Flashback: Eric Holder pushed media programming to change people’s behaviors
As US Attorney General Eric Holder gets ready to retire, many different people and groups are reflecting on his career and particularly his record as the Attorney General. Immediately following the announcement of his resignation, Fox News and other conservative talking heads went on vitriolic attacks, and while some of the criticism was accurate, a lot of it amounted to nothing short of racist ramblings.
On the flip-side, people on the so-called left, like Al Sharpton piled on the praise calling Attorney General Eric Holder the best US Attorney General in history which is not saying much considering the bar is really low. Eric Holder counted as personal inspiration, Robert Kennedy, who served as the US Attorney General of his brother President John F. Kennedy. Both the Kennedys are held in high esteem by some members of the Black community despite the fact both were engaged in spying on civil rights leaders of their time, used some of the civil rights leaders to hijack the 1963 March on Washington from grassroots organizations and signed off on the FBI’s violent and illegal war on those engaged in the Black Liberation Movement, some of its victims still being tortured in prisons to this day.
Considering the media work of the Black Talk Media Project through the Black Talk Radio Network, which was inspired by an interview Malcolm X gave on the power of media, it would be appropriate to look back on an interview given by Eric Holder on the same subject.
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After being appointed by President Ronald Reagan and working as a federal judge in the District of Columbia, Holder would later resign and was appointed as the US Attorney of the District of Columbia. During this time period, harsh and racist crack cocaine legislation was advanced by Congress to target Black people living in poverty in inner cities across the United States. Drug War violence escalated during this same period.
As a US Attorney in a predominantly Black district, Holder gave a speech in which he endorsed the use of media to change the mindset of “young people” so that they would not think it was “cool” to carry guns. He correctly intimated that the entertainment industry was promoting violence and other negative behaviors to youth, something that continues to this day by companies like Clear Channel that not only pay people like Rush Limbaugh to spew racist, vitriolic and partisan social political rhetoric, but owns quite a few of the radio stations that are targeting the Black community with corporate rap music that contains a destructive message.
While many in the black grassroots community do not and have not ever supported anti-second amendment movements of the left, Holder’s acknowledgement of the power of media to control the minds of the masses is worth noting and while the mission of the Black Talk Media Project is not to control minds but to inform them about social political issues, his comments reinforce our commitment to creating truly independent Black media sources.
Eric Holder will remain in his position as the US Attorney General until his successor is nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the US Senate.
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I dont believe us AFRICAN AMERICAN Communities disagree w/ the Anti 2nd Amendment Left Leaning movement AT ALL. We have more of our young dying by the GUN, than any other demographic. Also instead of Criticizing AG Holder for things we may not like. His accomplishments FAR OUTWEIGH the Negatives. Its what Whites expect us to. do. Bash each other, instead of giving credit where credit is DUE.
There is no US in the “African American” community. Black people living behind enemy lines in America do not all think alike, we do not all practice the same religion or hold the same political or social views. In fact I in no way describe myself as “American”, hyphenated or otherwise, I am a direct descendant of Africans and Cherokees, all victims of America so it would be insane for me to take on the name of my oppressor.
Nowhere in this article is there any bashing, just statement of facts with supporting links to those facts. The Truth is only shunned by those who want to wallow in lies and often the Truth is mischaracterized as everything but the Truth.
Just several minutes ago, I posted a Facebook status that seems perfect for those people with your kind of mental condition.
“I am glad to see Attorney General Eric Holder resigning his position in a system of racism and injustice. Holder has worked his entire adult black life for a system of injustice predicated on racism that is incapable of rendering something it was never designed to do for non-white and poor people. Black people in these positions do nothing but give other Black people false hope in this system and confuses them about how it works. I am glad to see him go and will be glad when President Obama’s term is up. I only want to see white racist suspects in these positions instead of their proxies so that as the system continues to operate as it was designed to operate, Black people will not feel compelled to defend an agent for the system simply because they are Black or non-white and ignore the evidence of their works. We need real heros and heroines for our children to be inspired to revolution, not proxies who will inspire them to become a part of the problem.”
I dont have a Mental Condition so lets get that out of the way first and foremost. If you knew my Rants on Twitter, because I dont do FB, you would realize I’m very educated in being black and living black. And VERY outspoken when it comes to the Disgusting & Disrespectful treatment. that these White ELECTED and their Racist Base, throw @ the POTUS , the AG, and the Black Community as whole, on a DAILY. So don’t lump me in with ANY GROUP that you deem to have Mental Conditions. I dont have FALSE HOPE, as you put it. I’m old enough (46yrs old) to decipher Truth from a Lie. And yes. I can’t wait for Obama to leave office either. And not for the same reasons that these White people do. So please dont assume. That just because you post an article , that I’m suppose to agree with everything in it. I didn’t like the Anti 2nd Amendment comment. So I chose to use my 1st Amendment Rights. To tell you so.
No one asked for your agreement but I did dispute your assessment that 1) There is Unity in the Black Community 2) That Many of us do not call ourselves African Americans 3) That Eric Holder was not “bashed”
He was not called a house negro, an uncle tom or any disparaging name. He recent statements were shared about his admiration for Robert F. Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy and his brother were bashed. His employment history with the US government of racism was shared and commentary was offered on what the political environment was during those time periods and then his video and views on using media was shared and it was called a correct assessment and was in line with what Malcolm X had said about the power of media.
So based on your incorrect assessment of the article as “bashing”, I determined you are either a liar or have very poor comprehension skills when it comes to reading.
No one cares if you or anyone else agrees with the facts presented in the article, the facts are indisputable, especially when they are accompanied by supporting sources of documentation.
As far as your so-called first amendment rights, you only have the right to express yourself on this website that I allow you to have, another fact based statement.
Try to stop being emotional, emotions clouds one’s ability to think logically.