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Talk Back"Black Commentator" magazine's cover story says, "ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS: THE BIGGEST WHORE OF ALL"...
Click and type in a question or comment Thank you for helping get all the votes counted and aiding the President in carrying Florida. You're a great American. Ms. Singley: I read of your voter protection work on the workingforchange.org site. I can't tell you how thankful I am and how proud I am of what you have done. Every vote (when properly counted) makes a huge difference. You got people involved in the system, and that's the only way they will be heard. God bless you for your work, even if it meant going back to Florida! Thanks, Bill Andres a white middle-aged Arizona Democrat I read your report on your Tampa experience on election day. I cried. You are a part of what is right about this country. Keep the faith, as will I. Stephanie Dreher Thank you for your article on the Tampa voting process. It sickens me that once again, the disenfranchisement of black voters will go largely ignored by the corporate media and the DNC. I wept when I read your account of helping people in Tampa to vote. You are a heroine. Thank you. Thank God for people like you. Nothing fancy, just a heartfelt thank you for showing up in Tampa. I hope I have that much courage some day soon. Kathie Voigt Walsh from Jericho, VT I'm commenting on your article as an Election Protection voluntter. I grew up in Tampa and fled 3 times & have been in Charlotte for 12 years now, but am in Lakeland, where my sister & dad are 2-3 times a year, but I don't like FL. I've been thinking of moving out West to a blue state because I'm tired of the Southern views. I was an Election Protection volunteer at a precinct this year and experienced hostility from white voters, mostly male, and mostly in part, I think, because my T-shirt had NAACP on it. I have no doubt that if I had been an African-American woman, I would have faced even more hostility and I saw these same voters get the African-American women & girls handing out Black Caucus literature ousted. Since I had to stay neutral, I couldn't interfere although I didn't think this was campaigning. I did help many African-American voters and some white voters that took my help to locate their correct precinct so they could vote a regular ballot as they were rightly suspicious of provisional ballots or verify their registration when they hadn't received a registration card in time. I also wrote out many grievances, which helped people feel empowered and I can only hope that Election Protection will file these & help change future voting practices. There was a huge turnout of African-American voters many for the first time. Some of the white voters, who were way out numbered, commented on this rise in turnout, but not in a good way. I guess they thought I might be Republican. I was especially pleased to see how many African-American women turned out to vote and they were the majority of voters I helped register to vote in Sept. The more women we get to vote the better. I took some comfort in knowing that my county, one of the biggest in NC, turned blue and I believe it was because of the high voter turnout of African-American voters. If we can increase their numbers in the next elections as long as the 1965 Voting Act is renewed or better yet, made an ammendment, I think we'll win much more. I strongly believe in everyone who is eligible to voting getting to and without hassel, whether I share that voter's views or not so I was glad to volunteer my time to this effort. However, we still have a long way to go and I was saddened and appalled at the mostly subtle discrimination I saw or heard about. I was very depressed by the election outcomes last week, but I knew that I had probably less to fear than African-Americans. I'm ready to fight again and especially for non-discrimination at the polls. I was heartened to hear about so many people like you who were in entrenched red states going to battleground states to help. You didn't say where in TX you live, but I hope it's Austin. I lived there for 1-1/2 years in the 80s. My fathers family is from TX and I used to love it, but I really don't want to live their now. Marta Carvajal TampaVote: Dispatches from the Ground by Bernestine Singley Read your article, respect your investments and wanted to talk. I am losing my faith in the democratic party. I know that if they are elected to a majority of the house, senate and the presidency they will still only do a nominal Job of advocating for the causes of Black Americans, latino Americans, Arab Americans or even white americans like me who despise useless war. It seems like we are in an time where the stakes are getting too high to ignore and the masses can be motivated. I guess I am just looking for people within other minority communities to talk to and to consider strategies with. The two party system is dead, at least as far as addressing real Americans goes. What can we do together to build for change. If you want to talk about It I do too. Tom Whaley neighborwood@asis.com I enjoyed your article on the Election. I worked in Palm Beach County Saturday through Tuesday. (I started out life as a nice Jewish boy from Philadelphia. My mother lived in North Miami Beach for 25 years.) My first post was at a black community center in Delray Beach. It included a black clerk who kept other blacks from voting and essentially threw us out when we pressed too hard. My second post was at a mostly white, largely Jewish retirement village in Boca, where I was rudely challenged by a fat white woman; I stared her down, and began to speak to a male clerk. The loud woman was about to begin again when a local black attorney took her aside and politely but firmly told her to shut up. Rewarding day, and interesting for the way all the old categories were rendered useless (including one-quarter of the Jewish vote going for Bush). I look forward to reading your book. Mark Homer Knoxville, TN thoughts on the site? Click and type in a question or comment Wonderful site! what a great site! i just signed up for your mailing list and can't wait to read more about your site and your book. this is Zokwanda and i have just scanned thru your website. Not too shaby i should say. I promise to read each and evry detail it contains! i swear! love you lots and good luck on putting together something to send to your literary agent... lots of love Zokwanda |
Featured Pieces from the "Other Works" SectionA peek inside WHEN RACE BECOMES REAL
Table of Contents
A listing of authors and anthology chapter titles Review Excerpts
Clips from reviews Book chapter excerpt
"Jasper, Texas Elegy" Audio Clips on NPR
Links to selected authors reading chapter excerpts on NPR Bernestine in Literary Journals
"The Old Wink and Nod"
Why bother with the facts when it's so easy to keep believing the hype? "Murder and the Reasonable Man"
Mix evidence and prejudice with a jury, then stir. "Heat"
Sun isn't the only thing that sets stuff on fire. "The Tutu"
You're never too young to learn the hard lessons of desire. Bernestine in Other Anthologies
"Bearing Witness"
When the thing you most fear finally happens, then what? "White Friends"
Some of my best friends are white. Some aren't. "Take Me to the Water"
A piece of Texas fiction...or is it? Bernestine's Magazine Articles
South African Safari
In 1998 we saw the Garden of Eden. "The New South Africa: Warm and Welcoming"
Five years ago, reality hadn't yet trumped hope. |
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