a little youtube for you.

My most beloved "This American Life" has gone to television...and always has an interesting commentary on relationships in the US--race related and otherwise. This youtube video left me a little sick...if there is a little bit of truth in things said under the influence...this place speaks volumes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1LPf9mnyU

Striking a Pose for Obama

NYU AlaAuH2O is hosting a third and final fashion show fundraiser for Obama on Friday, October 24. This show will be at KABIN in the East Village, 92 2nd Avenue, at 10pm. As in the previous AuH2Obama shows, all models will walk the runway in Obama wear. The designer will be selling Obama tops for only $20 and dresses for $40 (50% of the profits going to the campaign.) The label will be handing out free Obama buttons, stickers, and window signs audience members to send to their family and friends in swing states.

There is no cover charge for the show. Cupcakes will be for sale for $1, and any additional donations will go to the campaign. The show will also feature the jewelry of Patricia Alonso, who will also be selling her pieces and donating a percentage to the campaign. The show will start at 9pm, but DJ Avi Flombaum will spin all night. UHALL ACDE Jamia Wilson will be rocking custom-made Obama gear along with about 20 other models.

Details: What: AuH2Obama Fashion Show Where: KABIN, 92 2nd Avenue (b/t 5th and 6th streets) F to 2nd Ave, walk five blocks North When: Friday, October 24, 10pm

Unpacking Knapsacks

I am looking forward to our privilege and leadership summit with Francie Kendall on October 17th. I really appreciate her impact on the field of Education and Whiteness Studies. She is a dynamic speaker who will engage us with critical discussions that will impact us as educators and individuals.

Whiteness Studies is one of my research interests as a Race and Gender Studies MA student, and it provides me a level of hopefulness about progress moving forward. It has often been frustrating for me to see that for many people it takes people who look like themselves saying the same things that people of color have been saying for years for important issues about oppression to resonate. It has been a struggle for me and i'm sure others who know all too well that the messenger matters because of privilege, power, and assumptions. By acknowledging this and harnessing this, many of the foremost scholars in the field of Whiteness Studies who happen to be "white" have been able to reach out to their "own" so-to-speak and pave ground that we have been unable to penetrate. I am coming to believe that this is one of the critical tools that all of us who love justice and work to fight racism and inequality (both covert and overt) need to use, promote, and support.

In preparation for our workshop, I have been reading and re-reading several articles about the subject of privilege and power. This is important work and I hope that it spreads across the nation like wild fires with no iota of ground left untouched. We will never move forward until people of all backgrounds look at our issues, face them head on, and acknowledge where we are in perpetuating and promoting the marginalization of others. We will never really make real change until we do.

This is Your Nation on White Privilege


Your Whiteness is Showing:
An Open Letter to Certain White Women
Who are Threatening to Withhold Support From Barack Obama in November

The Invisible Knapsack

The Possessive Investment in Whiteness

The ladies of THE VIEW and John McCain!

I'm not a fan of The View but it's one of the only shows where hosts can literally attack one of their guests and get away with it. Watch how they question McCain who obviously can't handle four women at once.







:) nekesa

Playing the Vagina Card?

One thing needs to be made clear--just because Sarah Palin shares my anatomy does not mean she represents me or my interests. Sarah Palin's policies, worldview, and philosophies differ from mine on almost every level. Her interests are harmful to women, specifically those who are working class, middle class, and women of color. I think it is important to make this distinction while discourses about Palin representing women permeate the media.

These two articles (below) are interesting because they speak to the distance and alienation many women who don't fit into the "hockey mom", gun-toting, male-validation driven mold. I'm praying that women of color, lesbians and transgendered women, single women, and immigrant women who can vote band together on Election Day and make our voices heard.


Two Views on Sarah Palin and Women of Color



Sarah Palin and White Married Women

9/11

New Yorker's lives didn't stop or even come to a near halt with 9/11. Instead New Yorker's lives were thrown forward. New Yorkers knew who they loved more than ever before that day. And, to that end, New Yorkers knew more clearly what it meant to live alone or without the one they loved.

While others, like myself, sat still and watched the footage replay over and over again, New Yorkers didn't have such a luxury. And, New Yorkers, before anyone else, understood the unfortunate terror-filled world the rest of us have just become to understand since 9/11.

Enjoy this link, a wonderful story by Rudy Rush about 9/11 and the value of caring. LINK

A growing epidemic--Affluenza

There is a growing epidemic that has infected millions in our society. This illness has been termed "affluenza" by psychologists and social critics who argue that spending and consumption has become such a widespread part of social pathology that the acts of possessing and spending (excessively) has become a national pastime. Moreover, this social pathology has become even more violent and contagious as more and more people base their self-worth, status, and identity on the size of their wallet.

I recently attended a Zen Buddhist liturgical service discussing this destructive social problem. The monk leading the service referenced a study conducted by NYU's Child Study Center that supported the idea that affluenza is rampant and troublesome. -- And virtually no one is unscathed.

According to the NYU study the symptoms of affluenza include: “debt, overwork, waste, and harm to the environment, leading to psychological disorders, alienation, and distress,” in adult subjects. Children's symptoms include “lack of motivation … apathy, laziness, or failure to commit to and achieve goals … overindulgence and attitudes of entitlement”.

Click here to learn more about this ailment that plagues us all. I think that it is especially interesting to consider when thinking about discourses about the millenial generation and "generation debt".

Intent v Impact: Asian Slanty Eyes

"Asian Slanty Eyes"

Another article related to the Olympics - Men on the Spanish basketball team made "Asian slanted eyes" for a Spanish new source/ commercial. It sounded like the sponsor made the whole team participate. Some felt foolish or immature in doing the action but they all seemed to fail at seeing the historical racism / impact of their actions.

The politics of cuteness

The Beauty Myth is contagious...Click here to read about China's disgusting replacement of one child singer with a lip-syncher because she wasn't percieved as "cute" enough to represent the Olympic ceremonies.

Brad Walsh - NYC hate crime incident

From a facebook group entitled "Boycott Yuengling for condoning gay-bashing!"

On Wednesday, July 16, 2008, Brad T. Walsh was followed down a Manhattan street and beaten by a distributor for Yuengling beer on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Spring Street. In the course of the driver's attack, he repeatedly called Walsh "faggot" and struck Walsh in his jaw. When the driver finished assaulting Walsh and got back to his truck, Walsh began copying details of the truck in order to file a police complaint. The driver asked him if he was "going to be a bitch" and "tell on [him]". Despite several witnesses, no one came forward to intervene and, instead, they continued moving on.

Walsh filed a police complaint and continues to suffer from soreness and difficulting chewing food due to the attack. When he contacted Yuengling to complain, the company claimed the driver was not their employee but that of one of their distribution companies and they refused to cooperate further in the complaint, including not revealing the distribution company in question.

We therefore ask people to boycott Yuengling until they properly address the matter and take action.

For more information, read:

http://gothamist.com/2008/07/21/yuengling_driver_beats_man_on_sprin.php

http://ihatebradwalsh.blogspot.com/2008/07/does-yuengling-beer-company-condone.html

current.com and current tv

Hi folks, I've been watching the "current" tv network a bit lately. It's cool. It tells me about social justice issues in the U.S. and around the world. The programming is made up of short segments from 5-20 minutes long. It's blatantly targeted to young people and utilizes a blend of tv and the internet. The website, current.com, is presently displaying a headline on a scandal at the University of Nebraska involving male wrestlers who posed nude for a pornography website, and another on the Wal-Mart union in China vs. the lack of a union in the U.S. It's channel 22 on my dial. Check it out if you're interested...

Not Really Related, But Awesome.

Blog participation appears to have taken a hiatus while we go through training and get ready for the fall. However, if you happen to check the site anyway, SURPRISE!, random gift from me to you....

So, I found this site... Wordle that creates cool clouds of words that you type in or pull from a URL. You can see my example above using the learning outcomes. This might be esp. helpful for those of you who are aesthetically-challenged and need to create something...

Play around with it. It's fun. Repeated words appear bigger than words that show up less frequently. To save the design, you should "Print" and select "Adobe PDF" instead of a printer. You can also paste the code into a site (as I did to make it appear on this blog).

Happy Friday, friends. ^___^

Punishing Pregnant Women

I learned from an activist alert from Sister Song, a reproductive justice collective for women of color, that a horrifying decision was made concerning shackling in the 8th Circuit. The decision upholds that it is not unconstitutional for policies to exist that allow law enforcement institutions to shackle pregnant women during labor. Arkansas resident and appellee Shawanna Nelson's lawyer is petitioning for a rehearing and is receiving assistance from the ACLU. I am hopeful that this petition is successful, in addition to the work National Advocates for Pregnant Women and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights are doing to ensure that this petition is reheard by the 8th Circuit. It is outrageous that women in America are being denied their basic human and civil rights during the process of active labor and delivery. This act of brutality and human degradation is often ignored by the mainstream media because of the racialized subjects who are the majority of the women who experience this indignity.

NYU is #15 in latest ranking...

Stuff White People Like: Facebook Application

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

"The Girls of Olive Garden"

Today the news ticker on my AOL home page advertised "The Girls of Olive Garden on Playboy.com". I thought it must be a joke; however it is [sadly] a true Playboy feature.

This trinity of capitalism, objectification, and literal exploitation of female labor astounds me. I am not passing judgment on the people posing; however I’m expressing my belief that it is outrageous that this magazine is devoting an entire spread to showcasing the "Women of Olive Garden" naked.

The Playboy Corporation is marketing young female flesh while they attempt to traffic breadsticks and endless pasta. The most sickening part of this spectacle is not even centered simply on the basis that these women are being objectified in this publication. The real disturbing part of this “Olive Garden” feature is more about the unfair dynamics of the economic exchange and transfer that comes from this sort of exploitation. I am sure it was no problem for the magazine to find female employees of the Olive Garden between the ages of 18 and 28 who could use extra money to make ends meet. “Hef” and company never cease to amaze me. I wonder what sort of buffoons are actually spending their hard earned money to pay the $19.95 it costs to "see them naked... even better than the endless salad and breadsticks" as advertised on their website.

This is a sign of the times, and it remains totally ridiculous. It is too bad the movie Idiocracy came out before this existed, because this would have fit perfectly in the script.

"Tasteless and Offensive"

According to Politico.com, Obama's campaign released a statement condemning New Yorker magazine's recent cover featuring Obama in a caricature of Islamic dress and his wife adorned in a racist caricature of black femininity. The cover depicts Obama and his wife giving each other the now famous "fist bump". In the image, Michelle Obama is lampooned as a so-called militant with ammunition, a machine gun, and a large afro. Behind the exaggerated caricatures of the candidate and his wife is a fireplace with an American flag burning in the background. The image is so offensive that even McCain's campaign (who cannot be celebrated as champions of diversity and social justice by any means) agree stating, "We completely agree with the Obama campaign, it’s tasteless and offensive."

Even though I believe in free speech, I agree with the campaign's stance. The cover is gaining the attention and controversy that its creators certainly hoped to garner with this bold visual representation. My concern is that this presentation of stereotypes will reify and validate much of the hate mongering ugliness that is already infecting the national conversation about Obama,Michelle Obama, foreign policy, and race relations in general.

Moreover, as a black woman with natural hair in general, I find it interesting that the New Yorker's illustrators styled Michelle Obama in a huge afro in order to depict Obama's wife as "militant", "angry" and "unpatriotic". As if a black woman wearing her hair in its most natural state is synonymous with flag burning and militarism.

Between this recent incendiary incident and McLaughlin's reckless name-calling (when he dissed Obama by labelling him an "oreo", it has become apparent that the centuries old stain of racism is firmly embedded into our national fabric and will not be washed way even if Obama wins. If anything, this campaign confirms and exposes for those who were in denial, that racism is alive and prospering within American hearts and minds on both sides of the aisle. It is up to us to unlearn the internalized racism and oppression that has become as quotidian and American as apple pie.

"Plan Seeks More Access for Disabled"

Especially being in this particularly inaccessible city, I have been thinking a lot about accessibility and what I don't recognize isn't there or what I personally don't need but the lack of/current structure is making someone else's life pretty difficult.

On a regular basis I fail to consciously recognize how I personally (as a person who is temp. able-bodied) benefit from ADA based changes/ additions to the public sphere, but upon reflection realize I benefit a lot and typically they are things that I take for granted (ie: sidewalk ramps, elevator access, closed-captioning, variation in signage, shifts in thinking etc)....

This June 16, 08 article in the NY Times: Plan Seeks More Access for Disabled discusses some potentially mandated improvements in accessibility for individuals with disabilities/who are differently-abled, which are currently going through the White House. It elaborates/ expands on the 1990 ADA laws signed by G.H.W.Bush and has been under development for the last four years.

While some criticize potential costs in implementing changes/updates, others feel it is not strong enough.

At the very least, I am glad that some definition is being given to the 1990 ADA law so that we don't go another 18 years without being held too accountable as a public to continue to move fwd in improving access... "within reasonable accommodation?"

AAIFF 2008

View Website by Clicking here: AAIFF


The Asian American International Film Festival is taking place this week (07.10 - 07.19)

Consider checking it out :)

Oh Tyra....

Tyra tries to have shows with "deeper" themes to them (they usually involve her or someone else going under cover) and they always seems to fall short of being constructive.... should we just be glad the topics are being discussed in the first place or does this exploit people's prejudices/ ignorance in a way that does it do "more harm than good?"

...it is especially a concern that airtime was wasted with a conversation focused on which race has it the worst... (ie: oppression olympics)

Just Another Silly Japanese Creation?

So I've seen (courtesy mostly of YouTube) some pretty stupid, creative, funny, innovative, etc. tv shows, experiences, inventions come out of Japan. Mostly I just write them off as silly and often they are just like many of the ridiculous things that come out of the US, just different.

However,I'm disturbed by this latest short clip on CNN that my friend just passed along. In it, CNN interviews a cafe in Shibuya, Japan where the premise is that the waiters are "westerners" / white (men) and Japanese women can come here to be spoiled like princesses.

"Western Cafe"

The most disturbing part is CNN's quality of reporting. They continuously refer to the men in the cafe as "westerners" as an equivalent to being "white." They don't talk about how many people actually go to this cafe. (It's practically empty in the clip) but they make it seem like it's the new "It" thing to do and that this is indicative of how all Japanese / Asian women feel. Also, they bash the Japanese men for not taking care of their women so as a result, the women have to go to this cafe to "escape" the realities of their life. Once again; white men to the rescue.

While this site has not received the amount of attention that I would have expected, I thought it was an interesting initiative worth posting. I would think that (and maybe I shouldn't assume) some of you have been the victim of, or at least witness to, sexual harrassment as you went about your business on the city streets.

Check out hollabacknyc.blogspot.com. This blog allows anyone to post a picture/video of the harrasser they encountered and provide details of the unfortunate interaction.

There are sister sites to this one for different cities throughout the country. Now, all we need is enough people to take a stand against this harassment so that everyone can walk through the streets in peace (and feel safe while doing so).

Diversity Inc

This website is definitely serious, but I'm not sure what to think about it.

www.diversityinc.com

You have to sign up to look at many of the articles, but these ones are free and possibly the most interesting in my opinion - "Things Never to Say to _______"

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/department217.cfm

Tres bizarre...

Interesting Chronicle Article on Bakke and its legacy

hello all,
I wanted to pass on this article to everyone that The Chronicle published in the June 20th edition. It is an interesting look at the legacy of the Bakke decision and its effects on race in the admission process. I know this topic has come up in some of the article discussions that we have had in the department (at least it came up in Katarina's and mine). I have posted the link below.

'Bakke' Set a New Path to Diversity for Colleges
30 years after the ruling, academe still grapples with race in admissions

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i41/41a00103.htm

I still find the following statement interesting, and the article points this out, that "Justince Sandra Day O'Connors made the statte ment in the Supreme Court's Grutter decision that colleges will not need reace-conscious admissions policies in 25 years." It also goes on to reference some Obama comments too.

Heinz pulls "Gay Kiss" ad

Just lovely...gays can marry in more and more places now, but heaven forbid they kiss on television! The Heinz rep says it was intended to be humorous. I'm not sure what's so funny about it...or what's so offensive...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4205422.ece

Don Imus does it again

In an on air conversation about pro football player, Adam 'Pacman' Jones, Don Imus says that Jones' criminal record is explained by his being African American.

Last year, Imus was fired for making racist remarks about the Rutger's womens basketball team.

While the remarks by Imus are enough in themselves to begin conversation about racism in our country, I was most struck by the comments online from those who read and listened to the remarks. While a small few suggested having a reasonable discussion through the online forum and some others brought out reason and logic to explain Imus' comments - most of the online posters simply fed into the racism and questioned how anyone could possibly disagree or think Imus out of line- condemning Jones and all African Americans together.

Reading online comments such as these makes me question the progress of acceptance in our country.

Don Imus in the news

2008 Election, the Internet, & Pop Culture

In reading another blog, I came across this link to Perez Hilton, known for pop/celebrity gossip. http://perezhilton.com/2008-06-17-this-is-not-a-joke-39#respond

Reading through some of the comments, I think it's amazing how the internet and pop culture (or the internet as part of pop culture) is playing into the elections. I've come across video after video about Obama or McCain or their partners, all with long and never ending rants/comments/insights from people in and out of the US. As you can see, comments range from "It's just a joke" to "This is outrageous" to "This doesn't surprise me." When more and more of these conversations are appearing on blogs and in pop culture, I think it will definitely be interesting to see how these forums and places of "information" or "news" play into this election.

With YouTube formally be introduced during the debates and different informal campaigns/promotions occurring across blogs, facebook walls, and websites, this election is seeing a different means of creating conversation among voters, parties, candidates, and global observers.

Skin deep.

Last year I read Judith Stone’s book titled, When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race. This text is a true story about Sandra Laing, a light brown skinned woman who visibly appears to be “mixed-race” or “colored” according to South Africa’s former apartheid caste system was born in Piet Retief, a small conservative town in South Africa. According to visible racial legibility standards of the time, Sandra's parents, siblings and her grandparents were all considered “white”. Due to her dark skin complexion and her tightly curled hair, Sandra sparked a national controversy.

Sandra's parents, members of the racist National Party adamantly supported the apartheid system and the unearned privileges it afforded them at the expense of non-whites. Since both of Laings parents were officially classified as “white”, she enrolled in an all-white boarding school. At boarding school as Sandra aged and her skin became darker and her hair became curlier, she was ostracized by other students, their parents, and school administrators. As a result, Laing was forcibly expelled from her school by police. Outraged, her parents fought a public legal battle to publically classify her as white because of their white status. Her parents also took blood tests to confirm that indeed she was their biological child.
Throughout childhood Laing’s only friends were the children of her father’s black employees. Her friendships with them led her to meet the man she would later elope with and move to Swaziland in exile. As a result, her father threatened to end her and her partner’s life and disowned her. For the rest of the life she was estranged from her parents, however she met her mother who also sent her gifts and some financial support secretly. Last night I found a short documentary online about Laing. It is a sad yet powerful piece that is worth taking the time to view. I also discovered some articles about Mirimax possibly producing a film about her story titled Skin.

Laing's story points to the absurdity of grouping people based on their phenotypical traits. It leads me to think about the truths brought forth in one of my favorite songs "Africa's Inside Me" from the musical group Arrested Development:
"Why in the world can't everybody
Recognize that Africa's in everybody?
We all ask why can't we be sista's and brothers
But first we gotta accept who is our mother".

UC v. Bakke: 30 yr Anniversary

UC v. Bakke was a historic case that changed the course of how race would / would not factor into decisions of admission to colleges and universities.

The Bakke review was an interesting article.

This particular section caught my eye: "The legal threats to race-conscious policies were real enough by 1977 to prompt the Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education to urge colleges to consider minority students' experiences, rather than simply their race or heritage, in the admissions process, because not all "have special characteristics that we believe warrant consideration."

...and made me wonder what those "special characteristics" are and if we each look for those in our own ways or exclude those who don't fit our stereotypic view of what should or should not be.

New drugstores cropping up offering pampers and a prayer and no birth control

The Washington Post reports that a small amount of so-called "pro-life" drugstores are cropping up in some suburban and rural areas around the country. This interesting new trend brings up all sorts of issues about the implications of free speech. Even though the owners of these pharmacies are claiming to serve as simply an alternative space for likeminded people to work and purchase from, the development of these drugstores are potentially very harmful to women and girls who need access to contraceptives to protect their health and safety. It is my hope that this trend fails to catch on, and that conscious consumers boycott these stores in their communities. My bones chill just thinking about rape victims or simply frightened teens who might be turned away or humiliated by store employees who refuse to fill their prescriptions. I support each and every individual's right to their personal beliefs about family planning, however the construction and development of institutions like these is extreme and harmful. I shudder to think of how this could affect rural women who lack the resources to fill their prescriptions anywhere else. If these so-called "pro-life" pharmacies really cared about women, they would allow them to fill prescriptions that would provide them with the tools to prevent unintended pregnancy and abortion.

"Meet a Black Guy"

The "meet Meet a black guy" booth at Corvallis farmer's market sparked various reactions from community members.

It's an interesting social experiment but people's reactions don't really surprise me...



(article posted on the "Stuff White People Like" blog)
PHOTO: Andy Cripe/Gazette-Times
Jeremy and Tara Stand of the Bronx, with 1-year-old son Osiris, pose with Corvallis resident Jeff Oliver at the Meet a Black Guy booth near the Saturday Corvallis Farmers’ Market.

Hymenotomy: A New Rite of Passage

Naomi Wolf author of The Beauty Myth argues that social constructions of beauty are political in nature as a way of maintaining the primacy of patriarchy. Wolf claims that in the West, public interest in the maintanance of women's virginity and chastity has been replaced by a public obsession with a very specific and often unrealistic physical shape and form. Today, a different discourse about virginity is beginning to crop up in Europe and the US. This discussion is not the one promoted by the right wing, instead it is one about the intersections of faith, nation, culture, and identity. Click here to read more.

Yes We Can

So I know we are not all Obama supporters (or democrats), but politics and working towards a more socially just society go hand in hand (feel free to share your own views here). I was shown this youtube video yesterday and felt it was worth sharing since it talks of hope for justice and equality. It feels so inspiring and brings up an emotional response in a way that I'm not sure any of the other presidential candidates have pulled off in my short lifetime or could have pulled off (at least for me).

Perhaps you've already seen it. I might just be behind on my youtube watching....

Wednesday Blog Recommendation(s)

So I know summer has been so overwhelmingly busy that you have no time to sit in your office reading blogs online under the breeze of a cool fan, however, no worry, I have come up with some recommendations for you :)

"Racialiciousis a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture." It’s pretty cool.... Aesthetically pleasing site and a good read. It was the inspiration for the name of our building blog (lafalicious.blogspot.com :P) Also check out New Demographic co-founded by the same person (apparently NYU has worked with the group before) and the podcast Addicted to Race (it costs $29.99/ mo. to subscribe). I'm not sure if it's good but it sounds interesting.

Bloggin' In is a cool site that JennWells shared with me last week... written/ postings by Melissa Harris-Lacewell (Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University), it is an insightful look at politics and more.

Gender Power and Everyday Life This blog is a course blog for GWSS 1001 - Gender Power and Everyday Life: An Introduction to Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Minnesota, Spring 2007. The course is over but content is still up.

ps. i wanted to add an image to this post so typed in the word "diversity" into google images and this was the first thing that came up. Oh AllState...

American Culture 101: Sublimate, Co-opt, and Adopt Part 100,000,000

American culture fascinates me. When my friend sent me this hilarious blog entry sparked by CNN coverage of Michelle and Senator Obama's "fist jab" starting a trend among politicians I couldn't stop laughing. Is anything sacred?

I was amused when James Brown's "Living in America" was the theme for the RNC last cycle and I rolled my eyes when Cheney tried to rap. This is even more (painfully) hilarious.

Focus on Feminism and the Presidential Contest

In today's Washington Post Linda Hirshman argues that feminism has lost its focus... My question and the question many other young, working class, and/or women of color feminists are asking today is WHOSE feminism has lost its focus? Right now there is a lot of bitterness from some of the mainstream hegemonic feminists who fear that Hillary's loss is an attack against progress for women. I feel alienated from this mindset and those who promote it, as a feminist who happens to believe in the intersectionality of race, class, and gender. I believe our movement has progressed because younger feminists have struggled and pushed for recognition from those who are reluctant to let go of power and privilege in order to make the movement more inclusive.

I was pleased when I learned about Feministe's rebuttal, challenging Hirshman and those who share her viewpoints to embrace the positive evolution of a more inclusive and JUST feminist movement. I see this moment as a fruitful one where new discourses are being introduced. I am pleased that more diverse people are becoming included in the struggle for equality. I sincerely hope that Hillary is chosen as the Vice President, however if she is not, I am still comfortable with Obama leading the nation because in my opinion he represents the interests of a broader group of people.

Face2Face

FACE2FACE Project (Click on the upper left corner to refresh from the book advertisement to a short video that shows photos)

An RA showed me this site last year - it recaps an art project done by the French (I think?) reflecting the Israeli / Palestinian conflict and how the people aren't all that different from each other yet are divided by a wall. ...thoughts?



(from website)
"When we met in 2005, we decided to go together in the Middle-East to figure out why Palestinians and Israelis couldn't find a way to get along together.

We then traveled across the Israeli and Palestinian cities without speaking much. Just looking to this world with amazement.

This holy place for Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
This tiny area where you can see mountains, sea, deserts and lakes, love and hate, hope and despair embedded together.

After a week, we had a conclusion with the same words: these people look the same; they speak almost the same language, like twin brothers raised in different families.

A religious covered woman has her twin sister on the other side. A farmer, a taxi driver, a teacher, has his twin brother in front of him. And he his endlessly fighting with him.

It's obvious, but they don't see that.

We must put them face to face. They will realize.

We want that, at last, everyone laughs and thinks when he sees the portrait of the other and his own portrait.

The Face2Face project is to make portraits of Palestinians and Israelis doing the same job and to post them face to face, in huge formats, in unavoidable places, on the Israeli and the Palestinian sides.

In a very sensitive context, we need to be clear.
We are in favor of a solution for which two countries, Israel and Palestine would live peacefully within safe and internationally recognized borders.

All the bilateral peace projects (Clinton/Taba, Ayalon/Nussibeh, Geneva Accords) are converging in the same direction. We can be optimistic.

We hope that this project will contribute to a better understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.

Today, "Face to face" is necessary.
Within a few years, we will come back for "Hand in hand"."

Banksy

I think maybe I first saw an article on the artist known as "Banksy" in an issue of Adbusters some years ago. The art is pretty awesome...esp. the guerrilla art around the streets of cities. Much of it is thought provoking social commentary. Check out his site...Banksy

SF Art Museum: The Diversity Project

Stumbled upon this today when doing a google search for something...



The Diversity Project is an online exhibition of 48 artists whose works investigate and expound on the ways in which diversity influences artistic practice. The project was created by Equal Access, a collective of SFAI students and faculty interested in creative pursuits of social justice. View video works by Donna Wan, Melissa Adams, Michiko Takahashi, Nyok Mei Wong, Peter Max Lawrence, Shayna Blum.

EXPATRIATE

I can’t wait to check out Lenelle Moise’s upcoming show Expatriate at the Culture Project. Lenelle Moise is an amazing spoken word poet and performance artist whose work constantly renders me speechless. I first saw her perform over 2 years ago at a feminist retreat sponsored by Hampshire College’s Civil Liberties Policy Project (CLPP). Her upcoming show has been described by The Culture Project as "an engaging exploration of black womanhood, friendship, sexuality, and freedom, celebrating characters in the spirit of Nina Simone, Josephine Baker, and the Hottentot Venus. With only a JamMan loop machine at their feet, real-life rising stars Lenelle Moïse and Karla Mosley make intricate, haunting and stirring music as they weave the story of singing group Black Venus's rise to fame". I am very interested in reflecting on this experience in relation to Passing Strange, and the upcoming For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide. As an "Expatriate" myself in so many spaces, I am so happy about these discourses emerging in places that were previously unaware of their importance, power, and meaning.

Check out Lenelle in action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_je00C5sfeU

Multiracial/Multiethnic America | Race/Gender in Disney

Multiracial/Multiethnic America

In my coursework, I have been exploring how multiracial/multiethnic students find space (both physically and psychologically) on college campuses. This is mainly of interest to me because of my own personal identity: Filipina and African American. With that said, I thought I'd share an event and a website, in hopes that these often unheard stories can be revealed and incorporated into how we serve all of our students. I'll be going to LovingDay with Swirl Inc. If you want to volunteer with me, let me know!


Loving Day

What is Loving Day?

Loving Day is an educational community project. The name comes from Loving v. Virginia (1967), the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the United States. Loving Day celebrations commemorate the anniversary of the Loving decision every year on or around June 12th.

DATE: Sunday, June 8th
TIME: 3:00-7:00pm
LOCATION: Solar 1 (East River Waterfront at East 23rd St, NYC). Rain or shine - we have a big tent!
YOUR HOST: Loving Day and World Up.
RSVP: lovingdayparty@gmail.com
DETAILS: Join us for the largest Loving Day celebration in the nation! We will have free BBQ (all afternoon), free beer (first hour) courtesy of Asahi, free ice cream (first hour) from Ben and Jerry's, free organic soft drinks (first hour) from Steaz, and a big raffle with prizes from Puma and Zipcar! We'll have a special performance by DJ Spooky! Special thanks to our sponsors: Asahi, Solar One, Ben and Jerry's, Zipcar, Steaz, DJ Spooky, WorldUp, and Puma. Community sponsors: The Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA) and Swirl NYC. We have a huge tent covering the entire space, so we will be celebrating, rain or shine! It's the 5th anniversary of the Loving Day project! We had 1000 guests last year - we hope that even more of you will join us this year! Join our email list to make sure you get invited!
MORE INFO: info@lovingday.org

MSNBC: Multiracial in America

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24765917

_____________________________________

Disney and Race/Gender

In reading other blogs regarding race, I found some videos on YouTube regarding how Disney portrays different cultures and gender in its movies/cartoons/parks/etc. As someone who grew up watching theses movies and someone who even just recently spent a ridiculous amount to visit Disneyland when I was back in CA, it's shocking to see how these images are embedded into children's tv shows. The video below highlights this message that women should use their body to get what they want. Additionally, the representation of people of color in Disney is appalling when drawn out, as seen in the video below.

Some might say "You're thinking about this too much. It's just a cartoon!" But it's time that we start thinking critically about these images, and more importantly how they appear in our halls.

Well, check out the videos, and see for yourself. (Also, check out the comments on these videos... some of the responses are quite disturbing.)

Gender:

Race/Culture:

Sexile/Sexilo

I learned about this awesome graphic novel in my Gender and Culture in Latin America class last night. SEXILE/SEXILIO is available on-line in both Spanish and English. It is a graphic novel that presents HIV prevention messages through a witty narrative style and intimate personal storytelling. The novel focuses on the life of one transgendered woman's journey from Cuba to the USA.

The novel is available for download here.

Useful Resource -- Change.org

Hi folks,

I became aware of a promising web resource in a class recently. You can click the link above.

This site enables you to browse through different issues and then become involved through various options:

• joining a community,
  
• donating, or
  
• taking action

I've found it really helpful to be able to quickly see what initiatives for change are out there, under "actions" on specific issues. And I'm looking forward to utilizing this with students by bringing it up in programming conversations and potentially utilizing it in educational judicial sanctions.

Controversial Religious Endorsements

Yesterday, Republican Presidential nominee John McCain denounced the endorsements of two preachers, stating that their inflammatory teachings and statements were “deeply offensive and indefensible.”

Texas preacher John Hagee, whose February endorsement McCain courted for some time, has now been repudiated after an audio recording surfaced in which the preacher said God sent Adolf Hitler to help the Jews reach the Promised Land: “Then God sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun, and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter…How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said, ‘My top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.’” Hagee has also stated that Hurricane Katrina was God’s retribution for homosexual sin.

Ohio preacher Rod Parsley speaks strongly against Islam, claiming it is an “anti-Christ religion” and the Muslim prophet Muhammad is “the mouthpiece of a conspiracy of spiritual evil.” McCain says “there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America.”

McCain received some criticism after accepting both preachers’ endorsements, and has previously tried to distance himself from the preachers’ views, though only now, after his nomination is in the bag, has he actually denounced them. In April, McCain told ABC that he was “glad to have [Hagee’s] endorsement. I condemn remarks that are, in any way, viewed as anti-anything.”

McCain, who now faces comparison with Senator Obama and his relationship with controversial Rev. Wright, claims that his situation is different. McCain has made it clear that neither Hagee nor Parsley has ever been his pastor, nor has he ever attended their churches or had a relationship with them outside of receiving their endorsements. Senator Obama actually seems to be defending McCain, stating that in national politics it’s easy to find people who have said or done offensive things and that he doesn’t “attribute those statements to John McCain. Nobody thinks McCain believes that stuff.” One might wonder if Senator Obama is also trying to defend himself with these remarks.

Are Senator McCain’s denunciations too little too late? Should candidates be held responsible for the beliefs and statements of their political endorsers? What role does the idea of separation between church and state play here, if any?

Byrd in the hand

I was beginning to feel the burn of fear creeping up against me when I viewed some footage of randomly sampled West Virginians who expressed their extreme discomfort with electing a black man into the presidency. The sick part is that I wasn't surprised at all.

View the cringe-worthy footage here:
http://www.livesteez.com/videos/watch/nvYkHm9

Today, I remembered why I believe in the continued importance of resistance and endurance in the face of adversity. When I read that former segregationist and Ku Klux Klan member Senator Byrd (D-West Virginia) endorsed Obama I felt validated in my belief that we have to push through the fear and work to transform this country one day at a time, one heart at a time, one vote at a time. The fruits of the struggle do come, even if they don't always appear immediately.

We're already in the middle of a transformation within our country's racial discourse and even though it is painful at times, it is beautiful to behold.

Click here to read more about Byrd's endorsement: http://www.newsweek.com/id/137769

White valedictorian at an HBC

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/16/white.valedictorian/index.html

i recently had a conversation in which they were upset about this happening. I saw it more along the lines of having many positive outcomes both for those reading this short article, but also for those who were at this institution with many of the questions that come from thinking about it. I just wanted to share.

Beyond Marriage

In light of the new developments in California, I feel compelled to invite us to think critically about the institution of marriage and what it means... It is important for us to consider the implications of certain rights.

Beyondmarriage.org is an amazing statement signed by some of the greatest contemporary thinkers and other community members about how we should reframe the debate on same-sex marriage and move it away from a heteronormative framework that reinforces a right wing "family values" agenda and move toward an all inclusive rubric that allows equality for all relationships, family structures, and lifestyles.

I support this visionary statement because it is more socially justice focused. Rights are important yes, but we must think about access. It is not about restricting the right to same sex marriage (which of course I wholeheartedly support). It is about looking beyond specific pieces of legislation, looking at the implications for other movements within and surrounding them, and working together to acheive goals that move all of us forward instead of leaving some of us behind.
I submitted my name to sign on in solidarity. Check it out

California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban

The California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage today in a 4-3 ruling that stated that domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage. Check out the full article from AP.

To help work against the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage mentioned in the article, check out the HRC's California Marriage PAC here.

Enough already.

I am writing a paper about identity politics and digital culture right now, focusing on the advent of blogs like stuffwhitepeoplelike.com and exploring their meaning in relationship to the political economy. As a result, I am noticing everything on the internet and attempting to deconstruct what is behind specific forms of visual representation... When I woke up this morning I checked out my MySpace inbox and saw a banner advertising www.sugardaddie.com "for rich guys and gorgeous girls". I imagine that I could have a field day writing a critical paper on race, gender, consumption and exploitation on that site alone. Vomit-worthy.

It blows my mind how our public sphere is wrought with misogynist messaging and imaging that no one really cares about or protests. The strength of the silence surrounding this is even more maddening when you think of misogynist messaging and the current political contest. For this reason, I am sharing Marie Cocco's article Misogyny I Won't Miss, an article that highlights have corporations and the media have capitalized off of the current political race to promote sexist (and racist) messages and ideologies. Even though I voted for Barack Obama and I support his campaign wholeheartedly, I cringe when I hear blatant sexist attacks against Hillary. I am sickened by the fact that our culture is so extremely threatened by strong women leaders. It is our duty to stand up and let the media and businesses who are permeating our public space with these messages know that enough is enough.

NYU Exposed.

ever wondered how much our top administration is making? pay disparities / tenure by gender? what it means when NYU refers to money....

i guess none of these things really crossed my mind, but recently i found this site, NYU Exposed, when google searching for my professor's email address (to mail in my final paper). it's pretty interesting and gives another insight into the university's inner-workings.

It also makes me think of the question of how we decide what someone's work is worth...

(through that seemingly complicated equation of degree(s), plus experience, plus years, plus __________________...? Some jobs that "no one" (in power) wants to do get paid really well in recognition of the fact that few people are willing to do ________. However, there are some other jobs that "no one" wants to do but get paid really badly. ...

Fighting Gossip With Graphics.

This article, Fighting Gossip With Graphics, was posted on the Inside Higher Ed website about a month ago.... not sure if you all saw it, but just got around to reading it today. While this deals mostly with anonymity on the web/ juicy campus, it also is something to think about in terms of free speech rights and also how these particular students chose to promote community standards.


...i think the flyer is nicely designed :)

A case of the Mondays.

It's always fascinating to stop and think about why we choose to automatically do certain things a certain way or how words become (mis)appropriated as the slang of a community. Often times current folks do what they do, heavily based on the fact that "that's the way it has always been." Whereas the origins may have been rooted in something much different and more specific. I suppose that's the power of how we present (or omit) history...

I like it when those epiphanies occur in life where something about yourself / life becomes much clearer as a result--(ie: for me, when I read this book in high school called Sophie's World or anytime I realize that I am actually doing something, or want something, based on a larger social construct of control and then can resist). I'm not sure if that really makes sense, but it's Monday so give me a break. At any rate, I've posted this link to Tolerance.Org's Power of Words curriculum. To be honest, I haven't really looked through it in detail, but upon initial glance, it seems like it might be useful with your staffs or at least an adapted version, to start the conversation around language use.

Guide to NYC Women's and Social Justice Organizations

I did a google search for "nyc social justice" and one of the first things that came up was the Guide to NYC Women's and Social Justice Organizations, a resource put together by the Barnard Center for Research on Women. It looks like a useful and in-depth listing, and I really appreciate that it is organized by category as well as alphabetically.

Check it out if you have a minute. You might find an organization you'd like to engage with personally/professionally. I hope everyone is doing great...

Any other helpful resources out there regarding nyc social justice organizations or events? thanks!

What color is love?

Mrs. Mildred Loving who along with her late husband Richard Loving challenged and overturned the US'anti-miscegenation law (Loving v. Virginia) passed away yesterday. In her memory, I encourage you to support The Loving Day Project. The Loving Day project is an amazing organization that promotes equality and justice for all. I encourage you to participate in some of their events and utilize their resources. They recently co-sponsored a panel at NYU about the role of race in the 2008 election as well as supported the Kip Fulbeck art installation here on campus.

Loving Day would be a great organization for us to consider an ally relationship with for programming and training possibilities. Mildred Loving was also a supporter of marriage equality for same-sex couples. Read her powerful statement here.

Dirty Tricks

Back when I worked at Planned Parenthood I developed a special sort of disdain for the tactics the National Right To Life Committee employed to push their agenda. When my friend informed me that NBC and The Huffington Post reported on their recent robo-call campaign on behalf of Senator Clinton, I was disgusted but not surprised. It blows my mind that an organization that is so deeply involved with promoting a far-right agenda through their advocacy and fundraising is attempting to mess with the minds of undeclared superdelegates in a party whose platform they oppose. This sort of manipulation is centered around conversations about electability.

NRTL stands as one of the most aggressive conservative machines in the country. I hope the people they are reaching out to can see through their shifty motives and realize that they are only campaigning for Senator Clinton because of dirty political motives and sexism. This organization has long served to undermine her efforts and work, and now they are working to manipulate the primary elections so that she wins over Obama. Their reasoning is that they think that their candidate McCain (who is on record as a staunch anti-choice neo-con wolf in sheeps clothing) will throttle Senator Clinton in the general.

Former "Pro-life" Congressman Tim Roemer (D) released the following statement this evening in response to the automated calls that Indiana residents received from National Right to Life:

"As a pro-life Catholic Democrat, one of the main reasons I endorsed Barack Obama is because he approaches issues from a non-ideological standpoint, and on issues like abortion, he deeply respects the views of folks on the other side of the argument. He believes that if we focus on what unites us, we can accomplish more than we ever will by retreating into our corners and shouting each other.

"National Right to Life is running these calls because they know that Senator Clinton will be the easier Democrat to run against in the general election--and this is their way of giving her a helping hand in this tough primary battle.

"Senator Obama and Senator Clinton have virtually identical records on the abortion issue. I want Hoosiers to be absolutely clear: These calls we're getting are nothing more than a ploy. Folks who are going to vote in the Democratic primary tomorrow know that we need real change in Washington."


The dirty tricks never seem to cease.

The NYPD 'Weeds' Out Blacks and Latinos

I stumbled upon this article in the Voice... I was surprised and disappointed to understand this instance of racial injustice in nyc.

"The marijuana-arrest rate for black New Yorkers is five times higher than whites; for Latinos, it's three times higher—despite the fact, as previously noted, that a higher percentage of whites smoke pot, both nationally and in New York."

All Look The Same (?)

I am having difficulty coming up with recent articles and whatnot since my friends don't talk about these things like they used to and I've been bad about reading new things, so I again regress back a few years for my Monday post--->I came upon this site years ago (maybe freshman year of college?)--it's a quiz. I remember it sparking some discussion.... thoughts?

All Look The Same

Take the quiz (Exam #1-faces) and post your score in the comments section :) ....Read the creator's philosophy here: It's interesting.

ps. I scored 8 out of 18.... I remember scoring better the first time I took this :(

Working My Nerves

Every once in a while a little rain on our parade does a world of good to remind us of how much work we need to do to make this world a better place. A few things have been working my nerves this week:

1. I read a review of this ridiculous book titled Save The Males in a magazine marketed toward young professional women. I am repulsed by the content in the book because it plays into this trite idea that young professional (read: heterosexual) women must "settle" in order to find a man (of course it is our sole reason for being).

As if finding one who is subpar is better than nothing in order to make ourselves "complete". I am still reeling from that outrageous sexist article Marry Him in the Atlantic a while back. I am sick of so-called feminist imposters masking their retrograde rants as pieces contributing to some sort of post-feminist movement progress.

Vomit-worthy.I am sick of this promotion of cultural panic because those who hold hegemony aren't maintaining as firm a grasp as they did before. The bottom line is that patriarchy and imbalanced heirarchies still exist. The proof is in the pudding when patriarchal women are writing articles promoting the idea that feminism is harmful. Moreover, I'm upset with these women who have benefited from movements for equality now who are fighting against it because they naively think they have "arrived".

Why is there this panic resulting from the fact that traditional kinship structures have changed, providing more women with the agency to raise and provide for their children without depending on a man. Why panic because more women are going to college? I am not suggesting that we privilege women's rights and interests over men. I am merely pointing out that I am not really losing any sleep over the idea that men in our society need "saving" from "feminism, girl coddling, and male bashing" as argued in Katleen Parker's book. The fact is that "feminism, girl coddling, and male bashing" is not systemically embedded into every piece of our culture and institutions like gender inequality is in our country. The only people who need to be saved are these writers who need a wake up call from what I perceive to be their delusional fever dream.

2. Another situation that i'm fired up about this week is the outrageous outing case in Memphis. High School Principal Daphne Beasley made an announcement over the PA system mandating that teachers provide her with the names of all “hetero and homo” student couples on campus. After she collected the names, Principal Beasley then publicly posted the list in her office. As a result, two young men Nicholas and Andrew – suddenly found that the whole school was buzzing about their relationship. Making matters worse, Principal Beasley called Nicholas’ mom to inform her that her son was gay. Ms. Beasley also informed his mother that she did not approve of homosexuality and refuses to tolerate it in her school. Fortunately, the ACLU is working on seeking justice in this case. I am also happy to report that there is a national letter writing campaign to force the Memphis school board to take action against Beasley and harrassment in area schools.

If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

New York Magazine, on April 21st, published an article entitled If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

According to the article, "The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released the results of its “Religious Landscape” survey in February and found that 16 percent of Americans have no religious affiliation. The number is even greater among young people: 25 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds now identify with no religion, up from 11 percent in a similar survey in 1986. For most of its modern history, atheism has existed as a kind of civil-rights movement. Groups like American Atheists have functioned primarily as litigants in the fight for church-state separation, not as atheist social clubs. "

There is now discussion happening amongst some of the most well-known and/or active Atheists in the US as to what, if any, type of spaces need to be created for the community. The article references such places as “human-centered quasi-religious organizations.” An example of such a community space is the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Don’t be fooled though, not all Atheists have celebrated the idea of organizing.

Finally, there is even debate as to how the community should be referred to since atheism is a term that was coined as a derogatory, or at least negative, epithet by those opposed to the atheist opinions and views.

The conversation goes much deeper in the article, and there is a quite a bit more history which helps further explain some of the current debates. It is a pretty quick read with some very interesting arguments.

Mental Detox Week (April 21-27)

So "Mental Detox Week" was formerly TV Turnoff week.... I missed it this year, (and I'm not sure I would be able to do a complete "mental detox" versus just turning my television set off (and seeing how glued to the tv i am these days, not even sure i could do that))...but i digress.

So what does it mean for us to be so connected to technology in our daily lives? What technological devices are necessary and which do we consciously/ subconsciously choose to use?

...even though Mental Detox Week has passed, i wanted to share what it was about and perhaps you may want to consider trying it out on your own time (of course that means you won't be able to do any work...... :)

From Adbusters.org _______________________________________________________________
Escape The Fantasy
April 21-27

The idea is simple: take your TV, your DVD player, your video iPod, your XBOX 360, your laptop, your PSP, and say goodbye to them all for seven days. Simple, but not at all easy. Like millions of others before you, you’ll be shocked at just how difficult - yet also how life-changing - a week spent unplugged can really be.

3 ways to clear your mind

You wake up, put on the coffee, and get ready for work. Then, just as you’re reaching for the cell phone, you remember that today is the beginning of Mental Detox Week.

Today you’re not going to listen to your iPod. You aren’t going to stare at a computer screen any more than you absolutely have to. Today you won’t worry about unanswered email, and you’re not going to login to Facebook. You’ll cut the time you spend on digital devices right down to the bone.

In the evening maybe you will watch your favorite TV show for an hour, but after that you switch off, have a conversation, wash the dishes, read for a bit, and just relax. You do that for five days, and then on Friday night you make a decision to unplug completely for the whole weekend.

For a couple of days you might feel like an addict in withdrawal: peevish, agitated, and distracted. But then something will happen. Your over-stimulated brain will cleanse itself. You’ll relax. You’ll feel calmer, more grounded.

Go cold-turkey for one week

My daughter isn't impressed. I've thrown an old towel over the tube, a kind of TV veil. "Thats incredibly lame, dad." My wife wants me to promise that the veil will come off for the latest episode of Lost. I had no idea turning off the TV for a week would be such a big deal. It feels like I'm trying to pry speedballs out of the clenched fist of heroin junkies.

Lose your Blackberry

For one day, I ditch my cell and my iPod and go out into the world feeling practically naked. No headphones. No soundtrack pumping into my brain. No way for friends and family to get a hold of me. On the way home from work, I pull over at a neighborhood park and watch some kids playing soccer. One of the coaches is shouting at them. The kids celebrate after they score a goal. I'm unplugged and I like the feeling.

Go On A TV Zapping Prowl

Last year a friend of mine was having a beer at a local watering hole. There was a rugby game on the tube, and guys at the bar had the volume cranked way up. My friend didn"t see why he should have to listen to that, so he used the TV-B-Gone in his pocket to kill the TV – over and over again. The guys at the bar went nuts trying to figure out what was wrong with the television. Unfortunately, my friend started laughing, which gave the goons the idea that he had something to do with it. He barely got out of there alive. 'I couldn"t believe that these guys wanted to fight over a fucking TV,' he told me, laughing. 'But it was a good day. I"d do it again. Now I always keep the thing with me and use it in banks, airports, the dentist"s office – wherever.'

You are what you....buy :) (jk?)

We all appreciate our friends, families...... student staff members :) throughout the year for various reasons. If you are able to make DYI (do-it-yourself) gifts with the resources that you already have, that's probably the most sustainable, but if you are looking to purchase cards, or small gifts...check out this site:

The Syracuse Cultural Workers Tools For Change is a great resource of posters, mugs, cloth bags, flags, buttons, card, etc. that help share messages of peace and justice. It is also cool to put your money towards a social justice focused org.


Along the lines of spending money....I also wanted to share a blog post that our hall council sustainability chair, Suzanne, wrote during the "holiday" season this past winter :) It has some sustainable shopping tips.

"
Shopping with Sustainability!

As the holiday season rolls around, you can’t help going for the ribbons, Ugg boots, and gift cards. But this year, make an effort to make better, more sustainable choices about your purchases. Simply, sustainability is having no impact. You can decrease your impact in gift giving by buying recycled or thrift, supporting local businesses, or using the least amount of packaging possible.
Buying from around your area reduces cost and pollution from transport, ensures freshness, and supports local entities. This method of being an educated consumer supports area businesses. Buying local keeps your money in a community rather than from going to a large corporation. This money will stay local and support other businesses and community organizations in the region.

Being a smart shopper is easier than it seems. There are many cooperatives and organizations that support local businesses and make sustainable commerce possible. There are also many rating systems for grading large corporations on philanthropic and environmental responsibility. For instance, Climate Counts has rated a number of large corporations on their environmental responsibility and impact. Even though Macy’s might have a shopping guide, shy away from it and go by a green shopping guide. Even if you don’t have a guide, remember to think local and sustainable first by going to thrift stores and independent sellers. Remember, your friends and family will appreciate a museum membership or a pail of honey much more than a JC Penney gift card.

Try these shopping guides:

Climate Counts:
http://www.climatecounts.org/scorecard.php

Treehugger
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/green_gift_guid_1.php

BCUE
http://www.shopbcue.org/

EPA
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/education/pdfs/shopping.pdf

Brooklyn Based
http://brooklynbased.net/everything/diy-gift-guide/
http://brooklynbased.net/everything/the-brooklyn-sampler/"

Is it okay to beat a woman?

There has been a lot of talk about race and gender in this year’s Democratic primary elections; and both topics have caused a good amount of conversation, but some claim that the misogynistic tone of media coverage and attacks on Senator Clinton is continuously overlooked and ignored as compared to the issue of race facing Obama. Recently, the following conversation played out between Newsweek’s Howard Fineman and Keith Olbermann, a MSNBC reporter, about Senator Hillary Clinton, which I think shows just one example of this:

Finemann: ultimately it is going to take "some adults somewhere in the Democratic party to step in and stop this thing, like a referee in a fight that could go on for thirty rounds. Those are the super, super, super delegates who are going to have to decide this."

Olbermann: "Right. Somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out."

Here is a snapshot of one response to this segment posted on The Huffington Post: Eat the Press website:

What does that mean? Really, it can only mean one thing: Beating the crap out of Hillary Clinton, to the point where she is physically incapable of of getting up and walking out. At minimum. We know this. We know this because we have all seen movies where people are invited into private places to have "discussions" and the unruly party is, um, dealt with accordingly. It's an unmistakably violent image.

Do I really think Olbermann thinks Hillary Clinton should really be violently beaten to the point of physical incapacitation, or worse? No, though some have taken that statement to its logical conclusion. But it is an unmistakably violent image — and that point seems to be undisputed by those who have written about it so far (Google "Olbermann" and "take her into a room" and you'll see results like "Keith Olbermann Advocates Violence Against Hillary" "Olbermann: Misogyny 101" "Calls To End Race Turn Violent""Olbermann: How To Snuff Out Hillary Clinton"). Even Fineman seemed taken aback by the statement - there is a distinct pause after, and it's an eternity in TV time. He's not facing the camera but you can tell that the statement was jarring. (Even so he agreed, saying, "Yes, yes exactly.")

There really seems to be only one interpretation here, and the only point of debate is on whether it's okay or not. I'm going to cut that one short: It's not. To the fellow (male) journo I wrote to about this yesterday, who waved it off as just some colorful film-noir imagery, I say: can you IMAGINE if someone had said that about Obama? That he should be taken somewhere and dealt with, so that he wouldn't come back? Can you imagine if some right-winger had talked about getting Obama out of the race "the old-fashioned way?" If that last one makes you cringe, it should, because it evokes a history of violence against black people in this country that is raw and real. Well, frankly, the same goes for women — many of whom have been taken somewhere private, and never returned.

50 Shots

"Police have the authority to kill a minority"-- NWA

Have you ever been shot
forty-one times?
Have you ever screamed
and no one heard you cry?
Have you ever died
only so you can live?
Have you ever lived
only so you can die again, then be born again
from these enemies, on the borderline
Who'll be the next to fire
forty-one shots by Diallo's side?-- Wyclef Jean

On this sunny and warm spring day, a cold wind blows through the city, chilling my spine and piercing my eyes as I witness our justice system actively turning its back against justice... The sick thing is, I am not even surprised. Even sicker... We have been conditioned to expect and even (ever so quietly) accept that this is the way it is.

The acquittal of the cops who used excessive force against Sean Bell is outrageous. There was no excuse for those ruthless 50 shots to be fired, resulting in a young man's death. It is no surprise for me that justice does not reign supreme in a country that purports to be founded in the name of liberty. Our very history is filled with brutality and injustice as a result of unchecked individual actions supported by racist institutions that are imbued with power and unearned privilege. The concept that some bodies "matter" and others are expendable and replaceable is nothing new. In fact, it often serves to comfort some people while deeping the wounds of sublimation for others.

When critical race theorist and legal scholar Cheryl Harris wrote about "whiteness" as a valuable asset (social, psychological, and material capital) she hit the nail on the head. The police should not be given power above the law to inflict their fears and prejudices on the public. I am honestly more fearful of police brutality and domestic terrorism than I am of being attacked by the "criminals" they claim to protect and serve.

Moreover, I would be remiss not to address the question that always arises related to cops of color who participate in these acts of brutality. In a system that normalizes and valorizes the supremacy of "whiteness" and social order as defined by a patriarchal and heteronormative power structure, those officers are forced to assimilate in order to survive. Even though I disagree with this sort of compliance with injustice , I feel that they are a different sort of victim whose struggle to grasp for the small scraps of the concept of the American Dream that may be offered to them leads them to join the oppressive frenzy.

How are 50 shots against one man supposed to preserve social order? The injustice that comes out of this tragedy does not stop with one act of police brutality... It reiterates the trauma created throughout our history from police turning a blind eye to lynch mobs, to the LA riots, to Amadou Diallo's death.

I hope that this situation galvanizes people of all backgrounds to stand up against the violations of human rights committed by the police and accept nothing short of justice. It saddens me that the reverberating pain that is felt by many of us today may be met with blank stares and ambivalence from those who feel distant from the eye of the target, however it is heartening to know that some people realize that none of us are free without liberation for all.

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral." -Paulo Freire

Do it yourself.

"We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs"-- Gloria Steinem

I will be attending Feminst magazine BUST's Spring Fling Craftacular in Williamsburg on Sunday. Save the date and support this amazing event by buying DIY arts and crafts. Don't miss a day long event featuring a 90's themed Spring Fling dance soiree featuring amazing DJ's, 50 of the finest indie and DIY designers and artists, and a make your own corsage station. Show your support for small business owners, sustainable crafts, and the feminist DIY ethic. Spend your ducats and smile for a change.

The Meaning of Words

Yesterday in the Colorado House, Representative Douglas Bruce called Mexican’s “illiterate peasants” in a speech against giving temporary federal visas to immigrant workers. His defense for the comment was this:

"I looked up 'illiterate' in the dictionary and it means somebody who is lacking in formal education or is unable to read and write," he said. "I don't think these people who are planning to come over here and pick potatoes or peaches are likely to have much of a formal education. I looked up the word 'peasant.' The word 'peasant' means a person who works in agricultural fields.”

Rep. Bruce, who has a history of inappropriate behavior (see article), was ordered to leave the podium by the Chairwoman of the House.

Is his explanation adequate? Does the literal meaning of the words he used make the comment acceptable?

So many words and phrases carry heavy connotations and deeper meanings in our world today. Some people would argue that it is too hard for us to know the hidden meaning behind everything – but was this an act of ignorance or blatant prejudice? And would it matter either way?

See article here