Mr. Mfume's message is "border walking" the fine line of implying that in
our fight for freedom of choice, we as members of the multiracial community
are expected to preserve the fair representation of the African-American
community, possibly at the expense of our own fair representation. He again
over-emphasizes the numbers of those who make up our diverse
interracial/multiethnic collective as being of African-American descent. He
continues to be oblivious to the vast majority who are of other than
African-American heritage. He does not know our community, has failed to
familiarize himself with it, yet expects us to be sensitive to people who
would prefer that we either remain invisible or at least take a back seat to
other communities' interests. If the same were asked of him he would consider
it both condescending and racist, as do I.
Studies done by the OMB have consistently shown that contrary to the
NAACP's fear of Voting Rights legislation being put at risk with the
multiracial category -- that category will have zero impact on African
American #'s. More detailed studies have yet to be released showing the
impact of this category's addition on other populations of color also
fearful of their numbers and political clout.
AMEA has been more than fair in it's sensitivity to these and other issues
impacting minority communities, but unfortunately the same sensitivity or
willingness to dialogue with our leadership directly has not been
forthcoming from traditional civil rights leaders. The only way that all
communities can be accurately and fairly represented is to acknowledge that
our community, our multiracial/multiethnic community has a place at the
negotiation table, the Census table and any other table that requires an
individual to declare and define who they are and what values -- both
personal and collective -- they represent. If the preservation of the
Voting Rights Act is making the assumption that people of a certain "color"
or ethnicity, by virtue of that color or ethnicity think and vote the same
as a political block, I cannot say that this is an accurate or fair
assessment of the multiracial/ethnic community, or any other community for
that matter in 1997.
I find it ironic that our community is always being portrayed as possibly
playing into the hands of those who are the enemies of other minority
communities. What I have seen in actuality is that those same minority
communities who fought so hard for their own rights and political clout in
the '50's, 60's and 70's have forgotten that those efforts were not won by
their courage/sacrifice alone. Many interracial families, and politically
astute members of the European-American majority also put their lives on the
line for freedom and justice to be possible for all Americans. As one of the
participants in that fight in the late 60's and early '70's, I resent the
implication that my community is not worthy of or important enough to receive
the same consistent support for freedom and dignity in cultural/racial/ethnic
self-expression.
When I can see that the NAACP and other traditional civil rights
organizations are willing to step out from behind the safety of tired
rhetoric and begin to engage in honest direct dialogue with our interracial
community leadership -- then we can truly begin to talk about what our
priorities should be as a nation of diverse cultures striving for equal
justice under the law, racial harmony and respect for individual/collective
identity. Until then -- our priority must remain acknowledging our own
community's need to be accurately and adequately represented, for the
same reasons that other communities seek representation: health, education,
housing, financial and employment considerations, etc. -- the only
difference being those other communities are being counted while we are
not.
Ramona E. Douglass
President
Association of MultiEthnic Americans
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