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Blacks vs Africans in Columbus Ohio

Thread ID: 14230 | Posts: 8 | Started: 2004-06-17

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Blond Knight [OP]

2004-06-17 13:18 | User Profile

Yup, time for the summer follies proved for your entertainment pleasure by culture destroying traitors. - Just keep your shotgun handy!

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[url]http://www.amren.com/news/news04/06/16/somaliblackfight.html[/url]

Culture Clash Ends With Fists

Fighting between blacks, Somalis blamed partially on lack of understanding Background from the Archives
Racial conflict in America: Race and Politics (Aug. 2001) Hispanic Parents Allege Racial Attacks At Schools (May 11 news) Racial Tensions Boil Over At Hamtramck High School (May 24 news)

District Reacts To Fights Between Whites, Latinos (May 24 news)

Encarnacion Pyle and Matthew Marx, Columbus Dispatch, Jun. 14

What started as a spat between children of different cultures resulted in a fracas involving 60 people in a North Side apartment complex last week.

A day later, the 61 Somali Bantus who had moved into the complex in the past two months began moving away. Both they and the black Americans they left behind have hard feelings about an incident they say was rooted in disrespect.

Many say the incident is a sign of the times.

“As Columbus becomes increasingly diverse, the infusion of customs is resulting in simmering tensions between new immigrants and established communities such as American blacks,” said Marilynn Brewer, an Ohio State University psychology professor. “There’s no easy cause to the rift or solution to bridge the cultures or resolution to the identity issues.”

They can live in the same neighborhood and share similar skin color and African roots, yet still differ in language, religion and culture.

“Misunderstood, these different mores and cultural values can lead to miscommunication, fear, stereotypes and even hatred,” said Yusuf H. Abucar, president of the Somali Community in Central Ohio.

“But embraced, they can make our community stronger.”

Last Monday’s melee at 1626 Shanley Dr., in the Breckenridge Apartments, illustrates the subtle and not-so-subtle tensions that can arise when a community grapples with its growing diversity.

The two sides gave varying accounts of the altercation.

Several of the Somali Bantus, a persecuted African tribe that started arriving in Columbus in mid-March, said tempers flared after a 9-year-old black girl slapped a younger Bantu boy at 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot.

But many of the black teens said a 16-year-old Bantu boy started the fight when he hit the girl, Shauntera Pettus, in the cheek with his shoe.

Parents from both sides met in the parking lot and argued about which of the children should be punished and how.

“They hit my sister. . . . I don’t like their culture. I don’t like that a dude could beat up a girl and get away with it,” said Damion Pettus, 19. “What are we supposed to do—let them hit our kids?”

But Habib Hassan, 21, said the blacks were taunting them, saying, “Where are these stupid guys from anyway?”

“First, they hurt our children, then they abused our dignities,” Hassan said.

The confrontation subsided before flaring again about 5:30 p.m. when Damion Pettus and his friends returned to the lot because they believed the Somali Bantu teen hadn’t been punished. They were joined by neighbors and others who don’t live in the complex, Pettus said.

At 8 p.m., a fistfight broke out between the groups. The Bantus said an angry mob of blacks armed with bats, bricks, rocks and sticks broke the windows of several of their apartments. But the blacks said the Bantus were the ones with weapons and that they outnumbered the blacks.

“They ransacked our apartments, breaking teapots, stealing bikes and taking videos,” said Ali Hassan, 16.

Pettus said he and his friends weren’t involved.

Columbus police were called twice to the complex and filed a criminal-damaging report at 9:41 p.m. No one was arrested.

Five Bantus were taken to the hospital Tuesday for minor injuries, and all 15 Somali families who lived at the Breckenridge Apartments—61 people in total—were moved to another apartment complex off Rt. 161.

Ahado Mohamed said moving helped ease the trauma.

“The incident was so scary we slept Monday night all in one apartment,” Mohamed said while stringing a colorful bead necklace for one of her children. “I have a good feeling about this new complex. It feels peaceful.”

Many community leaders were hesitant to talk about the fight, but they acknowledged that miscommunication and cultural differences inflamed the situation.

“It got out of hand,” said James Stowe, director of the city’s Community Relations Commission. Stowe has said Columbus’ growing diversity is the city’s most-pressing issue.

“There was a real breakdown of cultural understanding,” said Beth Gerber, associate director of Jewish Family Services, which is helping the Bantus adjust to life in the United States.

“It’s tragic, but maybe a little understandable considering some of our folks have only been here one week and others only barely two months.”

This is not the first time something like this has happened.

A 16-year-old Somali boy was left unconscious and three female Somali students were forced to transfer to other schools in January after a fight with blacks at Mifflin High School.

And disagreements have exploded into verbal and physical fights across the city, including at the Capital Park apartments on the North Side, where a mini-brawl in 1998 prompted complex managers and community leaders to start providing cultural-education classes.

“It happens more than we like to think,” said Hassan Omar, president of the Somali Community Association of Ohio. “And it will only get more complicated as the community becomes more ethnically diverse.”

Similar problems have plagued other cities with large refugee populations, such as Lewiston, Maine, Minneapolis and San Diego.

Religious differences—Somalis are largely Muslim, while black Americans are mostly Christian—can be a source of misunderstandings.

Sometimes refugees who don’t speak English or understand American customs expect blacks to put out the welcome mat and help them get on their feet. Meanwhile, some blacks believe the Somalis are being pushed to the front of the line for public assistance and receive undeserved breaks, said Angela Plummer, director of Community Refugee & Immigration Services.

And the tug of war between Somali traditions and American culture can lead to rifts, especially for immigrant teens struggling to find acceptance in both worlds.

Those and other differences are compounded by the distance that Somalis and black Americans often put between themselves, interacting as little as possible even when living side by side, Omar said.

Many say the answer lies with education, openness and understanding.

“Often people who look like complete opposites find they have a lot more in common when they sit down at the lunch table and get to know one another,” Plummer said. “The problems aren’t rooted in maliciousness, but misconceptions.”

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Comments from Readers

From: James from N.O.LA.

"Meanwhile, some blacks believe the Somalis are being pushed to the front of the line for public assistance and receive undeserved breaks, said Angela Plummer, director of Community Refugee & Immigration Services."

I am seeing more and more accounts of American blacks getting "upset" anytime they feel pushed out of the "most victimized gravy-train slot" by other minority groups. Even groups from thier own so called "Motherland". American Blacks are so proud to wear the African red, black and green symbols they purchased at the mall. So why aren't they welcoming their fellow Africans with open arms???? As has been stated elsewhere, not even black people like black people.

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From: Bernie

When whites in Maine fought with Somalis it was not put down as "cultural misunderstanding" but as white racism. Same old double standards at work.

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From: In L.A.

Yes, American blacks fight with blacks from Africa. In fact, they fight with everybody. As do the African blacks, who fight with blacksm no matter where thjey are from, with whites, you name it. The hispanic "immigrants" to the US fight with everybody; blacks, whites, and amongst themselves, as the Mexicans fight with all the other hispanics, the Puerto Ricans fight with ... all the other hispanics, the Salvadorans fight with all ... you get the picture. However, they are all united in their hatred of whites. And are led hook line and sinker by "leaders" who merely tools of elitists who for the most part despise whites. Especially middle class and poor whites.

Do you see (the few) white European immigrants allowed into the US fighting with other white immigrants or other whites? If at all, is it with the frequency of what we see among non-whites? Of course not.

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JoseyWales

2004-06-23 01:30 | User Profile

get the popcorn ready, i wanna watch

Happy Hacker

2004-06-23 01:39 | User Profile

[QUOTE]Fighting between blacks, Somalis [/QUOTE]

Another example that diversity is weakness.

Pennsylvania_Dutch

2004-06-23 02:28 | User Profile

I familiar with most large American cities east of St. Louis...and I must say that Columbus takes the cake for panhandlers and those selling questionable or stolen merchandise...no sooner do you get out of your car and some coon or foreign coon is making you an offer.:afro::osama::alucard::pimp::wacko:

confederate_commando

2004-06-23 02:56 | User Profile

they should all go to school in Akron:

:afro: :afro: :afro:

-----Forwarded Message-----

Subject: [Fwd: Black Nationalist School]

This from the Akron Beacon Journal. It should be of interest to you. The article doesn't tell it all. It's an openly racist school where the kids pledge allegiance to a black nationalist African flag. The school fosters hatred of the white man and despite criticism, gets away with it. It's funded by the tax payers of Akron despite objections from white citizens. The Blacks say it's only to teach about and celebrate their heritage. The very same blacks who are out to deny us that same right. School yet to prove self

Akron's `Afrocentric' elementary has passionate support, but enrollment, test scores lag after 4 years

By Stephanie Warsmith

Beacon Journal staff writer

From its beginning, Akron's ``Afrocentric'' school has divided the community.

Some call Stewart Elementary ``a dream come true.'' Others think its mere existence promotes segregation and hatred.

``People either love it or hate it -- or don't know it exists,'' Superintendent Sylvester Small said of the school.

Stewart is among the few Afrocentric public schools sprinkled across the country -- and one of only two in Ohio. Their programs mirror the curriculum and testing in their districts, but also use other materials and special rituals to teach students about African heritage.

Some of the schools -- including one in Columbus -- have shown impressive results, producing major improvements in test scores and student achievement. Others, such as Stewart, have struggled with staffing and leadership issues, mixed support and continually lagging scores.

Even with Monday's appointment of a new principal, Stew = [100.0]art's supporters fear that those issues leave the school's future in jeopardy.

The West Akron school serves about 200 children in kindergarten through fifth grade. It boasts a passionate following.

Recently, more than 200 people marched to the Board of Education office to protest the decision not to renew the contract of former Principal William Atkinson. The school's supporters are convinced that Stewart's specialized techniques are valuable for its African-American students.

`Harambee' at start

The school day at Stewart Elementary begins with a rhythmic beat.

Students and elders,'' who are older black volunteers from the community, march the hallways banging African-style drums. The sound signals the start of the morningharambee'' ceremony -- a term that means ``Let's pull together.''

In the school's small gymnasium, students line up by classroom. Many of the teachers are dressed in African clothes, while the students wear uniforms that include blue, red and green Polo-style shirts. Some kids sport multicolored ``dashikis'' -- an African pullover made by the elders.

A boy stands in the middle of the gym holding an American flag, while a girl beside him carries a red, black and green flag -- modeled after those used in the 1960s by the black nationalist movement.

With hands over their hearts, the students, teachers and elders recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Their hands remain in place during an ``African pledge,'' which they also know from memory.

I pledge allegiance to my people, the African race, the original man and woman of the earth and the founders of civilization,'' the pledge says.I pledge to live my life standing tall, for a person on their knees is not respected.''

A teacher goes through the morning announcements -- Wednesday is dress-up day. (No sneakers, please.) She recognizes students with birthdays coming up, saying their African names and what they signify.

The ceremony ends with a call-and-response titled ``Minute by Minute'' led by a student.

African people, you were once great,'' they say.And you shall be great again. Lose not faith, lose not courage. Go forward. Uplift the race.''

``Harambee! Harambee! Harambee! Harambee! Harambee!'' they shout, punctuating the word by pumping fists into the air.

After the 15-minute ceremony, the students pile the drums in the hallway and file off to class to start the day.

Origin of school

Stewart's Afrocentric program nearly didn't start at all.

School board members voted 4-3 in February 2000 to move forward with the effort to switch Stewart Elementary's program from traditional to Afrocentric.

Loretta Haugh, who is now board president and voted against starting the school, said she was worried that the change would promote racial segregation. About 97 percent of Stewart's students are African-American, according to district data.

``I was concerned about thickening walls between communities, rather than creating more inclusive environments,'' said Haugh, a retired teacher.

The idea for the school grew out of a planning session in the late 1990s. Members of a committee that was asked to study multicultural issues overwhelmingly recommended starting the program. They did so after visiting successful schools in other cities, including Detroit.

Larry Johnson, who was part of this process and later would be tapped as Stewart's first principal, said the committee gathered data that showed the expulsion and suspension rates for African-American students in Akron were twice that of whites. The information also showed that black students were doing far worse than whites on state proficiency tests.

``We really had the data to indicate that a school was needed,'' he said in a recent interview in his West Akron home.

When a principal from Oklahoma City who originally was chosen for Stewart backed out, school leaders turned to Johnson. He was an experienced principal with 30 years in the district who had planned to stay in an administrative job downtown until he retired.

Johnson agreed to take the position for a year, although he ended up staying until health problems forced him to step down in March.

The school got off to a rocky start in the fall of 2000. Johnson recalls those at Stewart being called separatists'' andrevolutionaries.'' Every teacher except for two transferred out and was replaced.

Gradually, he said, support for the school grew.

``More people became convinced that the mission was good,'' he said.

Performance

Stewart, though, still battles low test scores, low enrollment and staff turnover.

The school didn't meet any of the state goals on the fourth-grade proficiency test. The building scored lower than the district average on that test in every subject, according to the most recent state report card.

The school did boast gains: Students did better on citizenship, reading and writing. The building showed enough improvement to meet the tough federal guideline for ``adequate yearly progress.''

Stewart's enrollment, though it is slowly climbing, has not reached the 256 students there in 1999 -- the year before the Afrocentric approach started. At that time, the building had only kindergarten through third grade.

The school, which now draws kindergartners to fifth-graders through open enrollment, projects 230 children this fall.

In the past two school years, not enough Akron teachers applied to fill open spots at Stewart. The district had to fill a job each year with a teacher with little seniority. One stayed through the school year; the other called union leaders after only a half day and requested a transfer.

William Siegferth, president of the Akron teachers' union, said that teacher, who is white, was bothered by the harambee ceremony. She particularly didn't like the ``African Pledge.''

`She said,We're all Americans,' '' Siegferth recalled.

Supporters of Stewart's Afrocentric program say it hasn't been around long enough to prove itself. They point to fewer suspensions and discipline problems, and other improvements, and say test scores aren't the only measure of success.

``We really need more time,'' said Fred Johnson, one of Stewart's 16 elders.

Objections raised

A few recent incidents have raised concerns about Stewart.

â?sÃ"¢ In the summer of 2002, parents complained about a mock whipping involving a papier-mache figurine. The demonstration was part of a discussion of slavery in a summer program at the school.

Small said some parents didn't have a problem with the tactic, but others did. He said administrators stepped in.

I said: `You should not be teaching violence,' '' Small said.There are other ways that would be more appropriate.''

â?sÃ"¢ Last fall, another slavery demonstration generated objections. This one occurred in a workshop for Kent State University teaching students put on by some of Stewart's elders.

An elder asked for a volunteer. Two teaching students stepped forward. Their arms and legs were shackled.

The elder cracked a bullwhip in the air to demonstrate what the slaves experienced.

``To have someone stand there in chains was a good visual effect to talk about slavery,'' said Fred Johnson, an elder who is familiar with the incident but did not take part.

However, one of the teaching students was so upset that she wrote a letter to her professor; it was forwarded to the Akron teachers' union and the district.

Larry Johnson, Stewart's former principal who was off sick at the time, said the elder acted on his own and did not have permission to use this technique. He and Small told the elders that administrators had to approve future demonstrations.

Incidents happen at schools that are unfortunate and use poor judgment,'' Small said.We tell them it is not permissible.''

As talk of these incidents swirled around the community, it led some to question what is going on at the school.

``My concern is: We need to make sure hatred isn't being taught in an Akron public school,'' said Mary Stormer, a school board member who voted against the creation of the Afrocentric program.

Two parents' views

Supporters of Stewart insist the school is not teaching hate and point to those incidents as isolated, extreme examples that don't reflect the true nature of the program.

As parents, we don't want our children to grow up hating people,'' said Mwatabu Okantah, who moved from Kent to Akron so his family's five children could attend Stewart.They grow up with an understanding of what we have overcome as a people.''

Aminah Okantah, his wife, is thrilled with the education that her children -- all under the age of 12 -- have received at Stewart.

``This is a dream come true for them to be exposed to this information,'' she said in an interview in the family's West Akron home packed with African statues, rugs and artwork.

Mwatabu Okantah, who is a professor of Pan-African studies at Kent State, said many of his college students don't know that math existed in Egypt many years before it was studied in Greece, that an African-American invented the gas mask worn by firefighters or that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves.

``Public education has failed black children for years,'' he said.

In their twin sons' kindergarten class, the teacher displayed a model of a slave ship. One of their daughters was part of a group that memorized the 52 nations of Africa and recited them for the school. Their oldest daughter learned about African dance, while their sons were taught to play drums.

Aminah said the school gives their children an environment to learn who they are.

``So then, they can be who they are in any environment,'' her husband added.

Rita Rogers, who had one of the Okantahs' children in her third-grade class, said that in many ways, Stewart is similar to other Akron elementary schools. The school uses the same basic curriculum and textbooks, and students must take the state proficiency test.

There are unique aspects to Stewart, she said.

Rogers uses the names of African countries to teach nouns and verbs. On Valentine's Day, she told her students about the first African-American doctor to operate on the heart. To help her students understand geometry, she asked the district for permission to build a pyramid on the school grounds.

I'm so proud to be part of Stewart,'' said Rogers, who has been at the school since it became Afrocentric.Finally, a school knows what our children need.''

Several Afrocentric programs in the country have produced impressive results.

Successes elsewhere

The Columbus program, started in 1996, will expand through 12th grade for the 2004-05 school year. Although it's housed in one building, the school is divided on different floors for the lower and upper grades.

The elementary school outperformed the district average on the latest fourth-grade proficiency test. The school had the largest gains of any Columbus elementary school on the test: Some scores doubled, and scores in two subjects climbed by about 50 percent.

The school is one of several magnet programs in Columbus. Students are chosen through a lottery system. Those who live more than two miles from the school are bused -- unlike at Stewart, where students provide their own transportation.

Although the Columbus school is doing well now, the first few years were difficult, with bickering among staffers and grievances being filed against the principal. In April 1997, the school was reconstituted; only a third of the existing staff remained.

Stanley Embry, who was tapped as the new Columbus principal, said the program has improved dramatically. There has been less staff turnover and fewer grievances. The school has received wide support, including the superintendent and mayor serving as co-grand marshals at a school celebration.

``I think that sends a message to the community,'' Embry said.

Asa Hilliard III, an urban education professor at Georgia State University, keeps tabs on successful Afrocentric programs such as the one in Columbus. He points to other examples, including schools in Kansas City, Mo., and Lansing, Mich., where the test scores are among the top 10 percent in their states.

He said the keys to these successful programs are strong leadership, a clear vision, rigorous staff development, teamwork and community support. The schools also rely on techniques for raising test scores that have worked in other urban areas, Hilliard said.

``When you have confusion, a lack of support and turnover in leadership, it is difficult to mount any kind of an effort,'' he said.

Embry agreed, saying: ``Everybody needs to be on the same page.''

You are trying to move kids from the bottom to the middle to the top,'' he said.It can be done.''

Visitors welcome

Despite concerns about Stewart, school board members and administrators have said there are no plans to close the school or change its format.

``I think when you have a strong community-supported school, it's important to maintain it,'' said Haugh.

Those behind Stewart hope that George Whitfield Sr., the school's new principal appointed Monday, will promote the Afrocentric focus and be permitted to stay for an extended period.

``Without stable leadership, you will fall -- you will perish,'' said Rogers, the Stewart teacher.

Eventually, Stewart supporters would like to see the school expanded -- initially through eighth grade and eventually through the 12th grade. They are pinning their hopes on a plan to invest $7.2 million in renovating and expanding the building in 2009 under the district's huge construction project.

``That would be my vision for it,'' said Larry Johnson, the former principal turned elder at the West Akron school.

For anyone with questions or misgivings about Stewart, backers invite them to visit. They say the school has an open-door policy and isn't trying to hide anything.

Until you've been here, don't discuss what we do,'' said Atkinson, who served as Stewart's principal until the end of the school year and is suing the district over the decision not to renew his contract.You have to get a firsthand experience.''

Supporters of the school plan a forum later this summer to educate the community on Afrocentric education and the challenges that Stewart and the other buildings in the struggling Buchtel cluster face. Also in the works is a campaign to inform people about Akron school board members' voting records.

As for the future of the school, Small said the program won't be expanded unless it improves.

I've said: `That's all well and good, but they've got to get the results and the number of students,' '' he said.The bottom line is: They've got to be successful with what they have.''

Exelsis_Deo

2004-06-24 02:18 | User Profile

Negroes always kill each other. What's new ? They are mentally inferior. THe atrocities of Africa the last decade and continuing are a distinct example. If we did not satiate them with cheeseburgers, clothes, electronic equipment and firearms, they would try to kill us all. The American experiment has sought to wean them into society, much in the same way one trains a dog not to piss in the house. I would feel bad for them, but because they have sub-human minds, I know they are happy just living off the fat we provide them.

SupremeSpirit

2004-06-26 15:06 | User Profile

The ceremony ends with a call-and-response titled ``Minute by Minute'' led by a student.

African people, you were once great,'' they say.And you shall be great again. Lose not faith, lose not courage. Go forward. Uplift the race.''

``Harambee! Harambee! Harambee! Harambee! Harambee!'' they shout, punctuating the word by pumping fists into the air.

When were they great? I have studied history and cannot find such a timeframe.

Happy Hacker

2004-06-26 16:04 | User Profile

The extreme racism of these idiots is one thing, the massive amount of funding Afrocentric schools get is another. At least they're not in danger of being called Black Supremacists -- such a concept is laughable.