Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

[Female Afro-American] Expert: black leaders fueling racial division
The Greeley Gazette ^ | April 14, 2012 | Jack Minor

Posted on 04/15/2012 12:41:10 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Carol Swain, professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt University, said black political leaders like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are using the death of Trayvon Martin to stir racial division for political gain.

Swain says she believes most Americans wanted an investigation into the Feb. 26 incident in which George Zimmmerman, 28, shot and killed Martin, 17, while on neighborhood watch. Martin was unarmed and walking to his father's fiance's house. Zimmerman claims he was attacked by Martin and shot Martin in self-defense after having his head beat against the pavement.

Swain, who is an expert on race relations, immigration, black leadership and evangelical politics says today's black leaders “don't put forth ideas and solutions that advance the cause of black people. Rather, they prefer to heat up the solution.”

Her latest book is called, "Be the People: a Call to Reclaim America's Faith and Promise."

Swain says black leaders like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson benefit from depicting the incident as racially motivated so they can use it for voter mobilization. Swain noted there have been voter registration drives at many of the rallies supporting Martin.

In the days following the shooting, the media did everything it could to portray the shooting as a white on black crime, even going so far as to refer to Zimmerman as a white Hispanic.

Zimmerman claims he was following Martin because there been several break-ins in the area lately. Zimmerman claimed Martin confronted him while he was returning to his car and began to assault him. During the assault Zimmerman's head was repeatedly beat against the sidewalk prompting him to shoot Martin under Florida's stand-your-ground law.

Under the law, a person in Fl who feels threatened is justified to take self-defense steps rather than be required to run away as is the case in many states without such laws.

NBC took steps to depict Zimmerman as a racist by deliberately doctoring a 911 tape to suggest that the basis for following Martin was because Martin was black.

The New Black Panther Party even put a $10,000 bounty on Zimmerman's head, an event which received no condemnation or action by President Obama and his Justice Department. Supporters of the President's actions have defended it saying the bounty was simply a free speech issue.

Swain says attempts by Sharpton and Jackson to inflame the fires of racism could prove to be a deadly game. "We all lose if we have a race war in America. ... We're playing with fire. Once you stir up the emotion, anger and hatred, you can't just turn it off when convenient."

Swain said while she does not know whether Zimmerman was motivated by racist attitude when he followed and shot Martin, she does believe black communities would be better served if black leaders were to focus on issues causing the black youths to “head in the wrong direction,” such as drugs, violence and out of wedlock births.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: georgezimmerman; obama; trayvonmartin; zimmerman
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last
To: LucyT

I hope she already has tenure : )


21 posted on 04/15/2012 2:30:05 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (God, family, country, mom, apple pie, the girl next door and a Ford F250 to pull my boat.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
Carol Swain


22 posted on 04/15/2012 2:52:58 PM PDT by tomkat ( Newt / Sarah '12 !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
"There is another class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs...

There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who do not want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public."

~ Booker T. Washington (1856-1915.) ~
Educator, Author, Civil Rights Leader

23 posted on 04/15/2012 3:07:05 PM PDT by kanawa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Another brave person...may more & more like her speak out the truth!


24 posted on 04/15/2012 3:42:15 PM PDT by TurkeyLurkey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Feckless
Especially the side with less than 15% of the population of which 2/3 of the males can't legally own weapons due to criminal issues....

And where that same 2/3 that can't legally own a gun, are most likely to illegally own one, and have a high willingness to use it at the least provocation.

25 posted on 04/15/2012 4:03:36 PM PDT by PapaBear3625 (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Gee, ya think so? What a revelation!


26 posted on 04/15/2012 5:15:07 PM PDT by MasterGunner01 (11)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Gee, ya think so? What a revelation!


27 posted on 04/15/2012 5:15:07 PM PDT by MasterGunner01 (11)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Gee, ya think so? What a revelation!


28 posted on 04/15/2012 5:15:19 PM PDT by MasterGunner01 (11)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JimSEA

They have absolutely no intention of ever “turning it off”.


29 posted on 04/15/2012 5:29:19 PM PDT by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: PapaBear3625

That’s what we call a “Target Rich Enviornment”


30 posted on 04/16/2012 6:30:24 PM PDT by Feckless (I was trained by the US << This Tagline Censored by FR >> ain't that irOnic?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson