Tag Archives: racism

18 January 2025

You Say You Want a Revolution

By Rick Ladd

I posted the following on Threads and want to share it here as well. Nearly 60 years ago I fervently hoped to see love conquer hate. It fueled my activity in the antiwar and antiracist movement during the 60s and 70s. I am deeply disappointed to see the U.S. going backwards, yet I take some solace in the phrase “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” Here’s what I wrote:

I was prepared, and preparing, for a revolution as far back as the late 60s. I was a young man, full of piss, vinegar, and righteous indignation over a war of aggression by my country; a war that had already claimed the life of my best friend. Through my antiwar activities I had become aware of many of the realities of the U.S. that had been hidden from me, especially rampant racism and sexism.

I’m aware many of my fellow citizens have a hard time realizing just how bad things have been in this country. Consider this, and I believe this is pretty much common knowledge: most of the land that comprises the U.S. was already inhabited when the Pilgrims arrived here. Much of the infrastructure of our country was built by slaves or indentured servants, virtually all of whom were kept in appalling living conditions. The fucking White House was built with slave labor. Meanwhile, white people were building generational wealth while systematically preventing POC from doing the same.

Ever hear of Angel Island, where we kept Chinese immigrants from 1910 to 1940? I’m sure you’ve heard of the Japanese detention camps used during WWII. My in-laws were detained at the one in Colorado (Amache) for two years. Many of my wife’s relatives lost everything during those years. The number of horrendous things done by white people to POC is disgusting and worthy of retribution, certainly of derision and disgust. So, why am I bringing all of this up?

Well, As I said, I was prepared decades ago for a revolution in this country. We have been in a class war as long as we’ve existed. However, I came to realize as a straight, white man it wasn’t up to me to decide when and how such an event should be prosecuted. I am somewhat privileged and don’t believe I have the moral authority to ask for the kinds of sacrifice such an endeavor would require.

I am, however, ready to support an effort to free the working class from their servitude to the upper class. I believe capitalism has served whatever purpose it once had (moving us away from feudalism and slavery) and needs to be replaced by, at the very least, a form of democratic socialism. I don’t believe billionaires should be allowed to exist. Having that much money is immoral and should be illegal, IMO. All to say, I’m down with any attempt to upgrade this nation, by any means necessary. I prefer it to be peaceful, but people with far too much money are making that impossible.

Things most likely have to get a lot worse; some of the wealth has trickled down to us and too many of us are either comfortable or convinced wealth and privilege are just around the corner. I don’t believe we can continue along the path we’re following, and it’s not just maga or trump. Capitalism rewards greed and avarice. Money is god! Socialism, OTOH, at least attempts to put people first. That’s what I’d like to see. Who’s on board?

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10 July 2023

Juneteenth and Passover

By Rick Ladd

NB – Before reading the following post, please be advised it was written with the assistance of Chat-GPT, after a couple of iterations of my asking for a blog post on the subject, and clarifying what it was I looked for. It’s not quite my style, but it gets across the subject I was having a bit of difficulty honing in on. I would likely have been more wordy, so I’m content to leave this up in order to get the gist of my thinking out in the world.

As a former Jew who is now an atheist, I have always been interested in social justice issues and have been an advocate for antiracism for many years. However, it was only in the last few years that I learned about Juneteenth, an American holiday that celebrates the emancipation of African American slaves. As I learned more about Juneteenth, I couldn’t help but compare it to Passover, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

At first glance, it may seem like Passover and Juneteenth have little in common. Passover is a religious holiday that is celebrated by Jews all over the world, while Juneteenth is a secular holiday that is primarily celebrated in the United States. Passover has a long history that dates back thousands of years, while Juneteenth is a relatively new holiday that has only been officially recognized by the federal government since 2021. However, as I delved deeper into the meanings behind these holidays, I found that they share a common theme of liberation and freedom.

For Jews, the story of the Exodus is a powerful reminder of the importance of freedom and the need to fight against oppression. The story tells of how Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into freedom, and it is a story that has been retold for thousands of years. During the holiday of Passover, Jews gather with family and friends to retell the story of the Exodus, eat traditional foods such as matzah and bitter herbs, and participate in symbolic rituals such as the Seder. The holiday is a time to reflect on the past and to look towards a brighter future.

Juneteenth, on the other hand, celebrates the emancipation of African American slaves. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, which is the day that Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all slaves in Texas were free. This announcement came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, and it marked the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is a time to celebrate the end of slavery and the beginning of a new era of freedom and equality.

Despite the differences between Passover and Juneteenth, they share a common theme of liberation and freedom. Both holidays celebrate the idea of breaking free from oppression and moving towards a brighter future. They also emphasize the importance of family and community. For Jews, the Seder is a time to retell the story of the Exodus and to pass down traditions and values to the next generation. For African Americans, Juneteenth is a time to celebrate their heritage and to remember the struggles and sacrifices of their ancestors.

As an antiracist, I find it important to acknowledge the intersectionality of these two holidays. While Passover and Juneteenth have different histories and meanings, they both symbolize the fight for freedom and justice. As a former Jew, I feel that it is important to recognize the role that the Jewish community played in the civil rights movement. Many Jews were active participants in the struggle for civil rights and worked alongside African Americans to fight against racism and discrimination. As an atheist, I believe that it is important to recognize and celebrate the diversity of cultures and traditions in our society.

In conclusion, Passover and Juneteenth are two holidays that may appear to be very different on the surface, but they share a common theme of liberation and freedom. As someone who is no longer practicing Judaism but is committed to antiracism, I find it important to acknowledge the intersectionality of these two holidays and to celebrate the diversity of cultures and traditions in our society. Passover and Juneteenth are reminders that the struggle for justice and equality is ongoing and that we must continue to fight against oppression in all its forms.

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5 May 2023

I’m Counting On You

By Rick Ladd

Dear GenZ:

I need to tell you something. Although I’m a Boomer, I have a great deal of love and respect for your generation. One reason for this is because my wife and I became first-time, adoptive parents late in life and both our daughters are in your generation. They’re currently 19 and 21. But also because you embody the ideals and aspirations I had as a young man back in the sixties and seventies, when I was an anti-war and social justice activist.

In 1966, shortly after I graduated High School and when the war in Vietnam was heating up, with US troops heading toward an eventual commitment of half a million troops, I joined the US Navy, following in the footsteps of my father and thinking it was the right thing to do. I was medically discharged after only a month and 23 days, but that’s another story that has nothing to do with the point I’m making herein.

When the police rioted in Century City in the summer of 1967, and I was running a small snack shop in downtown L.A., I remember thinking that the police were probably right and dealt with the demonstrators appropriately. I was soon to discover just how mistaken I was. So began my transformation into an anti-war activist.

Without going into too much detail, I’ll just note that I spent about five years organizing, demonstrating/marching, and doing security for others who were protesting the war in Vietnam and racism and sexism in our society. It was pretty much full-time and I only worked to make enough money to allow me to survive while being an activist. My work culminated in a two-month trip in the Spring of 1973 to Cuba, as a guest of the Cuban Government, with the Venceremos Brigade. Shortly after my return I began law school. I was burned out and wanted to get on with my life, which I had neglected in favor of my activism.

I remained politically active to some degree, but not like I had been, especially since U.S. involvement in Vietnam had effectively ended in January of 1973. It was with great dismay that I realized my generation was not merely withdrawing from the activism the war had ignited, but was actively moving to political and economic conservatism. In 1976, the year I graduated with my J.D., Jackson Browne released his album “The Pretender”. The title song contained the following lyrics, which resonated deeply with me. The still do.

I want to know what became of the changes
We waited for love to bring
Were they only the fitful dreams
Of some greater awakening?

The Pretender – Jackson Browne

Just recently, as I was refreshing my memory about the lyrics and what he was saying, I came across a video where he explains a bit about the genesis and meaning of the song. In describing who the pretender is, he says, ” … it’s anybody that’s sort of lost sight of some of their dreams…and is going through the motions and trying to make a stab at a certain way of life that he sees other people succeeding at. So maybe it’s a lot of people of a certain generation who sort of embraced a very material lifestyle in place of dreams that they had that sort of disintegrated at some point.”

I don’t mean to imply, by the title I’ve chosen for this post, that it’s your generation’s responsibility to achieve what my generation so spectacularly (at least apparently) failed at, but rather my hope as I approach the end of my life to see a truly better society, a better world, and a rise in decency and mutual respect among the people of this planet. I’m hoping you will prove to be the generation that achieves that “greater awakening”.

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16 April 2022

On Comrade Tuckums

By Rick Ladd

I encountered this photo on Twitter today. Call me crazy, but I think Tucker Carlson is the most powerful proof available that, when it comes to issues of meritocracy and fairness in employment, it only matters to a lot of white people when people of color are hired or appointed to positions of respect and value.

Look at how the entire leadership of the Republican Party—at least in the Senate which, ostensibly, is the more deliberative and balanced chamber in Congress—treated Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearings for an appointment to the Supreme Court.

Despite her being the most qualified person EVER in the history of the Court, with the notable exception of three Republican Senators, the entire Republican Senate voted against her being confirmed.

Then we have Tuckums (my favorite name for him, thank you Joy Ann Reid) whose full, working class name is Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson. Tuckums would appear to only be qualified for his position at Fox News due to his bright, shiny whiteness. He’s done absolutely nothing other than bleat out the knuckle-dragging hatefulness that characterizes today’s so-called conservatives.

Comrade Tuckums Carlson
Comrade Tuckums

True to form for a group that has perfected the art of gaslighting and projection, it’s Comrade Tuckums who is the beneficiary of affirmative action; the same kind of affirmative action white folk have been complaining about for decades, all the while benefiting from its unfair application to them and theirs. I’m hopeful someday he will be seen for the fraud he is.

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3 March 2021

White History Month’s Greatest Hits

By Rick Ladd

I’m not normally fond of using WordPress’s “Press This” function, because it only pulls a few words into my blog from the original post. It’s good because it means anyone wishing to read the article can see it in its entirety as originally published, but it also means I might have to copy some words over to make the post a little more intelligible and to provide some needed context.

Nevertheless, this article is one I consider extremely important . . . for white people to read. As I commented when posting it to Twitter and Facebook: “We may not have invented racism, but we sure as hell have benefited from it these last 3 or 4 centuries. It’s up to us to end it. That’s the real “White Man’s Burden!”

Check this article out. You might want to read more at The Root as well.

After a grueling 28 days of watching corporations, institutions and random white people pretend to care about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and that other Black guy with the big part in his afro (I think it’s Booker T. Douglass), we now return to our regularly scheduled program.

Source: White History Month’s Greatest Hits

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17 June 2020

Racism and Bigotry

By Rick Ladd

I still believe we are misusing the words “racism” and “racist.”

Racism is institutional, systemic, and structural. It’s insidious and buried deep in every aspect of our society and economy. Bigotry is right out in the open.

And this isn’t whitesplaining on my part. This is what I was taught by members of the Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets in 1973. I was, along with 49 of my closest friends, required to go through about 20 hours of cultural and racial sensitivity training before being allowed to travel to Cuba with the sixth contingent of the Venceremos Brigade.

I keep bringing this up because the public now conflates racism with bigotry and, by doing so, gives people an excuse for not looking closer at how they’ve unknowingly embraced or benefited from racism, by merely pointing out their lack of anger or visible anger/hatred toward people of color. “I don’t see color,” or “I have black friends/relatives.” All that means, at the most, is you’re not a bigot. It doesn’t change the centuries of economic and social injustice deeply baked into every aspect of our society.

We need to understand the differences if we’re going to erase racism and its insidious effects.

One other thing I learned from that education, and that has been reinforced in the intervening years, is that white people need to shut the fuck up and listen to people of color when it comes to understanding their lived reality. Because of racism, you don’t know squat about their experiences. Try it. You might be surprised.

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13 June 2020

Simi Protest (cont.)

By Rick Ladd

It’s only been a week since the protest and march, which this young woman spearheaded, took place here in Simi Valley. Anyone who’s interested should watch the six minute video in this article, where she explains how the march came about, as well as how City Councilperson and Mayor Pro Tem, Mike Judge, tried to dissuade Mikiiya from doing anything and publicly exposed her to danger. Simi is mos def changing.

Mikiiya Foster During Simi’s BLM Protest/March

Given the reputation Simi Valley has (which is only partly deserved) I’m of the opinion this march marked a watershed moment in the history of our little burgh. Simi Valley is one of the more politically conservative areas in California. It is the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Geegaw Emporium, as well as the venue where the police who beat Rodney King were acquitted, sparking some of Los Angeles’s worst riots.

I know many of us have been working to bring about change here in Simi, and it’s been a bit of a slog. There are some really reactionary folk here, and they’re not shy about demonstrating their anger and hatred.

PS – A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to help Mikiiya get through college. Here’s the link, if you’d care to donate. Any amount would be appreciated, I’m sure. I just donated.

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12 June 2020

Simi Protests

By Rick Ladd

As many of my friends know, I live in Simi Valley, California. Simi is known, perhaps internationally, for two main things: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Rodney King trial. Although only one of the jurors in that trial was actually from Simi, the city has the reputation of being filled with racists, and it’s not without some basis in fact.

I expected no more than 40 – 50 people.

Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful part of the world, just northwest of the San Fernando Valley and I’ve lived here for about 25 years. When I heard that a protest was being planned to support BLM and protest racism and, specifically, the murder of George Floyd, I knew I had to be there (at least for the beginning) to lend my support. I expected 40 – 50 people. Imagine my surprise when I arrived a few minutes early to find hundreds, growing to between one and two thousand by the time the actual march started. Here’s a piece from ABC Eyewitness News’s coverage of the protest.

The young woman highlighted in the article, and her friends who helped with and supported this amazing event, did an exceptional job organizing and conducting what could have been a debacle. Going back to that element of racism here in Simi, there was a contingent of residents convinced this march would end in violence and looting; so convinced they were patrolling the streets around their neighborhoods and posting in local FB community groups that they were “locked and loaded.” It was borderline comical, made tragically unfunny by the ignorant sincerity of these mental midgets. They even tried to disrupt the march with bullhorn wielding propagandists fresh from the (here’s an oxymoron) “Republican Values Center.”

The kids are continuing to organize and, happily, I’m going along for the ride. Were it up to me, I would ask they not go back to school until the election is over in November. We’re going to need a GOTV effort like we’ve never seen before. I don’t have the energy or stamina I once had but, for the first time in my sour, long life I feel assured the torch has not only been passed, but it’s been picked up . . . by millions, it would appear.

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30 May 2020

Trevor Noah on George Floyd

By Rick Ladd

Thought I would share a couple of videos from Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show (currently called “The Daily Social Distancing Show.”)

Trevor on How Things are Connected
Trevor on Looting and What Really Matters

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30 May 2020

From a Friend

By Rick Ladd

This is a poem a friend of mine in Ohio posted on FB yesterday. I asked her for permission to share it, as I think it’s powerful. Hope you get out of it as much as I did.

Eric Garner & George Floyd in Heaven, Before Their Black Police Victim Grief Support Group Meeting

“Hey, man.”

“Hey.”

“Nice to meet you…Well, you know what I mean.”

“I got you.”

“Philando brought you to the meeting?”

“Yeah. You know. We both from Minnesota.”

“Yeah. It’s nice to have somebody from home you can hang with… Well, you know what I mean.”

“I got you.”

“You from New York, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You must got a ton of homies up here.”

“My daughter is up here, man.”

“Oh…yeah…that’s right.”

“Yeah, man.”

“My bad…I ain’t mean….”

“It’s all right, man. You ain’t do it.”

“It’s crazy, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“I always thought about dying, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“I always knew the time would come, and I would have to go.”

“Yup. It’s the way it is.”

“I just…I never wanted one of them to be what took me out.”

“I hear you.”

“It’s fucked up.”

“Beyond.”

“You born with the white man’s knee on your neck. You die with his knee on your neck.”

“With his stick at your throat.”

“You walk around scared of your own skin and your own bones – how Goddamn breakable they are.”

“Like you toothpicks and tissue.”

“You live a whole life and never get to fucking breathe freely.”

“And then you get here and…”

“It’s better?”

“You’re safer. No more body, no more beating.”

“But?”

“Angels ain’t omnipotent, you know? We can’t do shit but put the thought into the person’s head.”

“So we gotta do it. We gotta do it, man. We gotta get them to stand up. We gotta get them to fight for it.”

“For ‘it’?”

“Freedom. They say they want it. They gotta get off they ass then.”

(c) Michelle R. Smith 2020

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