Black History Month: The White Supremacy of Franklin Roosevelt
President Franklin Roosevelt is among the most honored presidents by Democrats. He is especially honored among black Americans. Today’s older blacks often recall how images of FDR hung alongside Jesus in the family homes.
When giving a speech at an African AME Church in the late 1990s, a woman in the audience praised Roosevelt for getting her people out of the Depression. I brought to her attention that based on the unemployment rates in her community, they have never been out of Depression-level unemployment since the stock market crash of 1929 – and that was more than 70 years at that time. It has now been almost 100 years, and that statement is still generally true.
The unvarnished truth about FDR is that he was a hardcore racist and white supremacist – and his personal action and policies reflected that at every turn. Rather than lift blacks out of the Depression, his policies plunged them deeper into it.
So, let us look at some of the FACTS that are not included in contemporary left-wing interpretations of Roosevelt and race – the politicized version which dominates the culture today.
A Few Factoids About FDR
- When running for governor, Roosevelt ordered his aides to prevent a photograph of him with Negroes.
- FDR was a staunch supporter of President Wilson’s racist segregationist policies – and, as an official in the Navy Department, participated in the segregation of the military and the Executive Branch of the federal government.
- During World II, Roosevelt illegally and unconstitutionally ordered Japanese Americans into concentration camps because we were at war with Japan. When German and Italian Americans expressed fear of similar action, Roosevelt assured them that the order would not apply to them — white folks.
- Roosevelt expressed his deeply racist beliefs about Asia. He wrote: “Japanese immigrants are not capable of assimilation into the American population. Anyone who has traveled in the Far East knows that the mingling of Asiatic blood with European and American blood produces, in nine out of ten, the most unfortunate results.”
- FDR was an acolyte of the racist eugenic movement that used pseudoscience in an attempt to “prove” the inferiority of Negros and to oppose intermarriage. He was a friend and follower of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, who used Eugenics to advance her genocidal practices of forced abortions and sterilizations.
- When Roosevelt hosted the 1936 Olympic team at the White House, black participants were not invited – including the four-time gold medal winner and national hero Jesse Owens. When told that Hitler had disrespected the track star responded that it was his own President who disrespected him. Owens did not even get a congratulatory telegram from Roosevelt.
- Roosevelt died at an alleged health spa in Warm Springs, Georgia, that he frequented allegedly for health reasons. It had a whites-only policy. It was FDR’s own policy because he owned the resort – and often used it to entertain major donors. It is where he hosted his annual birthday fundraiser. Despite the pleas of such black groups as the NAACP, Roosevelt maintained his racist policies up to his death in 1944.
- Roosevelt successfully opposed repeated efforts by congressional Republicans to pass federal anti-lynching laws.
- FDR refused recommendations to appoint a black person to the Cabinet. Rather he created a window-dressing committee of prominent leaders in what was referred to as his “black cabinet”. They had no power, and their recommendations were basically ignored by the President.
- Roosevelt appointed four staunch segregationists to the Supreme Court – including Hugo Black, a one-time organizer for the Ku Klux Klan.
- FDR’s prisoner of war policies were racist. German prisoners in Texas were allowed to take jobs in the local town – jobs not available to the black residents or soldiers. German prisoners were given the best “white” seats in the theaters, while their black military guards were assigned to less desirable seats.
- FDR was responsible for the scheme to hook segregated black on generational government dependency as a cynical means of controlling and maintaining black voting loyalty. (More on that in a later commentary.)
The New Deal
Despite FDR’s noble rhetoric about the New Deal, the implementation was turned over to the most racist leaders of the Democratic Party. Prior to his Supreme Court appointment, Hugo Black was a major influence in crafting and implementing the New Deal’s racist programs.
The racism was prominent in three elements – jobs, financial compensation, and accommodations. The unstated purpose of the New Deal was to transfer the jobs of working blacks to unemployed white folks. This was made apparent in the numbers. Prior to the Great Depression, blacks and whites had about the same unemployment rate (roughly 3 to 4 percent) – although blacks held low level jobs that white workers did not want at the time.
When the Depression hit, unemployed whites were desperate for any jobs – and the only jobs available were those held by blacks. As a result of the racist policies of the Roosevelt administration, black unemployment rose to over 50 percent while white unemployment hit a high around 18 percent. There is only one explanation for that difference. Blacks were losing jobs to whites.
Black sharecroppers were not provided with the government financial assistance as were white sharecroppers. Whites losing land to the Tennessee Valley Authority project were compensated. Blacks were not. While more than 25,000 men were given jobs on the Hoover Dam project, only about 25 were black. Agricultural grants were not available to black farmers. Land owned and worked by blacks was seized and turned over to white farmers. In situations in which a small number of blacks were hired for government funded work projects, they would be given inferior accommodations and services.
Every New Deal program was so obviously racist that the head of the NAACP renamed the National Recovery Act (NRA) as the “Negro Riddance Act”.
Of all the contemporary presentations we see in the media on black history, where have you seen any of these FACTS? The historic image of FDR has been whitewashed – figuratively and literally – by a politically biased recounting. The Democratic Party still honors Roosevelt as one of its most admired historic figures. Hillary Clinton launched her 2016 presidential campaign with a speech in New York City’s Roosevelt Park in homage to the past President.
It is long past the time for grandma to remove that photograph of Roosevelt from the dining room wall.
So, there ‘tis.
Keep smearing White Presidents and removing their images while displaying drug addicts statues . Ok
Great post Larry. I do often wonder why the general African American population does not insist on discontinuing the whitewashing and publish the real history? In several conversations I had with my AA friends we were discussing politics and which party is best for AA’s. As we were talking I was looking up statistics. Almost everything they said was “perception” and not “reality”. IT was then that I realized that the Dem Party enslaves the minds of AA’s by maintaining the perception narrative.
Then I showed them how the rise in confederate monuments doubled between 1910 and 1940, and they did not know this. I showed them John Oliver’s HBO piece on the subject and showed them the statistics – and those were Democratic president years. I basically got little to no reaction.
I showed them several other things, and I got the same, basically no reaction. So it left me wondering if AA’s really want to know their true history or not?
I think you should write a True Black American history book that starts from around 1700 when blacks and whites owned farms and worked side by side as equals in New Amsterdam (Now New York) until their court system created laws in the colony that said black people were inferior to white people and should not own land. It was all a white land grab which quickly spread to other colonies south of New Amsterdam. And end with how some of these oppression still exist today. Or perhaps there is already a book like this and I am the ignorant one.
As far as FDR, he strikes me as one who deligated his racism through passed legislation and policy that he could deflect onto others, and hid his swanky club membership rules in social demagoguery. He is what I would call a “covert racist”. We all pretty much agree that racism is wrong and that we need to call out obvious or overt racists like KKK, BLM, AntiFA, Stacey Abrams, etc. But its the covert racists like FDR, Hillary Clinton, Al Sharpton, Margorie Taylor Green, Donald J Trump, and others who are doing the long term racial damage and disharmony to this country.
Please make time to check out this long list of Trump racial controversies at “https://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12270880/donald-trump-racist-racism-history”
Perhaps a step forward would be that in Franks idea of a federal resume for elections, that we include a section on detailing any past infractions with the law that were racist in nature and a internet fact check on racist comments.
It’s a Federal Resume for employees of the government that needs to be extended to anyone attempting to land the job of public official in the Federal Government. The form exists. There is federal law that states you can not ask about criminal convictions until tendering a job offer. Sounds fair enough.
The VOX piece is a trap; racist personality gets you in the area of free speech, that’s a trap. Yes, he talks like a racist. He even has some racist actions, like in his rentals and real estate deals, in the past, but nothing criminal, all handling out-of-court or by a regulatory penalty.
It’s his policies that you should focus on, and in Trump’s case, start with there are not many policies to begin with……that deal with race, civil rights, or minorities in general except for immigrants and the border.
You really think Larry is groundbreaking here and that this is not discussed in history? Really?
And how is BLM or antifa racist? Last I heard, saying that lives in your race matter is not racist. Nor is being against fascism, not that I condone violence. How is Hillary a covert racist?
Since your comment implies you know of a book, can you post a book and the ISBN number for me please Frank? And then perhaps you can read the last line of my second paragraph that says, “Or perhaps there is already a book like this and I am the ignorant one. ” But if you want to call me the ignorant one, I am fine with that as long as you post the title and ISBN of the book.
Regarding BLM and Antifa, yes they are both racist. And they play off of each other. BLM is more racist and anti-white supremacy particularly in its CRT material and spawns people like Stacey Abrams saying “White people should be treated like the dogs they are”, AntiFA is more anti government because our government was designed by the white race – and they have stated this many times that the US Government is a white institution that needs to be brought down. Both organizations promote anti-white sentiments. In addition, AntiFa is also anti-Christian, and feels that Christianity is a white race means of control over non-whites.
Sure, just as soon as you source your Abrams quote.
It’s also interesting you can find antifa statements.
It tried listing my references but for some reason could not. Sorry.
BLM statement: AP news article/c9e7fef4494047b184094aeba2d4f645″
Antifa congressional report at Antifa—Background – CRS Reports Summary
Google Antifa attacks Christian outdoor music concert
Google Stacey Abrams faces blowback declaring sheriffs racists, or look at the Washington Times news article from October 31st.
Google Fox News Newt Gingrich response to Abrams calling sheriffs racist, its Fox video/6314736289112″
Google Stacey Abrams false claim that a judge said Brian Kemp ran a racist system, or Stacey-Abrams-dodges-question-claims-2018-election-Georgia-stolen
Google Stacey Abrams on “identity politics” and a “commentary on stacey-abrams-full-embrace-identity-politics-recipe-disaster which is a great article at heritage dot org
Tom,
Antifa targets white supremacists, amongst others in a long list. I see no where that CRS, good reference choice by the way, says they are racist. Same for government overthrow, bad white Christians, not there in the CRS though I don’t doubt this given the anarchists in antifa, who knows on the white Christian thing.
Point is who can tell what antifa is about except when they attack these fascist hate groups. They are a distributed group, there is no membership, no leaders, no headquarters, no newsletter or funding drives. It’s hard to believe you could suss that much about them, but certainly not in the CRS piece.
Are you gaslighting me? Didn’t you look yourself, or did you read this stuff and then write something else? Weird.
“White people should be treated like the dogs they are” was the statement you attributed to Abrams.
It’s not in the 10/31 Washington Times story referenced.
It’s not in the Gingrich interview either.
Apparently, Stacy did not let the dogs out as you have quoted her as saying. At least in the info you provided.
I could not find the quote independently either (you’re an independent, right?).
Sorry on your other new adders, not going down that rabbit hole.
Yes, Abrams is a firebrand, but what you have a panty knot about is her saying: “As I pointed out before, I’m not a member of the good ol’ boys club. So, no, I don’t have 107 sheriffs who want to be able to take Black people off the streets, who want to be able to go without accountability,” then realizing what she said, she quickly added: “I don’t believe every sheriff wants that, but I do know that we need a governor who believes in both defending law enforcement, but also defending the people of Georgia.”
Oh, the horror of it all.
But if you are linking, please read the link to be sure it says what you are saying it says.
Frank Stetson …. Like Tom. I have brought these facts to both black and white audiences for more than 50 years — and very few folks were aware of FDR’s racism. There were shocked because they had lived with the false history of his racism.
Like Tom? Whatever… Man, you are old… Just kidding. Actually, you might have brought it to me as well. I really don’t care to relitigate the past; I even really want to make a case for the Star n Bars. I really like those rascally rebels and have spent a lot of time visiting their places of bravery. I lived on the path to Gettysburg, they walked through my yard and the house was there. I slept on the Confederate make-shift hospital grounds in G-burg too, no ghosts. I find Antietam to be the holiest of shrines. Impossible to imagine how they could stand and deliver. So, given woke, I demur my love of the flag and my respect for those ragged boys of grey rebelling against those who would change their way of life. But I don’t relitigate, it was about slavery, so I burned my stars and bars and threw out my model General Lee.
I think after you brought it to my attention, I was amazed at the wealth of information on the subject and am still sifting though the pro/con New Deal jobs racism for Blacks. Still some pushback that it wasn’t all that bad, but I think I will side with your conclusions.
Just seems like I have always known this. See, you can affect change, even with a liberal. But shocked, not anymore. You take down FDR and nothing is sacred except Washington. That guy is really hard to find flaw with. Arrogance maybe? You don’t like that, but hey, makes him my role model (at least according to you).
Frank Stetson … FRD’s racism is not part of any school curriculum I have seen. Was not taught in Chicago or Detroit, where I was professionally involved. Not taught in any the schools my children attended. Except for my commentary, show me a Black History Month presentation or discussion where FDR’s racism was covered. In addition to you snide insult — suggesting my commentary was unnecessary — your are grossly ignorant of the facts and reality You might come across as intelligent if you first objective was not always to insult and attack.
First, for a President, racism has two vectors — personal and policy. We really shouldn’t care that much for a President’s personal demons here; we should care a hell of a lot for their policy decisions. That’s the Trump trap where you go after his stupid statements but forget to examine his policies or lack thereof on civil rights.
IMO, and in the history books, FDR is a racist in policy and, for a President, that’s where it matters. That’s really not a secret, Larry or Tom are not history pioneers discovering the new country.
Personally, he was a racist too but that stupidity differed depending on whether Black, Asian, Latino or Jew (last two not races, I know, but you know what I mean). He just hated Jews, learned to hate the Japanese, but thought Blacks intellectually inferior which, given several generations of dumbing down by their masters, had a shred of justification, although he could have caveated, and he did not. His wife was the opposite and that’s the first conundrum for this man. Was his personal racism real or was it an act? Personally, we don’t really know for sure, would have made for really bad dinners with Eleanor. Policy wise — it was most certainly real based on actions. But what is missed in there tirades against the man was that he was not consistent, he did some things to advance civil rights. Here too, it was politically motivated, probably, in every case, but yet there it tis it.
Somehow, in all this, whether by popularity poll or expert opinion alike, our best Presidents are oft considered to be Washington, Lincoln, and FDR. Even Blacks although not overwhelmingly in FDR’s first election. Larry takes another angle. After all, FDR is a scion of the modern Democratic Party, so Larry claims: “The unvarnished truth about FDR is that he was a hardcore racist and white supremacist – and his personal action and policies reflected that at every turn. Rather than lift blacks out of the Depression, his policies plunged them deeper into it.” That’s pretty harsh unforgiving, but is it 100% true?
He has a point. It’s at the top of his head. Then again, he cannot see the racism in his own party or his own recent President. He seems to forget that, for the nation, white supremacy was significant both in the culture and as a real force in politics. The South could vote. Instead he waddles in the political stew of partisanship, one side good, one side bad-ism.
Also, in FDR’s time, Republicans did not offer a desirable economic plan and were seen as the greater evil for the people’s pocketbook, a reason many Blacks supported FDR even knowing his political stand on the races and nationalism. Plus they might have thought Eleanor had their back, they had a friend in the White House like no Republican could offer.
To my point though, here’s some FDR actions and polices going against Larry’s grain of the 100% white supremacist racist FDR:
In June 1941, Roosevelt signed EO 8802 creating the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC). Historically it is the most important federal action supporting rights of African-Americans since the 1865 Reconstruction and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Bar none. Now, by law, the government would not hire based on their race, color, creed, or national origin including defense-related administration which enveloped corporations that won federal contracts.
FDR’s move created an informal network of more than 100 African American government employees who formed the Federal Council on Negro Affairs or the “Black Cabinet.” They, in turn, lobbied for equal rights and opportunities for African Americans from within the system, a civil rights first in America for Blacks.
Black Cabinet leaders emerged including notable figures. At the top of the Cabinet, educator/activist Mary McLeod Bethune became the first Black woman to direct a federal program. Harvard-trained economist Robert Weaver, starting in his 20’s as an aide to the Interior Secretary, later became the first Black cabinet secretary. Robert Vann, lawyer/newpaper publisher served as an assistant to the AG. National Urban League director Eugene K. Jones worked as a commerce department negro affairs advisor. William Hastie, Harvard-trained civil rights lawyer, was the assistant solicitor, Deparment of Interior.
None of that would not have happened without FDR, and each of these seeds grew far beyond it’s humble beginnings.
Then in June of 1941, FDR signed the Fair Employment Practice Committee EO which prohibited government agency discrimination. This include the armed forces, although they did drag their heels.
FDR also dramatically expanded the FBI which then expanded crime-fighting to civil rights; perhaps not dramatically during FDR’s time in office, but FDR certainly planted those seeds that bore fruit in the 50’s and 60’s.
There was also Eleanor, a staunch civil rights activist who made and set many examples. She was perhaps FDR’s alter-ego, his personal face, of what he would want to do if it weren’t for American culture and politics.
She created a stir when she helped to move Marian Anderson’s performance at the Lincoln Memorial after the black singer was prohibited from performing at Constitution Hall because of her race.
We all have seen Tuskegee airman and what she did there.
Fair Housing in Detroit, Brown vs. Board of Ed Activism, UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, once Herblock did a cartoon, young boy, mom looking at Lady Liberty as the boy says: sure, I know who that is Mom, it’s Mrs. Roosevelt.
Perhaps Eleanor did all the things FDR did as his secret weapon he could explain away to the Southerners as: “hey, I can’t stop what she does….” Seemed to work. Perhaps that’s why many Blacks appreciated FDR, with Eleanor they might have felt they at least had a friend in the White House.
ER aside, FDR’s personal side was conflicted; one might forgive his heinous actions for US-Japanese he did not like Jews – period, he treated US Mexican worse than Trump, and, in his heart, felt most Blacks to be intellectually inferior – he said it.
Rather than listen to Larry blather, here’s FDR himself rationalizing: ““I did not choose the tools with which I must work…Had I been permitted to choose them I would have selected quite different ones. But I’ve got to get legislation passed by Congress to save America. The Southerners by reason of the seniority rule in Congress are chairmen or occupy strategic places on most of the Senate and House committees. If I come out for the anti-lynching bill now, they will block every bill I ask Congress to pass to keep America from collapsing. I just can’t take that risk.”
I agree with Larry that FDR was a racist, personally and professionally. The Japanese-American internment was heinous. Worse yet, he knew it, he knew what was right, he showed it upon occasion but generally surrendered to political expediency over human decency. That’s just weak. The man could not even bring himself to speak about lynching’s publicly.
Just not quite as black and white as Larry believes and FDR did a number of things about race, Eleanor did her own thing. One was groundbreaking, the others planted seeds that grew in the future. It was not 100% bad, it was not black and white.
Frank Stetson … I addressed the Black Cabinet. It was pure window-dressing. In addition to make him seem supportive of black needs, FDR had hoped that by creaating the Cabinet, they would be less likely to attack his policies. Find me any recommendation that they made that were implemented by FDR. Members of the Cabinet expressed frustration and some even quit. And they did not rise out of membership in the Cabinet. Virtually everyone of them were already prominent civil rights activists.
Yes you did and in that manner.
Tis thin, but try wiki, use the History section.
Yes, they were notable, sure is better than tokens. And they probably represented the largest Black contingent in a US administration up to that time. That’s a step. As I said. a seed planted for the future to have a group of Black professionals as a group, anywhere in white America institutions was a good thing.
Of course it could be better, but he was weak IMO. But an overt racist wouldn’t have even done that.
I do agree with your conclusion, just not leaving those precious few things he did do, out. ER too, that’s an odd one.
Frank Stetson … You contention that a racist would not have created a meaningless black group to deflect from the racist policies is not right. You are not aware of the established tradition of “Tokenism”? The deeper you research FDR, the more your realize that he was a hardcore racist. He had the same beliefs and policies as guys like James Eastland,, Theodore Bilbo Ross Barnett, etc., etc.,etc.,
My last paragraph stands.
He’s a racist, just think leaving out thibgs cause they don’t fit your spin is disingenuous and doesn’t change your conclusion.
Tokenism? There were over 50 informal advisors. They did advise. Some had notable posts. They did move the ball forward. .
He ain’t David Duke.
Frank Stetson … Not sure why the number of black “advisors” abdicates tokinsim. For your edification , here is the definition of “tokenism.”
“the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.”
I am sure they gave advice, but FDR never took it. Classic tokenism. And you have not given any examples of FDR implementing any recommendations.
You are correct. FDR was no David Duke. The harm of FDR’s racism and white supremacy was far far worse — although they were very similar in their beliefs.
Frank Stetson … you are certainly taken up with the FDR image polishing history. You obviously are not aware of the entire story of EO 8802. Virtually not black got jobs because of EO8802. It was more window dressing. First of all, the Order had no enforcement provision and government contractors ignored it. Also, government contracts were being awarded almost exclusively to union contractors and black were not able to join the unions because of their racist policies. Black leaders at the time were very critical of the EO and the unions. Like the Black Cabinet, EO8802 was meaningless. It was a fraud in terms of promoting jobs for blacks. Of course it comforted white Democrats at the time who would point to it as a real benefit for blacks — much like you did here.
Wow, you can only see the blackest night even at dawn’s break. You are correct, I do not know everything about EO 8802; I did not even know of it’s existence until just now.
You didn’t mention that FDR was probably backed into a corner by THE BLACK COMMITTEE and it’s friend’s 100,000 man march planned one week after the signing of the EO. Just caught that myself.
EO 8802 got the defense industry to move from a 3% Black workforce to 8%; more than doubling the number of Black workers in US defense. EO 8802 also added 200,000 jobs for Blacks in other government organizations; it was a start, it was something. You are right that it had no enforcement in the beginning; but it did by the end. And Blacks probably got the worse paying jobs too; of course that continues today —- even in Republican strongholds and certainly in the Trump business world.
From Britannica,
Executive Order 8802, executive order enacted on June 25, 1941, by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt that helped to eliminate racial discrimination in the U.S. defense industry and was an important step toward ending it in federal government employment practices overall.
“Even before the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941, World War II had created millions of new jobs in defense industries as the United States engaged in a massive military buildup to prepare for the possibility of war. Because of discrimination in employment, African Americans gained little from this buildup, getting only the low-end jobs if any at all.
African American labour leader A. Philip Randolph, head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, had long fought for African American rights in employment opportunity and other realms. At the time when the United States was preparing for war, however, President Roosevelt had evinced little interest in civil rights, being more concerned with having the war mobilization go smoothly and quickly. Roosevelt was also following a political strategy of appeasing southern Democrats, who were extremely powerful in Congress and opposed federal programs aimed at uplifting African Americans.
When Randolph and other civil rights leaders tried to persuade Roosevelt to end discrimination in defense-industry employment, the president rebuffed them. Randolph responded by threatening to organize a large march on Washington, D.C. Roosevelt recognized that the presence of possibly 100,000 or more protesters in the capital could be embarrassing and would distract attention from more pressing matters. In order to appease the civil rights leaders, especially Randolph, the president issued Executive Order 8802, which specified that there would be no discrimination in the U.S. defense industry on the basis of race, colour, or national origin. The executive order did not establish full employment equality, but it did establish a Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC).
The FEPC was solely an investigative and advisory committee and lacked enforcement powers. It did, however, symbolize at least some commitment to nondiscrimination and set a precedent for the postwar civil rights achievements that occurred during the administration of Pres. Harry S. Truman.”
And
“Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC), committee established by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 to help prevent discrimination against African Americans in defense and government jobs.
On June 25, 1941, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which banned “discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin.” At the same time, the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) was established to help enforce the order.
Roosevelt took this action in response to concerns raised by African American leaders such as labour organizer A. Philip Randolph, Mary McLeod Bethune (director of minority affairs in the National Youth Administration), and others, who were outraged that black soldiers were fighting for the United States in segregated units in the military and returning home to a society that still violated their basic rights.
After the executive order was signed, many African Americans applied for defense jobs, but the industry as a whole refused to cooperate, leading Roosevelt to strengthen the FEPC in 1943 by increasing its budget and replacing a Washington-based part-time staff with a full-time staff located around the country.
Enforcement of the order led to some positive changes for African Americans. By the end of World War II, in 1945, African Americans held 8 percent of the jobs in the defense industry, up from 3 percent before the war. In addition, about 200,000 African Americans held government jobs, three times more than before the war had begun. Most of the jobs were relatively low-paying, unskilled positions.
After World War II the U.S. Congress debated making the FEPC permanent, but two bills designed to do that were defeated. In 1945 Congress, whose most important committees were headed by Southerners, cut off funding to the FEPC, which then formally dissolved in 1946. It took another 20 years before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established to deal with many of the same issues.”
I can not speak to how the US education system taught this and your Chicago experience is exactly that: Chicago. My point was I was amazed how much information on this does exist.
Frank Stetson … Thanks for all the additional information establishing that FRD was a dyed-in-thed-wool racist and so were his policies — and that EO 8802 did nothing to increase black employment. You know the old saying …”figures do not lie, but liars figure. Of course, blacks held some government jobs — the worst of them, as you correctly note. But they were not in unions or government contracts. The 3 to 8 percent due to the war is a deceptive figure. You mix New Deal jobs with non-union government contract jobs. Of course, that was only a pittance. Blacks were losing jobs by the millions as the unemployment figures clearly show. Sorry … FDR was a racist … his policies were racist and designed to take away black jobs. That is the bottom line — not withstanding your agonizing rationalizations and excuses.
Well Tom did not claim to be a history pioneer nor a ground break country discoverer on this topic, and thanks for your agreement! The dig was very amusing! Thanks! I got a chuckle!
I agree, FDR could be a flip flopper like Romney and other GOP types, which is why I said I thought he was more of a covert racist hiding behind policy and legislation by others and approved by others but in line with his thoughts.
Regarding Larry’s statements, I actually did check out this depression statement and it is true. Blacks were the first fired and last hired. See “https://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/themes/fdr/” Also many blacks did not qualify for unemployment benefits. And in agriculture they were not allowed access to farm grants and loans – and there is currently a law suit to rectify this today. Another great article on how tough it was for blacks during the depression is at “https://millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/the-american-franchise”
I think you are mixing up or conflating Eleanor’s accomplishments as somehow contributing towards FDR as being a good guy and not racist. As an independent, unaffiliated voter I look at only FDR on this issue. Eleanor was nothing more than his social conscience. Had he not had her, I believe he could have been worse. FDR is on record as not wanting Eleanor to go up in that airplane joy ride with the Tuskegee airman. He felt they were not intelligent enough to fly a plane properly and that there was a high chance he would crash it.
Please read the history of the Fair Housing Act. It was very racist. If a white wanted to buy a house that bordered on a black neighborhood or property, the white could not get a government loan. Only houses that did not share a boundary line with a property owned by a black person were given loans. Believe it or not, I dealt with this when I moved to NC in 1987 but it was very covertly stated off of the record.
The very people FDR as afraid of was what they called the “DixieCrats” which were southern white congressmen. How convenient of him to blame his party rather than control it. Gee, some things never change with them!
I agree with your statement, “I agree with Larry that FDR was a racist, personally and professionally. “. Lets agree on a darker shade of grey. And while we are at it, lets say the same thing about Trump – that he also had his good and bad side and because of Melania, its really a darker shade of grey, see her work with BE BEST initiative working with our most vulnerable children and families at https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/people/melania-trump/
Great comments Frank, I enjoyed reading them as usual.
Melania Trump: “I really don’t care, do you?”
IMO, Melania Trump is a useless whore who clawed her way out of Slovenia and then married for money, and not much else. As an objective Independent, I am surprised of your acceptance just because she’s a pretty face. It’s fake.
Be Best is her advocacy program highlighting cyber bullying and not much else. The name isn’t even grammatically correct in English. The program was “international” meaning Melanoma boongdoogles to Malawi, Kenya, Egypt and other countries. One 12-hour junket cost $174K in taxpayer dollars to Be Best. Heck, she spent $100K in Cairo just to rest up in a Hotel, she didn’t even spend the night. Total taxpayer cost for the trip is in the millions. And she did nothing but photo ops.
She plagiarized her little booklet, had to re-engineer it to give proper credit, and her program did nothing as is her way in life: window dressing. Arm candy.
Be Best was the worst; it did nothing except waste our money.
And she did little else except show us extremely bad taste in Christmas decorations. Who can fuck up Christmas decorations?
Frank Stetson … Did you double down on your nasty pills? That may be the most vicious attack on a First Lady that I have seen. And did you say “as an independent?” You are one for comedy. You walk like a left-winger and quack like a left-winger. You know what that means.
Most vicious first lady attack you have ever seen? Really? Are you the pinball wizard? Dear, dumb, and blind? Do you not read PBP? Do you not read the comments on your own stories? Just look for the word Hillary and you can see a viciousness that makes mine look acceptable even to really old men in Florida. You probably have her 16-year old photoshoot hidden on your hard drive.
?https://designyoutrust.com/2018/10/rare-photos-of-melania-trump-as-a-model-at-16-years-old-in-slovenia/?
Independent jab was at Tom, bad syntax, grammar, whatever, my bad.
Left winger — Yes, I am a liberal, but extremist left, only in the minds of the extreme right. That is you, savvy?
I am a Clintonian Democrat — left on the policies, right on the money. More right than you I would gather.
Melania was raised in a communist country, raised in a Communist Party household. She couldn’t even get past the NSA lobby much less into the oval office where top secrets are strewn like ants at a pic-a-nic. Trump even brought her Communist Daddy (her real Daddy), there to take a peek.
Melanija Knavs is no victim, she’s the hunter, a gold digger from the git go when she decided she had to get the hell out of there from Slovenia. So, at age 16, she stalked the fashion shows hanging at the back door, leaning provocatively against a fence, where she was spotted, photographed, and on her way to Milan.
She’s considered shy, reserved, but able to crack a joke, thus the famous jacket, but steadfast serious on getting the hell out of there. Her father resembles Donald J. Trump. Her friends, all three of them, do speak kindly of her in general. Her mother, a bit of a fashion designer, made sure the girls always looked better than their rank, a trait Melania has to this day. She is always dressed for success.
She is not stupid; she is focused. She is hard right, believes in Donald and his business, whatever it is. Huckster’s of a feather… She plagiarizes a lot, chooses the best to copy though. So, yeah, she makes her living with her body even though she has a mind, schooling, etc. She married a guy for money, the fact she’s a believer notwithstanding.
And this freakin gold diggin Communist should never have been first lady. Never allowed where top secrets roam. When I see her terrible Xmas decorations, all I an say is: “ho, ho, ho.”
And her kid is somehow taller, much taller, than any other Trump……but that’s another story.
Keep up the idolatry old man, enjoy the snaps.
Frank Stetson … Your critical thinking is on pause. Hillary was attacked when she moved beyond the First Lady role and into the political cauldron. Your cheap shots are directed at a First Lady. My observations of you attack on her stands. It was a vicious as any attack on a First Lady that I can recall — with the possible exception of the whispers about Mrs. Jackson.
Tom … Eleanor was not in the same category has her husband. She marched to her own drummer. But her influence over FDR was non-existent, Black leaders — including those in the black cabinet often went to her to get FDR to mitigate his racist policies — such as opening Warm Springs to blacks. Her influence with him was zero. She had more influence on public policy and civil rights after FDR died. She was not influencing him .. he was holding her back.
Sorry, not a dig, just saying that FDR’s racism is not much of a reveal.
I do not think FDR a “flip-flopper.” I think he was pretty much rock, steady-on. And I had thought Larry’s “Rather than lift blacks out of the Depression, his policies plunged them deeper into it” was pretty harsh unforgiving and wondered if it was 100% true? I looked, and basically it is true, especially as Larry has spun it. I say spin in that there’s a lot of writings about how The New Deal helped Black Americans too that Larry does not cover, but, in the end, I think Larry’s vantage point is more correct.
The thing is FDR is a personal racist, and his policy’s are racist. With a few exceptions but too little, too late. He knows what he is doing. He knows what he is up against. His own wife is a visual, verbal, and action-oriented reminder to him every day of what is right. He knows what is right, what is fair. He is too weak to take action, even to push back; he can’t even silence his wife. All he does is cave over and over to political expediency and supposed power of the vote. He rarely pushes back or even pushes. He can’t even say “lynching bad, don’t lynch.” That’s my bottom line. He knows the truth, he is just too weak to do anything except as Sam Rayburn said:: “if you want to get along, go along.” The fact he did a couple of things does not change that. Too bad LBJ wasn’t there to tell him: “Nothing comes free. Nothing. Not even good, especially not good.”
Many say the “Black depression thing” was a last hired, first fired sort of thing. After reading Larry’s piece, and looking a bit, I say bullshit to that. They weren’t the last hired, they are black. They aren’t the first fired, they are often replaced. The New Deal programs amplifies all that and I am guessing FDR did the math figuring better to make 85% happier than protecting the lowly 15% that, personally, he felt were intellectually inferior anyways. Very weak. So, not LHFF, but targeted replacement to make whites happier at the cost of Blacks.
Frank Stetson … you seem to think that FDR’s racism was common knowledge. You obviously have not dealt with the subject among many folks — especially black folks. I get two reactions. Mostly surprise and some push back. You seem to think FDR was a victim of his times. Au contraire. He was a person leading the racist culture. He was a believer … as was Wilson. White supremacists to the core.
I thought I said the info was out there? Did I say it was common knowledge: I don’t think so. Why do you always do that?
I am happy that you are supporting CRT in this way. Keep the faith brother, keep teaching them the theory.
Frank Stetson … Your responses are getting nuttier and nuttier. I guess that is because you are obsessed with turning everything into a personal attack. Yes … you said the commentary was not really news. What is that supposed to mean? I just write about things that are NOT incorporated into the black history lessons. Don’t we want the whole story? Obviously, you do not. I give you factual history — and you give propaganda.
My grandmother considered FDR to be the most evil man in the nation, because he made it acceptable to be on the dole.