Greetings Ayinde

Quote:
"I am not making the point that Colorism occurs. I am making the point that it is alive even in Black Movements."

Willie Lynchism is alive in Black Movements also. U are the epitome of "Puting the dark skin blacks against the light skin blacks.

Quote:
"People should put them on the table to be addressed, much the same as I have over the years, unless Rastafari no longer addresses social issues. You know very well that I have posted on many social issues over the years. This is just another one."

This particular social issue comes forward from a personal issue. What about the social issue of having white people post on a site that is designated for members of a BLACK movement?

Quote:
"Colorism is so prevalent that I feel a generalization IS appropriate. A generalization is made on the basis of the behavior of a majority, not necessarily all. Unless you are working with another definition of 'generalization.' Exceptions can always be found. I have made this point often enough."

Generally speaking, a higher percentage of black people are in jail than any other group of people. Am I to generalize and say that Black people are savage criminals who need to be behind bars? Or do I pick and choose what to generalize? This is the tactics of Babylon itself.

Quote:
"Color discrimination is not new in Black communities. You certainly have never seen any moderator delete a post or an account because someone disagreed with I. I saw that threads were removed after repeated personal attacks and deliberate slander. I saw that accounts were closed after ones went so far as to spam and threaten a Moderator."

I dont promote threats of personal attacks on anyone

Quote:
"I saw the belligerent attitude over an infraction of the site's policies, together with the determined way some reacted to a caution from the Admin for breaking the rules. I saw how easily light-skinned 'Blacks' found it to break important rules, and then resort to ongoing distortions, Lies, and Slander. I saw how easy it was to send hate mail to a dark-skinned Black moderator, written in the same way as mail we previously got from ignorant white supremists."

How can u be so sure who is light skinned and who is dark skinned in cyberspace unless they forward a picture? The only pictures that I have seen on the forum are yourself, Mandingo, Tyehimba, Kelani, Rootsie, and Rootswoman. Rootsie is white. The others are brown toned. Rootswoman is the only lightskinned person whom I have seen in the photos. I dont know what a person has disclosed to u in private but I find it hard to discern who is light skin or darkskin on this forum.

Quote:
In my opinion, we were being confronted with conduct that I know well is the hallmark of White Supremacy and White privilege, which also shows up in the conduct of many light-skinned people, especially those who can pass for white. So I addressed the ISSUE in a general way within the RULES of the website, which state: NO PERSONAL ATTACKS. That is certainly my right."

Yes this is your right. I am only concerned about the ones who are deciding what is a personal ATTACK and what isnt. Is questioning someone's character a personal ATTACK? Is calling someone ignorant a personal ATTACK? Or is it just profanity, vulgarity that is considered a personal ATTACK. I am sure that EVERY person that has been banned from this site didnt not threaten a moderator. Maybe the ones who have the power to delete needs to step outside themselves and acknowledge that their shyt stinks as well.

Quote:
"You may not have a problem with the idea of some people spamming, and threatening another moderator because she disagreed with their view. You may be of the opinion that management/moderators should have tolerated that, but we were of the opinion that this must NEVER be tolerated."

I agree that threats shouldnt be tolerated. I have no problem with that. As I said, I am SURE that every person banned threatened a moderator. U can trust Iman on that.

Quote:
"It is customary when people break the rules of the website, and are cautioned or banned, for them to claim that it is because of their views, and not THEIR CONDUCT (BREAKING THE RULES). Others have been quietly banned for the same thing over the years."

Ok. It is a shame that the rules only apply to so-called disrespect to moderators.

Quote:
My view stands. NO WHITE or FAIR-SKINNED PERSON is fit to LEAD any BLACK movement that is supposed to be addressing White Supremacy, White Privilege, Racism, or Gender Discrimination. (When you repeat this statement try to use the qualifiers I placed.)"

How about:
No WHITE PERSON nor a PERSON who has EMBRACED white supremacy is fit to LEAD any BLACK movement that is supposed to be addressing White Supremacy, White Privilege, Racism, or Gender Discrimination.

That way, there is no division of Black People strictly because of color. Merit will truly be the measuring stick.

Quote
"They can lead any other movement, and other Blacks can choose them as leaders if they so wish. But on the basis of MERIT, in a Black Movement that is supposed to be trying to stamp out White Supremacy, White Privilege, Racism, and Gender Discrimination, MY VIEW is that DARK-SKINNED BLACKS experience the worst, and so they have the most direct experiences. Today, dark-skinned Blacks HAVE ACCESS TO MORE INFORMATION and MANY are better able to articulate these issues from their depth of experiences. My point was about choosing on the Basis of MERIT for a Black Movement. No one ever responded directly to me on this, but tried again and again to distort and misrepresent my position."

I didnt sight merit as your original stance. Repost the original reasoning so Iman can stand corrected.

Quote:
"Haile Selassie I was never my leader. I developed along the more ancient principles of Rasta, which recognizes no supreme leader other than ONESELF."

So why do u care what Ras Tafari Speaks if He is not your leader? Why align yourself with a group who has a leader in which u dont acknowledge.

Quote:
"I recognized the 'legitimate' leadership of Haile Selassie I in Eithopia, and the manner in which many placed him as the head of the 'resurrected' Rasta Movement (following the 1930s.) There is merit in much of what he said, but I do not accept that he understood the depths of White Supremacy, Racism, and Gender Discrimination. He was never elected to lead a movement to stamp out these plagues. He was fabulously wealthy and privileged himself. I identify with much of Garvey's position on Haile Selassie I. The two have merit, but neither was MY Leader. I respected both of them."

This recognition could not be disputed.

Haile Selassie stood in front of the League of Nations, which were controlled by Europeans and spoke out against racism and classism. He was head of Nyahbinghi which originally meant, "Death to all white oppressors." It was changed to "Death to all white and black oppressors" because it was overstood that wickedness was a function of the heart which can manifest itself in all people. He had an overstanding of things in which u cant phathom. Enough of the romanticization. ALL dark Black people are not good just as ALL light Black people are not bad. And vice versa.

To each his own. Remember the careless Ethiopians.

selassieilive