HISTORICALLY, African-Americans have shown solidarity with the oppressed people regardless of geography or even considerations like race, ethnicity or religion. This happens to be so because of the community’s own experiences of marginalisation and struggles for civil rights. This has led many in the black community to express support for the Palestinian cause, drawing parallels between the struggles of the two peoples for justice and equality.

Many strongly support the rights of Palestinians and advocate for their cause. However, regrettably the voices of United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield (pictured above; right), a career diplomat, and that of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd James Austin III (pictured above; left), a retired US Army four-star general, have been remarkably out of line, to say the least. They are apparently paying the price of being community outliers looking for accep- tance of the larger white community.

Racial oppression has been a historical and persistent issue in the US, and, therefore, systemic racism continues to impact various aspects and elements of society. Manifestations of racial oppression can be seen in disparities in areas like education, employment, housing, healthcare, the criminal justice system, and equitable access to opportunities in life.

Nobody will, or should, ever forget the tragic and downright inhumane circumstances that triggered the Black Lives Matter (BLM) political and social movement in the US.

Austin is America’s first black defence secretary with noble intentions to improve diversity within the US military, which is diverse in the lower ranks, but largely white at the top. A significant number of minority service members experience racial harassment and discrimination, as witnessed during the siege of the Capitol by far-right extremists.

Austin vowed to rid the army’s ranks of racists and extremists. But, when it came to the genocide in Palestine, he has been, at best, mute.

On her part, Thomas-Greenfield has repeatedly and consistently vetoed any substantial resolution crafted by UN member nations for a ceasefire to the atrocious and brutal genocide and displacement of innocent Palestinian children, women and the elderly by the Zionist apartheid regime of Israel.

The ambassador, who is an expert on US policy towards sub-Saharan Africa with many laurels to her credit, had humble beginnings. Her father William Thomas and mother Mary Thomas from Louisiana were completely illiterate. It was not until the 1960s, mind you, that the first African-American got the opportunity to enrolled at the college level for undergraduate studies.

She quoted from personal experience the story of education in America being one of inequality and segregation. Her experience as a student at university was daunting and uncomfortable, and she often felt isolated and out of place. Despite such adversities, however, education mattered the most to her.

Both Austin and Thomas-Greenfield are a huge stains on the memory of great African-Americans, like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, Ella Baker, Bayard Rustin, Dorothy Height and others. These black leaders, among many others, courageously fought against segregation, discrimination, and injustice, contributing significantly to the advancement of civil rights in the US.

I wonder what went wrong and how, and why these two African-American officials adopted a hawkish approach on the Palestine issue, although they and their forefathers had been through racial discrimination in a country that is now supporting a Zionist regime.

Faisal Habib
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2023