RACE MATTERS BY Cornel West, Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1993, 2001, 2017, New, 25th Anniversary.
This is an eye-opening book which reveals the intensity of racism, rarely seen so deeply by white eyes, but well experienced for hundreds of years by the black race in America.
It’s not surprising at all that such a talented, professor, also black, Cornel West, has been refused tenure in 2021 at Harvard University. Even Norman Finkelstein, white, who lost his parents to the Holocaust, because of pro-Palestinian attitudes, also lost tenure. West suspects the same reason exists. It’s good that Professor Cornel West has moved on to another, more valuable and respected position. A far healthier choice. Yes, go where your people respect you.
Somehow, I read and understand Cornel West, by infusing myself and my dual inheritance
and double ethnic identity as quite sad-or somewhat similar.
New Introduction + Race Matters in the 21st Century, On Page xviii, we see the failings of Trump exposed for his extreme prejudices against blacks and gays, and both Trump and Obama, Page xix, for supporting wars in several Muslim countries, also Obama, for not enacting new laws to defy or make changes regarding the centuries-long racism against blacks in the United States.
Page xx reveals The black freedom struggle. The Movement of Black Lives: A ray of hope. Well known black authors like W.E.B. Du Bois & Malcolm X, plus many others and black jazz performers like Thelonius Monk and many others, beloved by both blacks and whites, bring out the very talented grace of those many mentioned. With these talents there is little racism - a possible meeting of the black and white minds. Our white friend, Mac, introduced us to the moods and sounds of one Billie Holiday.
Page xxii and xxiii describe well describes the author’s views on predatory capitalism and imperalism. Mention is made at the last of this chapter of the hopeful John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.’
Nihilism in Race Matters: Mention here of the fact on P. 15, along with plauding the genius of earlier black mothers and black fathers who enjoyed religion and familial support and who had the lowest percentage of suicide rates until the early 1970s. After that, due to the demons of loneliness and poverty in the U.S., and changing social culture and prejudice, now young people have the highest percentage of suicides. P. 17 decries the lack of meaning for blacks now having a sense of worthlessness and self-loathing because of the saturation of market forces, low expectations that blacks could catch up and be a part of the middle or higher classes. My belief about racism in the movies and stereotypes brought forth earlier hails an excellent film showing blacks as real people with real personalities and that film is Roots. well worth watching again.
The Pitfalls of Racial Reasoning: Hill/Thomas hearings are discussed here. Page 23 and Page 29: I still can’t stand the horrible and cruel debasement that Anita Hill gave Clarence Thomas - and so very publicly. They are each Republicans voting for the rich. Page 29 addresses the silence of our politicians avoiding the race question. On Page 31, at the end of this chapter, the author brings out two of my favorites: Sojourner Truth and Emma Goldman.
The Crisis of Black Leadership: On Page 43 Professor West mentions another of my favorite writers - James Baldwin. He calls Baldwin among a few others, a “race-transcending prophet.”
Demystifying the New Black Conservatism: Black Americans identify with other groups or ethnics in America becauses of racism. He mentions how Israel Mistreats the Palestinians. Later, he believes his pro-Palestinian bias has cut him out of gaining tenure at Harvard.
P. 54: Regarding employment of blacks - very low. Also “…often the only option for young blacks is military service.” Some black groups have out-dated beliefs.
P. 55: Professor West mentions “Black liberalism is indeed inadequate. But black conservativism is unacceptable. These two groups war with each other with differing points of view.
P. 59: This division may derive from and continuing the lowering of culture, social and economic, especially here in the U .S. and elsewhere, and in the Third World.
On Black-Jewish Relations: As an aside I find it useful to make note of this fact:
Arab Americans and Jesse Jackson. I couldn’t understand why the Arab American groups or sites decided to work with Rev. Jackson. I always thought of him as rather sleezy.
Page 71: The author states “Black anti-Semitism and Jewish anti-black racism are real and as American as apple pie.” In this chapter the surival and fears of Jews are discussed
Page 75 discusses the antics of David Duke as he has received a great percentage of the white vote. The author thinks that he could win again.
P. 73: suggested books to read by black authors.
Black Sexuality: The Taboo Subject: P. 83 We read of the myths often distorted, dehumanized creatures whose bodies, color of skin, shape of nose and lips, type of hair, size of hips--are already distinguished from the white norm of beauty…deemed less desirable.
P. 85a: “…because of many black Americans’ refusal to love their own black bodies--especially their own black noses, lips, hips, and hair.” A degradation given by white supremacists. “Two hundred and forty years of slavary….segregation, lynchings, and 2nd class citizenship in America.
Michael Jackson, the singer/performer was inflicted with n extreme form of self-hate, had injections to make his skin lighter. Bad.
Younger Life by and about of an Arab-American author: Attitude: Looks, Style:
Longfellow: childhood: When I was but 10 years old, my dad found an old, yellowed-paper-torn book of poems by Longfellow. From that day on, he became my favorite poet and I’ve visited his home in Cambridge, MA.
My husband also has a connection to Longfellow. He is a direct descendant of Rene LeBlanc of Canada featured in Longfellow’s poem, “Evangeline.” Later, in 1980, my husband gave me a volume of Longfellow’s complete works.
The Slave’s Dream: What brought tears to my 10-year old’s eyes was a special Longfellow poem which made me weep: “The Slave’s Dream,” which I’ve mentioned in my first book, “Mayflower Arab: A Memoir.” I read it over and over and felt very badly about black nobles or citizens taken from Africa and removed to the United States to become slaves.
Here I digress, moving towards my own feelings about an Arab-American’s take on her looks and her body. Similar to black women, I didn’t like my body; I was a mere five feet tall, very short and a little lumpy, with brown hair. I didn’t think I was attractive. I would dream of being a blond with blue eyes, fair skin, and tiny features, while my dad, his brothers and some of their children, including me, owned rather enlarged, full lips, [perhaps some sort of Semitic resemblance could be seen] but definitely revealing faces that were not Anglo nor anglicized. Girls like me wanted to look like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly; and boys, similar to Cary Grant, fitted with a tightly-fit sprayed-on fitted suit, even in the middle of a desert! But blacks couldn’t look like this. One who did lighten his skin was Michael Jackson who wanted to look like Elizabeth Taylor. Black magazines focusing on beautiful black women weren’t out yet.
Noses: Could an Arab-American with a large-hooked nose emerge and be accepted in the same magazines in America at that time? No! Some Arab American women with beautiful eyes and even Arab American men, could have an operation to alter and reduce their enlarged and unattractive, protruding nose. After an operation to remove the offensive area of the nose, they emerged, very attractive, deeply dark brown eyes, encircled with Kohl, a dark black make up for the eyes, a beauty accepted in white and Arab circles. But black women couldn’t achieve this. In a bathing suit it was noticed by men and women that I had very narrow hips. As to my slightly darker complexion, I fantasized having blonde hair, blue eyes and those pretty, very thin lips. I used to pinch nightly my strange, nearly Oriental flat at the top of my noise to make it rise slightly. A Bradford dowager informed me that I was gifted with a retrouse nose, whatever that is. But my face and dark hazel-brown eyes betrayed my ethnic appearance, just as an Asian-American’s eyes would. These differences often have a stamp of disapproval. Currently we are witnessing a serious racist rise, even murderers, against Asian-Americans, added to their earlier history, truly a Japanese holocaust, near the end of World War II.
On Page 90 at the close of this chapter, the author sees black women nurturing black children under these racial circumstances that breed a spiritual strength of black women unbeknownst to most black men and nearly all other Americans.
Arab American Writer: I would add here the deeply spiritual strength also of Latin American women, in both North and South America, not only their gifted sense of humor, devotion to their kids, fighting against some of the same hatred and prejudice seen here in North America by our differing cultures.
Aside: my dad and his brother owed a large grocery store in Roxbury for thirty years. We often heard of murders of blacks in Franklin Park at that time. He was friendly with whites, blacks and Jews. He even learned how to make Jewish dishes.
W.E.B. Du Bois: My eyes are struck dumb by reading the quotations by the black writer, W.E. B. DuBois regarding “Double Consciousness” on P. 97. I must open and read some of his writings
soon. ‘Bout time. This is the reality that I belong to. A double identity imposed upon me, frustrated, hated by my own Arab father, a confused, young woman, who came from two quite dissimilar--one could say--poles-apart heritages: Arab and English. Carol Rae Bradford, M.Ed., Author.
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