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Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America

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In this provocative book, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, the most outspoken critic of the civil-rights establishment in America today, lays bare its corrupt leadership, courageously taking aim at the bigest names―Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, among others―claiming they are nothing more than scam artists profiting off the hatred and disorder they foster in the black community. Peterson insists it's time to throw off the oppression of the established black leadership and stand for the American ideals of freedom, personal responsibility, free enterprise, and moral principle.

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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About the author

Jesse Lee Peterson

7 books44 followers
Jesse Lee Peterson is the most courageous, outspoken critic of the so-called "Civil Rights" establishment today. He’s a radio and TV talk show host, activist, author, pastor and counselor.

Jesse grew up on a plantation near Tuskegee, Alabama, during the Jim Crow era, before moving to Los Angeles as a young man. He's the founder and president of BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (est. 1990), dedicated to "Rebuilding the Family by Rebuilding the Man."

At BOND, he offers Counseling for individuals, couples and families, Church services, Men's Forums, Women's Forums, an Entrepreneur Academy, and a Home for Young Men. Jesse has spoken spoken in many schools and universities, conferences and rallies, and even prisons and juvenile detention centers.

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Jeff Wombold.
248 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2013
I am a white person, so some may think why is a white person reading a book on black America; because it was damm good, that's why. I was actually shocked to read some of the things in this book, but the Rev Peterson is spot on about his theories. I hear about Jesse Jackson constantly, being 30 miles from Chicago and he drives me nuts. I have always said he stirs the fires of hatred.

" Those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword"

This is a must read for anybody.
Profile Image for Philip.
61 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2008
Exceptionally persuasive work about how the culture of victimhood, as promoted by Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton et al., actually impedes the advancement of African-Americans.
Profile Image for Dan.
25 reviews
May 20, 2020
Unflinching evisceration of Farrakhan, Jackson, Sharpton, Waters et al.
Profile Image for Dean L. Randolph.
30 reviews
November 6, 2018
Eye opening. Life changing book

Just read it. It will probably be one of the most important books you'll ever read. But, you have to read it first.
Profile Image for Adrienna.
Author 18 books242 followers
December 31, 2008
It was an interesting read about some of the black leaders we look up to. I hope it is based on facts and not lies, met the author in person at VCY and then read his two books.
Profile Image for Kenn Anderson.
385 reviews8 followers
February 22, 2014
Very emotional message. To hear this message from a black man makes it all the more disturbing. Hard to believe that the internal issues are not just Hollywood hype.
10.6k reviews34 followers
June 16, 2024
SOME CONTROVERSIAL AND PROVOCATIVE VIEWS

Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson (born 1949) is a conservative political commentator, and radio and TV host. He is the president of the Brotherhood Organisation of a New Destiny (BOND). He wrote in the Introduction to this 2003 book, “Black Americans have been scammed; what’s worse, they’ve been scammed by their own folks. What you are about to read in this book is the truth about who the scammers are, how they’ve conned black America, and what can be done about it.

“Over a decade ago, I began to realize that the so-called black leaders like Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, and others were lying about why blacks are in trouble today… [Blacks] need to wake up to the fact that these leaders profit by creating hatred and animosity between the races. In fact, it is imperative for these leaders to continue creating problems even where none exist. If they don’t, they’re out of business… These ‘leaders’ have been brainwashing blacks … blaming white Americans for all of our problems. Sometimes these problems are created, sometimes just exacerbated, but always paraded to create racial hatred against whites. The big problem here: if a person can get you to hate, this person can control you!... I became a free man for the first time in my life by giving up hatred. If other blacks could understand this, they’d be free, too.” (Pg. ix-x) He adds, “That’s what this book is about: freeing blacks from the stranglehold of our so-called leaders and their poisoned words and deeds so we can stake out our true position in this land and recapture the stolen dream of Dr. King.” (Pg. xiv)

He recounts, “When I was eighteen years old, I left Alabama and moved to Los Angeles to start a new life… Unfortunately, I began listening to the teaching of men like Jesse Jackson, NAACP leaders, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan… I developed a hared of the white man for what were actually my own personal failings… I began to use drugs as a way of coping… I found it amazingly easy to get on welfare and simply live off the system… I partied with that money, caroused with women, and lived a fairly degenerate life. I thought I had it made… I started to realize that I was being held back in life because of my own anger. It wasn’t the white man who was oppressing me; it was my own anger, resentment, and hatred… I also began to realize that much of what passes for religion or Christianity today in black churches is nothing more than the corrupt leadership of men… they preach race hatred, vain philosophies, and liberal politics… I broke out of the shackles, and I’ve been trying to help others break free ever since… My message to the … black community is one of hope and encouragement… I firmly believe that we blacks are our own worst enemies… It is time to stop the excuse-mongering, claiming that whites are crippling our ability to get ahead. If blacks so not abandon this mentality and rage… we will remain forever defeated.” (Pg. xii-xiii)

He observes, “One thing that black liberals hate more than whites or white conservatives is a black conservative like me. The hate-filled rhetoric used to vilify, marginalize, or destroy black conservatives is something to behold. Black liberals despise individuals who are independent and free-thinking, but I refuse to be brought back to the Democratic party plantation to be used as a pawn for the leftist, immoral agenda of liberal politicians.” (Pg. 20)

He asserts, “If white Americans were to leave the country tomorrow, in ten years America would be a ghetto. You can see the truth of this when you look at many of our major cities that are run by black mayors, black-dominated city councils, and black police chiefs. These cities are usually horrible places to live. Yet blacks who live in black-ruled cities can’t see the truth: their own immorality is the cause of black poverty, crime, and family destruction!” (Pg. 38)

He notes, “The young men I work with represent … a far larger laziness problem with the black male population. The typical black male I work with had no work ethic, has little sense of direction in his life, is hostile toward whites and women, has an attitude of entitlement, and has an amoral outlook on life. He has no strong male role model in this life to teach him the value of hard work, patience, self-control, and character. He is emotionally adrift and is nearly illiterate… They have no shame about going on welfare because they believe whites owe them for past discrimination and slavery.” (Pg. 41)

He argues, “Black-on-black crime is a growing national problem, but this is only one part of the overall scandal of black crime in our nation… Liberals can complain all they want about racism in the justice system, institutional racism, disparate sentencing for drug offenses, etc., but the truth of the matter is that young black males simply commit far more crimes of violence than do whites or other minority groups… Claiming that racism is the cause of black crime rates is absurd and shifts the blame away from the real culprits: the violent young men who turn to crime to satisfy their lust for guns, power, control, and women.” (Pg. 47)

About the issue of reparations, he says, “Who will pay for reparations? I’ll tell you who it will be. It will be people who don’t have a racist bone in their bodies. It will be people who immigrated to this country after the Civil War. It will be people struggling to support a family. It will not be the slave owners; they’re all dead. It will not be the Klansmen; most of those that are still around are so poor and backward they don’t make enough money to pay the federal income taxes that will help bankroll a reparations deal. Those who will pay for the problem will be those who never had anything to do with it.” (Pg. 70)

He adds, “The socialists and racists who are pushing for reparations couldn’t care less about the real history of slavery throughout human history… In Africa, for example, warring black tribes typically enslaved their captives, killed some, and sold others into slavery for profit. The Muslims also ran a lucrative slave trade long before the white man ever reached Africa.” (Pg. 76)

He says, “The father is to be the head of the family because he has been given this role by God… The father brings the spiritual to the family. Until the early 1960s that role was being filled; then government welfare programs took the father out of the home. Now, mothers are in charge, and this has reversed the God-ordained order. This has brought evil into the black family, with disastrous results.” (Pg. 149) He continues, “All too often today the black single-parent home is headed by an angry black woman who has been taught to hate men and to view a welfare check as a constitutional right. She has lost all respect for men, and she passes that hatred and disrespect on to her children… In many black homes where the father actually DOES want to be the provider, he is often undermined in his efforts by the black mother who has absorbed the poisonous ideas of white feminists.” (Pg. 152)

He contends, “many feminist-dominated churches have turned God’s order on its head by placing women in ministerial positions. This is an evil that must be overturned. If we ever wish to recover any spiritual life within churches, we must insist that only men be preachers.” (Pg. 161)

He notes, “In my experience, white racism is relatively rare. Unfortunately, the black racist leaders must continually foment racial unrest because that’s how they make their living. But black Americans have never been encouraged to examine themselves to see if they’re racist toward whites… I’ve also found that many blacks are racist toward members of their own race. Dark-skinned blacks are frequently jealous of those who have lighter skin and complain that lighter-skinned blacks ‘think they’re better.’” (Pg. 195)

He suggests, “blacks should also reject the term ‘African-Americans.’ We’re not ‘Africans’; we’re Americans who happen to be black. Blacks need to get over the habit of romanticizing Africa as their homeland. Most blacks have never been to Africa and never will. For the most past, Africa is a continent of dictators, oppression, bloodshed, famine, and a horrific AIDS epidemic. The African continent is hardly something to be idealized.” (Pg. 197)

Obviously controversial, Peterson’s views will nevertheless interest many conservatives interested in racial/ethnic issues.
Profile Image for Afrijewel.
168 reviews
March 27, 2021
This was an informative read. Chapters 3, 5, 11-15 Wow! I love Mr. Peterson's honesty. It's time for blacks to open their ears and accept the truth for change. The writing rambled at times and seemed a bit whiny.

Yet, I appreciate Mr. Peterson's historical experience and understanding of each person discussed: Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, etc. This was certainly an eye opener to the bullying and animalistic behavior of "black self appointed leaders". I hadn't considered why these folks often appeared in the news only when non-black on black crime occurred. All the while rampant violence, civil, and criminal activities continuously happened right in the mixed community - black american, caribbean (trinidad, jamaica, haiti, etc.), africa (nigeria, cape verde), and latin (dominica republic, puerto rico) - where I was bred in New England.

While I've used my voice to express many times the disapproval of unruly and disrespectful behaviors and attitudes of folk in the mixed community, especially black folk that I grew up around; I was ostracized for speaking up, thinking, believing, and acting differently...not by non-blacks but blacks. As a result, for a short time, I unfortunately began looking at good as evil. Oh, how wrong I was... and, I knew it but was overcome by groupthink... their hatred masked in all forms. The hate within families extended to the community, you could feel it in the air and see so clearly. The victimhood and laziness displayed was prevalent and overwhelming. The public school and media were also culprits. Moreover, single motherhood abound did not help at all.

By the grace of God, I'm thriving through understanding, honesty, and forgiving. I unabashedly follow the light and love of God's guidance and stand firm on knowing the difference between good and evil. It's truly wonderful!
Profile Image for Christopher.
200 reviews11 followers
October 2, 2024
I used to operate by the adage that I would not let a bad book defeat me then I realized I was wasting time chasing a dream that the writing would get better.

I made it approximately 50 pages into this book when I gave up. While the evidence to support the books premise were on point, they became repetitive very quickly. Peterson cited the same thing multiple times in just those few pages.

The second point is some of the crude language that was used a few times. I have watched Peterson's videos in the past and, in my opinion, this was beneath him. I had a teacher tell me once, that if you have resort to insults you have lost the argument.

I had high hopes for this book but the repeating of the same incidents over and over just made me feel like I was stuck in a time loop.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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