Subject: Racism in the US Senate. It's time for Sen. Allen to go.

No politician should think it's okay to single someone out based on their skin color, to assume they're not "American" because of their ethnicity, or to call them "monkey" or a French equivalent of "nigger."¹ Any politician that does shouldn't be in the US Senate--or have any place in American politics. Senator George Allen has done all these things, and he should step down now. Please join us in calling on the Republican National Committee to withdraw its support for his candidacy.

http://www.colorofchange.org/allen/

Last Friday at a campaign event, Sen. Allen singled out the only non-white person in the audience, a staffer from his opponent's campaign, and called him "macaque," twice.¹ Macaque (phonetically spelled "macaca") means monkey in French and is used as racist slur in Europe and by white supremacists in the US. Allen then said that he wanted to "Welcome [him] to America," as if he were a visitor to this country. The young man, S.R. Sidarth, is as American as any of us--he was born and raised in Virginia. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G7gq7GQ71c.

Sen. Allen's campaign has claimed that "macaque" was just a variation on "mohawk," which Allen's campaign staffers had taken to calling Sidarth in reference to his haircut. It's hard to see how you get from "mohawk" to "macaque." And it's highly doubtful that Senator Allen was unaware that "macaque" is a deeply offensive racial epithet--Senator Allen speaks French, and his mother is from Tunisia, a country where the term is used as a slur.^3,4

Most of us don't know this, but Sen. Allen has a uniquely disturbing history when it comes to race. Although he grew up in California, early on he seemed to adopt the racist ideology that represents the worst of the South's legacy.⁵ As a high school student in Southern California, he had an obsession with the confederate flag--applying it on his person, car, and around school. As an adult in Virginia, he hung the confederate flag prominently in his house. As governor of Virginia, he issued a proclamation romanticizing the South's position in the civil war as "a struggle for independence and sovereign rights." He had a noose on display in his law office – hanging from a tree. As a state representative, he opposed the creation of a holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. And he has called the NAACP an extremist organization.⁶

Allen's remarks to Sidarth arise from the same kind of worldview that causes some people to say "go back to Africa" – the idea that this is white people's territory. Had Allen called an African-American "monkey," "darkey," or told the person to "go back to Africa," his political career would be over. It should be no different when the attack is directed at someone of Indian descent. Whether to please a white audience, or as a reflection of Allen's worldview, Allen's behavior has no place American politics. Join us in calling on the RNC to withdraw its support for Allen, and to find a candidate who actually espouses American values:

http://www.colorofchange.org/allen/

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Clarissa, Gabriel, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   August 17th, 2006

References:

1. "'Macaca' or ‘Macaque'," Jefferey Feldman at MyDD, Monday, August 14, 2006
http://mydd.com/story/2006/8/14/17325/4950

2. "Allen Quip Provokes Outrage, Apology," Washington Post, Tuesday, August 15, 2006
http://colorofchange.org/ref/allen_1.html

3. "MACAQUE," The New Republic, Ryan Lizza, August 14, 2006
http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=31575

4. "George Allen speaks French and knows Macaque," Bidabunch at DailyKos, Monday, August 14, 2006
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/15/24235/4044

5. "George Allen's Race Problem," The New Republic, April 27, 2006
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20060508&s=lizza050806

6. "George Allen's ugly history on racial issues," Brendan Nyhan, May 15, 2005
http://www.brendan-nyhan.com/blog/2005/05/george_allens_h.html

7. "Senator Allen's Statement on Macaca," Hotline On Call, August 15, 2006
http://colorofchange.org/ref/allen_2.html

8. "George Allen's America," Washington Post, Tuesday, August 15, 2006
http://colorofchange.org/ref/allen_3.html