"A Menace to Society: Or How An Uppity Black Man Got Banned From Cody’s Bookstore" (tags)
Joseph Anderson is the outspoken author of a number of commentaries (available online) criticizing the racist stereotyping and pathologizing of Black males from young to old – and sometimes even by those particular *Black* authors, filmmakers and documentary makers eagerly given investment financing, contracts, buy-outs, royalties, grants, distribution, or platforms by white corporations and institutions to do so – attitudinally leading to the legalized, collectively *serial* murders of unarmed Black males by cops, white (or even 'honorary white') wanna-be cops (like George Zimmerman), and other racist assailants all over this country, as well as to Black males' systematic incarceration. This important, exemplified, 'vintage' article, asked for and published (at the literary journal "Konch") by the internationally famous African American author and UC Berkeley professor emeritus, Ishmael Reed, REVISITS and DETAILS some of Anderson's own experience with, and reflections upon, this – including, especially, white liberal racism. Unfortunately, like all prophetic writing, these reflections are all too true even today.
Pacifica Radio: FREEDOM TO SPEAK LARRY BENSKY'S LANGUAGE! (tags)
Many people in the KPFA listener community in the San Francisco Bay Area have asked me, Joseph Anderson, for a copy of my UC Berkeley "Daily Californian" newspaper guest column on Pacifica Radio's KPFA character Larry Bensky. At the time of its original publication, I knew nothing about Bensky other than how he came across on the air. I guess it is time for a confirming retrospective. Bensky hasn't changed a bit. This was written during the Pacifica Radio crisis of 1999, when Bensky was fired (thanks to *me*, now it can be told!). I immediately notified and talked to Mary Berry, then, about his insubordination and symbolically offered to let her have Bensky in exchange for Pacifica Radio back. But, it was still nice to have someone Black shut *Bensky* up!