Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis says Wright race controversy good for dialogue

[TeamJordan23]

Obama supporter calls Wright race controversy good for dialogue

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, Democrat-Georgia, said Sunday that the controversy over Barack Obama's former pastor has reignited a conversation about race that could ultimately be beneficial for the country.

"The civil rights movement had the power to…what I call bring the dirt, the filth from under the American rug out of the cracks and corners, into the light so we can deal with it," said Lewis, a superdelegate who supports Obama, at a forum on faith and civil rights at Washington's National Cathedral. "Just maybe, just maybe, what is happening now will bring something out, so we all can be educated and sensitized."

While he did not mention Wright by name during a sermon he gave at the cathedral, Lewis indirectly addressed the Chicago pastor's fiery comments on race.

"During the past few days, the issue of race and the need for reconciliation have emerged through the presidential campaign. We know, and we all know, it's not a secret America had a dark past of division and separation," Lewis said. "But if we are to emerge unscarred by hate, we must learn to understand and forgive those who have been most hostile and violent towards us."

Full article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/30/lewis.wright/index.html#cnnSTCText

[applegrove]

1. I agree. And Obama enabled that conversation with his speech.

[Fredda Weinberg]

2. I don't see African Americans forgiving anyone anytime soon.

And we needed this dialogue this year like the proverbial hole in the head.

[earthlover]

3. You don't sound very...forgiving....er....in your post

[Fredda Weinberg]

7. I've given that a lot of thought lately. In '68, I was a victim in a race riot

and I still see my attacker dancing. I don't expect you to understand ... but Reginald Denny does. In both cases, they aimed for our heads.

[ellacott]

9. I'm sure that was very traumatic

I'm sure that this helped shape your current view of African Americans. It's unfortunate if you hold all African Americans responsible. From the tone of your postings on this board that seems to be the case.

[Fredda Weinberg]

10. What a silly assumption. My tone is mild and reasonable. What

bothers you is my contempt, which you have earned because, despite my background, I've worked w/African Americans in their own communities.

[ellacott]

11. You may think your tone is mild but it is not

How have I earned your contempt when I don't even know you?

[Fredda Weinberg]

15. You assumed my response. Even at the time, I was merely

surprised ... why would this stranger try to hurt me? I've spent my life understanding and addressing the issue.

For you to come along and assume that I was somehow a victim - and that rage drives my behavior - says more about you than it does me.

And my tone follows a principle. See my tagline if you want to resume respectfully.

[ellacott]

31. Who's trying to hurt you?

You are the one that has mentioned being a victim, on more than one occasion. I have no doubt that you invested your time trying to understand and address the issue. Your posts indicates that this is still a sensitive issue.

Nothing I said was disrespectful, maybe that was YOUR assumption.

[Ysabel]

18. "attacker" singular "they" plural (n/t)

[NOLALady]

25. My husband was a victim in '68 when MLK was killed.

Blacks in the neighborhood saw what was going on and stopped the attack. IIRC Blacks helped Reginald Denny, also.

Thank goodness the experience did not leave Hubby bitter and angry.

[Ysabel]

26. p.s. your inability to differentiate between your attacker and other people...

is really very sad...

- i've been raped many times however i don't hate all men i don't even hate the men who did it i understand that they had terrible issues which they were failing to deal with...

[DerekJ]

4. Watch this video

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid900881681/bclid900480414/bctid1478199102

Let me know what do you think of it.

[Fredda Weinberg]

5. After you've seen this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYmsQVlLgnQ

Let me know what you think of it.

[DerekJ]

14. I tried, but it's a really bad quality, I can barely hear anything out of my speakers.

[Fredda Weinberg]

16. But I think you get the point. The program I started cuts crime and

helped the community. After the second community policing substation/computer learning center closed due to its own success, I set up another in the child care center of the New Macedonia Baptist Church in Riviera Beach ... you can imagine what that neighborhood is like after dark.

I worked w/organizations like DART

http://www.thedartcenter.org/PEACE2.html

Who didn't care about my race ... they wanted to improve the lives of their children.

So I soon as I see that video of yours ... I want to know why I should continue when no one in it looks like me.

[stillcool]

13. I think we always..

need to have this dialogue, whether it's politically correct or not. Social consciousness is a good thing, no?

[Fredda Weinberg]

17. Social consiousness is a force, neither good nor evil. But I take your

point and yes, very much would like to see a civil exchange of experiences, leading to an acceptance of differing perspectives. That's what we lose in the shouting.

[EFerrari]

20. Please excluse me from your "we". n/t

[BlooInBloo]

6. In a country populated with people who cared about the truth, perhaps...

.... But that country is not this one. White folks don't and won't hear anything but "reverse racism", "oversensitive", etc.. And since they're the winners, they get to choose the language. It's the way it goes.

[EFerrari]

22. Every now and then, there are pull ups, episodes of white disarray

that are funny because they are completely beyond control.

When I was in grad school, the cutting edge of English literature were all black women authors. And all those bald headed old white professors didn't know what the hell to do with them. It was wonderful. Their world was upside down.

lol

[BlooInBloo]

30. :) But then the internecine warfare between the two feminist sects prolly took over...

... and killed the fun.

[EFerrari]

32. What I think happened was that those works helped loosen

the stranglehold that theory heads had on English studies. They were theory NAZIS. Since that body of work didn't conform to feminist (any flavor), socialist, semiotic or any kind of prefab frame, English studies were freed from those constraints after about 15 years of bondage to bs.

Isn't that something? :)

[BlooInBloo]

33. Heh. Is the natural result of theory. So Kuhn taught us.

[SeattleGirl]

24. I would take exception with your lumping all white people into the same

boat. I don't disagree that whites have gotten to chose the language. But some of us do not automatically react with accusations of "reverse racism" or "oversensitive".

Some of us do engage in dialog, and are open to what the black community has to say. I'm not saying it's always the easiest thing to hear, but I know that I do work on opening my ears and my mind more all the time.

[smalll]

8. Good for "dialogue," yes. For winning the White House? Not so much. /nt

[BuyingThyme]

12. Mee to.

Bring it on.

[Ysabel]

19. k and r (n/t)...

[anamandujano]

21. Sounds like Lewis has a message for Wright.

"But if we are to emerge unscarred by hate, we must learn to understand and forgive those who have been most hostile and violent towards us."

[tishaLA]

29. interesting that you frame that as one-sided

[Cha]

23. John Lewis thinks it will be good to

open up discussion on race relations and our DUer posted a thread on how he ultimately thinks it is good for Obama too.

<snips>

Middle finga (755 posts) Sun Mar-30-08 11:37 PM

Response to Original message

35. Clinton, the republicans along with their friends in the media
thought they had him down for he count but Obama shook it off and now he is stronger than ever.

In_Transit (1000+ posts) Mon Mar-31-08 12:02 AM
Response to Reply #35
38. My point exactly! Well said.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5322880

[anamandujano]

28. What you see disappear from the media will reappear in the voting booth.

Nobody is going to forget that shit. It's just that nobody sees any point in discussing it when they will just be called racist.

Debate has been silenced. It is now internalized.

[babylonsister]

27. Absolutely, as long as there IS a dialogue instead of lambasting Obama. nt