Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America (Hardcover)

~ Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson (Author) "Black Americans do not need the kind of self-appointed leaders they currently have..." (more)
Key Phrases: problem profiteers, reparations movement, racist leaders, Jesse Jackson, Los Angeles, Louis Farrakhan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The civil rights establishment, contends Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, has made a career off the downturn of America's inner city, promising solutions but offering only a Band-Aid. Peterson's is a platform of empowerment, teaching individuals and families how to tap into the power within, rather than depending on handouts. Chronicling the failure of the welfare system, denouncing the notion of reparations, citing problems within black churches, and even condemning current black leaders, Peterson argues that the crisis we face is spiritual, and no economic solution will suffice. He skillfully weaves the realms of politics, culture, psychology, and religion into this profound and relevant book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785263314
• ISBN-13: 978-0785263319
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #549,320 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

162 of 172 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a word.... OUCH!, November 4, 2003

By	D. A. Martin "Avid Reader" (Morocco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the early 20th century, Booker T.Washington had a premonition:

"There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs - partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose their grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs."

Sounds like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and Louis Farrakhan to me.

Thus opens the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson's new book, "SCAM: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America" (WND Books, 2003). Peterson, founder and president of the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND) and author of "From Rage to Responsibility," lays into the modern day civil rights establishment in ways that would make even Rush Limbaugh wince. He shows the ways in which this "other class of coloured people" profits from black misery and racial strife just as Booker T. Washington described almost a century ago. In exposing modern day black "leadership" for what it truly is, the author's main thesis is that the problems of the black community are due to a lack of moral character and not racism. In other words, we no longer need leaders - we need change.

Peterson devotes an entire chapter on the abysmal failing of the NAACP and why that organization should be boycotted, showing how "the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization" is completely out of step with the needs of black America. Over 90% of black homicides in America are committed by other blacks, but instead of addressing the root causes of black-on-black crime, the NAACP absurdly blames gun manufacturers. The average black public high school graduate has in reality only an eighth-grade education, yet the NAAPC vehemently opposes school choice - a policy overwhelming supported by black parents. Over 70% of black babies in America are born out of wedlock, yet Julian Bond and Kweisi Mfume would prefer to tackle "more important" issues - such as the supposed lack of minorities on popular television shows. Peterson sums up his critique by concluding "If the NAACP were truly concerned about black issues, it would focus most of its attention on black-on-black crime, restoring morality in black men, and supporting policies that strengthen black families... But as these moves would increase the real-world welfare of blacks... the NAACP wants nothing to do with them." Ouch!

"SCAM" addresses how the fear of publicly being labeled "racist" causes many whites to hold their tongues when they see things run amuck in the black community (yet black liberals are given virtual carte blanche to publicly spew all manner of invective at whites and/or black conservatives). This fear prevents Americans from engaging in honest dialogue about race (think of the recent fallout over Rush Limbaugh's comments about NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb and you'll get the idea), and serves the interests of self-appointed black "leaders" and their liberal white sympathizers. As the average white person would rather be labeled a child molester than a racist, Peterson urges whites to no longer fall prey to such psychological bullying. (To wit, there is nothing wrong with the word "niggardly.")

BOND puts on the annual National Day of Repudiation of Jesse Jackson, so it is no surprise that the author saves the lion's share of his venom for the self-proclaimed "heir-apparent" to Dr. Martin Luther King. Citing investigative reporter Kenneth Timmerman's best-selling tell-all "Shakedown" (I still can't believe Jackson was brazen enough to take his pregnant mistress with him to the White House for a photo-op with then-President Clinton!), Peterson rips into this improperly ordained minister like a buzz saw. The author also discusses why he is presently suing Jackson and his associates for an alleged assault in December 2001 in Los Angeles. Peterson is not afraid to publicly challenge the black establishment, sometimes at considerable risk to his own safety.

To be sure, "SCAM" is more than just a stinging indictment against the modern-day civil rights establishment. The book is also a critically compassionate look at what is really plaguing the black community, in particular the plight of the black family, and what can and must be done to reverse the downward spiral in which many black men, women, and children find themselves. Peterson's concluding ten-point plan on how the black community can truly realize its full potential and achieve true spiritual freedom is worth of a full-length book in and of itself.

98 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing & unfortunate truths about our culture, July 11, 2004

By	Albert Cerussi (Lake Forest, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the story you dont hear in the media. If you think that Bill Cosby's recent speeches have any validity then this is the book for you. It has statistics that are absolutely frightening. If you think Bill Cosby's recent speeches are a myth, then this is also the book for you because you have been deceived. I know many Americans who blame their current problems on whites ... this book explains why that view is nonsense.

The out-of wedlock birthrate of black americans is over 70%, yet never a word about this from the NAACP or Mr. Jackson. This book gets a little emotive at times but is backed by many facts and statistics from a man who has been active to live what he preaches. A quick, informative read.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Direct and to the point, July 16, 2004

By	content_of_character "content_of_character" (Mid-Atlantic) - See all my reviews

First off, I am black and proud to be so. Rev. Petersen's book is a breath of fresh air. He exposes black "leadership" as being in it for themselves. The past civil right leaders made sacrifices and weren't concerned about themselves, but looked to the future. Petersen points out how the current "leaders" really put their own self-interests first. My dad taught me that "you don't pull yourself up by putting someone else down" -something these "leaders" have not learned.

He is gives strong evidence for stating that the lack of real leadership by black men is one of the key reasons for the problems in the black community (which unfortunately may be a foreshadowing of general American society). He identifies that racism, though it exists (and frankly will never go away) is not the cause of the black man's plight, but rather used as an excuse for our moral failings. I'm tired of seeing these leaders rush to defend criminals, and define bad behavior as part of "black culture", while putting down blacks who have achieved leadership but have different political views. I always though that a true sign of how black people have advanced is our ability to be believe in different things and respect each others beliefs.

The writing style, while not outstanding, is easy to read. Petersen may seem too repetitive on some points, but many of them need to be repeated. In summary, I think Petersen makes a strong case for not only exposing the hyprocrisy of these "leaders", but showing how we as a people can better improve our lot by first taking responsibility for our own actions, and then working to improve them.