I would like to reiterate that I and the other student leaders who created the petition about hosting Louis Farrakhan at UC Berkeley “completely support the annual Afrikan Black Coalition Conference as an indispensable contribution to the empowerment of black students across the state of California.” The BSU had the First Amendment right to bring Farrakhan to campus. Farrakhan had the First Amendment right to speak in Wheeler Auditorium. However, I and other student leaders have the First Amendment right to protest the ideology of Farrakhan while expressing the impact he has had on our campus communities. Although Farrakhan brings much-needed empowerment to students, empowerment at the expense of other communities perpetuates a dangerous cycle.
Those who signed and created the petition “respect the right to self-determination of the BSU and would never ask to dictate which speakers the group brings to campus.” In no way was the goal of the petition to force the BSU to change its mind. The autonomy of student groups rests at the core of diversity, and the petition never asks the BSU to alter its choices. If the BSU had decided that it would like to change speakers because of the impact that we pointed out in our petition, then that would be their choice to make. Farrakhan addressed those concerned with his presence on Saturday and said that he had a word for students who “arrogantly thought that they could frighten this generation.”
When addressing those concerned Berkeley students, Farrakhan asked, “are you still in the mold and the mind of a slave master that you think we should bow down to you and you tell us who you should listen to?” Although the petition explicitly respects the self-determination and First Amendment right of the BSU in bringing Farrakhan, this kind of rhetoric that compares other students to slave masters transcends controversial and is absolutely hateful and unconstructive. Continuing with his analogy, he expresses that such concern is the “mentality of the slave masters who owned us.”
Farrakhan continued to devote significant segments of his speech to the Jewish people. Claiming that Jews control the media, Farrakhan asserted that “they’re the publishers, they’re the writers, so if you want to be well spoken of then be a lackey” and said that since “you have a lot of influence on the government, you can bring the government against me too.” Mocking an Asian accent, Farrakhan asked the audience, “can you imagine Ching Lee Joong with a picket sign?” Louis Farrakhan’s fresh accusations and hateful rhetoric from this Saturday add to the past remarks that contribute to his infamous and vile character.
Most frightening was that during his speech, Farrakhan expressed his avid support for the book entitled “The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews” and sold copies inside Wheeler Auditorium. The book proposes that Jews disproportionately contributed to the slave trade. New York Times writer Henry Gates labeled the book as “the bible of the new anti-Semitism” and said that “it suggests a doctrine of racial continuity” where Jews inherently bring down the black community. The Anti-Defamation League has stated that “it assaults the integrity of the Jewish religion, the meaning of Jewish history, and the foundations of Jewish scholarship upon which the book’s own fraudulent charges are based.”
Although already stated in the petition, I will insert a few especially offensive quotes that illuminate Louis Farrakhan’s past and ideology:
In reference to the LGBT community, Farrakhan declares, “God don’t like men coming to men with lust in their hearts like you should go to a female. If you think that the kingdom of God is going to be filled up with that kind of degenerate crap, you’re out of your damn mind.” Referring to Jewish people, Farrakhan proclaims, “The Jews don’t like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man.” On Caucasians, he says, “White people are potential humans … they haven’t evolved yet.” Denouncing the revolution of the Libyan people, Farrakhan explains, “I know something of the good of Moammar Gadhafi that made me to love him as a brother.”
Louis Farrakhan’s speech lasted just two hours, but its messages outlast that isolated moment. UC students who purchased “The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews” have now been taught a message of hate. When Farrakhan compared concerned students to slave masters, that message will also be perpetuated and inhibit the building of relationships. His past discriminatory statements about the LGBT community and countless other minority communities creeps onto this campus with his mere presence. It must be noted that Farrakhan did promote empowerment during his speech in Wheeler Auditorium, but it was a breed of empowerment rooted in hatred.
Still, even with Farrakhan’s discriminatory words Saturday morning, the BSU had every right to bring Farrakhan to this campus. Autonomy is crucial for student organizations, and it is up to each student group to decide how much the pain of other communities matters in its decision-making.
Noah Ickowitz is an ASUC senator.
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What is the secret relationship between Farrakhan and the devil.Farrakhan is so sad his best pal Gaddaffi is gone.
Farrakan is a fraud. He makes his (considerable) money out of selling hate. The slave trade from Africa was collusion between Africans and Arabs. Originally, Chinese were brought to America to work, they were called “Coolies.” Due to many reasons, the Chinese were supplanted by Africans. Slavery at the time was more common, but was terrible for the enslaved.
America has gone through many changes to confront the evils of slavery. Lincoln gave amazing speeches to awaken the country to slavery’s impact. From the Civil War, through the Civil Rights movement, our country has grown immeasurably. It has become a haven for people of every color, enthnicity, religion.
Farrakan is still “mining” anger and resentment. Instead of lauding the fact that every part of our society includes Black Americans – in the professions, in business, in government, in Hollywood, in sports – Farrakan still calls Blacks “victims” and Whites “victimizers.” Farrakan preaches hate – so none of these facts pass his lips. He’d rather keep the hate going, and growing.
Farrakan is a liar, a perpetrator of racism, and mostly ego-centric – he wants to keep himself in power. It is time for Black students to reject the message Farrakan sells. It is time for a real conversation on all of the achievements, and all of the possibilities that exist. If Farrakan’s message was one of motivation, instead of emotional blame game semantics, he would be a benefit, not a detriment, to the Black Community.
Farrakhan may be anti-Semitic which is clearly and obviously reprehensible.
But we absolutely cannot conflate anti-semitism with an intolerance for the racist and nationalist colonial policy that is Zionism.
Young Liberial Americans need to wake up and smell the air of Louis Farrakham. Farrakham is a race hater who has control of the ”New” Black Panther Party. These thugs are armed, in uniform and ready to kill the white race. My advice is to go out and buy some protection. You will most likely need it in the near future when his thugs start taking anything they want, Oh! It’s already happening.
Interesting read… I must say though I wonder if there is a White Student Union… probably not. I also wonder if any Student Unoin could have the Grand Wizard of the KKK speak at UC Berkeley… again, probably not.
It was a poor decision to have Farrakhan speak. Farrakhan choose to be a divisive and controversial man. Any rational person knows that Farrakhan fans the flames of hate. It makes one wonder what this particular student union is really about. This was certainly no olive branch to their fellow students.
Another example of Berkeley being on the decline. They need to fire Yudof for starters.
Is it hateful for me to call a snake a snake? I don’t know about Farrakhan but it makes me sick to my stomach to know of the inhuman treatment that black people have suffered by the hands of the oppressor. The Jews say never again, and they are absolutely 100% correct for taking that position. I know we all won’t to forget about the evil that gave birth to America, but I must agree with Farrakhan and the Jews, I say NEVER AGAIN!
How did the slave traders get slaves? Did you know that most slaves were acquired directly from African chiefs in trade for goods? Imagine your own people basically selling you for “guns, gunpowder, textiles, iron bars and brandy”. (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASafrica.htm) I realize that most were taught that evil men ran through the woods and grabbed the people they sold into slavery. It simply isn’t true. Bottom line, the lowest of the low were the African chiefs that sold their own people into slavery.
Did you know that the more powerful African tribes captured, enslaved, and sold their brethren in exchange for Nike basketball shoes?
Is it hateful for me to call a snake a snake? I don’t know about Farrakhan but it makes me sick to my stomach to know of the inhuman treatment that African people suffered at the hands of people with less melanin. The Jews say never again to the Holocaust and they are absolutely 100% correct in taking that position. I know we would all like to forget of the evil that gave birth to America, but it’s wiser to be like Farrakhan, be like the Jews and say NEVER AGAIN!
The only person making a fallacious argument is the writer of this article.
The 1st Amendment doesn’t apply.
Maybe Noah needs go read the clause in the US Constitution again.
Despite Farrakhan not being a free speech issue, why do Jews get so hot and bothered when they get criticized?
Jews get on television everyday and mock Christians and conservatives everyday and nobody bats an eye.
And the truth is the sub-Saharan slave trade was controlled by Sephardic North African Jews, but Muslims were doing the same thing.
It is one of the few things that Jews and Muslims gladly did together.
…maybe you should read the article again because I think you missed the point
I’d hate to even shed light on your completely invalid argument… so I wont
noah ickowitz you being a student of berkley you could have went to hear minister farrakhan speak yourself.and at the end of the lecture he asked if anybody had any questions well if you were there you could have presented your concerns and questions to him about his alleged anti-semitism and hatred.i have never seen minister farrakhan back down or retreat from critique or questioning from white or black people.so if you believe so much in your critque of farrakhan that he is anti semitic and a hate teacher why didnt you go to him personally in front of the whole class and present your case so it could be settled
Embarrassing for Berkeley.
yeahhhh noah
“black empowerment”…LOL