This is a cross post from BlackBlueDog.com by Dr B
Watkins.
Joe Williams a reporter for Politico.com, has been
suspended for making comments about presidential candidate Mitt Romney that the
company deems to be racially-offensive. During an appearance on the show
hosted by Martin Bashir, Williams said this:
“It’s very interesting that he does so many
appearances on Fox & Friends. And it’s unscripted. It’s the only time they
let Mitt off the leash, so to speak. But it also points out a larger problem
he’s got to solve if he wants to be successful come this fall: Romney is very,
very comfortable, it seems, with people who are like him. That’s one of the
reasons why he seems so stiff and awkward in some town hall settings, why he
can’t relate to people other than that. But when he comes on Fox & Friends,
they’re like him. They’re white folks who are very much relaxed in their own
company.”
Do you hear that? Those are the crickets chirping in the
background as I sit and wait for you to give me the punch line that led to
Williams being suspended. I can’t find a single offensive word in Williams’
remarks, and the comments are every bit as professional as Williams himself.
I’ve interacted with Joe during interviews, and on every single occasion, he was
efficient, thorough and thoughtful in his questioning. The idea that he has
somehow been labeled to be a rogue is beyond laughable.
But you see, there’s a pattern and unfortunately Joe
has been affected by it. For the most part, being born a black man who speaks
conscientiously or accurately about issues of race effectively defines you to be
a rogue. In fact, that’s why our president hasn’t said the words “black man” or
“black woman” in a nationally-televised forum in over three years. There isn’t
much of a disconnect between the black man who is stopped and frisked on the
street, and the black male professor/journalist/doctor/lawyer who has his
capabilities questioned, even when he does nothing wrong.
In media, the pattern is quite the same: Just a couple of years ago, Marc Lamont Hill was ambushed by the Right Wing and fired from Fox News for no good reason. After that, Roland Martin was suspended from CNN for making remarks that I personally didn’t agree with, but were acceptable to many millions of African Americans. The consistent and unfortunate reality for many African Americans who work with mainstream (read: white) media organizations is that you must either be a good little boy or you have to go home. Most of these organizations have little interest in true and meaningful diversity.
The suspensions and slaps on the wrist that black men
receive in professional settings can be compared to the way black boys are
treated in the school system. I remember coming to school, doing my best, and
trying to be a better student, but sometimes finding myself inexplicably
punished for doing something that the teacher didn’t like or understand. So,
similar to Joe Williams being yanked off the stage at Politico, I would end up
sitting in detention or the principal’s office wondering what in the hell I did
wrong. The same can be said for Attorney General Eric Holder, the Yale-educated
Attorney General who is being chastised before Congress as if he is an
unqualified ambulance-chaser.
Black men on Fox News like Juan Williams are rewarded
for speaking negatively about African Americans, but when Juan tried to speak up
in favor of the black community during the Republican primaries, he was slapped
back into his seat and booed down by the crowd. When it comes to liberal
organizations, you are allowed to become fired up and radical about standardized
liberal issues, such as gay marriage, reproductive rights, and the torture of
detainees at Guantanamo Bay. But the minute you get “too black” and speak truth
to power on matters that affect African Americans, they put you back in the
mailroom where you belong.
The saddest thing about what happened to Joe Williams
is that he is the consummate professional, dedicated to his job and darn good at
it. It’s even more unfortunate that he was hit with a massive penalty for
making remarks that were not just uneventful, but are also in alignment with
millions of other Americans. You want to know why I don’t work for networks
like Politico, CNN or MSNBC? It’s because black men are never really free if
your platform is a part of a larger plantation.
Independent, black-owned media should be supported. Strong journalists like Joe Williams, in such environments, would be allowed to flourish without fear of intimidation for exercising fair and free speech. We can never have true power if we are always living under an umbrella that is owned by someone else. Malcolm X told us this a long time ago.
Joe Williams wasn’t suspended by Politico for being
abusive, unprofessional, sloppy or disrespectful. Instead, he was suspended for
expressing opinions that come from a point of view that his supervisors will
probably never learn to appreciate. Joe Williams was punished in the same way
that many millions of other men like him are penalized for being different from
that which the rest of America understands. Joe Williams was suspended for
being a black man.
A DAMN SHAME! I guess you see how this election is
shaping up to look like…FOLKS REGISTER TO VOTE!
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