ADR Advisor Terry Howard is an award-winning writer and storyteller. He is a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, Blackmarket.com, co-founder of the “26 Tiny Paint Brushes” writers guild, recipient of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, and third place winner of the 2022 Georgia Press Award.
Okay, that name might not ring a bell with you unless you’re a close follower of credits for animated films and children’s television. He’s probably best known for his two decades as Creative/Cultural Advisor for “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go!” and more recently Creative Consultant for the movie, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” In fact, when he gives public lectures and does book signings, sometimes more people show up with Dora books for him to sign for their kids, rather than for books he’s written.
Sickened by the Israel-Hamas war, I reached out to a highly regarded thought leader, Deborah Levine, Founder of the American Diversity Report, for her insight on a disturbing trend – upticks in war-related acts of hate aimed at Jews and Muslims in the U.S.
Terry: Hey Deborah, should I assume that your attention over the past month has been devoted, if not entirely, to the tragedies in the Middle East?
Deborah: Quite a bit. My four grandchildren live in Israel, and we have been following them on Facebook since Oct. 7. While they are safe for now, it has been traumatic for us all, especially when we talk to them on WhatsApp and hear bombing in the background. Meanwhile, I am getting many calls asking for my assistance in bridging the divisiveness that was already part of society but has now been greatly intensified.
Terry: Considering the war and its resulting increases in acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the US, what are your thoughts about developing something highlighting divisive/hurtful words and language that divides? For example, I’m not sure that many are familiar with the history behind the expression, “From river to sea,” and language that disparages Palestinians.
Deborah: Wow, talk about controversy! The phrase isn’t about disparagement, it is socio- political. For the Jewish people the phrase means the elimination of Israel and a replacement by a Palestinian nation. For Palestinians, I believe it means freedom from occupation. By the way, what prompted your interest in delving into this treacherous area?
Terry: Oh my, where do I start? Documented incidents of antisemitism, and islamophobia to a lesser extent, have dominated the news, even more since the October 7 attack on Israel. But most acts of hate go unreported, so we have to keep reported incidents in perspective. So to answer your question, I’ve always been interested in the complexities of socio-political history. What have you been seeing?
Deborah: We have seen a growth in antisemitism for quite some time. Incidents range from hate speech to vandalism, to bombings of Jewish sites. The Jewish community has been vigilant in trying to stop hate speech which has been rampant online before it turns into hate crimes. But now that vigilance has to reflect the present level of fear. A recent session offered to the Jewish community here in Chattanooga included local and state law enforcement and the FBI that shared how they were on the lookout for hate crimes, especially by lone wolves who are difficult to track and often influenced by what they see online. Some in the community were too afraid to show up, worried that coming together would provide a target for Jew haters.
Terry: Is it a fact that news coverage seems to be more on the side of reporting acts of antisemitism and less on acts of islamophobia? A while ago at the invitation of a Muslim friend, I visited a mosque during which I asked why they kept plywood in the lobby. I was told that it was because bricks were frequently thrown through their windows and hateful graffiti was constantly scrawled on the building and on plywood covering their windows. You rarely hear about those incidents. They were hesitant to complain fearing more acts.
Deborah: I think that it’s very difficult to tell about any bias. I don’t see data to support this one way or the other. In the midst of so much information we’re getting, personal perspectives are probably going to dictate the answer to this.
Terry: Pro-Palestinians supporters are quick to say that any criticism of Israel is unacceptable and met with claims of antisemitism which stifles free speech. What’s your response to this claim?
Deborah: Good question, and one that has been asked many times over the years. In the past, there has been space to criticize Israel without appearing to be antisemitic. But I believe that in the current situation that may not be the case. Partly it’s because the rhetoric of the past is being applied in a context that makes it closer to hate speech rather than free speech. The dividing line has been disappearing since Oct. 7.
Terry: On the Israeli-Gaza conflict, what are the top questions you would pose to challenge Panelists if you were to facilitate a debate between an Israeli and a Palestinian?
Deborah: In a newspaper column I wrote days after Oct. 7, I said that this is not the time for dialogue. Although I have had many requests for such a dialogue, I’m not sure that it’s possible to appear objective yet. In discussion with others, their attempts to appear impartial in discussions have been perceived as traitorous. For that reason, I’m more inclined to go with the written word which requires more thought and provides more time to think things through.
Terry: Okay, is there is a question or two that you hoped that I would ask, but didn’t?
Deborah: The Israel-Hamas war has far- reaching implications for us and the effect isn’t going away anytime soon. If I were asked for a resolution my first response would be that I have no idea. Then I would bring up the Middle Ages, often called the Dark Ages, as I believe that we are entering a time where violence is a norm, a balanced understanding of history is often irrelevant, and online information will only add to the divisive world that we are entering. Having said that, we must have the courage to educate, inspire and speak out and do less criticizing. I’ll leave with an old rabbinic saying, “If not me than who. If not now, then when.”
Terry: Thanks Deborah. Now here’s a quote from William Faulkner, one that brings this into the historical perspective you reference … “All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born.”
Why African Americans support Palestinians (in case you wondered)!
“Neal” wrote: “Terry, I liked your recent piece on the Israel-Hamas conflict. But as the saying goes, ‘there are two sides to every coin.’ So as a Black person, I hope you’ll balance that one with an African American perspective on Palestine. I suppose I shouldn’t hold my breath until you do, huh?”
Duly noted Neal. And thanks for your, eh, “vote of confidence.”
A few days after Neal’s email – while comfortably ensconced in my favorite chair – I scrolled my TV channels in search of an “Andy of Mayberry” episode I’d recently recorded, a search that was interrupted when I came across a heated interview with journalist Piers Morgan and a Palestinian guest, he too a journalist.
The subject? Well, you guessed it – media coverage of the plight of Palestinians during the Israeli-Hamas war.
“Rubbernecking” is a term primarily used to refer to bystanders staring at accidents. More generally, it can refer to anyone staring at something of everyday interest from a safe distance. The term derives from the neck’s bending while trying to get a better view.
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With a flip of a remote control or finger, we have the ability to change the channel or turn the page away from events in the news that sickens and shocks us. And that’s what we do. But that’s easier said than done if you’ve not been personally impacted by the event or know someone who has. Which brings us to the current conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, and relatedly to a recent email I got from “Ernie” a Jewish friend who lives with his wife in Florida.
You see, Ernie’s daughter and her family live in Israel. Thankfully, they escaped with their lives when the recent horrific attack on Israel occurred. But unlike the convenience afforded to most of us, Ernie was unable to “rubber neck” his away from the horror because the matter was personal for him. Very personal.
I failed to heed this advice from a friend: “Don’t mess with political discussions in the family,” and learned the hard way what can happen when wise counsel collides with actual experience. Without doubt, you’ve probably read your share of articles telling you to stay away from talking politics in the workplace and around the dinner table.
You see, what should have been an uneventful ride to the airport turned out to be anything but. The culprit? Politics or, more to the point, disagreement between the two of us on our firm political positions.
Now this may come as a newsflash to some, but the mosaic of Black folks cuts across a wide swath of differences. Monolithic we’re not.
And, like any other group, we’re capable of doing some “what the hell were you thinking?” idiocy. Look, no one – I repeat, no one – has a monopoly on stupid. Which takes me to the front page of a local newspaper and what I cannot believe I’m about to write about.
“Oh no, you gotta be kidding,” I thought. To verify what I hoped not to see, I leaned to get a closer look at photos of the 18 people in Georgia indicted for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential elections. Among them were faces of two Black somebodies: a Trevian Kutti and a Harrison Floyd.
Rejection?……Death?…..Aging?…..
Being judged?…..Loneliness?
What’s your innermost fear readers? I posed that question (with the options above and others) to some folks whose views I value. Those are the fears that bubbled up. Their answers follow. But to make this personal, ponder your answer to that question.
Now before we get to the responses from those I “surveyed,” I’ll start with a conversation with an African American friend who, like me, is the father of sons. We were talking about the recent spate of gun deaths sweeping the nation and the disproportionate impact on African Americans. Here it is:
As a lifelong basketball fanatic – and a years ago mediocre point guard on my high school team, my unconscious (okay, conscious) bias against the game as it is played by women got, “slam dunked” on during the recent NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Wow, what have I been missing all these years? Heck, the girls’ championship game, watched by 9.9 million viewers, the highest ever, was a lot more exciting to me than the boys’ games.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been in the news recently, for all the wrong reasons.
You see he was outed for having received millions of dollars’ worth of gifts over the last 20 years from billionaire Harlan Crow. With wife Ginny, globetrotting Thomas has been living the high life aboard a million-dollar yacht and on a private jet while puffing away on cigars, munching on caviar and sipping expensive wines.
Now what’s interesting is that once he got caught with his pants down and forced into the limelight, like a deer caught in the headlights Thomas pulled out his Sergeant Schultz defense, “I see nothing! I hear nothing! I know nothing!”
With a flip of a remote control or finger, we have the ability to change the channel or turn the page away from events in the news that sickens and shocks us. And that’s what we do. But that’s easier said than done if you’ve not been personally impacted by the event or know someone who has. Which brings us to the current conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, and relatedly to a recent email I got from “Ernie” a Jewish friend who lives with his wife in Florida.
