Open Letter to Donna Ladd:
Donna:
I wanted to take time to thank you yet again for including me in the fine company of Warren Speed, Wilson Carroll and Stuart Irby. Again, I think you owe them an apology, but I appreciate the thought 😉
One thing very much puzzles me. As you know, on Thursday March 3, 2005, we both along with thousands of other Jacksonians received copies of an email from democratsforharvey@yahoo.com spreading the word about the fundraiser we had last evening (which was just a fabulous event by the way with a couple of hundred folks from all across Jackson). However, he was not doing that as a community service, but as a pathetic attempt to drive a wedge into Jackson along racial, political and class lines. This is absolutely an abhorrent use of the basest of gutter politics and you are playing right into his hands ? even in consideration of the fact that it was an “anonymous” source.
Here’s my issue. You have mentioned this fundraiser every chance you get including here, here, here, here , and here in the one-time context of mentioning Johnson’s supporters as well.
Knowing you to be particularly sensitive to issues regarding race, here’s my question. Why are you willingly using your publication to support the “plumbers'” ends to further divide Jackson along racial and party lines? I mean, there are a half dozen fundraisers a day going on to support all of the mayoral candidates right now, and yet for some reason, you have homed in on this one. And if that weren’t bad enough, you went a step further and did it again in the story about the morning fundraiser held at Bravo! where you gleefully pointed out the attendants “all of whom were white”. And you have done it in such as way as the “plumber” would have wanted which is to pillory the participants with the clear innuendo that rich white folks are bent on using Melton as some sort of stooge or pawn with the clear intention of saying to the black community that (wink wink) “Melton’s not your guy”. Being from Philadelphia, I would have thought you had learned better.
In my very humble opinion, you are (potentially unwittingly) promoting this message of racial and political divisiveness and I think that is unfortunate to say the least. My God’s honest opinion is that I think more highly of you than that.
My hope is that in four weeks this will all be over and that a Democratic nominee and in eight weeks a candidate will be elected with a majority support from black and white, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican. I think I would like to live in THAT city.
With warmest personal regards, I am,
Very Truly Yours
Alan Lange
P.S. Have a nice day.
