This column was submitted before I attended last evening's
Martin Luther King dinner at the New York Hilton. Still, I can
predict that none of the Hollywood stars who have made headlines
with their African adoptions or AIDS crusades were there. I also
can safely predict that though this annual event is one of the
most prestigious celebrations of the civil rights leader, little
will be written about it in the mainstream press.
The Congress of Racial Equality is a bipartisan nonprofit group
whose sizable achievements are ignored by the press in favor of
covering the more divisive organizations supported by the
Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
CORE has been heavily involved with U.N. agencies and has made
great progress in bringing modern technology to African farmers.
Its influence has created an effective battle plan against
malaria, which kills millions of Africans every year.
I suggested to a spokesman for the organization, Niger Innis,
that he consider awarding Angelina Jolie or George Clooney a
commendation for bringing world attention to the devastation in
Africa.
Unsurprisingly, he was way ahead of me but had little success.
"We made a targeted effort to reach out to celebrities
because of the increasing importance celebrity has been given by
our cultural elites," he said. "You figure those that
would want to adopt an African child to give him a better life
might be interested in working with an organization that is
trying to help his village attain the technology, infrastructure,
and investment needed to lift the entire village."
He told me that the only supportive Hollywood celebrity was
Ashley Judd, and she was in Scotland. But even when the MLK
dinner honors high-profile celebrities such as Usher, the singer
honored last year, most of the mainstream press fails to take
notice.
In 2006, much was made of Madonna's surreptitious adoption of an
infant boy from Malawi. Ms. Jolie and Brad Pitt had their baby in
Namibia and have reportedly donated millions to build a hospital
there. Mr. Clooney spoke at the United Nations to address the
crisis and the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Oprah Winfrey just
opened a school in South Africa and teamed up with U2
singer-humanitarian Bono to fight AIDS in Africa.
While I have always ridiculed the intellectual bankruptcy of
Hollywood stars, I have no doubt that their concern is sincere.
Certainly it is better to hear their pronouncements against
worldwide poverty and global crises then the constant drone of
anti-Bush statements.
Yet I wonder how judicious all those stars are in monitoring
where their millions end up. We've become lax in the followup
necessary to prevent fraud and corruption.
After the Katrina crisis last year, I would see signs all over
the city seeking funds for the victims in New Orleans. Millions
were collected, yet who bothered to ask these so-called
nonprofits if they were genuine 501 registered charities?
Celebrities may be sincere, but they are foolish to give money to
corrupt governments.
A missionary priest from Crossroads International came to our
parish recently and distributed a pamphlet showing what our
donations could provide in Third World countries the organization
serves. The largest donation, $3,000, would build a house for a
family of four; $1,000 would build a well; and so on. It seems
that, given to a legitimate mission, those Hollywood millions
would create a village instead of disappearing into the pockets
of despots.
I'm always amazed at anti-war protesters who throw in
anti-Zionist posters and pleas for starving Palestinian Arabs in
refugee camps. Do they ever ask how Yasser Arafat could become a
billionaire living abroad while money donated for his people went
for guns and suicide bombers?
Meanwhile, last night's main honoree was Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Born in
Somalia, she escaped from her country to the Netherlands, where
she campaigned against the mistreatment of Islamic women. She
wrote a documentary film, "Submission," about this
abuse, which was directed by Theo van Gogh, a grandnephew of
artist Vincent van Gogh. He was murdered in 2004 by militant
Islamists for this film, and Ms. Ali has been under guard ever
since.
On second thought, guests like this are far more suitable for the
Martin Luther King award than any Hollywood celebrity.