How Sarah Palin Has Excluded African-Americans
On April 29, 2008, 14 leaders of Alaska's black community met with Gov. Sarah Palin to voice discontent with her minority hiring record. Palin's response, which was first reported by journalist Earl Ofari Hutchinson, only compounded her icy relationship with her African-American constituents.
Gwen Alexander, the president of the African-American Historical Society of Alaska, told me that Palin stated defiantly that she had no intention to hire any minority staffers. And according to Bishop Dave Thomas, senior pastor of Anchorage-based African-American church Jesus Holy Temple, the Palin administration excluded black business owners from the Alaskan oil and gas pipeline board. "We wasn't even able or allowed to go into the meetings" to seek contracts for the pipeline, Thomas told me.
Palin further alienated Alaska's black community by becoming the first Alaskan governor in recent memory to not recognize the Juneteenth celebration of the emancipation proclamation. "She doesn't hire any black people, she doesn't have any on her staff, so it's not a surprise that she doesn't support our Juneenth celebration," Alexander said.
These revelations and many more are contained in my latest video, which was produced with support from the Nation Institute Investigative Fund.
Update: Sarah Palin's rural affairs director has abruptly resigned, citing Palin's lack of commitment to hiring Native Americans.
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Why does this surprise anyone... isn't this the chick who said, "the Sambo beat the B*tch" after the primary?????
I'm not a Palin supporter but I'm not buying that she said that without irrefutable proof. When we start accepting rumor and the "I heard's" as truth without proof, then we can't complain when the same is done against Obama. Someone has to have some ethics here and since Obama doesn't stoop to the levels his opponents so easily do, I'm not buying she said that even if I believe that and much worse gets said by the whole family behind closed doors.
Thank you Mr. Blumenthal...this is an importtant story.
Palin on Obama: “He doesn’t see America the way you and I see America.”
This article certainly sheds new light on that statement.
Translation: “That black man doesn’t see America the way we white folks see America. Be afraid...be very afraid.”
How pathetic.To think that I had more African Americans attend my Bar mitzvah than Sarah Palin has in her administration makes you really wonder what the hell was McCain thinking.
She is racist. The Obama camp must press her to answer these charges.
The McCain camp made it clear that their strategy for the last month is attack, attack and attack Obama's character. If all what Obama is planning to do is ignore the attack (like Kerry) he will lose. Any day the Obama's don't attack Palin and McCain on their character (on top of the positive economic/national security message) is a day they leave the field for negative campgaining for McCain to rule. That means doubt in voters minds about Obama that transates to votes for McCain on election day when these voters walk into the poll booth. That's the whole idea of negative campaigning. It is more than needed when you are being attacked.
I guess George Bush isn't the only politician that doesn't care about black people.
While I certainly don't think Dubya cares about Black people I think he safely can be cleared of the charge of racism. After all, one of his three "wives" is Black, and Secretary of State. His previous Secretary of State was Black. His head of the FCC is Black. Then again I don't believe Dubya cares about ANYBODY who isn't a rich drinking bud.
Of all of Bush's many flaws, and heaven knows when they were handing them out he got in like twice, the one I truly don't believe he has is racism.
What amazes me is more African-Americans were murdered in one week in my city, Chicago, then have been murdered in Alaska in ten years.........Yet, everybody is only pointing-fingers at Alaska.
I thought Diddy said that Alaska doesn't have any black people.
So, what's your point?
Black people help subsidize this culture of corruption - otherwise known as Alaska -- to the tune of a stunning 1/3 of their annual State Budget w/the Federal tax dollars of ALL Americans. Ditto, their no. 1 rank as PORKER of the year.
We won't be subsidizing these secessionists and white supremecists much longer. Believe it.
15% of the second largest city, fairbanks is black and they have had a black mayor (Hayes). Anchorage, the largest city with 42 percent of the states population is about 6% black.
Blacks make up a significant percentage of the high population areas of Alaska. Aside from the city proper, you have significant numbers of blacks on the numerous military bases throughout Alaska.
I am not surprised, because she doesn't even have any native Alaskans on her board, or in her immediate employ either. To also note, I believe her husband's grandmother is a full bloodied Native Alaskan, and yet not to have any on her board.
She is not worth the words we write, and not worth the effort it takes to write them.
Check out Palin's record on Diversity:
http://earlofarihutchinson.blogspot.com/2008/09/palins-blank-sheet-on-diversity-and.html
According to the first link in your article, the one to the journalist, Palin’s press secretary was part African-American and that two of her senior advisors were Filipino and Korean.
Perhaps that is why this isn't getting picked up by the mainstream media.
And if she really did say that, why wasn't there an immediate lawsuit?
I do think Palin is really wrong for this country, but it seems more harmful to one's own side, to throw unsubstantiated charges out there that are easily disproven. I think we have enough 'facts' to turn people off to her, we don't need to resort to tabloid fodder.
It's interesting that a gov in NY hires a prostitute and it's national news but the gov of AK makes a blatent racist comment and it goes unnoticed until she is running for VP? Yeah that seems plausible.
As for not celebrating Junteeth, that is the day that the Emanciaption Proclamtion began being enforced in TX. Why would AK (which was part of another sovereign country at the time and had no interest in the newly freed slaves thousands of miles away) celebrate a TX holiday?
As for not having any blacks in her administration. According to the 2000 census only 5% of the people in Alaska are black and I'm betting most didn't apply for government jobs. It seems plausible that since they comprise such a small amount of the population that someone of a different ethnicity who was also applying was better qualified for the job.
Wow your last sentence was such a racist assumption.
I had no racist intent I was merely trying to convey that no matter how good someone is at something someone else is even better. Since only 5 out of 100 people in Alaska are black and all five probably didn't apply for a government job then chances are good that someone else would be more qualified and thus get the job.
Exactly! That's why I take white people as distant till they prove otherwise. Maybe she has an axe to grind since she lost Miss Alaska to a black woman.
Your assertion may be correct re: Alaska, but how about non-white representation is Souless John's campaign?
I don't understand what Alaska's status in 1865 has to do with anybody celebrating, or not celebrating, anything in 2008. I suppose by that logic they wouldn't celebrate Independence Day either. Or Thanksgiving. And when would they celebrate Christmas?
Juneteenth is celebrated all over the country. Not everybody cares about it as a holiday, but I think it's a pretty good way for the end of slavery to be joyfully commemorated.
Juneteenth, RightWingMarine, is NOT a Texas holiday; it's a national and international recognition of slaves in Texas finding out, 2 years after the issuance of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamaton and 2 months after President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, that they were FREE. It's also a metaphorical history lesson about justice and freedom promised to -- and then denied to -- blacks in this nation. Find out more about Juneteenth at www.juneteenth.com/htm.
Juneteenth has been celebrated in Anchorage, Alaska for more than 30 years, and was celebrated in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2006. Not coincidentally, those two Alaskan cities have statistically significant black populations. But ultimately that's no excuse. Why wouldn't a city, state or national government (or its elected officials) not recognize and commemorate a celebration of FREEDOM, regardless of the demographics? BTW, Hawaii, which wasn't a part of the United States at the time Juneteenth began and became a state after Alaska, has Juneteenth celebrations.
If your proportionalism argument is to hold water, then many Southern states with at least 30% of their populations being black should be doing better with black representation in government, shouldn't they? As to your assertion that most blacks didn't apply for government jobs in Alaska, might that be because you think they're on government assistance?...(Continued)
(Continued)...And for the plausibility of your argument that "someone of a different ethnicity who was also applying was better qualified for the job," is that code for your disdain for affirmative action and based in the racist assumption that blacks wouldn't be qualified for the jobs anyway? You certainly don't support your assertion with any objective evidence.
To have a United States governor in 2008 say that she "(has) no intention to hire any minority staffers" and to exclude black business owners from the Alaskan oil and gas pipeline board, well, that explains a lot, doesn't it? With the exception of Pastor Murthee, the witch doctor who’s African and not African-American, one has to wonder how many people of color Palin actually knows.
I don't know what America Palin lives in, but the one I live in, the real one, actually has people of different ethnicities in it. Ironically, and perhaps for the first time during this campaign, Palin's 100% correct on something: she does see America differently than Barack Obama.
The problem for Palin is that she sees it differently than tens of millions of her fellow Americans.
And some of them vote, too.
Well, since some of her buddies are John Birchers...it's not that surprising. She has no right to be a leader.
Palin lacks depth and intelligence and humility and respect and honor and any real knowledge about he world outside of Alaska. At least as far as I can tell...
Obama/Biden '08
Keep HOPE alive
The Ice Queen cometh ...
Isn't this a surprise! Her autocratic attitude never ceases to amaze me. Yea she is quite the gal,but remember "she can see Russia from her house!"
Personally I think she really should go and have that eye twitch checked, I would hate to see her get any blinder than she already is! Arlene from Wisconsin
While she is out there spewing the ugly things about Obama that their racist base wants to hear...the media should expose her for the bigot that she really is. I had read this article before and have sent it to the media and you guessed it! nothing has been said about the fact that has nothing to do with African Americans!
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