Op-Ed

OP-ED: White Privilege and Black Power

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is a member of Congress.

Published

6 years ago

February 22, 2019

By Julianne Malveaux

Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is a member of Congress. Let me repeat that. Ms. Omar is a member of Congress. So how dare Elliot Abrams, 45’s nominee as Venezuelan envoy, presume to interrupt the congresswoman as she made a statement and interrogated him?

He was relatively docile when white people questioned him, but was angry and ignorant in his response to the congresswoman. His behavior was disgraceful. He said he “would not respond to a personal attack,” although he was the one who pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress and was later pardoned for his perfidy.

I must commend Congresswoman Omar on her focused and poised interrogation. I must condemn Mr. Abrams for his rude defiance to the congresswoman. Their exchange is illuminating because it encapsulates the change in tone and tenor in Congress. Old white men can hold onto their privilege, but younger women, some women of color, aren’t having it. They are doing what they need to do to provide for the people who elected them.

Congresswoman Omar’s interrogation of Elliot Abrams has a backstory. Last week she tweeted that the blind congressional support of Israel is “all about the Benjamins.” Jewish people were disturbed that her remarks seemed anti-Semitic (I don’t necessarily think so), and she apologized in the face of pressure. But now the deranged “leader” in the White House has called for her resignation (despite his own hateful, racist, anti-Semitic and other statements) and Vice President Pence said there should be “consequences” for her comments (although no one has ever experienced consequences for genital grabbing). There have been calls for Omar to lose her seat on the House Foreign Relations Committee. She prevailed, with dignity, in her questioning of the corrupt Elliot Abrams. She is to be applauded.

Again, let me say, how dare that man! How dare he disrespect a member of Congress, something he would not have done if a white man were questioning him! How dare he interrupt her, how dare he talk over her. But thank you, Elliot Abrams, for projecting the many experiences that Black women and other women of color have had in corporate boardrooms and in other places where our voices are not valued.

Abrams, you are a pardoned liar. You are a shady scandal. You ought not to be walking out among free folks, but 45 has pulled you out of the disgraceful slush pile (yes, Hillary was right when she called some folks “deplorables”) to help our country interfere in yet another free nation, Venezuela. You needed to sit at that table and behave humbly, but humble is not in your vocabulary when your white privilege collides with the Black power of a Congresswoman who has the right to interrogate you. I get it; you didn’t like it not one bit. So here’s a message you need to send back to your circle of aging troglodytes — get ready for it!

Here’s the deal and here’s the bottom line. There are 110 women in Congress. There are congressional committees co-chaired by women on both sides of the aisle. These are women who are not planning to put up with your over talking shenanigans. These are women who are out of time regarding you.

And while Democratic and Republican women aren’t always on the same page, the fact that of the 110 women in Congress, only 13 are Republican speaks to the failures in your party. With 435 members in the House of Representatives, equity means that at least 217 are women. On the Democratic side, this increasingly means women of color, who are staring down your white privilege and eviscerating it.

So that man who occupies the People’s House has the temerity to call for Omar’s resignation oblivious of his own moral depravity. She had the right response in a tweet, “You have trafficked in hate your whole life—against Jews, Muslims, Indigenous, immigrants, black people and more. I learned from people impacted by my words. When will you?” The fact is that 45 doesn’t learn. If he did, he would stop tweeting.

As Omar has noted, “anti-Semitism is real.” At the same time, it is important to note that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank is simply wrong and violates every notion of human rights. The backlash against Angela Davis, Marc Lamont Hill, Tamika Mallory and Alice Walker is also wrong. While we must address anti-Semitism, we must also address the ways that Israel has been oppressive to Palestinians and the ways that Israel advocates have, especially, attempted to shut down Black voices that embrace the human rights of ALL people, including Palestinians.

We must also address the ways that a white male criminal was allowed to behave badly and arrogantly when an elected member of Congress made a statement and asked reasonable questions. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is to be commended for her work. Elliott Abrams is to be condemned for his rude and futile clinging to his sick white privilege!

Malveaux’s latest book, “Are We Better Off?: Race, Obama and Public Policy,” is available via www.amazon.com.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Julianne Malveaux

Posts by Julianne Malveaux

Up Next

10 Ways Dogs and Seniors Can Help One Another

Don't Miss

Congressman Marc Veasey Appointed Assistant Whip for the 116th Congress

Julianne Malveaux

Click to comment

Activism

Actor, Philanthropist Blair Underwood Visits Bay Area, Kicks Off Literacy Program in ‘New Oakland’ Initiative

These community activations were coordinated with the San Francisco-based non-profit program “Room to Read.” Ray said he is also donating his time to read and take pictures with students to encourage their engagement and to inspire them to read more. The inspirational book “Clifford Ray Saves the Day” highlights Clifford Ray’s true story of saving a dolphin.

Published

1 month ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Blair Underwood (left) and Barbara Lee (right). Courtesy photo.

By Paul Cobb
New Oakland Series
Opinion Part 3

The Post mentioned three weeks ago that a number of our local luminaries were coming together to support the “New Oakland” movement. As this current national administration continues to eliminate our “legacy” institutional policies and programs left and right, most communities find themselves beyond “frozen” in fear.

Well, esteemed actor, long-time Bay Area supporter, and philanthropist Blair Underwood returned to Oakland this week to speak with city leaders, community trust agents, students, the Oakland Post, and local celebrities alike to continue his “New Oakland” initiative.

This week, he kicked off his “Guess Who’s Coming to Read” literacy program in some of Oakland’s middle schools. Clifford Ray, who played the center position of the 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors, donated close to 1,000 books. Ray’s fellow teammate Charles “The Hopper” Dudley also gave Converse sneakers to students.

Underwood also spent quality time with the Oakland Ballers ownership group and visited the amazing Raimondi Park West Oakland community revitalization site. In the 1996 TV film Soul of the Game, Underwood played the role of the legendary first Black Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson and commended the Ballers owners.

“This group of sports enthusiasts/ philanthropists needs to be applauded for their human capital investment and their financial capital investment,” Underwood said. “Truly putting their money and passion to work,” Underwood said.

Underwood was also inspired by mayoral candidate Barbara Lee’s open-minded invitation to bring public-private partnership opportunities to Oakland.

Underwood said he wants to “reinforce the importance of ‘collaborative activism’ among those most marginalized by non-empathic leadership. We must ‘act out’ our discomfort with passionate intentions to create healthy change.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Councilmembers Ramachandran, Kaplan, Unger Identify Funds to Save Oakland Fire Stations

Our budget crisis – one of the worst in Oakland’s history – is compounded by the fact that people do not feel safe coming to Oakland due to our public safety crisis. By investing in our fundamental public safety resources today, we can send a signal to the world that Oakland is open for business. We have such a rich and vibrant culture, arts, and food scene that is worth celebrating – but we can only showcase this if we are able to keep our neighborhoods safe. Having fully functioning fire stations are absolutely essential to these efforts.

Published

1 month ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Janani Ramachandran. Courtesy photo.

By Janani Ramachandran

There is no greater concern to the people of Oakland today than public safety. Fire stations are the bread and butter of essential city services – and every day that we have stations shuttered, we imperil the lives of our community members. In response to widespread outcry over the current and planned closure of stations, myself, along with Councilmembers Kaplan and Unger, have painstakingly worked to identify millions of dollars of new funding to save our stations. The legislation we introduced on Thursday, February 13th, will amend our budget to prevent the closure of four fire stations that are currently on the chopping block due to our budget crisis and will re-open two closed stations that have already been closed – Station 25 and 28 – in the near future. The resolution that will provide the funding to keep our stations open will go before the full City Council for a vote at our meeting on Tuesday, March 4^th at 3:30 PM – and we invite you to join us at City Hall to share your perspective on the topic.

With the devastating Los Angeles fire at the top of people’s minds, terrible memories of Oakland’s own wildfires are re-surfacing from the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm to the Keller fire just a few months ago – and how essential fire stations are to mitigating these catastrophes. But in Oakland, our fire stations don’t just fight wildfires – they also provide emergency medical services to our most vulnerable constituents, put out structural fires and encampment fires, and much more.

We recognize that there are a number of competing interests and important initiatives fighting for sparse City resources. But from my perspective, core safety services are the most pivotal functions that a City must spend its resources on – especially given the outcry we have heard around fire stations.

The fight to save our stations is not over. The resolution we introduced is a critical first step, and there are hurdles to overcome. If you support keeping our fire stations open, we invite you to be a part of the solution by making your voice heard at the March 4^th City Council meeting at 3:30 pm.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

NNPA Launches National Public Education and Selective Buying Campaign

“We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not be silent or nonresponsive to the rapid rise of renewed Jim Crow racist policies in corporate America,” stated NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr. “The Black Press of America continues to remain on the frontline keeping our families and communities informed and engaged on all the issues that impact our quality of life.”

Published

1 month ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

Washington, DC: The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing the Black Press of America, has announced the planning and implementation of a national public education and selective buying campaign across the nation in direct response to those corporate entities that have dismantled their respective Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitments, programs and staffing. NNPA Chairman Emeritus Danny Bakewell Sr. explained, “Now is the time for the Black Press of America once again to emphatically speak and publish truth to power.”

At a recent convening of NNPA member publishers and editors, a united resolve was reached that each member publication of the NNPA will begin a national public education campaign coupled with the release of research data on those American companies that are engaging in efforts to sanction racial injustice, inequitable polices, divisive leadership, and economic apartheid in America.

“We note forthrightly that Black Americans spend $2 trillion dollars annually as consumers of products and services throughout the United States,” NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. emphasized. “We now must evaluate and realign to question why we continue to spend our money with companies that do not respect us,” Chavis continued. “This now must come to an end. These contradictions will not go unchallenged by 50 million Black Americans who have struggled for centuries to ensure equality, fairness and inclusion in our nation’s democracy.”

A selective buying campaign involves exercising the right to select what we spend our money on and who we spend our money with. We are starting with targeting TARGET.

The following are some of the major American companies that have publicly retreated from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: