I would like to applaud the honorable Mayor Geneva Bledsoe, of Five Points, Alabama for her column which appeared in the December issue of The People’s Voice, in which she answered the question “Are Black Newspapers A Form Of Racial Discrimination?”
First, I thank her for agreeing to be a part of The People’s Voice newspaper staff, and secondly, I commend her for standing toe to toe and facing the one question that challenges us every time we as black people try to organize something of our own design and for our own benefit. Apparently, the question has been raised, and again, we have been accused of racial discrimination because we publish a black paper.
Next, it must be pointed out that the mere fact that the question was raised alone, is sufficient evidence of the need for a black newspaper. When we consider the long, ugly, and sometimes brutal details of racial mistreatment and discrimination heaped on black folks throughout America’s history, who, in their right mind would dare to even ask such a question?
First it is necessary to understand that no form of “discrimination” can ever be perpetrated by the black race against another race. The late Johnnie Cochran defined “racial discrimination” for America during the infamous O.J. Trial, when he said “racial discrimination” can only be perpetrated by one who has power and authority over you. So, black Americans don’t have the power to discriminate.
The Real Issue Is One Of “CONTROL”
Because so many blacks don’t know or understand their history, many of us fail to realize just how much our minds and our thinking is controlled by White America.
The real issue is one of control. Mind control. We read newspapers, watch television, and listen to the radio….all of which are owned and controlled by white corporate America. And even if or when blacks are on, whites corporate America still controls what is broadcast. You listen to the news, much of which in many cases is edited, broadcasted and controlled by whites corporate America. We read books, most of which are published by whites. Big publishing houses choose which books get published and which ones don’t. You might be fortunate enough to write a book, and it may be ever so good, but ultimately, it is white corporate America that is swaying the thinking and beliefs of masses of people, because they decide what you read, what you hear, and what you watch on television. Thus, they shape your beliefs, attitudes and actions concerning everything in American life.
Now, that’s deep!
Now, in some ways that may be alright. But, in other ways, especially in terms of African-American progress and advancement, it translates into the destruction of black folks. Mainstream media is not concerned with black progress, so they are not going to write about it; these topics are not going to occupy a major space in the newspaper; they are not going to take up a lot of time on television. Everybody understands the premise “out of sight out of mind.” So, they are depending on this principle to seize us, so we will forget about how under-represented we are in so many venues of society.
Now, I want to take some time to educate…something that mainstream newspapers do not do for us. While they do inform, they don’t tailor the information in a way that it does us much good. So, it is not really for us.
What does America want from us?
1. They want us quiet. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t focus on issues that could be come controversial.
2. They want us content and apathetic
3. They want us dumb and ignorant about our history
4. They don’t want us to know the truth
5. They don’t really want us informed about things that really matter to us
(our finances, our economics, our education)
6. They want us focused on a whole lot of trivial nonsense instead of hard core issues that can really
make a difference in our existence.
7. They don’t want us to be able to think for ourselves, They want to do our thinking for us.
Unfortunately, they have succeeded in keeping us quiet and complacent, and one of the strongest influences in this effort is with their media.
In the old south, “Massa” not only needed blacks physically captive; but mentally as well. He needed to have enough power and control over the slave mind to be able to “bend” it in the direction away from freedom. That meant keeping his thoughts away from liberation. Keeping his mind off of Africa; keeping his ears from hearing sermons about civil rights and civil wrongs. He wanted you to believe (just as he believed) that everything he was doing to the slave was alright. Even under the pretense of religion and Christianity he attempted to justify his obtuse behavior toward those in captivity. One way that he did this was through the continual feeding of the slaves with his propaganda, his ideaologies. Slaves were not even allowed to learn how to read or write, for fear that they would free their minds, and begin to rise up against enslavement.
Consequently, what happens, after nearly two centuries of information deprivation? I can tell you what happens: You get saturated with the half-truths that main-stream white-controlled media wants you to read and hear about; and after a while you’ve read and heard it so much until you begin to gradually modify your thoughts and bring them into agreement with theirs (exactly what they want you to do). Your attitudes begin to coincide with theirs. Eventually, you begin to re-think your beliefs, or better still to FORGET that you are black, and that there is a hidden agenda behind their monopoly on everything significant in our society. Now, even though you don’t remember how or when you changed your mind, you no longer believe that freedom, justice and equality are such a high priority after all. Oh, Yeah, that black man who was on the front page of the paper…he got just what he deserved, didn’t he? Yassa boss! He Sho did! Ole Massa was right— again!. You even have the audacity to think you can do what they do. But, the real culture shock comes when you realize that you are still black, and you’ll NEVER be able to do what they do.
Black newspapers were designed to help us keep our minds focused on freedom, which begins with a full understanding of freedom.
Freedom’s Journal The first black newspaper was published in1827 by Samuel E. Cornish and John Brown Russwurm in New York City. What follows is a quote from Freedom’s Journal: “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.” Freedom’s Journal provided international, national, and regional information on current events and contained editorials declaiming slavery, lynching, and other injustices. The Journal also published biographies of prominent African-Americans and listings of births, deaths, and marriages in the African-American New York community. Freedom’s Journal circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, Haiti, Europe, and Canada.
Freedom’s Journal was superseded by The Rights of All, published between 1829 and 1830 by S. E. Cornish. The newspaper employed subscription agents. One of these, David Walker, in 1829 published the first of four articles that called for rebellion. Walker’s Appeal stated that “It is no more harm for you to kill the man who is trying to kill you than it is for you to take a drink of water,” this bold attack was widely read. Walker distributed copies of his pamphlet into the South, where it was widely banned.
It can be seen from this historical account that even then, the White oppressors did not want blacks reading information that might affirm or justify their desire to be free.
In 1848, after a speaking tour of England, Ireland, and Scotland, Abolitionist Leader Frederick Douglass published the first issue of the North Star. After Douglass’ escape from slavery, he wanted to promote freedom for all slaves. He published a newspaper in Rochester, New York, called The North Star a four-page weekly. It got its name because slaves escaping at night followed the North Star in the sky to freedom. Douglass’s goals were to “abolish slavery in all its forms and aspects, promote the moral and intellectual improvement of the COLORED PEOPLE, and hasten the day of FREEDOM to the Three Millions of our enslaved fellow countrymen.”
Centuries of enslavement, oppression and racial discrimination told black folks they, being the darker race, were the most hideous, the ugliest, the most unsightly race of people to ever walk the face of the earth. It took a John H. Johnson and The Negro Digest, Ebony and Jet Magazine to transform centuries of racist misinformation into lies.
If we as black people are to continue to progress socially, economically and intellectually, it is imperative that we re-focus our minds, and our thinking in a direction that will take us to our final destination in freedom’s journey.
This means we still need those constant reminders of who we are as a people; where we need to be going; what we need to be thinking about.
Present-Day Impact
We can see the evidence of information deprivation. I am ashamed of the lack of knowledge that today’s black kids have about African-American History. You ask them about certain prominent black historical figures, they can’t tell you about them. That’ ought to let you know…
Grown folks need to overcome generations of misinformation and mind control. Often, it causes us to mistakenly believe that we are thinking independently, when in reality, we are caught up under the heavy influence of mainstream media, which is not concerned about African-Americans. Sadly, many of us have done it for so long, until we are not even aware of its influence on us. It causes us not to be “tuned in” to the real hard core issues that are bringing the African-Americans to new lows.
How has it affected us?
We don’t have to look too far to see that we as a race, have completely lost interest in what was once our pride. We have forsaken our own communities and neighborhoods and embraced their ways, their communities, their everything. How can we abandon our roots?
Many of our minds today are still infected with misinformation, which causes us to question our own initiatives. Which causes us to ask such questions as: “Isn’t black newspaper racial discrimination?”
Whether we understand or accept it or not, there should be some kind of black publication or black literature in every African-American home. We need to expose our youngsters to it. Our thinking needs to be re-programmed, in the direction of community improvement and development, economic empowerment. The completion of the civil rights movement depends on it. We have to understand that white people aren’t the only people who can write and publish. Their word isn’t gospel. Start reading what your black brothers and sisters have to say.
This article was prepared using information derived from the following resources:
The Wisconsin Historical Society
Africans In America
America’s Library
