Mayor complains to Human Rights Commission about "Being White in Philly" article
Controversy over that problematic Philadelphia magazine March cover story called "Being White in Philly" continues to simmer. In the latest development, Mayor Michael Nutter has sent a letter to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations decrying the "disgusting" tone of the piece.
Mayor complains to Human Rights Commission about "Being White in Philly" article
Jenice Armstrong, Daily News Columnist
Controversy over that problematic Philadelphia magazine March cover story called “Being White in Philly” continues to simmer. In the latest development, Mayor Michael Nutter has sent a letter to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations decrying the “disgusting” tone of the piece and accusing the magazine of having “sunk to a new low even for a publication that has long pretended that its suburban readers were the only citizens civically engaged and socially active in the Philadelphia area.” In the piece, based on anonymous interviews, Robert Huber makes the claim that white people are afraid to talk about race for fear of being called racist.
“That the magazine thought a collection of these despicable, over-generalized, mostly anonymous assumptions rose to the level of journalism is unfortunate enough,” the mayor wrote. “Worse, some of the residents of the nation’s fifth-largest city who are quoted in the piece seem to have ignored every positive anecdote they might otherwise have shared about a positive experience with African-Americans in favor of negative stories, many of them not even clearly attributable to African-Americans at all, to allow the author to feed his own misguided perception of African-Americans – notwithstanding his own acknowledged daily experiences on his own block – as an ethnic group that, in its entirety, is lazy, shiftless, irresponsible, and largely criminal.”
Nutter asked that the Human Relations Commission “consider specifically whether Philadelphia magazine and the writer, Bob Huber are appropriate for rebuke by the Commission in light of the potentially inflammatory effect and the reckless endangerment to Philadelphia’s racial relations possibly caused by the essay’s unsubstantiated assertions.”
Commission head Rue Landau has already responded saying, “The Commissioners and I share the concerns of the Mayor regarding the racial insensitivity and perpetuation of harmful stereotypes portrayed in the Philadelphia Magazine piece. We will take up the Mayor’s charge and, as a matter of fact, we are already looking at intergroup relations in the city, particularly in changing communities.”
The commision will take up the topic at their next public meeting which will be in the Fairmount/Brewerytown community, the geographical focus of the Philly mag piece. The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 18 at a location to be announced.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Philadelphia magazine editor Tom McGrath sent me an email on March 15 confirming details about a March 18 panel discussion called “Can We Talk About Race?” McGrath will moderate the discussion at the National Constitution Center which will be followed by a town hall session. Robert Huber, author of “Being White in Philly,” will be on the panel as will writer Solomon Jones, activist Chris Norris and Farah Jiminez , who heads up the People’s Emergency Center.
On March 19, McGrath is scheduled to meet with members of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Norris, along with some Temple University, has organized a “Being in Philly” gathering for March 20, the first day of spring. There’ll be music and free water ice giveaways. Norris, the founder of Techbook Online, says he wants to show a positive side of black life in Philadelphia. According to Norris, Huber has agreed to attend.
This is sure to get the TeaBeggers in a tizzy.— daxtremesolja- Dax is a professional victim...just like most liberals.
Article is correct and the fact that so many that are minorities are up in arms over it...proves it.— Professor1982 - Typical of racists..."if we dont like it...label it racist".
Sounds an aweful lot like censorship here.— Professor1982 - Bill Cosby was right...
http://www.today.com/id/7681419/ns/today-books/t/responding-controversial-debate-about-race-america/#.UUOk4zdVq9Y— Professor1982 - Cuddles - another professional victim — Professor1982
- Hey look! It's the professor! What a surprise. Looks like he's having another cranky day!
Philly.com's token Grumpy Old Man.— daxtremesolja - Dax = Philly's resident professional victim — Professor1982
- Typical liberal complains about people calling them names but uses a derogatory term about people who want to follow our Constitution (imagine that!)
But if conservatives would use any of hundreds of terms they labeled as racist, sexist or homophobic we are the ones who are the problem.
When in reality liberals are the biggest racist, sexist, homophobs on the planet. If you aren't exactly like them they hate you.
Your posts proves it yet again.— 1776.Liberty.Bell - Hey Mayor, stop wasting your staff's time typing of meaningless letters, and start collecting property taxes from the deadbeats. This guy sure loves press releases and bombastic press conferences. All talk, little action.— Vince70
- Wow sure is nice the Mayor has an opinion about a subject he obviously knows nothing about. Mr Huber stated what alot of white people feel. I for one am tired of the race card, the poverty card and the stereotype that white people are bigots. I could go on but I'm sure the racebaiters and white apologists will be commenting soon.— MWW-54
- Theres a long line of people standing behind you on this one my man. — hipdaddy
- I dont understand all the uproar over this article. the author was simply pulling back the curtain on unspoken feelings that white people have. If anything, the article was an indictment of white people, not a criticism of blacks.— Yogi Spinoza
- You are right about the whites in the article. Sadly it made those who live in Fairmount and Spring Garden out to be from the back woods of dixie.
— Earl J
Read more from Jenice Armstrong at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green."
Reach Jenice at armstrj@phillynews.com.
