanged and its accompanying inequalities have led to brief but destructive periods of unrest and resistance.

Martinique and Guaduloupe may now be  experiencing one of those periods, other Caribbean islands are also at risk.

Violent rebellions and revolts once the most powerful weapon in the masses arsenal have long been abandoned for more peaceful protests. But with economic discontent spreading and global resentment rising 2009 may become known as the ‘Year of Violent Discontent’.

Kilpatrick should stop killing Detroit and resign immediately

 

Kwame Kilpatrick the scandal plagued and proned  Mayor of Detroit should resign immediately.

He has not only disrespected himself and his family by his actions but he has shown no respect for the office of Mayor or for the people of Detroit ( by using city money to cover up his affair and then crying racism when the press starts to investigate) and so he does not deserve or should he serve another day in that office.

Why he was elected boggles my mind..but that’s a blog for another day.

As a former resident of Detroit, I always speak with a heavy heart when talking about Detroit. I love the city of Detroit. From it’s historic downtown buildings,  KING’s BOOKSTORE, Greektown, to the surrounding liberal enclaves of Royal Oak and Ferndale. Detroit grabbed me at first sight and it’s a pity I had to let go, but it’s high crime, high (catastrophic, in my opinion) unemployment and lack of true vision by it’s leaders caused me to relocate within the past year.

I could not grow in Detroit and unfortunately it seems the Motor City is doomed to fail because of leaders like Kwame Kilpatrick and Coleman Young . And while its residents long for and dream of the golden days of yore their leaders rape and pillage the city’s coffers and use the city’s name and extensive good will towards it to advance their own political and professional careers

Kwame Kilpatrick is a failure.

Detroiters and Michiganders are not.

They deserve better but first they must expect more and ask more of themselves and from those who lead them.

N.B I know I haven’t blogged in a while, please humble reader accept my sincere apology, however once again life got the better of me (well not really but it certainly caused me not to blog..lol) but I’m back and hopefully better..join me once again on my journey.

So Rev.Jesse Jackson wants to rip Barack’s b#$%s off…

 

 

And apparently these comments will be aired tonight exclusively on FOX News since Jackson made the comments while conducting an interview at FOX News.

Jackson made the disparaging comments about Obama in response to a question about recent Obama speeches on morality.

I have no doubt that Rev. Jackson supports Obama ‘on the surface’ at least  but if your friends say such things about you who needs enemies right? LOL

Now I cannot or would I seek to disrespect Rev.Jackson’s service or contributions to the African American community in the past. However, that’s just it he’s a past, black leader. He is to be honest no longer relevant.

What Rev. Jesse Jackson or Rev. Al Shaprton for that matter thinks about Obama is off little consequence in my world and I would argue in the worlds of many, young professional black people. Their views and opinions on race are somewhat antiquated and I would even argue the views of a lot of older Americans black or white as it pertains to race are also in that vein as well.

For far too long, the African American community and the national media in general have relied on a handful of black leaders to discuss the issues and problems affecting the he black community not recognizing that the community is as diverse as the American population and that there is no longer a need to solicit specific black opinion on so called ‘black matters’.

In the past we did need leaders like the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton but they are no longer necessary and if an Obama candidacy has proven anything at all, it has proved that the fights have changed and that the African American community is not in need of black leadership but leadership in general as is the entire United States.

Obama has sought to define himself as a leader and that to me is true racial progress.

It may be upsetting to some black leaders but if they truly have craved racial progress and truly want to see Blacks in America progress they must stop harping on the fact that Obama does not talk about black issues at every turn or that any criticism of a specific segment of the black population is off limits for a black politician.

Instead they should fully embrace the fact that solutions to the problems facing many black Americans does not lie in the search for or embrace of a new black messiah or a handful of black political leaders and that Obama’s candidacy and future presidency will mean more to race relations than almost anything that has occurred in the last fifty years!

True solutions can only be reached if we recognise that the problems facing black Americans require solutions and discussions with all Americans and that we CANNOT AND MUST not re-fight old fights but focus our energy and attention on new ones.