I cannot speak for the late Miss Lena Horne, but I can't imagine she would think that this was a good idea. Oh, no. Oh, Hell no. |
And for very good reason. African Americans have been used, abused, been demonized and mistreated in the U.S. And in Baltimore, they have received the short end of the stick for far, far too long. I cannot list the indignities, but when things heated up over the murder of Freddie Gray, over two years ago, they boiled over.
Add to that the mishandling of the charges against the police officers involved in the Freddie Gray case, and other indignities foisted upon the black community since then and you understand that the tensions are just has high.
INTO THIS comes some idiot at the Baltimore Book Festival who booked Rachel Dolezal - the White woman who pretended to be black and ran the Spokane NAACP office - to make an appearance for her new book, In Full Color: Finding my way in a black and white world to appear at the event.
Shit, Cookie says.
Seriously. What the hey.
A friend said to me "So now she's an author?"
My friend Nita said "They invited the female Sideshow Bob? Here? Really? Really?"
This was a terrifically bad idea. Especially at what looks to be at the end of a long, hot summer.
I cannot speak for the Black community, but I know as a gay man that if someone had booked John Paulk (The former head of Exodus International - the pray away the gay people - who got caught hustling drinks in Mr. P's a number of years ago) to speak at the Baltimore Pride festival, Cookie would put his foot down. The paunchy Mr. Paulk ain't welcome here. And that is the nicest thing I can say about it.
But thankfully, either some came to their senses or their was a come to Jesus meeting, someone might have had a foot up their ass, but the "invitation has been rescinded."
I don't wish any bad on the woman, she just needs to find an apology, find a different message and stop acting like she has the right to speak for people who can speak better than her on issues of their identity.
May cooler heads prevail.
Source: Baltimore Sun
Comments
Post a Comment
What's yer beef, Hon?