October 2014
n a i l l i v e z n o r B e th
nt Suppleme A newsletter from the An electronic newsletter from the Department of African African American American and and African African Studies Studies Community Extension Extension Center Center Community
How The US Invented A Terror Threat To Justify War By: Navid Farnia, M.A.
Features Pages 1,3: How The US Invented A Terror Threat To Justify War – Navid Farnia, M.A. Pages 9-10: Some Men Were Made to Play Football – Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Pages 11-12: Robert Mangum, a City and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 93 – Douglas Martin Upcoming Events Page 4: Ninth Annual Black Veterans Day Salute Page 5: An Evening with Dr. Peter Rogers Page 6: Girls Go Techbridge Page 7: The Math and Science Program Page 8: Rites of Passage Program
Last month, US President Barack Obama announced plans to increase American involvement in Iraq and green-lighted strikes on Syria. As the United States embarked on yet another military campaign, news began to circulate about a “terror threat” even greater than the emergent Islamic State group (also known as ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). On September 13th, the Associated Press published a report revealing the advent of Khorasan, a new organization supposedly connected to Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate. Citing unnamed sources, the AP report explained how Khorasan was a greater threat to attack on US soil than the Islamic State. American media organizations subsequently brewed a storm from this new disturbing information. According to the media, Khorasan was such an imminent threat that military strikes on Syria were absolutely necessary. Soon after the US began its war in Syria however, it was revealed that Khorasan doesn’t really exist. The Intercept’s Murtaza Hussain and Glenn Greenwald recently reported that the US concocted this new “terror threat” to justify military strikes on Syria. They listed a variety of unrelated sources that all dispute Khorasan’s existence. One such source was NBC News’ Richard Engel, who at one point was among those propagating the Khorasan threat. Engel only later tweeted, “Syrian activists [are] telling us they’ve never heard of Khorasan or its leader.” Hussain and Greenwald concluded, “Once the damage was done, the evidence quickly emerged about what a sham this all was. But, as always with these government/media propaganda campaigns, the truth emerges only when it’s impotent.” This brings us back to Obama’s September 10th speech. In his address to the nation, Obama declared, “I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are…. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.” Thus, on the one hand, the US is fabricating “terrorists” while on the other, the continued on page 3
Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413
Phone: (614) 292-3922 Fax: (614) 292-3892 http://aaascec.osu.edu aaascec@osu.edu
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of the CEC 12Core Programs 6 T he Ohio State University’s AAAS Community Extension Center is the outreach component of the Department of African American and African Studies. The CEC is one of the few off-campus facilities of its kind in the nation. Originally housed at two different locations on Ohio Avenue, the CEC moved to its current location in 1986. The CEC plays an integral role in enhancing the life chances of those who live in and around the Mount Vernon Avenue Area. Toward that end, the CEC offers an array of programs at no or nominal cost to the public. Programs include, but are not limited to, the following: conferences, symposia, computer classes, credit and noncredit courses, summer programs, lecture series, and film series. People from all walks of life have participated in these programs. Based on evaluations of our programs and personal testimonies, the CEC is having an impact on residents living in and around the Bronzeville Neighborhood.
1 Black Veterans Day Salute During the salute, Black men and women from Ohio who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are publicly recognized. Since the salute’s inception in 2006, the CEC has honored Vietnam War veterans (2007), Korean War veterans (2008), African-American servicewomen (2009), World War II veterans (2010), Gulf War Era veterans (2011) ,Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans (2012) and Black Civil War Veterans (2013)
2 Ray Miller Institute for Change & Leadership This 10-week long leadership course trains young Black professionals from the Columbus community in various areas of leadership. The Institute was founded in 2006 by former State Senator and Minority Whip Ray Miller. Miller has built a reputation as a strong advocate for those who have historically not had access to power. Admission to the Institute is highly competitive. The Institute is offered during OSU’s autumn and spring semesters with the support of OSU’s Office of Continuing Education. Participants who complete the course receive three CEU credits.
3 Senior Citizens Movie Matinee The movie matinee is a chance for senior citizens to watch a film that otherwise might be cost prohibitive in an accommodating environment. A discussion, usually led by an OSU professor or administrator, is held at the end of the film.
4 Computer Literacy Program Throughout the academic year, the CEC offers free and reduced-cost computer technology courses. The program is geared toward seniors but open to everyone. Courses include the following: Senior Computer Orientation, Internet, Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.
5 Lecture Series Presentations given by OSU faculty, students and/or community members about topics pertinent to the Black community.
Math and Science Program
The Math and Science Program was established in partnership with the OSU Medical Center in 2003. The Math and Science Program exposes students in grades 4 through 12 to the wonders of math and science using hands-on activities. The purpose of the program is three-fold: 1) To increase competency in math and science among students of color; 2) To expose students of color to math and science related careers; and 3) To encourage students of color to major in math or science. The program meets on the fourth Monday of each month from October to May.
7 Summer Residential Program The Summer Residential Program (SRP) was established in 1999 and is designed to provide students with both an appreciation for and an understanding of African-American and African culture and history. The SRP also helps students strengthen their computer literacy skills. Past themes include: “Entrepreneurship in the Black Community and Economic Freedom” (2013), “The Underground Railroad” (2012), “All Eyez On Me: Deconstructing Images of African-American Women in Hip Hop” (2011), “letz b down: Social Justice Advocacy for Blacks During the American Revolutionary War Era” (2010), “The Low Country: Black Culture, Literacy and History in Charleston, South Carolina” (2009). The program is held every June and is for rising 11th and 12th graders. Students live on OSU’s campus.
8 African Affairs Symposium This one-day symposium brings members of the African American and African communities together to discuss issues of particular interest to Africa. The inaugural symposium in 2007 examined the life of South African civil rights activist Steve Biko. “Africa in the Age of Globalization” was the theme of the 2008 symposium. The 2009 symposium examined the life of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, West Africa. In 2010, the focus was on Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the theme of the 2011 symposium.
9 Summer Enrichment Program This week-long, non-residential day program is designed to help rising 9th and 10th graders improve their reading and writing skills. The program, which was founded in 2009, is hosted annually in June and accepts approximately 15 students.
10 History of Black Columbus Conference This one-day conference celebrates the rich history of African Americans in Columbus and increases awareness of the significant contributions African Americans have made in all areas of city life. This annual conference is held in the spring.
11 Black History Month Forum The forum is in its fourth year and is focused on celebrating African descended peoples from all over the world. This year, documentaries about the following influential Black historical figures were shown: John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Nkrumah, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, Minister Elijah Muhummad.
12 Enemies of the State The annual event features activists from America’s most notorious radical organizations, people who pressured America to live up to its highest ideals. In past years, activists from The Revolutionary Action Movement (2013), The Us Organization (2012), and the Black Panther Party (2011) were invited to speak.
About Bronzeville During the 1930s, African-American leaders in Columbus named the predominately African-American neighborhood between the boundaries of Woodland Avenue (East), Cleveland Avenue (West), Broad Street (South) and the railroad tracks (North) “Bronzeville.” The population was approximately 40,000 residents. In 1937, the same African-American leaders elected a mayor of Bronzeville and created an eight member Cabinet to address social, political and economic issues in the neighborhood. Now, as a result of the establishment of several Neighborhood Civic Associations such as the Woodland Civic Association (East) and the Discovery District (West), Bronzeville was reduced to its current boundaries: Taylor Avenue (East), Jefferson Avenue (West), Broad Street (South), and I-670 (North). The Bronzevillian is inspired by this rich history.
CEC Advisory Board Paul Cook Wanda Dillard Francisca Figueroa-Jackson Mark S. Froehlich Ray Miller, former State Senator Lupenga Mphande, Ph.D. William E. Nelson, Jr., Ph.D. (Deceased) *Ike Newsum, Ph.D. and Chair Rick Pfeiffer, City Attorney Thomas Simpson, Ph.D. Reita Smith Charleta Tavares, State Senator Nana Watson
CEC Director *Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.
CEC Staff Sarah Twitty Senior Program Coordinator & Fiscal Officer Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Program Coordinator Alecia Shipe Technology Program Coordinator
Address Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413 *Ex officio members.
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president is pronouncing that America will hunt them down, “wherever they are.” By concocting a terror threat and then spreading misinformation through the media, US officials got what they wanted in bombing Syria. This was an invented ideological means to pursue a material end. Of course, the end result for Syrians and Iraqis is escalated war, followed by more death and destruction. The fiction that is Khorasan is not inconsistent with the broader US foreign policy agenda in the Middle East. For many people in the region, the US is and has historically been the greatest threat to their lives. In fact, not only did the US invent Khorasan and use it to bomb Syria, but it’s also responsible for the Islamic State’s actual existence. There’s no doubting that the Islamic State poses a real danger to many people in Iraq and Syria. But few acknowledge how the organization is a direct product of the US’s criminal war and occupation in Iraq. Only after the US had already ruined the country by slaughtering and displacing countless Iraqi civilians did the Islamic State emerge. The US has developed a reputation for producing, supporting, and reproducing regional instability in order to secure its interests. As America’s military campaign escalates, US officials will keep falsely justifying military involvement as a means to pursue political and economic interests. In turn, US intervention will inevitably create more militant opposition that resembles the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. These violent organizations lack credibility among the vast majority of people in the region, but they still gain some legitimacy because of the West’s (and specifically, the US’s) meddling. US imperialism is very real and it has a devastating impact on people in the Middle East and the Third World at large.
Navid Farnia is a doctoral student in the Department of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. Navid is also the founder of overthecolorline.com, where he writes about racial politics in current events.
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Ninth Annual Black Veterans Day Salute
For More information visit http://go.osu.edu/2014bvds or call 614-292-3148
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An Evening with Dr. Peter Rogers
For More information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-3922
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2014
Girls Go Techbridge
The Next Girls Go Tech Session is Monday, October 13, 2014. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-4144
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The Math and Science Program
The Math and Science Program begins Monday, October 27, 2014. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-3922 or 293-8357
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Rites of Passage Program
The next Rites of Passage Meeting is Saturday, October 25, 2014. For more information visit http://aaascec.osu.edu or call 614-292-4144
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Some Men Were Made to Play Football By: Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D.
Scores of people are filled with excitement when they see, hear, or think of the acronym TGIF. This is especially the case for 9– 5ers who are thrilled that the work week is coming to an end and something special is about to begin. TGIF usually represents “Thank God It’s Friday!” But for me, TGIF has a totally different meaning, and I’m not talking about going to a restaurant or watching the late 1980s ABC television show, thank God it’s football (season)! Last month, college and professional football kicked off their respective seasons with much anticipation. This season the national championship in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly Division I-A) will be decided in a four-team playoff. In addition, for the first time in nearly two decades, the NFL regular season showcased a rematch between last season’s Super Bowl teams, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. On both levels there are certainly going to be athletes who produce electrifying performances week-after-week, some of which will seem to come from relative obscurity. History tells us that much. Take the last seven Heisman Trophy winners: Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Mark Ingram, Jr., Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Johnny Manziel, and Jameis Winston. Few would have predicted at the beginning of their respective seasons that each winner would walk away with the highest individual college football award. Besides, most of them were underclassmen, and prior to Tebow, no underclassman had received this prestigious honor. Bradford and Ingram also won the award as sophomores, while Manziel and Winston did as freshman. Only Newton and Griffin were upperclassmen. However, winning the Heisman does not necessarily mean success and stardom in the pros. (Note: Defensive players do not receive the same media coverage and fanfare as offensive players). Though Bradford, Newton, and Griffin earned NFL Rookie of the Year Awards, they have yet to reach the apex of their potential—same could be said for Ingram. Manziel is competing for playing time and Winston is still in college. However, it is somewhat surprising that Russell Wilson, a third-rounder in the same class as Griffin, fought and won the starting job as quarterback over a veteran in preseason, then eventually led the Seahawks to victory over the Broncos in last season’s Super Bowl. Wilson’s almost instant success did produce a high level of excitement. But the point I’m making here is this. Since 2007, I have been searching for the next sensational college player to perform his extraordinary football knowledge and skill in the NFL. And there have been many (think Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, Luke Kuechly, LaSean McCoy, Von Miller, DeSean Jackson, Ndamukong Suh, Jimmy Graham, J.J.Watt, Andrew Luck). I could go on and on, but something is still missing for me. In my lifetime, I have watched players such as (in no particular order) Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Ozzie Newsome, Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, and Reggie White singlehandedly change the outcomes of football games. Viewing their athletic abilities during competition gave me goose bumps and, I imagine, opposing players had nightmares before and after games.
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With game-changers like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Tony Gonzalez, and Randy Moss retiring recently, name recognition and enthusiasm for specific players have been my biggest challenges with football, especially when following studentathletes from college to the pros. One playmaker I wish I had the opportunity to continue watching is Sean Taylor, an All-American strong safety from the University of Miami and the Washington Redskins Pro Bowl defensive back.
A few weeks ago, I watched the NFL Films documentary A Football Life: Sean Taylor on the NFL Network. It provided me with a snapshot of Taylor’s high school, college, and professional careers. It also helped me understand more about Sean Taylor off the field. Moreover, it reminded me of what made the sport of football so special. As Taylor was entering the NFL, some compared his passion for the game to that of fellow Miami Hurricane defensive standout Ray Lewis, whose play helped the Baltimore Ravens defense become one of the best in league history. NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., stated that Taylor played the game with intensity and had the athletic skills to improve the Redskins as Lewis had done with the Ravens. Taylor’s playmaking ability wreaked havoc on opposing players. Unlike Lewis, Taylor’s size was not in question. In fact, it was one of his best assets. Standing nearly 6’3” and weighing 230 pounds, he used his length, range, and closing speed to cover the league’s top receivers and tight ends. He was a ball hawk with a knack for making interceptions, dislodging the ball from would-be pass catchers or breaking up throws. His physical stature not only made completing passes a daunting task, but it also presented challenges with running the ball. Taylor was a stout run defender and solid tackler. He was known for his ferocious hits. Almost every tackle was like the hit Broncos free safety Steve Atwater put on Kansas City Chiefs running back Christian Okoye in a matchup between division rivals on ABC’s Monday Night football in 1990, a violent collision. Taylor specialized in decleating ball carriers (knocking a player off his feet) and ripping the football out to force fumbles. He was a playmaker, a game-changer. Once he got his hands on the ball he became an immediate scoring threat on defense and special teams. And this was the energy and enthusiasm Taylor created in his four seasons with the Redskins before his untimely death in November 2007. He was 24-years-old. Who knows the impact Taylor could have had on football. Former Ravens safety Ed Reed said Taylor was one of the best safeties to play the game. Some argued that Taylor would have had a Hall of Fame career. Others believed he was the best player on the field. Former Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs said this about Taylor, “God made certain people to play football, for sure. And he was one of them.” I couldn’t agree more.
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Robert Mangum, a City and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 93 By: Douglas Martin In 1933, Robert J. Mangum arrived in New York as an orphan of 13. As he told the story, he held his little sister by one hand and carried a satchel with all his belongings in the other. They moved in with an aunt and uncle who lived at the edge of poverty. He sold newspapers, manned a vegetable stand and was a page at the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Mangum went on to build a career as diverse as it was accomplished. He became the youngest deputy police commissioner in New York City history, the chief of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty in the Northeast, and the chairman of human rights for New York State. In 1943, as a 22-year-old police officer, he helped found the Guardians Association, a fraternal group for blacks in the New York City Police Department. It still exists. In 1963, he joined with David N. Dinkins (who went on to become the first black mayor of New York), Jackie Robinson and business leaders to start One Hundred Black Men, an organization to enhance opportunities and provide role models for minorities. It, too, is still operating, with 116 chapters and more than 10,000 members in the United States and throughout the world. He was the first president of both organizations. He was also chairman of the New York affiliate of the National Urban League. In 1971, he became the first black judge appointed to the New York State Court of Claims, which adjudicates claims against the state. Mr. Mangum, who was 93, died on Oct. 2 in the Forest Hill Healthcare Center in Newark. A granddaughter, Sienna Hunter-Cuyjet, confirmed his death. Robert James Mangum was born to Roy and Louise Mangum in Chesterfield, Va., on June 15, 1921. When he was three, his family moved to Detroit, where his father worked on and off in a Ford factory. As a boy, he collected junk to sell and stole coal to heat the family home.
After his parents died — the causes are unclear — he and his sister went to Harlem to live with relatives. He worked as a boxing instructor, a truck driver and, for three months, a prison guard on Rikers Island. He excelled in school, finishing second in his junior high class and joining the National Honor Society at Townsend Harris High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences from the City College of New York in 1942. A congressman appointed him to the United States Military Academy at West Point, but Mr. Mangum turned it down to continue to help his family financially. He was accepted by the Police Department in December 1942 and assigned to walk a beat at a salary of $1,320 a year. After two years, he was promoted to work with youth gangs and juvenile delinquents. In 1944, he was drafted into the Army and sent to the Philippines, where he was a courts-martial officer, an assignment that piqued his interest in becoming a lawyer. He was discharged as a first lieutenant. He returned to the Police Department in 1946 and coordinated Police Athletic League activities in Harlem while earning a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He later earned a master’s in public administration from New York University.
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In 1954, at 32, he became the youngest person and the second black person to be named a deputy police commissioner in New York City. In the 1950s, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. appointed him to commissions to investigate teenage drinking, distressed families and the Department of Correction. In April 1957, as one of the few blacks in the department, Deputy Commissioner Mangum was sent to Harlem to help deal with public anger over the police clubbing of a Black Muslim. Malcolm X, then a Black Muslim minister in Harlem, was also called to mediate between the police and community members. In “Resisting Police Violence in Harlem,” a historical pamphlet published in 2012, Mariame Kaba wrote that Mr. Mangum was stung and hurt when Malcolm X, dismissing his efforts, called him a tool of the white power structure. The one serious blot on Mr. Mangum’s record, and a much-publicized one, came in February 1958, when Police Commissioner Stephen P. Kennedy reprimanded him for “impulsive and improper behavior” after he had gone to a precinct house and drawn a line through the arrest record of a woman he knew. She had been charged with making an improper turn, then causing a ruckus at the precinct. Although the commissioner emphasized his “outstanding record,” Deputy Commissioner Mangum resigned to manage the political campaign of Earl Brown, a Tammany Hall candidate who was trying to defeat Representative Adam Clayton Powell Jr. of Harlem in the 1958 Democratic primary. Mr. Brown lost. Mr. Mangum returned to public service in September 1958, when Mayor Wagner named him deputy commissioner of hospitals. Some criticized Mr. Mangum’s lack of experience in the health field. He responded that he had once worked as an office boy for a general practitioner and had excellent management experience. “Anybody who feels it would take two or three years to familiarize myself with this department really underestimates me,” he said in an interview with The New York Post. In 1966, Mr. Mangum was appointed director of the Northeast region of the Office of Economic Opportunity, the lead agency in President Johnson’s war on poverty. The New York Times called the position “one of the highest posts” in the antipoverty effort, and said the president had personally approved Mr. Mangum’s appointment. Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller named Mr. Mangum chairman of the State Commission on Human Rights in 1967. In that post, he persuaded real estate firms to eliminate racial imbalances in housing, Consolidated Edison to stop discriminating against women on pensions and a gas station to hire a woman. He also forced a minor-league baseball league to hire a female umpire. In 1971, Governor Rockefeller appointed Mr. Mangum to the claims court, where in 1978 he made the nation’s first ruling on the safety of highway guard rails. He ordered the state to pay $475,000 in damages to an injured driver. He was later general counsel of Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan. Mr. Mangum’s marriage to the former Gladys Scott ended in divorce. He is survived by his partner of 30 years, Barbara Baxter Cuyjet; his son, Paul; three stepsons; and besides Ms. Hunter-Cuyjet, three other grandchildren. As a reminder of his early days, Judge Mangum was said to have kept the satchel he carried when he arrived in Harlem as an orphan. A version of this article appears in print on October 9, 2014, on page B19 of the New York edition with the headline: Robert Mangum, a City and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 93 .