What also bothers me is that my niece knows better. Her mother, my older sister got pregnant at 17. Despite having all the material trappings where one would assume might hinder such an ‘accident’ - just like Bristol Palin, my sister grew up in a two-parent, upper-middle class home – the new addition brought years of turmoil to our family, turmoil that despite my niece being an adult and living on her own, still lingers. While my niece was and is a wonderful, beautiful and intelligent woman / child, I remember the struggle that my sister went through, which included alienation from family members, the looks of disapproval and the financial and emotional struggle to make it on her feet. Most importantly, my sister, despite loving her daughter, was clearly far too young and immature to raise a child on her own. I was hoping that my niece would remember what her mother went through and perhaps she would wait until she got her career started, got some money in the bank and enjoyed her life as an adult before making such a life-altering decision.
I can totally understand the heightened media attention on Bristol because of her mother, but the water-cooler conversations, Dr. Phil’s baseless opines, the ‘fear’ from suburbanites who now feel that Cindy and Misty now might think that getting knocked up is ‘like, cool, dude.’ Funny, because when young black women get pregnant, they are called ‘Welfare Queens.’ There was a time when young Latina and black women were 'encouraged' to get Norplant and Depo Provera shots as health clinics in the ‘hood’ made contraceptives real easy for them to obtain. Some thought that it was the government’s way to deter unwanted people from having even more unwanted children, but hey I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, but if the shoe fits…….. From Earnset Harris via The Huffington Post:
But where is that same sentiment or support for young black and Hispanic teen girls when they have babies? As I read someone else put it, when minority children have babies, it is an epidemic and a sign of the poor standards in our communities. When Bristol Palin has premarital sex and gets pregnant, it is to be applauded as a sign of how strong the family is because she will join the long list of teen mothers in this country. What a crock. These people should keep quiet from now on when black and brown teens have babies. They have no ground on which to stand after acting like this particular teen pregnancy is like a gift from God while minority teen pregnancies are the scourge of our society.
Now I must admit I do feel sorry for Bristol – a bit. She will be forced into a marriage that will probably not last, her mother has basically put her professional ambitions in front of her own child (Yes, I know that sounds bad, but whatever) and I say that because no pregnant teenage girl really needs or deserves that much public scrutiny. Lucky for her the child’s father is white! Could you imagine otherwise? Mental Meanderings talks about the difficulty of young parents and suggests that maybe they are better off remaining living with the parents:
While we may mock Laqueesha who gets knocked up and she and her baby live with her Mama and Big Mama, in many ways this is a better solution to teenaged parenthood than sending two inexperienced American children out into the world expecting them to successfully rear children with only their resources. A household of multiple adults, in my opinion, is superior to one with only one or 2.
I seriously debated over writing about this issue, as I really didn’t want to fuel the fire about Bristol’s pregnancy. However, a lot of bloggers are talking about the hypocrisy of the public response to her pregnancy and there are a number of interesting angles to these conversations. Blogger Reverend Dr. Renita J. Weems from Something Within talks about the hypocrisy among Evangelical Conservatives in relation to reproductive rights:
That Sarah Palin’s 17 year old pregnant and unmarried is no business of mine . But that Sarah Palin opposes abortion and the teaching of sex-education in schools, and has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant, is very much my business. And the business of every woman who cares not only about the unborn, but the born too. You don’t get to profess to be opposed to abortion and then cut a line item in your state budget that would provide transitional housing for teen mothers in need of a place to live. Where do unwed teens who don’t get to live in the Governor’s mansion or the White House go to live?
Have you noticed?: Black teens, like most teens, carry their babies to term, and they are blasted by conservative pundits as immoral “welfare queens” for getting pregnant before marriage . Bristol Palin chooses, with her mother’s support, to go ahead with her pregnancy, and she is good Christian girl who deserves to be left alone.
Perhaps because of witnessing my sister’s experiences as a young black mother coupled with stories from many friends and acquaintances who have found themselves pregnant at a very young age, it frustrates me to see the hullabaloo surrounding Bristol, especially given how her mother once slashed funding to help pregnant teenagers. One would think that the girl was the first white kid to ever get knocked up before marriage. It’s frustrating because when the young pregnant women I knew, there were not granted the public sympathy that Bristol has received, many of them got dirty looks from strangers and mutterings of ‘typical’ and ‘it figures.’
Because my niece is biracial, I am fearful that she will experience the similar judgments that her mother and the women I know have, that she will face difficulty with people taking her seriously because of her new status as a black single mother. I just didn’t want her to go through that, I wanted her to have more, but I realize as I write this, that right now I am judging her, perhaps I am one of the people that I am fearful about. I haven’t spoken to my niece since I heard about her pregnancy and perhaps the one good thing that has come out of the public humiliation of Brisotl Palin is that I now I will speak to her and try to mend fences. I now realize that maybe my niece didn’t ruin her future as much as I initially thought she had.
]]>
Look, the Clintons ain’t stupid and they know what side of their bread is buttered. Hillary released her delegate votes, allowing her supporters to vote to officially vote for Obama. In last night’s speech, Bill suddenly had a change of heart and decided that Obama wasn’t the incompetent ninny he had portrayed him as during the nomination campaign. Is all to be forgiven?
Can the Clintons and Obamas now join hands and sing a rousing chorus of Kumbaya?
Will Michelle invite Hillary over to the South Side of Chicago and teach her how to cook collard greens and Chitluns?
As I have previously written before, there were many uncomfortable issues raised during the nomination process, one being that the always present divisions within the ‘feminist’ movement suddenly being shoved into the spotlight. Lines were drawn in the sand – does the feminist movement – or at least female Clinton supporters prescribes to - acknowledge differences of race and class? Should there be a blind allegiance to those whom we share the same womanly parts? Can feminists be racist too?
Recently on The Root, Corinne Douglas and Jacquelyn Gray argued that black women did not support Hilary’s assertions of sexism and therefore black women should not complain when white feminists did not speak up when Michelle Obama was attacked my the media and political pundits. Tit for tat, I guess (sorry, I couldn’t help myself!)
The misogynistic savaging of Hillary Clinton was one of the most inexcusable elements of the primary campaign, and the silence from black women in the face of those attacks, because they supported Obama, was, at least, a tactical mistake. It is entirely unacceptable to go along with unfair attacks against women simply because you disagree with the particular woman under attack.
I know as a Canadian my opinion doesn’t mean much but I must put my two cents in here: To me, the above statement insinuates that if you are a female Obama supporter you were choosing to ignore the sexist attacks against Clinton -which is making quite an assumption. It also insinuates that the silence means that Clinton somehow deserved the treatment, which I believe is unfair. Thirdly, the writers also insinuate that perhaps racist insinuations coming from ‘leaders’ in a democratic party – those who during their time in office heavily relied on the support of African-Americans should be dismissed in order to support sexist attacks. Is this going to lead to another “does sexism trump racism” issue? However, later in the post, the authors add:
Make no mistake, we should not excuse the behavior of Ferraro and those who cry "reverse racism." African-American women are justifiably frustrated by white feminists' failure to fully regard their experiences. But we cannot expect white feminists to come to the defense of Michelle Obama if we deny them the ability to, at a minimum, identify their own mistreatment at the hands of the same oppressors that are victimizing Michelle.
The writers – and perhaps they know better than this – assume that this instance has been the first public portrayal of the tensions between women of color (in this case, black women) and the white feminists. They also are conveniently ignoring how the racism, not just concerning Michelle but also Obama might be, if their assumptions about all black women throwing Hillary under the bus (which, based on the amount of black female Hillary supporters that were prominently displayed all through her campaign and at the DNC, is questionable) were correct, how the dual affects of racial stereotypes about both women (angry, ’uppity’ irrational, militant, desexualized or hyper-sexualized) and men (inherently uneducated, inexperienced, violent, hyper-sexualized, unpatriotic, dangerous, ‘uppity’) not only could affect the voting outcome of the 2008 Election, but how historically racial stereotypes are far more insidious and more permeable than any misogynist verbiage. From Rikyah at Jack and Jill Politics:
Miss Anne Aint Studdin’ About Your Black Behind
From Gloria Steinem to Geraldine Ferraro, I was told loud and clear, that all I was good for was to sit in the back of the female bus. That you two can so profoundly overlook the obvious racebaiting that happened with Obama from the CAMPAIGN AND SURROGATES - not the Media. If we counted the media, I don’t even know how many incidents would be in the Wiki.
I’m very clear about who I am as a Black Woman.
I’m a BLACK woman. I know that my fortunes are tied to the Black men in my life: My father, uncles, nephews, future husband and possible sons. I know that I’ll not be divorced from them. So, when the Racial Dogwhistle was blown, I knew where I stood. I make no apologies for not keeping any pretense of ‘Sisterhood’.
I’ve challenged others, and I’ll challenge you. Make up your own ObamaAttacksClinton Wiki based up on all these ‘sexism’ charges that I hear bandied about. But, here’s the catch: you must only include Camp Obama and their surrogates. Get me 10 incidents. I’m not even asking for 50. Just 10. The media doesn’t count.
I won’t hold my breath.
One issue that has bothered me since Obama was announced the ‘presumptive’ Nominee and there was a concerted effort to market the Obama family to the public, was the insinuation that the family had to ‘prove’ to Americans that they were just as normal as everyone else. That the fact that both the Senator and his wife, Ivy-League grads and lawyers still were seen as suspicious to Americans who regard BET as a credible news source. I couldn’t believe how a female journalist (white) from CNN had the audacity to ask her guests just prior to Michelle’s speech what Michelle had to do to prove to the “American public that she was normal.” That’s feminism for ya, right there. From Chauncey at We Are Respectable Negroes:
As I watched Michelle Obama's speech I experienced happiness, pride, and anger. I know I am not alone when I share the pride in seeing this historic moment, a period where America is acting with a little more maturity as she perhaps grows out of her racial adolescence. But, I was also upset, and again I think this is a common feeling to black folk, especially those who are middle or upperclass and circulate in predominantly white social and professional worlds, by how this accomplished person has to justify herself as sufficiently "American," "middle of the road," "wholesome," "a good wife," "a good mother," and "not angry." How her success, and that of her husband is always suspect, that she (and Barack) has to justify herself and downplay her accomplishments lest she seem "angry" or "uppity." This righteous anger comes from the same place as when someone with good intentions praises you for being "articulate," "not like those other ones," "so clean" and/or "smart." Ultimately, there is often a sense that however high we climb, and how successful we are, that we still have to be twice or three times as accomplished as our white peers in order to get the same level of respect.
Reverend Irene Moore discusses the LBGT relationship with Feminists for Obama looking at the relationship between straight and Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and transgendered feminists:
With the Democratic National Convention this month, the delegates that identify themselves as “Feminists for Obama” will come out in droves. The trek to Colorado will be made by dykes, dykettes, dykelings, bi-sisters, trannies, and, oh yeah, our straight sisters, too. But as my LBT friends have pointed out to me, the sisterhood between straight feminists and us is strained at best and nonexisting at worst. And with Hillary Democrats moving slowly over to the Obama camp, we LBT women also move with hesitancy given Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage.
While the fault lines are already rearing up among “Feminists for Obama,” so too are the fault lines of gender expressions and sexual orientation, as LBT women attempt to convince our straight sisters that our families, like theirs, matter.
And while I believe many of our straight sisters understand our struggle, will they forge a sisterhood with us against a presidential candidate who supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not marriage?
Sure, it’s not the best to use one representative to try and prove Root writers Douglas and Gray wrong, but the DNC attendee Anne Price-Mills, who “Freaked” after Hillary Clinton’s speech might be a fair representative that not all blacks are a) pro-Obama and b) that in an admittedly complex way, show the divisiveness within the black community. Dream and Hustle discusses CNN’s mini-interview with Price-Mills and with distain, talks about ‘Black Feminists’ (yes I know to fully describe the usage of feminist and feminism would take a whole ‘nother post). Here is what she had to say about Price-Mills:
Now, real quick – everybody already said that this is now about the Democratic Party winning the White House, including Hillary Clinton. And for that one Black feminist to run her mouth like that automatically tells you it was not about Hillary Clinton and it was never about this election. This was about her personal hatred of progressive Black people like Barack and Michelle Obama. She said several times over and over when asked if she will vote for Barack Obama that “she will not vote for John McCain” refusing to acknowledge Barack Obama. She is so blinded in her own bitterness she failed to comprehend that Michelle Obama could easily trail blaze into the US Senator spot for Illinois just as easily as Hillary Clinton has done with the Senate seat for New York after she was first lady.
For more commentary, I suggest you head on over to read the post at Racialicious.
]]>Simply by randomly selecting blogs from the list of approximately 400, I get a clear indication of some of the challenges to those of us who while having the desire to create and maintain our sites let real life get in the way. Perhaps I shouldn’t call people out – I won’t name names, but there are a number of blogs that have been abandoned, and bloggers whose purpose (based upon throwing up a random photo with no accompanying text) is simply to generate hits; and those who simply post a news article and link to a larger news site. Let me repeat: These are all in the Race, Ethnicity & Culture section even though many of them do not cover issues in that area.
To write about race, ethnicity & culture can be difficult because within that range of submet matter are issues that many feel uncomfortable talking about - especially with random strangers. Plus, despite the realization that when you post something online you are writing to a bunch of people who have a variance of opinions and experiencs, we still tend to write subjectively - when we write at all that is. But beside the occasional blacklash from writing about the above topics the difficulty really depends on what you want to write about, and how you structure your posts.
For me, I prefer blogs where the person either posts and essay-style type post, giving their opinion on a subject. Something a bit more ‘meaty’ instead of just posting something that I could find on a plethora of other sites. So for this first post in what I hope to be a series, I wanted to highlight some of the Blogher members who really dedicate themselves to providing their audience with some insightful and well-written content. They do not have to post on a daily basis, but their sites are so strong and relevant it will want you to bookmark them to check out their stuff on a regular basis:
Lisa from Black Women Blow the Trumpet not only has provided a blog that celebrates the strength of black women, she also discusses her experiences as a woman of faith who is reaching out to groups that are routinely marginalized in society. Lisa also actively supports other bloggers by routinely visiting and offering words of support. One recent post that I stood out for me was Investigating Our Differences where she talks about how people measure and judge others because of their own insecurities. By using the initial example of a video of an African-American gay man who discusses his experiences within the black community, she asserts that differences among people should be celebrated, not criticized:
We need to understand how our differences are going to be leveraged as assets. If we do not know, then we will continue to operate with a conspiracy of false unity. This is why it is important for us to discuss new methods of how "to investigate our differences," as Dr. hooks says, "in order to come together."
Recently, a friend of mine who emigrated from Moscow about five years ago questioned the media coverage of the recent Russian insurgence into Georgia. As she is originally from Georgia and still has relatives there, she was extremely stressed over the events. From talking to her sister on the phone, she was getting a far more accurate account of what was happening there than what the major media stations were saying, and she wished that there was more fair and balanced coverage. This blog, Global Voices Online, is a group blog of people from various countries and continents, sharing news that wouldn’t ordinarily reach the mainstream media outlets.
Jen from Kids of Queers started her blog in January of this year. According to her initial post, her father (now deceased) was gay and besides covering news events (politics, religion), she provides a space where people who have gay parents can come to find resources.
Los Angelista is of black / Irish ancestry and blogs about her life in guess where? Los Angeles. She also hosts a fabulous blog, Reading & Listening where she writes about her favorite books and music.
Barb’s blog, Lucky White Girl (yes, it’s satirical) has actually been a favorite of mine for awhile. A mix of commentaries on politics, religion and race, random musings and the occasional pop culture post ( she recently did something on one of my favorite shows, Mad Men, Barb is a fearless, excellent writer.
I’ll have more in the next post!
]]>There have been many recent discussions about beauty standards and how they affect women of color. Recently I wrote on my blog about a comment on a message board that had bothered me. It probably wasn’t meant to have the impact it had, but it did. It made me think about how black women are still, in this day an age, still regarded as less-than…well…women with Eurocentric physical attributes.
White women North American society, Europe, Africa, India……….Well, damn, all over the world (and I’m bracing myself for attacks) are generally regarded as the epitome of beauty. A non-white woman’s attractiveness is measured against whether she has any of the characteristics that biologically, white women have: Skin color, physical attributes (nose, lips, hips, weight) hair texture and in some cases, hair color (blond is a preference).
Many young girls, most often teenagers of color feel that if they do not have one or more of the desired traits, than not only are they unattractive, but others will find them unattractive. While many of us are rational adults and generally perceive that this is bullshit, it still is disturbing when that hidden fear is brought out into the open by some asshat (new favorite word) whose ignorance validates that little voice inside of you that is always question how attractive you are to the outside world, who resents being judged by standards that are unrealistic and simply just not that relevant as to deciphering the value of someone’s worth. But unfortunately it is relevant in terms of media images and accessing opportunities – professional, personal and / or educational.
Recently there was hubalboo on the web about pictures of Beyonce on a L’Oreal ad where her skin had been lightened and her nose had been thinned. Interracial relationships and the exoticfication of women of color within these relationships cause a great deal of consternation.
Within the posts for this Carnival, there is a lot of pain. Pain because though the issues, which because of the Carnival do correlate in some way, many of them tie back to the feelings that come out of how women of color feel about societially imposed beauty standards and how they affect us. And pain because at least for me, a number of the issues really resonate with my own internal struggles for self-acceptance. Black Amazon, one of my favorite bloggers, writes about finding validation outside of aesthetics:
You see when we talk about pretty , I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing, not to mention to cling to pretty even in CHALLENGING the concept ( I WILL REJECT ALL THINGS THAT I SEE AS PRETTY CAUSE EVERYTHING MEANS THE SAME TO EVERYONE) makes me nauseous.
You see in my life as WOC, pretty has had fuck all to do with attractiveness, vibrancy, or sexuality, it has had everything with a validation.
A validation that includes protection, ownership, and often the use of these things to pit women against each other, sometimes by patriarchal interests, OFTEN by racist thematic, and sometimes love itself.
Personally, I am beautiful. It is strange to say because dear god it sounds conceited and I am trying my dandiest not to post any pictures, but even in the glaringly Eurocentric run studies about symmetry and youthfulness and clearness of skin and bountifulness of hair ETc.ETC.
I am doing okay.
I am not however in any way European featured, not in the slightest not by a long shot. My look comes with the music of steel pans and African drums some sitars and strings with a light note of pipes. My walk is all drums all the time.
I am always black.
Fatshionista writes about being ‘fat’ and a woman of color:
My experience of being a fat black woman has not been a fat acceptance wonderland. I don’t feel like I have been shamed for my body, but I have felt pressure to have a more socially acceptable body size. I do worry about presenting myself well. Because of the history and attitudes in my community, I feel a responsibility to act in a manner that adheres to a strict code of conduct. Part of the code is hiding its existence from mainstream white culture. I struggle with those pressures when I don’t feel like pulling myself together, when I want to toss a scarf over my messy hair and grab some milk at the store, when I want to snarl at someone rather than do racism 101 for the umpteenth time. Being told by white women that I have it easy when it comes body image dismisses all of the complexities and difficulties of my identity and reduces them to “Cosmo says you’re fat. Well I ain’t down with that!” Making assumptions about someone’s identity and culture based on fragments of pop culture is dehumanizing. An important part of understanding the world beyond yourself, not just asking questions but also listening closely to people who have criticisms of your beliefs. Sometimes what you think is fact is based upon false premises. Black women do not live in a fat acceptance utopia and you’re making racist assumptions if you assume they do.
While doing a quick Google search I cam across some other posts that correlated with the Carnival:
Sara, who blogs at With a Curl in the Middle of My Forehead also chimed in with a script she wrote.
Digital Femme posts other pictures of African-American women whose images have been lightened.
Enjoy!
]]>(The sound of crickets chirping)
Confused? Stunned? Why is there a Black Weblog Award? Why isn’t there isn’t there a Weblog award for …..(Insert cultural / ethnic/ group /gender / disability/ community group here)
Well chances are there is. The Internet is an expansive and sometimes mysterious place, where even though many of us think that because we spend countless hours online, we know it all. But the wonderful thing about celebrating the countless men and women who sit in their darkened bedrooms, apartments (or if you are lucky) houses, sometimes sans clothing, drunk or high (on life, that is) frantically typing away, writing on subjects near and dear to their fragile little hearts, is that it serves as a great time to break out of your self-absorbed bubble, celebrate these narcissists and find out what is happening in other communities.
Hat tip to Blogher D N Lee for providing some essential information and links about the 4th annual BWA and to notify y’all that the nomination process is currently open. Voting for the finalists will begin on August 17 and the deadline is August 31. The winners will be announced on September 4. You can also donate prizes or money for the winners here.
Here are some of the categories that I’ll be throwing nominations in. Many of them you will have probably seen me give some ‘link love’ in previous Blogher posts. Here, along with descriptions of the categories is the complete list.
Best Blog Post Series – Danielle from Black Snob hosted a wonderful series earlier this year on the relationships between black mothers and daughters.
Best Culture Blog –I have to big up my people, definitely The Afrospear. You will get a whole bunch of dissenting views, but the variance of opinions really shows the passion that this group has in shedding light on social justice issues, politics, news, and racial issues for African people around the world.
Best Gossip Blog - I am loving Fresh’s take on gossip at Crunk and Disorderly, a blend of B-list gossip, scandalous photos of all the television, film, sports and Hip-Hop celebrities..
Best Group Blog – Definitely Jack and Jill Politics, run by Jack Turner (Baratunde Thurston) and Jill Tubman (Cheryl Contee). There are four other regular contributors.
Best Humor Blog – This one is a bit difficult. Humanity Critic over at Nappy Diatribe has won this award before, but he still deserves to win it this year.
Best International Blog - Adrienne lives in Sweden and her blog, Black Women in Europe is an extremely useful resource for anyone interested in women’s rights across the globe.
Best LGBT Blog – I have to hand this to one of the funniest brothers I have ever met, J.Brotherlove. His blog is a mix of pop culture musings, important information affecting the LGBT community and a dash of politics.
Best Music Blog – Hands down, Rob Fields at Bold As Love. Rob goes out of his way to champion black rock and alternative artists, provides video interviews, Mp3’s and podcasts.
Best Personal Blog - Even though I completely disagree with her most of the time, That Black Girl’s blog is extremely interesting. She doesn’t blog on a daily basis – I would suggest you go back and read her archives. She certainly is, well…..interesting.
Best Podcast – Afronerd definitely should win this one. He hosts regular live podcasts, has some great guests and it is very accessible for participation.
Best Political/News Blog – This is a hard one. I would say probably The Root, or Black Snob – Danielle’s analysis on politics is off the hook! She is extremely talented.
Best Style and Fashion Blog – Not only does she provide product reviews, some gossip and news, but Afrobella really champions women of all shapes and sizes.
Best Writing in a Blog -There are so many, it is difficult to pinpoint someone, so I will have to nominate myself (oh, I can’t do that!) Oh well, here it is anyway – Writing is Fighting
Remember, Voting ends August 31!
]]>Umm, yeah.
Well something is better that nothing, right? Here’s how the presidential candidates have weighed in on a governement apology. From The Daily Voice:
On the presidential campaign, Senator John McCain said last October that he would support a federal apology for slavery, although some critics note that he failed to support the bill when it was discussed in February of this year. For his part, Senator Barack Obama has said he has little interest in an official government apology for slavery or reparations for descendants of slaves, according to the Associated Press. Asked if he would support reparations for Native Americans, Senator Obama said last week that "the more important thing for the U.S. government to do is not just offer words, but offer deeds." Although he reportedly noted that by "every socio-economic indicator Native Americans are doing worse" than other Americans, he said he was "more concerned about delivering a better life," according to a report on BlackAmericaWeb.com. Obama added. "The best reparations we can provide are good schools in the inner city and jobs for people that are unemployed," Obama told an audience at the Unity convention in Chicago.Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution apologizing to Native Americans, and in 1988, Congress passed and President Reagan signed a law apologizing to Japanese-Americans who were held in detention camps during World War II. The 60,000 detainees who were alive at the time each received $20,000 from the government, according to CNN.
As with everything, there are differing views on the legitimacy of the apology, the timing and the most burning questions: What about reparations? From Beautiful, Also, Are The Souls of my Black Sisters:
And why give an apology. . . .and no reparations?
Why give an apology to the Japanese Americans interned in concentration camps during WWII, and $20 million in reparations, but offer no reparations to black Americans whose ancestors suffered the cruelty of American slavery? Why refuse to offer reparations to black Americans whose grandparents, uncles, aunts, mothers and fathers (many of whom are still alive) who suffered through the venomous humiliation of segregation?
Why give $56 million in reparations to the Seminole Tribe, but no reparations to black Americans?
Melissa Harris -Lacewell, a professor at Princeton University ad co-author at The Kitchen Table is giving the apology the side-eye (Sorry, I love that sayingJ)
Let's just say I am not taking the apology very graciously.
Apology is critical to a process of reconciliation. No healing can begin without acknowledging the depth of the wrong that has been done. Here is my problem with this apology. It states that "slavery and Jim Crow are stains upon what is the greatest nation on earth and the greatest government ever conceived by man." While I appreciate the effort Representative Cohen, that just does not even come close to capturing it……..To apologize is to grapple with the painful truth, to be able to articulate the position of the person whom you wronged, and to stand ready to make reparations for the wrong you have done. Tuesday's vote was a nice gesture. It is much better than ignoring slavery, but it is not the apology I am looking for from a government that benefited so much from the agony of so many.
Leutisha Stills from Jack and Jill Politics looks at, among other things, the reasoning why Rep. Steve Cohen, who is white and Jewish, introduced the non binding resolution at this particular time. Besides representing a predominately black district in Memphis, Tennessee, he is up for re-election and is campaigning against a young African-American woman, Attorney Nikki Tinker. Could this be a political ploy to gain him more votes from his constituents? Leutisha, who blogs under the moniker The Christian Progressive Liberal sees it a bit differently (and is a bit biased):
While it may seem to be a gesture, the fact that Mr. Cohen’s district is more than 60% African-American; plus the fact that the 9th district has seen better and more effective representation than it saw under 32 years of the seat being held by a man named Ford, is significant. Significant in that the people of Memphis finally have a voice that truly represents their interests, and one of those interests is an apology for slavery.
However, there are a select few in Congress who would like to see Mr. Cohen gone. Because he’s a white Jew. And that charge is being led by super corrupt Black Pastors in Memphis, who would rather see a Black Face in that seat, even though the Black Face is nothing more than a Corporate Mammy who imported herself to Memphis on the Dark Sith’s coattails. The Dark Sith is not above using his marriage to funnel campaign donations to the Corporate Mammy, either - through his wife.
Black Agenda Report does not go around endorsing candidates for public office, but we made an exception for Steve Cohen and Dennis Kucinich. Because they are progressives in every sense of the word. So, we at JJP are asking you to urge your representatives in Congress to support H. Res 194 - the formal apology for slavery. Second, if you or your family live in Memphis, urge them to support this man’s return to his Congressional seat because he’s an effective congressman who’s keeping his campaign promise to the people that elected him - the formal apology for slavery.
On a side note, John McCain, who can’t tell the difference between Affirmative Action and Quotas, supports the Affirmative Action ban in Arizona. So is an apology really enough?
]]>These days it seems to be extremely challenging to step out of our self-imposed boxes and acknowledge that other people’s experiences besides our own actually matter. Because our personal experiences – both positive and negative- have shaped our perspectives, what becomes challenging is realizing that not everyone has shared the same experiences which ultimately means that when differing perspectives about specific issues are discussed there is going to be a differing of opinion.
A great example of this was the lines in proverbial sand that were drawn between white women and women of colour during the Democratic presidential race between Hilalry Clinton and Barak Obama. Similarites that were thought to exist were suddenly questioned. Allegiances were tested and some permanantly broken.
Most of the time when confronted with a differing view on let’s say, gardening or how to use an appliance in a more efficient way, it’s relatively easy for us to quickly change our perspective from how we used to mow our lawn or cook on our grill. However, in relation to topics that we have a personal stake in, our perspectives, are harder to change.
For this reason, I have a very hard time tolerating the antics of Hasselbeck, to the point where I do not watch The View because when I do I am compelled to punch my TV screen when I see her smug, privileged face (whew. Got that off my chest). But in order to practice what I preach, l do acknowledge that her opinions are formed from her life experiences, so while I don’t entirely agree with her, her points should be acknowledged and respected. However, maybe it is because of the Clinton campgain, where punches where thrown at the crotch level one too many times for my liking, but my side-eye continues to be in full effect.
The main concern that many bloggers have noted in the past week, though was not what Hasselbeck said, because we have heard that "we are the world" nonsense before, but the visual connotations surrounding the discussion. Danielle over at The Black Snob looks at the impact of Hasselbeck’s crying stunt on the show:
I actually started laughing when Elisabeth Hasselbeck started crying. I think (she cried) because this isn't an issue can be dressed up with kittens and rainbows. It involves complex, deep drama that can't be worked through in 45 minutes on Dr. Phil. They want to be "done" with the issue of race and wonder why-oh-why can't we just be free, hug a tree and be all "the same" already, because she's there. She's cool! She's totally post-racial! What's your problem? But then there was the whole not realizing that saying "we're the same" and us actually being "the same" are two entirely different things. It think it's a combo of guilt and frustration because she knows she doesn't get it, but doesn't want to go down that scary path to finding out what the "real" problem is.
Crying over shit like this is a cheap way to show you care or that you take it seriously when you're really just crying because you think people are "picking" on you. It's a sort of luxury only white women of a certain caliber can afford. Mainly, non-poor, young and attractive white women. If you're an unattractive, old, broke white woman or if you're a non-white woman and you have the nerve to cry, no one gives a shit about you. No one feels sorry for you. No one tries to help you understand. Elisabeth is just using the tools given to her to demonstrate that she's a "good white person." Not one of those bad white people who teaches their children to hate us darkies. Her tears were trying to tell you that.
We have all heard the argument: “Well if black people can say it, why can’t we?” Let me say that this argument is tired. I live in a different country and even I can say that in Canada where our history of racism is, well far from tolerable but not as historically and emotionally destructive as in the States, I still think that argument is bullshit. While I understand that someone who has never been called the N-word by someone who hates can could potentially physically harm you simply because of the color of your skin, whose ancestors were not chained, shackled, raped, whipped and denied the common respect that a human being rightfully deserves, might not understand the voracity of that statement but unless you live under a rock, you should have an indication that there are certian words and actions that if acted upon or said are socially and politically divisive.
Plus, why are white folks so eager to say the N-word in public? It's like y'all chomping at the bit. Good luck with that.
Hasselbeck is a relatively young woman living in one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the world who, quite frankly, should know better than to be so naïve. Some bloggers like Tami, raise the idea that perhaps her little red riding hood act is in fact, an act:
So, about "the N word"...black folks probably use the word too much, 'tis true. But it is also true that we don't have a history of using the word to dehumanize and oppress another race. And we all know that what is said within the "family" is quite different from what is said by people outside of it. Anyone who claims otherwise is being disingenuous. No, Elisabeth, you can't use "the N word" and I think you, and others who make the "but black people say it" argument, know full well why you can't. So, why the dishonest argument?
What we do have to remember is while the N-word is divisive, there are other instances that serve as an indication that there is a certain segment of our population who Really. Do. Not. Get. It. Last week, I used the term ‘hipster racism’ but realized right after I used it that there was a way better example. First, here is a definition, courtesy of The Cruel Secretary:
I define hipster racism (I’m borrowing the phrase from Carmen Van Kerckhove) as ideas, speech, and action meant to denigrate another’s person race or ethnicity under the guise of being urbane, witty (meaning “ironic” nowadays), educated, liberal, and/or trendy. This racist and sexist balderdash that’s the New Yorker cover fits squarely into that definition.
Last week, it was reported that a young woman is suing a t-shit designer because she was assaulted over wearing one of his shirts:
A 25-year-old New York City graduate student is threatening to sue a T-Shirt designer after being assaulted for wearing one of his designs. The woman bought a $69 shirt from Apollo Braun’s Manhattan boutique that bore the words “Obama is my slave.” When she wore the shirt on Tuesday, four teenage girls accosted her - shoving her, pulling out her earphones, and spitting in her face, according to the New York edition of Metro News.
The unnamed woman is reportedly seeking solace by suing Braun - born Doron Braunshtein - for “all he’s got,” the designer claims. He, of course, is shirking any responsibility for the incident and says that the shirt reflects the views of “ordinary WASPs.”
“For a lot of people, when they see Obama, they see a slave. People think America is not ready for a black president,” the Israeli-born designer said.
Braun says he believes Obama is Muslim and that Obama also "reminds [him] of Adolf Hitler." "I can't stand Obama," says Braun, although he adds that none of his dislike for the candidate has anything to do with ethnicity.
No, of course not. So, is this, just as the New Yorker cover, satire? If Hasselbeck is still a bit dim as to why we do not live in a colorblind society, she needs to pay attention to this story. Here is an interesting comment from a Huffington Post article on the same story:
Most of the time if you can tell me where you came and come from I will tell you who you are.This is another lost soul who has been manipulated by the media and his own toxic mind. For me, he is a dangerous victim of an intense emotional, frustrated inner, wound. The perfect troubled candidate with a bitter agenda and time to focus and project his inner hate on a reachable support. As usual there is a lack of courage from most of those individuals, hidden behind the "It's not about race, I'm not a racist", but he gives us a subtle clue that proves the contrary. Now if we want to waist time questioning the roots or the psychology behind this Braun's wheels. We need to answer one simple question, taken from his statement. What makes him compare Obama to Hitler? If I do remember well, Hitler never spoke about Hope, unity, and faith in all the citizen of his country. The true problem of this modern democratic society, is the power of a 5th amendment - who by the way needs to be desperately updated- in the hands of dangerous troubled mind, spreading hates and violence in our society.
While I certainly agree that the idiot t-shirt wearer got what was coming to her, what I find more disturbing is that the new modus operandi among the younger generation seems to be that you can be racist, say you are not racist and therefore, not be racist. Hide behind feigned ignorance and after a few days, you will be absolved of your sins. On the other hand, those of us who openly speak about injustice and inequalities are branded as the ones who are racist. I can see behind this hypocrisy and madness, but does everyone?
]]>Because of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship the political and religious climate, the band had a difficult time putting on shows, only playing 3 before the war started in 2003. Firas tells director Suroosh Alvi about the time they were asked to play by Hussein to promote youth in the country, and had to write propaganda songs that promoted the regime. The footage was scary. They also received death threats from insurgent groups and religious fundamentalists who thought that the musical genre was a form of devil worshipping. While favoring T-shirts with band emblems and collecting bootleg albums from their favorite bands, after the war started, the quintet had to stop wearing their shirts in public for fear of physical retaliation (i.e. death).
The doc starts with Alvi travelling to Iraq in 2006 to meet the band members, as even though Vice had thrown a ‘concert’ in Baghdad in 2005 and had filmed the band, Alvi had never met them in person. This, and Alvi’s sarcastic attitude about the high security and problems getting into the country, raised my eyebrows. While a metal band in a Muslim country in a time of war certainly is a sexy news story, is it right? It seemed like Vice was being a tad exploitative in organizing the 2005 concert and I didn’t care too much for Alvi.
But to be fair, it was a difficult situation and the film crew probably had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Alvi ‘forcefully encouraged’ the band members to show them around in very dangerous, high security areas in Baghdad, most notably their true love – the basement rehearsal space that they had initially conceived the band and stored their equipment. The run-down building was also an emotional refuge for the four young men from the war going on in the street, a place where they could escape reality and focus on their passion of playing music. Between 2005 and 2006, the building was bombed and everything in it – including the civillians who had lived above the space – had been destroyed.Interwoven through the documentary, you get the feeling that the destruction of the building was symbolic of the destruction of the dreams and freedoms of the five young men because of the war.
(Note:) One other portion of the film I found interesting was that they said that right after Hussein was forcefully removed from Governemnt, things had died down in the city and they thought that life would be better. After a year when the Civil war broke out within the country, the violence got much worse. Also, the band members seemed to know that being filmed by an American-Based film company meant that there was a chance that their story might be manipulated. There was a couple of instances when Firas in particular, said some things that he really wanted get across to the audience who might feel that they, as young Muslim men, might be fanatics themselves.
And they did not deserve being forced to abandon their families in Baghdad to move to Damascus, Syria, a place that apparently is not so welcoming to Iraqi’s. According to the doc, over 1.2 million Iraqi’s have fled to Syria while the U.S has only taken in around 450. Obviously, Syria, just over the border from Iraq, is a more rational choice, but the problem is, the Syrians don’t want them there. Firas, who is married with a child, said that the Iraqi people are treated ‘worse than the immigrants’ unable to work legally and despite the high number of educated Iraqi’s, are regulated to menial positions. The building that he lived in had no power.
Despite what you think about metal (btw, the band is awesome!) the doc was more about the innocents of the Iraq war: civilians whose friends and family members had been displaced and / or killed by a war they did not ask for. While in theory Iraq is now a democratic country, the band members laugh at the notion, saying that while the Hussein regime was no cakewalk, it was better than fearing for your life as you walk out the door everyday.
By the end of the doc, I was really saddened, felt completely misinformed about the Iraq war but felt that I had just gotten a fresh perspective, despite the numerous TV cable channels I have access to in North America. It made me realize how strong the North America media propaganda machine really is. It also made me realize that whenever I head to the record store to buy my metal CD’s how lucky I really am that they are not censored here. I will not be risking my life if I happen to wear my Judas Priest concert T-shirt to the corner store. Little things, but they mean a lot to me.
Since Heavy Metal in Baghdad was released, a Myspace page has been set up and a blog where you can find out what happened to the band. Because of donations, the band members and their families moved to Turkey. The international metal community has really helped these guys out and I really suggest you check out the trailer and see what you can do.
]]>
Rai viewed the young woman as unacceptable because she was black, prosecutors have said. Sparkle Rai was murdered April 26, 2000 in her Union City apartment and the case went unsolved until a break two years ago indicated that her relationship with Rajeeve "Ricky" Rai, now 27, was the motive. Defense lawyer Don Samuel argued that while Rai may have hired a hit man, he didn't order such a brutal killing. And while there was evidence that Rai, a native of India, believed his son's marriage would cast a stigma on his family in caste-conscious Indian society, Samuel said Rai wasn't a racist and had strong support in the African-American community in Jackson, Miss., where he had run a grocery and other businesses.
On a bit of a side note, Canada has, unfortunately has had some recent experience with honor killings. In December, Aqsa Parvez, a Toronto-area teenager of Muslim descent was allegedly killed by her father and brother because she would not wear a Hajib. More recently, in February of this year a contract killing, allegedly orchestrated by the spurned ex-girlfriend of Brampton (in the GTA) resident Jasvir Singh Dhaliwal who married another woman in India, choosing an arranged marriage over a four-year relationship. Reports say that his ex-girlfriends brother flew to Punjab, arranged to the shooting death of Dhaliwal and his cousin and then returned to Canada. There have been other recent cases in British Columbia where Canadians who decide to marry someone outside of their ‘caste’ (a very, very brief definition refers to social classes defined by hereditary groups) are murdered by family members as a way to circumvent shame and embarrassment for the family.
The case has also made headlines not specifically because of the horrific nature of the case,( the crime went unanswered for eight years) but also because of current social and racial climate, especially in the US. The Democratic Presidential nominee is a biracial man that has obviously caused some issues and questions about race in America and notions of racism have been centered on black / white relations. This case shows something that has not been widely revealed in the public eye: the dynamics of racism between two entho-cultural groups, especially because Rai, a former professor, had previously taught at predominately-black Alcorn State University employed African-Americans in his business, and was generally well-liked in the black community where he lived. But apparently, the people closest to him knew that despite his outward actions, he has some issues with blacks, most notably his son who had told his wife that his parents were dead:
Chiman Rai's ex-cell mate also testified that while sharing a cell, Mr. Rai would often call black people the scum of the earth. He stated Mr. Rai once told him, if he had a lot of money, he would kill all black people. After his wife's murder, Ricky Rai admitted to the police that his father was, "a little racist". Currently, Ricky Rai has since remarried to an Indian woman.
Rajeeve "Ricky" Rai testified yesterday. He was married to Sparkle Rai, who was brutally stabbed to death while holding their infant daughter who was "unharmed" physically. He hid the child and marriage from his Indian parents. He was asked why he hasn't seen his daughter, Analla, on whom he once doted, since shortly after the murder. He gave custody of her to Lowry (ATL reporter and step-mom) and her husband, the child's grandfather. His parents have never seen the girl. "Why haven't you seen your child in almost eight years?" Ross (prosecutor) asked."It just seemed things got more and more distant," Rai stated. Since the murder he has married an Indian woman and received his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern.
There have also been some serious moral concerns raised. How could a man, after his wife was murdered, abandon his daughter? Was it because he knew that his family would never accept the girl because she was biracial? Shouldn’t he have thought about that before he had a child – or even entered a relationship with his wife? How could his father hate someone whom he didn’t know to the point that he would pay someone to stab and strangle her to death? In front of her daughter? While we will probably never know the answer to that. A number of bloggers have wished that both the Rai men are forced to take the express train to Hell. From State of the Qusan:
So now this man is going to get life or the death penalty over a "bad" marriage? I cannot fathom how all of this was worth it. Like it or not, he has a grandchild. His son has moved on in the "right kind" of marriage but how must he feel knowing his dad did this? How must his new wife feel knowing that her husband's family is capable of such a heinous act? I know this kind of thing may be fairly commonplace over there but it's just not going to fly here. How will this old man fare in prison in Mississippi with a whole bunch of folks who are black and know he had a black woman killed because he thought his son was too good for her? Other cultures have a right to their traditions but not when they break the law and not when people end up maimed or killed. I almost feel bad for him because he could have probably gotten away with this in India - and almost did here.
Constructive Feedback has another perspective on the case. See, the assassins that killed Rai were African American:
The Indian father hires a Black man to find a hit man to kill the Black woman. The Black middle man ends up finding a hit man, ANOTHER BLACK MAN to kill the Black woman for money.
The "Nurse Eunice Rivers/ Snarling Fox" Award is named after Nurse Eunice Rivers who was a Black female nurse who assisted in the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment. She willingly went along with individuals seeking to do active harm to Black people and thus is worthy of permanent shame. All other people who act in such a way thus are worthy of this award.
Sharing the prize this month are:
Willie Fred Evans, 74 - Black Man who conspired to kill a Black mother on behalf of a racist
Herbert Green, 60 - Black Man who conspired to kill a Black mother on behalf of a racist
Carl Clark, 43 - Black Man who conspired to kill a Black mother on behalf of a racist
Cleveland Clark, 49 - Black Man who conspired to kill a Black mother on behalf of a racist. Special acknowledgment needs to go to Cleveland Clark. He was the Black man who stabbed and strangled Sparkle. He is reported to have said that he should have killed the child as well. The 7 month old child who cried as her mother lay dead next to her.
So what do y'all think? There are other angles to this case that other bloggers have raised, such as the devaluation of black women - in this case, by the father-in-law and the amount of time that it took the police in Georia to solve the murder. For more info, check out Siddy's blog ( NOTE: she mentions the case in a couple of posts)
]]>With every public election, regardless of what position is being sought, the campaigns are usually unpleasant. Each candidate tries to veer the public to vote for them by trying to taint the character and / or motives of their competitor(s). Some people understand what is going on and ignore the tactics used to try and change their minds. Others who might have already formed some negative connotations about a specific candidate might be swayed if they feel one candidate voices views that correlate with that they believe.
]]>With every public election, regardless of what position is being sought, the campaigns are usually unpleasant. Each candidate tries to veer the public to vote for them by trying to taint the character and / or motives of their competitor(s). Some people understand what is going on and ignore the tactics used to try and change their minds. Others who might have already formed some negative connotations about a specific candidate might be swayed if they feel one candidate voices views that correlate with that they believe.
Despite the cries of sexism and racism within the race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, some people just chalked it up as part of the 'game.'. "Look at what happened to Theresa Heinz Kerry," they say, shrugging their shoulders. True. Kerry was lambasted because she was a rich woman with an opinion and she was also a 'foreigner' of sorts, having been born and lived a substantial part of her life in South Africa. So despite of the horrific press and ridicule the woman went through, it was all part of the game, right?
Well,there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Perhaps public campaigns are a good thing, as we really get to see what the general public really thinks about public policies, religion, sexism and racism. Or are people simply using these touchy aspects of society to simply win, knowing that sensationalism is a guaranteed method to get public approval, or are they really a true indication of how society not only functions socially, or how people are really supposed to think?
I don't think anyone is necessarily surprised that both Barak Obama and John McCain have and will face public scrutiny during the race to the White House. Every other Presidential Candidate went and will go through the mud-slinging and name-calling. But recently, one of these attacks really resonated with me. It is the myth, perpetrated by Fox News, that Michelle Obama is an Angry Black Woman. Quick, lock your doors! Clutch your purses! Hell is near!
To be fair, Fox News is not a non-partisan television network. While popular, most (rational, sane) people know that what the reporters and anchors surmise should be taken with the grain of salt. BUT they are popular, so obviously they are filling a need for many people. The Baby Mama Fiasco was one of the first indications of how the network, some rabid right-wing conservatives and just plain ol' nutcase's were going to go after Michelle Obama.
As mentioned above, this type of slander against a nominee's significant other is to be expected. But in this case, things are a bit different.
It is amazing the conversations I have had with family, friends and co-workers about the US Presidential election. Most people (non-black, I might add) do not think that demeaning / ignoring a marriage and a black nuculear family unit should not be seen as offensive to other blacks. They also do not understand how being labeled an "angry black woman" can be perceived as an insult. What's the big deal?
First, First Ladies - yes, even the icon Hillary Clinton was once criticized for this, too - are supposed to sit down and shut up. The First Lady is to work quietly in the background, support her husband at galas and other large public functions, and is supposed to be supportive of her husband and be a da facto role model for other American women - hell, for that matter, all women worldwide. As Salon writer Erin Aubry Kaplan says, many Americans are going to have a hard time trying to put Michelle in that role:
It's worth noting how Michelle was admired as long as she filled the prescription of a successful black woman on paper -- college grad, married to an equally successful black man, a working but attentive mother, financially secure, immaculately turned out. But as soon as she began revealing herself as a person and airing her views a bit, she began shape-shifting in the public eye into another kind of black woman altogether: angry, obstinate, mouthy -- a stereotypical harpy lurking in all black women that a friend of mine calls "Serpentina." The consternation about Michelle suggested an old racist sentiment that you can take the girl out of the ghetto, but you can never take the ghetto out of the girl. Michelle's physical appearance encourages the consternation; sure, she's tall, but she's also dark-skinned. She doesn't try to minimize either characteristic, favoring heels, bold colors and sleeveless tops. For me, it's fashion as usual. For lots of my fellow citizens, it's a cultural revolution.
If you want to refer back to the Fox transcript about who they use as examples of Angry Black Women, such as Carol Mosley Braun or Cynthia McKinney - they are all women who, like it or not, are playing the game the same way that the good ol' boys do. Recently, singer Alicia Keys was quoted in a Blender article about her 'millitant' views on race and race relations. Boy, did she ever suffer some blowback.
This might surprise the Grammy committee: Last year, the New York Police Department declassified documents revealing that they’d put Keys under surveillance prior to the 2004 Republican National Convention. The department released a statement explaining that they’d targeted “those openly talking of anarchist actions.” Keys, who had spoken publicly against President Bush and donated $500 to the Democratic National Committee that year, was suddenly labeled an enemy of the state. “Hell,” she says. “Someone’s gotta be an anarchist.”
Comments like these, even said in jest, reveal the sawed-off passions and intelligence roiling beneath Keys’s genteel surface. But, while she idolizes Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin, proclaiming that “some of the greatest artists did their best work when they got political,” she has recorded no “What’s Going On” or “Respect.” Now, she says, she’d like to find a way to balance the two Alicias. “If Malcolm or Huey had the outlets our musicians have today, it’d be global. I have to figure out a way to do it myself,” she says.
But these are public figures. How does being an Angry Black Woman affect regular folk? how does having an opinion affect black women in a way that it can seriously harm out lives?
Well, from personal experience, I have learned the hard way that having an opinion, or even the simplest act of defending yourself can have some serious ramifications. Here are some examples:
1) Years ago, I complained to my then-landlord that my neighbors would not turn their music down - or even off - after midnight, blasting techno music until 5:00am. What happened? the neighbors went to the landlord (who lived down the hall and could clearly hear it) that I intimidated them and they tried to have me evicted. The landlord, whom I had filed several written complaints with, decided that he would believe them over me.
2) A co-worker made a very racist remark within earshot of me at a former workplace. I calmly asked her to either keep such comments to herself and / or ensure that she not say these things within earshot. I also explained that I found what she said to be offensive and at the workplace, didn't feel that I really needed to hear it. She tried to defend herself by saying I should mind her own businesses, told everyone that I threatened her and a number of my co-workers avoided me / wouldn't talk to me after the incident. Funny thing is...okay maybe funny is not the right word to use..... the same thing happened today.
3) Last weekend I traveled to another city to cover an event for a magazine. I won't get into details, but I was harassed by people whom felt - and these people were really angry - that because of my gender and my ethnicity, I had no right to be at the venue I was at. Because of the forum I was in, if I had retaliated, I would have had my ass kicked, no doubt. But finally, when this redneck kept on glaring at me and I had had enough, I made eye contact with him and stared him down until he finally walked away. Fuck it.
So these are examples of how some can use the stereotype of being an Angry Black Woman (and all the connotations that come with it) and essentially win. Defending yourself, voicing your opinion and at times, simply asking for some measure of respect and dignity that most human beings deserve, can be turned against you. Michelle has already suffered the consequences in regards to voicing her pride over finally being proud to be an American, for god's sake.
But because of the above three example, especially #3, I proudly declare myself an Angry Black Woman because despite suffering the unfortunate consequences of speaking up on more occasions that listed above, I realized that more important than being ostracized, fired, or threatened with eviction is my self-respect and pride in who I am. No one can take that away from me. I will not ever forgive and forget the people and the incidences I have experienced and my anger will fuel me to keep doing what I want - and legally can - do. And that's a good thing.
I think that Michelle realizes that despite her husband's career prospects and the responsibility of being in the public eye and the occasional lip-biting both the Obamas have to do in order to not say in public what they really want to say, she is being authentic, has worked really hard to be authentic, and should be applauded by other women - especially the feminists' who have been conspicuously silent in defending her - for being who she is. So if she is an Angry Black Woman, you go, girlfriend!
]]>
While some viewed the recent acquittal of charges laid against the once-popular R&B singer a disgrace, some viewed it as a victory. Despite videotaped evidence that showed Kelly performing in sexual and, uh, rather unsanitary acts with an alleged minor, the Cook County Criminal court decided that there was not enough evidence to prove that the Kelly's partner (or victim) was a unwilling participant in the act.Kelly ( for those of you who don't know, wrote and performed the 1996 hit 'I Believe I can Fly') was charged in 2002 with soliciting a minor for child pornography, seven counts of videotaping the acts, and seven counts of producing child pornography. The jury couldn't decide whether she had been molested, or was a willing participant. Some couldn't decide if the girl was really 13, as the alleged victim, along with Kelly, refused to testify. The girl, now 23, had earlier refuted that it was her in the tape, and apparently, this was a major decision in how the jury came to their decision to acquit:
Jurors said that fact that neither the alleged victim nor her parents testified weakened the prosecution. But the real key was the woman herself: One juror said he just was not sure the female was who prosecutors said she was — or that she was a minor when the tape was made. Another said that while he was convinced it was Kelly on the tape, he had doubts about the female. "What we had wasn't enough," said the juror, who declined to give his name.
There were also some doubts against one of the prosecution's witnesses, who testified that she had three-way sex with the singer and the alleged victim. However, when the witness admitted that she had once stolen a $20,000 watch from Kelly; questions were raised about her credibility.
Regardless of whether you think the jurors in the case made the right decision, bloggers are more concerned about how this case serves (and has served in the past six and a half years) as a representative of many things, such how or if the portrayal of women in Hip-Hop culture (even though Kelly isn't a rapper, his popularity did rise within the culture) has desensitized males to women. Also discussed are the rampant sexual stereotypes focused on young black woman and the role that women play in the misogynist images and portrayals of women in Hip-Hop culture. It is safe to assume that many women, regardless of ethnicity and / or economic status agree that within the 30 years since its inception, Hip-Hop has had a tenuous relationship with women. But this really isn't about Hip-Hop, is it? Was the R.Kelly trial about sexual assault against a minor or a rabid attack against a successful black man? Is the sexual assault against black girls as socially and politically relevant as the assault against white girls? While it is not really surprising, there is plenty of debate over the responsibility and legitimacy of the case. Blogs such as Racialicious and What About Our Daughters have started open threads about the case, and the results aren't pretty. Some commenter’s have insisted that the acquittal is simply a failed conspiracy to jail Kelly, some do not understand the voracity of a grown man allegedly having sex with an underage girl and has been the ‘victim’ of several rumors about his penchant for young girls. Other bloggers, such as Sister Toldja (hat tip to Racialicious for the link) questions the response from the black media and people who have turned a blind eye to his alleged actions, noting that:
The R. Kelly situation- the botched case, the refusal of radio stations, music sellers and concert venues to stop supporting his work, etc, says so much about where we are in 2008. Both Negronia and America as a whole have demonstrated in recent years a disgusting disinterest in protecting and respecting our girl children. Especially the Black ones, but girls in general are not being appropriately nurtured. How sick are we that a known pedophile has been able to sell millions of records, win awards from both music academies and community-based organizations, collaborate with artists that are marketed towards children under the age of 18 and now, walk free?
One of the commenter’s to her post adds this:
ITA with the comment about how little Black girls are always assumed to be "fast". No one stops and thinks about how these girls acquired such knowledge. Children aren't born sexualized, we make them that way. But its easier to blame a little girl for being fast than it is stop turning a blind eye to the fact that someone is molesting her. I know so many Black women who were sexually assaulted or molested as children, and a good portion of those women were not believed when they told, and instead they were blamed. When did the Black community embrace such a "blame the victim" mentality?
In their regular column, Down from the Tower on The Root.com Marc Lamont Hill and Melissa Harris- Lacewell also weigh in on not only the acquittal, but Fox News’s malicious attacks on Michele Obama. In Harris-Lacewell’s opinion:
The myth of black women as lascivious, seductive and insatiable has consistently been used to create moral space for everybody else while limiting the lives of sisters. By framing black women as hypersexual breeders, Southern enslavers could justify the abuse of black women and the control of their fertility to maximize plantation profits. Today our government can use the idea about black women’s warped sexuality to promote state control of black reproduction in an effort to “reduce the welfare rolls.”
Of course black communities are equally guilty. Black men, not white, are the main perpetrators of sexual assault against black girls and women. African American culture from the music, to the church, to the academy, is quick to define black girls and women as promiscuous, “nasty” and “fast”. Far too many of our own folks argue that black women’s sexuality and the children it produces are destroying the community’s values.
I am really sick of it. The deliberate and painful characterizations of us are everywhere. Now, Marc, I am no prude. I don’t think we need to lower hemlines and use PC language in order to set the world in order. Quite the opposite; I am convinced that the politics of respectability is always a failure. The vast majority of black women try to live with dignity and modesty; to make choices about their own sexual partners; control their own fertility and work to form lasting, loving relationships with men and with other women. But these choices occur in a context of profound degradation of black women’s characters and real threats to black women’s physical safety. The real lives of black women make little dent in the ugly lies told about us.
Lamont Hill looks at the culpability of record buyers who, perhaps inadvertently support the Kelly, his predilections and further the denial about sexual abuse in the black community:
In the 72 months following his arrest, R. Kelly has sustained, if not increased, his popularity among black consumers. While he lost some of his crossover appeal –prior the scandal, “I Believe I Can Fly” was set to become the next pop standard—Kelly’s music continues to rule the urban Top-40 music charts. This success cannot be merely attributed to collective amnesia, since Chocolate Factory, which debuted at number at #1 on the Billboard charts and has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States, was released barely a year after the scandal broke.
R. Kelly’s prolific sales numbers are particularly staggering given the overwhelming number of young black women that comprise R. Kelly’s fan base. Unlike many gangster rap artists, whose prolific sales are often attributed to voyeuristic suburbanites, Kelly’s actions are being financed by the very people being abused on the tape. As a father, this literally makes me cry.
For more commentary: please check out:
Jack & Jill Politics – R Kelly Found Not Guilty
Pearl’s Window – Tom Joyner Gives His Opinion….
SWTOS Blog: - R. Kelly Verdict: Black Men Speak Out
]]>Though she knew that despite working in Canada she might not qualify for permanent residency status because of her illness, when she was initially diagnosed she asked that Immigration officials make an exception. After all, she had legally worked in Canada for three years, was gainfully employed until her illness, which is terminal, forced her to quit her job and go on disability insurance.
"I have paid my dues to earn my permanent residency. I have worked hard to try to give my family (her husband and six siblings) a better life," said Tejada, who has been apart from her family since 1995, when she began working abroad as a domestic. "I didn't want to have cancer. It is not my fault."
The response:
"While I am sympathetic to your situation, I am not satisfied that these circumstances justify granting an exemption," a case processing officer in Alberta wrote in the latest decision. "In the opinion of a medical officer, this health condition might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health and social services."
Tejada and her husband, who came from the Philippines to take care of her, have been ordered to leave Canada by August 8 of this year. Since the initial news report, there has been a flurry of letters and while many have been supportive of Tejada's case, some feel that if Canada allows for Tejada, who was told that only 5% of people diagnosed with stage 4 cancer survive five years, should be allowed to stay and continue her chemotherapy it will set a dangerous precedent for future appeals:
When a “foreign worker” gets sick it's time for them to be near their family and in their homeland. Our medical system is at or past its capacity dealing with just Canadian citizens.
But what do you do if your home country does not have the adequate treatment services? Tejada is reportedly from a small, rural village and left her country 13 years ago to support her family. Because she legally worked in Canada and paid taxes, doesn't she have the right to access treatment? She was allowed to access disability insurance, and her husband was granted a visitor's visa enter the country.
There are a number of troubling issues about this case. Despite Michael Moore's assertion in Sicko that the Canadian health care system is one of the best in the world, the services are declining and Canadians are getting worried. Complaints about our immigration system have dramatically increased since 9/11 - partly because of increased security concerns, and partly because it allowed people to justify their xenophobia.
Bloggers like Pambansang think that one of the reasons why some feel that Canada should not make an exception is that Tejada eventually wanted to bring her family here - like many other newcomers to Canada:
They create laws so that they can use up our women, so that instead of having families, and changing our nation, they serve the snot nosed spoiled brat western children, and for what? The desperate chance at a better life, a life which now looks like it will be in jeopardy. How much respect these people have shown a hard dedicated worker, they will let her stay the last few months to work, then they will deport her. Had she been an Indian or Chinese they would have let her stay, but because Philippines are one of the more undesirable nations they will instead send her home.
Listing other questionable examples about Canada's (lack of) compassion, Rational Radical points out the case of Omar Khadr a Canadian citizen who has been languishing in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for over six years. There have been numerous reports over the years that he has been tortured. The Khadr family, who still reside outside of Toronto reportedly kept a house here for years, despite living primarily in Pakistan, wanted to keep their access to Canada's healthcare system, critical when Omar's father, a member of Al-Qaeda was critically injured in a battle in Pakistan and later when Omar's older brother was paralyzed while taking part in another terrorist attack. Omar, who was a child soldier in Afghanistan, is charged with the murder of an American soldier and despite his father having close ties with Osama bin Laden, it has been argued that the young man, clearly indoctrinated by his family's belief's, should be transferred to a Canadian prison:
And most other countries have fought to at least get their own residents out of Gitmo or other American-run prisons that are not recognized as legitimate penal institutions. We’ve done nothing. Now, if Omar had been an adult when this happened, I’d be singing a different tune. But there are international laws dictating how we treat (injured) child soldiers. Ironically, Canada has a long history of allowing terrorists and murderous warlords and their families to stay here, collecting welfare and sending the money back home (e.g., to Somalia) so they can buy more weapons with which to slaughter more innocent people. We are so messed up.
What do you think? I am trying to find out whether there is a fund set up to help to assist Tejada. When I find it - and I'm sure I will, I'll add it to the post.
]]>It was difficult to witness the underhanded tactics used primarily from the Clinton camp that used present racial divisions in American society to sway voters to support Hillary. It was disappointing that these race-tinged tactics came from a family of politicians that almost two decades earlier, relied on their African-American friends for political and personal support. It is also difficult, but like the Clinton situation not entirely surprising to see the media and notable political pundits use every conceivable racial stereotype about blacks to try to discredit Barak Obama’s candidacy. But now that fight is over, and another one- which might be worse - has just started.
Many people are getting ready for an attack from Republicans that some say will pale in comparison to what came from Democrats and other self-proclaimed ‘liberals.’ But I wonder, as some celebrate Obama’s nomination and some freak out over Hillary Clinton’s loss, how people will heal from the past sixteen months of infighting within the Democratic Party. Will African-Americans give the side-eye to their non-black friends and colleagues who believed the Muslim, ‘elitist’ and secretly Black Nationalist tendencies and that because of the color of his skin, that he is inherently inexperienced and naïve? Are we, as women supposed to forget about the sexist remarks and insinuations? Are black woman going to ignore the glaring lack of support from our white sisters when racist and sexist remarks were made about Michelle Obama? Some would like for everyone, especially black folks, to forgive and forget. Well, they couldn’t care about the forgiving part, just forgetting.
While in previous posts I have made very clear about how I hate when people group black people into one monolithic group, when it comes to the effect of racism, I’ll willingly eat my words. When people went after the Obamas, it hurt, and it angered me because the same things have been said about people based on the color of their skin. Not because they were successful or failures; not because they were educated or not, but simply because of the color of their skin. Here we have the first African-American man to capture the first legitimate presidential nomination and for some (an uncomfortable amount, BTW) they can only see him through the negative racial stereotypes. He will always be a Ni%^er. Someone who captured the nomination because of Affirmative Action or some other bullshit excuse. He will never deserve it because some feel that a white woman should always trump the rights of black men. God help that they think about black women!
I can comfortably say that millions of black folks have encountered the same racism that was faced by Obama, and we understand the unfairness of not being regarded because of our character but because of things that we cannot and do not want to change. So when we see it happening to an intelligent, successful man and his equally successful wife who did what needed to be done to capture the American Dream we get mad. After all, if it can happen to a Stanford, Yale –educated lawyer, what the hell is gonna happen to us?
Baratunde from Jack and Jill Politics who volunteered for the Obama campaign, writes an incredibly moving and optimistic post about the future:
I'll always call out wrong where I see it, and I'm not saying a simple kiss and make-up will undo the damage that has been wrought. As CPL mentioned in a recent post, I think both the Clintons need to make a Herculean effort to begin the healing process. Whether by attacking MoveOn.org or dismissing the votes of entire caucus states or (update) her remarks about RFK's assassination (/update), the damage resulting from many of their tactics will not simply disappear without effort. As Ricky Ricardo would say, "they got some 'splainin to do," and I know I'll never look at them the same.
However, I think Obama and all of his supporters also have work to do, not in wiping the slate clean with Hillary Clinton but in really trying to understand the experience of reasonable Hillary supporters who felt they had to defend her because they were defending something much larger than her. As with all things large, we can start small. I started by talking to actual Clinton supporters I knew, and I urge any pro-Obama folk out there to do the same.
So what should we do? Just ignore all the nonsense and move on? Well, in some ways we don’t have a choice. We should just revel in this historic movement and recognize that despite all the bullshit, Obama came out with the most delegate and super delegate votes. If things were really as bad as I sometimes believe they are, he wouldn’t even have gotten out of the gate. Even the notoriously cynical Field Negro weighed in:
We have had doubters like yours truly chirping about the Obamaholics and all his "O" love at every turn. And we have had the flat out racist (see the FAKE NEWS NETWORK and certain voters from the Appalachian states) who would just as soon vote for Charles Manson before they put a Negro family in their "white" House. And there has been the good too. Folks in states like Iowa and Oregon, Lilly white folks, ignoring the "O" man's race and buying into a movement….You gave your money your time and your votes. And without it, the "O" man would be slinking back to the South Side of Chicago to work on his bowling and his jump shot.
In discussing the future race with John MCcain and whether he will be able to play the same racial tricks, BlackSnob is also optimistic:
Barack has boldly gone where no black person has gone before, surpassing what I and many others ever imagined. Still dumbstruck, I can't offer much perspective or opinion on where we go from here because there is no historical data to draw back on. We've crossed the Rubicon, folks. We don't know what's waiting for us on the other side. That's both glorious and horrifying all at the same time. The sort of moment where those who were reluctant to get on board have no choice now. His winning made the decision for them. Just like the avalanche of superdelegates who came to put him over the top the minute the primaries were over. If you didn't come over with them it doesn't matter.
Moi? I’ll be one of those folks giving people the side-eye after they talked their ish. After all, once bitten, twice shy.
(Update: For those of you who require 'proof'' of racism in the Democratic Nomination race, please check out this Wiki)
]]>