BLM Co-Founder Alicia Garza: "The Clintons use black people for votes and photo ops" [INTERVIEW]
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Black Boy King
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http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-alicia-garza-interview-issue/
Has Hillary Clinton done or said anything as a presidential candidate that’s surprised you?
Early on, she would say, “Yes, black lives matter,” but she wouldn’t acknowledge her role in processes that fundamentally showed black lives did not matter. She says that she is for economic justice, but she doesn’t support $15 an hour as the minimum wage.
After Bill Clinton told black protesters, “You are defending the people who ? the lives you say matter,” you wrote, “My back is tired of being the path to the White House.”
I was angry about that for about a month—seriously, like every single day. It’s reprehensible for him to defend the impacts his policies have had on our communities. The Clintons use black people for votes, but then don’t do anything for black communities after they’re elected. They use us for photo ops.
So where does that leave you on a Clinton-Trump election?
I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that we are not led by Donald Trump. That being said, there’s lots to be engaged in at the state level, the local level. We’re going to continue to push. We’re not indebted to or endeared to the Democratic Party.
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Full interview in spoiler (long read)People often trace Black Lives Matter to three years ago. The night George Zimmerman was acquitted after killing Trayvon Martin, you went on Facebook and wrote …
A rant is what I called it, but it ended up being a love letter to black people. There was so much being said either about “we already knew that was going to happen,” or about what black folks need to do to prevent ourselves from being murdered—“just vote,” “just get a better education. …” None of that deals with how vigilantes are grown and supported by laws, or how to eradicate systemic racism.
So I wrote a love letter, ending with, “Black people, I love you. I love us. We matter. Our lives matter.” Patrisse Cullors put a hashtag in front of it. And we started talking about building and organizing to really be a magnet for people who wanted to figure out how to fight back. And our sister Opal Tometi helped us build the platforms online to connect people. All three of us were organizers. So part of what we asked our network to do was to use “Black Lives Matter” in their work if it was helpful. Folks did.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about Black Lives Matter?
That we only care about black people. We are clear that all lives matter, but we live in a world where that’s not actually happening in practice. So if we want to get to the place where all lives matter, then we have to make sure that black lives matter, too.
In conversations about racism in American culture or politics, the focus is often on racism as a personal defect or an attitude. Does that make it harder to take on systemic racism?
It’s terrible. The way that people understand racism in this country is about interpersonal dynamics, like racism is people being mean to each other. That sucks, but if that’s all it was, let’s just sing Kumbaya together.
But racism is a set of interlocking dynamics: One in three black men can expect to spend some time incarcerated; women are the fastest-growing population in prisons and jails—and 30 percent are black; black folks are on the low-earning end of the economy. Lots of people who are great people are implementing and protecting systems, practices, structures that fundamentally exclude, disenfranchise, marginalize black people.
How much concrete progress has happened over the past three years?
The combination of really sharp agitation on social media and really brilliant, creative, and impactful actions in the streets has made it so that this is at the forefront of almost every conversation. In one year, there were 40 laws passed around criminal justice reform around the country. Some were good; some of them were actually pretty ? , but it signals that even legislators are understanding that this is the moment that they’re in.
Do you think America has been becoming any less racist over the past 10 or 20 or 30 years?
There’s a real battle. The emergence of Donald Trump, and the phenomenon around him, is really a backlash against how successful this movement has been. There’s millions of people backing a fascist ideologue.
Is there a role for Black Lives Matter to play in stopping Donald Trump?
Ultimately, Donald Trump is not talking to us. He’s trying to organize disaffected white folks who feel like immigrants are taking their jobs. He’s trying to organize the business class. So if Donald Trump is going to be stopped, it has to be by people who he wants to organize saying, “We’re not standing for that.”
Do you worry that your protests will create a backlash and more support for Trump?
No. What I worry about in doing disruptive action is that because there is a set of forces that are whipping up hysteria, what it means sometimes is that there is violence rooted in that hysteria that then gets directed at my folks.
So what is there to do about that?
Organize, and hold folks accountable. Part of what’s happening with this culture of vigilantism is that people are able to do it and get away with it. George Zimmerman has actually attempted to make some money off of his act of vigilantism.
What do you make of the FBI director’s suggestions that scrutiny of the police may be leading to more violent crime?
It’s hard to take those statements seriously, because they’re not grounded in any evidence. They are used to generate distrust and to squelch dissent.
Have you been disappointed with President Obama on racial justice?
He obviously occupies a very difficult position. He has to be a consensus builder and a coalition builder. He’s in a context where the very fact that he is a black man is to his disadvantage. You had an enormous amount of really disgusting things that were being thrown at him.
And at the same time, when he’s given the opportunity to address the problem of racial inequity and racial injustice, he often uses it as an opportunity to scold black people about what we should be doing differently.
Has Hillary Clinton done or said anything as a presidential candidate that’s surprised you?
Early on, she would say, “Yes, black lives matter,” but she wouldn’t acknowledge her role in processes that fundamentally showed black lives did not matter. She says that she is for economic justice, but she doesn’t support $15 an hour as the minimum wage.
After Bill Clinton told black protesters, “You are defending the people who ? the lives you say matter,” you wrote, “My back is tired of being the path to the White House.”
I was angry about that for about a month—seriously, like every single day. It’s reprehensible for him to defend the impacts his policies have had on our communities. The Clintons use black people for votes, but then don’t do anything for black communities after they’re elected. They use us for photo ops.
So where does that leave you on a Clinton-Trump election?
I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that we are not led by Donald Trump. That being said, there’s lots to be engaged in at the state level, the local level. We’re going to continue to push. We’re not indebted to or endeared to the Democratic Party.
How does technology help or hinder the organizing?
It connects us across boundaries. Technology is a tool to bring people into closer relationship, but the work offline is critical to making sure that lasts. The open source nature of the internet is both a blessing and a curse, because just as much as we can watch what’s happening around the world, we can also be watched.
What’s the worst advice anyone has given you?
“Tone it down.”
What have you taken, tactically or strategically, from the successes and the failures of the ’60s civil rights movement?
One thing is that you cannot underestimate the power of direct action and disruption. The other is that you have to be willing to use many different tools: electoral organizing, community organizing. We need to make sure we’re creating spaces to create new leaders and new types of leadership. And we cannot be afraid to imagine what it means to have power. You don’t want to just be throwing rocks at the castle. We look at the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and their strategy for the Democratic convention, where they built a new political party and tried to be seated there. We have to use all the tools available.
read at: http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-alicia-garza-interview-issue/ -
Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
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fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said??? -
fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
where'd you get that from the article that was posted? -
fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
The funny thing is they KINDA sound like ... the average ic poster
'? trump AND Hillary.. and Bernie, ? politics, ? them old heads Al Sharpton and Jesse, ? Obama, we dont have to play ball we gon do our OWN thing'
Kinda comes off different said out loud, written, and on a national platform tho dont it?!?!
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She's right
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atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
She is not telling the truth in its entirety is she ,Hillary is a ? politician , You psuedo revolutionaries need perspective.
She has done good and done some things not so savoury but im pretty sure as Lawyer and Senator from her proven record she does more than take photo ops and conspire against the black masses.
and it is rather insulting and arrogance to think because you are in a specific movement of black Populism , you are all knowing ,speak for the whole black populace and everyone else is wrong & ignorant.
If you dont like Hillary/Dems create a party ,galvanize, your disenfranchised base or vote Green Party otherwise beating a dead horse is not gonna bring you anything.
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fortyacres wrote: »atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
She is not telling the truth in its entirety is she ,Hillary is a ? politician , You psuedo revolutionaries need perspective.
She has done good and done some things not so savoury but im pretty sure as Lawyer and Senator from her proven record she does more than take photo ops and conspire against the black masses.
and it is rather insulting and arrogance to think because you are in a specific movement of black Populism , you are all knowing ,speak for the whole black populace and everyone else is wrong & ignorant.
If you dont like Hillary/Dems create a party ,galvanize, your disenfranchised base or vote Green Party otherwise beating a dead horse is not gonna bring you anything.
Where/how did you get that from what she said? Especially since, again, she's saying what a lot of black people have been saying. She wasn't sayin some wild ? nobody ever heard of. -
Tell us something we don't know
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atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
lol Politicians use anyone they can for votes and photo ops. The Clintons nor black people are unique in that regard. It serves no purpose to state mundane ? as if it's groundbreaking or useful.
The point is not to believe politicians actually like people, but to get politicians to have to do more to get those votes. -
atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
She is not telling the truth in its entirety is she ,Hillary is a ? politician , You psuedo revolutionaries need perspective.
She has done good and done some things not so savoury but im pretty sure as Lawyer and Senator from her proven record she does more than take photo ops and conspire against the black masses.
and it is rather insulting and arrogance to think because you are in a specific movement of black Populism , you are all knowing ,speak for the whole black populace and everyone else is wrong & ignorant.
If you dont like Hillary/Dems create a party ,galvanize, your disenfranchised base or vote Green Party otherwise beating a dead horse is not gonna bring you anything.
Where/how did you get that from what she said? Especially since, again, she's saying what a lot of black people have been saying. She wasn't sayin some wild ? nobody ever heard of.
wtf , she just said they "The Clintons use black people for votes" verbatim
which Black People is the question im asking, where are the stats? , i dont wanna hear that alot of black people ? ,give me the stats. Moreover thats assuming the black electorate is stupid and blind if they keep voting for the same family and Pres Obama , or maybe you guys are wrong , maybe these "Black people" are pragmatic or maybe they dont care for BLM's brand of revolution ,just maybe. -
fortyacres wrote: »atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
She is not telling the truth in its entirety is she ,Hillary is a ? politician , You psuedo revolutionaries need perspective.
She has done good and done some things not so savoury but im pretty sure as Lawyer and Senator from her proven record she does more than take photo ops and conspire against the black masses.
and it is rather insulting and arrogance to think because you are in a specific movement of black Populism , you are all knowing ,speak for the whole black populace and everyone else is wrong & ignorant.
If you dont like Hillary/Dems create a party ,galvanize, your disenfranchised base or vote Green Party otherwise beating a dead horse is not gonna bring you anything.
Exactly. The fact of the matter is that Hillary has done more for blacks than BLM has. Fact is, even with the list of demands BLM has released, they have given no real plan to go about achieving them. They've existed since Trayvon Martin was murdered. What tangible change have they brought forth??
On the surface, I'm with their movement and definitely understand what they want to do. They just need a change in leadership and to either work with the people that can enact change, or run for political offices and do it themselves. -
manofmorehouse wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
She is not telling the truth in its entirety is she ,Hillary is a ? politician , You psuedo revolutionaries need perspective.
She has done good and done some things not so savoury but im pretty sure as Lawyer and Senator from her proven record she does more than take photo ops and conspire against the black masses.
and it is rather insulting and arrogance to think because you are in a specific movement of black Populism , you are all knowing ,speak for the whole black populace and everyone else is wrong & ignorant.
If you dont like Hillary/Dems create a party ,galvanize, your disenfranchised base or vote Green Party otherwise beating a dead horse is not gonna bring you anything.
Exactly. The fact of the matter is that Hillary has done more for blacks than BLM has. Fact is, even with the list of demands BLM has released, they have given no real plan to go about achieving them. They've existed since Trayvon Martin was murdered. What tangible change have they brought forth??
On the surface, I'm with their movement and definitely understand what they want to do. They just need a change in leadership and to either work with the people that can enact change, or run for political offices and do it themselves.
Ok a statment like that should be pretty easy to prove. Let's see a list. -
manofmorehouse wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »atribecalledgabi wrote: »fortyacres wrote: »Why does the BLM think the know all and speak for all the black people ?
Was she lying tho??? Was she not saying something a lot of black people have said???
She is not telling the truth in its entirety is she ,Hillary is a ? politician , You psuedo revolutionaries need perspective.
She has done good and done some things not so savoury but im pretty sure as Lawyer and Senator from her proven record she does more than take photo ops and conspire against the black masses.
and it is rather insulting and arrogance to think because you are in a specific movement of black Populism , you are all knowing ,speak for the whole black populace and everyone else is wrong & ignorant.
If you dont like Hillary/Dems create a party ,galvanize, your disenfranchised base or vote Green Party otherwise beating a dead horse is not gonna bring you anything.
Exactly. The fact of the matter is that Hillary has done more for blacks than BLM has. Fact is, even with the list of demands BLM has released, they have given no real plan to go about achieving them. They've existed since Trayvon Martin was murdered. What tangible change have they brought forth??
On the surface, I'm with their movement and definitely understand what they want to do. They just need a change in leadership and to either work with the people that can enact change, or run for political offices and do it themselves.
what has hillary done for u my super predator friend? -
Lmao ? love to defend Hillary
I'll just leave this here.
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Lol I've tried to post a link and now my comments need to be approved?? Lol wow
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When it comes to Civil Rights, it’s not about what politicians say, but what legislation they sponsor or co-sponsor, and how they vote. Talk is cheap, and rumor and innuendo fly in politics. We know what her husband’s were, but she shouldn’t have to answer for or take credit for his actions. Let’s focus on Hillary Clinton and see what she has done in the arena of civil rights.
Voter ID
While in the Senate, Hillary Clinton introduced the Count Every Vote Act of 2005 to combat a “history of intimidation.” Fighting against voter ID laws, Clinton said that:
“By trying to require not just photo identification but proof of citizenship — proof that thousands of American citizens can’t produce through no fault of their own — cynical Republican lawmakers are trying to build new walls between hundreds of thousands of eligible senior, minority, and low-income Americans and their civil right to choose their own leaders. Republicans claim that these requirements are needed to prevent fraud, but the reality is that they do little more than disenfranchise eligible voters.”
Equality Under The Law
Hillary Clinton stood with Cecelia Marshall, Thurgood Marshall’s widow, alongside former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer at his swearing in as the first African-American President of the American Bar Association in its 124-year history – 60 years after they lifted a ban on black members. Her support and affiliation with the Legal Services Corporation including her board chairmanship of that organization in the early 1970s reaffirmed a longstanding commitment to support low-income communities and people of color in the courtroom and at the highest levels of legal advocacy.
Hillary co-sponsored a bill recognizing Juneteenth as the historical end of slavery. The resolution recognized the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day and expressed that history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future. Recognizing the historical significance to the nation, and supporting the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free), Congress passed it declaring the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
Clinton also co-sponsored a bill reinforcing anti-discrimination and equal-pay requirements; specifically, to restore, reaffirm, and reconcile legal rights and remedies under civil rights statutes. The bill amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to establish discrimination based on disparate impact; and rights of action and recovery for unlawful discrimination. It also authorized civil actions in federal court for discrimination based on disability, and repealed provisions limiting the amount of compensatory and punitive damages that may be awarded in cases of intentional discrimination in employment. Finally, it revised provisions governing discrimination in the payment of wages, including equal pay requirements.
Equality in Education
In 1972, I returned to D.C. to work for Marian Wright Edelman in DC. My assignment was to gather information about the Nixon Administration’s failure to enforce the legal ban on granting tax-exempt status to the private segregated academies that had sprung up in the South to avoid integrated public schools. The academies claimed they were created in response to parents deciding to form private schools; it had nothing to do with court-ordered integration. I went to Atlanta to meet with the lawyers and civil rights workers who were compiling evidence that proved the academies were created solely for the purpose of avoiding the constitutional mandate of the Supreme Court’s decisions.
As part of my investigation, I drove to Alabama. At a local private school, I had an appointment to meet an administrator to discuss enrolling my imaginary child. I went through my role-playing, asking questions about the curriculum and makeup of the student body. I was assured that no black students would be enrolled.
Living History, by Hillary Clinton, p. 57 , Nov 1, 2003
Ensuring opportunity and understanding the tragedy that is the school-to-prison pipeline, Hillary Clinton worked with community leaders in New York affiliated with the organization 100 Black Men to open an all-boys single sex school in the South Bronx. Teaching predominantly black and Latino young men, David Banks, the founding principal, sees his mission as “empowering at risk inner-city young men to become academic achievers, engaged citizens and responsible men.” Eagle, now with six high schools in New York City and Newark, N.J., has graduation rate of over 95 percent.
Women
In addition to compiling three editions of the first Handbook on Legal Rights for Arkansas Women, In 1987, Robert MacCrate, then president of the American Bar Association, appointed Hillary Clinton as the first chairperson of the inaugural twelve member ABA Commission on Women and the Profession. Up until that time, the participation of women in the ABA had been very limited. This was a chance to place women’s issues into the mainstream of ABA activity.
The commission held hearings and found widespread discrimination issuing a report urging the bar association to publicly recognize that gender bias exists in the profession and to begin to eliminate it. The ABA responded to the work of Hillary’s commission by adopting a resolution that committed the association and its members to “refuse to participate in, acquiesce in, or condone barriers to the full integration and equal participation of women in the legal profession.“ The voice vote of approval was unanimous. Hillary told the delegates, ”Despite the progress that has been made, there still exist instances of subtle discrimination against women.“ In 1991, the group created the Goal IX Report Card, an annual accounting designed to measure the progress of women in the association.
In 1997, following up on her assertion two years earlier, at the fourth U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing, that ‘women’s rights are human rights,” Hillary and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright established the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative to promote the advancement of women’s rights as an explicit goal of US foreign policy. Over the next three years, at conferences throughout the world, Vital Voices brought together thousands of women leaders from 80 countries.
In 2000, American women who were involved in the government initiative and who wanted the project to continue formed a new non-governmental organization, Vital Voices Global Partnership, and aligned with other women around the world who began their own chapters. Vital Voices invests in emerging women leaders to give them the tools they need to advance peace and reconciliation, run successful businesses, participate fully in their nation’s political life, and combat trafficking in women and girls and other abusive practices.
Clinton co-sponsored the bill re-introducing the Equal Rights Amendment, a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to equal rights for men and women. Its three sections stated equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. This article shall take effect 2 years after the date of ratification.
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However there's also her role in Haiti and Libya as well as her disgusting pandering
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However there's also her role in Haiti and Libya as well as her disgusting pandering
OH , now you guys care about Haiti and Libya lmao .
She is just like any other politician the good and the bad.
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Was asked for examples of how she's helped blacks, provided them, and now I'm a troll. Lmao I love the IC
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This election cycle can't end soon enough! These ? are crazy!
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Black people can't name one thing Bill or Hillary has done for and specifically for the benefit of Black people. All we know is Bill played the saxophone and wore shades and ? ugly fat white ? .
Hillary called black children superpredators her husband oversaw the expansion of the prison industrial complex.
All anyone needs to do is to tell me how they've assisted Black people or what promises Hillary has currently made to Black people, specifically. Not Minorities, not People of Color, not the "disenfranchised" Specifically addressing the needs of Black people.
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Black people can't name one thing Bill or Hillary has done for and specifically for the benefit of Black people. All we know is Bill played the saxophone and wore shades and ? ugly fat white ? .
Hillary called black children superpredators her husband oversaw the expansion of the prison industrial complex.
All anyone needs to do is to tell me how they've assisted Black people or what promises Hillary has currently made to Black people, specifically. Not Minorities, not People of Color, not the "disenfranchised" Specifically addressing the needs of Black people.
There's a lengthy post I have a on this thread u may want to read...
