by Imani Evans

(NNPA) - The never-ending battle over historical memory has become a high-profile tableau in Texas. On May 21, the 15-member State Board of Education will make its final vote on the revised social studies standards that will largely determine what students will be taught about U.S. history - including such hotly contested issues as civil rights, the Great Society, anticommunism and the separation of church and state - for the next 10 years. What have made this round of revisions a national story are the unabashed efforts of the seven-member bloc of Republicans on the board to rewrite history with a decidedly conservative spin.

“[The proposed standards] serve a two-fold purpose,” said Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe. “One is to minimize Blacks and Latinos, their accomplishments, their efforts, even suggesting that the successes that minorities have had is a result of White benevolence rather than minority agitation. ... The other part is that what they’re proposing would brainwash students. They’re adopting a curriculum that would teach individuals that the Republican philosophy is the proper philosophy in that they should become Republican.”

The NAACP has been one among a handful of organizations - others include League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Alliance for Education and the American G.I. Forum - fighting a rear guard action against the impending changes through impassioned testimony at Board hearings and efforts to mobilize their members statewide.

When implemented, the standards will dictate to textbook publishers what their books must contain in order to be adopted in the huge Texas market. And as far as textbooks are concerned, what happens in Texas doesn’t stay in Texas. Since Texas is one of a few states that purchases textbooks as a state rather than leaving it up to local districts, and because Texas is second-largest in population (after California), there is a strong economic incentive for publishers to skew the content of their books - even those that will be sold in other states - toward what will find favor in the Lone Star State.

The process began in January with the assignment of each grade level to teams of writers comprised mainly of subject matter experts. Once it began to appear, however, that the writing teams’ work would not sufficiently conform to the wishes of the conservative bloc, that faction, led by Don McLeroy of Bryan-College Station, began to take a more active role in shaping the final product.

McLeroy, elected to the Board in 1998 and serving as chair from July 2007 until May 2009, describes his mission as one of advocating for “accurate, balanced and unbiased” history, even as he allows that people may respectfully disagree on what counts as “accurate” history.

However, in a quote given in a recent article in Washington Monthly, McLeroy is less coy about what he himself considers unbiased history: “But we are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel. Then I see how they treat Ronald Reagan – he needs to get credit for saving the world from communism and for the good economy over the last twenty years because he lowered taxes.”

Among the tangible results of the McLeroy view of history, according to critics: a retelling of the story of civil rights as being less about minority struggle and more about the generosity of Whites; relegation of Thomas Jefferson to the margins because of his views on church-state separation; an attempt to rehabilitate the infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy; and inclusion of language alluding to the “unintended consequences” of LBJ’s Great Society.

“These subjective, biased revisions turn the very notion of civil rights on its head, ignoring the clear historical record of organizing by women and ethnic minorities to gain equal rights in the face of majority opposition,” said the NAFE in a letter to the Board. “It would be an insult to those Americans who sacrificed so much – in some cases, their lives – for the cause of civil rights to present this skewed view of history in our public school classrooms.”

Amendments to the curriculum proposed by the Board’s minority members such as Mavis B. Knight of Dallas and Mary Helen Berlanga have been repeatedly stymied by party-line votes, leading Knight to charge the Board’s conservative members with subordinating history to their own ideological agenda. Berlanga’s unsuccessful effort to increase the number of Latino role models in the curriculum reportedly led her to storm out of the Board’s March 12 meeting.

“What is at stake is that our youth are going to be put so far behind the curve when we allow the [Board] to record as they would like it to have been rather than the way it was,” said San Antonio NAACP president Marvinette Smith, a co-signer of the NAFE letter.

In theory, textbook publishers could produce one textbook for Texas, and another for everyone else. But this usually proves too costly in practice. And California, the one state large enough - and liberal enough - to counterbalance Texas, has put off purchasing new textbooks until 2014 because of its budget woes.

In other words, what happens on May 21 will likely make a large and irreversible splash in the contentious waters of history teaching in Texas and beyond.

Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner

by Betty Anne Williams

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and one of America’s foremost religious, political and civil rights leaders, received the 2010 Louis E. Martin Great American Award from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies at the organization’s 40th Anniversary Gala Dinner on Tue., April 27, at the Ritz Carlton in Northwest.

Jackson was recognized for his half-century of activism and leadership in human and civil rights and non-violent social change. The Center also noted Jackson for his efforts to expand political engagement and participation in communities of color, a key Joint Center objective over its four decades of service as a leading research and policy institution.

Jackson joins former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), boxer Muhammad Ali, lawyer and civil rights leader Vernon Jordan, Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and civil rights activist Dr. Dorothy I. Height in receiving the Joint Center’s highest award, which is named for the distinguished Black journalist, presidential advisor and principal founder of the organization. Each year, the Joint Center honors an individual who has promoted racial harmony while championing policies that have made a difference in American society.

“We honor Reverend Jackson for his longstanding commitment to reaching across racial and economic fault lines, healing divisions, and focusing on what unites Americans as a people,” said Joint Center President and CEO Ralph B. Everett during the presentation.

“His historic presidential campaigns in the 1980s, along with his abiding commitment over the years to advancing civic and political engagement among people of color, has energized citizens to participate in the process and has greatly advanced the number of Black elected officials nationwide,” Everett said. "Because of him, the prospect of a person of color becoming President of the United States was no longer a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when.’”

During his acceptance speech, Jackson encouraged an audience of government, business, civic and community leaders from across the country to continue to press for citizen engagement and activism as the best route to greater equality.

“The goal of our struggle was not freedom, but equality,” he said.

“And we do not yet have true equality in our country. We should not shout in victory before the game is over. We have miles to go.”

Jackson praised the Joint Center as playing a historic role in enabling civil rights activists “to fight inequality with facts.”

With this year’s theme of “Research – Empowerment – Engagement,” the event raised more than $1.377 million for the Joint Center, a research and policy institution that focuses on the concerns of people of color.

Special to the NNPA from the Washington Informer

by Ashahed M. Muhammad

CHICAGO (NNPA) - The idea of coordinated military action to counteract gang related violent crime is not a new idea, however, it appears to be gaining traction among some lawmakers as the number of those killed in many cities across America continues to rise.

“Gang activity and its resulting violence have taken a toll on my community for far too long,” stated Illinois State Representative Lashawn Ford, a Democrat. “The Military Code of Illinois specifically states that it is the duty of the governor to deploy such force as he deems necessary in order to suppress individuals acting together and committing violence in violation of our laws. Enough is enough. We've already lost too many lives. We need action now.”

At a joint press conference on April 25, Rep. Ford and fellow Illinois House of Representatives Democrat John Fritchey called upon Governor Pat Quinn to bring in National Guard troops to bolster the presence of law enforcement in areas of the city that have been the hardest hit by crime.

“As we speak, National Guard members are working side-by-side with our troops to fight a war halfway around the world,” said Rep. Fritchey. “The unfortunate reality is that we have another war that is just as deadly taking place right in our backyard.”

The sense of urgency in Rep. Ford's words is surely caused by the pressure of his constituents. Rep. Ford's 8th District encompasses parts of Chicago's West Side, specifically, a notoriously violent neighborhood called Austin. By contrast, Rep. Fritchey's 11th District encompasses parts of the city's more affluent North Side.

The statistics are alarming. Approximately 80 percent of the murder victims have been Black, and, according to Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis, most violent crime occurs in just 9 percent of Chicago's blocks. However, Supt. Weis, who served six years in the military, is on record as being against bringing in the National Guard.

Rep. Ford told The Final Call that his call for the National Guard should not be looked upon as a slight or a criticism of Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis, nor is it a call for heavily armed military personnel menacingly walking the streets; however, it is clear that Supt. Weis and the Chicago Police need help.

“If you say that you need the National Guard, you can very well possibly need some federal dollars to get some help with the police, but if you are telling everyone that you don't need any help, then you eliminate your chances for possibly lobbying for federal dollars,” said Rep. Ford. “If you say that you can't solve the 9 percent, then one thing that you can do if you have more bodies, then you will be able to deter crime in those areas because you have more presence,” he added.

Just one year ago, Supt. Weis and law enforcement officials took credit for the fact that homicides had dropped 20 percent in Chicago for the first four months of 2009 compared with the same four-month period in 2008. By the end of April 2009 there were 108 homicides, 26 fewer than for the same period in 2008. Supt. Weis credited the work of his officers, and the establishment of several specialized crime units directly targeting street organizations and crime hot spots.

In the summer of 2009, Supt. Weis ordered all plainclothes officers to wear their full uniform when on duty. This included many gang enforcement and tactical officers. The department also held a highly publicized series of roll calls in order to show the community that Chicago police would be more visible. He also redeployed many administrative officers to street patrols. The department has ordered more powerful weapons, expanded the use of Taser guns, and Chicago's “blue-light” cameras appear to be almost everywhere.

Recently, he announced the establishment of a rapid-response technology initiative which will make a block-by-block computer crime data analysis available to patrol officers.

In 2010, 113 people have been killed in Chicago, the exact number of those killed during combat in Afghanistan. In the most recent embarrassment, an April 2 press conference being held by Supt. Weis at the location of an earlier shooting was abruptly ended when gunfire from another shooting erupted in the vicinity. Recently, a 20-month-old girl was killed by a bullet intended for her father.

Shortly after the death of Derrion Albert in September 2009, the Rev. Jesse Jackson called for the National Guard to be brought into the city. Many community activists criticized him and decried the notion, however, now, some seven months later, many are asking, why not a coordinated military effort in violent areas, especially if nothing else has worked?

Pat Hill, a justice studies professor at Northeastern Illinois University and the executive director of the African-American Police League, believes those calling for the National Guard are “cowards.”

“Specifically, those who are 50 and older know better because we have experienced and witnessed the National Guard being used domestically,” said Prof. Hill, also a retired Chicago police officer. “If we recall after the assassination of Dr. King, in New Jersey the National Guard killed 60 people. I don't understand how the elders could go for this. If you think the police will shoot you … the National Guard will kill you and that's really all there is to it! Those who are calling for the National Guard are cowards. I think they don't want to deal with it. They know that the National Guard will kill our kids,” she said.

Long-time Austin resident Dorothy Jones, 71, disagrees. She told The Final Call she is in favor of the call to bring in the National Guard. She has lived in the West Side neighborhood for over 30 years and has watched it transform from a place where young children could play outside, to a place where most residents are afraid to leave their homes. She has four grandchildren and said she worries about their safety constantly.

“They can't play, they can't go outside and ride their bikes, you have to wonder and worry and pray that they will be safe!” said Ms. Jones “They can't do things that we did as children. They are held hostage.”

Street Gangs: The New Insurgents?

In a report titled “Street Gangs: The New Urban Insurgency” written by Dr. Max G. Manwaring, a Professor of Military Strategy in the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the U.S. Army War College, he drew a parallel between “contemporary criminal street gangs” and the insurgencies that are seen in Iraq and Afghanistan “in terms of the instability it wreaks upon government and the concomitant challenge to state sovereignty.”

Prof. Manwaring points out that that in many cases the ultimate objective of many gangs and/or organized “non-state actors” have as their ultimate objective, destabilizing or deposing the current governmental authorities in order to create a condition of lawlessness that would allow them to control the areas in question. This would enable them to either establish or continue their illicit commercial enterprises such as narcotic sales and intimidation of business owners unhindered by a coordinated governmental response. Control of this “nonstate battle space”—as termed by Prof. Manwaring—such as an urban environment allows for the establishment of psychological dominance and rule by fear of the residents of the area.

In describing the importance of understanding the “half-criminal and half-political nature of the gang phenomenon,” Prof. Manwaring writes that many leaders underestimate the potential consequences of failing to act against these “nontraditional political actors.”

“At best, many leaders consider these nontraditional political actors to be low-level law enforcement problems, and, as a result, many argue that they do not require sustained national security policy attention. Yet, more than half of the countries in the world are struggling to maintain their political, economic, and territorial integrity in the face of diverse direct and indirect nonstate?including criminal gang?challenges.”

He continues, “The violent, intimidating, and corrupting activities of illegal internal and transnational nonstate actors?such as urban gangs?can abridge sovereign state powers and negate national and regional security.”

Calls for the National Guard to be deployed are not just limited to Chicago. In fact, several members of Congress wrote a joint letter to Pres. Barack Obama on April 28 calling on him “to take action to address this growing national security threat on our southern border.”

They are asking for National Guard troops to be deployed with the “very clear guidance of proper rules of engagement and should be armed and allowed to defend themselves if fired upon or attacked.”

Critics see this as a dangerous, not only for ordinary citizens but also for law enforcement officials. National Guard troops are routinely deployed in cases such as natural disasters, however, for them to be deployed in the case of actual law enforcement and patrols other than during a national emergency, such as an urban rebellion, would be unprecedented.

For the time being, Gov. Quinn has rejected the idea of sending in the National Guard to supplement the Chicago police. In a recent press conference, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said the problem is the amount of guns on the street and in the hands of criminals.

This is a position shared by Michael Walsh of the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (ICPGV). He believes calls for the National Guard are a sign of growing frustration with violent crime levels, but not the solution.

“It’s just the frustration that something needs to be done. We can't go through another week and every time you turn around there's another report of senseless gun violence. At the same time, before we get to bringing in the National Guard and having a military presence on our streets, there are other things that we can be focusing on to get those guns off the street.”

The ICPGV is active in pressuring state and federal courts to tighten restrictions on gun ownership and strengthening penalties for illegal gun sales and ownership. In addition, anti-gun activists are calling on Congress to reinstate the federal ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, which expired in 2004.

“My neighbor across the street got shot in the stomach last August by a 14-year-old kid,” said Walsh. “There are just too many guns in the wrong hands.”

Special to the NNPA from the Final Call

PEARL, Miss. (NNPA) - Although the death toll remains at six, new reports show that the number of destroyed and damaged homes continue to rise due to the devastating May 1 storm systems that caused major flooding and produced two tornadoes in North Mississippi. Nearly 250 residences were destroyed or have major damage and 482 homes received minor damage. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency personnel and the Mobile Operations Command Center have been in the affected counties since the storm hit.

MEMA also distributed tarps and water to assist victims.

The following counties are reporting damages to the State Emergency Operations Center in Pearl:

• Alcorn: One death; 10 homes and seven mobiles homes destroyed; 107 homes and 40 apartments with major damage; 13 homes with minor; 100 roads with major damage; 11 bridges with minor damage; one publicly owned building with major damage; three nonprofit utilities with major damage; assistance needed with shelter support.

• Benton: Two deaths; four injuries; 11 homes and 13 mobile homes destroyed; seven homes and three mobile homes with major damage; 56 homes and 23 mobile homes with minor damage; 10 injuries; 20 roads with major damage; 40 roads with minor damage; one bridge with major damage; 75 people displaced.

• Lafayette: One death; two homes/ mobile homes destroyed; two homes with major damage and 40 homes with minor damage; shelters are closed, but monitoring needs of victims; clean-up efforts continue.

• Lee: One death; one home with minor damage; trees downs; one bridge with major damage

• Marshall: Twenty one homes/ mobile homes with minor damage; 8 roads with major damage; 17 roads with minor damage.

• Montgomery: Two homes and six roads with minor damage.

• Prentiss: Ten roads and two bridges with major damage; 100 roads minor damage; city of Booneville issues proclamation.

• Tippah: Six homes/mobile homes destroyed; 29 homes/mobile homes with major damage; 58 homes/mobile homes with minor damage; Nine roads destroyed; eight roads with major damaged; two roads with minor damage; two bridges destroyed; one public building with major damage; one nonprofit building with major damage; city of Ripley issues proclamation.

• Tishomingo: Nine homes with major damage; one mobile home with major damage; one business with minor damage which is a church that has two buildings; nine roads destroyed; six roads with major damage; 16 roads with minor damage; five bridges/culvert destroyed; three bridges/culverts with major damage.

• Union: One death; 14 homes and 6 mobile homes with minor damage; 15 businesses with minor damage; 28 roads with major damage; one bridge with major damage; one public owned building with minor damage.

• Webster: One injury reported; one home with minor damage; two roads destroyed; three roads with major damage; 70 roads with minor damage.

To report damages contact your local emergency management office. Homeowners with flooding should contact their local floodplain administrator.

For more information, contact the State Emergency Joint Information Center at 866-920-MEMA (6362), or visit us online at www.msema.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook using the keyword MSEMA.

PEARL, Miss. (NNPA) - Although the death toll remains at six, new reports show that the number of destroyed and damaged homes continue to rise due to the devastating May 1 storm systems that caused major flooding and produced two tornadoes in North Mississippi. Nearly 250 residences were destroyed or have major damage and 482 homes received minor damage. Mississippi Emergency Management Agency personnel and the Mobile Operations Command Center have been in the affected counties since the storm hit.

MEMA also distributed tarps and water to assist victims.

The following counties are reporting damages to the State Emergency Operations Center in Pearl:

• Alcorn: One death; 10 homes and seven mobiles homes destroyed; 107 homes and 40 apartments with major damage; 13 homes with minor; 100 roads with major damage; 11 bridges with minor damage; one publicly owned building with major damage; three nonprofit utilities with major damage; assistance needed with shelter support.

• Benton: Two deaths; four injuries; 11 homes and 13 mobile homes destroyed; seven homes and three mobile homes with major damage; 56 homes and 23 mobile homes with minor damage; 10 injuries; 20 roads with major damage; 40 roads with minor damage; one bridge with major damage; 75 people displaced.

• Lafayette: One death; two homes/ mobile homes destroyed; two homes with major damage and 40 homes with minor damage; shelters are closed, but monitoring needs of victims; clean-up efforts continue.

• Lee: One death; one home with minor damage; trees downs; one bridge with major damage

• Marshall: Twenty one homes/ mobile homes with minor damage; 8 roads with major damage; 17 roads with minor damage.

• Montgomery: Two homes and six roads with minor damage.

• Prentiss: Ten roads and two bridges with major damage; 100 roads minor damage; city of Booneville issues proclamation.

• Tippah: Six homes/mobile homes destroyed; 29 homes/mobile homes with major damage; 58 homes/mobile homes with minor damage; Nine roads destroyed; eight roads with major damaged; two roads with minor damage; two bridges destroyed; one public building with major damage; one nonprofit building with major damage; city of Ripley issues proclamation.

• Tishomingo: Nine homes with major damage; one mobile home with major damage; one business with minor damage which is a church that has two buildings; nine roads destroyed; six roads with major damage; 16 roads with minor damage; five bridges/culvert destroyed; three bridges/culverts with major damage.

• Union: One death; 14 homes and 6 mobile homes with minor damage; 15 businesses with minor damage; 28 roads with major damage; one bridge with major damage; one public owned building with minor damage.

• Webster: One injury reported; one home with minor damage; two roads destroyed; three roads with major damage; 70 roads with minor damage.

To report damages contact your local emergency management office. Homeowners with flooding should contact their local floodplain administrator.

For more information, contact the State Emergency Joint Information Center at 866-920-MEMA (6362), or visit us online at www.msema.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook using the keyword MSEMA.

Special to the NNPA from the Mississippi Link