Affirmative action still needs to achieve purpose
By Christopher Tucker
It’s 1995 and we are still seeing the effects of the worst war
crime in history. The enslavement and brutal oppression of millions
of Africans by American society has wreaked incredible havoc on
this community for hundreds of years.
These Africans, also known as "Blacks," have produced tremendous
wealth for the wealthiest country in the world. Their labor, art
and raw talents have always been the most exploitable resource of
the American government and private enterprise. Yet, Africans in
America have little or nothing to show for the wealth they have
produced.
The ancestors of African Americans had land, language and
culture. A deliberate conspiracy took place in America by the U.S.
government, educational facilities and the private sector to detach
these Africans from their context and replace their identity with a
malicious and destructive label "negro" or "black." When proponents
or opponents mention affirmative action, they should consider that
the problem of the "black" American was created by American
society. These problems started with the dehumanization of the
African human.
With this in mind, clearly affirmative action is too little to
address the problems that were caused by "whites" yesterday and
benefit "whites" today. However, affirmative action was the
concession the "white" American society was willing to give in
response to African American resistance to oppression. Now, most of
"white" America wishes to take it away before it produces the
desired effect  the elimination of racial inequality.
As we enter into a renewed discussion about affirmative action,
the question for "white" America becomes, "What are you willing to
do to address the negative side of your white supremacist
heritage?" "White" America can try another Nazi Germany, but, there
are 30 million people who know you better than you know yourselves
and we will be ready. On the other hand, you can work hard for real
conciliation and be the superior people you so desperately want to
be.
Africans in America must come of age. We can no longer look to
paternalistic benefactors (or malefactors) to take of us. I suggest
that all the African American scholars, professionals, laborers,
spiritualists, activists, youth and even criminals need to work
toward a realistic proposal for reparations from America and take
full responsibility for its failure or success. This will give
"white" America the answer it doesn’t have and save many African
Americans from death, prison and maybe even concentration
camps.
Reparation for African Americans is not a far-fetched idea. The
U.S. government paid $20,000 to each survivor of the Japanese
internment camps. Many in the Japanese American community who
worked for reparations are supportive of reparations for African
Americans. Ironically, the Congressional Black Caucus that
supported the Japanese American proposal for reparations was unable
to create a proposal for African Americans’ reparations.
Elimination of affirmative action may be a positive action, but,
only if all parties involved are sincere about solving problems.
Both "whites" and African Americans must take the responsibility
for what they need to do to avoid ethnic war in America. Otherwise,
we can dig in with our backward ideas and wait for American society
to fall apart.
Tucker is a UCLA alumnus with a degree in political science.