Columnist Jamala Rogers
The Political EYE erroneously reported that the Organization for Black Struggle had endorsed Jim Shrewsbury over Lewis Reed for Prez of the Board of Alderpeople. The jaundiced attack on OBS solicited buzz on the streets and a flurry of mail at the St. Louis American criticizing its handling of the issue.
Since then, an apology has been printed, as requested by OBS. The matter has been put into perspective so that we all can move on to other important issues that need our energy and attention. Like a state takeover of our public schools.
However, there was a lingering bad taste that seemed to be universal among the people who reacted to the commentary. That was the denigration of protest and protest groups in the remarks “…as long as old-school politicians like Shrewsbury divide the city, there will be a place for a noisy protest group like OBS. If more black leaders with the ability to unite the city like Reed and Mike McMillan should emerge, the community would no longer need OBS”.
This is the same age-old view that pitted Malcolm X against Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the end, the enemies of freedom and justice regarded them both as dangerous because of their relentless fight against racism, political disempowerment and economic injustice. Both received a bullet triggered by the FBI’s COINTELPRO.
As long as there is racism and other forms of discrimination, there will always be a need for a group for whom direct action is but one of the weapons in their arsenal. The struggle for black liberation within the confines of this country cannot be won by any one sector. This is a protracted, multi-leveled, poly-faceted struggle.
Black elected officials are not our saviors in and of themselves. We have nearly 10,000 of them now compared to about 1,500 in 1970. Mississippi boasts more BEOs than any other state, and in the lives of black Mississippians, let’s just say there is a lot missing. Because of our pitiful political lot in 2007, should we disengage in the quest for black representation and political power? Hell no!
Groups like SNCC, CORE, Deacons for Self-Defense, NAACP, ACTION, the Black Panther Party and others have played vital and historic roles in our march for dignity and human rights.
It was noisy protest groups that led to black voting rights and black folks being able to even run for office. It was protest groups that led to the desegregation of public transportation, housing and other public arenas.
It was noisy protest groups that forced the likes of Jefferson Bank, Southwestern Bell, Stix Baer Fuller, Laclede Gas and others to open the hiring and promoting process to those of African descent.
It was noisy protest groups that brought an end to the illegal and immoral Vietnam War and help to bring South African Apartheid to its knees.
Too often, moderate voices believe that suiting up and negotiating in the big board rooms is where it’s at. This tactic also has a place in the overall strategy but on its own can only result in a few crumbs for a few people.
In these troubled times, we need more noisy protest groups as the assaults on our civil, human and constitutional rights escalate. There must be a place for we who believe in freedom. That’s where real unity is demonstrated in deeds and actions.
An unjust world without noisy protest groups is a world with silent suffering that can only lead to human demise.