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April - April7,26, 2013, The Afro-American November 1, 20, 20082013 - November 2008, The Washington Afro-AmericanA3 A3

Washington View Jennifer Hudson and Relatives Identify Body of Her Slain Nephew

D.C. Special Election Turns on Difference Between Race and Racism

By Alan King AFRO Staff Writer

sport-utility vehicle sought in connection with the murder of Hudson’s mother and brother. anyone TheAnytime white, 1994 Chevrolet Jennifer Hudson and other attempts to discuss Suburban with Illinois or license relatives positively identified defuse misunderstandings about intractable racism in America, which is still unable to reconcile its historic and hidden affects even today, they better be prepared for some backlash. To mention racism is to tiptoe into a minefield, and all too often it is the present practice to blame the victim for the carnage from the blast. Think of the perverse Adrienne notion of “playing the race Washington card.” Here the prevailing AFRO Columnist idea is that it is somehow wrongheaded and even racist Courtesy Photos for an African American to Jennifer and her mom, Darnell Donerson whoor mentionHudson the distinctive challenges or the inherent inequities was as experiences well as herofbrother, Jason. thekilled, common being African American as if to give themselves some unwarranted and unfair advantage in a given or debate. plate X584859 was found on the situation body of her 7-year-old forjust example, Chicago’sracial West controversy Side after nephewWitness, Monday, hours the trumped-up inhis thebody Aprilwas 23 special election for the vacant at-large D.C. police received a 7 a.m. call after found in a Council. Although D.C. celebrated Emancipation Day when more than 3,000 slaves were set free a year earlier than others in 1862, the vestiges of horrific race relations continue to color everything from school closings to unemployment to political elections. In the latter example, some have unfairly accused Democrat Anita Bonds, the only African American in the atand Dallaswoman Cowboys players By Alan King large council race and the interim incumbent, of trying to get Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, AFRO Staff Writer African Americans to vote for her simply she is African among thebecause names submitted to American. With a long history of working behindelection officials. PresidentialNonsense. candidate John the-scenes foronvulnerable Bonds hasworkers, attempted Hurd said those who McCain’s attack ACORN –D.C. residents, to convince voters why she best represents “their own” interests, were doing those things without Associated Community just as thefor others have. They pledge to represent knowledgeallorpeople permis-in Organization Reform Now – all ACORN’s all eight ofof thethecity. But can they? sion, were fired. confirms thewards success “The evidence that has surorganization, the head of the faced so far shows they faked group says. “This is testimony to the work forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to stuff ballot we’ve done and success we’ve boxes.” ACORN, she said, is the had,” Maude Hurd, president of Continued from victim of fraud, not the perpetraACORN, said in A1 an interview tor of it. with the AFRO. Hurd said the only things “When this attack started, we television Judge Greg youth; bogus are the troubled charges themhad just announced thatMathis, we had a self-described former NFL Mfume, selves.and AndKweisi factcheck. org registered 1.3player millionMichael new vot-Westbrook; former president/CEO of to thesayNAACP. agrees. ers,” she said. “That’s just said onerunning goal ofscared the program is to give youths an It concluded, “Neither thatShe someone’s ACORN nor its employees have because of ACORN’s alternative to violencesuccess.” and misbehavior. found experiences,” guilty of, or even McCain, is runningour foryoungbeen “We havewho to broaden people’s she president on the Republican tick- charged with, casting fraudulent votes.” et, lashed out at ACORN in the The problem came about prifinal debate against Barack Obama, contending the group “is marily because of the way ACORN operates. Rather than on the verge of maybe perpetratrely on volunteers, it pays peoing one of the greatest frauds in ple, many of them poor or unemvoter history in this country, ployed, to sign up new voters. maybe destroying the fabric of The idea was to help both those democracy.” being registered and those doing Factcheck.org, a non-partisan the registration. Web site, found those claims to “We have a be “exaggerated,” with “no evisaid, “and show them how to be on a Maud path toexplained, succeed.” zero tolerance policy for deliberdence of any such democracyLast year, Alsobrooks coordinated a “Sisterhood Summit” ate falsification of registration.” destroying fraud.” in which women mentored girls. The event drew hundreds Most news account neglect to Hurd believes the McCain to Prince George’s Community College. Celebrities included charges were politically motivat- point out that ACORN is television Judge Glenda Hatchett, who delivered theturn keynote required by law to in all reged. speech. istration forms. And they also fail She said, “Because it’s lowtold Fox 5 that she to was inspired by the success note that it was the organizaandAlsobrooks moderate-income people, ofand that eventoftocolor, do one for the men in theinstances, area. Besides tion, in many that first people I believe theyoung brought the phony registrations McCain campaign thinksDepartment those her office, the county’s of Social Services, the to the attention authorities. voters of areCounty going toExecutive vote Office Rushern L. Baker IIIofand the The McCain camp Democratic, which is not necesUnited Way will be present. She said employers will beapparently isn’tasinterested thosemen. fine sarily true.” available and families will be served, well as in young points, preferring to air misleadACORN is no stranger to The summit to assist young men is being held just months ing ads that seek to link Obama controversy. afterFor a spate of killings left six hightoschool students ACORN, therebydead undercutting 38 years, the non-partisan since the beginning of the school year. Alsobrooks attended his political support. organization has fought for social aand community Feb. 25 thatMcCain: was called the McCain I’minJohn economic meeting justice foronlowwake of back-to-back killings of two School andSuitland I approveHigh this message. and moderate-income students—Charles WalkermemJr., 15, andAnnouncer: Aaron Kidd, 18.is Barack Who Americans. With 400,000 Obama? A manand withCounty “a political ber families organizedPolice into more Besides Alsobrooks, Chief Mark Magaw baptism performed at warp than 1,200 neighborhood chapCouncilmember Karen Toles (District 7) attended. speed.” Vast ambition. coltersPolice in 110attributed cities nationwide, the spate of violence among young After people lege, he moved to Chicago. ACORN has over the years seen to the availability of guns. Alsobrooks has said children need its share of criticism while advo- Became a community organizer. moral guidance, as well. There, Obama met Madeleine cating for affordable housing, “A who for wasthe shot inTalbot, his back a pair of shoes partover of the Chicago living young wages, man healthcare says that we are transferring the wrong values to our children,” branch of ACORN. He was so underserved— and while organAlsobrooks said at thedrives. Feb. 25 event, referring death impressive thattohethe was askedofto izing voter registration one thehas victims. that has totrain be addressed.” the ACORN staff. Butof none been as“And withering What ACORN in Chicago summit is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 3did p.m. at Bowie State andThe baseless as this one. engage With theFor presidential election University. additional information andin? toBullying register,banks. call 301Intimidation tactics. Disruption less than two weeks away, 952-5370. of business. ACORN forced ACORN’s detractors allege the organization has engaged in mas- banks to issue risky home loans. The same types of loans that sive voter registration fraud after caused the financial crisis we’re the reported discovery of bogus in today. names, such as Mickey Mouse

ACORN Fights Back

from a neighbor about a suspiposted fliers bearing his photocious vehicle. The man noticed graph around the city. On the vehicle while walking his Sunday, Jennifer Hudson asked however, detractors want to skewer Bonds, a sentiments “than other groups who were resistant changes” a dog. Worse, According to the some Chicago for the public’stohelp in finding frontrunner, suggesting interjected race for personal gain couple of generations ago when Blacks moved into urban areas. Tribune, the boy had beenshe shot her nephew. In her MySpace into the times campaign. fact,seat she tried to respond to a raciallyWhat was once affectionately called multiple in theInback blog,“Chocolate she thankedCity” fans and supquestion candidate’s forum recently on WAMU- by the majority population has morphed, byfor design, ofloaded the vehicle. Theduring SUV,aregisporters their into prayers and FM with candor. murdered gentrified “Vanilla Village.” While the city’sa population remainsto tered to Hudson’s offered $100,000 reward During show it was predominantly Black for now, but the council hasreturned gradually brother, wasthe towed with the pointed out that she was endorsed by anyone who the boy organized some longtime Black Washingtonians become represented by a majority ofalive. White members; seven of boy’s body labor insideand andthat is being processed by evidence techniSince the investigation, were casting their votes for Bonds because they didn’t want the the 13, including the chairman. cians andtoworkers. body majority. Hudson – who gained council increaseThe its White Bonds, by the way, has the backing of a number of her stardom was later removed and taken“I’m to happy to hear it,” in reaction after appearing on “American Ms. Bonds responded, council colleagues, Black and White. the County Medical Idol,” and won anatto Cook the endorsement, her spokesman said, noting it was not an Of the six remaining candidates running forthen the vacant Examiner’s Academy Award for role in embrace ofoffice. the racial preference of Black voters he spoke for. large seat, only two are Black, Bonds, the incumbent; andher Perry Hudson and thecandidate. movie Dreamgirls – has Bonds went onother to sayfamily that “the city is still predominantly Black” Redd, the D.C. Statehood Green Party The others members arrived Medical stayed out ofRepublican the public eye. and “people wantattothe have their leadership reflect who they are,” include the obvious mainstream media favorite, Examiner’s office mid-afterThe Chicago reportand that “there’s a natural tendency to want one of their own.” Patrick Mara; and Democrats Elissa Silverman, PaulTribune Zukerberg, Julian King, Jennnifer Hudson’s nephew. noon to identify the body. ed that a parade of cars moved She added that some fear being pushed out of the city due to and Matthew Frumin. Democrat Michael Brown, an African Given the choice between lookslowlyhispast herstill family’s home gentrification. American, dropped out theheld raceinalthough name appears A spokesman for the office the murders but is being ing directly at the body or Monday morning, past the Her critics also clamor that race it has place or that bearing in on told the no newspaper Hudson jailthe forballot. parole violation after viewing it on a wall-mounted news vans, reporters and curithe race. Really? Studies have indicated for decades “historical In the news stories and debates in certain circles the ous onlookers. trends” in which voters cast ballots, “acting in their self euphemisms used to refer to these contenders breaks down Neighbors stood interest,” says Michael Fauntroy, George Mason University to racially loaded terms like “reformers,” “progressives” quietlyand and political science professor. They traditionally choose candidates “newcomers” versus the “old guard” and “status quo.” Guess reflected on the “remainedculture strongand for race. her fami- which being buzzword convicted is offor attempted basedscreen, on similarities in chose gender, economics, whom? The underlying video the family violence. message is that ly” and washave clearly its leader. murder and vehicular hijackWhoever said, “all is local” could easily added the “progressives” are automatically better candidates and the latter. According to politics the In front of the Hudson’s “She held hands with her fami- pols ing. than Cookthe County recordsYet show “and very personal.” “old guard.” the council Tribune, Hudson said, “Yes, home,has menhad in numerous heavy jackets ly,”Washingtonians the spokesman have said. “It that he pleaded to both problems with itsguilty members’ ethics and that were that’sSurely him.”some native and longtime andeffectiveness hooded sweatshirts came to was obviously a very emotional charges in 1999. He was also publicly and privately expressed their displeasure and even clearly colorblind. kiss the twin white crosses barmoment.” convicted in 1998 for resentment about what they perceive as the dwindling Black “Gentrification” getspossesa bad nameing in some quarters where and the names of Donerson The boy – theconversations son of Julia sion have of a stolen political power, hard won as it was. These thorny folks indeedmotor been vehicle. left behind, but the most important Jason. Hudson, Jennifer’s had question He was released from prison “Everybody is sick of going are not only occurring in the District but also in urbansister cities–that facing D.C. voters is in who, among the candidate been missing since Friday, 2006 after serving seven years stufftolike this,” Artisha are being gentrified all across the nation. field, will look out for them and whothrough will work ensure that relative Julian’s for the murder a former resident “The larger question is to whatwhen extenta can thesefound conflicts, they, too,attempted can remain in theand District West, and enjoy the fruits of itsof the grandmother, Darnell car hijacking charges. areawho toldknows the Tribune. just belowObama’s the surface, be brought to the table and discussed?” revitalization. Perhaps that is someone well its“We all No wonder campaign is Donerson, 57, and his uncle, The boy remained missing have to stick together. All these Fauntroy asked.him from the people and its issues and is not afraid to confront the ones that trying to distance Jason Hudson, 29, shot to death through a long weekend in young children arehead dying, Are these people racists? Are Black politicians, capitalizing blow up in your face, like remaining racial inequities, on.and group, saying, “Barack Obama in his grandmother’s home in which police and volunteers for what?” on their fears, prone to play the race card? Do they have a right Never Organized with ACORN.” the 7000 block of South Yale to resent theties losstoof what was seen as “our community” and Veteran journalist Adrienne Washington writes weekly for But Obama’s ACORN run onceAvenue. the political representation that went with it before economic the AFRO about relevant issues in the District, Maryland and long and deep. He taught classes An Amber Alert – a desigand demographic changes took hold? Fauntroy said Black Northern Virginia. Send correspondence to her at editor@afro. for ACORN. They even endorsed nation for high-risk missing Washingtonians any different com. him for President. are not expressingchildren – was nervous issued Friday But now ACORN is in trouble. after Julian was discovered Reporter: There are at least missing after the murders. 11 investigations across the Police arrested William country involving thousands of Balfour, the missing boy’s steppotentially fraudulent ACORN father and estranged husband forms. of Julia, at his girlfriend’s Announcer: Massive voter Southside apartment several fraud. And the Obama campaign hours after the murders. paid more than $800,000 to an Balfour’s mother, Michele, has ACORN front for get out the vote told reporters that her son had efforts. nothing to do with the slayings. Pressuring banks to issue risky Balfour remains a suspect in Jason Hudson loans. Nationwide voter fraud. Barack Obama. Bad judgment. Blind ambition. Too risky for America.

“She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.”

Leader Calls Voter Registration Fraud Charges ‘Bogus’

Wanted: Good Men

“The summit to assist young men is being held just months after a spate of killings left six high school students dead…”

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Since McCain’s comments, ACORN’s 87 offices have been bombarded with threats and racist mail. The day after the presidential debate, vandals broke into the organization’s Boston and Seattle offices and stole computers. After a Cleveland representative appeared on TV, an e-mail was sent to the local office saying she “is going to have her life ended.” A worker in Providence, R.I., received a threatening call saying, “We know you get off work at 9” and uttered racial epithets. A caller to one office left a message on the answering machine, saying: “Hi, I was just calling to let you know that Barack Obama needs to get hung. He’s a (expletive deleted) nigger, and he’s a piece of (expletive deleted). You guys are fraudulent, and you need to go to hell. All the niggers on oak trees. They’re gonna get all hung honeys, they’re going to get assassinated, they’re gonna get killed.” Another message said, “You liberal idiots. Dumb (expletive deleted). Welfare bums. You guys just (expletive deleted) come to our country, consume every natural resource there is, and make a lot of babies. That’s all you guys do. And then suck up the welfare and expect everyone else to pay for your hospital bills for your kids. I jus’ say let your kids die. That’s the best move. Just let your children die. Forget about paying for hospital bills for them. I’m not gonna do it. You guys are lowlifes. And I hope you all die.” Hurd thinks the hate calls will cease soon. “In two weeks, I think these attacks will be over. But I think it will be harder for us to get our name back on good graces because they really trashed us in the last few weeks.” But ACORN will not be deterred. “We’ve been fighting for a long time, for over 30 years, for the rights of low- and moderateincome people all across the country,” Hurd said. “We’re going to continue to fight for economic justice in our communities.”

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