Mansfield: Thank you, Gov. Kasich… or, “Diversity? What’s That?”

Thank you, Gov. Kasich… or, “Diversity? What’s That?”

There are African-Americans of a certain generation who are quick to tell you they actually preferred life in the South, and their logic — which does make a kind of sick, counterintuitive sense — is, “Down there at least you know what white folks are thinking about you.” Well, our new governor is about to make blacks with that mindset feel right at home here in Ohio.

John Kasich, God bless him, just might single-handedly reignite and eventually unite the largely moribund black rights organizations around Ohio with his kick-ass, screw-you, in-your-face brand of politics.

The shock, awe and indignity being expressed by leaders of minority communities of color from around the state (as well as by fair-minded citizens of all races and color in Ohio) in regards to the all-white cabinet the newly-elected Kasich rolled out last week is truly puzzling. Just what the heck did we expect from him… racial inclusion? Also, some of the media raising questions regarding his lack of inclusion should be careful of throwing stones while residing in glass houses. More on that later.

While some posit the new governor is a racist, I beg to differ: He’s far worse… he’s a crass, vulgar, tinhorn politician, and his reasoning is simple — “you black and brown folks didn’t vote for me, so you’ve got nothing coming… and if you don’t like it, tough tittie, ain’t shit you can do about it.” And he just could be oh so right — unless, for the next four years, we use him and his insults as a lightening rod for organizing.

Sure, some of the old heads of the civil rights struggle are rousing themselves out of their decades-old somnambulant state and poking holes of righteous indignation in the air with their forefingers, but Kasich knows this will die down as soon as nap time rolls around for these aged warriors… and, in fact, considering all they did in years past, they deserve to be able to rest — and do so with high honors.

But Kasich also knows the new generation of young black leaders is not going to say or do much of anything because, to them, we’re already in a post-racial world where old constructs no longer exist any more in any meaningful way… and that it’s only us stuck-in-the-past old-timers that continue to focus on matters of race.

Honestly, that’s what they are proudly telling me, as if Obama’s ascendancy to the presidency signaled the end of an era, and dealt a death-blow to racism in America. I wish. What these naïfs and neophytes fail to realize is his victory was only a beginning, not an end. If we are truly in a post-racial society, somebody had better make sure Kasich eventually gets the memo … so far he hasn’t received it.

While I admire these young blacks’ optimism — misplaced as it might be (indeed, we felt the same way when the Civil Rights Bill was passed back in 1964, that the battles were just about over… and boy, were we so wrong) — what they fail to comprehend is that America’s racial cold war cannot come to an end by one side unilaterally declaring victory and saying that it’s over… it’s going to take both sides to accomplish that, and clearly some whites on the other side, like Kasich, are not quite ready to let go of old racial thought processes, animosities and stereotypes just yet. It’s like having sex with a gorilla… you can’t stop until the gorilla is ready to stop.

Just take a peek at all of the secession celebrations being planned in the South for the next four years to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which many southerners still refer to (and are still fighting) as “The War of Northern Aggression.” One has to wonder just how many of the gala events and costume balls (which are no more than thinly disguised celebrations of slavery) our new governor will be invited to… and more importantly, how many will he attend?

You just know southern rednecks are loving this guy, considering his all-white cabinet and the way he publicly bitch-slapped black leaders here in Cleveland in regards to this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration at East Mount Zion Baptist Church. After a representative of the new governor contacted the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (the group planning the celebration) and asked if Kasich could attend and speak, once the black organizers agreed, he then canceled and offered to send a flunky with a proclamation… one that wasn’t even signed. And it wasn’t as if he had to make a special trip to Cleveland, he was already in town on that day for the groundbreaking of the Medical Mart.

Back to the media for a moment: One way to bring about change is for media to shine a bright light into the dark corners of our racist practices. When will the same media that takes this new governor to task for his lack of inclusion turn that same light on companies right here in Cleveland that are just about as bad? But I’m not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

Kasich’s goal is to shatter any illusions we minorities have in regards to fair treatment under his administration… while he positions himself for a run for higher office, perhaps as early as 2012. He obviously wants persons of color to understand that he feels they are not competent or qualified enough to work for him… a sentiment that plays well to his all-white neo-conservative base.

Yet, he’ll hire some white folks who are so dumb they can’t pour piss out of a cowboy boot with the directions written on the heel. But hey, they’re white… which makes them alright in Kasich’s book.

If persons of color and others who believe in inclusion from around Ohio don’t unite and let this bastard of a brute and bully know — in no uncertain terms — exactly how we feel, the only thing he’s going to have in store for persons of color is a stiff pecker and some bubblegum… and from what I’m hearing loud and clear out of Columbus, he’s fresh out of bubblegum.

Under this governor black and brown folks only have three options: Bend over, learn how to shine shoes, or just shut the fuck up and pick the goddamn cotton.

Well, there is a fourth … we could relearn the lessons of our forefathers: We could stand up and fight.

From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://www.neighborhoodsolutionsinc.com.