BlogHer - Demonstration for the Jena 6 in Louisiana Today…Are you wearing black? - Comments

Jena Six, blogging, and white supremacist threats

Kim Pearson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:12:31 -0500

Hi Laina,
So glad you covered this. It's interesting to note that while the MSM coverage of the story has noted the role played by Internet activists in organizing the protests, the people who showed up in the television coverage were Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Martin Luther King, III -- leaders who had to hustle to the front of an already-forming protest line. I agree with you about the value of Howard Witt's coverage. As you know, he first brought national attention to the Shaquanda Cotton story.

Here's three other really interesting stories as well:

Jena is America
Jena Rally Sparks White Supremacist Rage, Lynching Threat
Two arrested in noose incident near Jena, Louisiana

Kim Pearson

BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Yes indeed...

Gena Haskett — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:33:24 -0500

Many videobloggers and YouTubers are recording the event or have documented discussions about the Jena 6 situation.

Amani at http://www.myurbanreport.com has video of a group of Atlanta students talking about the situation. You can view that video http://blip.tv/file/380959/

Dr. Mike recorded an interview with some of the dependents at YouTube http://youtube.com/watch?v=5y8HNjOyS7c

Sometimes it is about folks expressing themselves or coming to consciousnesses. How often do you get to see young men like DjuanP express themselves in this way. http://youtube.com/watch?v=msZjI7_vOm8

The things I want to point out is that bloggers and vloggers can move this forward. We have moved this issue forward.

I get to hear directly from folks, not from someone who is telling me what the other folks are saying. I know I'm preaching to the choir but this is a big A shift that is occurring before our eyes.

No disrespect to Michael Baysden or Steve Harvey or the other black DJs who are focusing attention in the U.S. But bloggers/vloggers are recording and adding our narrative voices to the story. I'm just waiting for people to get some sleep so they can edit/upload their stuff.

Mercy, what a time!

**Although I have to confess I wore it on the wrong day. By the time I realized it was too late to head back home.

Without truth there is no freedom.
Without enough sleep I am a living zombie.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

Makes me wann holler the way they do my life...

Lovebabz — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:53:42 -0500

I wear/am BLACK 24/7/365 and leap year too!

I too am a member of AFrospear and www.africanamericanopinion.ning

Love,
Babz
www.lovebabz.blogspot.com

Thanks homegirl!

lainad — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:39:26 -0500

I knew you'd come through!!!

omg I can't believe this

CarmenVanKerckhove — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:45:52 -0500

From that same story:

"Megan Williams is charged with obtaining under false pretenses and writing a worthless check in Raleigh County, according to the Raleigh County warrant. The false check charge is for a $32.21 check to Dominos Pizza. The false pretenses charge is for $96.40 to the Kiddie Junction Consignment Shop in Beaver.

In Greenbrier County, Williams is wanted for eight worthless checks, according to the warrant for her arrest filed in Greenbrier County. One of the checks was for $173.79 to BSR Auto Supply.

She was wanted for two counts of worthless checks in Summers County, according to the warrant for her arrest filed in Summers County. One of the checks was for $220 to Jack W. Turner, the other was for $10.46 to Country Roads Store. "

Carmen Van Kerckhove
NEW DEMOGRAPHIC
carmen@newdemographic.com
www.newdemographic.com

New Demographic is an anti-racism training company that goes beyond diversity buzzwords to tackle the real issues behind race and racism.

Virginia rape case update

CarmenVanKerckhove — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:43:39 -0500

Woah you're right about the torture victim! I found this article:
http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007091957/Torture-victim-charged-wi...

Carmen Van Kerckhove
NEW DEMOGRAPHIC
carmen@newdemographic.com
www.newdemographic.com

New Demographic is an anti-racism training company that goes beyond diversity buzzwords to tackle the real issues behind race and racism.

Demonstration for the Jena 6 in Louisiana Today…Are you wearing black?

lainad — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:44:20 -0500

Right now, it is estimated that over 40,000 people are in the tiny town of Jena, Louisiana for a demonstration to protest the Jena 6 case. In case you haven’t read any of the previous posts here on Blogher, or missed national news reports (which was pretty easy since they just started reporting it after ignoring it for months) or to be quite blunt, if you have been hiding under a rock, you can read about it here.

BTW, Protesters in Jena and supporters worldwide are wearing black today in solidarity for the Jena 6. Are you? As I was writing this post, I struggled whether to dispell some of the untruths and attempts that have been made to down play the seriousness of this case. Some has said, 'well the kids beat an innocent, boy.' ' Well, this isn't about racism - people are just making a big deal out of nothing.' Ulimately, people are going to believe what they want based on their own opinions, and it is not my job to educate or to tell someone to check out the numerous articles on the case. So let me say this: I believe that this case is about racism, but just as equally, it is about social justice. The laws must be applied equally for everyone, regardless of race and / or class. To me, that is the crux of this case and this protest, so if you are for the equalization of social justice for everyone, wear black.

My timing is impeccable, I must say. A couple of weeks ago I was invited (via my Blog ) to join the Afrospear, an African-American blogging organization which has been integral in organizing the protest, so much so, that the Chicago Tribune wrote about the influence of the black blogosphere in Tuesday’s edition. Because of my membership to Afrospear, I now have access to the countless of black bloggers who are not only responsible for the online organization of this protest, but who are also working on other important issues, deciding not to wait for the larger, more affluent blogs to offer their support but just doing it themselves.

Funny that this is happening now, as I think about a recent post from Brownfemipower over on Zuky that discussed the oh-so common refrain, “Where are the bloggers of colour?” While looking at the common excuses that are given, such as ‘well, how do we know who is a person of color and who is not?’ and the worst of the bunch which was written by a white blogger in response to the lack of diversity at the last YearlyKos conference, who surmised that POC’s are generally too poor to pay for Internet access and are not as literate as whites (I’m serious), if this protest is of any indication, ‘they’ are now a presence who have used the Internet to spark change as they are tired of waiting for larger, more profitable sites to offer their support. And yes, a few of us can afford Internet access and can properly read and write.

The success of the blogosphere in terms of this case is also an indication that despite the belief (which is usually dismissed as oversensitivity) of many cultural communities over the past decade, it has become abundantly clear that that mainstream media outlets ignore news items concerning racism. Black bloggers had to form petitions and send them to the national broadcasters in order for them to pay attention to this case. As mentioned in an earlier post, bloggers have had to take it upon themselves to publicize the cases of missing women of colour when they were deemed as not important enough by the larger news stations. I don’t expect that this case, along with the media attention given to the online grassroots initiatives by black bloggers will really make a dent in their decision making, but I hope that they will think twice before dismissing such a glaring social injustice in the future.

If you are just checking in, you might want to head over to Ghettofashionista for a schedule on the day’s events in Jena.

UPDATE: Virginia rape case

Speaking about social injustices, the Virginia woman who was kidnapped, beaten and raped was arrested on outstanding warrants for writing bad checks and was jailed before being arraigned on the charges – apparently right after she was released from the hospital. I can’t find too much commentary besides the news reports, for some reason. If people can find some can you post links in the comments?