Beth Jacobs is a recent law-school graduate, a community organizer, and an activist in North Carolina. She is also the Founder and Director of Brown Babies, Inc. With all that she does for others and her community, it is safe to say that her plate is pretty full – but this young woman has stretched even further in the giving of herself and her time. She has now taken on a popular radio host in the Raleigh-Durham area – and we really like what she is doing.
Bob Dumas has come under fire more than once for his blatant racism and insipid commentary. On April 1st, he crossed the line again in a segment that can only be described as racist, hurtful and disturbing.
In response, Jacobs wrote the following OP Ed article that has been published in several local newspapers:
I am my parents' only daughter. I am a recent law school graduate and a community organizer for a voting rights organization in North Carolina.
I am also a Lumbee Indian.
Because I am Indian, nothing I do is ever as important as the American stereotypes that depict me as a member of a depraved race of people. I grew up hearing all the bad things that Americans say about Indians; brutal savagery, drunken laziness; the tepee and scalping jokes. As an adult, I am still surprised at how often I feel blatantly offended as a Lumbee Indian.
As a resident of the Triangle, I have known for years that local radio station G105, and its owner Clear Channel, permit hate-filled racist misinformation against ALL minorities.
While I have no intention of repeating the derogatory language used by Bob Dumas, the broadcast verbally abused American Indians -and Lumbee Indians specifically- in a 15 minute rant. At one point, his co-hosts asked if they were being offensive with a joke about sitting "Indian-style," but that only energized their tirade. Worse, he used his intern's relationship with a Lumbee man to degrade the Lumbee Nation
Mr. Dumas' intern, Chelsea Prior, a student at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, must be brought out as the uninformed underling that she was in this situation. I doubt that she expected to be bombarded with such ignorance directed at her fiancé.
Nevertheless, in addition to insulting her family, she has greatly insulted her university. As an alumnus of UNCP, I am most personally offended by her failure to recognize the negative affect that her words would have on the university and community.
The Lumbee people themselves raised money to purchase land and construct a building for the Croatan Indian Normal School. More than a century -and many transformations- later it became The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Ms. Prior had the cowardice to degrade the very people who built the institution at which she receives her education. I demand that G105 allow her to air a public apology.
In regards to Mr. Dumas and his radio show, I support all efforts to have him permanently removed. Many groups have been offended by this man, and I encourage all our friends to continue the torrent of complaints to G105, Clear Channel and the FCC. I personally request that G105 enter negotiations to discuss an authentic act of contrition that will contribute positively to the community and people they have degraded.
I hope we will all keep in mind that the real issue reaches beyond this local radio show. The lack of accurate information and positive consideration of minority cultures is not limited to North Carolina. Our children's history books continue to depict us a savages or drunkards. Both the state and federal government have failed to issue any substantive acknowledgement of - much less apology for - Native genocide. Bob Dumas and his racially defamatory radio broadcast are the most recent and most public display of the need for significant reconciliation for American Indians in America.
If we do not stand against hate, our children will suffer the consequences of our idle complaints.
Beth Jacobs
Founding Director, Brown Babies, Inc.
elizabethlachelle@gmail.com
On Monday, April 21st, Jacobs appeared on Citizen’s Against Hate “Cold Shot” with Nikki Nichols and gave an excellent overview of the problems with the Bob Dumas show and how we, as concerned anti-racists, can help.
Below are the links to the various mechanisms by which we can get involved and actually do something to make a difference in this world. Please reach out and give her a hand…you’ll be glad you did.
TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW.
TO THE FACEBOOK GROUP
Please forward a formal complaint to G105 and send the NC Commission of Indian Affairs a copy of the complaint.
WDCG-FM 105.1
General Manager: Dick Harlow
3100 Smoketree Ct Ste 700
Raleigh, NC 27604
Program Director: Randi West
randi@g105.com
G. Richardson, Executive Director
NC Commission of Indian Affairs
1317 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1317
Main Number: (919) 789-5900
FAX: (919) 420-1373
Webpage: www.doa.state.nc.us/cia/indian.htm
And to tell Bo Jangles that people in North Carolina pay for biscuits not bigots…
CONTACT BO JANGLES
What the hell? You guys arn't paying the $ for the 56 people at the answp meeting? Come on, floyd need his drinking $.
ReplyDeleteThe real proof that these people knew the answp was gonna turn out numbers is in the small amounts pledged per head. dimes and quarters lol.
ReplyDeletehttp://eyesonhate.blogspot.com/2008/04/nikki-floyd-ollie-and-dlj-at-odds.html
ReplyDeleteAgain, We see more infighting in the other ARA crowd. They were off pretending to hunt the nsm ans kss down on 4/20 while the real ARA people were in Chicago hunting for BILL WHITE!!!!!! The most evil nazi of them all!!!!!!
Now they are odds over the fund raising event. 56 people showed up at the event. Now none of them want to pay up.
I hear that Floyd is pissed. He was going to use the money for some 40 oz and a special order of moonshine. Of course, eyes on hate supports all our members habits and encourages them to diversify their habits by doing everything. That includes drinking, I mean come on, its Legal.
Ollie and Nikki are trying to say 56 people didn't show up. I mean come on. If Bill White was lying he would have said 150 showed up. And what were these cowards doing while Bill White was building up the largest, most active, and hateful organization in America? Playing games with the NSM who is known to be full of feds. We shouldn't even be to worries about them.
I'm really starting to believe that we may have to crush our "friends" at eyes on hate because of the lack of dedication to the ara movement.
Long live the ARA.
Death to the Nazis.
Several hundred dollars were raised for our anti-racist cause. This was done in the name of Bill White and his pseudo-Nazi's. Just think of what we could accomplish if we did this every time an event was held!
ReplyDeleteAnd...hey...those "dimes and quarters" can make a lot of difference in the work we are able to do. Unlike some within the so-called "movement" - we don't depend on that to feed our families or clothe our children. We come out of our own pockets to pay for our activism and our operating expenses.
You never hear (or see) us begging, brow-beating, or demanding money from other activists. We don't threaten to close up shop if we don't get X-amount of dollars.
So...we're pretty happy when we can do something like this on a small scale. Putting the squeeze on Bill was fun and it didn't put a crimp in anyone's wallet.
As to the second poster - I have to laugh. Bill White's mouth, once again, over loaded his ass. He claimed that 150 white nationalists would pay $25 to come to this event - there were 56 people there (by his account). Most of those people were there because of the politicians present - and those politicians really shot themselves in the foot.
Swastika's, Hitler birthday cakes, and Nazi amrbands do not translate well at the polls.