VOICES OF COLOR

A collection of writings that appeared in the Freedom Socialist newspaper from 1982 to 1996 that offer largely simplistic Marxist solutions to a range of complex and emotionally charged issues. Feminist human rights activists Wong and Alaniz have assembled a range of articles by an ethnically diverse group of leftists on such topics as bilingual education, Black-Asian relations, police brutality, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and sexism within the Black Panther Party. These essays are most successful in highlighting the inequalities and disparities in mainstream society that too often go unchallenged.. Racism in sports, misrepresentation of minorities in the media, the pitting of one minority against the other to benefit the ruling class, and corruption in unions are all issues deserving serious thought and discussion. The solutions posed here, though, are too often hackneyed, unduly simplified and stale. Minorities, gays, and generally disenfranchised members of society are falsely endowed with unerring wisdom. Any position to the right of the radical left is discounted. Progressives like Michael Lerner and Cornel West are dismissed as cultural nationalists. The farm worker unionizer Cesar Chavez is regarded as a traitor to the cause. Religion and spirituality are cardinal sins, while Hamas murderers are touted as innocent victims of Zionist injustice. The writers are mostly on-target in their calls for unity among workers and in their analysis of how minorities and immigrants are often made into scapegoats. These essays also serve to remind the reader of the myriad injustices that continue to exist and to provoke them into action. The voices here are passionately subversive but for the most part dulled by leaden, uninspired ideology.