Booker T Washington once said,

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Some the the people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs."

That is true today of the debate of racism and affirmative action. We have moved from a time when racism was exhibited and supported by government. Today we find ourselves in a society in which many people accept people of all kinds. Today we find that we have a racism that is institutional. Because African Americans do not do as well as Caucasians, it must be racism at work. It is not deliberate, but it exists in the very system.

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are very good at blaming racism on the white race and Republicans, yet never take the time to speak out against the practices of their own race that are destructive to themselves. They cry out that more African Americans live below the poverty line than whites, yet we never hear them hold their own race accountable when 70% of their children live in single-parent homes compared to the 33% of whites. You can make the argument that there is a direct relationship between poverty and single-parent homes.

If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. Today crying racism remains part of the problem. As long as the black leadership continues to support affirmative action, racism will remain a problem. It breeds in the hearts of those that are already racist, and only adds fuel to their fire.

Does racism still exist in this country, yes. Only time will change the hearts of those who still hold this view. But today under the guise of affirmative action, the government and its supporters own continue to prove their misguided belief that minorities are somehow inferior.

dmk

I am a mulato, half black half white. I think Jesse Jackson is soooo annoying and Im a republican conservative. There will always be racism in the world it is something you cannot stop, I hate the french.

Do you live near anchorage, alaska?? I have a very close friend who lives in anchorage. How old are you??

They are both Religious pricks who do their best to keep their own people down so they can appear to be trying to help them climb up?

I can think of one thing they both have in common as per the thread topic. Both are "Gimme' Socialists" , race hustlers, and poverty pinps. I'm sure that I could think of some more.

But only the Reverand Al has a sense of humour. I am eagerly awaiting his first try as a talk show host. That should be interesting. New Rush Limbaugh? Probably not.

Gimme socialists... cute. Same kind that just VOTED DOWN the constitution in Europe.

Too bad ours is starting to gather dust...

I think Sharpton and Jackson just make the black community look worse everytime they stand on their podiums.

I think that these two men are perhaps the two worst men to represent anything, let alone an entire race and culture. Through constant crying, fingerpointing, and spotlight grabbing, these two men have somehow remained as massive political figures. If I was the conspiracy type, I'd almost think that some of their funding came from groups that would prefer americans to keep thinking of all blacks as being like these guys.

I am a conservative, and I am firmly in favor of Affirmative Action. By Affirmative Action I mean

[1] Going after racial oppression -- illegal discrimination -- where ever it exists, using all the weapons at our disposal: legal and extra-legal, the same way we did in the 1960s. [I am a veteran of the Civil Rights movement in the South at that time.]

[2] Developing policies which will help disadvantaged people, of whatever color, to take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities available for personal advancement in America today. Although these policies should be color blind, they will obviously disproportionately benefit Black people.

This should include scholarships to universities, programs to supplement poor schools, programs to replace poor schools with good ones -- vouchers are the obvious answer but we can still fight for other programs where we are not yet able to get vouchers -- strong but fair policing, programs that will do away with demoralizing public housing projects and instead encourage home ownership, and so on.

This is what Affirmative Action should mean.

It should not mean racial quotas and racial preferences, which devalue the achievements of Black people.

We should not let the liberals and the Left capture the phrase "Affirmative Action", which in the eye of the public, now means "active measures against racial oppression".

Rather, we should give the phrase "Affirmative Action" its proper content -- action to break down the barriers to entry into society, which can and should be done on a color-blind basis.

Doug

Well put Doug. Welcome to the forums.
Have you introduced yourself? (There is an introduction section)

.... for the kind welcome.

I've got to go to beddy-bye now, but I will try to introduce myself tomorrow.

Doug