Senator Harry Reid ( D. Nevada) must have missed the post racial memo. You know the one that says we are in a post racial society. Senator Reid admittedly said during the 2008 campaign that President Obama, was a “light skinned African American” “ with no Negro dialect”. A white man using the word “Negro” when speaking about an African American in 2008 doesn’t sound complimenatary to me. Reid claims the comments were said off the record or doing a private conversation. I would have loved to heard the tone of his comments. They probably sounded like a throw back to the 1960’s. His comments about President Obama reflect the times we live in now. We are not post racial in the eyes of Senator Reid.
Senator John Cornyn ( R. Texas) and those calling for Senator Reid to resign are being disingenuous. If every white politician who made inappropriate racial comments resigned, we’d probably have very few, if any, politicians left. I do not condone Senator Reid’s racially inappropriate comments nor those of any other politician. What bothers me the most are those who speak and engage in conduct that is racially insensitive, inappropriate and against the law.
Unfortunately Senator Reid is not alone in his non-post racial attitude. Senator Reid is joined by the Cambridge police department and Cambridge police officer responsible for arresting Professor Henry “Skip” Gates. Remember Professor Gates was arrested in allegedly post racial 2009 by a white Cambridge police officer at his house. The crime he committed was failing to remember “who’s the boss” when it comes to African Americans and white police officers, even if you are committing no crime while standing inside your own home. Of course the charges were later dropped but the humiliation remained.
Speaking of police, the US Capitol Police has been battling an almost 9 year old lawsuit filed against it for racially discriminatory practices and hostile work place environment.
In 2009, a lawsuit filed in 2001 by over 270 US Capitol black police officers was allowed to proceed forward after previously being dismissed. The Capitol police protect the Congressional buildings, lawmakers and visitors on Capitol Hill. Some of the serious allegations raised in the racially charged lawsuit are:
- Use of racial slurs against black officers referring to them as “gangsters” and white officers who befriend them as “FOG’s” or friends of gangsters
- Hangman’s noose and swastika-like symbols found on lockers of African American officers
- Use of the term “bear hunting’ to mean writing up black officers for anything at all
- Using racial epithets, the “N” word and telling racial jokes around black officers;
- Using the term “boy” when referring to African American officers
- According to affidavit, a white lieutenant reportedly said in reference to a black officer applying for a K-9 Unit that “ The nigger already has a badge and a gun and he thinks he’s gonna get a dog”
- Giving African American officers less desirable assignments and units
- Promoting whites with less seniority over blacks
The Congressional Black Caucus has called the matter a national disgrace that their own Capitol police force are being confronted with issues of racial discrimination of such magnitude. During President Obama’s inauguration, 2 veteran white Capitol police officers were suspended from working the inauguration due to alleged suspected activity with racially insensitive groups. Apparently, the US Capitol police didn’t get the post racial memo yet.
Just last week, the NAACP filed a lawsuit against US Airways for allegedly creating a hostile work environment for African Americans. The law suit alleges US Airways used racially coded words to describe some African Americans such as “The Ghetto”, “The Hood” and assigned them to smaller markets with large black populations.
So no Senator Harry Reid is not alone in failing to get and read the post racial memo. Apparently, US Airways, the US Capitol Police responsible for protecting Capitol Hill and lawmakers, the Cambridge Police Department and countless others failed to read the post racial memo. I don’t think one really exists.
NaDine Rawls says
Whoa, wasn’t aware that such activities were going on with the Capitol Police. I dare say — no such memo exists. What I find interesting about this whole Senator Reid piece is that no such outcry was heard when the remarks where first made. Why now! Is such an outcry an attempt to distract the people as to what’s really going on? Is this an attempt to move the spotlight away from GOP Chairman Steele onto the high ranking Senator. So many questions and so much speculation. Excellent editorial as usual. I enjoy them. Keep up the good work
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