I just sent an email to AG Holder re: his "nation of cowards" remark. You can too.

[Fly by night]

I started my email: "Maybe AG Holder is too young to remember Mississippi in the mid-60s. I'm not."

Then I copied and pasted the OP from this DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8201082&mesg_id=8201082

(That DU thread honors my "second mother", Miz Lilla Rosamond, for her civil rights bravery in Columbus. MS in the mid-60s.)

If any of you want to say anything to AG Holder yourselves about this or anything else, here's the email address:

[e-mail]

[tekisui]

1. Holder was referencing the lack of race conversation in the country.

And, I think he was doing so accurately.

[zbdent]

3. and the ReRushicans say

"We've had this conversation. Can't we move on to something else?"

BTW, I have to dig up the article (here it is: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/02/david_kocmit_of_cleveland_fell.html), but the radio this morning in Cleveland was talking about a guy who filed a "hate crimes" complaint to the police.

The truth to the story:

White guy leaves a strip club (I would suspect alcohol was involved). Claims 3 black guys jumped him and assaulted him.

But what he didn't count on was that the strip club has security cameras ... which caught him falling down on his own ... alone ...

can you say "freeptard"?

[Fly by night]

4. It took courage to get us here. If AG Holder wants to hear conversations about race, I invite him ..

... to come to Nashville, TN, where we just defeated an "English only" bill that was founded on racism (which is why we repudiated it so soundly.)

He is also welcome to return with me to my Columbus, MS hometown for another conversation on race. I might even invite the Hispanic, Black and Asian members of my own eighth-generation White Mississippi family to join in.

Certainly we have a long way to go to resolve the issues around racism, class and other associated inequalities that are the products of prejudice here in the US. But, taking the long view, we've come a long way in the life of this one (getting older) man, IMHO.

Thanks for posting, NC neighbor. Yes we can, because (yes) we have.

[superduperfarleft]

2. Why, to thank him for speaking the truth?

What a weird reason to start a thread.

[Fly by night]

6. Please visit my OP link and read reply#4 above. Thanks.

I'm not surprised that, in the DC bubble, certain conversations don't occur. My point is to honor the courage (past and present) of many people in the "real world" whose bravery over the past forty decades are the foundation for any progress yet to come.

In my life, when it comes to race relations, the cup is definitely beginning to look (at least) half-full.

[superduperfarleft]

8. That's a nice story.

But doesn't really mean that Holder was wrong.

People of color have been trying to have conversations about race for decades. Unfortunately, white people would rather cover their ears and cry about "reverse racism" or "it's not a race issue, it's a class issue." Look at the way Rev. Wright was treated, look at the way even DUers react to conversations about white privilege.

Equal protection under the law is great. Socially, though, it doesn't change much.

[MellowDem]

10. No one wants to discuss race...

even people of color, even of the white color. Only time people want to discuss race is around their same color. You can in part thank Al Sharpton and Jesse "cut his balls off" Jackson for that.

[superduperfarleft]

12. Or you can try to find out why people like Sharpton or Jackson

are so influential in the black community, as opposed to ignoring them because they make you feel all icky inside.

[MellowDem]

13. I don't ignore them...

and really, as far as I can tell, they don't have much influence anymore in the black community. But they certainly helped lay the groundwork for how we discuss race today in this society.

[babylonsister]

14. You are so full of it on so many levels.

You don't want to discuss race, unless it's on your own level. Remember this? Seems to me, lots of people were discussing race, and this was just yesterday. And you're blaming Sharpton and Jackson? Your mindset is part of the problem.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8206272#8206568

[MellowDem]

20. I'm talking broadly...

on a society-wide level, people don't want to talk about race. I personally do want to. I'm just saying how it is in society. As it is, the only reason race came up on DU was because of some cartoon. We cannot discuss race unless there is controversy that is easy to define. Are we really "discussing race" when we all gather round to condemn something that is offensive and potentially racist? Not really. It's just something that we know is "safe" to do. And of course quickly condemn those who disagree as either psuedo racist or ignorant. That's not a real discussion. But to have a deeper discussion about race and things we are uncomfortable with? As a society, it rarely ever happens. I don't know why you are attacking me.

As for Jackson and Sharpton, they are partly to blame for the way we approach racial discussions in this country. That is to say, we don't, because we are so cautious and afraid of being labeled a racist. They helped ensure that the word racist lost a lot meaning and changed its meaning into something political, a lot like the word "global warming". They were not alone. Because of this, when I see threads discussing race on DU, I see a lot of people preface what they say about race, even if they're just stating known facts, with proclamations of not being racist themselves. It's ridiculous.

And when did I say I don't want to discuss race? The thread you reference was one where I was trying to dig deeper about the racial implications of the cartoon, looking at an oft overlooked aspect. Nothing wrong with that. I am never one to try and shut down discussions about our society and race. I don't know what "level" you are referring to.

[cobalt1999]

5. Discussing race is political suicide

Especially discussing "uncomfortable aspects of race" as he is suggesting.

Let him start the conversation if he has a topic to discuss.

[Fly by night]

7. There you go. Or he could open his ears -- it's not us who live in a vacuum.

[rfranklin]

11. You are belaboring a thought that was misdirected to start with...

Holder did not belittle the efforts of courageous people who fought for civil rights, he was merely saying that there has been a general reticence to discuss racism honestly in this country. We still haven't come to trems with the genocide of the Native Americans and we certainly haven't really talked about the lingering effects of slavery in this country.

[Fly by night]

15. A few responses ...

I don't know which state you live in since your profile doesn't contain that information. Here in the South, race is discussed regularly and more openly, racism is labeled and fought against (e.g., the Nashville "English only" ordinance that we defeated recently) and racial lines no longer define our co-workers, friends and families as much as they used to.

As far as "Native Americans", I see that you have never lived in Indian country. The seven tribes I've worked with ALL prefer to be called Indians, American Indians or Indian people, if they are being discussed collectively. They say the fastest way to know someone is from back East is to hear themselves be called "Native Americans."

Racism does continue in many forms. I once got a big reaction from my Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone friends when I said in a public (and mixed race) meeting in Wyoming that it was amazing to me, as an eighth generation Mississippian, that I had to come to Wyoming to be reminded what racism sounded like.

But thanks for your comment. It's not a simple issue, by any means. Calling all of us "cowards" doesn't advance, or even acknowledge, the conversation and the progress much, in my opinion.

[CBHagman]

16. Bingo! It's the context.

Here's a portion of the attorney general's remarks of yesterday:

Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and we, I believe, continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. Though race-related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we -- average Americans -- simply do not talk enough with each other about things racial.

It is an issue that we have never been at ease with, and given our nation's history, this is in some ways understandable. And yet, if we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another, and tolerant enough of each other, to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.

Of course the usual bomb throwers and Moonie paper headline writers (See front page of today's Washington Times) feel like this is Christmas in February. They're all screaming, "Yippee! We can impugn the AG's patriotism," assuming, of course, that they know what "AG" and "impugn" mean.

[Fly by night]

19. Even with the broader context (thanks), I still disagree with the central premise.

See my other responses here. Again, I know we have far to go from many fronts.
But where we're going is closer than it was just a few decades ago.

Progress also depends on the perspective (and the regional position) of the beholder. From my position, I believe we're moving in the right direction, though the road remains bumpy.

Solution: start a conversation about race wherever you live today. Here in middle Tennessee, we don't have to start this conversation -- it continues and, as a result, we do keep moving forward.

Guys, defeating the "English only" referendum less than a month ago in Nashville was HUGH11!!11

In all seriousness, our Southern citizens defeated racist-based (and funded), xenophobic bigots in our midst. And I hope we vote the main one (the Dough Boy) out in his next election.

Yes we can. Because (yes) we are.

Got to head to town. Appreciate the reactions and the opportunity to throw out this topic this morning. See ya', bye.

[Bluenorthwest]

9. I sort of liked his remarks

until I read that the administration is allowing legal discrimination by government offices with tax dollars. In light of that, Holder seems to be pointing fingers instead of looking in the mirror

[CitizenPatriot]

17. The intellectual complexity of his statement

has been lost in its being reduced to a sound bite.

He was right; we don't dialogue here the way other countries do and the way we could and should.

We have tip-toed around this issue and been a nation of pretenders, in many ways.

When traveling, I'm often struck by the difference in the racial relationships in other countries -- much more egalitarian and interwoven than here.

I'm not outraged by what Holder said, though I think this is a valuable lesson in how to frame his points and how whatever you say can and will be used against you by the media.

I say this as someone who was once quoted out of context, so a headliner above my picture ran with a horrid quote which made me sound like a monster. Did I say the thing? yes, but I said it as an afterthought to something else, which was never presented in the entire article.

Live and learn.

[Fly by night]

18. I hear you. Again, my point is I hope Holder hears us also.

Fighting racism in this country is no longer a lonely battle.

We have made progress.

We have far to go.

As for me, there is always the Garden (after my early-morning emails).

Take care and thanks for commenting, all y'all, on this meager thread.

[CitizenPatriot]

21. good for you for writing your emails:-)

it's a long fight, and we are making progress. it can be so frustrating...

take care and let us know if you hear back!