For years, Houston has had its own race-baiting, poverty-pimping counterpart to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, in the form of Quanell X. Indeed, much of his rhetoric has been uglier than that which has come out of those two national figures.

But I want to offer some praise here. We may be seeing some growth on his part as a human being.

The date was Oct. 15, 1995, the place Washington, D.C. On the eve of the Million Man March, a rally organized by the Nation of Islam, the organization's youth minister was ready with rhetoric and venom.

Angered by Jewish protests over a conference dedicated to "the black Holocaust," 24-year-old Quanell X told the gathering that offended Jews "can go straight to hell," then expounded on his sentiments to a Chicago Tribune reporter.

"The real deal is this: Black youth do not want a relationship with the Jewish community or the mainstream white community or the foot-shuffling, head-bowing, knee-bobbing black community," Quanell said. "I say to Jewish America: Get ready ... knuckle up, put your boots on because we're ready and the war is going down."

A dozen years later, Houston's best-known black activist says he has changed. He is not only older but wiser, no longer beholden to revolutionary politics or an angry young man's immature view of the world.

Now Quanell has something else to tell Jews: He's sorry. He was wrong, he says. And though it may anger some in his community — perhaps to the point of threats to his safety — he wants to make amends.

Toward that end, he toured the Holocaust Museum Houston on Monday afternoon in the company of its executive director and chair-elect. He appeared moved by what he saw and learned, much of it for the first time. Quanell later expressed sorrow that he would have chosen remarks offensive and threatening to people who endured the horrors of Nazi concentration camps.

"I apologize to every Jewish (Holocaust) survivor that may have heard anything I have ever said," Quanell said at the end of his tour, which culminated with his placing a stone at an outside memorial, a Jewish custom at a gravesite. "How could I say anything in a vile, malicious or repugnant manner to anyone who has been in one of these camps? I should have never threatened like that.

"I seek the forgiveness of every survivor who has heard the words I've said," he continued. "I did not say them in the proper manner to make the point I was trying to get across. I can see and understand how they might be utterly paranoid (of) a person such as myself."

I'm willing to presume the sincerity on the part of Quanell X. I'm willing to respect the words here and the possibility that thy are from the heart. And while I do not understand how a man can reach his mid-thirties in this country without an awareness of the fundamental facts of the Holocaust, I'm prepared to believe that he has learned something of value and has begun a process of change.

But I wonder -- when will we hear an apology for his armed body guards shoving a WWII vet to the ground for daring to question Quanell (or is it Mr. X? I'll follow the Chronicle's stylisic lead here) about his rhetoric and positions? When will he make amends (from his nice suburban home) for his public revocation of the "ghetto pass" of a Houston politician who dared to vote against the demands of Quanell X and his radical constituency? When will we get an apology for this call to violence against whites?

"If you feel that you just got to mug somebody because of your hurt and your pain, go to River Oaks and mug you some good white folks. If youÂ’re angry that our brother is put to death, donÂ’t burn down your own community, give these white folks hell from the womb to the tomb."

It is my hope that Quanell X has turned over a new leaf and is out to promote harmony. But you have to understand my feelings, and those of many in this community, that we will have to "trust but verify" on this one.

Posted by: Greg at 11:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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