Who are the Jena 6?

For a fascinating and short briefing on what Jena 6 is and who they are, read “The Elephan that is Never Leaving the Room” by Janine Beach.

I personally am a little out of touch with our world and what is happening in it, however, that does not mean that I am not taking strides to change that.  I heard about this huge protest that was going on in Jena, Louisiana on Kidd Kraddick in the morning. Kidd recounted some of what the article tells above, but not all of it.  All it took to get me fired up was the word “noose”.

Infuriated I turned up the radio and listened. I had already arrived at work but instead of getting out and dismissing the story I listened. I listened to something that I thought had stopped happening for the most part - hate crimes.  High school students, which should by now have learned from their parents and grandparents mistakes, are still committing atrocities that are unforgiveable. 

I used to think that people who were prejudice were prejudice because of ignorance, but there is so much more to it than that. The problem lies not within the fact that the other person is just different, it normally stems from an internal issue within oneself.  It seems to be part of our human nature to feel like we have to be better than someone else. We aren’t happy unless we have nicer shoes, a better car, or a more complicated no whip, no foam, sugar free, half-caf latte - but that is only part of it as well.

The root of the problem is with parents and the fact that stereotypes and prejudices are most often learned and reinforced by our parents. My parents are Republicans and my dad used to say “queer” in such a deragatory way that there was no question as to the fact that he thought they were sick sexual deviants.  However, my parents did teach us to treat people with love and respect no matter what their race or nationality.

Now days there seems to be more people in this country of varying races. Indian, Muslim’s, Hindu’s, Asians, Koreans - the list goes on and on and as we become more diverse and tolerant we seem to take one step forward and 3 steps back. America has lost site of who she is and what she stood for. Now we don’t allow prayer in schools and we don’t say Merry Christmas. We don’t take our children to church and instead of telling them to say “no” to sex and drugs, we give them condoms and prescription medications.

If you ask some, they will say that we are making progress, and I agree that on some levels we are, but at what price? We have no moral compass, there are no clear lines of right and wrong just murky shades of gray.

A news story from www.newsday.com had this to say,

Neither Obama nor Clinton attended the rally, which ended at the local high school, where racial confrontations began last September. That month, three white students hung nooses from a “whites only” tree after black students expressed a desire to sit under it.

Obama’s campaign released a statement Thursday saying: “The thousands of Americans from every race and region who have descended on this small Louisiana town carry forth the legacy of all those who sat at lunch counters and took freedom rides to strike a blow against injustice wherever it may exist.”

Clinton, who has said she is “very worried about what is happening in Jena,” did not comment on the rally. Her campaign issued a statement last night saying that “she has been very clear about her views on the Jena 6 matter.”

Despite their responses, both heavyweights have not adequately addressed the case, some observers say.

Republicans have also taken a low profile. President George W. Bush addressed the tensions for the first time Thursday, saying, “The events in Louisiana have saddened me. All of us in America want there to be, you know, fairness when it comes to justice.”

The Jena 6 case has drawn criticism because even though there were a series of confrontations between whites and blacks after the tree incident — including one in which a white youth menaced blacks with a shotgun — no whites were charged. In June, a black teen was tried as an adult in the beating of the white youth and convicted by an all-white jury. The Jena case, observers say, illustrates the need for political response.

“I feel they [Clinton and Obama] are intimidated and don’t want to wade into the racial swamp of how you characterize this issue with respect to race relations,” said Ron Walters, a University of Maryland political scientist.

Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor of public policy at Virginia’s George Mason University, said while other issues are more readily discussed, race remains “uncomfortable.”

I normally support George W. Bush, but I have to say his response to this situation, from what is quoted above, is inadequate.  For too long we’ve pushed other agendas, Abortion, Homosexuality, Aids, all the while the unpoplular issue - race - lays on a shelf dusty and untouched.  

So who are the Jena 6? They are all of us. Each one of us should feel the affects of injustice because if we allow it to happen to one person, then we are as guilty as the offending party. There really is no middle ground, sure there are two sides to every issue, but eventually you have to pick one.