Racist Statement of the Day

Ken AshfordElection 2012, RaceLeave a Comment

Newt Gingrich, campaigning in New Hampshire today: "I will go to the NAACP convention, and explain to the African-American community why they should demand paychecks instead of food stamps" Right.  Because only the black people are on food stamps.

Herman Cain And Racism

Ken AshfordElection 2012, Race, Sex Scandals1 Comment

Okay.  So Herman Cain was once accused of sexual harassment.  And now people want to know more. My feelings?  I don't think this has any bearing on anything, and I detest this kind of politics.  I need to be shown why it is important, and how it bears on his ability to be president.  There are answers to that question … Read More

Teleprompter Racism

Ken AshfordObama Opposition, RaceLeave a Comment

Oh, there's Aaron again. Once again, he's bemoaning black unity and calling it "racism" again.  By Aaron's logic, women who want to see a woman as president (like Hillary), or a woman as vice-president (like Sarah) are sexist.  Clearly, like so many white Southern boys, Aaron has a hard time distinguishing pride in ones race, on the one hand, and … Read More

Shorter Patterico Bigot: “Real Racism Is When Blacks Don’t Attack Obama”

Ken AshfordRace, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Seriously, this is the kind of bile you get from the right these days.  Here's the background: During a sometimes-raucous session of what’s being called the “For the People” Jobs Initiative tour, a key member of the Congressional Black Caucus told an audience in Detroit Tuesday that the CBC doesn’t put pressure on President Obama because he is loved by … Read More

Little Rock Arkansas Is Still Backwards, Apparently

Ken AshfordEducation, RaceLeave a Comment

Kymberly Wimberly has a huge disadvantage.  And it's not that she has a funny name that rhymes. She's a teenage mom. Still, she managed to stay in school.  In fact, she got only a single B in her 4 years at McGehee Secondary School, and loaded up on Honors and Advanced Placement classes. She had the best grades in her high … Read More

High School Theatre Facepalm

Ken AshfordRace, TheatreLeave a Comment

Oh dear: The Flagler Palm Coast High School production of To Kill a Mockingbird in Palm Coast, FL, has been cancelled due to the script's use of the "N"-word, according to the Miami Herald. A Nov. 12 opening had been planned for the production of the play, based on Harper Lee's classic novel about a white Southern lawyer who defends a black … Read More

The Most Interesting Race In The Election

Ken AshfordHistory, RaceLeave a Comment

… is in Rhode Island.  There's a proposition on the ballot this year to change the name of Rhode Island from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to simply "Rhode Island." The idea is that the appendage "Providence Plantations" is redolent of slavery and should go.  That would be a shame of it did.  The first and probably the most important … Read More

School Elections In Mississippi

Ken AshfordEducation, RaceLeave a Comment

Does your kid want to run for class officer at Nettleton Middle School in Mississippi?  Cool. Just so you know, they have some, uh, interesting qualifications.  For example, the student must have a “B” average and a good attendance record.  Oh, and depending on the office, there are other qualifications: Apparently, this is not a hoax.

More Attempted Journalistic Lynching of Shirley Sherrod

Ken AshfordRace, Right Wing and Inept Media, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

One would think that the right would want to move past the Shirley Sherrod story. For those living under a rock last week, the story in a nutshell is this:  Right wing provocateur Andrew Brietbart, pissed that the NAACP had accused the Tea Party movement of racism, fired back on his blog magazine by posting a video of a low-level … Read More

Quote Of The Day

Ken AshfordRaceLeave a Comment

I agree with this (James Fallows of The Atlantic): I agree with my colleagues Coates, Sullivan, Green, Ambinder, plus most of the civilized world, in finding this episode nauseating. Silver lining: the possibility that for the Breitbart/Fox attack machine this could be the long-awaited "Have you no sense of decency?" moment. I disagree with my colleague Clive Crook that it's hard to … Read More

The Obama Administration Hoped To Avoid A Media Circus By Firing The “Racist” Shirley Sherrod Quickly

Ken AshfordObama & Administration, RaceLeave a Comment

Yeah.  Nice going.  How did that work out? UPDATE:  Gibbs, Obama's press secretary at this afternoon's briefing: "Without a doubt Miss Sherrod is owed an apology.. on behalf of this entire administration." "Everybody made determinations without knowing all of the facts." ". . .a disservice was done, an apology was owed." You think?!?  The press secretary also suggested that it was worth taking some … Read More

On The Charge of Racism

Ken AshfordRaceLeave a Comment

This is the summer of the racism accusation.  It's full-on now. In a way, it's nothing new.  As long as there has been racism in this country (which has been, well, since this country's founding), there have been accusations of racism.  Goes hand-in-hand. But there's something new to it lately.  Apparently, white people can accuse black people of racism.  And … Read More