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The San Diego Monitor
The "Sellout" | The Betrayal Issue In the hazardous waters of American race politics, a particular danger shadows the successful black American who achieves status and acclaim in mainstream society. Too much approval from “white” society quickly yields suspicions of racial treachery. The black “sellout” suffers a form of cultural banishment—a cruel psychic punishment for an ill-defined crime. Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal (Pantheon), professor of law Randall Kennedy examines the uses and abuses of the “sellout” label from the days of slavery to the present. He seeks to differentiate potentially valid applications of the term (for instance, when a member of a subjugated group consciously betrays that group’s interests) from the careless rhetoric that characterizes many contemporary accusations. Only rarely, he argues, is the justice of a “sellout” indictment unambiguous.
emerged from earlier projects—most notably, his 2002 book Nigger: The Strange History of a Troublesome Word and 2003’s Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption— which dissected some of the most resonant, but seldom examined, codes of race relations in America. Kennedy adds that he has felt the sting of the label himself, most recently in response to his stated support for interracial adoption-slave escape or offering shelter could be send to jail for 6 months or subjected to a $1,000 fine. In tracing the evolution of the “sellout” through black American history, Kennedy finds the term applied to a wide range of offenses, from the personal to the political. Frederick Douglass,
Kennedy’s interest in the “sellout” phenomenon
the preeminent black abolitionist, for example, was labeled a turncoat by many African Americans for marrying a white woman. At the other extreme, William Hannibal Thomas was condemned as a race traitor for his 1901 treatise on the inferiority of blacks (The American Negro: What He Was, What He Is, and What He Will Become), a book that won him praise from white supremacists at the time. Yet despite apparent fickleness in the use of the term over time, Kennedy is not prepared to discard the notion of the “sellout” altogether. “So long as you have self-conscious communities,” he argues, “there must be something to define who’s in and who’s out.” Any worthy movement for social change relies on the threat of ostracism to maintain group cohesion. Neither the French Resistance in World War II nor the Montgomery bus boycott, he points out, would have been possible without this powerful tool of moral suasion. Are there black Americans today who deserve the indictment? After touching on Condoleezza Rice and Barack Obama, Kennedy examines U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, whose name, he
notes, has become “synonymous with the idea” of the black sellout. Prominent African-American Continued on Pg. 7
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The San Diego Monitor
The Ride or Die Wife The Role of Real Loyalty
“Power” season six picks up with James “Ghost” St. Patrick seeking vengeance. His former drug partner and brother in arms must pay for the ultimate betrayal. Rocked to his core by the perfidiousness and cruelties of those he once called his family, Ghost devotes himself to one notion: Success is the best revenge, with all intentions of getting both. Ghost aims to get even with Tommy, get the Queens Child Project built to consecrate Raina’s legacy, and finally achieve a thriving legitimate lifestyle with no criminal strings attached. Ghost’s need to wrest satisfaction and happiness from this world by any means necessary – is the most dangerous he’s ever faced. As the Feds grow closer to convicting him, Ghost must remain vigilant toward those wanting to take him down for his past criminal enterprises. For Naughton, who plays Tasha, Ghost’s estranged wife, the series has been a blessing in her career. Tasha is the ultimate ride-or-die wife on the screen. It doesn’t matter how many times she and Ghost don’t like each other, she’s come through for him like no wife has been before on television. Not even Carmela Soprano backed Tony like the way Tasha has. From playing Lil’ Kim in Notorious to roles on Mad Men and the short lived The Playboys series, with Tasha St. Patrick, Naughton has a role that will long be remembered after the series ends. As far as what’s next, Naturi has plenty of options. She’s ready to resume her singing career and who knows else what’s coming.
In this interview she gives her perspective on her role. When did you know that this season will be the final season? Naturi Naughton: I think I had heard murmurs about it. The beginning of shooting season six, that this would be our final season. I wasn’t sure. And I think it got more real midway through. We’ve seen Tasha come a long way from season one, so how would you explain her growth? Naturi Naughton: Oh, my goodness, she’s tremendous. Her growth as a woman has been major because she was connected to Ghost for so long, that she didn’t know herself without him. So her identity, her sense of self, grew tremendously. She was a ride or die wife, and now she’s a ride or die mom. Fighting for the life to protect her son. So I think she’s less superficial than she was in season one. She’s a lot more focused on building up herself. Before she was so focused on building up Ghost, that I think it became a little bit of a hindrance. As an actor, when you take on a character, you never know where it goes. But what parts of Tasha are you? Naturi Naughton: I like a lot of parts of Tasha. I don’t agree with everything she does now. But I do have a lot of her in me, hence why I guess I was cast in this role. I would say, the parts of Tasha that are in me, or vice versa, are her fearlessness, her opinionated, unapologetic attitude, her fight Pg. 6
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The San Diego Monitor
What do They Want To KNOW? What Everyone Needs to Know About 2020 Census Questions
By law, the U.S. government is required to count the number of people living in the United States every 10 years. Getting an accurate count is important because census numbers impact daily life in the United States in many ways. For example, census data are often used to determine how much federal funding is allocated for important projects and services that benefit local communities. The census also plays a vital role in our nation’s system of government by determining how many representatives will be sent to Congress from each state. Because getting an accurate count is so important, the process is designed to be fast, easy, and safe. On average, it takes no more than 10 minutes to answer the questions on the census. How Are Census Data Collected?
During the first census in 1790, census takers visited nearly every U.S. home to gather data. In 2020, households will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. The Census Bureau expects many households to complete the questionnaire online, using instructions received in the mail. These instructions will also include information about how to respond by phone. Some households will receive a printed questionnaire which they can mail, postage-free, back to the
Be Counted! SDMNEWS’S Motivation Information
Census Bureau. A small percentage of households, primarily located in remote areas of the country, will be visited by a census taker who will help collect the necessary information to complete the form. Who Receives the Census Questionnaire and How Is It Filled Out? Most housing units in the United States that receive mail at their physical location will receive a letter by mail with instructions on how to complete the census questionnaire. Housing units include houses, apartments, cabins, mobile homes—pretty much any place where people live in the United States. In areas where the majority of housing units do not have mail delivered to their physical location, census workers will leave questionnaire packages at every identified housing unit. The census process also includes special provisions to count people who are homeless and those in other types of living quarters, such as college dorms, military barracks, ships, prisons, nursing homes, and homeless shelters. The person in the housing unit who fills out the census questionnaire or talks to the census taker is known as Person 1. Typically, Person 1 is the owner/co-owner or renter/corenter of the housing unit. READ MORE sdmonitornews.com
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The San Diego Monitor
SDMNEWS Must Read 2020 CA Census Guide Table of Contents Section 1: General Information (PDF) •
Initiative and Referendum Qualification Requirements
•
Candidate Qualifications and Information
Section 2: Nomination Requirements (PDF) •
Presidential Candidates
•
United States Representative in Congress, and Member of the State Legislature Candidates
•
Nomination Documents – Nomination Papers and Declaration of Candidacy
•
Signatures In Lieu of Filing Fee
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Signatures In Lieu of Filing Fee and/or Nomination Papers
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Ballot Designations
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In General
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Campaign Filings and Responsibilities
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Candidate Intention Statement
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Campaign Contribution Account
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Exceptions
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Additional Filing Information
Section 3: Candidate Filing Information (PDF) •
Required Filing Fees, Nomination Signatures
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Write-In Candidates for the Office of President
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Write-In Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices
In-Lieu
Signatures,
Section 4: Candidate Checklist (PDF) •
President of the United States
•
United States Representative in Congress
For download please go to www.sdmonitornews.com
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The San Diego Monitor for her family. That’s very Naturi. I’m a new mother so I can connect now to even the motherly aspect of this character. I think just how strong she is as a woman, I have a lot of that strength to and I tried to bring that to the character because working with Omari, a lot of people might be intimidated by his strength or his presence, and I’m not. With this show, one never knows who’s going to make it out? When they killed off Tasha’s daughter Raina in season 4, did you ever wonder like if you would make it to the end? Naturi Naughton: Yeah. Raina, played by Donshea Hopkins, it was so rough to watch that particular killing. There is a lot of murder and a lot of death on on our show, but that one was really hard to digest. So at that point, I was like, “Well, damn, nobody is safe!” If they can kill Raina, they can kill Tasha, they can kill Tommy. I mean, we’re all up for grabs, if you will. So it was scary. But that was definitely a death that was a turning point, where I saw how the writing can get so dark. And the characters can go at any moment.
Is there a point where you can suggest something to the writers? Naturi Naughton: Absolutely. We suggest things all the time. They may or may not get in the script. Even just me being a singer was something that they put into the storyline in the first season or two, where my character wind up singing at the Truth nightclub and then she sings with Terry Silver at a karaoke bar. Just little things like that. They knew I wanted to express the musical side of me so that was slowly injected. Then different parts of the story. If we say, Tasha needs a love interest. She needs to have an affair to since Ghost is getting his. I might say that jokingly, and then the next season, I actually do have a love interest and I’m having an affair. So is it’s good because Courtney is a showrunner who is collaborative with her actors. She genuinely wants you to feel comfortable in these characters, but also uncomfortable in these characters. The goal is not to be happy about all your choices. Every character is not going to be perfect and all good. You just have to play the truth. So my goal is to tell the truth. Read More sdmonitornews.com
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The San Diego Monitor entertainers have vilified Thomas, primarily for his opposition to affirmative action—an issue that Kennedy says has become the “litmus test” of racial solidarity in black America. They accuse Thomas of “rejoicing in burning the bridges that brought him over.” While making clear that he doesn’t agree with Thomas’s positions, Kennedy rejects the basis for the “sellout” charge. Thomas, he argues, should be judged on the merits and flaws of his arguments (particularly his claims to an “originalist” understanding of the unconstitutionality of affirmative action), rather than on whether or not he benefited from a policy he repudiates. For Thomas to qualify as a “sellout,” Kennedy declares, detractors would have to prove that he “knowingly” and “intentionally” worked to harm the interests of black Americans.
That upswing in black support gave Thomas the small but essential edge he needed for confirmation.) With Sellout, Kennedy hopes to bring the contradictory terms of racial betrayal in America into clear view. “At some point or another,” he says, “every successful black American in a multiracial context confronts the collaborator suspicion: ‘Why is this person successful?’” Too often, feelings of group pride in an individual’s achievements go hand in hand with questions of racial loyalty that can quickly lead to the unsubstantiated branding of a “sellout.” Kennedy argues that this damaging label should be reserved only for the most egregious offenses, and backed up with hard evidence. “Words,” he says, “should matter.”
They have not. Instead, Kennedy suggests, much of the condemnation of Thomas stems from a profound sense of disappointment that such a highly successful member of the black community has failed to conform to group expectations. (Kennedy points out that a majority of blacks, in fact, supported Thomas against Anita Hill’s sexual harassment allegations, viewing Hill as the “sellout” for breaking ranks by informing on a fellow black.
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