Jack & Jill Politics

The George Wilson Award

When the issue of slave revolts comes up, we certainly hear the name of Nat Turner. But we also often hear the name Denmark Vesey in that same discussion. Turner’s revolt, of course, ranks among the most effective in the history of this nation—and there were, according to scholars, some two hundred or so attempts. But many may not know that Vesey’s efforts, which preceded Turner’s by some nine years, in 1822, fell into the unsuccessful category.
Vesey bought his freedom after winning a lottery in Charleston, S,C. (although he was not allowed to purchase the liberty of his wife and children). He became a prominent member, a “class leader,” in Charleston’s African Episcopal Church, where he eventually led others in plotting a rebellion against slavery. The plan was fairly ambitious in its aim to wreak as much havoc in Charleston as possible. They were to take over the city’s arsenals and guard houses, set the city ablaze, and kill every white man in sight.
Alas, another class leader of Vesey’s church, a slave, told his master about the plans. Vesey and his cohorts were rounded up and executed.
The name of the man who told on Vesey was George Wilson.
I tell this story after seeing so many of these “conservative” blacks join with white apologists of historical black mistreatment. They, too, for example, pin the entire recession to blacks and other minorities not paying their mortgages after an oppressive government made banks give them the loans. Being steered to higher interest loans? Crickets. (See: Thomas Sowell) Also, they blame blacks for accepting welfare and not condemn a job market that would not hire them or banks that would not grant them loans to start their own businesses. (See Clarence Thomas.) They don’t don’t blame Bush one iota for the aftermath of Katrina. One, a Jesse Lee Peterson, came on Sean Hannity’s show to call blacks caught in the floods “animals.” I mean, where would blacks get the idea that this country would indulge in racist activity against them? Are they crazy? They’re surely ingrates.
How are not these folks the ideological progeny of George Wilson? How are they not just as dangerous?
Several other planned slave revolts—like the one led by Gabriel Prosser in 1800– were also stopped in their tracks when collaborators betrayed them. Also, it has been documented that they infiltrated the ranks of the Black Panthers and Malcolm X’s group and you can’t, even today, convince some veterans in the civil rights movement that at least one hung around to inform the powers-that-be of Dr. King’s movements.
. I don’t know about you, but I say we have enough problems trying to get to our goals without them getting in the way. Maybe it’s because we let them. Their lone complaint is that we occasionally call them names. They can’t be too upset, considering their frequent appearances on Fox and other outlets.
There must be something else we can do, and something sustained, like boycott whatever entity, or whatever sponsor or two, grants them interviews as if they’re opinions weren’t bought long ago, or protesting in front of institutions hosting them, or ensuring that their names are prominent mud in our conversations. Any act of cowardice should evoke a “Stop Sowelling,” or something. You get the point.
Let’s have a Collaborator of the Year Award. And let’s make it prominent, something folks look forward to annually. We’ll call the top award, after Vesey’s nemesis, the George Wilson Award.
Clarence and Sowell and Peterson, let’s face it, could win every year, easily, so, for now, at least, let’s have the different categories with their names attached—“And the Jesse Lee Peterson Ain’t No Shame to His Game Collaborator Award Goes to…” And such.
I nominate Mr. Snerdley. He’s Rush Limbaugh’s black screen caller and the one who eggs on Rush’s daily (and that’s no hyperbole) racist offerings. According to Rush, President Obama is a, uh, “man-child.” There’s the classic “The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.” Oh, and Michelle Obama is “Moo-chelle.” Get it? Well, Snerdley does, and that’s why I think he’s an obvious nominee.
Feel free to nominate your choices and maybe as a group, we can select the winners.
Oh, that George Wilson fellow? His massa freed him. Then George lost his sanity. Then he killed himself.
Some say left to his own conscience, he felt very guilty.
With these others, I don’t know if we have that kind of time.