THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250023
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
I believe many African-American men came away from the recent march with something positive, and for that I am happy. But I regret that the hateful bigot, Louis Farrakhan, had anything to do with the event. Although his message was mixed, many at the gathering hear loud and clear Farrakhan's old line that ``whitey'' is wicked. Disrespectful words like ``whitey,'' ``cracker,'' ``honkey'' and the ``N'' word have no rightful place in the American vocabulary.
President Clinton asks that all races unite, while Farrakhan ``must'' speak words of division. His hatred for whites is obsessive and absolute, and he consistently attacks Asians (Koreans and Vietnamese), Palestinian Arabs, Jews, women of all races, homosexuals, others and even some blacks. Black men who skipped the rally are ``self-righteous fools,'' he said. Farrakhan's self-righteousness is unrivaled.
Rather than learn and inform his followers about ``real'' history, Farrakhan simply invents his own. In the most distorted and vicious use of our language, he blames, among others, individuals of the Jewish faith for slavery and other black-related problems.
The fact is that Jews are scarce, comprising only about 3 percent of the U.S population, only about 8/10ths of 1 percent of the world's population, and at the time of slavery represented only about 3/10ths of 1 percent of the U.S. population. Jews are merely the coward's substitute for the more populous people Farrakhan really hates: white people, Asians and others who are not black.
In focusing so many of his lies on people who happen to be of the Jewish faith, Farrakhan is keenly aware that he is attacking a tiny minority of people against whom such attacks worked so well in Nazi Germany. And with such outrageous falsehoods, Farrakhan knows he will receive the media attention he so desperately craves.
I am dismayed by the number of African Americans who do not object openly to Farrakhan's twisted version of history. At the same time, I am gratified that many African-American leaders recently showed courage by refusing to associate themselves with the hateful ``messenger.''
Clearly, the diverse people who comprise this country's population need to be united as ``Americans.'' But such unity will never be accomplished until individuals of all faiths, all nationalities and all races - even when they themselves are not attacked - stand together to forcefully condemn despicable lies like those told by Farrakhan and other racists.
GAYLORD SWERSKY
Moyock, N.C., Oct. 18, 1995 by CNB