It’s Time for a “Hate-Free Cleveland”

“It’s a crime that we are promoting these kinds of messages. The whole gangsta rap industry is drug driven, race-driven and greed-driven... it’s not healthy for our children.” - A quote from C. Delores Tucker (1924-2005) the activist who bought stock in Sony and Time Warner, which allowed her to speak out at stockholder’s meetings.

Former shock jock Don Imus — who was rightfully rode off of the airways on a rail, tarred and feathered with his own bigotry, and hung by his own foul tongue — engaged in a vicious form of hate speech on his nationally syndicated radio talk show and did the country a great service. His hateful, racist and misogynistic (and now very rueful) comments afforded us the opportunity to begin to at last seriously engage in a national dialogue about the most troubling issue facing America: Race. And since Imus virtually got his start here in Cleveland, maybe we can take the lead in attempting to insure that our children and grandchildren are left a country with some remaining sense of morality and probity. More on what we in Cleveland can do here in just a moment.

First let’s dialogue a bit about race, our national Achilles’ heel ... the one issue for which we cannot seem to find a workable solution. We can put an end to war by simply refusing to engage in foreign military adventures (no nation will dare attack us); we can put an end to our national healthcare crisis by establishing a comprehensive plan similar to other nations; we can even virtually put an end to poverty if we so desire by adequately funding education ... but racism has proven to be intractable, untrammeled, seemingly impervious to our best efforts to eradicate. We have not been able to cleanse this stain from our national soul and the reason is simple: As a nation we don’t like to talk about it; it’s far, far too painful. We’d rather ignore it in the hope that it will go away. However, Don Imus has unwittingly brought race front and center in the national consciousness, and we would be fools and cowards if we fail to seize this opportunity to at least attempt to resolve the one remaining issue that limits our greatness as a nation.

Much of my writing over the last decade has had to do with the issue of race, and at times I’ve probably come off a bit too shrill, a bit too self-righteous in pressing my case that we have to confront this monster head-on. While I have tried to take pains to point out that racism is more institutionalized in America than it is personal, I can understand why many — if not most — Whites would rather not deal with the issue. No one likes to be accused of anything ... especially something like racism. But the mere fact that Imus had a legion of supporters who thought nothing was wrong with what he said is proof positive that racism — at least in tacit form — is still alive and well in America.

While I’ve tried, at various times, to make the point that no one alive today is responsible for the legacy of racism we are stuck with, I’ve probably missed the mark more often than not. But the simple fact is, bigots — both White and Black — are really no more responsible for their mental condition than a victim of cancer or some other tragic disease is responsible for theirs. It’s an inherited sickness; one they are far too afraid of to confront and conquer.

A letter written by a white person in response to Imus’ behavior is one of the most incisive and brave narratives on race that I’ve ever read. It was written by a woman who has overcome her fear, and as a result has come to terms with how she was indoctrinated. Frances L. Harris of Lyndhurst, OH writes:

Well said, well said. The foregoing statement has to rank among the most powerful words ever written concerning race and power in America, and it applies to everyone. I know that I’m forever changed by reading them ... and forever indebted to Frances Harris for writing them. I will exercise a bit more caution as I attempt to attack racism; I’ll show a bit more compassion for people who are attempting to overcome a character flaw they actually are not responsible for — but are responsible for trying to overcome.

All of us have some growing to do in terms of race. We all, from time to time, spew forth hateful words. And we Blacks sometimes seem particularly prone to allowing self-hatred to flourish within our race. How can we be so upset with Don Imus and not be upset with ourselves? Didn’t we give anyone and everyone license to disrespect us by continuing to allow young, Black, empty-headed, no-talent performers posing as “artists” to continually disrespect Black womanhood? And I am as guilty as the next Black elder for not speaking out sooner. But enough is enough.

I love this country and am willing to fight tooth and nail for what I love. Don Imus has sounded the battle cry; this struggle is about one of the key issues facing our nation. If we can conquer the foe of racism, perhaps we can also vanquish the enemies of self-hatred, sexism, homophobia and immigrant fear. If we accomplish these very achievable goals we will at last fulfill the dream of our Founding Fathers and make this the greatest nation to have ever existed on the face of the earth. All we have to do to begin is to look in the mirror.

And if we don’t like what we see in the mirror — when the image is of someone who has not taken a moral stand on the issue, of someone who has been too involved with other things to get involved, or just had been too damn lazy to care about the direction our culture is headed in (perhaps someone like me) — what do we do about it? Oftentimes even folks who do care are at a loss in regards to what they can do. But now perhaps there is something we all can do.

I’m proposing that we make our city one that has no easy tolerance for the hateful and hurtful words spewed forth by clowns promoted by moneygrubbers who don’t give two hoots in regards to where we are heading as a society. Similar to Cleveland Heights, where years ago citizens there passed a resolution which stated their town was a nuclear free zone, I say we ask City Council to pass a resolution declaring that Cleveland is a hate free zone: “Hate Free Cleveland.”

Let’s tell the world that Clevelanders will not allow so-called entertainers to come into our town and spew their brand of self-hating venom without us standing up and challenging them. When they start with their “bitch and ‘ho” rant we need to be outside the venue carrying picket signs calling the performances what they are: The lowest form of self-loathing a race of people has ever engaged in. This disrespecting of Black womanhood via misogynistic lyrics is something that we Black folks have allowed to go on unchallenged for far too long, and we should be asking White folks to stand up with us on this issue. After all, one segment of American society and culture can’t be poisoned and the rest of the body politic not feels any ill-effects. Everyone is damaged when culture is coarsened.

Just as the polluting of the air and water harms everyone, the polluting of culture by hateful words, violent video games and films, and the objectifying of women as sex symbols needs to be curbed ... but not by making laws that limit First Amendment rights. These morons and cultural vultures should always have the right to say whatever they want ... and we have just as much of a right to make sure they suffer consequences for what they do and say. This has to be voluntary, a grassroots movement of people who are willing to stand up for decency and common sense.

We can speak loud and clear with our dollars. If Sony Music wants to promote gangsta rappers, then maybe we should boycott other Sony products, such as their televisions. If Time Warner or GE wants to own a talk show that features a potty-mouth shock jock, then maybe we’ll stop buying their products and services until they quit backing such idiots. This they will understand; it worked with Imus. When the advertisers bailed he was dead meat; rest assured that it will work with others, we just have to stay the course and demand they adhere to decent standards.

Timing is everything in life and human events. What could not be accomplished at one juncture can be accomplished at another. All we have to do is step up and seize the moment. “Hate-Free Cleveland,” it has a nice ring to it.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com
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