Imus remarks require broader dialogue on gender, race
By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - The real issue arising from the controversial words of radio host Don Imus is not whether he should have been fired but why there is a need to discuss attitudes about gender and race, say two United Methodist leaders.

In an April 16 statement, M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, lauded the "heroic" stance of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "as they have moved beyond the paralysis of their wounds" after being the target of hurtful words from Imus.

"The firing of Don Imus is not really the critical issue for us to consider with respect to race and gender in this country," the statement said. "The hope is that this won't be another fleeting media flash-in-the-pan, where the flurry ends with one person's indiscretion. Instead, let's invite social, political and religious leaders into a serious conversation about issues of race, gender and media."

The controversy began April 4 when Imus referred to the Rutgers team members as "nappy-headed hos," drawing heavy criticism from a variety of groups.

A member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and one of the nation's best-known radio personalities, Imus is known for his caustic style. His show was syndicated to millions of listeners at more than 70 stations throughout the United States.

On April 11, MSNBC dropped the morning simulcast of his radio program, which it had aired for the past decade. The following day, CBS dropped the radio program as well. Imus has been broadcasting his program for more than 30 years.

The radio host met privately April 12 with team members, their parents and others at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion in Princeton. C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers' coach, announced the next day that her players had accepted Imus' apology for his racist and sexist comments and said they hoped the incident would "serve as a catalyst for change" in society.

"The inflammatory comments made by Don Imus are symptomatic of a legacy of double-barreled disrespect hurled at women of color in our society," Burton and Pickens said.
Such disrespect comes from all sides, they pointed out.

"The racist characterization of 'nappy heads' is symptomatic of a historic casting of black women as less aesthetically beautiful, less worthy of respect than white women. Imus' reference to 'hos' is also used too often by some blacks, hip-hop artists and young people of all colors as a euphemism for women.

"This phrase reminds us of our society's ongoing fear of strong women, self-determining women, women who play sports or excel in what has been a 'man's domain.' It also speaks to a mentality of denigration aimed at black women which particularly casts them as sex objects to be used, disrespected and discarded."

While calling for accountability from Imus, his employers and his advertisers, "people of faith who believe that men and women of all colors are created in the image of God and are worthy of respect" can also use the episode as an entry into conversation. Such a conversation should focus on how society and the media view, portray, hear from and talk about black women.

"Opening the dialogue around a God of such diversity is the challenge that we have in our society and the Church," the statement said.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.