Just read this thread for the first time. I was a member of FA for a year, then cancelled my membership because I personally could see no benefit from it; the organization appeared to me to be organized around an outdated business or corporate model, perhaps as an attempt to feel legitimate in these grass-roots trashing times.

This dilemma is certainly not new nor unique. Most organizations I've been involved with have faced a similar discussion, concerning how to make choices around oppression. I think it's somewhat disingenuous to describe the problem as "black or white" (language is always meaningful), or as if one simply goes down path A or path B. The "gray area" is an interesting place because it hints of such promise, yet it is easy to get lost here, too--the devil, they say, is in the details. It's also possible to avoid the whole mess altogether, the ostrich approach, which may be easy to identify as the wrong choice but yet remains ever so popular. So, what to do, particularly as a non-member of FA but as someone who loves folk music and is deeply involved in cross cultural transformation in this country?

Here's what I've decided to do: Support the boycott and support on-going cross cultural work in the folk world. For example, I do support any effort FA is making to combine efforts with the Network of Cultural Centers of Color. Write a letter to FA to explaining this and send a copy to the NAACP. Talk about(or discuss online)this case/issues with anyone I can. Think over the issues involved, compare this case with others, connect the dots. Once again, I thank the Mudcat for providing this space to learn about this case and to discuss it.

blt