Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/10/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The photo is not offensive at all. Jim didn't post it to encourage racism. He made the photo as a documentation of the attitudes that are still all too common in the USA, and its importance as a document is even more profound in that it was taken in a northern state, not the deep south. A lot of Americans don't realize that such attitudes are very common in the north, because all the media tells us is that the south is where all the racism is. Your uncle's experience shows that the north can be just as bad as the deep south. History books are filled with instances of the KKK burning black churches and businesses in Alabama and Mississippi, and are often very silent about such things in New York, or Pennsylvania (where Jim lives). My home state, Indiana, is a major KKK stronghold. The area of Fort Wayne where I live, Waynedale, had its own KKK chapter when I was a kid. They held a parade in Waynedale in 1982! I remember seeing it in person when I was a little kid! In the early 1990s, the largest KKK in the country, the American Knights Church of the Ku Klux Klan, was based in a small town about 10 miles north of Fort Wayne. The group's leader went on Jerry Springer three times! Many people don't realize that kind of thing exists in the northern states, like Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. I'm glad Jim made that photo, its an important historical document. Evidence that racism is not dead, not even in the north, and we have a lot of work to do to defeat it. If you're interested in learning more about the history of racism in the north, check out James Loewen's book, "Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism." It is about small towns in the midwest and northeast that prohibited blacks from living in them, and which required black visitors to leave by sundown. Most of the small towns around Fort Wayne were sundown towns. He also discusses all white suburbs outside cities like New York and Chicago. -- Chris Crawford Fine Art Photography Fort Wayne, Indiana 260-437-8990 http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com My portfolio http://blog.chriscrawfordphoto.com My latest work! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Crawford/48229272798 Become a fan on Facebook On 10/16/12 3:26 PM, "bjq1 at mac.com" <bjq1 at mac.com> wrote: > >I want to tell you about my Uncle Barney. Actually my Great Uncle Barney. >I am proud to be named after him. He was an Army Chaplain during World >War I. Rather than live in relative comfort behind the lines he insisted >in being in the trenches with his men. He was gassed twice by the >Germans. He was told as a result that he would probably develop and die >from cancer, He did. > >He founded the first church for Black Catholics in the United States. In >Brooklyn. He also founded an orphanage for Black Children in Wading >River, NY. It was burned down twice by the KKK. I still remember the >stories my Dad and my Uncles told me about helping Uncle Barney rebuild >his orphanage. He is in the process of being made a Saint in the roman >Catholic Church. > >Yes, free speech gets ugly. But, there are two free speech issues here. >One is the right of the owner of the car to put such a sticker on their >car and the second is your right to post a picture of in on the internet. >I support both. But, I also want to tell you that I found your picture >profoundly offensive. Posting it may be a legitimate exercise of your >rights to free speech, but I can tell you from my own experience that ti >is also playing with fire. Ugly can be fanned into very real flames all >too easily?. > >Barney > > >E-Mail: bjq1 at mac.com >Home: (301) 654-0938 >Cell: (301) 775-1386 > > >On Oct 16, 2012, at 02:36 PM, Jim Shulman <jshulman at judgecrater.com> >wrote: > >> Unfortunately, free speech can be often really vile and ugly. Evidently >> this fellow (or lady) feels confident enough to append the message to a >> car worth several thousand dollars. In Philadelphia, the car wouldn't >> last three blocks. >> >> Jim >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: lug-bounces+jshulman=judgecrater.com at leica-users.org >> [mailto:lug-bounces+jshulman=judgecrater.com at leica-users.org] On Behalf >>Of >> philippe.amard >> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 1:57 PM >> To: Leica Users Group >> Subject: Re: [Leica] PESO: Do not >> >> Would end up in court over here - and rightly so. >> >> Outrageous! >> >> Ph >> >> >> Le 16 oct. 12 ? 16:57, Jim Shulman a ?crit : >> >> > Probably a lot more pervasive than we'd like to believe. You have to >> > go to the hinterlands in order to find someone who is comfortable >> > pasting this on their car bumper. >> > >> > Best, >> > Jim >> > >> > Off this weekend to photograph more ephemeral political message signs >> > and other displays. >> > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: lug-bounces+jshulman=judgecrater.com at leica-users.org >> > [mailto:lug-bounces+jshulman=judgecrater.com at leica-users.org] On >> > Behalf Of Chuck DeSantis >> > Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 10:49 AM >> > To: Leica Users Group >> > Subject: Re: [Leica] PESO: Do not >> > >> > Truly despicable! >> > >> > Chuck >> > >> > And yes, it takes something as vile as that to get me out of lurk >> > mode. >> > >> > >> > On 10/16/12 8:47 AM, Tina Manley wrote: >> >> That is the worst bumper sticker I have ever seen! >> >> >> >> Tina >> >> >> >> On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 7:17 AM, Jim Shulman >> > <jshulman at judgecrater.com>wrote: >> >> >> >>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/focusit/do+not+sm.jpg.html >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> Leica M3, 28/3.5 CV, Neopan 100 >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> Jim Shulman >> >>> >> >>> Wynnewood, PA >> >>> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >>> Leica Users Group. >> >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >>> >> >>> >> >> >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Leica Users Group. >> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Leica Users Group. >> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information