I have gone back and forth about whether I should post any other comment on this thread. The reason why I have decided to do so is because people might be reading this thread now and in the future who don't know me through my posts on this forum, and may wonder if the false accusations made against me are true.
To those persons who are themselves that question, I say that you can judge for yourself whether the comment that I made on this thread is racist. Mentioning race does not mean that a person is racist. In addition, any member or visitor to Mudcat can also access all of the comments that I have posted on this discussion forum since I joined this community in September 2004 as a means of judging for themselves if they think that I am a racist.
A listing of the posts of any Mudcat member can be accessed by clicking on their name after the "from" heading on any thread and then clicking on the posts that are listed there. As this forum's moderators may be able to attest, I rarely post to this thread as a guest [meaning without using my name]. I posted several times as a guest on the same thread in August 2004 before I joined this forum in September 2004. I have also posted as a guest on those rare times when system glitches at Mudcat disabled the ability for persons to posts as members.
Though members and guests may judge for themselves by reading all of my archived Mudcat posts or a random samplying of those posts, to address the question of whether I am a racist, I have decided to repost a recent comment that I made on this Mudcat thread: thread.cfm?threadid=112124&messages=137#2374787. I am reposting this comment on this thread for the record as a means of my addressing the false accusations against me on this thread:
Subject: RE: BS: Zimbabwe 'elections' From: Azizi - PM Date: 27 Jun 08 - 06:27 AM
I have nothing but the best of wishes for ALL Africans -lox
lox, I'd like to make a friendly ammendment to your statement.
I'd like to change it to read "I have nothing but best wishes for All people throughout the world".
**
For individuals who because of their history, because of past or present socialization, or for whatever reasons continue to regard racial, ethnic, religious, or any other groups of people as less than human or as less than themselves, my best wishes is that these individuals truly recognize the montrous error of those beliefs, and do whatever it takes throughout their lives to eradicate those toxic beliefs.
My best wishes for those individuals so described are also that they work however and whereever they can to remove legal, institutional, and/or social barriers to fair, equitable, and culturally competent services for and treatment of all people in their community, region, and nation, if not for all people throughout the world.
Also, my best wishes for those individuals who had been treated unjustly as a group or as individuals in the past-and who may still be treated unjustly in the present, are that these individuals use whatever power they may gain wiser than others did in the past. My best wishes is that they recognize themselves in others, and that they also work to remove legal, institutional, and social barriers to fair equitable, and culturally competent services for and treatment of all people. In so doing, those individuals and groups who were formerly oppressed would recognize the terrible consequences of mistreating those who mistreated them, less they cause another long or short cycle of injustice.
**
Coming from a similar background as Black Zimbabweans and of Colored {Coloured} Zimbabweans, I believe that all persons living in those countries have some serious work to do-to understand themselves and others, and to build a equitable nation for themselves and all of their children and all their children's children and onward.
If they succeed in doing so or if they fail, either way, it seems to me, they have much to teach the world.
-Azizi, who is African American and who speaks only for herself and not for any other or all other African Americans {formerly known as "Colored people" and certainly not for any other Black people or Colored {Coloured} people throughout the world.
Ps. I admit to knowing very little about past and present day Zimbabwe. The only personal experience I have had with Zimbabwe was indirectly more than thirty years ago, though meeting and befriending as best I could a Black {Coloured?} Zimbabwe woman. For one semester this young woman attended the college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I worked as the "minority student advisor" {which really meant "advisor to Black students {by "Black" I mean the USA definition}. Unfortunately, that student was unable to continue going to school in the USA because she couldn't access any money from home.
I often think of that young woman, and I often pray that all is well with her and with her family {which means that I pray that things change astronomically for the better for all people within that nation}.
**
Finally, I want to thank those persons who posted comments on this thread that rejected the characterization of me as a racist. I very much appreciate your comments, not just my sake, but for the sake of visitors who may happen upon this thread and wonder not only am I a racist, but also wonder if the Mudcat community is accepting of personal attacks against its members.
Given my nature, and my interests, and my concerns, I'm sure that I will continue to start threads on Mudcat about race or racism. And given my nature, my interests, and my concerns, I'm sure that I'll continue to respond when the spirit moves me to other Mudcat members' comments or to guests' comments about race or racism. And whenever I do post a comment about race or racism, folks can judge for themselves whether those comments are racist or not.
That said, I choose not to comment any further on this thread.