Uganda has received a lot of attention from the international community surrounding two very controversial topics: female circumcision and homosexuality. I hate to clump such important issues under one post, but I just wanted to post these two links and ignite some discussion.
Uganda Bans Female Circumcision (Source: CNN News)
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/12/12/uganda.genital.mutilation/
Uganda Bill Proposes Death Penalty for Gay Sex (Source: NPR)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121216492
Without question, most of the international community agrees with the passing of Anti-circumcision legislation. However, we must question the timing of this bill's passage. This topic has been debated for quite some time in Parliament- and its been stagnant for years. After working in Parliament this past summer, I am very shocked (happy, but shocked) because mot female MPs thought this battle would be fought longer. Without question, it is a tremendous victory--- but will it overshadow this issue of homosexuality in Uganda? Regardless of this recent "victory," we must continue to make noise and bring awareness about the anti-homosexuality bill that is up for debate. We must ask if this bill will be funded and executed properly. It is one thing to pass a bill, but its another thing to actually fund it. The Womens' Representatives rightfully capitalized off of this sensitive time in Uganda politics by pushing for women's rights. But will this measure be enforced? Is it going to be used to overshadow and ease anti-homosexuality legislation into passage?
Hmmm...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Hispanic Firerfighter in New Haven Suit
Check out the following article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/nyregion/03firefighter.html?_r=1&hp
It is fascinating how complex race and affirmative action can be. Mr. Vargas, the lone man of color involved in the lawsuit, should be applauded for his conviction, regardless of the fact that many of us would deem his position naive and misguided. Nonetheless, it is unfortunate that our court systems are regressing by ignoring the fact that inherent institutional racism and racial disparities still exist.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/nyregion/03firefighter.html?_r=1&hp
It is fascinating how complex race and affirmative action can be. Mr. Vargas, the lone man of color involved in the lawsuit, should be applauded for his conviction, regardless of the fact that many of us would deem his position naive and misguided. Nonetheless, it is unfortunate that our court systems are regressing by ignoring the fact that inherent institutional racism and racial disparities still exist.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Troy Davis! Sign the Petition!
I am sure you have heard about Troy Davis, the innocent black man who is on death row for a crime that he did not commit.
Please sign the petition:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/2446/t/4676/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=369
You can get involved in many ways. The NAACP and Amnesty International are doing a lot of great work on this issue. Get in touch with your local NAACP or Amnesty International Chapter and see how you can help. There have been rallies, marches, and campaigns organized all around the country about this. Don't sit back and allow such an injustice to happen!
I am sure that there are some skeptics who would say that this is an isolated event, but it is not! Such injustices occur everyday within our judicial system. This case represents so much of what it wrong with the system as is. By standing up and making your voice heard, you are enabling change to occur.
You can also see what others are doing to raise awareness here at:
www.troyanthonydavis.org
Please sign the petition:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/2446/t/4676/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=369
You can get involved in many ways. The NAACP and Amnesty International are doing a lot of great work on this issue. Get in touch with your local NAACP or Amnesty International Chapter and see how you can help. There have been rallies, marches, and campaigns organized all around the country about this. Don't sit back and allow such an injustice to happen!
I am sure that there are some skeptics who would say that this is an isolated event, but it is not! Such injustices occur everyday within our judicial system. This case represents so much of what it wrong with the system as is. By standing up and making your voice heard, you are enabling change to occur.
You can also see what others are doing to raise awareness here at:
www.troyanthonydavis.org
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Diners Club and Mail Order Brides
Diners Club Offers Payment Plan for Vietnamese Brides (http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/diners_club_offers_payment_plan_for_vietnamese_brides)
Diners Club Ends Relationship with Mail Order Brides Service (http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/diners_club_ends_relationship_with_mail_order_brides_service)
I saw this original link on Racialicious and it was updated with the second one. Basically a Diners Club affiliate partnered with Vietnamese Brides International to provide a payment plan option to purchase a mail-order bride with your credit card. It cost $167 monthly (interest-free ?!?) and you don't even need to make your first payment before you receive your new wife! And if you fail to pay for your wife, you didn't need to return her! There are other ways for the creditors to recoup their losses. (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!?)
This sickened me. I'm glad the concerned people of change.org were able to alert Diners Club so that they terminated the relationship, but it's a scary world when you can purchase a human on credit.
Diners Club Ends Relationship with Mail Order Brides Service (http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/diners_club_ends_relationship_with_mail_order_brides_service)
I saw this original link on Racialicious and it was updated with the second one. Basically a Diners Club affiliate partnered with Vietnamese Brides International to provide a payment plan option to purchase a mail-order bride with your credit card. It cost $167 monthly (interest-free ?!?) and you don't even need to make your first payment before you receive your new wife! And if you fail to pay for your wife, you didn't need to return her! There are other ways for the creditors to recoup their losses. (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!?)
This sickened me. I'm glad the concerned people of change.org were able to alert Diners Club so that they terminated the relationship, but it's a scary world when you can purchase a human on credit.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Happy Birthday Malcolm
He would've been 84. I wonder what he would be saying if he were around today. Any thoughts?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner
Not only does Obama have "swag", but he's got jokes to. Check out this footage from the White House Correspondents Dinner:
Cleary, Obama's "got it." He definitely gave the dinner some "fla-va." Enjoy.
Cleary, Obama's "got it." He definitely gave the dinner some "fla-va." Enjoy.
Justice Appalachia Style
Mix the following ingredients:
"Former high school football stars"
"All-white jury"
"Small town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania"
"The beating death of a Mexican immigrant"
Injustice.
It's hard sometimes to make sense of something like this. But lets go for the obvious--what does this story tell us?
To humans, to society the value of human life is variable. In Shenandoah, the death of a Mexican is worth less than the death of a white citizen. Simple assault charges were given for a gang beating that, according to the medical examiner, resulted in the "brain oozing from his skull." And even if Ramirez wasn't blameless, he was fatally kicked in the head after being knocked unconscious. I can hear the underlying the sentiment of the jury. It just doesn't make sense to punish these fine young men just because a Mexican died. Why inconvenience them? The DA probably thought the same thing.
Boys will be boys.
Now there is a statement that I've heard before. It's used to explain away a lot of mischief that boys find themselves into. But why have I felt that it hasn't and doesn't apply to me? As a black man (and very recently a black boy) I was never the recipient of this sort of grace. Not in the classroom and certainly not in a street fight.
Imagine for a moment if I, along with a few of my football playing black friends, beat up and killed a white man, I don't think things would've been explained away this easily. The resulting narrative would've certainly played out differently. Perhaps we were in some sort of defacto gang. Sure we were talented football players but we were always the selfish and egotistical, not the hardworking "lunch-pail" types that Piekarsky and Donchak were.
Subconcious racially tinged narratives are all around us. They bleed into many parts of our lives, regardless of race and affect both how our actions are perceived and how we are treated. For some it helps us and for others it constrains us. For Donchak and Piekarsky, I have a hunch that this dynamic played a role in jury deliberations. It probably helped them and I am certain that it didn't hurt them as it would've for me in the other scenario.
Regardless of the details of the story, the life of Luis Ramirez was brutally taken, and his family has not found justice. That is the profound tragedy in this story. Sadly, the justice system often fails to live up to its name and even in the age of Obama, we find no dearth of examples. Even sadder; we aren't surprised by stories like that of Ramirez.
"Former high school football stars"
"All-white jury"
"Small town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania"
"The beating death of a Mexican immigrant"
Injustice.
It's hard sometimes to make sense of something like this. But lets go for the obvious--what does this story tell us?
To humans, to society the value of human life is variable. In Shenandoah, the death of a Mexican is worth less than the death of a white citizen. Simple assault charges were given for a gang beating that, according to the medical examiner, resulted in the "brain oozing from his skull." And even if Ramirez wasn't blameless, he was fatally kicked in the head after being knocked unconscious. I can hear the underlying the sentiment of the jury. It just doesn't make sense to punish these fine young men just because a Mexican died. Why inconvenience them? The DA probably thought the same thing.
Boys will be boys.
Now there is a statement that I've heard before. It's used to explain away a lot of mischief that boys find themselves into. But why have I felt that it hasn't and doesn't apply to me? As a black man (and very recently a black boy) I was never the recipient of this sort of grace. Not in the classroom and certainly not in a street fight.
Imagine for a moment if I, along with a few of my football playing black friends, beat up and killed a white man, I don't think things would've been explained away this easily. The resulting narrative would've certainly played out differently. Perhaps we were in some sort of defacto gang. Sure we were talented football players but we were always the selfish and egotistical, not the hardworking "lunch-pail" types that Piekarsky and Donchak were.
Subconcious racially tinged narratives are all around us. They bleed into many parts of our lives, regardless of race and affect both how our actions are perceived and how we are treated. For some it helps us and for others it constrains us. For Donchak and Piekarsky, I have a hunch that this dynamic played a role in jury deliberations. It probably helped them and I am certain that it didn't hurt them as it would've for me in the other scenario.
Regardless of the details of the story, the life of Luis Ramirez was brutally taken, and his family has not found justice. That is the profound tragedy in this story. Sadly, the justice system often fails to live up to its name and even in the age of Obama, we find no dearth of examples. Even sadder; we aren't surprised by stories like that of Ramirez.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
East High School, Home of the Orientals
http://www.racialicious.com/2009/05/01/east-high-school-home-of-the-orientals/
Obama's Swagga
Thumbs up to CNN for spending time enlightening it's viewers on a very important quality of President Obama, "swagga". The anchor, Kyra Phillips is absolutely giddy about her discovery that Obama has "swagga" and none of the other Presidents before him did. The white camera man also does not have "swagga". Shaft does though.
My fav line: Swagga, it's like swagger with a little more flava.
T.J. Holmes "swagga guru" (who knew?) broke it down: Obama goes to b-ball games and nice dinners, only black men have "swagga" and other black men "will look at" Obama's "swagga" and call him a "brotha". Hugging is a part of Black culture, everyone does it. That's why Obama is comfortable hugging people and that's why people love him. This "swagga" assessment takes place on Obama's 100th day in office; completely absent from this segment is any discussion of policy. The focus is on our President's "swag". Awesome.
The clips speak for themselves.
short and sweet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/the-most-embarrassing-cnn_n_193095.html
a bit longer:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/swagga_like_tj_holmes_115299.asp?c=rss
My fav line: Swagga, it's like swagger with a little more flava.
T.J. Holmes "swagga guru" (who knew?) broke it down: Obama goes to b-ball games and nice dinners, only black men have "swagga" and other black men "will look at" Obama's "swagga" and call him a "brotha". Hugging is a part of Black culture, everyone does it. That's why Obama is comfortable hugging people and that's why people love him. This "swagga" assessment takes place on Obama's 100th day in office; completely absent from this segment is any discussion of policy. The focus is on our President's "swag". Awesome.
The clips speak for themselves.
short and sweet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/the-most-embarrassing-cnn_n_193095.html
a bit longer:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/swagga_like_tj_holmes_115299.asp?c=rss
Friday, May 1, 2009
Gay Taunts Causes 11 Year Old to Commit Suicide
MUST READ:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7328091&page=1
The homophobia and ignorance that plagues our society should not affect our children like this. As a society, we need to fight against the restrictions of gender roles, especially when dealing with its intersection with race. Because the young, black boy smiled, he was gay?! Worst of all, he felt he had to take his life because of this. None of these children are to blame. We, as a society, share responsibility for Joseph Walker Hoover's death. We perpetuate hate and intolerance in music, television, churches, and everyday conversation. We allow our children, sliblings, and ourselves to use such hateful speech.
Joseph Walker Hoover, our prayers go out to you and your family.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7328091&page=1
The homophobia and ignorance that plagues our society should not affect our children like this. As a society, we need to fight against the restrictions of gender roles, especially when dealing with its intersection with race. Because the young, black boy smiled, he was gay?! Worst of all, he felt he had to take his life because of this. None of these children are to blame. We, as a society, share responsibility for Joseph Walker Hoover's death. We perpetuate hate and intolerance in music, television, churches, and everyday conversation. We allow our children, sliblings, and ourselves to use such hateful speech.
Joseph Walker Hoover, our prayers go out to you and your family.
A Woman of Color on the Supreme Court?!
It's a possibility. David Souter, the Bush appointed "Conservative turned Liberal" is said to be leaving the court in June.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/01/toobin.souter/
I was estatic, to say the least, when I cam across this article. In this day and age we should not limit ourselves to race and gender when evaluating people for this position. Nonetheless, there is currently only one woman on the Supreme Court and there is very little color on the supreme court. The disconnect between the court's ethnic and gender make up to that of America seems to have disabled their ability to comprehend minority and women's rights.
Hopefully the Obama administration will keep this in mind.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/01/toobin.souter/
I was estatic, to say the least, when I cam across this article. In this day and age we should not limit ourselves to race and gender when evaluating people for this position. Nonetheless, there is currently only one woman on the Supreme Court and there is very little color on the supreme court. The disconnect between the court's ethnic and gender make up to that of America seems to have disabled their ability to comprehend minority and women's rights.
Hopefully the Obama administration will keep this in mind.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
MY PRESIDENT HAS WAVES
A little late, I know.
So like millions of people around the country, my eyes were glued to CNN on election night. After President Obama flashed upon the screen, there was complete pandemonium in the Afro American Cultural Center.
I’m looking at the TV and everyone is going crazy. Jesse was crying! Hope-rah was crying! Hell, I almost let a tear fall down. As Obama emerged from backstage to address the nation, there was a sense of hope for all Americans- that we truly can do anything that we set out to do. As people cried and cheered, I cheered along with them--- but then the cameras got closer to Obama and I had to ask myself... are those waves?!
So like millions of people around the country, my eyes were glued to CNN on election night. After President Obama flashed upon the screen, there was complete pandemonium in the Afro American Cultural Center.
I’m looking at the TV and everyone is going crazy. Jesse was crying! Hope-rah was crying! Hell, I almost let a tear fall down. As Obama emerged from backstage to address the nation, there was a sense of hope for all Americans- that we truly can do anything that we set out to do. As people cried and cheered, I cheered along with them--- but then the cameras got closer to Obama and I had to ask myself... are those waves?!
A million questions started floating around in my head on election night about President Obama's fresh cut. Does he sleep with a wave cap? What products does he use? Who lines his hair up? How often does he get it cut? Does he carry a brush around in his breifcase? After seeing a bunch of tired combovers and receding hairlines, it’s nice to see a Commander in Chief with a fresh cut and waves deeper than the Mariana Trench.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Home of the Free...ish
Now that we’ve all cried, sung, and hugged everyone we know, let’s get back to business.
Liberal media. Fail. Why? Because there’s a large chance you have no clue what those states have in common. Go ahead and google it…I’ll wait….
So now that you see what I’ve taken issue with, I will begin to rage.
Change - We asked for it. Begged for it. Shit. We even got t-shirts made. And not the spray paint or cheap screen print kind. We got the real won’t fade in the washing machine shirts. Yet these propositions allow for the continued disenfranchisement of homosexuals (and others in
I cannot imagine the audacity of any person who would even attempt to deny another person of any right. And to imagine a black person that did or would have voted yes on Prop 8 were they given the chance? That’s insane. I know black people love their religion but can you not look past that to see that you are denying people their human and civil rights? I guess the Bible is an established truth…kind of like science. Which is why we still abide by Eugenics.
It’s hard to push for a separation of church and state here in the land of democracy where you have the freedom to practice whatever religion you want (long as Jesus is white) when you go in a court room and swear in on a Bible. Still I find it funny that Christians pick and choose which doctrines they choose to enact and stand behind. I didn’t know that sins came on a hierarchal system. Apparently things like homosexuality send you straight to Hell but sex before marriage is cool. You just get put in timeout or something. I didn’t even know Heaven had corners.
Besides that, you (possibly previously divorced) people out there want to protect the sanctity of marriage. Though homosexuals are allowed to appropriate the language of heterosexual romantic love, they are not deserving of the right to marry. That oh so sacred rite of
I had a friend(?) of mine who was happy about the yes on Prop 8 tell me that things are still equal. That homosexuals can still be equal citizens without the right to marry. Umm hellllllo. Equal. Meaning the same. After alerting him that someone/anyone/everyone else not having all the rights he has is not equality and that with marriage came other shit like taxes and hospital visitation rights and other like protections under the law. So I asked him if a prop came around that said black people can no longer marry, would he still think we were being treated as equal. He says yes…as long as they had good reason. You can’t make this shit up. The reaches to which people will go to prove they are not in fact homophobic are amazing. They have gay friends and they’re totally cool with their lifestyle…they just don’t think they should get married.
Personally, I would think that marriage between two consenting adult human beings should be an automatic. There shouldn’t be a need for legislation to make anything outside of heterosexual marriage legal. You would think the same thing applies to legislation that requires equality for racial minorities and women but we know how that goes.
Rejoice
Sunday, September 21, 2008
No House, No Vote???
Please read this article:
http://www.michiganmessenger.com/4076/lose-your-house-lose-your-vote
According to the article, republican strategists in Macomb County, Michigan are trying to subdue "predictably left leaning" voters by challenging voters whose residence is listed at a foreclosed home.
However, the accused vote suppressors say that this is not so:
http://www.mlive.com/elections/index.ssf/2008/09/flap_over_foreclosure_challeng.html
Who didn't see this one coming...
Whether or not this story is true, let's be real here. Such intimidation tactics are being employed in this election. The new voting block that turned out in record numbers during the primaries will play a crucial role in this election, so this story does not surprise me. We have to do our part to combat such tactics. Long voting lines, misinforming people about their voting eligibility, and outdated voting machines in lower income areas has been a serious problem in elections all across the country and very little has been said about it. We should be raising hell! We're talking about voter disenfranchisement! Where is the outrage from the media? the people?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
9/11/2001- We Will Never Forget
Let us remember the men and women who lost their lives seven years ago from this date. You might be very busy today, but take a brief moment of silence to honor the brave fire fighters, city workers, victims, and families of victims.
Peace.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Obama is my...Slave?
This afternoon, I checked my email and found another disheartening story about ignorance in connection with Barack Obama. (thanks to Naima for bringing this to my attention)
Doron Braunshtein, an Israeli-born designer, created a $69 t-shirt that says "Obama is my Slave". WHAT?! According to the New York edition of Metro News, a 25 year old graduate student was wearing the T-shirt in UNION SQUARE and was confronted by 4 teenage girls. They pushed her, pulled her earphones out of her ears and spit on her. Now this person wants to sue the designer for "all he's got". So much is wrong with the whole situation, I don't even know where to begin.
I understand that everyone doesn't support Obama, but I don't understand why people would feel that this reference to slavery is an appropriate way to display their displeasure with his candidacy. At least create a T-shirt about legitimate concerns like his 'lack of experience'. Why insult him and Black people everywhere with such an awful slogan? In the Metro News article, the designer, which here means, placing not-so-witty phrases on t-shirts and selling them for 3 times what they're worth, claims that "his outrageous design reflects not his views but those of 'ordinary WASPs'.” Later in the article, we learn that he "can't stand Obama" because he reminds him of Adolf Hitler. Wow.
Moving on to the alleged beat-down of the lovely lady wearing the shirt. Maybe it's naive idealism on my part, but I highly doubt that an educated person would wear a shirt like this. In Union Square of all places. It just doesn't make sense. If she did, I'm not sure why she'd sue the designer of the shirt. He didn't force her to wear the shirt that day. And I can't imagine why she'd be surprised that people were upset about the shirt. In fact, she's pretty lucky that something worse didn't happen to her. Some of the other bloggers think this may all just be a publicity stunt, but either way people are still buying this and other awful, overpriced shirts. Braunshtein claims he's sold 1,200 shirts that say "Who Killed Obama?" Clearly, there's a lot more ugliness to be unveiled before this election is over.
Original article: http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Obama_slave_shirt_sparks_lawsuit_threat/13001.html
Other blogs posts:
http://www.hiphopmusic.com/2008/07/obama_is_my_slave_tshirt.html
http://www.livesteez.com/news/news_detail/934
http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/2008/07/17/sightwo-morons-one-obama-is-my-slave-shirt-one-too-few-beatings/
http://blogs.bet.com/news/youthvote/?p=426
http://gawker.com/5026752/race+baiting-media-whore-is-a-credible-source-to-one-dumb-paper
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
FREE SPEECH = RIGHT TO BE RACIST?
Barack and Michelle Obama are gracing the latest cover of the New Yorker magazine, but I get the feeling that they might not be too thrilled about it. The latest cover of the premier magazine features Senator Obama dressed in traditional Islamic clothing while giving his wife Michelle their trademark fist pound. Add a burning American flag, a portrait of Osama Bin Laden, and over exaggerated facial features (with a dash of hyper sexualization) and we have our selves a nice gumbo of racism, ignorance and regression. Anyone hungry?
The picture is problematic for so many reasons. The image clearly suggests that the Obama family is anti-American…Now are they anti American or anti status quo? Let’s tease this out a bit. Senator Obama is the only black Senator in the U.S. Senate and the first African American to be the presumptive presidential nominee for a major party…I’m inclined to go with anti status quo.
The image also feeds into the notion that Michelle Obama is an angry black woman or unpatriotic. Despite her education and career accolades, her accomplishments have been devalued on account of her race and sex. A strong, black woman is often labeled as bitter or angry, which is a SERIOUS problem. This image suggests that women of color should not exercise the same rights enjoyed by others; it also limits their right to freedom of expression. The fact that the New Yorker thinks that it was fine to dress Michelle Obama in Army gear and a gun is indicative that we have a long way to go.
Aside from the image being entirely inaccurate in its portrayal of Barack Obama as Muslim, it is also inaccurate in its less than subtle message about followers of the Islamic faith. The New Yorker cover clearly suggests that followers of the Islamic faith are unpatriotic. There are four million Muslims in this country who love and appreciate their rights as Americans and deplore the actions of Osama bin Laden, yet they are unjustly devalued, and in turn, denied full citizenship.
Yes, everyone does have the right to free speech. This does, however, infer that one has the right to question, protest, or react when attacked or discriminated against. Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic stated, "As someone who appreciates a good joke, as well as a bad joke, it bothers me that people are reacting so dyspeptically to the cover.” Hmm, now why would anyone be bothered by an oppressive image with offensive racial and sexual undertones that infringes upon the right to citizenship? I don’t know…
(Thanks Naima for the link)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
LGBTQ Youth: When Some Lives Matter Little
Following Camille's and Brittani's suit on LGBTQ awareness:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/02/equality-florid.html
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=4292447
What makes some lives less valuable than others?
(thanks to Reny for pointing out the first news story)
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/02/equality-florid.html
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=4292447
What makes some lives less valuable than others?
(thanks to Reny for pointing out the first news story)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Black (LGBTQ) History Month
I'm sad to say I didn't know about this for the majority of February aka Black history month, so I have to do some catching up: the Bilerico Project, a group LGBTQ blog, has been publishing a series on black LGBTQ history all month. Each day, along with the National Black Justice Coalition they profile a different notable queer black person. Click here to check out the series.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
