ok racism deniers explain this one away.............

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Jewish student with autism had swastika carved onto his back, mother says

Minyvonne Burke and Erick Mendoza

~3 minutes

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The FBI said it is in contact with authorities in Las Vegas after a woman said her Jewish son, who has autism, had a swastika carved onto his back.

"We are aware of the incident and are in regular contact with local authorities. If during the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate," the agency said in a statement Saturday.

The woman told COLlive.com that her son, a student at Clark High School, came home on March 9 with the hate symbol etched into his skin. The woman, who told the outlet that she wanted to remain anonymous, said the 17-year-old is nonverbal, uses a service dog and has someone to assist him at all times.

"My son is the only student I know of who wears a Kippah at the school," she told the outlet, referring to the cap worn by Jewish men and boys.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

The mother said she emailed the school about what happened and then filed a report on March 13 with the Clark County School District Police. She also alleged that her son's service dog's equipment bag had been tampered with, COLlive.com reports.

The school and the district police could not immediately be reached by NBC News on Saturday. School officials told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a statement that police conducted an investigation which included interviewing staff and reviewing camera footage and found "no evidence that would indicate the origin of the injuries."

"We will not tolerate discriminatory behaviors that contradict an inclusive community and impact student safety and well-being," the statement said. "If anyone has any additional information related to this case, we urge them to contact school police immediately."

The mother told COLlive.com that she pulled her son out of the school because she fears it is an unsafe environment.

Jolie Brislin, the regional director for Anti-Defamation League Nevada, condemned what she called a "violent, antisemitic act."

"Not only was this student targeted for his identifiable faith, but he was particularly vulnerable due to his disability," Brislin said in a statement. "This incident illustrates points of intersectionality in how hate can show itself across marginalized communities."

Brislin said the organization has been in communication with the district and law enforcement and is working with the school "to provide antisemitism education."

"Schools should be no place for hate, and no student should be made to feel unsafe or threatened," the statement read.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

 

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

No one ever said there was no racism, I just don’t think it is as bad as the media present it to be.  Case in point; in the headline this article indicates that a swastika was *carved* into his back, while the local Las Vegas new reported they were scratches.  Hmmm.  A little sensationalized don’t you think.  The bottom line is the people who did this are cowards for picking on an autistic individual first and being antisemitic second.

It is also interesting to note the the incident happened in mid March and the investigation has not shown any footage that anybody inflicted the injuries.  Not saying it didn’t happen, just odd they can’t find any security footage at the school.  A month and a half since the incident and they come up with the story.  Just odd.

Edited April 24, 2023 by I_M4_AU

[aubiefifty 18,259]

12 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

No one ever said there was no racism, I just don’t think it is as bad as the media present it to be.  Case in point; in the headline this article indicates that a swastika was *carved* into his back, while the local Las Vegas new reported they were scratches.  Hmmm.  A little sensationalized don’t you think.  The bottom line is the people who did this are cowards for picking on an autistic individual first and being antisemitic second.

It is also interesting to note the the incident happened in mid March and the investigation has not shown any footage that anybody inflicted the injuries.  Not saying it didn’t happen, just odd they can’t find any security footage at the school.  A month and a half since the incident and they come up with the story.  Just odd.

sorry bro i see lots of examples every single day. it breaks my heart. i thought after we stooped low enough to kill four black girls who were just kids all this crap would stop.

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

4 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

sorry bro i see lots of examples every single day. it breaks my heart. i thought after we stooped low enough to kill four black girls who were just kids all this crap would stop.

You are looking for examples and that is why you see them.  The press is doing the same thing.  They don’t report the ones that don’t fit their narrative.  That’s why I think this is media driven and consequently Democrat driven.  

[aubiefifty 18,259]

2 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

You are looking for examples and that is why you see them.  The press is doing the same thing.  They don’t report the ones that don’t fit their narrative.  That’s why I think this is media driven and consequently Democrat driven.  

come on man as biden would say. so attacking a handicapped student and carving a hate sign on his back was just some darn kids playing? i think not. racism is getting worse because people do not think it is a thing and it is literally getting people killed. the rebubs will do nothing so what is the answer? go out and kill all those hurting people?

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

1 minute ago, aubiefifty said:

come on man as biden would say. so attacking a handicapped student and carving a hate sign on his back was just some darn kids playing? i think not. racism is getting worse because people do not think it is a thing and it is literally getting people killed. the rebubs will do nothing so what is the answer? go out and kill all those hurting people?

You’re buying into the narrative.  The local paper said they were scratches.

Jewish student has apparent swastika scratched onto his back while at school.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/jewish-student-has-apparent-swastika-scratched-onto-his-back-while-at-school-2765099/

And it happened 6 weeks ago and no cooperating evidence has been found.

America can improve, but it isn’t as bad as you seem to believe it is.

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2 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

You’re buying into the narrative.  The local paper said they were scratches.

Jewish student has apparent swastika scratched onto his back while at school.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/jewish-student-has-apparent-swastika-scratched-onto-his-back-while-at-school-2765099/

And it happened 6 weeks ago and no cooperating evidence has been found.

America can improve, but it isn’t as bad as you seem to believe it is.

i do not give a damn if they did it with invisable ink here you are dening it and taking up for with your response.  it is ok it was just a scratch. really? do you know any autism children and how their thinking is different form and the damage done to this child? wow i try to like you and then you come up with this crap. that little boy counts. everyone counts. HE WAS JEWISH! jesus wept.............

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

1 minute ago, aubiefifty said:

i do not give a damn if they did it with invisable ink here you are dening it and taking up for with your response.  it is ok it was just a scratch. really? do you know any autism children and how their thinking is different form and the damage done to this child? wow i try to like you and then you come up with this crap. that little boy counts. everyone counts. HE WAS JEWISH! jesus wept.............

I did not take up for anybody and I am not denying it.  I am questioning the reporting.  Why say it was carved into his back (that paints a picture of a knife attack) when it was scratches?  To sensationalize the story, that’s why and that is all on the press.

The local paper picked it up on the 20th and NBC enhanced the story on the 23rd.  I hope they catch the perps and, as I said, there were cowardly for attacking an autistic child first and foremost and antisemitic in the 2nd place.  You seem to skip over those words.

Did you believe Jussie Smollett’s story at first?  I do have a doubting mind on these things.

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1 minute ago, I_M4_AU said:

I did not take up for anybody and I am not denying it.  I am questioning the reporting.  Why say it was carved into his back (that paints a picture of a knife attack) when it was scratches?  To sensationalize the story, that’s why and that is all on the press.

The local paper picked it up on the 20th and NBC enhanced the story on the 23rd.  I hope they catch the perps and, as I said, there were cowardly for attacking an autistic child first and foremost and antisemitic in the 2nd place.  You seem to skip over those words.

Did you believe Jussie Smollett’s story at first?  I do have a doubting mind on these things.

i stand by what i said. dude i have a friend that has a child that used to cry when she saw a certain flower and there you are still talking the scratch. i would bet my house it hurt this kid and messed with him bad. they had to hold him down right to do it right? that is assault dude you can bring all the weird stuff in it. a child was hurt and you want to make it out to be not a big deal. the kid was assaulted,period. and i am still ashamed of you. and i am serios. this is not a dig. your callous remarks on this  make me sad.

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

13 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

i stand by what i said. dude i have a friend that has a child that used to cry when she saw a certain flower and there you are still talking the scratch. i would bet my house it hurt this kid and messed with him bad. they had to hold him down right to do it right? that is assault dude you can bring all the weird stuff in it. a child was hurt and you want to make it out to be not a big deal. the kid was assaulted,period. and i am still ashamed of you. and i am serios. this is not a dig. your callous remarks on this  make me sad.

Your irrational behavior is more concerning to me, than your leftist bias.  And that’s saying a lot.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

3 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Your irrational behavior is more concerning to me, than your leftist bias.  And that’s saying a lot.

yep! sometimes i am angry with myself for not being more liberal. i hate lies and bullsh*ttery so i could care less. i stand by what i say and when i am wrong i apologize. your side never apologizes and you are right there with them. telling you i am asamed for you was not a slight but a true feeling. you just want to start calling nmaes again.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

here is an example of racism and how it effects us.

salud-america.org

New Year, Same Concerns: Why Racism is Still a Public Health Crisis in 2023 - Salud America

Callie Rainosek

6–8 minutes

Share On Social!

As we begin a new year, it’s important to take a step back and appreciate our achievements.

But it’s also critical to recognize our shortcomings – especially in public health, which affects everyone.

Here’s your reminder why racism is still a public health crisis in 2023, and how you can help support the health of all people.

What is Racism?

Racism is the discrimination or prejudice of others based on their race or ethnic group.

Racism has existed for thousands of years globally and is deeply rooted in our nation’s history.

Populations of color, such as Blacks and Latinos, often experience racism.

Racism against others can happen directly, such as denying someone a job because of their race, or indirectly, such as through structural policies that perpetuate racism, poor health, and poverty.

These structural policies, or systemic racism, is primarily our focus today.

Why is Racism a Public Health Crisis?

In 2017, researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health determined that racism is a public health crisis because it affects large amounts of people, threatens long-term health, and requires the adoption of large-scale solutions.

Other institutions agree.

The American Public Health Association recognizes racism as the driving force behind health disparities and a barrier to health equity.

How Does Racism Affect Health?

While racism has countless negative consequences, it has a particularly negative effect on public health.

Racism makes it harder for Latinos and other people of color to gain access to necessities for a healthy life, including quality healthcare and education, affordable housing, reliable transportation, employment, and nutritious food.

Not having as great of access to these necessities can have detrimental health effects, from infant mortality to life expectancy, and from chronic disease to infectious disease.

For example, due to health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Latina maternal mortality rate rose an alarming 74.2%, while White women’s maternal mortality rate rose just 17.2%.

Latinos also suffer twice the rates of liver and stomach cancers than White people, and fewer Latinas have mammogram screening for breast cancer (61%) than their White peers (65%).

Additionally, Latinos are vulnerable to healthcare worker implicit bias, which is a sub-conscious preference for White patients.

Implicit bias can worsen health disparities by not giving Latinos the most effective treatments or timely screening opportunities.

While it may seem that racism only impacts certain groups, it can have negative health impacts on entire communities, including White people.

Studies show that living in racist communities can cause adverse health outcomes, such as higher mortality rates and poorer overall health, in both White and minority groups.

Why Does Racism Affect Public Health?

Now that we’ve established the “how,” it’s time to explore the “why.”

Monica L. Wang, an associate professor of community health sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, and an adjunct associate professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, offered some insight into why racism affects public health.

“One possibility lies in our social connectedness and trust in one another,” she said in an Emancipator video. “People who live in communities where racism is prevalent may be less likely to trust and bond with others. This lack of social connectedness can have negative health implications for the entire community, regardless of one’s race.”

For example, communities where racism is prevalent may have a harder time recovering from a natural disaster or hard economic time because racism can disrupt one’s relationships with community members.

No matter the why, a growing body of research points to racism as a public health crisis.

“This growing body of work tells us that the stakes are too high to ignore and can be a matter of life and death,” Wang said. “Racism is like air pollution, its particularly harmful for communities that experience higher levels – and it’s also harmful for the entire population.”

How Are People and Systems Addressing Racism?

In late 2020, public health and racial justice advocates started meeting monthly to understand and support the movement to declare racism a public health crisis.

Now, these advocates have formally become the Collaborative for Anti-Racism and Equity (CARE), a group of partner organizations including Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio.

CARE provides resources for everyday people and organizations to tackle health and racial inequities in their communities.

Another organization working to address racism in healthcare is the National Institute of Health (NIH), which has created the UNITE Initiative.

The UNITE initiative will help stimulate more research on minority health and health disparities. It will also improve workforce diversity so that Latino healthcare workers can thrive and patients of all backgrounds can receive better healthcare.

Individuals, such as Zo Mpofu and Dakisha Wesley, are also making waves. This duo worked together to declare racism a public health crisis and address several health and racial inequities in their county.

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another one

 

US: Boldly Act on Racism, Poverty, Voting

6–8 minutes

The United States administration of President Joe Biden made slow human rights progress in 2022, but bolder policies are needed to dismantle systemic racism, counter rollbacks to reproductive freedom, and tackle other pressing rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2023.

“The US government needs to meet the critical human rights issues of the moment,” said Tanya Greene, US program director at Human Rights Watch. “Officials at all levels need to take on the systemic racism, economic inequality, suppression of voting rights, and restrictions on reproductive freedom that are leaving people of color and other communities more vulnerable to abuses than ever.”

In the 712-page World Report 2023, its 33rd edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in close to 100 countries. In her introductory essay, acting Executive Director Tirana Hassan says that in a world in which power has shifted, it is no longer possible to rely on a small group of mostly Global North governments to defend human rights. The world’s mobilization around Russia’s war in Ukraine reminds us of the extraordinary potential when governments realize their human rights obligations on a global scale. The responsibility is on individual countries, big and small, to apply a human rights framework to their policies, and then work together to protect and promote human rights.

The Biden administration and Congress took a positive step to safeguard human rights in October by passing the Inflation Reduction Act. The landmark law, despite some shortcomings, advances the right to health and is the most significant US action yet to address the climate crisis.

Still, US officials have not taken effective steps to dismantle the systemic racism that pervades US society. The landmark reduction in poverty starting in 2021 is reversing following the federal government’s failure to renew Covid-19 pandemic-related social spending such as the Child Tax Credit – and its failure to enact structural reforms to address the racial disparities that persist in access to adequate health care, water, education, employment, and housing. Wealth concentration among the top 1 percent is on the rise, as Black, Latinx, and Native American households experience poverty rates that are more than double those of white households.

While the government needs to invest in supportive services to address myriad societal problems, a number of lawmakers have made unfounded or exaggerated claims about rising crime to justify growing law enforcement expenditures at the expense of supportive services. Data shows that people of color remain vastly overrepresented in jails and prisons, and the police kill Black people at three times the rate they kill white people per capita. Congress has not passed even the weak reforms proposed in the federal Justice in Policing Act.

US democratic institutions have failed to consistently protect key fundamental rights, including the right to vote free from racial discrimination. Nearly half of US states passed more than three dozen laws in 2021 and 2022 making it more difficult to vote. Similarly, the failure of judicial or legislative authorities to check some officials’ use of white supremacist rhetoric and racist policies has further undermined US democratic institutions.

“The dangers posed by the US government’s failure to grapple with the pervasive legacies of settler colonialism and slavery, and to take real action to fix structures that perpetuate racism throughout US society is serious and worsening,” Greene said. “Racial injustice violates the rights of millions of people living in the US and poses an existential threat to US democracy.”

Despite increased public recognition that many deeply entrenched racial disparities are linked to the legacy of enslavement, including with the unprecedented support in Congress and progress on reparations’ initiatives at the state and local levels, the administration and Congress failed even to create a commission to study the legacy of enslavement and develop reparations proposals, Human Rights Watch said.

Systemic racism is also linked to harsh immigration policies, Human Rights Watch said. The Biden administration finally ended the so-called Remain in Mexico program after a period of forcing non-Mexicans to wait for their asylum hearings in dangerous Mexican cities, but continued to expel thousands of migrants at the southern US border through the abusive Title 42 Covid-19 restrictions, disregarding their right to seek asylum. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott targeted suspected migrants for arrest and incarceration under Operation Lone Star, a discriminatory and abusive $4 billion border policy.

Although Biden’s announced pardons for citizens convicted of simple marijuana possession in the federal system is progress, the administration’s pardons did not include otherwise-eligible non-citizens.

The US Supreme Court repeatedly demonstrated a disregard for protecting fundamental rights. In June, the court overturned the nearly 50-year constitutional guarantee of abortion access; more than half of all US states have since or are poised to ban abortion. Structural racism in health care and other factors make abortion a form of reproductive health care needed by women of color at higher rates than white women. Racism in the criminal legal system means that women of color are most at risk from abortion bans and pregnancy criminalization – actions interpreted as harmful to a person’s pregnancy.

By undermining the constitutional right to privacy, the reversal of Roe v. Wade also threatened LGBT parental rights, same-sex marriage, and consensual same-sex conduct. State lawmakers introduced more than 150 bills that threaten the rights and health of transgender people, particularly transgender children.

Covid-19 claimed thousands of lives, especially people in marginalized groups, with more than 230,000 people in the US dying from the disease in 2022. Biden’s statements, including declaring the pandemic “over” in September, reflect the ongoing inconsistency in the US pandemic response.

Without Democratic Party control of both Houses of Congress, Biden will need to take stronger action to address the racial and economic inequities that are exacerbated by inflation and climate change and create a federal reparations commission, Human Rights Watch said. The authorities at all levels should end abusive law enforcement and border policies, protect reproductive freedom, and safeguard everyone’s rights.

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psychiatrictimes.com

New Year, Same Racism

Amanda Calhoun, MD, MPH

6–8 minutes

This doctor’s New Year’s resolution? To continue working to end anti-Black racism and the collateral damage it has caused.

RESOLUTIONS

In this series, Resolutions, we asked clinicians about their New Year’s resolutions. What are our contributors resolving to do in 2023? Here’s how they answered.

The year is new, but racism is not.

Racism swept through my family before I was born like a tornado, leaving destruction in its wake that we will never fully recover from. Racism reverberated through my family tree from my ancestors down to me, like ripples in a lake after you throw in a stone—except, the ripples don’t stop. Racism causes a type of trauma that only American descendants of the enslaved can fully comprehend—a trauma that is not recognized in the pages of my DSM-V. The impact of anti-Black racism is never forgotten, permanently interwoven in our family stories.

Racism shows itself in my fair complexion which matches that of my mother. Growing up, my light brown skin often invited questions from friends and strangers about whether I was “mixed,” but I never identified that way. Mom, as always, gave me a brilliant and age-appropriate response when I questioned my racial background. “Well, there were definitely white people in our family, but I am not sure they were nice.” As I grew older, I learned what she meant. I learned of the birth certificates that were often changed in Black families in the south, adding Black men as fathers to children who were clearly fathered by a white male rapist. So, being fair-skinned has always been troubling for me, a reminder of racism—a reminder of the whiteness that was forced into my family without consent.

Racism shows itself in the fact that I only met 1 out of 4 of my grandparents. Indeed, it is documented that Black individuals live shorter lives than white individuals, in part due to the stress they experience from racism, and the poorer health care they receive.1-3 My maternal grandmother died of breast cancer before I was born. The white doctors caring for her did not treat it as aggressively as they should have, even though she left behind 8 children, my mom only 18 at the time, and my uncle only 11. Black patients receiving less aggressive care for cancer compared to white patients is not a figment of the past, either, as a recent study shows.4 I wonder how many Black individuals would be alive if it were not for white supremacy and racism. And I wonder why we do not talk about it more—why we aren’t angrier. Then again, I do not blame Black folks for being forced to internalize our pain. We have to survive.

As a psychiatry resident who specializes in the mental health effects of anti-Black racism, crafting a New Year’s resolution is always challenging. I do not believe that the problems stemming from anti-Black racism will be resolved in my lifetime, so 1 year feels inconsequential.

Working diligently on a longstanding issue can be tiring, and sometimes I feel that my voice does not matter. Also, as a Black woman myself, I continue to be targeted by racism, and I bear witness to it, too. Black child patients being called the “N word” commonly with little intervention from predominantly white staff, Black children being restrained for behaviors that are treated with compassion in my white child patients, Black patients being further traumatized by white therapists who assume they are uneducated and gang-affiliated—who minimize their suffering and make offensive statements about being Black. Each time, I speak out, but I am not always listened to. Sometimes, I am demeaned or dismissed. Sometimes, I am placated by leaders who have the power to change the racist behavior of their staff, but do not care enough.

But then I think beyond that.

I think about the tearful hugs from Black parents when they finally experience their child being validated and respected by a doctor who looks like them. I think about the sighs of relief when I name and validate the racism my Black patients experience. I think about the calls from other hospital systems to use hate speech protocols I have created. I think about the countless emails I receive after publishing an op-ed or doing a presentation. Sometimes the messages are from individuals who have changed their behaviors to check their own racism. Often, the emails are from individuals who have suffered from racist treatment themselves, but could not find the words to encapsulate their experiences. Or, they did not feel safe enough to tell their stories without retaliation.

So, in 2023, I resolve to own and honor my voice. I resolve to continue forging ahead in my work to end anti-Black racism and the collateral damage it has caused, both in the medical system and outside of it. Because my voice matters, and I will continue to use it.

Dr Calhoun is an adult/child psychiatry resident at Yale Child Study Center/Yale School of Medicine. She is an expert in the mental health effects of anti-Black racism.

References

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here is a new favorite..................

 

ohchr.org

 

Systemic racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia have undermined human rights gains: UN experts

 

3–4 minutes

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International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 March 2023

GENEVA (21 March 2023) - On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a group of UN experts issue the following Joint Statement:

“The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is all the more important this year, especially as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Systemic racism, racial discrimination and various forms of xenophobia around the world have undermined the universality of human rights and the gains made by humankind in ending enslavement, apartheid, colonial rule and discriminatory laws and practices.

To live in a world free of racism and discrimination, as envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains an unfulfilled agenda of the international community.

We call for strong political will to advance the global anti-racial discrimination agenda, in particular through the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as strengthening of legislation and sound implementation aiming at combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Member States must therefore urgently demonstrate collective action and forge consensus to combat racism and racial discrimination, including through constructive engagement at the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and with all the UN anti-racism mechanisms and bodies.

Member States now also need to show greater resolve and commitment to implement the extensive recommendations made by these mechanisms and bodies, and to address the current and historical challenges.

ENDS

*The experts: Ms. Epsy Campbell Barr, Chairperson, Permanent Forum on People of African Descent; H.E. Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards; Ms. Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; Ms. Yvonne Mokgoro, Chairperson, International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the context of Law Enforcement; Ms. Catherine Namakula (Chair), Ms. Barbara Reynolds (Vice-Chair), Ms. Dominique Day and Ms. Miriam Ekiudoko, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; Ms. Edna Maria Santos Roland, Chairperson, Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; H.E. Marie Chantal Rwakazina, Chairperson, Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and Ms. Verene Shepherd, Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

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Commentary

How racism hurts us all, including racists

Dan Weeks

January 23, 2023 6:25 am

 

President Lyndon B Johnson discusses the Voting Rights Act with civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr. The act was part of President Johnson’s “Great Society” program. (Hulton Archive | Getty Images)

An accomplished chef settles in New Hampshire. He breathes new life into an old diner in a struggling downtown district. Mindful of his context, he maintains the same menus and decor.

The chef is “Black” but the food and vibe he is serving are “white.” Things are going fine.

Five months later, in April of last year, Chef Gerald Oriol makes a change to the downtown Nashua diner he owns. After serving other people’s cuisine under other people’s banner for decades, the Haitian native gives Norton’s Classic Cafe a new name, Caribbean Breeze, to go with the dinner menu he has added and fulfill a longtime passion.

Breakfast and lunch are still the same. So are the black-and-white tiles and 1950s-themed sock hop booths in teal green and pink. But outside, in clear public view, the new awning signals something new in downtown Nashua: the first “Black”-owned business on Main Street has arrived. Oriol is no longer just a “diner cook” in the public’s eye – he is a business owner with a name and a vision of his own.

A few days after the new awning is unfurled, someone vandalizes his property by writing a racial slur in white marker on the front window.

Oriol has sensed resentment among some customers but chooses not to take the incident personally. He keeps quiet, trusting the police will complete a thorough investigation.

According to the police report, the “investigation” consists of reviewing the restaurant’s security camera, which does not capture the right angle. None of the other establishments on the busy downtown corner (which includes a bank and pharmacy) are contacted. No footage from their street-facing cameras is reviewed. No local inhabitants and potential eyewitnesses are interviewed. No one is apprehended. The case is catalogued as “criminal mischief,” rather than a hate crime, and closed.

Then in October, after a man plasters all of Oriol’s windows with a sticky white substance and police fail to update him on the outcome of either investigation, Oriol decides to go public.

These facts were recently reported by NH Business Review and the Granite State News Collaborative, which obtained a copy of the police report and interviewed Oriol and a neighboring business owner at length. Although the racist acts and problematic police response are specific to the case at hand, they are also familiar to other African Americans in Nashua, including my wife and kids, who have been called racial slurs and subjected to other insults.

More than that, the events are symptomatic of the disease of racism and white supremacy that still infects American life. Rather than the proverbial “bad apple” or a single polluted pond, the data clearly show that racism has tainted the very groundwater that feeds us all, regardless of whether we harbor racial biases of our own. The price we pay collectively, in social and economic terms, is staggering.

According to a landmark 2020 report from Citi Bank, racial inequality cost the entire U.S. economy $16 trillion in lost GDP over the last 20 years. That’s equivalent to $47,000 in reduced wages and economic activity for the average American, although the losses were not distributed evenly across the population. It also adds up to more than 6 million fewer jobs per year and trillions less in tax revenue that could be invested in better roads and schools and health care for everyone.

The report examined racial differences in business lending, wages, education, and housing, and found the bulk of the economic losses to American society came from lack of capital and discriminatory lending practices driving down small-business activity among African Americans.

For example, “Black”-owned firms have a harder time raising capital than “white”-owned firms with the same credit profile and performance, according to the Federal Reserve, and those that do get financing typically receive less than half of what they requested. In the relationship-based business of venture capital investing, a Stanford University study found that when “venture capital funds are managed by a person of color with strong credentials, professional investors judge them more harshly than their white counterparts with identical credentials.”

Of course, it doesn’t help that African American entrepreneurs have far less wealth, per capita, than their “white” counterparts, making it that much more difficult to launch a new venture on their own. A recent Federal Reserve study found that Americans of European descent have roughly six times as much wealth, per capita, as African Americans, and “no progress has been made in reducing income and wealth inequalities between Black and white households over the past 70 years.” Not surprisingly, that’s equivalent to the six-to-one disparity in the number of small businesses, per capita, across racial groups.

Making matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a crippling blow to small businesses owned by African Americans, 41 percent of which shut down during the lockdown compared to 17 percent of “white”-owned businesses. It didn’t help that 95 percent of “Black” business owners are sole proprietors or independent contractors, which meant they were denied access to the government’s PPP loan program.

These disparities are not accidental. They are born of centuries of enslavement and overt discrimination, which prevented most African Americans from owning homes and businesses and even themselves from 1619 to 1865. They were maintained in the 20th century by elaborate systems of legalized discrimination on the part of government and private entities spanning housing, education, hiring, policing, health care, and more. And they continue to this day in persistent racial inequities documented in the Citi Bank report, which drive down economic opportunity for everyone.

Ironically, the people who vandalized Chef Oriol’s restaurant, in an apparent attempt to intimidate or even drive him out of business, are harming themselves in the process. As Heather McGhee, author of “The Sum of Us,” has shown, racism doesn’t merely damage its intended targets – “white” perpetrators of racist ideas, bolden to zero-sum thinking, lose out too by shrinking the pie of economic and social well-being. In the process, they inadvertently prevent public investments that would benefit us all. “The task ahead,” McGhee writes, “is to unwind this idea of a fixed quantity of prosperity and replace it with … Solidarity Dividends: gains available to everyone when they unite across racial lines, in the form of higher wages, cleaner air, and better-funded schools.”

As we celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this month, we should take his 1962 words on the ethical demands of integration to heart: “The price that America must pay for the continued oppression of the Negro is the price of its own destruction.” By standing up not just to racist epithets but the underlying systems of racial inequity that give them fuel, we can build a stronger America for everyone – and enjoy more delicious Caribbean food in the process!

Our stories may be republished online or in p

[aubiefifty 18,259]

According to a landmark 2020 report from Citi Bank, racial inequality cost the entire U.S. economy $16 trillion in lost GDP over the last 20 years. That’s equivalent to $47,000 in reduced wages and economic activity for the average American, although the losses were not distributed evenly across the population. It also adds up to more than 6 million fewer jobs per year and trillions less in tax revenue that could be invested in better roads and schools and health care for everyone.

The report examined racial differences in business lending, wages, education, and housing, and found the bulk of the economic losses to American society came from lack of capital and discriminatory lending practices driving down small-business activity among African Americans.

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

Which one are you fifty?

 

 

[PUB78 1,413]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

here is a new favorite..................

 

ohchr.org

 

Systemic racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia have undermined human rights gains: UN experts

 

3–4 minutes

---

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 March 2023

GENEVA (21 March 2023) - On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a group of UN experts issue the following Joint Statement:

“The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is all the more important this year, especially as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Systemic racism, racial discrimination and various forms of xenophobia around the world have undermined the universality of human rights and the gains made by humankind in ending enslavement, apartheid, colonial rule and discriminatory laws and practices.

To live in a world free of racism and discrimination, as envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains an unfulfilled agenda of the international community.

We call for strong political will to advance the global anti-racial discrimination agenda, in particular through the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as strengthening of legislation and sound implementation aiming at combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Member States must therefore urgently demonstrate collective action and forge consensus to combat racism and racial discrimination, including through constructive engagement at the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and with all the UN anti-racism mechanisms and bodies.

Member States now also need to show greater resolve and commitment to implement the extensive recommendations made by these mechanisms and bodies, and to address the current and historical challenges.

ENDS

*The experts: Ms. Epsy Campbell Barr, Chairperson, Permanent Forum on People of African Descent; H.E. Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards; Ms. Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; Ms. Yvonne Mokgoro, Chairperson, International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the context of Law Enforcement; Ms. Catherine Namakula (Chair), Ms. Barbara Reynolds (Vice-Chair), Ms. Dominique Day and Ms. Miriam Ekiudoko, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; Ms. Edna Maria Santos Roland, Chairperson, Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; H.E. Marie Chantal Rwakazina, Chairperson, Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and Ms. Verene Shepherd, Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

 

[PUB78 1,413]

[PUB78 1,413]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Your irrational behavior is more concerning to me, than your leftist bias.  And that’s saying a lot.

He has a bad case of “Liberal White Guilt “.

[icanthearyou 4,468]

14 minutes ago, PUB78 said:

He has a bad case of “Liberal White Guilt “.

That is a lie.  Empathy is not guilt.  Compassion is a virtue.

Edited April 24, 2023 by icanthearyou

[aubiefifty 18,259]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Which one are you fifty?

 

 

16 minutes ago, PUB78 said:

He has a bad case of “Liberal White Guilt “.

no i stand up for what is right. people are hurting in this country and your side does not give a damn. and you side with their talking points. your side sends troops to war and right now they want to cut vets health care by 22 percent while what they get now is not getting it done. add the fact we sent them to war over lies and it just inflames the situation. but thanx for thinking of me.

[icanthearyou 4,468]

Same racists responding to any attempt to solve the problems of injustice.

The work of 4 million slaves created the capital that,,, made this country "great".   The ancestors of those slaves disproportionately make up the poorest, most incarcerated, least educated.  Doing better is in everyone's best interest.

I cannot think of any position more offensive to Jesus than,,, disdain for the poor, disenfranchised, persecuted.

This country should apologize and make amends for:

slavery

segregation

the heinous execution of the war on drugs

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

when most countries take their drug addicts and give them help we just throw them in jail because they are mostly minorities and you people could care less. they say it is a health problem. we just lock them up unless their family has money.