April 23, 2001
Valerie Wilkins
Letter to the Editor
Savoy Magazine
P.O. Box 859
Peekskill, NY 10566
April 23, 2001
SAVOY
Letters to the Editors
re: Tiger Woods – May 2001 Article
Dear Mr. Johnson:
I do appreciate your discussion on Tiger Woods as one of the greatest golfers that ever lived. However, what we in the interracial community resent most is how some in the media have no compunction in portraying people like Woods and Mariah Carey, a wonderful songstress, as people who are diligently working to dismantle the barriers of racism by bringing the races together in a multiracial sense. This is PREPOSTEROUS!!!
The multiracial leaders across America, namely twelve (12), “disciples” of the abolition of race, as we know it and use it today, who have fought hard on the “bloody” frontlines for a decade, some longer, are the ones that lobbied the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) to abolish the racially-destructive, Directive 15. NOT TIGER! He, nor most in Hollywood, that are very diverse ethnically, nor any of the great athletes, in the sports arena, lifted a finger, financially or otherwise, to help our cause. The abolition of Directive 15 was our works, sacrifices and contributions. Period!
We are seriously considering a National Forum on the blatant omission and foolhardy mischaracterization of our community and its battle-fatigued leaders, works and sacrifices, in the near future. Possibly on C-SPAN who’ve worked with us many times in the past. We hope, by that time, or preferably before, the media will get it. The NY Times and the Washington Post are our best allies, so far. Fortunately, there are Universities, Researchers, Scholars, and Colleges studying our multiracial leaders’ accomplishments and community and are doing a much better job.
And, in defense of former President Bill Clinton, he had a significant role to play in the changes made for our community. From transracial adoption, he signed the Multiethnic Placement Act, sponsored by our allie, former Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D), and the multiracial leaders and transracial adoptive parents and child(ren), in 1984, to the OMB finally listening to our call for change on the Census 2000 forms. We marched on the Mall in Washington, D.C., at the first ever history-making Multiracial Solidarity March, in July 1996! Wrong, again!
I hope you and others in the media will “dig deeper” when having a serious, informative, and maybe entertaining discussion or debate on the subject, and who IS at the forefront of the “multiple check offs” on the Census 2000, and topics directly related to the multiracial circle of friends and family, in America!
As it stands, you are giving credit to people who are “jumping” on the band wagon after ALL the work has been done, in this case…
History will be kinder…
Sincerely,
Valerie A. Wilkins-Godbee
founder and president of the
AMEUROFIAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION
named created in 1989; group formed
in 1994. And, immediate past dep.
chief national director of
A PLACE FOR US/NATIONAL, est. in
1984, advocacy for the interracial
family and individual.