Who's the Real Racist?

In the past month, Sonia Sotomayor has been called a lot of things - "not that smart," an "angry woman," and a "bully" with an "inflated opinion of herself." But of late, conservatives' favorite epithet has been "racist." Trading on her "wise Latina" speech and her decision in the New Haven firefighter case, men like Jeff Sessions, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly have tried to turn an accomplished Latina jurist into a pandering bigot incapable of impartiality.

This is the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that, if left unchallenged, gets accepted as part of our normal political discourse. That's why our organization, Presente Action, is running radio ads in Florida calling out members of Congress who represent Latino-heavy areas but refuse to denounce prominent media figures such as Limbaugh.

We must have hit a nerve, because both Limbaugh and O'Reilly gave the ads ample airtime on Monday, with Rush escalating his vitriol, saying Tuesday that Judge Sotomayor's collected comments are worse than George Allen's "macaca moment."

Why even respond to these baseless claims from the far right? Because real racism is something that people of color in this country still deal with every day, and it doesn't look anything like Sonia Sotomayor. Rather, it is Limbaugh and O'Reilly who consistently spew racist rhetoric even as they argue that America's racial problems are largely in the past, obviating the need for lowly "identity politics."

It's not difficult to find problematic clips from Bill and Rush, but it's worth noting a few of their lowest moments. Here's O'Reilly having a near coronary in his quest to demonize undocumented immigrants, who he refers to as "illegal aliens", not to mention his repeated use of the term "wetback." Limbaugh has called Mexicans "stupid and unqualified," and called L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa a "shoeshine boy."

There are real consequences when this country's most viewed conservative TV personalities spew out racist language like this. By dehumanizing Latinos, they create a climate that inevitably leads to racism and violence, particularly against immigrants. And the evidence bears this out. Members of the fast-growing Latino community are increasingly the targets of hate crimes, which have increased by 35% from 2003 to 2006.

One of the victims of this rising tide of hate was Luis Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant who was beaten to death in rural Pennsylvania late last year by a group of white teenagers yelling racial slurs, two of whom were acquitted of all serious charges by an all-white jury.

Nine-year-old Brisenia Flores met a similar fate, shot to death while she was sleeping, along with her father, Raul, by members of the Minutemen American Defense, which has ties to the leading anti-immigrant hate group, FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform). They entered the Flores home looking to steal funds for their vigilante activities.

Of course, those are just examples of racism in its most virulent - and violent - form. The everyday experience of prejudice is far more widespread. It is evidenced in the gap in pay between whites and people of color, and the stark difference between inner-city schools educating predominately children of color, and their largely white suburban counterparts. It is apparent in our swollen jails and prisons, where 70 percent of the population is non-white. And it is obvious in the scarcity of people of color in positions of authority, the kind of systemic discrimination that Judge Sotomayor fought as a student at Princeton.

Racism is also more subtle and pernicious. Indeed, it is embedded in the very notion that a Latina like Sonia Sotomayor is incapable of ruling fairly in a court of law, while white men like John Roberts or Samuel Alito face no such presumption of fidelity to their gender or ethnicities.

To anyone outside the right-wing echo chamber, it is hardly a stretch to recognize that racism is alive and well in the United States. But that is exactly why we cannot let allegations of Sotomayor's "racism" go unchallenged. The fight for our first Latina Supreme Court justice is just a small skirmish in a much bigger battle: for the definition of racism in 21st Century America.

We cannot let racism be defined as having a heritage and being proud of it; of being part of a community and seeking to advance its interests; of valuing and promoting diversity. Because if Sonia Sotomayor is a racist, then we will no longer have a word for the undeniable experience of millions of people of color who still face discrimination because of their skin or the country of their origin.

Favianna Rodriguez is a co-founder of Presente.org and Presente Action.

Comments

[DennyCrane]

Racism is alive and well. Just look at how many people still accuse Obama of lying of his citizenship. Would anyone have thought to raise that question if Obama was white and was named John Smith? Of course not. What's scary about today's racism is that the true racists don't even see their racism.

[papapj]

Did anybody ever question McCains citizenship? He was after all born in the Panama Canal zone...?

[redsongia]

The irony doesn't escape me that in decrying Sotomayor's racial pride, expressed in some speeches to other latino students, the all white, mostly southern GOP senators put all their racial and sexist stereotypes and attitudes on display...­ricky ricardo impressions from Sen. Coburn and anonymous comments of "temprement" from John McCain endorser Lyndsey Graham. It seems to imply that it's fine for a male president to be erratic and downright nasty, but a judge is not allowed to come down hard on a lawyer who is unprepared or offering a bad legal argument.

The confirmations do raise important questions for the future of our more multicultural investment of power in society and government.

1. Is it possible to discuss the positive contributions of any racial or cultural group without crossing into the negative connotations of "racism"?
2. The more racial minorities begin to gain positions of power, is it appropriate to strongly advocate advancement of their respective race?

I think Obama handles this second issue, the change in minority power, very well, by paying his respects to the past generations of racial advocates, takes advantage of the opportunities they created to the fullest extent, but never adopts their rhetoric of advancement of "the black man." It seems that in the future, advocacy and holding power positions can not be done by the same person. Perhaps it is why the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, successful advocates, were poor candidates for office and didn't resonate with the public.

[lbrty 2112]

“I would hope that a wise White man with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a L@tin@ female who hasn’t lived that life.”

Go ahead, spin that one..

[e4phil]

American bar associatio­n.. sounds like he was "well qualified" for the US court of appeals Columbia circuit.. and this part sucks worse.. LIBERAL interest groups sent dick durbin memos stating they were concerned about how Estrada's Latino heritage might affect his judgment!!! its also thought that democrats were worried about bush gaining points with Latinos so they blocked it! ideology drove the democrats to block Estrada IMO, which i understand. Estrada was a bush conservative and the dems blocked it, which is good. but for us democrats to call the GOP racist because they don't want sotomayor can be seen as hypocritical when you consider we could be viewed the same way. Democrats are better than that, we don't need to play the race card .. not needed, not welcome, sotomayor is well qualified and the GOP cant do a thing but look foolish. I HAVE shown evidence showing that democrats blocked Estrada because he was a bush conservative, just how the gop wants to block sotomayor because she is an obama liberal in their eyes.. calling people racist has no positive effect here.. sotomayor will be confirmed and the GOP will look worse...

[starmurray]

Thank you for reminding us that Luis Ramirez's murder is a hate crime. Brisenia Flores' murder by racists is a total injustice.
What you have here is so important. It's not only the subtle slurs or the unjust language that is commonly associated with immigrants, such as the false and historical use of the word "illegal aliens," commonly used to describe Latinos, it is the overt denial that these murders are hate crimes, backed by blatant and unapologetic racism.

[pons1595]

You are so spot on! As a white man of 66 years, I have watched my fellow whites act like a Frankenstein mob--racism as anthropomorphic entity--with their Bibles in one hand and guns in the other, harvesting "a strange fruit" throughout this nation. It was so obvious during the last election, so they seek a monster--anything different than them. It is gotten to be too much! So, sir, do what you must; don't let these heinous rascals slip between the floorboards. Sessions and his crew--repr­esentative of the people of their states? Shame on the whole bunch of them.

We've made some progress--at least they're careful to avoid expressing racism in front of me and like-minded whites, but gather them together and the Frankenstein mob begins to grumble. Let them get a whiff of someone different, and we have a movable Palin political rally.

[OlongapoEd]

jackbauer05 asks: "Is it wrong to actually call out people when they do wrong?"

For the usual suspects it is unforgivably heinous to call them out when they do wrong. They have little or no use for objective reality, and their sense of entitlement is so enormous, that they are livid when anybody makes a forthright statement detailing their transgressions. RL and his supporters (and far too many other like him/them) demonstrate that constantly.

[IllinoisTexan43]

Excellent post. I will never forget how demeaning and contemptable the questioning was to someone who is far more qualified than any that has been nominated before. I understand her rulings and her capacity must be questioned to determine qualification, but she did not deserve to be spoken to in the manner that she was. None of those republican senators had a modicum of respect for a woman as accomplished as she was. None of them.

[e4phil]

Lets be fair here and remember that us democrats filibustered bush's judicial nominee Miguel Estrada a few years ago. remember that? was that racist on the part of us? it goes both ways.. repubs should have just accepted the moderate Sotomayor while pointing out how us democrats filibustered their Latino nominee to us court of appeals.. Once again the GOP fails. I doubt all of the goper senators are racist.. But they do represent racist states. GOP messed this one up, sotomayor is a good nominee for THEM. Shes far less liberal that what i expected from obama.. disappointing no doubt.. but she'll do well and will help shore up the Latino for dems, which is vital for future growth..

[papapj]

There's nothing 'fair' about that at all.

Estrada was filibustered because of his qualifications and his record, not his ethnicity. If you beleive otherwise, please provide evidence which is akin to the racial roasting that Sonia received at the hands of the Repugnicans.

Yours is an argument of false equivalence.

Spin, spin, spin.....

[Gidster]

His filibuster was based on Estrada's lack of any prior judicial experience at the local, state, or federal level.
Democrats also objected to the refusal by the Office of the Solicitor General to release samples of Estrada's writings while employed there.

It had nothing to do with Estrada's race, or even his political affiliation!

Right Wing pundits have called Sotomayor a racist because in one lecture (Repeated several times) she wrote a single sentence that, taken out of context, seemed to put Latina women above white men.

And we can't have that now can we........­?

I am more interested in Sen. Sessions addiction to crack cocaine...­....

He merely mis-spoke, I did not have to dig into years old writings to find one sentence!

[marioninreno]

I was sickened by watching Senator Sessions, Kyl, Coburn (Mr C street) who were showing how racist they are. To imitate Dezi Arnez was so juvenile and racist. the thing that sickened me the most is these senators represent people who are just like them... it is so dishearten­ing.. but the heartening part is that Americans voted for Barack Obama who is a person of color, who represents the people these ignorant senators look down on! The times they are a changing.. we just have to wait til these old farts move on to retirement or get voted out!

[returnofthejedi]

Hopefulling we can get something dne about these gerrymandered congressional district. That would make the latter more likely! I am a Floridian and the Republican Governor (Charlie Crist) done away with parts of Floridas r@cist past by getting rid of a draconion restriction on the voting rights of many Floridians charged with crimes. The State went from Red in 2000 and 2004 to Blue in 2008 and beyond. So this another reason whycertain laws are aimed at certain communities.

[nia122]

The prision system in this country is the new plantation system. Poor people in this country are denied decent housing, decent food, quality education, and living wages. By poor, I am referring to all races, ethnicities and cultural groups. Consequently, many poor people end up in the judicial system. However, thus ystem is stacked against blacks and Latinos. (There is enough information out there to support this assertion). Moreover, most of the felons are incarcerated for non-violent crimes.

The reason I say it is the new plantation system should be obviousl. Prisons are run by private corporations which produce consumer products, etc. The inmates make approximately 25 cents per hour, while these companies make hughe profits. Isn't this the way this country amassed much of its wealth in the first place? White Anglo Saxon Prostestant males first tried to enslave the indigineous peoples. Tht didn't work out so well, so they enslaved the Africans. They provided them with inadequate food and shelter and paid them nothing, while they made huge profits. They also dienied them an education. Who needs an educated slave?

The fact that many people of color are successful in this country is actually amazing. The odds are against us. Try walking in those shoes.

[PL1612]

Hmmm. Racism is why so many minorities are in jails? I thought it was because these guys committed crimes (often violent) against members of their own communities. How about a little self responsibility?

[BlueFloyd]

who the heck said that? how did you read that into what was written??? How about a little self responsibility?

[returnofthejedi]

No slick, the overwhelming percentage of minoriies are in prison for non-violent crimes. The real reason why most minorities are in prisons and jails around this nation is the same reason the U.S. Economy is in shambles. The people don't have access to good jobs in order to be productive citizens and so they turn to things like drugs and petty crimes. America is now feeling the effects of years and decades of systematic racism in corporate america. Anything else slick?

[Genisa]

co-sign

[QUO-VADIS]

"The real reason why most minorities are in prisons and jails around this nation is the same reason the U.S. Economy is in shambles. "

Alway an excuse for bad behavior, there are plenty of poor who never go to jail or do bad things. If the majority of poor can stay good there is NO EXCUSE for the others to go bad.
They do it by their own choice.

[Gidster]

Non violent crimes, or three petty crime convictions can net a shoplifter, or pot smoker 25-Life...­.

That is what he's talking about PL..... The system is aimed at minorities more so than whites...L­ook at the Jena 6, a school yard fight, because some white students hung nooses in a tree, the white kids are sent home, the black kids are charged wit attempted murder, for a "Victim" that was treated for cuts and bruises...­...

There is much evidence of this bias in every community.

[porsche996]

All of this wise latina comment stuff is red herring. It's dsitracting the examination of her real judicial record of slavish adherence ot procedure such taht hse kept an innocent man (convicted by NY city detectives lies at 16) in prison an dditonal 6 years because his attorrneys didn't follow by the book protocol. I would much rather see her explain that, and bring attention of our media and country to those issues than discuss the FACT that all of us are racists because we were raised Here in these racist institutions.

From Allison Kilkenny's blog:

"Deskovic's testimony raises a couple interesting questions. Does Sonia Sotomayor place procedure over innocence, even when the proof of a prisoner's innocence is as clear as in Jeffrey Deskovic's case? Secondly, are US Senators now playing a game of politics during the confirmation hearing of Sotomayor by willfully omitting negative testimony of the judge in order to smooth the way for her ascension to the Supreme Court?"

[Gidster]

That is the job of the appellate court. to look at the evidence and to make sure the procedures were followed.

She follows the law, that is her job.

[nia122]

As an African-American female, I am in general agreement with this author. However, she is wrong when she says that we need to develop a definition for "racisim." There is a generally accepted definition of this term. It has two parts:
1. It is the belief that your race is the superior race.
2. You must have the power, ie. the institutions to maintain your position of superiority.
Pride in the accomplishments of ones race is not unlike pride in ones self. Moreover, working in collaboration with others to ensure that ones interests are futhered and that ones rights are guranteed is an established tradition in this country. No one should be surprised that those who currently wield power are not just stepping aside and handing it over. Maureen Dowd said it best, when she entitled her op-ed piece "The White Man's Last Stand."
The struggle for "equality and equty" will always exist., unless human beings come to recognize that there are enough resources for every one. But we would have to believe that we are really spirit beings. I am not going to hold my breath wating for that to happen.
In the meantime, those of us who want "equality and equity for all," must be vigilant in furthering this goal, We must never lose heart. And, we must celbrate every vicotry. Hopefully, we will be celebrating the vicotry of seeing Judge Sotomayer confirmed as the first Latina on the United States Supreme Court.

[porsche996]

you use the definition of racialism not racism.

Racism defined is "theory that human abilities are determined by race."

[papapj]

I would beg to differ and opine that you are defining racialism, not racism.


If truth be known, many White Americans are not "prejudiced," and do not harbor hostility or faulty generalizations about other racial groups, but nonetheless resist change in the nation's racial structure.

Racism extends considerably beyond prejudiced beliefs. The essential feature of racism is not hostility or misperception, but rather the defense of a system from which advantage is derived on the basis of race.

The defense of White supremacy.

The manner in which the defense is articulated - either with hostility or subtlety - is not nearly as important as the fact that it insures the continuation of a privileged relationship. Thus it is necessary to broaden the definition of racism beyond prejudice to include sentiments that in their consequence, if not in their intent, support the racial status quo.


The denial becomes evident when salient facts, such as the disparity in incarceration rates are pointed out to Whites who usually prefer to defend the intrinsically racist justice system rather than question further their own beleifs...­.The stronger White brothers among us know and acknowledge the reality...­.

[RightWingMarine]

I believe that Justice Ginsburg should be called out to explain her comment in the New York Times:
“Yes, the ruling [in Harris v. McRae that the federal government does not have to pay for elective abortions] surprised me. Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/magazine/12ginsburg-t.html?pagewanted=4&_r=1&sq=Ruth%20Bader%20Ginsburg&st=cse&scp=2

Somehow that conservative think tank NYTimes and the rest of the right wing media neglected to ask even a single follow-up question to that comment.

[Gidster]

Sen. Graham also gushed his apologies over Alito, for the question even being asked as to his membership in a Princeton University club that actively lobbied the school to limit women and minority student enrollment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnNo5t5jjZg