Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 June 2000 — Page 8

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OPINIONS It’s about time we reordered our priorities to put ourselves first Puncturing the He that compared to successive waves of immigrants, Africans were shiftless and lazy, Claud Anderson mused in his best-selling book. Black Labor, White Wealth: “If the Japanese, Chinese and the Germans were the hardest workers, would it not have made more sense for colonial white society to have enslaved the Japanese, Chinese or Germans rather than Blacks who were allegedly lazy and unwilling to work? “Why would supposedly bright businessmen spend 230 years traveling halfway around the world to kidnap 35 million to 50 million innocent but lazy Blacks, then knowingly bring them to America to do work that other ethnic groups could do better?” The truth of the matter is this country was built on the uncompensated labor, energy and ingenuity of our African ancestors who did not ask to come here, for whom America was not the land of opportunity. European investors, trading companies and settlers became rich not only via African muscle and sinew but from our knowhow, creativity and genius. How perchance did heretofore starving and backward Europeans know how to cultivate rice, tobacco or sugar cane? Were these crops grown in Europe? Europeans entered into “trade” negotiations with Africans, and later the indigenous inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere but had nothing of real value to trade. They came looking for gold—which the West Africans had in great abundance, along with salt and other foodstuffs. In the New World, Europeans discovered sugarcane, tobacco, the white potato and a myriad of exotic foodstuffs. European imperialism resulted in invasion, colonialism, slavery, forced labor, massive social disruption and death for people of color worldwide. For whites it produced an improved standard of living, better living conditions, wider varieties of food, incredible wealth and society transforming opportunities. It is fairly obvious that Africans are hard workers. Lazy people don’t produce highly evolved societies or empires, and that is what the Eurasians found when they ventured into North Africa in antiquity. That is what the Arabs and Berbers found when they crossed the Sahara before settling in East Africa. If Blacks were so lazy, why would the Spanish and Portuguese turn to Africa once they had decimated the indigenous populations of the Caribbean after a few short years of contact? Jhp fact of the matter is European monarchs and soldiers of fortune weren’t going to conscript European whites to do their dirty work. The Southern Europeans were just coming out of a prolonged period of turmoil, backwardness and disease, aided by the Moors and Arabs who brought the light of learning and high culture to Europe. So they turned to Africa because they were famiUar with Africans as industrious people. The Portuguese first kidnapped Africans in 1441. Christopher Columbus was originally employed as a kidnapper and slave-catcher by the Portuguese. With regards to our history in this hemisphere, no one has worked harder than we have for less. Hard work is not the issue. The issue facing us now is this: who will benefit from our hard work? In whose interest are we going to exert our energies, genius, spiritual resources and capital? What individuals and/or groups are we going to make rich? Isn’t it high time the answer to these questions is us? Isn’t it about time we reordered our priorities to put ourselves first by empowering and enriching ourselves? Shouldn’t we set a new example for ourselves and our children so we make our ancestors proud? Shouldn’t we begin to think race first, become ethnocentric and start building and formulating ways to maintain the consciousness and psycho-socioeconomic infrastructure that will enable us to survive in the coming millennium? What will it take for us to believe in ourselves again? What will it take for us to take the initiative to build our own businesses, banks, support one another and recycle our dollars in our own communities? We did it once in places like Tulsa, Atlanta, Durham, N.C., Chicago, Kansas City and all Black towns like Kowalia, Ala., and Mound Bayou, Miss. We did it once, so we can do it again. Yes, forces beyond our control helped undermine each and every one of these examples. But we can learn the lessons of history and accept the political reality of our 381 years in the U.S. — we are in an adversarial situation with whites. We are obsolete as sources of free labor or peonage except in the prison industrial complex. So it behooves us to think about doing new things and being more productive and useful other than as Pavlovian consumers totally dependent on others for our survival. Contact Junious Stanton at [email protected]

INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER DIRECTORY

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, JUNE 16,2000

Star's possible sale, growth of big media i

The biggest news last week was the announcement by Central Newspapers Inc., the company that owns the Indianapolis Star and its sister newspaper the Phoenix Republic, that they were exploring a possible sale or merger. Wall Street responded by bidding up shares of Central Newspaper stock $22 dollars, or 70 percent. The Indianapolis Star’s possible sale is a major development for Indianapolis, with ramifications that could affect our AfricanAmerican community. New ownership could finally make the Star a real newspaper. For years, the Star has avoided greatness, settling instead for conventional mediocrity. It’s embarrassing that the Star is regularly scooped by John and Anne, Mike and Debby, Clyde and Diane/ Martha and Bob and Cheryl and their TV newscasts. It’s humiliating that the city’s three major weeklies, the Indianapolis Business Journal, NUVO and your Indianapolis Recorder regularly publishes stories the Star doesn’t. The Star’s local news coverage is woefully weak, business coverage superficial, Washington coverage sporadic and inconsistent, coverage of the city’s media is anemic, the Star’s local columnists are milquetoast and the paper covers our African-American community as if we were a foreign country. Most days the best news found in the Star is written by reporters for other newspapers. The Star’s routine omission of stories of and about our Black community has benefited the Recorder, allowing us to become a better

newspaper with a growing readership. The Star’s mediocrity has been accompanied by a decline in readership. For the first five months of2000, the weekday Star lost 22,760readers, some 8.2 percent of circulation; while the Sunday Star lost 17,045 readers, 4.5

percent of circulation.

New ownership could change the Star’s lethargy. But who’ll pay the $3 billion plus price tag? There’s Gannett, the big media conglomerate that owns USA Today and scores of other newspapers. While Gannett has a great reputation for diversity, they have a poor reputation among journalists. Star reporters, both whites and Blacks, don’t want Gannett. Tribune Co., owners of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Cubs and WXIN/ Channel 59 is another possible bidder. Tribune does a great job targeting their newspapers to the Black community. Other bidders could include Cox (owners of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Knight-Ridder (Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald), McClatchy Newspapers (Sacramento Bee, Minneapolis Star-Tri-bune) and the Columbus (Ohio)

Dispatch, which also WTHR/Channel 13.

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The nation’s media conglomer- puter paid for with taxpayer d6h ates own significant chunks of In- lars when he left office. dianapolis media, including Tri- Acting Director and Deputy * bune. Clear Channel, Emmis, Mayor William Shrewsberry and Viacom/CBS, Comcast, Sinclair, Mayor Bart Peterson must insti- 1 : LIN and Black-owned Radio One gate an immediate audit of 1 . 1 which last week closed on their Housing’s accounts and records? J purchase ofHoosier Radio and TV. What records were shredded? Why ‘ With the nation’s top media con- aren’t taxes being paid? And make glomerates buying Indianapolis Jones return that taxpayer-paid' 1 media, it’< imperative that our computer. Black community have input into African-American response and ‘ those companies’ decision making cooperation with the 2000 Census?' process. Rev. Jesse Jackson and in Indianapolis and nationwide has'; his Rainbow Coalition and Kweise been excellent, much better than 1 ’ Mfume and the national NAACP expected. Indianapolis’ great cen- f ' bought stock in the nation’s big- sus response is due in large mea- 1 ' gest media companies, so they’d sure to the many hard working cenhave a say in how media serves sus takers. A big thanks to them. African Americans. Indianapolis’ Was Antoine Lewis, producer 1 Black leadership—ourBlackmin- of WXIN/Channel 59’s morning 1 isterial associations, the local newscast promoted, transferred or NAACP, Urban League, Con- fired?This talented African Americemed Clergy and the Black legis- can led Channel 59’s morning show' lative caucus should do the same, to fantastic ratings gains. So what' buying stock in the companies con- happened to the person once detrolling this city’s media outlets, scribed as a rising star at Tribune 1

Broadcasting? And will Channel

What I’m hearing 59 hire an African American to' in the streets hold such a significant position ini'' Did former Executive Director their news department? Eugene Jones and his incompetent. It was a deep honor to have been vindictive managers at the India- one of the distinguished honorees napolis Housing Agency destroy as this year’s Marion County Bar incriminating records and docu- Association banquet. The dinner? ments? I’m hearing that on May held each year in honor of two - 18, a document shredding com- great legendary barristers—Judge pany was seen at Housing’s head- Rufus Kuykendall and attorney quarters. Why were they there and Harriet Bailey Conn—honors seV-^ how many and what documents eral for their contributions to the 1 ' were shredded? community. I was humbled to be J '’ Also, I’ve learned that Housing honored along with Eli Lilly Co?’ hasn’t paid employee unemploy- CEO Sidney Taurel (for Lilly v S' ment taxes for months, in violation strong commitment to diversity in * : of state and federal law. And that hiring). And even more honored t6 .

have shared the spotlight with Fed-^ eral Judge S. Hugh Dillin. '' Many in our Black community 1 ’ don’t realize that Dillin’s fatheH stood up to the Ku Klux Klan in rural western Indiana during the ' 1920s, or that Dillin fought against* bigotry as a member of the Indiana ' '

House and Senate.

I always wondered what I’d say to-Judge Dillin if I ever got the chance to meet him. Let’s just say we talked Pacers basketball. Agaip^l my deep and sincere appreciation to the Marion County Bar Associft*-'..* tion, the African-American attorneys of our community for allow?*^ ing me to share the spotlight with gg great one who really made an impact on racial justice in Indianapolis— Judge S. Hugh Dillin. '1' Finally, I rarfely mention any-/ thing personal in this space. But f'must salute two special people. Myi ■ dad and mom. They celebrated their - 50th wedding anniversary last'weekend. Without their teachings - of integrity, excellence, education, faith and standing up for one’s beliefs, I wouldn’t be here today. -

See ‘ya next week.

owns Jones took a brand new laptop com-

Lotteries are a curse on ordinary people

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WASHINGTON — People are buzzing about the two lucky souls who won $181 million each in last month’s Big Game lottery. Nobody seems tocare much about the millions of people who dumped millions of dollars they could not afford into a futile effort to get rich fast. It is easy to become mesmerized by a story that Joe Blow in Lake Zurich, 111., is going to get $7 million a year for the next 26 years. It is “party pooper” stuff to talk about the guy who blew $100 of his rent money on lottery tickets and is back buying tickets this week with money he needs desperately to put to his family’s good use. Some social researchers would do well to study this phenomenon of the big-money lotteries and tell us how many people really get hurt, compared with the very few who win lifechanging riches. We know that tens of millions of people shelled out millions of dollars to make possible a prize of $363 million in the Big Game drawing. The only real winners besides the federal and state tax men were the handful of people who beat 76-million-to-l odds and won major amounts. These lotteries are clearly addictive. I confess that the only reason 1 did not dump a few hundred dollars on this one is that it was too difficult to go to Virginia or Maryland to buy tickets. But I looked at the people who did line up to buy tickets and saw that these were, for the most part, the working people of America. Many lost productivity as well as their money. I know. These lotteries are here to stay. Officials think that they are a painless way to raid the wallets of the average citizen. But perhaps fewer people would get hurt if there r were limits on the prize money. V® Many a soul fill the gMbting bug when the prize is $195 million in May 1908, and $295 million in July of that year; wi * it is

$197 million in April of 1999, and $150 million in June of that same year. The lotteries come so often with such big money that it is easy for the suckers to say, “My time has got to come.” Most jurisdictions say that it is OK, because the profits to the state are used for noble purposes, such as education. There is evidence that a lot of the money goes to finance a fat gambling bureaucracy before anything trickles .ntd education and other worthy pursuits. No matter how the lottery money is used, we have to ask whether we want to bleed

money out of those least *;

able to pay in order to finance vital affairs. This column prob-,, ably is the equivalent of, spitting into the ocean trying to stir up a hum-1 cane, because the very , people who are spend-, ing money they cannot afford on the lottery are

the ones who will deny it and claim that these big-money monstrosities are just “victimless” exercises in which a lot of people spend a little “to have some fun.” ’ / The fools eagerly await the next lottery. ,

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