Carson hosts roundtable on racism

By Globe Staff

Racism in America remains taboo — a subject many would hope to dismiss or downplay.
   However, the highly charged issue was front and center during a recent Black History Month forum convened by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle in Oakland.
    Explaining why he called for such a hot-button discussion, Carson, chairman of the Black Elected Officials and Faith Based Leaders of the East Bay, noted in a press release, “The deplorable history of racism negatively impacts people of all ethnicities. Gaining a better understanding of how racism is embedded in our history, our institutions and social fabric is essential if we are going to achieve equality in our nation.”
    Panelists invited by Carson included Monique Morris, executive director of the Discrimination Research Center of Berkeley; Dr. Francis Adams and Dr. Barry Sanders, authors of Alienable Rights; and Dr. Wade Nobles, author and executive director of the Institute for Advanced Study of Black Family Life and Culture in Oakland.

    Morris said one sign of racial bias is the fact that one in three black males has been impacted by the criminal justice system, one in eight blacks in their 20’s are in jail, and black females comprise 50 percent of the female prison population.
    She said the 1996 passage of Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action in state hiring, contracts and UC admissions, is a modern day example of institutional racism crafted “in the name of civil rights” because affirmative action was seen as being punitive toward white males.
    Her organization has conducted a study called “Free to Compete,” which examines the impact of Prop. 209 on blacks and others. Morris said minority- owned businesses experienced a 52 percent drop in contracts. For blacks, the decline was a staggering 61 percent.
    Many black firms that could not secure contracts went out of business at a time when they were already struggling to gain access to capital and bonding.
    Morris has also done studies that show whites were 95 percent more likely than “equally qualified or more qualified” blacks to get calls returned or job interviews for employment, and employers even showed a bias against “ethnic- sounding names” on resumes.
    Sanders stressed that the nation has always been focused on “how to keep blacks from becoming full citizens. ... White America still struggles for the right category to place blacks. ... Poverty is a national disgrace.”
Adams said even so-called free blacks during the era of slavery were denied basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by whites, and the plight of slaves was worst. “The children of slaves were still the property of slave masters, and it was not a crime to kill a slave,” he said.
    Nobles said, “There is a white voice and black voice (on race and racism) in America today. … Today we are under assault mentally. ... We have tried to mask our face. Our minds have been killed. ... (Our) bondage requires a disconnect from our humanity. The problem is white supremacy. ... Institutions are designed to protect ideals.”
    He also expressed his support for reparations or some form of compensation for blacks in light of the racism and slavery endured by their ancestors.
    The event was co-sponsored by the Oakland Black Caucus, the John George Democratic Club, the Wellstone Democratic Club, the Socially Responsible Network and Black Women Organized for Political Action.