Podcast: Karina Garcia. Immigrant Rights Forum

Tawnee Stair, Karina Garcia, Raul Rivera

ANSWER Coalition organizer Karina Garcia helped lead a large protest against Jim Gilchrist of the Minutemen at Columbia University on Oct 4, 2006. Days after, he stormed off the air on Democracy Now when she debated him. She speaks about that, and of how the virulent racism and hatred of Minutemen needs to be confronted and stopped whenever it occurs because, like their predecessor the Ku Klux Klan, they have support within the ruling class who uses them for their purposes.

Danny Shaw, also an ANSWER organizer, spoke first about Bush’s recent trip to Latin America where he was met with large protests wherever he went and also about the March 17 March on the Pentagon.

Karina Garcia MP3 (16:41 min, 5.6 MB)

Danny Shaw MP3 (8:26 min, 2.8 MB)

Recorded in New Haven CT, 03/24/06 at an Immigrant Rights Forum sponsored by Unidad Latina en Accion and the ANSWER Coalition

Photo: ANSWER organizer Tahnee Stair, Karina Garcia. ULA Organizer Raul Rivera.

2 Comments

  1. Great job Karina! The e-mail below has been sent to CNN, MSNBC, Jena School officials, Jena police department, and Jim “the slime” Gilchrist:

    I am an African who was born and raised in America. However, I am not an American. I am a Priderian; and as a Priderian, I am writing you in defense of my people. Unlike the Reverends Jackson and Sharpton (not that they are wrong), I do not believe in asking people of evil to do what is right. I believe in demanding that people of evil do what is right or suffer the consequences. You have a school board that must be strapped , and a superintendent who must be fired. I will review more information regarding the actions, or lack thereof, on parts of the DA and the presiding judge. If it is determined that either or both of them are “willfully and deliberately” negligent and/or practicing racism in their respective, and ever-so crucial positions, then they too must, and will be removed. I am not a racist, in fact, I have three children who are mulatto and who are unequivocally the love of my life; and I love their two mothers as well. However, I will be the first to put things in perspective for you: “If you are white, and your primary language is English, and you do not reside in England, Ireland, or Scotland, you are somewhere you do not belong.” Consequently, it behooves you to conduct yourselves (as well as everyone else) in a manner of civility, fairness, and kindness. The days of just marching in protest and pleading for justice, are coming to an abrupt end. Your people have had in excess of 400 years to rid themselves of abject bigotry and all the evils that come with it. Personally, I don’t care if a person chooses to be a racist. It is his or her choice. However, I do care about what a racist does or refrain from doing to someone else, as a result of his or her racist beliefs. That is to say, everyone has the right to be a racist as far as I am concerned. However, no one has a right to mistreat, harass, belittle, taunt, terrorize, hurt, or kill another because of his or her racist beliefs. When that occurs, then it is extremely important that he or she is held strictly accountable for his or her actions. Moreover, the penalty should always be commensurate with his or her racist action, to include, but not limited to, death. The “so-called” legal system not only continues to fail my people, it continues to play a major role in the abusing and the enabling of the abuse of my people. We did not sign up for “America’s white-laws or America’s white legal system, or white, America’s white, western culture.” Nor were we represented in its infancy; nor are we properly represented today. Moreover, and more important, nor are we obligated to, or bound to follow or tolerate imbalanced and/or disproportionate or unfair treatment as a result of America’s white-laws. We owe America nothing; to include, but not limited to, “so-called” patriotism, allegiance, or the like. In fact, you will hear it here: I am not a patriot of America; nor does America have my allegiance. My allegiance lies with the Priderian Tribe, Africans, justice, fairness, and what is right. There is a new African leader in this country, and you are reading one of his many soon to be published works. The “white-honeymoon” in the confines of the United States of America, is over. If we cannot live in sheer harmony, we will live in conditions, whatever they may be, that strides towards sheer harmony. Whether that leaves the demographics in America being similar to what they are to date, or whether that leads to the creation of a Black Republic, in the confines of these United States of America, I don’t know. I do, however, know that I will be fine with either outcome. We, as human-beings, know the difference between right from wrong, fairness and unfairness, ethical and unethical, and justice and injustice. We, as a people of different races know our shortcomings as a people. We know that while there are great people in all races, we know, deep in our hearts, whether we like it or not, our individual shortcomings and fualts as a people collectively. I am just as frustrated with my people, collectively, as I am with the white race of this country collectively. I am not defending anyone at this time. I am, however, deeply concerned with reported recent events in regards to Jena High School. I am deeply concerned with the superintendents (what appears to be abject delinquency and negligence) and the school board’s ruling action (t-shirt ban). I do not know at this time, if the African students did anything wrong; nor am I saying they did or did not do anything wrong. I simply don’t know. However, I do know that there is definitely an element of “practiced” racism; and that will not be tolerated, not only in Jena, but nowhere in these United States of America. This country built its world dominance from the free and evil slave-labor of “our ancestors (Africans)and not founding fathers, but our found (in Africa and deracinated)fathers and mothers.” Putting things in this country in perspective, is far too long over due. Nonetheless, I am here to tell you that it begins today. I am here and on the scene, in this country, and in sheer and unqualified defense of my people, to raise hell, charge rent, and collect what is due! And so long as we are discussing an issue of unfairness at a school, I feel obligated to inform White-America and the “so-called” white powers to be, that it is outright wrong and thoroughly unacceptable for an American child of African decent to have to attend a public school that is named after a slave-owner. This too must and will change. And while you are at it, you better take a very long and hard look at who you have on the currency of this country, as well as who your roads, byways, canals, buildings, dams, and the like are named after; because we are no longer tolerating the grave disrepect and lack of respect for Americans of African decent displayed in this country. You would never ask a Jewish child to attend a school called “Hitler High School;” and we are not about to tolerate you having African children attend schools named after slave-owners. And for the record, your founding fathers are not our founding fathers. They were rapists, murderers, uncivilized, and inhuman terrorists, to name a few. In closing, I am certain at this point you know where I stand. Inform your superintendent, school board members, district attorney, presiding judge, and anyone else with a need-to-know, that I will be in contact and I will be closely monitoring the handling of the aforementioned events.

    Courageously,

    Entweidamala Heirosage Matakeo ya Uutafutaji

    Chieftain, Priderian Tribe

    P.S. Your school web site under “so-called” construction, is an unqualified insult of my intelligence; and it is a prime example of your abject cowardness.

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