Hispanic Media Confronts the
Demon: Gonzales. Black Media Should Learn a Lesson
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
“The Latino press resisted the reflexive urge to circle
the wagons around one of their own, and accepted the fact that Alberto Gonzales
is George Bush’s boy.”
Alberto Gonzales resigned as Attorney General of the United
States, this week, a body blow to Latino pride. But the Hispanic press, which
is much more vibrant and active than the Black press, took the occasion in
stride, and with great dignity. As reported by the excellent website, Richard Prince's Journal-isms, the
Latino press resisted the reflexive urge to circle the wagons around one of
their own, and accepted the fact that Alberto Gonzales is George Bush’s boy,
who worked against their interests, and should not be defended.
Contrast that with the usual reaction from what’s left of
Black media, when an African American politician of dubious repute and no
loyalty to his own people gets attacked by racists. Case in point: former
Memphis congressman Harold Ford, Jr. In the last days of his losing campaign
for the U.S. Senate, the Republican opposition bought ads on statewide
television showing white girls acting like “Girls Gone Wild” over Harold Ford.
It was a racist attack, certainly. Predictably, Black folks circled the wagons
around the undeserving Harold Ford, Jr. And in doing so, we debased ourselves,
defending a man who never defended us.
“Traitors with a Spanish surname are even more dangerous
than Anglos on a racist mission.”
Harold Ford was the worst Black congressman to ever hold
office. He professed openly that he “loved” George Bush. Ford ran around the
country, during Bush’s campaign to kill Social Security, hugging and kissing
Republicans and pledging to bring down the only social safety net that still
exists in the United States. Harold Ford was one of only four Black
congresspersons to vote in favor of Bush’s War Powers, in 2002. He initiated
the rightward tilt that has crippled the Congressional Black Caucus, which can
no longer claim to be the “conscience of the Congress.” Harold Ford, Jr. now is
in a holding pattern as head of the Democratic Leadership Council, the
right-wing bag man for corporate money in the Democratic Party, an organization
that was created for the specific purpose of diminishing Black and union power
in the Democratic Party. In other words, Harold Ford is the enemy.
Alberto Gonzales is the enemy, as well. He was the key
player in the theft of the 2004 election, which required the disenfranchisement
of Hispanic and Black voters in many states. He betrayed his own people –
Latinos – and the American people. He is a criminal – not a source of pride,
but a fountain of shame.
The Latino media were mature enough to understand their
communal interests; that traitors with a Spanish surname are even more
dangerous than Anglos on a racist mission. It appears that Black media are
anchored back in the Jim Crow days, when we marshaled all of our energies to
defend every rascal politician that came up from our ranks. After so many generations,
this has become a reflex reaction – but it is not politically healthy. Barack
Obama calls for 100,000 more U.S. soldiers and Marines – a Black man boosting
the imperial project. Are we supposed to support him? So what if “White Girls
Gone Wild” ads appear, featuring pale and lascivious women wanting to get into
Obama’s pants. Do we allow racist attacks to dictate our politics? Have we gone
stupid? For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Glen Ford.
BAR executive editor Glen
Ford can be reached at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.
This week, we interview Samantha N. Sheppard. Samantha N. Sheppard is an associate professor of cinema and media studies in the Department of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University. She is…
This week’s featured scholar is Sara-Maria Sorentino. Sorentino is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender and Race Studies at the University of Alabama. Her article is “Mistresses as…
As the white rulers of Haiti push for illegitimate elections, can the “Montana Accord”- an agreement among some civil society groups to return democracy to Haiti - offer a way out of the country’s…
March 29, 2022 - Haitian community activists are out in the streets to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Haitian constitution, drafted after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship, and to…
March 31 has been designated as the deadline for Wayne County residents to pay back property taxes from 2019 and before despite the failure to provide adequate assistance to working and impoverished…
