Looking out: Affirmative action

“Affirmative action in the military has thrived under both Republican
and Democratic administrations.” — Retired General Colin Powell, US Army,
quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 31, 2000

The words that head this space were spoken in response to the Reverend
Jesse Jackson's concerns regarding Retired General Colin Powell's endorsement
of George W. Bush for president. The Republican Party seeks to end affirmative
action, yet it was affirmative action that helped promote Powell to the
rank of general. Go figure.

If I could put a question to the ex-chairperson of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, it would be the following: “General Powell, since you recognise
the need for affirmative action in the military, how is it that you do
not recognize that same need in civilian life as well?”

I am reminded that it was affirmative action that also positioned Clarence
Thomas for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. Alas, nowadays,
Justice Thomas, the only African-American on the bench, routinely votes
against affirmative action — as if racism is dead in America. We should
not be surprised that it was George W. Bush's father who nominated Thomas
for that seat.

What is surprising is the ease with which the Thomases and Powells of
this generation forget that affirmative action is the bridge that brought
them over a sea of racism. The Reverend Jesse Jackson was right to sarcastically
ask, “[w]hat was good for [Thomas and Powell] would not be good for the
next generation”?

BY BRANDON ASTOR JONES

[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He welcomes
letters commenting on his columns (include your name and full return address
on the envelope, or prison authorities may refuse to deliver it). He can
be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G3-77, Georgia Diagnostic
& Classification Prison, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA, or email
<BrandonAstorJones@hotmail.com>.
Jones is seeking a publisher for his autobiography, Growing Down.
Please notify him of any possible leads. Visit Jones' web page at <http://www.BrandonAstorJones.com>.]

From GLW issue 434