Jesse Jackson Another View

We Shall Overcome Jesse Jackson

By Elizabeth Wright

Jesse Jackson and other liberal black elites understand well that the only power they possess comes through their influence within and over the black masses. To guarantee their success as brokers for their own elite class, for whom they extract sundry affirmative action perks, they must appear to maintain a firm attachment to the "downtrodden underclass." It is this underclass that is held up to whites, to preserve white fear of potential riots and mayhem. And it is the prospect of turmoil and pandemonium that underlies all the successful wheeling and dealing pulled off by these black elites.

Jackson & Co. understand that, in order to keep a firm fix on the loyalty of their followers, uppermost in the minds of the black masses must be the belief that their "leaders" are always there for them. "We are here for you when those bad white people don't serve you quickly enough in a restaurant; we are here for you when those mean whites arrest you for crimes you've committed; and we are here for you even when they kick you out of school for being menaces."

Decades of white cowardice and acquiescence have come about due to fear of possible black rioting and social disruption. Through ongoing demonstrations and protest marches, black elites keep the apprehension alive that mass bedlam is still the bottom line--that black leaders still have the power to unleash "black rage." In the Decatur case, when the heads of the NAACP saw that Jackson's usual ability to intimidate might be slipping, and there might be a compromise of sorts, they realized they had to get involved. Not being fools, they understand that the status of black leaders, from Jesse Jackson to Al Sharpton to Kweisi Mfume, is dependent upon their image--not only among the black masses, but among whites as well. The public image of black leaders is one that shows them with a mastery for getting whites to capitulate to demands.

Who could fail to be impressed, and even a little cowed, when observing the ability of black bigwigs to summon powerful men like Donald Trump, Alan Greenspan and other chiefs of mega-corporations to financial extortion sessions, and make these men look happy to be there? [See Lawsuit Gravy Train: Doing It the Black Way] Who would think of challenging the will of such an apparently mighty black leadership?

Over several decades, whites have meekly submitted to blackmail and racial chicanery for the sake of peace, and the assurance that there will be no future "long, hot summers." But peace at what price? A dubious peace that has brought the country insidious laws that pervert the Constitution, in order to appease the elites of preferred groups. A peace that has set legal precedents for the persecution of whites especially. A counterfeit peace that transforms all opponents into "racists" and "white supremacists."

In a press release of Nov. 15, Jesse Lee Peterson, black writer and head of Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, calls for a "national repudiation" of Jesse Jackson and his ilk. Says Peterson: "It is time this man is exposed for what he is--a cold, selfish manipulator. Really just a racist demagogue." He describes Jackson as one who waits for the next ugly race episode. "Time and time again, he lays in wait, only to spring up when he can inflame a racial situation. He does not care a whit about those thugs he is protecting, or the rest of the students. These boys need to be dealt with properly, not encouraged to be wrong."

Peterson calls for all Americans to stand up against Jackson. "We must set aside the color issue, which often causes people to tread lightly, and simply deal with the wrong actions of this man. If a white man were advocating lenient punishment on six white thugs, this country would not stand for it." Peterson wryly claims, "We shall overcome Jesse Jackson." Isn't it about time for Americans to overcome this man and his entire conniving entourage?


Elizabeth Wright is an African-American writer and editor of the Issues & Views Magazine and blog. Her articles were also published in Issues & Views.