P21: White Liberals - Not Feeling So Guilty Anymore

Project 21 ^ | 9.21.02 | Jerry Brooks

[mhking]

White Liberals: Not Feeling So Guilty Anymore
By Jerry Brooks
A New Visions Commentary paper published September 2002 by
The National Center for Public Policy Research,
777 North Capitol Street NE #803,
Washington, D.C. 20002,
202/371-1400,
Fax 202/408-7773,
E-Mail Project21@nationalcenter.org,
Web http://www.project21.org.
Reprints permitted provided source is credited.

Being both black and conservative, I know I'm a
minority within a minority. Since liberals claim to
embrace diversity, one would expect them to be ready
and willing to hear my point of view. My treatment at
a recent liberal event, however, made me pause to
question the truth of liberals' alleged commitment to
diversity.

Former President Bill Clinton, a good example of why I
am conservative, recently visited my home city of
Portland, Oregon for a Democratic Party fundraiser.
It was held at a downtown hotel and was well attended
by an eclectic group of supporters.

I was stationed outside the hotel with a small group
supporting the campaign of incumbent Republican
senator Gordon Smith. We were located near supporters
of Smith's Democratic challenger, Bill Bradbury. All
of us held signs and peacefully exercised our First
Amendment rights during Portland's rush hour. Since
Portland is a virtual breeding ground for liberalism,
we were not surprised by the negative responses our
group received.

Getting a thumbs-down or an upturned middle finger
wasn't surprising. What was surprising was something
said by a man driving by our rally. With an angry
look on his face, and not knowing me from Adam, the
very first words from his mouth were: "Are you
stupid?" He then proceeded to blame President Bush
for the precipitous drop in the Dow Jones average.
Such remarks normally wouldn't upset me, but this time
they did because the driver was white. I can only
conclude that he'd never seen an outspoken black
conservative before and was somehow confused by my
politics and party affiliation.

I expect to be treated like a turncoat by the liberal
black civil rights crowd (who, in my opinion, are
nowhere near civil and far from being right). It's no
surprise to hear their vicious and asinine remarks.
In fact, I was the target of such remarks at that same
event. A black liberal called me blind, stupid, a
sellout and a defender of Satan and informed me that
my "ghetto pass" was revoked and that I was going to
burn in Hell. There's tolerance for you in a
nutshell. I turned to him and pointed out, "You
forgot Uncle Tom."

Because of this contempt for fellow blacks, I guess
more white liberals are becoming emboldened enough to
show their own mean-spiritedness to conservatives of
color. They seem to have lost some of their guilt.

I'm now waiting for a white liberal to call me an
"Uncle Tom." At that point, I'll know they've come
full circle. I know it's not far off since it
actually happened in Maryland. The liberal white
president of Maryland's state senate used the term to
describe Michael Steele, the black chairman of the
Maryland Republican Party who is currently the
Republican nominee for lieutenant governor.

It saddens me that so many liberals believe they must
insult conservatives to make their point. I need to
remember who I am and what I believe. I must get used
to the fact that I'm going to continue to be a
political oddity to some people. This is especially
true in a state such as Oregon, where black
conservatives are very few and really far between.

I still firmly believe that the First Amendment gives
people the right to express their political views and
to disagree on issues, but it doesn't necessarily give
people the right to act like a horse's hind-end.

I hope this anecdote serves as encouragement to my
fellow black conservatives. Although we may be small
in number, we still have two things going for us that
liberals will never understand and can never take
away. First of all, a black conservative is not an
oxymoron. Second, being a victim is a one-time event
and not a lifestyle.

To all those true-hearted and open-minded political
activists out there, keep fighting the good fight of
faith and keep on standing for truth! God bless
America!
###
Jerry Brooks is a member of the National Advisory Council of the African-American leadership network Project 21 and a former television/radio/print political commentator in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at jbrooks2@worldnet.att.net.
Note: New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21.

[pray4liberty]

Jerry's got guts. God bless him. ~Pray

[What Is Ain't]

I turned to him and pointed out, "You forgot Uncle Tom."

Now there's a man with a sense of humor. I know that must have ticked off his abuser. Ha..Ha..