THEY CALL US MONKEYS.

[Anthony Akinola]

FEATURED

Reagan calls Africans ‘monkeys’ in newly released tape

Published July 31, 2019

KINDLY SHARE THIS STORY

American late ex-President Ronald Reagan

Late American President Ronald Reagan called African monkeys
In what appears to be a vendetta against Africans who voted in support of China’s membership of the United Nations, ex-President Ronald Reagan has been uncovered as having referred to African delegates to the UN as “monkeys” who feel “uncomfortable wearing shoes.”

Reagan, then the Governor of the State of California, made the remarks in October 1971 while speaking with then President Richard Nixon.

In a tape recording released by the Atlantic on Tuesday, Reagan is heard telling Nixon, “Last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did.”

“Yeah,” Nixon interjected.

Reagan then said: “To see those, those monkeys from those African countries — damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes!”

Nixon then laughs heartily.

The tape was submitted as a part of write-up for the Atlanticby Clinical Associate Professor of History at New York University, Tim Naftali, who said though the conversation was recorded by Nixon, it later became a part of the Nixon Presidential Library, which he (Naftali) directed from 2007 to 2011.

Explaining the history of the tape and how he came about the recording, Prof. Naftali said, “When the National Archives originally released the tape of this conversation in 2000, the racist portion was apparently withheld to protect Reagan’s privacy.

“A court order stipulated that the tapes be reviewed chronologically; the chronological review was completed in 2013.

“Not until 2017 or 2018 did the National Archives begin a general re-review of the earliest Nixon tapes.

“Reagan’s death, in 2004, eliminated the privacy concerns.

“Last year, as a researcher, I requested that the conversations involving Ronald Reagan be re-reviewed, and two weeks ago, the National Archives released complete versions of the October 1971 conversations involving Reagan online.”

Describing the events that led to the Reagan outburst, Naftali wrote: “When the UN took its vote to seat a delegation from Beijing instead of from Taiwan in 1971, members of the Tanzanian delegation started dancing in the General Assembly.

“Reagan, a devoted defender of Taiwan, was incensed, and tried to reach Nixon the night of the vote. Reagan despised the United Nations, which he described as a “kangaroo court” filled with “bums,” and he wanted the U.S. to withdraw from full participation immediately.”

The history professor also claimed that then President Nixon had ordered his deputy national security adviser, Al Haig, to cancel any future meetings with any African leader who had not voted with the United States on Taiwan, even if they had already been scheduled to meet with him.

Prof. Tim Naftali wrote against the backdrop of what he described as “presidential racism,” which, he argues, has been brought back into the headlines because of the events of the “past month” in America.

Already, Democrats who are currently working assiduously to regain the White House from Republican President Donald Trump, regularly criticise the American president for what they call his “racism.”

[Lance Hanse]

This article starts with giving some background information on how Naftali, a Harvard professor acquired the tapes. Originally the tapes were withheld to protect President Reagan’s privacy but when he died in 2004 he lost that right and the tapes have since been released.  Hearing this is very unsettling to me as it portrays the former leader of the United States as a pretty significant racist. Even though this was in a different time, where joking about racism was a common practice, the president has a moral right the respect everybody he represents equally. Furthermore, the fact that this is just now being released so much time later could potentially ruin his legacy of being the president to look to as a success. Most republicans view President Reagan as the best President the United States has ever had. Now people will be reevaluating that opinion and even possibly changing some opinions they have today in our current political system.

[Spencer Soosman]

After reading this article, I was shocked. Growing up near the Ronald Reagan Library I was well aware of President Reagan. For a man who fought for the Berlin Wall to be torn down to be found saying a comment like this is shocking. To refer as Africans as "monkeys" is an awful thing to do regardless if it was caught on tape or not. I also find it interesting that the tapes were not ruled by the court until 2013, well after President Reagan's death. Therefore, a comment like this in a way goes under the rug.  

[segun ogungbemi]

His daugher has apologized for that remark. In my Ph.D. dissertation at The University of Texas at Dallas, I reported that the Yoruba called white people brown monkeys. I think we should not continue to trivialize a dead issue.  

Segun Ogungbemi. 

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/7a6d4c4c-0b96-4028-a173-6444d9d943cd%40googlegroups.com.

[Pay Prostok]

The Nixon tapes continue to uncover many dark moments in American history. It is alarming, to say the least, that the leader of the free world would degrade an entire group of people. However, it would be naive to suspect this type of behavior is not still occurring. For example, with-in the last year, Trump referred to Africa and various other countries as "sh*t hole countries". This type of rhetoric is detrimental and only strengthens a vocal shorthand for a racist hierarchy. 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju]

segun,

it cant be a dead issue bcs it represents attitudes that still resonate in todays US with the recurrent killings of black men by police, high levels of black incarceration and the hate speech directed agst africans by the current US President plus discriminatory visa policies demonstrated agst Africans by the US and UK.

The Jews keep vigilant over anti-semitism bcs it is not fully dead and its has been a fundamental shaper of history.

why should afriancs consider incidents of racism at any point in history dead issues bcs an aplogy was made? the apology cant erase the historical fact and significance of its occurrence.

there is also a world of difference yoruba attitudes to westerners before and after the conquest of yorubaland by western colonialism and that of racist westerners to black people whom they enslaved for centuries and colonised after that.

im puzzled you are making such an unsustainable equation of race centred attitudes.

toyin

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/CAB0J%2Bvrq29EMt1q6FvOm5H1vL%3DeHJJuuLGDJHesAbG%3DpjTKrUA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Pay Prostok]

The Nixon tapes continue to uncover many dark moments in American history. It is alarming, to say the least, that the leader of the free world would degrade an entire group of people. However, it would be naive to suspect this type of behavior is not still occurring. For example, with-in the last year, Trump referred to Africa and various other countries as "sh*t hole countries". This type of rhetoric is detrimental and only strengthens a vocal shorthand for a racist hierarchy. 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[william lee]

The article begins by stating the revision of newly unearthed audio clip in which the 40th president of the United States Ronald Reagan was surprisingly found claiming that leaders of African countries where “monkeys uncomfortable wearing shoes”. The article continues in further detail about the discovery of the tapes but the main ideas are centered around the controversy of the racist remark made by a past president of the United States and the stain that it might leave in his pristine legacy. After hearing the tape I was shocked that a past president that is on average ranked in the top ten of all time and held as a beacon for the Republican party could have spoken such condescending words. I believe that this tapes can serve as a reminder that when political figures in power express bigoted ideas, the words are not just bad, but they represent a bigger ideology and significance that is beyond what one would assume. This makes me question whether Ronald Reagan's prejudice in the inferiority of the African American people played a major role in his welfare and foreign policy during his presidency. I believe that this incident in history transcends just its place in time but rather represents a set of partiality towards diplomacy and the connotations and growing negative ideas we have towards the continent of Africa. 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[Michael Price]

The article is essentially exposing Ronald Reagan's true colors because we get to see what kind of man he is behind closed doors. Reagan's racist remark about Africans shows how he is prejudice and doesn't care about African culture. What makes matters worse is that Nixon instigated the situation, instead of correcting Reagan's ignorance he inevitably egged him on by saying "The tail wags the dog there, doesn't it?" which shows how racism was still a common epidemic after the civil rights movement. Instead of finding ways to help the less fortunate in third world countries, they would rather bash them. In addition, these are the people that we vote for, put in power and let run our country. This is why racism will never truly end. 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[Joefred Uwaelue]

You are absolutely correct, the hate, racism, and ignorance shown by the former president still lives shameful, but proud in the country till now. The issue of racial superiority has been a problem since the institution of the country. It is the ideology on what the nation was founded on. The policies put in place right now by the current sitting president coincides with the views of president reagan. So, yes indeed this has never been a dead issue, and was there way before Reagan’s time.

To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com

Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafric...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/7a6d4c4c-0b96-4028-a173-6444d9d943cd%40googlegroups.com.

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com

To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com

Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafric...@googlegroups.com.

[Pay Prostok]

The Nixon tapes continue to uncover many dark moments in American history. It is alarming, to say the least, that the leader of the free world would degrade an entire group of people. However, it would be naive to suspect this type of behavior is not still occurring. For example, with-in the last year, Trump referred to Africa and various other countries as "sh*t hole countries". This type of rhetoric is detrimental and only strengthens a vocal shorthand for a racist hierarchy. 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[Emma R Wolfe]

This article reports that a tape of former President Richard Nixon was discovered on which he called Africans "monkeys" and mocked them for not wearing shoes. In addition, Nixon refused to meet with any African leaders after they voted differently from him in the United Nations. After reading this article, I was shocked to discover this information was withheld from the public and that Nixon was a closeted racist. There are notable similarities between the remarks and attitudes Nixon displayed towards Africa and Africans, and those of Donald Trump in recent years. It is concerning to think that we as a country have continuously elected racists to the Presidency because doing so will never lead to a strengthened relationship between African countries and the United States.

--

Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com

To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com

Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/b4e97e7e-353b-47bf-85ff-3bdb4604ce14%40googlegroups.com.

[Mary Frances Kocurek]

The withholding of the racist portion of these tapes is one of many instances in American history in which we try to hide our flaws. The racist commentary of our former leaders is embarrassing to our country and it is sad that we have uncovered another instance in history where Americans have showed a vast lack of acceptance for other cultures. America does a great job of looking like we accept all cultures and value the opinions of all kinds of people, but there are still many close minded individuals. Despite uncovering moments and comments like the ones in these tapes, I believe that as a nation, we are becoming more open minded and history surely shows that we have made leaps and bounds when it comes to acceptance. It is moments like these tapes where Americans and other cultures alike need to check their values and attitudes to ensure that all cultures, races, and groups are being showed the respect every human deserves.

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[josie milisci]

These uncovered remarks highlight the racist undertones of many Americans leaders, undertones which many Americans try to deny or hide. It is absolutely unacceptable that Ronald Reagan referred to Africans as monkeys, and it also unacceptable that this did not get more media attention or impact his presidency. Reagan is often referred to as the greatest president America has seen, which is deeply unsettling and worrisome due to the fact that he made inexcusable racist remarks. Furthermore, Donald Trump launched his campaign to "make America great again" by referring to America's greatness under Reagan. This article shows that many American leaders do not fully grasp the seriousness of racism, or worse, that they simply do not care. 

[Dompere, Kofi Kissi]

GREETINGS ALL

TO understand the forces of African stagnation and confusion of independence, please listen to 

Kwame Nkrumah's videos and make up your mind on global political events  and events of contemporary AFRICA,

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrEeGeNmptd2kYA6AWl87UF;_ylc=X1MDOTU4MTA0NjkEX3IDMgRmcgN5aHMtaXJ5LWZ1bGx5aG9zdGVkXzAwMwRncHJpZAN3Wl9vMUhTbFJiZWJDcGxuc1lpTFlBBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwM0BG9yaWdpbgN1cy5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMxBHBxc3RyA2t3YW1lJTIwbmtydW1haCUyMHVuJTIwc3BlBHBxc3RybAMyMARxc3RybAMyOQRxdWVyeQNrd2FtZSUyMG5rcnVtYWglMjB1biUyMHNwZWVjaAR0X3N0bXADMTU3MDQ3ODcyNA--?p=kwame+nkrumah+un+speech&fr=yhs-iry-fullyhosted_003&fr2=sa-gp-us.search&type=wncy_omxmedia_16_18&hspart=iry&hsimp=yhs-fullyhosted_003&param1=1&param2=f%3D7%26b%3Dchmm%26cc%3Dus%26pa%3DWincy%26cd%3D2XzuyEtN2Y1L1Qzu0Czz0C0B0BzztD0D0BzyyBzyyBzy0ByDtN0D0Tzu0StCyDzzyDtN1L2XzutAtFtBtCtFtCtFtCtN1L1Czu1StN1L1G1B1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2StCyBtA0BzztCzzzytGyCyB0EzztGyC0C0BzztGtCyCyBzztG0F0E0CyDyByD0EyC0C0F0D0B2QtN1M1F1B2Z1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2SzzyD0ByByBtAzy0DtG0Czy0DyCtGyEtDtA0CtGzz0DzyyEtGtCzzzz0BtDyDtB0E0E0E0AtC2QtN0A0LzutB%26cr%3D236646580%26a%3Dwncy_omxmedia_16_18%26os_ver%3D6.1%26os%3DWindows%2B7%2BEnterprise&iscqry=

THANKS, PEACE TO AFRICA AND HER CHILDREN.

DOMPERE.

---

From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of josie milisci <josiemi...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, October 7, 2019 3:25 PM
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: THEY CALL US MONKEYS.

 

External Email Warning WARNING! Please proceed with caution as this message could be a scam. The sender's account may have been compromised and used to send malicious messages. If this message seems suspicious, please DO NOT CLICK any of the links and/or attachments. If you believe the contents of this email may be unsafe, please send it as an attachment to the ETS Information Security Team: ets-i...@howard.edu.

--

Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/39100878-bafb-488c-8503-e1bf0140b79b%40googlegroups.com.

[Aylin Valdes]

I am not shocked that this information was held. They will always try to keep their racism hidden which is why they cut out the racist part whenever the first video was surfaced. I am upset that is what he genuinely thought about the people from Africa and mocking them by saying horrible things about their appearance and "not being able to wear shoes because they're uncomfortable". This reminds me of the president we have no with no shame of mocking minorities if they do not have the same skin color as him.

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote:

[Gabriel Galaviz]

This article evolves around Ronald Reagan and a lost tape where he refers to African delegates as monkeys.  Growing up, I knew kids who idolized Reagan for his involvement in the destruction of the Berlin wall and if they knew this, they would be heartbroken. To some, this can be seen as a fun joke and “locker room talk”. Personally, I do not think it is as harmful as people make it out to be, but this rhetoric should never be used by a president. I do not think it is fair to compare this rhetoric to Donald Trump’s tweets because I believe the majority of Trumps tweets are not racist, the media just tends to twist words to make it look bad. 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 12:21:24 PM UTC-5, anthony.a.akinola wrote: