ANDREW MWENDA; LISTEN YOUR "LISTENER" IS SPEAKING.

Part 2 

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ndrew Mwenda makes another claim in his article and I quote; “ According to Michelle Alexander’s book; The New Jim Crow, there are double the number of blacks in jail than in college” published in 2010.  The book written by a civil rights litigator and legal scholar has been highly applauded and criticized  in equal measure. In the  words of Kirkus Reviews, the book is; “An explosive debut… alarming, provocative and convincing.” On the other hand according to A. Johnson in his post to  libcom.org, scholars and social justice activists say the book promotes false understanding of mass incarceration and have called for review . So perhaps Kirkus was right to call it alarming.

The claim that there are “more blacks in jail than in college” is a huge myth and am not the only one who says so. Ivory A. Toldson a Howard University professor and Congressional Black Cacus Foundational analyst was quoted to say that  “the myth that there are more Black men in Prison than in college is  the most frequently quoted statistic about Black men in the United States.” Even President Barack Obama has fallen prey to this myth, he has been quoted to say that “we have more work to do when more young black men languish in prison than attend colleges and universities across America” in 2007 during the NAACP forum.

The myth has been traced down to 2002 report from the Justice Institute titled “Cell or Classroom; The Funding of Higher Education and Corrections and an impact on African-American men” which report according to the website newamericamedia.org was ill researched, a notion I identify with and there are facts and statistics to support this argument and  prove the myth is only but a myth .

 According to the U.S Census of 2013 there are 18.5 million  black males in the U.S. In the same year the National Center for Educational statistics found that 1,437,363 black males were enrolled in college. In the same year there a total of  745,000 black males behind bars combining local and federal prisons according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Prisoner Statistics program.  So when you work out the numbers there are more 692,363 black males in colleges than there in prison.  In fact the number of black males enrolling to college has been on the increase and statistics reveal that enrollment of black males in colleges rose from 693,044 in 2001 to 1,437,363 in 2013. An increment by 51.7% in only 12 years.  It’s clear for all to see that the myth that there are more blacks in jail than in college is only but a myth and many have relied on it either innocently or ignorantly.

Andrew Mwenda is not alone, many have  fallen prey to this myth, writers, policymakers, and civil rights organizations have often times used it with the best intentions at heart, yet this repeated falsehood has proven detrimental to the black communities. So not only is the assertion none factual but  it casts a negative picture of black male academic achievements and feeds into the stereotype that black males are predisposed to crime and violence as highlighted by  the New America Media news letter of 11^th August 2015.

3. Andrew Mwenda makes another claim that there are more black people in Jail today than were enslaved in 1850, and as such more blacks are disenfranchised toady than 1875, when the 15^th amendment prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on race was passed. He borrows this from the book The New Jim Crow that I sited above and borrows many arguments from his previous articles that include “The age of Human Imperialism” posted on his personal website on 6^th July www.independent.co.ug/andrewmwenda. Even John Legend, the popular secular artist commonly known for his hit song “All of me,” has been quoted to say the same.

Now I have real issues with this assertion because it lacks both analysis and is drawn completely out of context. I will prove to you that not only is the assertion completely drawn out of proportion but that it also lacks the analysis that befits the modern reader.

Whereas the fact that the Black incarceration today in the U.S is larger than that of the slave population in 1850 in numbers is a shocking comparison, its only because its viewed by many out of context.  The population of Blacks in America today is much higher than that of Blacks in America in 1850, so then the debate shifts from mere numbers to percentages. An accurate and a more convincing comparison can only be drawn when we look at the black percentage in prison today as compared to the black population in the U.S today vis-à-vis   the percentage of blacks in slavery in 1850 as compared to the total black population in the U.S in 1850. Thinking otherwise would be to deny yourself the actual benefit of critical analysis rather than mere plain arguments.

 According to the 1850 Population Census in the U.S, there were 3.6 million African Americans that included approximately 3.2 million slaves. However there were 872,924 Male African American slaves above the age of 15 excluding minors and women. This means that 90% of the black population was in slavery, 9 in 10 blacks were in slavery.

In contrast, in 2013 the US Census Bureau estimated 45 million African Americans that constitute approximately 14.1% of the total population of 316.1 million. This is 12 times more than the African American population in 1850.

A lot of reports seem to agree with the findings of  Politifact, an online news website that there are about  1.7 million black men under some form of correctional control, including probation and parole, excluding those held in local jails on any given day. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Prisoner Statistics Program report of mid 2013 there about 745,000 black men in US prison and jail system. But if we were to take the 1.7 million that most people and this case Andrew  Mwenda choose to identify with, that’s about twice the 870,000 or so black men at least 15 years in slavery in 1850.  This has been the rallying cry of most policy makers, civil rights organizations and writers like Mwenda  himself. But this is a purely misleading comparison and this is why.

Given that there are 45 million Black Americans 1.7 million only represents 3.8% of the entire black population of the U.S. So what’s more alarming? The 90% African Americans in slavery in 1850 or the  3.8% in incarceration today. The analysis is there for all to see. Therefore in no way can we make an assertion that there are “more” African Americans in incarceration today than there were in slavery over 160 years ago.

Finally, my arguments have not only been fertile with facts, but also with timely analysis that befits the modern reader. I have shifted the debate from the usual rhetoric and dogma and presented an new angel to the argument. So it’s only reasonable to note that for every story there are always two sides. I have often heard of a Ugandan proverb that says; “You cannot condemn Nyakato before you hear out Nyagoma”.  

Grounding oneself to one line of argumentation is not only counterproductive but also intellectual suicido, because with new facts comes new perspectives hence fresh perceptions. This has been my side to the argument

The writer

Mwesigwa Onesmus

Third Year law Student

Uganda Christian University

A blogger, social and Political analyst and ardent debater

 ANDREW MWENDA  LISTEN YOUR “LISTENER” IS SPEAKING

Part 1

 

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obin Morgan says "Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting and manipulation of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.”.This is why I was very disturbed by Andrew Mwenda’s article titled “Obama should mind his own business”, an article published by Aljezera that followed right after Obama’s speech to the African Union in Addis Ababa. What disturbed me the most was the ill informed applause he received from what I would call right thinking members of society and a considerable section of  the elite class. It revealed to me  two things that the so called elite Ugandan class is poor at both research and analysis. 

It’s important to note that Barack Obama is the first American President to host over 49 African Presidents and prime ministers from Africa for the First African leaders summit, the first American President to address the AU not forgetting that he is the first Black American President.

In his 48 minute speech to the AU,  Obama made 5 rather important points. One,  his acknowledgement that he is a proud son of Africa. Second that the approach towards Africa must change, in that, Africa no longer needs patrons but rather partners, that Africa no longer needs aid but rather trade.  Thirdly, that the most important task for our African leaders is to provide opportunities for the emerging youth population. Fourth, that Africa no longer needs strong leaders per se but rather strong institutions and finally his admission that America is no perfect democracy.

I must state that I have my reservations on Obama as a president and a heavy critic of his foreign policies but in respect to his address to the AU I must confess that the US President got the most part of his speech right, the countless applause's  in the house could not suggest otherwise, Regardless of these insightful pointers amidst many others Mwenda attempted to critic this submission. On an ordinary day at office I would gladly enjoy a well thought out criticism of Obama’s  speech, but rather Mwenda chose to shy away from the contents of the speech itself especially the key points as I highlighted above and took a road traveled by most  intellectual psuedos,.

I must confess that I was a huge fan of  his line of arguments and at times almost persuaded that he always almost wrote my mind but today I cannot say the same and am not alone. Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba, founder of  Ugandans at Heart (UAH), the biggest critical social media platform in Uganda says “I was once a strong Andrew Mwenda  fan and I think, deep inside I still have a soft spot for him, but he just keeps breaking my heart man.”

Sarah Nalukenge a social and political commentator refers to Andrew Mwenda as an “agent provocateur who disguises as an ardent critic so as to attract, trap and compromise dissenters”.  A one Yahya Sseremba even wrote an article titled: “ THE FALL OF ANDREW MWENDA: How bribery turned a reverend journalist into a vulgar propagandist, published by the campus Journal April 18 2012 a must read for anyone having second thoughts already.

The website www.ipetitions.com  has petitioned NTV to remove Andrew Mwenda from the controversial  NTV News Night political talk show,  and I quote their statement  “There is no doubt, Andrew Mwenda is an intelligent, cunning, and highly educated fellow who does lots of research. However, using his wide knowledge to twist facts and intimidate/bully many of those who pay attention to him is not proper conduct.” The site has got 1276 signatures within one week a true manifestation of a frustrated viewer audience.

Thanks to the few like minded individuals who were equally disturbed by Andrew Mwenda’s  psuedo  intellectualism I got the motivation to voice my opinion about the same. So am not the only one who thinks Andrew Mwenda has lost his credibility as a writer.

On reading Andrew Mwenda’s article in response to Obama’s speech to the AU, it would appear so typical of Mwenda that one would not even consider the option of listening in on Obama’s speech or let alone analyze the truth behind Mwenda’s  article as many   have been drawn to believe Mwenda’s word is alpha and omega. But on the contrary his article was marred with both ignorance, misinformed submissions and outdated research which I will prove.  

1.      Mwenda accused Obama of not having the moral authority to lecture Africans on Human rights  a position I also share and have actually written an article about the same however the base of his claim is what hit me hard. Mwenda based his assertion on evidence that the USA police kills a black American every 28 hour which he quoted from a  report made in “2012” called operation Ghetto Storm. But this does not in any way make America less credible because of targeting blacks as Mwenda portrayed or at least wanted us to believe . The figure comes from this unofficial partisan report by a black nationalist organization, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. The group claims 313 black people were killed in 2012 by “someone employed or protected by the US government”, thus it was not the US police force alone covered by the report but also included members of private security agencies ,government employees, shop workers, and members of the public. The most current research published by Joshua D Copelandon 22 August 2014 on his website www.thereelnetwork.net  reveals that its one black per every 36 hours not 28 hours as Mwenda had posed,  if updated information is anything to go by.

      The website www.libertynews.com in 2012, revealed that according to the CDC, 140 blacks were killed by police. That same year 386 whites were killed by police. Over the 13-year period from 1999 to 2011, the CDC reports that 2,151 whites were killed by cops and 1,130 blacks were killed by cops. More recent reports from the   Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, CDC and the FBI Census Bureau reveal that   in 2012, police killed 123 blacks , and 326 whites . In the following year 2013, blacks committed 5,375 murders while whites committed 4,396 murders

      So from the statistics it’s clear that not only have more whites been killed than blacks but also that more blacks have committed murder crimes contrary to what Mwenda’s article wanted to have us to believe that the American police deliberately victimizes blacks.  But since black people make up about 13 per cent of the US population, and nearly 63 percent of Americans are white, one would be seen to conclude that there were more than three black deaths at police hands per million people compared to about one in a million for  whites if you divide the deaths by the average population. But even if this was so, it does not correspond with murder arrests made, if it was a question of averages per population then more whites would also be arrested for murder. Further statistics from the Bureau of Statistics on homicides from 1980-2008 reveals that about 93% of blacks in America are killed by other fellow blacks. Thus the Black-on-black violence claims more lives than police killings..  Furthermore  the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, CDC and the FBI Census Bureau reveals that Police killings of blacks has been cracked  down by 70 percent in last 50 years.

     

      So where does Andrew Mwenda, a resounding journalist get the audacity to use black American killings by US police to justify his assertions? Its only reasonable to conclude that this was marred with both ignorance, misinformed submissions and outdated research which was spun to support a weak argument aimed at appealing to the Hearts of most Africans and support whoever’s interests.

Note; I will release my article in parts as there is a lot to be put right with Mwenda's Articles. Keep viewing my blog for the latest updates on the same

The writer

Mwesigwa Onesmus

Third Year law Student

Uganda Christian University

A blogger, social and Political analyst and ardent debater