I bought the “rival” Kaieteur News this past Sunday. Two features made me instantly divert from what I really intended to emphasize today.
That February 10 Kaieteur News “Sunday Special” showcased the fact that that newspaper may soon boast about fifty-something columns and columnists! Wow! Healthy? There go many of my topics, issues and themes. Poor me. Poor us.
But it was the subject of the syndicated column by Sir Ronald Sanders – (wasn’t there a “u?” – which caught my eye and produced my smile, wry. There in black-and white, was a prominent, lettered, accomplished, internationally-known, regionally-recognised “personality” echoing a theme, indeed an anthem (for me), which A.A. Fenty has been espousing for years. At last, I thought, eminent support and endorsement for the views of a humble, under-educated, non-analyst writer.
What am I going on about? Well Sir Ron has agreed so completely with my well-published thesis about Americans and their concept of “Black” – or “African”. Recall my now probably overused saturated position on folks like Jimmy Adams – the Jamaican cricketer; Jerry Rawlings, former Ghanaian President; Halle Berry; Mariah Carey; Bob Marley – and now Candidate Barack Obama. Perhaps you remember my piece, a few months ago, titled “A half-white President?”
If Obama becomes the Democratic Candidate I’ll, most likely, repeat that piece in full. But do younger readers here really know columnist Ronald Sanders? (There used to be a “u”, and/or a “Singh”?) Well in the bygone glory days of local radio Ron Sanders was one of those broadcasters who were numbered amongst Guyana’s best-ever – as reporters, producers, newscasters, Outside Broadcasters, analysts. Sanders became a General Manager and his name will be always mentioned with Cholmondeley, Insanally, James, Taitt, Deane, Holder, et al.
Next time I’ll relate Sanders’ forays into Antigua, his power-behind-the-Bird Throne etc. etc. diplomat he became, fighting Antiguan and the Caribbean battles on the front-lines of the world’s fora. Enough of the man. It is his views so now synchronized with my own. Yes, it has to do with my years-long displeasure over the fact that certain Caucasian views predominate when it comes to defining who’s “Black” or “White”. Bigoted Whites and their Establishment deem persons who are of mixed-race, African-and-European heritage as Black or African – Completely ignoring the “White” European parent or half. I reject that but to my chagrin, even the Half-Whites like Halle Berry (especially) actually accept that they are (only) “Black”. How markedly successful have the bigots been, getting into the minds of the rejected.
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Sir Ron agrees
