Letters from Our Readers

Jahan Choudhry, BAR Comments Editor

21 Apr 2021

This week pro-Zionist censorship and police brutality were on your minds. We share your letters for “Fordham University Is One of Many Canaries in the Zionist Coal Mine” and “Murder of Daunte Wright Ruined Derek Chauvin Show Trial.”

In “Fordham University Is One of Many Canaries in the Zionist Coal Mine” Ann Garrison highlights a court case against suppression of Palestinian rights activism at the Jesuit university.

Carolyn Birden writes:

“Thank you, Ann Garrison, for this comprehensive report on an issue that grows more troublesome at every stage.

“As a recovering victim of Catholic secondary and university education I point out that friends should not let friends go to religious schools posing as educational institutions no matter how generous the grants and scholarships are. Why am I not surprised at Fordham’s position? For the same reason I am not surprised at that of Senate and House and NYC politicians with dual citizenships (another issue that we need to look at) and generous donations to their political campaigns from Israeli agencies and supporters. It’s an old story roughly titled ‘Follow the Money’ and shows how poorly our nation has educated elementary and secondary school students, now college and university officials, in the basic tenets of American democracy.

“In New York City, invitations to junkets to Israel are de riguer for political candidates and I have not heard of any who have turned them down: I wonder if that is true in other major cities. And for national candidates for House and Senate, just check the list of donations to their campaigns, and their junkets to Israel (no side trips to Palestine allowed) to predict the extraordinary level of support for arms to Israel and attacks on Iran.”

“Murder of Daunte Wright Ruined Derek Chauvin Show Trial” by Ajamu Baraka argues that another police killing in the Minneapolis area shows the racist nature of America’s settler colonial society.

Carl Shames writes:

“I usually have the highest regard for Baraka’s thoughts but I was more than a little dismayed by this recent piece on the show trial. We jump from nothingness to being ready to sacrifice our lives, blow the world sky high, etc. whatever. Quotations from Malcolm X generally disregard that in his last year he was actively trying to organize multi-racial movements for resistance. What would this look like? Is it possible that Black, Brown, White, Asian, Native American people could get together and find common cause, and find real organizational strength to fight the power? Not only should we be considering this, but is there any other way to achieve change? So while I respect Baraka reminding us we need to be ready to die, let’s talk about real, effective organized power first.”

The struggle for ideological clarity must be a rejection of the ideas of the ruling elite. Nothing can be accomplished without correct ideas.

Jahan Choudhry is Comments Editor for Black Agenda Report. He is an organizer with the Saturday Free School based in Philadelphia, PA.

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