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Sisters, Brothers, if many of you are like me, you
could best be described as being of the 'Old School.'
Meaning: many of us were infants and toddlers
during Brown vs. the Board of Education, and the first march
on Washington; teenagers at the time of the Jackson
and Kent State University murders
(I am a KSU alum-Class of 1979), and became
full-fledged, card-carrying, tax-paying adults as the
information age and the internet broke onto the
International scene. However, our generation has a struggle
before us!
In the words of one of my heroes, Tony Brown,
paraphrasing a statement he made in Indianapolis,
Indiana nearly 20 years ago: "You are the best
educated, best funded, and best equipped generation of
Africans on the face of the planet. You are America's
bridge to Africa - or she doesn't have a bridge! As a
people, we control the wealth equal to between the
eighth and tenth largest nation on earth. If we left
America, ***********Wall Street***************would have
collapsed last week!"
Now, this has always been a column written from a
biblical, business and common-sense perspective--and
it will continue to exist from that perspective.
Thus, every generation is defined by the struggle
before them.
Our struggle is to get our community back together
again to fight for and to receive payment for services
rendered by our ancestors during the more than 400
years we have been on American shores. It is called
'Reparations.'
In short, and to put it simply, America: I've come to
claim my 40 acres and a mule-with interest, and in
cash, please. I am not alone, and we aren't going away.
For those future African Americans who want to become
elected to office representing either political party,
or, who want to be regarded as 'leaders' in our
community, where stand you on this matter of
Reparations.
This is a two-pronged struggle for those of my
generation to be involved. We must get our community
ready to receive what is due us-while at the same time
persistently pressuring the Federal Government to
settle up by our votes. Our rallying cry is going to
be even more simplistic.
"America - Check, please!"
Reparations-Black History For a New Millennium:
The issue of just, fair and reasonable compensation
for services taken from my people during the period of
1619 to 1865 is not a new issue. The tab is into the
trillions of dollars and the note has come due. We
were promised, by the Federal Government, 40 Acres and
a Mule. We have not received either.
When famed lawyer Johnnie Cochran successfully
represented his clients against the forces of the Walt
Disney empire and won a judgment in excess of $220
million in court, August 2000, no one dared say that
his clients were not entitled to that jury award.
They were injured, and, under U.S. law, were entitled
to compensation. When Cochran's clients will actually get
their money-or how much of the judgment they will ever see
is not important. A court of law ruled that they were
entitled. A jury heard the evidence and made a
decision that an injury did occur. It was not a
racial decision, but an economic decision!
Yes, sisters and brothers, I do believe that we as a
people need to spend more of our annual gross worth of
$500 billion-plus among ourselves. We need to come
together to create our own businesses.
Angela
Watkins is working on writing for 400 sites within a
12 month period. http://www.skynary.com/awatkins.
Angela Watkins is also a cousin
to Rev Clay Evans, as well as a Board
Member/Historian of The Clay Evans Scholarship Fund.
Our own educational opportunities
(http://www.bicodiversity.com) Diversity Training and
our own capital pool (Clay Evans Scholarship Fund;
Rev. Clay Evans is the founder and the
Scholarship Fund is 25 years old and three
scholarships every year are given out in Brownsville,
TN, where he is from - email: revclayevans@yahoo.com).
We have the talent, the drive, and the ability to get
this done.
However, the real struggle--once we do come
together--is to focus our people on receiving payment
for services rendered. It is not going to come
overnight, but it is going to come if we remain true
to Jesus Christ, and fight for the cause of justice.
And the church-and it's Pastors-must speak up!
Here is, in a nutshell, some Black History that many
of us - even those who claim to be teaching
multiculturalism - have forgotten. African-American men
showed up for every war and crisis that this nation
has faced. African-American women watched their men
suffer indignity after indignity, slaughter after
slaughter, for defending our adopted homeland.
"America - Check Please."
A Few Recent Examples To Support My Point:
July 2000, a settlement to roughly 600,000 claimants,
worldwide, for financial double-dealing done to
Holocaust survivors by Swiss banks during the Second
World War was approved in New York at a cost of $1.75
billion plus.
The U.S. State Department is involved in negotiating
yet another settlement to Holocaust survivors who
provided free labor to German Companies during their
internment in Concentration Camps. Several other
countries and corporations are involved in setting up
monies for this second settlement package.
1988--The US Congress puts forth an apology and $1.2
billion ($20,000 each) to descendants of those
Japanese Americans forcibly detained in U.S.
Concentration Camps during the Second World War.
Countries such as Canada and Australia have also
settled claims against different groups of people they
have wronged, and they have paid cash to go along with
their apologies. American Democrats and Republicans
have not gone beyond the talking stage to determine if
African-Americans are really owed anything for some
two and a half centuries of slavery. The Reparations
issue is barely mentioned in U.S. history books.
"America - Check Please."
From A Biblical Point of View
The Bible is very plain on the subject of slavery.
During the Roman era of the New Testament, slaves were
to be treated well by slave owners and not abused-and
vice versa-especially if one, or both were of the
Christian faith.
The same was held for the employer-employee
relationship.
But, as for the matter of Reparations, we must head
back to the Old Testament and the Book of Exodus. The
Hebrews were held in slavery for some 430 years. It
took God, via Moses; and ten plagues to break the
captives out. But on the way out, the former slaves
spoiled Egypt. The descendants of slaves were
compensated for their bondage. Read it for yourself.
In short, the Bible teaches that a man-and a
people-must be properly compensated for services
rendered. Otherwise God steps in and levels that
nation through plagues, and a host of other curses
such as natural disasters, diseases, famine, social,
marital and economic chaos.
We have to push for what is due us in the form of
compensation, and we have to build ourselves
spiritually, morally, and economically to have some
place to put that compensation once it does arrive, for
the betterment of all, and as a proper remembrance of
the sacrifices of not only our ancestors, but the Lord
Jesus Christ, as His Tithe comes off the top.
"America - Check Please!"
Mike Ramey
Ramey is a syndicated columnist, minister and
journalist and his monthly column has nearly 2 million
readers across the US, Canada, and the Bahamas.
Letters Welcome from friend or foe alike. Drop a line
to The Manhood Line, c/o Mike Ramey, PO Box 20131,
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46220 or email
manhoodline@yahoo.com
http://mypages.netopia.com/manhoodline. Copyright
2000 Barnstorm Communications (11)
October 2000
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