Beyond White Guilt

Two horrifying examples from Denmark and Australia

missfuzzybunny — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 09:56:56 GMT

An Open Letter to Danmarks Radio I live in Denmark and have witnessed this hideous caricature and worse, native "Zulus" used in advertising. http://juseone.com/an-open-letter-to-danmarks-radio/

I have yet to read the undoubtedly defensive and ignorant comments, but one grows immune to them living among Danes.

And this one from Australia, which is making the rounds. http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2013/10/australian-woman-throws-africa-themed-21st-birthday-party-ignorance-abounds/

Really interesting article on racism in the media

annwfyn — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 20:03:33 GMT

I found this today and thought it was really interesting and really well worth a look at. It looks at two very similar (and horrible) cases in the UK.

One featured a number of white teenage girls in Rochdale who were systematically exploited and abused by a predominantly Asian gang. One featured a number of white teenage girls in Derby who were systematically exploited and abused by a predominantly white gang.

One case made the papers for months, with a lot of analysis about what was 'wrong with the Asian community' and how it could have happened. One barely made the local news. This article looks at why.

The comments aren't open yet, and won't be until tomorrow morning, but I suspect they'll be horrific; this is a BME journalist writing about racism in the Guardian. It's never pretty. I sometimes, however, think those comments are worth looking at just to remember how much defensiveness there is out there, and how quickly that can turn into pretty aggressive and blatant racism in and of itself.

Anyway, for the link phobic, the text of the article is beneath:

By now surely everyone knows the case of the eight men convicted of picking vulnerable underage girls off the streets, then plying them with drink and drugs before having sex with them. A shocking story. But maybe you haven't heard. Because these sex assaults did not take place in Rochdale, where a similar story led the news for days in May, but in Derby earlier this month. Fifteen girls aged 13 to 15, many of them in care, were preyed on by the men. And though they were not working as a gang, their methods were similar – often targeting children in care and luring them with, among other things, cuddly toys. But this time, of the eight predators, seven were white, not Asian. And the story made barely a ripple in the national media.

Of the daily papers, only the Guardian and the Times reported it. There was no commentary anywhere on how these crimes shine a light on British culture, or how middle-aged white men have to confront the deep flaws in their religious and ethnic identity. Yet that's exactly what played out following the conviction in May of the "Asian sex gang" in Rochdale, which made the front page of every national newspaper. Though analysis of the case focused on how big a factor was race, religion and culture, the unreported story is of how politicians and the media have created a new racial scapegoat. In fact, if anyone wants to study how racism begins, and creeps into the consciousness of an entire nation, they need look no further.

Imagine you were living in a town of 20,000 people – the size of, say, Penzance in Cornwall – and one day it was discovered that one of its residents had been involved in a sex crime. Would it be reasonable to say that the whole town had a cultural problem, that it needed to address the scourge – that anyone not doing so was part of a "conspiracy of silence"? But the intense interest in the Rochdale story arose from a January 2011 Times "scoop" that was based on the conviction of at most 50 British Pakistanis out of a total UK population of 1.2 million, just one in 24,000: one person per Penzance.

Make no mistake, the Rochdale crimes were vile, and those convicted deserve every year of their sentences. But where, amid all the commentary, was the evidence that this is a racial issue; that there's something inherently perverted about Muslim or Asian culture?

Even the Child Protection and Online Protection Centre (Ceop), which has also studied potential offenders who have not been convicted, has only identified 41 Asian gangs (of 230 in total) and 240 Asian individuals – and they are spread across the country. But, despite this, a new stereotype has taken hold: that a significant proportion of Asian men are groomers (and the rest of their communities know of it and keep silent).

But if it really is an "Asian" thing, how come Indians don't do it? If it's a "Pakistani" thing, how come an Afghan was convicted in the Rochdale case? And if it's a "Muslim" thing, how come it doesn't seem to involve anyone of African or Middle Eastern origin? The standard response to anyone who questions this is: face the facts, all those convicted in Rochdale were Muslim. Well, if one case is enough to make such a generalisation, how about if all the members of a gang of armed robbers were white; or cybercriminals; or child traffickers? (All three of these have happened.) Would we be so keen to "face the facts" and make it a problem the whole white community has to deal with? Would we have articles examining what it is about Britishness or Christianity or Europeanness, that makes people so capable of such things?

In fact, Penzance had not just one paedophile, but a gang of four. They abused 28 girls, some as young as five, and were finally convicted two years ago. All were white. And last month, at a home affairs select committee, deputy children's commissioner Sue Berelowitz quoted a police officer who had told her that "there isn't a town, village or hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited".

Whatever the case, we know that abuse of white girls is not a cultural or religious issue because there is no longstanding history of it taking place in Asia or the Muslim world.

How did middle-aged Asian men from tight-knit communities even come into contact with white teenage girls in Rochdale? The main cultural relevance in this story is that vulnerable, often disturbed, young girls, regularly out late at night, often end up in late-closing restaurants and minicab offices, staffed almost exclusively by men. After a while, relationships build up, with the men offering free lifts and/or food. For those with a predatory instinct, sexual exploitation is an easy next step. This is an issue of what men can do when away from their own families and in a position of power over badly damaged young people.

It's a story repeated across Britain, by white and other ethnic groups: where the opportunity arises, some men will take advantage. The precise method, and whether it's an individual or group crime, depends on the particular setting – be they priests, youth workers or networks on the web.

Despite all we know about racism, genocide and ethnic cleansing, the Rochdale case showed how shockingly easy it is to demonise a community. Before long, the wider public will believe the problem is endemic within that race/religion, and that anyone within that group who rebuts the claims is denying this basic truth. Normally, one would expect a counter-argument to force its way into the discussion. But in this case the crimes were so horrific that right-thinking people were naturally wary of being seen to condone them. In fact, the reason I am writing this is that I am neither Asian nor Muslim nor Pakistani, so I cannot be accused of being in denial or trying to hide a painful truth. But I am black, and I know how racism works; and, more than that, I have a background in maths and science, so I know you can't extrapolate a tiny, flawed set of data and use it to make a sweeping generalisation.

I am also certain that, if the tables were turned and the victims were Asian or Muslim, we would have been subjected to equally skewed "expert" commentary asking: what is wrong with how Muslims raise girls? Why are so many of them on the streets at night? Shouldn't the community face up to its shocking moral breakdown?

While our media continue to exclude minority voices in general, such lazy racial generalisations are likely to continue. Even the story of a single Asian man acting alone in a sex case made the headlines. As in Derby this month, countless similar cases involving white men go unreported.

We have been here before, of course: in the 1950s, West Indian men were labelled pimps, luring innocent young white girls into prostitution. By the 1970s and 80s they were vilified as muggers and looters. And two years ago, Channel 4 ran stories, again based on a tiny set of data, claiming there was an endemic culture of gang rape in black communities. The victims weren't white, though, so media interest soon faded. It seems that these stories need to strike terror in the heart of white people for them to really take off.

What is also at play here is the inability of people, when learning about a different culture or race, to distinguish between the aberrations of a tiny minority within that group, and the normal behaviour of a significant section. Some examples are small in number but can be the tip of a much wider problem: eg, knife crime, which is literally the sharp end of a host of problems affecting black communities ranging from family breakdown, to poverty, to low school achievement and social exclusion.

But in Asia, Pakistan or Islam there is no culture of grooming or sex abuse – any more than there is anywhere else in the world – so the tiny number of cases have no cultural significance. Which means those who believe it, or perpetuate it, are succumbing to racism, much as they may protest. Exactly the same mistake was made after 9/11, when the actions of a tiny number of fanatics were used to cast aspersions against a 1.5 billion-strong community worldwide. Motives were questioned: are you with us or the terrorists? How fundamental are your beliefs? Can we trust you?

Imagine if, after Anders Breivik's carnage in Norway last year, which he claimed to be in defence of the Christian world, British people were repeatedly asked whether they supported him? Lumped together in the same white religious group as the killer and constantly told they must renounce him, or explain why we should believe that their type of Christianity – even if they were non-believers – is different from his. "It's nothing to do with me", most people would say. But somehow that answer was never good enough when given by Muslims over al-Qaida. And this hectoring was self-defeating because it caused only greater alienaton and resentment towards the west and, in particular, its foreign policies.

Ultimately, the urge to vilify groups of whom we know little may be very human, and helps us bond with those we feel are "like us". But if we are going to deal with the world as it is, and not as a cosy fantasyland where our group is racially and culturally supreme, we have to recognise when sweeping statements are false.

And if we truly care about the sexual exploitation of girls, we need to know that we must look at all communities, across the whole country, and not just at those that play to a smug sense of superiority about ourselves.

Immigration changes in the UK...

cadetsandkings — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 23:55:21 GMT

I'm not entirely sure whether what I have to say just now is going to be debunky enough, but I'm in a kind of shock, because of personal circumstances that may be about to radically change.

Today Theresa May, the Home Secretary and Minister for Equalities and Women (ha!) briefed MPs on immigration rule changes that will be announced by the Government next week. No word yet on when they intend to roll this out.

Here is the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/08/immigration-rules-couples-stark-choice

British citizens with foreign-born partners are to be given the choice of indefinite "exile" in countries including Yemen and Syria or face the breakup of their families if they want to remain in the UK, under radical immigration changes to be announced next week, MPs have been told.

The home secretary, Theresa May, is expected to confirm that she will introduce a new minimum income requirement for a British "sponsor" without children of up to £25,700 a year, and a stringent English speaking test for foreign-born husbands, wives or partners of UK citizens applying to come to live in Britain on a family visa.

Immigration welfare campaigners say that the move will exclude two-thirds of British people – those who have a minimum gross income of under £25,700 a year – from living in the UK as a couple if they marry a non-EU national. They estimate that between 45% and 60% of the 53,000 family visas currently issued each year could fall foul of the new rules.

Ministers have also been considering extending the probationary period for overseas spouses and partners of British citizens from two to five years and introducing an "attachment test" to show that the "combined attachment" of the couple is greater to Britain than any other country.

The changes are to be introduced alongside new immigration rules, making clear that an illegal migrant or a convicted foreign national facing deportation who has established a family life in Britain will only be blocked by the courts from being removed, under article 8 of the European convention on human rights, in rare and exceptional cases. Instead they, too, will face a choice between separating from their British-based spouse or partner or going to live with their partner as a family overseas.

The moves to restrict the family route for migrants coming to Britain form part of the home secretary's drive to reduce net migration from 250,000 to "tens of thousands" by the next general election.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has sent MPs a dossier of 13 detailed cases of families who would face serious consequences under the proposals, "to provide a snapshot of the reality of the lives of ordinary British citizens and settled people who want their husbands, wives, civil partners and in some cases children to join them in the UK".

It includes the case of Anna, a British woman who is pregnant with twins, earning £31,000 a year, who may have to give up her home, job, flat and friends in the UK and move to Yemen to live with her husband, Ahmed, at a time when the Foreign Office has advised British nationals not to travel there. The fact that Anna is expecting twins means the minimum income maintenance requirement in her case will be set in a range from £24,800-£46,260, rather than at the childless couple rate of £25,700.

It also highlights the case of Emma , a British graduate who works, and is due to complete a journalism course this year, who may also have to give up her flat, family and friends in Britain, and travel to Syria where her Palestinian husband was born.

The JCWI says that the dossier shows how the ordinary circumstances of life, such as pregnancy, accidents at work, disability, low pay, poor currency exchange rates and nationality laws in foreign countries could penalise people if the proposals make it into Britain's immigration rules.

The dossier also highlights how an extension of the probationary period for those granted family visas could trap more women in violent marriages and suffering domestic abuse in silence because of the fear of being deported if they complain.

"When, if ever, is it acceptable for British citizens to be placed in a position where they are effectively indefinitely exiled from their own country on account of choosing to have a relationship with a non-European Economic Area national?" asks the JCWI pamphlet, United by Love/Divided by Law?

When the home secretary published her proposals in May she said that it was obvious that British citizens and those settled here should be able to marry or enter into a civil partnership with whomever they choose: "But if they want to establish their family life in the UK, rather than overseas, then their spouse or partner must have a genuine attachment to the UK, be able to speak English, and integrate into our society, and they must not be a burden on the taxpayer. Families should be able to manage their own lives. If a British citizen or a person settled here cannot support their foreign spouse or partner they cannot expect the taxpayer to do it for them."

Two things come to mind:

1. This will fuck LGBT (mainly gay, but I could foresee trans related complications relating to GRCs and marriage equality, and hate laws against trans people in other countries, possibly) couples who are binational where the other country outlaws homosexuality or doesn't recognise gay partnerships for the purpose of immigration.

2. This will fuck women. The average women's salary in the UK is well under the minimum cited by May; women of colour make even less on average than white women and of course there is a race gap in pay for everyone regardless of gender in the first place.

3. This will fuck people of colour and people from "suspect" countries (Yemen and Syria, and Palestinians, are mentioned but it will be for all non-EEA countries) extra hard, like all immigration related policies in the UK currently do. Enforcement measures are always more rigorously and regularly enforced against BAME people and people from certain countries.

4. As terrified as I am by this new policy, because it directly affects me, I can already see the LGBT community here uniting around a couple like the one I'm in- white, British/American, cis lesbian, not disabled, middle class... meaning that the effects on multiracial couples, or trans people, or disabled people, or people from former colonial countries including current Commonwealth countries will be ignored and will probably go unaddressed, meaning it'll continue to be much easier to chip away at their rights.

I thought I'd post it though because it is a really vitally intersectional and scary as shit thing for loads of people- the article says 60% would be affected.

Privilege for beginners

annwfyn — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:07:45 GMT

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/15/straight-white-male-the-lowest-difficulty-setting-there-is/

A friend of mine posted this on G+ and it was good enough that I wanted to share it. It is a really nice geek friendly way of trying to get the concept of privilege across without provoking the rabid cheetah on steroids response.

It does have failings - for some reason it does mention race, gender and sexuality, but doesn't mention class - and it is very geek centric, but I thought it was definitely worth passing around.

Microaggressions

missfuzzybunny — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:43:23 GMT

I just learned a new term today, and as an immigrant living in Denmark, I live constantly with this phenomenon.

Anyway, this excellent site provides lots of fuel for discussion and seemed very very appropriate for this community.

http://www.microaggressions.com/

Enjoy!

Racist cake

rime_r — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:31:34 GMT

Apparently this has gone viral so I imagine you'll be hearing about this elsewhere, if you haven't already. This is so awful that I feel like apologizing for even bringing it to your attention. Like, those could have been a few more hours or days without knowing about the racist cake thing, you know? :(

Basically--correct me if I have details wrong--the Swedish Minister of Culture, supposedly well-known for her anti-racist activism, participated in a performance piece on World Art Day at a modern art museum in Stockholm.

Cut for disturbing, even in summary format

The piece was designed by an Afro-Swedish performance artist, Makode Aj Linde. He put on blackface and put his head through a table, on top of which a life-size cake lay, a cake portraying the body of a cartoonish blackface African woman. The Afro-Swedish Association has spoken out about it strongly and is calling for the minister's resignation. WARNING, VERY DISTURBING PICTURE.

Okay. I was going to try to lay out all the details and then get into my rant, but this is so disturbing to me. My anger and WTF energy is leaving me and now I just feel sick and sad. Basically, the white woman cuts up the cake shaped like the black woman. Starting at the genitals. While the blackface-head screams. There's lots of photos and video, showing the white audience members smiling and snapping pictures. Ostensibly it was supposed to be a statement against female genital mutilation, and to challenge our racist preconceptions and etc. etc.

I'm not really seeing any post-colonial enlightenment coming about, here. The news coverage is maddening. There is so much smug apologist commentary. The "mainstream" coverage also doesn't seem to acknowledge how this is also incredibly misogynist--it's not just racist. A few of the greatest hits:

--It's not racist cuz the artist is black.
--It's not racist because blackface isn't a THING in Sweden like it is in the United States.
--It's art, so if you are offended you are "missing the point." (One particularly sanctimonious blogpost here. The author calls the Afro-Swedish Association "naive," like they are too stupid to appreciate that this is ART, MAN, and therefore totally progressive. (WTF, like artwork can't be racist?) She says critics need to "stick to the point."

Uhhh, I don't think they're the ones missing the point. You can call something "postcolonialist" all you want... but how is this actually "deconstructing" racism or misogyny or colonialism? The white people at the art show. Laughing, smiling, clinking glasses and clicking cameras. While a black woman is symbolically--not even SYMBOLICALLY, almost--dismembered and eaten as a spectacle for them. The people of color speak up, express their horror, and critics shoot them down and tell them it's not actually racist, they just don't "get it." That was ALREADY the status quo.

It's a really good example of how "anti-racists" can do spectacularly racist things. And, after people of color respond, STILL not see it as racist. The fact that real people of color are hurt by this is not what matters to them, for all the talk about deconstructing stuff and progressiveness and postcolonialism. Postcolonialism: you're doing it wrong.

Anyway, this story broke pretty recently, I guess, and I've been trying to find articles or posts that look at this from the perspective of people of color (women especially). I imagine that will be forthcoming. All I've seen so far is some quotes from the Afro-Swedish Association, the artist's facebook page, and a few comments by women of color. I've also been trying to find a place to discuss this and share feelings about it where I don't have to like, argue that it's racist in the first place.

Welshman claims to be Apache

sashajwolf — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:23:59 GMT

A man on trial in Swansea, Wales, for illegally possessing badger paws and eagle wings is claiming as part of his defence that he is "a member of a Native American Apache tribe" and "lives with these communities in summer". It seems he's appropriated the name of Mangas Coloradas, who was an important tribal chief in the 19th century.

I first got linked from Twitter to this version of the story, which says that the US Government refused to let him join a reservation in 1997. Can't imagine why not. He is also quoted as saying "we Natives don't believe in letting anything go to waste". Ugh. (The Mail has a very poor reputation, though, so it's always possible that the quote is made up.) Other sources for the story:

HuffPo
This is South Wales
Mirror

This Voting Rights Spiel Keeps Getting Hairier

nicoli_dominn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:30:29 GMT

Tennessee GOP-drawn redistricting plan could cost Dems nine seats, officials say

Because I'm kind of n00b when it comes to the more detailed Voter Rights Laws, I couldn't explain to you how this is screwed up. I just know it is, as, apparently, does the author of the article. (Sher doesn't exactly display bias here, but the fact that he was paying close attention to race matters while reporting on the possible redistricting shows he is skeptical of Republican motive, I think.)

PoC Cinderella movie

annwfyn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:01:11 GMT

I found this on youtube while roaming today.

http://youtu.be/V6xKT9rq-i8

Someone has uploaded the whole of the 1997 version of Cinderella with Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother. I thought that it might be a worthwhile resource for some people, especially parents. I know that I spent ages ago looking for non-white portrayals of traditional fairy stories heroines for my goddaughter a while ago, and this was recommended but I couldn't find it at the time.

It is kinda crazily race-blind - Prince Charming is Filipino, his father is White and his mother is African-American - but that comes across as part of the fairytale feel of the whole thing. It's also got some really fun songs.

Anyway, I thought this might be of interest.

"Why Is the NYPD After Me?"

teaberryblue — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:24:42 GMT

Nicholas Peart talks about being young, black & male in New York City

Kentucky Church Bans Interracial Couples from Participating in Worship

teaberryblue — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:19:12 GMT

A small Kentucky church has voted to ban interracial couples from participating in worship services (with the exception of funerals) after a white former church member invited her black fiance to sing with her at the church.

"...the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals. All are welcome to our public worship services. This recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve."

Article Here
More Information

Deconstructing the Thanksgiving Myth

alephz — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:38:34 GMT

I don't know if it's been posted before but I came across this and thought I'd share it with everyone.

Deconstructing the Myths of "The First Thanksgiving"

Just a little food for thought.

Debunking help, Native Americans, "joke."

smashboredom — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:33:11 GMT

Okay, email forward, so brace yourself.

On a recent trip to the United States , Tony Blair, Ex. Prime Minister of the UK , addressed a major gathering of Native American Indians. He spoke for almost an hour on his plans for a Carbon-Trading Tax for the UK and Europe At the conclusion of his speech, the crowd presented him with a plaque inscribed with his new Indian name - Walking Eagle. A very chuffed Tony then departed in his motorcade, waving to the crowds. A news reporter later asked one of the Indians how they came to select the new name given to Tony Blair They explained that Walking Eagle is the name given to a bird so full of shit that it can no longer fly.

My first reaction upon reaching the end was that I was glad it wasn't something worse (privilege?) I have an idea of what is wrong with this joke, but I wanted to be able to articulate it better, so wondered what others here thought.

The concept that Native Americans just give out names willy-nilly, not to mention "funny" ones. It's obscured because in the story the Native Americans are making fun of Blair (which should be a global pastime), but to a white outsider it does seem to perpetuate the idea that all those names Native Americans have are amusingly descriptive and straightforward (totally unlike the origin of Smith, of course).

This email has probably been tampered with to reflect a person and a policy that somebody hates. But the annoying thing is that European politicians probably should be going around informing indigenous people of the ways in which they intend to not continue their colonial legacy of dumping their problems overseas (eg. carbon emissions) (well or by less carbony video conference where appropriate).

Occupy Nashville RaceFail

minaloush — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:16:21 GMT

As someone from the South, I'm used to a certain amount of racism-blindness, but today was troubling.

Today, Occupy Nashville was focusing on CCA and the prison-industrial complex. They decided that they would do that with a "human auction" at CCA hq. The first comment said: Politically incorrect? yes. Creative? you bet. We are selling, brown, blacks, jewish and white's ... because when it comes to CCA we are all minorities

As this only went up on facebook in the last day or so, people suddenly came across it, though it had been planned for two weeks. There were quickly ~130 comments, a fair number from offended POC who communicated that this was offensive to them, most of whom were told that they were reacting unfairly or trolling.

Read a blog about it if you don't want to go read the incredibly angry-making comments on Occupy Nashville's facebook.

Debunking "The Descendants" - Coming Soon, Nov. 23rd

coppelius — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:27:39 GMT

Commercials have begun to air for the upcoming The Descendants. Here is the blurb from IMDB: A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.

It's been a while since anyone talked about Hawaii's racial issues here in the community, so to give a brief overview, Hawaii is the only state in the US that does not have a white demographic majority. The census and the Department of Health offer different data spreads, partially depending on whether they're counting Filipino peoples as 'Asian' or under their own category. Either way the numbers clearly demonstrate an equal or greater number of Asians (predominately Japanese) or Pacific Islander (predominately Hawaiian) individuals.

Furthermore, the statehood of Hawaii is a passionately contested issue. A number of political groups fight for the rights of native Hawaiians, others for the sovereignty of the Hawaiian state. The condition of native Hawaiians is different from but no better than that of American Indians. Given this, and that Hawaii is a relatively small piece of earth where each nook and cranny is saturated with cultural history, every inch of land is precious.

So it's kind of funny to see a story set in Hawaii with only white people in it. It's offensive to see a story about affluent white landowners that gives no nod to the complex politics surrounding their position.

I admit I haven't read the book, and the movie isn't even out yet. This interview with the author contains a damning question, however, regarding the protagonist's disdain for Kamehameha school*, which he views as elitist in a gross display of reverse-racism ideology. She expressed some sort of surprise that Hawaii locals didn't 'get' the humor of the protagonist's perspective, but that Mainland audiences have had no such difficulty.

On a brighter note, the movie's soundtrack is composed of only local artists, a number of whom are Hawaiian. Go forth and enjoy that, at least.

*-Kamehameha is a private school which admits only students with at least 1/8th Hawaiian heritage. A victim of blood quantum heritage politics, but also a proponent of Hawaiian students being educated in an environment where their experience isn't marginalized.

Teaching kids about Indians

lovmelovmycats — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:02:42 GMT

My daughter's kindergarten class has a field trip planned to a nature center to go through a 90 min program called "Native Americans in Delaware: Young Lenape"

The blurb on the website says, "Explore the culture and customs of the early inhabitants of Delaware. Walk the land these people once inhabited, visit a replica lodge and investigate tools, clothing, hunting methods, games, stories and plants that Native Americans used. Learn about Delaware's Lenni Lenape tribe and their dependence on nature."

I think that I will call the nature center to ask questions about this program. But right now, I'm leaning toward just not sending my daughter on the field trip. Or, let her go on it, and also come along as a chaperone, so I know what she's being taught, and I can talk about it more with her at home. She's six, but six year olds can understand a lot of things. I mean, I bet that six year old Lenape (Delaware) kids know about the genocidal history and policy of whites and their governments against their people.

I think I also need to talk to her teacher about why this field trip is scheduled, and what the school is trying to teach the kids about Indians and history. Cause, "three sisters" agriculture and some old artifacts have near zero importance compared to the near eradication and forced displacement of the Lenape (Delaware) people and a whole continent full of other indigenous people.

"Their dependence on nature." As if the whites circa the 1600s were not dependent on nature.

And no mention that the Delawares still exist. In Oklahoma, their home since the United States displaced them forcibly to it. And today's Delawares are modern people, who wear contemporary clothes, have modern jobs, and have quite a nice website.
http://www.delawaretribe.org/home.htm

What would you folks teach your youngsters about Indians? What do you think I should ask/say to the nature center people and my daughter's teacher?

One more on the "Culture, not a costume" thing.

alephz — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:30:50 GMT

The STARS member who originally posted the posters on the tumblr posted an update about the campaign's effectiveness, saying that it brought people to the campus anti-racism organization and is making it possible for them to bring in guest speakers and give presentations about racism to other groups on-campus.

"Never underestimate what passion, hard work and dedication can do. We’re a small group, but we pack a mighty punch."

I just thought it was nice that, for all the absurd, offensive "parodies", the campaign was nonetheless effective in advertising a message to a really fucked-up status quo.

Native Headdresses

_samalander — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:49:44 GMT

We all know that the appropriation of Native culture by hipsters and other white people is an issue, but apparently no one told the Washington Post.

(Not that this happening in the city where the "Redskins" is an appropriate team name is surprising.)

This Friday, they published a picture of a white woman wearing a head dress on the cover of their "weekend" section. To advertise karaoke bars.

You can see it here, I couldn't find the picture larger. (In case they pull it, I've uploaded it here for posterity.

You can contact the Ombudsman, responsible for ethics, at ombudsman@washpost.com or call 202-334-7521.
You can submit a letter to the editor following these instructions.
You can contact the weekend section here: weekend@washpost.com

I've been unable to find out who the editor of the Weekend section is, but the picture was taken by Rebecca D'Angelo and the article was written by Stephanie Merry and Jess Righthand, though I doubt they're responsible for the choice of the picture.

I've included the text that I sent to the Editor and the Ombudsman and the weekend section below the cut.

To Whom it May Concern;

I am writing in regards to the photo on the cover of the Weekend section yesterday, October 28, 2011.

The picture in question, taken by Rebecca D'Angelo, depicts a young woman singing karaoke while wearing a feathered headdress.

This is a disgusting display of cultural appropriation, and I expect better from the Washington Post. While I do not hold you responsible for the woman in question, I do hold you responsible for the decision to publish – and glorify – her offensive choices. Headdresses are a spiritual and sacred part of Native culture, and just as the Post would never publish picture of a person in blackface, it behooves you to similarly disdain people who choose to "play Indian."

I believe the Post owes their readers an apology, and encourage you to rethink the choices that lead to you printing this picture.

"Diversity" in Silicon Valley, tech startups, and investing in ideas

teaberryblue — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:13:31 GMT

We all know that this stuff goes on, but this article puts a lot of commentary on record:

Article from CNN.

Minor Update.

alephz — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:18:22 GMT

Hey, all.

Remember when not too long ago, I posted briefly about the "We're a culture, not a costume" posters and how awesome they were?

Predictably, there's been some backlash (oh, wait, "parody" because it's totally ironic, you gaiz) started in which dogs, vampires, daleks and other non-real non-humans feature in the roles previously held by ACTUAL persons who face ACTUAL discrimination.

Because Daleks are an actual real group of actual real people who have actual real feelings which can be actually really hurt, you know.

Anyway, I've been seeing the "parody" posters around, but KnowYourMeme.com went ahead and collected some of them, with a bonus addition of a video from a guy (a white guy, natch) who apparently takes issue with the whole idea of the original campaign on its face.

I confess; I didn't bother watching the video 'cause, y'know, heck with that guy.

You'll also find a particularly racist gem of an image in the gallery that KnowYourMeme put together at the bottom of the main page. Just in case anyone wants to argue (that is to say: lie) that the counter-campaign is just a harmless parody and not about putting persons of color "in their place"

Race, Geography and Voting Rights

nicoli_dominn — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:02:48 GMT

Tennessee black caucus threatens legal action over redistricting

This is the part that jumps out, I think: "Hardaway also fretted about GOP plans to put Reps. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga, and Joanne Favors, D-Chattanooga, into the same district.

Both are black. Brown represents a majority-black district and Favors represents a district in which black voters have a significant presence. Republicans have said there are not enough black voters to constitute two majority-black districts and note that Brown’s district needs additional black voters to maintain its status as a minority-majority district."

Incentives & Cultural Bias in Foster Care

teaberryblue — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:52:02 GMT

A look at how Native children are being taken from their homes under questionable circumstances and being placed in foster care with white "guardians" in a scheme that makes money for state governments.

Incentives and Cultural Bias Fuel Foster Care on NPR.

"We're a culture, not a costume."

alephz — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:23:17 GMT

President of Ohio University's STARS (Students Teaching About Racism in Society), aka Tumblr's Saucy-Sarah, caused my Tumblr to explode with awesome earlier today when she began showing the posters for STARS' "We're a culture, not a costume"/"This is not who I am. This is not okay." poster series which will be appearing around the Ohio University's campus in anticipation of Halloween.

Each poster features a person of color holding up an image of one of the absurdly offensive (and sadly common) ways white people tend to dress up as common and offensive racist stereotypes.

So far there have been three posts featuring the posters and all of them are well worth taking a look at.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Woman wrongly jailed for 53 days in jail "because of name mix-up."

teaberryblue — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:48:34 GMT

Link to story.

Teresa Culpepper, from Atlanta, went to the police to report the theft of her car, and was arrested for aggravated assault committed by a different woman named Teresa (not even the same last name). She was held for 53 days because her family could not afford her $12k bail.

"All she has is the same first name. The only descriptions that match are 'Teresa' and 'black female,'" Culpepper's attorney, Ashleigh Merchant told The Lookout. Culpepper, who is 47, didn't have the same address, birth date, height, or weight as the Teresa who was supposed to be arrested.

Racism at Occupy Philadelphia

_samalander — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:23:29 GMT

This week at Occupy Philadelphia

Two black women are called N*****s and told that every white man should own a slave by volunteers. They complain to security and are asked to leave. Crime: Being Black In Public.

In response a group of black people had a small drum circle, and were told they couldn't exclude white people.

They had to fight for time to speak, and were asked if they would become violet.

White people continue to fail at shutting up; listening.