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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAl Sharpton: There's a reason GOP attacks in Georgia are focused on Rev. Warnock
Dec. 16, 2020, 12:28 PM EST / Updated Dec. 16, 2020, 1:48 PM EST
By Rev. Al Sharpton, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
The Black church has always played a pivotal role in the community, and in our fight for justice and equality. It is where many of our great leaders emerged, where they organized, and where they pushed for change.
Decades earlier, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. built a powerhouse of mobilization as the pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. He later went on to become the first African American to serve on the New York City Council, before spending 11 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, fighting to enact programs for the poor and the marginalized. The attacks against Powell are well-known, especially within New Yorks Black community: his critics and enemies painted him as a radical, an extremist, a communist, a troublemaker and an overall threat to society.
Today, we are seeing similar refrains against Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and the Democratic candidate for one of Georgias two U.S. Senate seats. As the Jan. 5 runoffs approach, and with control of the Senate in the balance, the smears and vitriol against Warnock have only escalated. Its the same playbook we saw against Powell and the same playbook we see over and over again: racist attacks rooted in nothing but plain old bigotry.
During the Dec. 6 debate between Warnock and Sen. Kelly Loeffler, the Republican candidate referred to Warnock as a radical liberal 13 times. That was no coincidence or a slip of the tongue. Rather, it was an orchestrated strategy designed to tarnish Warnock's image, play to the GOP base, and make Georgians fearful of the radical Black man. Its tired; its old; and its the same vile fearmongering that was used against transformative changemakers like Powell and against Black men since the inception of this nation. Loeffler knew exactly what she was doing. .............(more)
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/georgia-senate-race-has-rev-raphael-warnock-facing-down-familiar-n1251297?icid=msd_topgrid
malaise
(269,505 posts)The thief over the black man
azureblue
(2,161 posts)Trouble is, everybody is tired of the same old racist tropes the GOP drags out. And all they are doing is POing the black community to the point they all will turn out no matter what. And mobilizing everybody else who sees the Rev as a much better qualified candidate, people who are tired of crooks getting into office. To many peopel of all colors are tired of the GOP BS, and the Trumpnuts are now wavering. Who knows, maybe Trump will help get these two Democrats elected.Wouldn't that be some Sh**?
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)before he was murdered and they pretended he was their favorite Negro ever.
Irish_Dem
(48,670 posts)gademocrat7
(10,699 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,629 posts)Wednesdays
(17,535 posts)electric_blue68
(15,055 posts)Adam C Powell. I'm a NYC'r and lived north of Harlem
There may have been a bit of chacanery on his part AND, I remember my mom 1st Gen Greek American who "got" the the disparity between her being new and welcomed, and the long time descendants of slaves being treated so shoddily, and outright violently at times being absolutely delighted, snickering at him winning the case against him. She knew he was also doing good things for the black people in his area/around the city.
BlueWavePsych
(2,642 posts)greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)than the reverse.
Initech
(100,174 posts)Roy Rolling
(6,953 posts)The response by Warnock should be in his opening statement of any future debates, or a long-running TV ad:
Reframe the term. He should say: Kelly will tonight say Im a radical liberal dozens of times, as if not wanting people to starve, go bankrupt, or not die of a deadly disease is a bad radical liberal idea to her. If wanting people to get relief during a pandemic and representation that benefits THEM instead of her, thats me. I understand why she think is that is a radical idea. Shes out of touch.
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