Was this racist?

[MACKG]

CBS gets fined half a million dollars for Janet Jackson flashing a nipple for half a second. Mel Gibson gets drunk and talks about jews and it becomes a national headline. Isaiah Washington calls a guy a fag and has to check himself into rehab. If anyone says anything about Jews, then they face tough repercussions. Miss Jones on Hot 97 made a Tsunami song and she got suspended. I can't understand why the FCC(and the station's parent company) is reacting to this one so slowly.

Sadly, Imus' words only echo a sentiment of how a lot of people in America feel about us. Also, if you're going to fine Imus for calling these women nappy headed hos....shouldn't you also start holding these rappers accountable?

This has the verge of being a big first amendment debate.

 

[AAMU Alum]

Darryl Matthews (General President ~ Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.) releases public statement on Imus remarks.

Statement of
Darryl R. Matthews, Sr.
General President

DON IMUS MUST GO NOW!

(BALTIMORE, Md.) —The Fraternity of Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood Marshall, Ambassador Andrew Young, and legions of civil rights leaders and workers are outraged at the comments of broadcaster Don Imus and hereby call for his immediate removal from the air—on radio and cable TV.

On his radio program recently—which airs on more than 65 radio stations and is simulcast on MSNBC with a reach into more than 80 million homes—Don Imus called members of the Rutgers University Women?s Basketball team ?nappy headed hoes.?

This is not only an insult, but it is vitriolic hate-speech, which fuels the fire of racial animosity in our country at a time when we should be striving to come together. What?s more, this is not the first time Don Imus has pronounced racial and sexist diatribes. Don Imus? apology is too little and too late.

Alpha Phi Alpha, firmly believes in the protections guaranteed by the First Amendment, however when the public airwaves are used to spew racial hatred and to further divide the nation, we find it our responsibility to take a stand. We condemn this atrocious act and call on all other organizations of goodwill in our community to do the same.

We cannot—and will not—stand idly by while others demean people in our race and further the cause of racism. We applaud the National Association of Black Journalists and its leader Bryan Monroe for taking swift action on this matter. The 200,000 college-educated men of black, white, Latino, Asian and other races and ethnic backgrounds inducted into Alpha Phi Alpha will not stand for this, or any other form of racism.

Therefore, we call on CBS Radio and CBS Corporation, the parent company of WFAN radio to permanently remove Don Imus from the airwaves and his employ at CBS.

We further call on NBC Universal and Microsoft the parent companies of MSNBC TV to remove the simulcast of his program from the MSNBC cable-TV lineup and its affiliated MSNBC Web site.


If necessary we will speak with more than just our feet on the pavement—but with the absence of our dollars with ALL of your advertisers and their products.

Public companies such as CBS, NBC and Microsoft must take a meaningful position on matters as critical as this one. Anything short of Imus? removal is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans—whether black, white, male or female—who are the very consumers who keep these companies prosperous.

Alpha Phi Alpha has always been at the forefront of national issues affecting mankind. Whether it was our brother Thurgood Marshall leading the effort in Brown v. Board of Education to eradicate racism and discrimination in American society; or our Brother Martin Luther King Jr. working to end poverty and promote equal access to the ballot box; or whether it had been sending our members off to fight for the ?American Way? in every war since World War One through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Alpha Phi Alpha has never turned away from a crisis, and that is why today we step up and call for this action from our corporate citizens.

Founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights, through Alpha men such as W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Edward Brooke, Andrew Young, William Gray, Cornel West and many others. The fraternity through its college and alumni chapters serves the community through nearly a thousand chapters in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.


--30--

Note to news organizations: Darryl R. Matthews Sr., the general president of Alpha Phi Alpha. If you wish to have the general president of Alpha Phi Alpha on your news program relative to the above topic, please contact:

Monica G Wood
MWPR, Inc.¦Monica Wood Public Relations
443-538-4184 (P)
443-583-2652 (F)
mwood@mwprinc.com
www.mwprinc.com

 

[chocalate_topaz]

She said those ladies said they wish people would just leave it alone, because they are looking forward to next season and are not focused on Imus at all.

Sweeping it under the rug and ignoring does not change minds. It just allows the boundaries of decency to stretch even further, afterall, nobody said anything about this, how was I to know it was wrong, blah, blah, blah.

I like to address problems and put them out there so we can all be on the same page. I don't have to like you or what you said, but I'm not going to act like "we can all get along" while you've got a knife hiding behind your back either.

It's time for Black folks to outraged enough about something FOR REAL.

 

[Warndalyn]

Sweeping it under the rug and ignoring does not change minds. It just allows the boundaries of decency to stretch even further, afterall, nobody said anything about this, how was I to know it was wrong, blah, blah, blah.

I like to address problems and put them out there so we can all be on the same page. I don't have to like you or what you said, but I'm not going to act like "we can all get along" while you've got a knife hiding behind your back either.

It's time for Black folks to outraged enough about something FOR REAL.

But that's just it...we, as black folk let everything they do and say slide...other races don't do that. I guarantee you, had he made some comments about any other race, they'd be in such an uproar, CBS would be at least thinking about firing his ass.

 

[SLT]

Sweeping it under the rug and ignoring does not change minds.

I agree to an extent, and protesting/causing an uproar won't change minds either, just situations. But just because an action has been taken does not make me trust a person any more than I did before.

I remember, but I don't let it overtake my total existance to the point where I stop growing.

 

[chocalate_topaz]

My point exactly. It's time to stand--until--and put our actions where our mouths are. I like to talk and speak out. If you never say anything, nothing ever changes. I believe in putting the effort out there to see if I can make the difference. With that being said, an email with your views would be a good thing.

 

[CEE DOG]

Okay since everyone wants to compare rappers to this Imus guy lets look at the two situations we are dealing with. The rappers are talking about their experiences with a bunch of women who break into their hotel rooms to have sex with them at any expense. Women who have sex with them and keep the condoms and put what?s inside of it back into them to get pregnant so that they can have babies and get child support for the rest of their lives. Women who go to any extreme just to be seen in a video or to tell someone she had sex with this rapper and that rapper. Women who make a living out hustling these dudes for money and sex from anyone out of their entourage for fame. Women who break into their homes and lay butt naked waiting on them to come home. Imus was talking about a group of women who are on scholarship trying to get an education to get ahead in life by playing basketball. Are either of them correct for saying what they say? No, but I know I wouldn?t and many of you wouldn?t advise your own sons or kin folks to marry these chicks that those rappers are talking about. How can you disrespect someone that is disrespecting herself by doing what she is doing? I don?t know about you but I don?t consider those type of women queens. Yes they are black women but they have to start respecting themselves and stop doing what they do with these rappers or they wouldn?t get rapped about. On the other hand these women at Rutgers were only playing basketball where did Imus relate to them by being Hoes? Were they trying to sleep with him or at the radio station for fame? Instead of talking about these rappers we as a people need to start asking ourselves what brought these ladies to the point were they sold thier souls for a dollar bill!!!!

 

[ALJSUII]

Sweeping it under the rug and ignoring does not change minds. It just allows the boundaries of decency to stretch even further, afterall, nobody said anything about this, how was I to know it was wrong, blah, blah, blah.

I like to address problems and put them out there so we can all be on the same page. I don't have to like you or what you said, but I'm not going to act like "we can all get along" while you've got a knife hiding behind your back either.

It's time for Black folks to outraged enough about something FOR REAL.

I agree! We should all be outraged by this man's insensitive comments made toward the Women's Basketball players at Rutger. This is not funny and it is not a joking matter. This man should have been fired immediately. We cannot continue to allow some white males and some of our black males to degrade and cast down black women. I hope the black women atheletes sue his pants off and also the other guy. This is very defaming and it is time to hit people where it really hurt and that is in the pocketbook. I agree with boycotting CBS and MSNBC. This nonsense can no longer be tolerated. Imus doesn't have any God in him if he can make remarks like this in 2007 and not feel any remorse about it. I am completely fed up with all of this foolishness.:kaioken:

 

[Warndalyn]

well, first off Imus doesn't even know these women or anything about them, to be calling them hoes, in the first place. And did he just assume b/c they're black that all their heads were nappy? Some black folks don't have nappy hair b/c they have white folks in their families/blood lines.

btw, rappers tend to refer to all women as bytches and hoes in their lyrics. Surely every single woman they're referencing, is NOT a bytch or a hoe.

But, they way I deal with that, is I don't buy their music. Don't even buy it bootleg...don't even listen to it. Can hardly stand it...but hey, that's just me.

 

[CEE DOG]

Another thing is that most of these rap guys are only relating to what goes on in the streets. Whether you guys want to admit the black race is separated by classes unlike any other race. You have your upper class blacks that don?t even associate with anything that they feel is black or would label them as being black. They made it out on affirmative action and could care less if it stays or goes. You have your middle class blacks that are first generation removed from the slums and they don?t even think about reaching back to help those they just left because they are only concerned about themselves. Then you have the lower class who is either A.) Trying to make it out by working hard or B.) Those who love being stuck where they are at and want try to leave. When these rappers said in their songs ?Don?t trust a big butt and smile? they are only relating to what?s going on around them. Was that statement correct, well yes and no but that doesn?t make it right. They made that statement because of the 1000?s of young black men that got set up and robbed or killed because they only saw a pretty face. Let?s stop trying to justify others wrong doing and start trying to look at what got us to the point where we are. Sad to say but most of you really don?t care about anyone but yourselves!!!

 

[Blacknbengal]

Rutgers coach: Imus

It seems that the players DO care.

Rutgers coach: Imus? comments ?despicable?
Players to meet with radio host, hope to ?get something accomplished?


Updated: 42 minutes ago
PISCATAWAY, N.J - The Rutgers women?s basketball team will meet with embattled radio host Don Imus, and their coach on Tuesday called his comments ?racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable and unconscionable.?

Players stopped short of saying whether they thought Imus should be fired. Effective Monday, Imus has been suspended for two weeks for calling the Rutgers female basketball players ?nappy-headed hos.?

?We all agreed the meeting with Mr. Imus will help,? Essence Carson, a member of the team that lost the NCAA women?s championship game to Tennessee last week, said. ?We do hope to get something accomplished during this meeting.?


Teammate Matee Ajavon said: ?I could say that we honestly don?t know what to expect from Don Imus and what we will plan on asking him is his reasons and how you could just say things that you have not put any thought to? Right now I can?t really say if we have come to a conclusion of whether we will accept the apology. What I can say I think this meeting will be crucial for us, the state of New Jersey and everybody representing us.?


Rest of Story

Head coach C. Vivian Stringer said her players ?are the best this nation has to offer, and we are so very fortunate to have them at Rutgers University. They are young ladies of class, distinction. They are articulate, they are gifted. They are God?s representatives in every sense of the word.?

She said it?s not about the players ?as black or nappy-headed. It?s about us as a people. When there is not equality for all, or when there has been denied equality for one, there has been denied equality for all.?

She further said: ?While they worked hard in the classroom and accomplished so much and used their gifts and talents, you know, to bring the smiles and the pride within this state in so many people, we had to experience racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable, and abominable and unconscionable. It hurts me.?

 

[SLT]

So let the players handle this their way. These adult women don't need any help from Al or any others outside of Rutgers U...

 

[Warndalyn]

Another thing is that most of these rap guys are only relating to what goes on in the streets. Whether you guys want to admit the black race is separated by classes unlike any other race. You have your upper class blacks that don?t even associate with anything that they feel is black or would label them as being black. They made it out on affirmative action and could care less if it stays or goes. You have your middle class blacks that are first generation removed from the slums and they don?t even think about reaching back to help those they just left because they are only concerned about themselves. Then you have the lower class who is either A.) Trying to make it out by working hard or B.) Those who love being stuck where they are at and want try to leave. When these rappers said in their songs ?Don?t trust a big butt and smile? they are only relating to what?s going on around them. Was that statement correct, well yes and no but that doesn?t make it right. They made that statement because of the 1000?s of young black men that got set up and robbed or killed because they only saw a pretty face. Let?s stop trying to justify others wrong doing and start trying to look at what got us to the point where we are. Sad to say but most of you really don?t care about anyone but yourselves!!!

You make some very valid points...:lecture:

 

[Warndalyn]

What I wanna know is, why is this idiot apologizing? I mean we all know it's NOT sincere. :smh:

 

[JayRob]

So let the players handle this their way. These adult women don't need any help from Al or any others outside of Rutgers U...

Exactly. This was addressed to the Rutgers Team, and THEM ALONE.
How people can classify Imus' statement as relating to ALL Black people is perplexing to me.

He clearly said, the Rutgers basketball team. He didn't say all Black women. He didn't even say the Tennessee basketball players.

If Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton feel so passionate about others needing to resign or be fired for making racist comments, BOTH of them should've resigned or should've been fired a long time ago.
These are two hypocrites, plain and simple.

These two men are benefitting from this scenario hand over foot.
Sharpton's getting free publicity for his talk show and Jackson's getting more publicity portraying him as the national spokesperson for Black people.
Both have made millions of dollars off the backs of racial situations such as this over the years.

The two guys are nothing more than political and social shysters disguised as men of the cloth and civil rights supporters.

They're simply getting their pockets full of doe.

 

[CEE DOG]

Since you and others seem to dislike Jessie and Al so much would you put your life on the line for people like these two men have?

Exactly. This was addressed to the Rutgers Team, and THEM ALONE.
How people can classify Imus' statement as relating to ALL Black people is perplexing to me.

He clearly said, the Rutgers basketball team. He didn't say all Black women. He didn't even say the Tennessee basketball players.

If Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton feel so passionate about others needing to resign or be fired for making racist comments, BOTH of them should've resigned or should've been fired a long time ago.
These are two hypocrites, plain and simple.

These two men are benefitting from this scenario hand over foot.
Sharpton's getting free publicity for his talk show and Jackson's getting more publicity portraying him as the national spokesperson for Black people.
Both have made millions of dollars off the backs of racial situations such as this over the years.

The two guys are nothing more than political and social shysters disguised as men of the cloth and civil rights supporters.

They're simply getting their pockets full of doe.

 

[ALPHA3]

Exactly. This was addressed to the Rutgers Team, and THEM ALONE.
How people can classify Imus' statement as relating to ALL Black people is perplexing to me.

He clearly said, the Rutgers basketball team. He didn't say all Black women. He didn't even say the Tennessee basketball players.

If Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton feel so passionate about others needing to resign or be fired for making racist comments, BOTH of them should've resigned or should've been fired a long time ago.
These are two hypocrites, plain and simple.

These two men are benefitting from this scenario hand over foot.
Sharpton's getting free publicity for his talk show and Jackson's getting more publicity portraying him as the national spokesperson for Black people.
Both have made millions of dollars off the backs of racial situations such as this over the years.

The two guys are nothing more than political and social shysters disguised as men of the cloth and civil rights supporters.

They're simply getting their pockets full of doe.

:read: Very interesting comments.

 

[jag4life]

So let the players handle this their way. These adult women don't need any help from Al or any others outside of Rutgers U...

If no one else had mentioned it the girls would not have known about it to be able to handle it their way.

 

[Blacknbengal]

Exactly. This was addressed to the Rutgers Team, and THEM ALONE.
How people can classify Imus' statement as relating to ALL Black people is perplexing to me.

He clearly said, the Rutgers basketball team. He didn't say all Black women. He didn't even say the Tennessee basketball players.

If Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton feel so passionate about others needing to resign or be fired for making racist comments, BOTH of them should've resigned or should've been fired a long time ago.
These are two hypocrites, plain and simple.

These two men are benefitting from this scenario hand over foot.
Sharpton's getting free publicity for his talk show and Jackson's getting more publicity portraying him as the national spokesperson for Black people.
Both have made millions of dollars off the backs of racial situations such as this over the years.

The two guys are nothing more than political and social shysters disguised as men of the cloth and civil rights supporters.

They're simply getting their pockets full of doe.

Jay R, they did say "Jiggaboos and Wannabees" though.

Jigaboo, jiggabo, jijjiboo, zigabo, jig, jigg, jiggy, jigga, jigger
(U.S. & UK) a black person (JB) with stereotypical black features (dark skin, wide nose, big lips, etc.).

 

[GRAM4LIFE]

Other will have us redirect our attention towards topics such as rappers and their lyrics (as if all rappers are the same) and such to have us forget what the underlying topic of discussion is. They will try to distract you with critiquing who is the lead of getting Imus fired and try to discredit them while ignoring the reason for the uproar. Many forget that this is not this man's first time saying something like this. He has done it before. So, this is not just one slip up. Research Imus' past.

 

[SLT]

If no one else had mentioned it the girls would not have known about it to be able to handle it their way.

Mentioning it and taking up THEIR fight is two different things. These are young adult women who are capable of handling this themselves without others incorporating their agenda in it.

Let the Rutgers Ladies Basketball Team and the University(maybe) handle this! All it takes is for Al and whomever else to just step away and let these ladies take up THEIR situation with Imus.

 

[Warndalyn]

Black folks never cease to amaze me. :smh: Woe is us.

 

[CEE DOG]

Mentioning it and taking up THEIR fight is two different things. These are young adult women who are capable of handling this themselves without others incorporating their agenda in it.

Let the Rutgers Ladies Basketball Team and the University(maybe) handle this!

People told Dr. King and Malcom that also, but it didn't stop them.

 

[SLT]

People told Dr. King and Malcom that also, but it didn't stop them.

What people and told what?

Do you need a spokesperson to speak on your behalf NOW!

 

[Blacknbengal]

Next, they will resort to calling us this again.

And using these for advertisements.