has e’er complained because his planernwas 15 minutes late.rn—Christopher CheckrnRace and Culture. By Thomas Sowellrn(New York: Basic Books), 331 pp., $25.00rnThomas Sowell’s latest book explodesrnmany cliches regarding slavery, “discrimination,”rnand the wretched conditions ofrnblacks and odier minorities, hi Sowell’srnview, Afroccntric “historians” havernturned history on its head in their effortrnto enlist an ignorant public in a campaignrnto ilify the West. Sowell illustratesrnthat “racism” and other crimes forrnwhich the Afrocentrists denounce Westernrnsociety are by no means unique tornthe West. Slavery, a worldwide phenomenon,rncame to an end largely becausernof the British navy’s efforts to liberaternslaes from their Arab and Asianrnmasters. The Arab slave trade was farrnmore brutal than that practiced in thernWest; the Arabs forced their miserablernsubjects to walk barefoot across the Sahara,rnan ordeal that claimed many morernlics than the miseries endured in thernMiddle Passage. The European imperialistsrnwho extended their reign into thernThird Wodd were quite humane comparedrnto certain tribes and ideologicalrnfactions (i.e. the Xhosa or the KhmerrnRouge), and some minorities in therncolonies, fearing what would happenrnwhen their tribal foes gained a freernhand, dreaded the departure of thernWestern imperialists (just as the Huturnof Rwanda dreaded the withdrawalrnof French forces—and the eliminationrnof the “safety zone” the Frenchrnestablished—during the civil warrnlast summer). Although much of thisrnis common knowledge, the Khalid Mohammedrnschool of cultural theory is thernnew orthodoxy-. This assault on historicalrntruth is not unique to our society orrnour age. On the contrary, groups at thernbottom of a social hierarchy have oftenrnfalsified their history so as to attain a spuriousrndignity. For example, the Sinhalesernof Sri Lanka, less educated and less prosperousrnthan their Tamil neighbors, developedrnan elaborate mythology whichrnholds, among other things, that their ancestorsrnbelonged to the original Aryanrnrace, from which Hitler’s supermen descended.rnBut it is only in our day thatrnAfrocentrist fantasies have gained arnwidespread and devoted following.rn—Michael WashburnrnHelp Us Fight To SavernOur oouthem Heritage!rn”Civil Rights” groups have launched a campaign to eliminaternALL symbols of Confederate history and heritage, including thernremoval of all Confederate monuments from public property!rnIf you’re ready to fight back, then Join A Winning Team!rnThe Heritage Preservation AssociationrnHPA is a nonprofit, national membership organization thatrnutilizes educational, legal and political resources to protectrnSouthern symbols. Southern culture, and Southern civil rights.rn• In Georgia we educated votersrnand lobbied the General Assembly.rnWe defeated an anti-flag boycottrnand a liberal governor to help savernthe Georgia flag. We endorsed andrnhelped elect several pro’flag staternsenators and state representatives.rn• In Virginia we defeated attempts torncensor the movie “Gettysburg,” helped save the state songrnand are fighting to return the Confederate flag to thernDanville Confederate Museum. We endorsed and helpedrnelect a city council member who supports our efforts.rn• In South Carolina we lobbied the General Assembly torndefeat an anti-flag compromise and we successfully opposedrntwo lawsuits that would have removed the Confederate flagrnfrom the State House. We lobbied and helped save GeneralrnWade Hampton Boulevard from being renamed MartinrnLuther King Boulevard.rn• In North Carolina we are seeking legal action againstrnvarious school systems that discriminate against childrenrnwho wear or display Confederate symbols.rnAnnual Membership of $39.95 includes a bi-monthlyrnnewsletter, special membership discounts and accessrnto HERITAGE-BBS, a nationwide computer system.rnMention this ad and save 10% (VISA, Mastercard, AMEX)rnTo join by phone or request more information, callrn800-TO-DIXIErnHPA • RO. Box 98209 • Atlanta, GA 30359rn(404) 928-2714 • Fax (404) 928-2719rnJULY 1995/37rnrnrn