Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle January 16, 2019
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What about Cape Verdeans?
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I
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2017
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d ay ! • L i ke u s o
n a previous column I dis-
cussed why I chose to write
the novel, “The Man Who
Fell From the Sky.” Cen-
tral to the novel is the Cape
Verdean in the USA. But
here’s the interesting thing.
When I have mentioned Cape
Verdeans to many knowl-
edgeable people, they have no
idea whom I am discussing. In
other words, far too many of
us have never heard of Cape
Verdeans.
Nearly 400 miles off the
coast of Senegal is found the
Cape Verdean archipelago.
Settled by the Portuguese in
the 1600s, they became a tran-
sit point for African slaves
stolen from the Continent on
their way to the New World.
The Portuguese settled the is-
lands with prisoners, adven-
turers, slavers and slaves.
In the 19th century Cape
Verdeans became the first
post-1492 African popula-
tion to come to the USA vol-
untarily. They came initially
as whalers and fishermen,
though later families migrat-
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
The Global
African
ed, often as a result of the pe-
riodic droughts on the Cape
Verde islands. But they came
as Portuguese colonial sub-
jects speaking Portuguese
and having a very different
“
guese”, “Black” or something
else?
The struggle for the inde-
pendence of Guinea-Bissau
and the Cape Verde islands
(which were considered one
territory by the Portuguese
colonialists) emerged in the
1950s and ultimately turned
to armed struggle when the
Portuguese repressed the de-
mands for justice. One of the
great leaders of this struggle
was none other than the icon-
ic Amilcar Cabral who was,
The struggle for national liber-
ation for Guinea-Bissau and the
Cape Verde coincided with the en-
ergized Black Freedom Movement
in the USA.
history than those originally
brought to the USA as slaves.
This created an unusual ten-
sion between the two popu-
lations of African descent.
Should the Cape Verdeans
consider themselves “Portu-
himself, Cape Verdean. The
struggle for national libera-
tion for Guinea-Bissau and
the Cape Verde coincided with
the energized Black Freedom
Movement in the USA. Both of
these movements had a pro-
found impact on the thinking
of Cape Verdean Americans
leading to increasing “Black
consciousness” and support
for national liberation.
I decided to look at this im-
portant population because
they are frequently ignored
in discussions about Black
America. Either they are
treated as just another group
of African Americans albeit
with “strange names” or they
are not treated as being Afri-
can American at all or they
are unknown. Cape Verdeans,
however, are part of what has
made Black America. African
Americans have evolved as
a population beginning with
those originally brought over
as slaves and indentured ser-
vants to the influx of Cape
Verdean voluntary migrants,
to the migrations of Caribbe-
an peoples to the USA and,
particularly after 1965, mi-
grants from other parts of Af-
rica and Latin America to the
USA. Black America is con-
tinuously evolving through
the introduction of these new
blood lines.
Shame and Shade in Birmingham: In Praise of Angela Davis
info@theskanner.com
to
y •
Opinion
I
f anyone deserves a civil
rights award, Angela Davis
certainly does. The activist
and scholar has been on the
front lines of the civil rights
movement all of her life. She
has been especially active in
prison reform matters, but
she has also been involved in
other civil and human rights
issues. When I learned back
in October that she would
get the Fred Shuttlesworth
Human Rights Award from
the Birmingham Civil Rights
Institute, I was absolutely de-
lighted. I imagined the wide
smile the daughter of Bir-
mingham must have flashed
when she learned that she
would be honored.
Everyone in Birmingham
wasn’t thrilled though. Some
people in the conservative
Southern town seemed dis-
turbed that she had been a
member of both the Black
Panther Party and the Com-
munist Party. Others were
concerned about her support
of the BDS (Boycott, Divest-
ment and Sanctions Move-
ment) against the Israeli occu-
pation. She has said that she
stands in solidarity with the
Palestinian people, and advo-
cates for their fair treatment
in Israel.
Some ill-informed people
consider the BDS movement
“anti-Semitic.” They suggest
that any questions that one
raises about Israel shows a
bias against Jewish people.
But Davis, a lifelong human
rights activist, is concerned
about the humanity of Pales-
tinian people, as well as other
people. And she is rightfully
concerned, as many of us are,
about the spate of laws re-
Julianne
Malveaux
NNPA
Columnist
cently passed that downright
outlaw the BDS movement.
According to the Middle East
Monitor, a teacher in Texas,
Bahia Amawl, refused to sign
an oath that required her to
“
Lots of people in Birming-
ham aren’t having it. Though
the “Civil Rights Institute”
has rescinded its award to Dr.
Angela Davis, there has been
significant protest about the
decision. Birmingham’s May-
or, Randall Woodfin, who is
a non-voting member of the
Museum Board and did not
participate in the decision to
rescind the award (the city
provides the museum with
about a million dollars a year
in operating funds) has ex-
Davis, a lifelong human rights
activist, is concerned about the
humanity of Palestinian people
pledge that she “does not cur-
rently boycott Israel,” that she
will not boycott Israel and
that she will “refrain from
any action that is intended
to penalize, inflict economic
harm on, or limit commercial
relations with Israel.” Texas
is among some 25 states that
have passed laws forbidding
the state from doing business
with companies that boycott
Israel! It will also not invest
pension funds in companies
that support BDS. Thirteen
more states including Wash-
ington DC, have similar laws
to the Texas law pending, pit-
ting people’s first amendment
rights of free speech against
support for Israel. And Flor-
ida Senator Marco Rubio, in
the middle of a government
shutdown, had the nerve to
introduce national legislation
that mirrors the Texas law
(actually, Illinois was the first
state to pass this discrimina-
tory law).
pressed his dismay about the
decision. Three board mem-
bers have resigned from the
board. And Alabama colum-
nist Roy S. Johnson has writ-
ten a fiery column accusing
the Civil Rights Institute of
insulting Rev. Shuttlesworth
and staining its own legacy.
Who rescinds an award af-
ter it has been granted for
statements that were not re-
cently made, but are a matter
of record? Angela Davis has
long been an outspoken ac-
tivist, just like Rev. Fred Shut-
tlesworth was. The BCRI did
not have to honor Davis, but
their canceling the award is
a special kind of insult. For-
tunately, Angela Davis has
a thick skin, and she knows
exactly who she is. She didn’t
cringe when then-California
governor Ronald Reagan had
her fired from UCLA for her
membership in the Commu-
nist Party. She didn’t flinch
when she was incarcerated
for a crime she did not com-
mit. And she will not tremble
because the BCRI rescinded
the award.
Indeed, demonstrating the
indomitable spirit that she
is known for, Angela Davis
will travel to Birmingham in
February for an alternative
event. And the Birmingham
Civil Rights Museum has egg
on its face. That city showed
a young Angela Davis who
they were when the Four Lit-
tle Girls, some of whom she
knew, were killed at the 16th
Street Baptist Church in Bir-
mingham. And they are show-
ing her who they are once
again. Shame and shade!
Unfortunately, I’m not sur-
prised. One of the founders
of the Women’s March has
demanded the resignations
of Tamika Mallory and Linda
Sarsour because they attend-
ed one of Minister Louis Far-
rakhan’s Savior’s Days. Marc
Lamont Hill lost his CNN
commentary gig because
he spoke up for Palestinian
rights. Now Angela Davis is
being denied an award. When
is enough going to be enough?
I support Palestinian rights.
And I support Israel’s right to
exist. Are the two incompat-
ible? I think not. But Israel is
not about to budge, and BDS
is an attempt to influence it.
States passing laws to outlaw
free speech erodes the first
principle of our Constitution
and undercut the actions at
the very foundation of our
nation.
Remember the folks who
dumped tea into the Boston
Harbor because of an unfair
tax? Today that action might
be against the law!
nt •
lo c a l n e w s •
eve