• WTF Files: Colorado Billboard Shows Obama As Terrorist, Gangster, "Bandito" And Gay Man | TPMMuckraker
  "An anonymous man in Grand Junction, Colo., has commissioned a billboard over the interstate there that shows four cartoon versions of President Obama — as a terrorist, a gangster, a bandito and a gay man — gambling with the Bible, the Constitution and Uncle Sam.

  "The artist who designed the billboard, Paul Snover, won't say who paid him $500 to create the image. But he did explain what the unidentified man wanted to say."

  (tags: via:robschmidt colorado barackobama racism images wtf)
• O_O Files: Mark Kirk Sends Poll Monitors To 'Vulnerable,' Largely African-American Neighborhoods | TPMMuckraker
  The more you know….–AP

  "In a private phone conversation that was secretly recorded, Mark Kirk, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Illinois, told state Republican leaders last week about his plan to send 'voter integrity' squads to two predominately African-American neighborhoods of Chicago and two other urban areas of Illinois with significant minority populations 'where the other side might be tempted to jigger the numbers somewhat.'"

  (tags: via:jasmine chicago politics politicians africanamerican disenfranchisement)
• Racist E-mails Lead to Resignation of a Florida Police Chief | Southern Poverty Leadership Center
  "Perez’s resignation comes in the wake of reporting by veteran South Florida Times reporter Elgin Jones. Jones’ investigative work uncovering racist and offensive E-mails sent by city officials has been causing a stir in Wilton Manors, which abuts Fort Lauderdale, for more than two years. The weekly publication is the region’s most influential African-American community newspaper."
  (tags: via:carleandria florida racism police barackobama)
• Who's the Indian in The Social Network? | WSJ
  "But The Social Network is a movie based on real people. Mr. Narendra is of Indian descent. In an interview, he said he was 'initially surprised to see a white actor play him on screen.'

  "A Google search turns up a picture of Mr. Narendra next to Mr. Minghella. The differences are striking. Mr. Minghella, son of the legendary director Anthony Minghella, is significantly shorter and he appears to weigh a fair bit less. He also looks significantly lighter-skinned than Mr. Narendra.

  "Which brings up another issue. Many photographs not related to The Social Network show Mr. Minghella as a rather pale young man. But in pictures of him as Mr. Narendra, he appears darker. There’s another one that puts all the cast members together with their real-life personae; in this one, Messrs. Narendra and Minghella appear to have about the same complexion.

  "Was make-up used to darken Mr. Minghella for the part? A spokesman for Sony Pictures said in an email it was not."

  (tags: via:arturo movies representations indian whitewashing)
• "Secretariat": A Gorgeous, Creepy American Myth | Salon.com
  "Although the troubling racial subtext is more deeply buried here than in "The Blind Side" (where it's more like text, period), "Secretariat" actually goes much further, presenting a honey-dipped fantasy vision of the American past as the Tea Party would like to imagine it, loaded with uplift and glory and scrubbed clean of multiculturalism and social discord. In the world of this movie, strong-willed and independent-minded women like Chenery are ladies first (she's like a classed-up version of Sarah Palin feminism), left-wing activism is an endearing cute phase your kids go through (until they learn the hard truth about inheritance taxes), and all right-thinking Americans are united in their adoration of a Nietzschean Überhorse, a hero so superhuman he isn't human at all."
  (tags: via:arturo movies history representations US)
• Life Is Not a Video Game | Arab News
  "It doesn’t indeed. What about the other side though? Is it okay to play with the sentiments of the Afghan, Iraqi, Palestinian and Pakistani families? Aren’t they burying their children on a daily basis? And we are not talking of just one game. Most American children and adults — and others around the world — have grown up watching such violent and dangerous games that not just induce hatred and bigotry but poison and scar young, impressionable minds forever.

  "Is it any wonder then there is so much hatred, suspicion and plain ignorance about the Arabs and Muslims in the West? Is it any wonder then the yawning chasm between Islam and the West continues to grow by the day to dangerous proportions?"

  (tags: via:msstroppy videogames arab images stereotypes war)

by Latoya Peterson

Note: This is all Racialicious internal business, feel free to skip this one. – LDP

Okay, so there are tons of changes afoot, so it’s about time for an update.

My Public Media Corps Engagement is in the final two months – after that, I plan to return to the blog full time. I haven’t posted as many updates as I had hoped, despite learning tons about race and class mobility, communities of color and mobile technology, GIS Mapping, and such. This is because I opened my big mouth and ended up stuck redesigning the PMC blogs, in addition to creating an SMS-based interactive platform. And I want to experiment with augmented reality before I lose this institutional/tech support. Regular readers may remember when I first got on this blog, I barely knew HTML and needed help making headers – oh, how the times have changed.

Arturo and I are hard at work on Addicted to Race 2.0 – we’ve already recorded one interview, and scheduled a few more, while we are still tweaking the format. However, just like everything else in life, an opportunity arose and threw a wrench in the plan. The funny thing is that’s been happening this whole year. Back in May, we finalized the plans to monetize the site (when New Demographic folded, all the biz things went too) – and then I got slammed with a lot of great opportunities. I ended up doing some contract work for NPR, Wikipedia, and the Poynter Institute, in addition to my work at the Public Media Corps, with one more super cool project that I can’t announce yet. I’ll talk a bit more about what I learned on those projects next week. But that had the result of delaying all Racialicious work for about six months.

Then, Arturo and I planned to relaunch Addicted to Race by mid-September. The wrench came in the form of an offer to guest host the Michael Eric Dyson show for two weeks.

More on changes to the website, how I got on the Dyson show and what we are covering, accessibility hacks, the site wide survey, the fund raising drive, and the other projects in the hopper after the jump. Continue Reading »

By Guest Contributor Jorge Antonio Vallejos, cross-posted from Black Coffee Poet

There’s a new zine out that’s kick ass: “Broken Arrow”.  Its fifty-two pages are comprised of poems, plays, short stories, photos, and artwork; all of which bring the reader to the many different lives of its twenty-eight contributors.

For the last year, Toronto writer Emily Pohl-Weary has given a weekly workshop to the men at the Sagatay Native Mens Residence in Toronto’s west-end with the final result being “Broken Arrow”.

In her introduction to “Broken Arrow” Weary writes, “Working with the writers at Sagatay for the past year has been the highlight of my life.  Each Thursday, my mind came alive with new ideas and stories.  I could be having the most difficult, busy week, but after spending a morning with them, suddenly life felt manageable again.  I only needed to take time to slow down and appreciate the power of sharing our stories.”

Everyone has a story but not everyone is willing to share his or her story.  The men at Sagatay don’t hold back.  Honesty, bravery, and humility are displayed throughout the pages of “Broken Arrow”.  Whether writing of street life, different forms of abuse, loves lost, and the ever present colonization of Turtle Island now known as Canada, these men shoot arrows at their targets with perfect aim.

Continue Reading »

By Guest Contributor Ninoy Brown, cross-posted from FOBBDeep

A week ago, at Oakland’s amazing Eastside Arts Alliance, I was among the many sardined bodies packed into the space to watch Mountains that Take Wing, a documentary about two two seminal figures in American activism, Angela Davis and Yuri Kochiyama.

For folks that are unaware of the contributions made by these powerful womyn of color, please school yourself.

Watching and hearing Yuri and Angela reflect on 90+ years of activism grounded myself back to the importance of serving the people and not getting burned out.  Discussions about life, struggles, and the evolving social landscape throughout the decades was profound to see.

The night of the show, both individuals were present, but Yuri had to leave early because she was feeling under the weather.  This brought me back to reality knowing that two individuals that I hold highly are immortal and that it is even more important now to hear their personal narratives so as to offer the younger generations insight and perspective.

Hella inspired.

Watch the trailer below.

Continue Reading »

• WTF Files: Student's Car Secretly Tracked For More Than 3 Months | Huffington Post
  "Two days after Mission College student Yasir Afifi found a surveillance-tracking device on his car, the twenty year old Arab-American student was confronted by six FBI agents and police officers — who asked for the pricey gadget back."

  "Although Afifi has never been affiliated with any type of questionable organization and is a U.S.-born citizen, he says he is on a federal watch list and is often taken aside at airports. His late father, Aladdin, was a prominent Muslim leader in Egypt, and Afifi annually visits his family there and embarks on frequent business trips to the Middle East."

  (tags: via:msstroppy arabamerican government surveillence anti-arab wtf)
• 'No More Down Low' Show on LGBTQ Life Launches | Black America Web
  "'No More Down Low,' a new online show launched this week, aims to portray the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in a more holistic light and dispel myths about gay life.

  "'No More Dow Low' is co-hosted by actress Janora McDuffie and Jonathan Plummer, ex-husband of author Terry McMillan.

  "Monday’s inaugural episode of the monthly show–at www.NoMoreDownLow.tv–featured interviews with a variety of personalities from the gay and lesbian community, including comedian Wanda Sykes, Wilson Cruz and photographer Duane Cramer."

  (tags: via:msstroppy LGBTQ online television black)
• Black Like Me: When Being "Light-Skinned" Isn't A Privilege | For Harriet
  "As I got older, it became increasingly more important to me to fit the norm of what it meant to 'look Black.' I remember when I was ten years old I begged and begged my mother to comb my hair with five braids instead of my usual one long ponytail. I wanted one braid in front, two on the sides and two in the back, just the way all the other little Black girls wore their hair. First off, my mother had five girls with long hair to comb for school in the morning. I had to wait last as she hurriedly combed my sisters’ hair and then gave me the five braids I requested. As soon as she finished combing my hair, I rushed to the mirror to take a look. Wow, I thought. I look just like a Black girl. Surely, the other little Black girls will like me better now. Instead, when I arrived at school, I was met with anger and resentment. Crossed arms and cruel eyes peered at me like I had stole something and should confess and give it back."
  (tags: via:msstroppy colorism blackwomen)
• Georgia Bans Undocumented Students From Public Universities | Colorlines
  "The state of Georgia has banned undocumented immigrants from attending public colleges and universities. The board of regents voted 14-2* to prohibit public universities from enrolling students without papers in any school that has rejected other qualified applicants for the past two years due to lack of space.

  "The vote makes Georgia one of three states to bar undocumented immigrants from higher education. South Carolina passed a more restrictive law in 2008 that bans undocumented applicants from matriculating into any public university whatsoever. Alabama does not allow undocumented people to enter two year community colleges."

  (tags: via:nvrcomfortable georgia immigration publiceducation college)
• Response: Racism isn't a scourge from the past | Guardian (UK)
  "Britain remains blighted by class division, and class is central to how people see their place in our society. Economic background is still a strong predictor of life chances, as explored in the Runnymede Trust research report Who Cares about the White Working Class?. But it is evident that class alone cannot explain why different groups do badly, any more than race can. The government must design measures that respond to both race and class specifically if they are serious about reducing ethnic inequalities and improving race relations."
  (tags: via:cocacy britain racerelations racism)
• WTF Files: Lawsuit: Mentally Ill US Citizen Wrongly Deported | NYTimes.com
  "A mentally disabled U.S. citizen who spoke no Spanish was deported to Mexico with little but a prison jumpsuit after immigration agents manipulated him into signing documents allowing his removal, a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges. His lawyers say the agents ignored records showing his Social Security number, while prison officials wouldn't tell concerned relatives what happened."
  (tags: via:carleandria immigration mentalhealth deportation wtf)

By Guest Contributor Shani O. Hilton, cross-posted from Campus Progress

The New York Times reports on the stories of two young women—one in California, and one in New Jersey—who were violently hazed by members of their college chapters of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically black sorority, during the pledging process:

At Rutgers, six members of Sigma Gamma Rho were arrested in January and charged with aggravated hazing, a felony, after a pledge reported that she had been struck 200 times over seven days before she finally went to the hospital, covered with welts and bloody bruises.
[...]
In the San Jose State case, Courtney Howard, a former student at the university, charged in a civil lawsuit, filed Aug. 31, that over a three-week period in 2008 she was subjected to progressively more violent hazing from Sigma Gamma Rho members. Ms. Howard claims in her suit that they beat her and other pledges with wooden paddles, slapped them with wooden spoons, shoved them against the wall, and threatened that “snitches get stitches.”

Gawker jokes: “Hey, hey—how else will she learn to respect her history?” But the joke is a bitter one.

Continue Reading »

By Arturo R. García

Most of the stories we’ve read about the now-infamous opening sequence prepared for The Simpsons by artist and documentary subject Banksy include a sentence along the lines of:

The extended sequence was apparently inspired by reports the show outsources the bulk of their animation to a company in South Korea, according to the BBC.

Not exactly breaking news; the show’s Wikipedia tells us its’ creators has been employing South Korean studios since its’ very first season, starting with AKOM Studios’ work on “Some Enchanted Evening.”

What is interesting is an allegation in the Asia Times by Chinese-based businessman Jing Kim that animation duties for many outsourced U.S. projects is actually outsourced again, to North Korea:

Continue Reading »

• Jay-Z Appears in Police Department Picture of Gangbangers | Gawker
  "What do gang members look like? A bestselling rapper and music mogul with 10 Grammys under his belt and millions of dollars in his pocket according to the front page of the Miami Police Department's website.

  "The Miami New Times found two graphics of Jay-Z that the Miami Police Department seems to have used for a banner on its website…"

  (tags: via:restructure miami police racism rap stereotypes)
• Turkish Women Attacked at Third European Transgender Council | Deeply Problematic
  "Two weeks ago, Transgender Europe held the third European Transgender Council in Malmo, Sweden. The Council hosted over 200 delegates from thirty-five countries, and it offered a number of worthwhile speakers, workshops, and other activities. But cissexism cast a shadow over this event when random transphobes attacked two Turkish delegates; police degendered and harrassed the targets rather than protecting them.

  "The attack was apparently motivated not only by cissexism but also by racism. Turkophobia runs high in Europe and has for hundreds of years."

  (tags: via:rmj sweden transmisogyny turkophobia)
• AZ GOP Mailer: Dem Is Letting Illegal Immigrants Shoot Up Our Neighborhoods | TPMDC
  "This is what Republican politics surrounding Arizona's tough new immigration law look like on the ground: an image of an adorable toe-headed [sic-LDP] baby placed next to the claim that Democrats who opposed the state's controversial immigration law "invite drugs and violence into our neighborhoods, schools and communities."

  In case the reader doesn't get the less-than-subtle hint that the Democrat in question — in the case of a GOP mailer obtained by TPM, two-term state Rep. Rae Waters — is somehow inviting hordes of blood-thirsty illegal immigrants into Arizona's peaceful suburbs, the Republican Party also offers up a photo of a shot-up stop sign next to this message: "By voting against 1070, Rae Waters would rather leave our border full of holes. Our neighborhoods are next."

  (tags: immigration xenophobia racism politics)
• Row over Blonde-haired, Blue-eyed Miss India Beauty Contestant | Daily Mail (UK)
  "Jacinta Lal, 21, was today at the centre of a huge row after she was accused of not looking Indian enough.
  "The blue-eyed blonde, whose father is Fijian-Indian and mother a New Zealander, was booed by spectators when she won the Wellington leg of the MissIndiaNZ contest."
  (tags: via:sobiaali newzealand beautystandards mixedrace)
• O_O Files: Men Who Play Nazis for Fun Try to Explain | NYTimes.com
  "The entire German war effort in the East was a racial crusade to rid the world of ’subhumans,’ Slavs were going to be enslaved in numbers of tens of millions. And of course the multimillion Jewish population of Eastern Europe was going to be exterminated altogether. That’s what all these folks were doing in the East. It sends a shiver up my spine to think that people want to dress up and play SS on the weekend."
  (tags: via:carleandria reenactment history nazis politicians)
• Cory Booker and Chris Christie Meet in the Middle | NYTimes.com
  "This year, Mr. Christie, the blunt-spoken suburban white Republican, and Mr. Booker, the Scripture-quoting urban black Democrat long rumored to want the governor’s job, have become the state’s political odd couple. They talk to or text each other perhaps a dozen times a week, and they go out of their way to praise each other publicly. The two men went to a Giants game together a few weeks ago and have bonded over their mutual devotion to New Jersey’s bard (the governor has been to more than 100 Bruce Springsteen concerts, and the mayor often uses the Boss’s lyrics in Twitter messages).

  “I’ve told him when Bruce comes back, I’m taking him,” Mr. Christie said Thursday."

  (tags: via:beth politics race republican democrat)
• Filipino Martial Arts: From Kali and Escrima to Boxing | Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
  In DC, October 27th. – LDP

  "This program will screen the documentary film, The Great Pinoy Boxing Era (Corky Pasquil and Agrafino Edralin) and host a panel discussion and demonstration on Filipino martial arts. The Great Pinoy Boxing Era is an insightful portrayal of the Filipino men who came to the U.S. not only as farm laborers and as prize-winning boxers during the 1920s and 1930s. The film will be followed by a presentation from Professor Linda España-Maram along with presentations and demonstrations by internationally renowned martial artists Dan Inosanto and Rosie Abriam. Gem Daus of the University of Maryland-College Park will serve as moderator."

  (tags: race ethnicity history nationality boxing sports)
• Ready, Reset, Go | Philadelphia Weekly
  "But the racial fault line in American radio runs deep.

  “You’d think if you’re putting me in with Maxwell and Musiq Soulchild, you could get me on R&B radio, but my songs weren’t R&B enough,” [Res] says. Meanwhile, it wasn’t peddled to pop and rock stations.

  “They have statistics like, how do females do in rock radio? A song won’t get added to rock radio if you’re a female because they say it doesn’t work, that people don’t like women rock songs. People break it down to numbers. It’s a business. How many black female artists who don’t do R&B win? You can count them on your hand. Therefore how many labels are going to pay for you to go there?”

  Res’ former collaborator Santigold hit a similar wall performing her own material. “It’s totally racist,” Santi notoriously told Lipster in 2008 about press calling her work R&B. “Everyone is just so shocked that I don’t like R&B. Why does R&B keep coming into my interviews? It’s pissing me off.”

  (tags: music race racism celebrities)

by Latoya Peterson

Queer youth suicides have started to receive a lot of media attention, but still, far too many members of our community swallow their pain in silence.

Over on blackpublicmedia.org, fledgling filmmaker John Dargan explores what life after Marlon Riggs’ seminal 1989 film Tongues Untied, and the shifting landscape for those on their own journeys nearly a decade later.

There is no transcript available, but here is the summary:

Inspired by the work of Marlon Riggs young filmmaker John Dargan decides to make a homage to Rigg’s critically acclaimed “Tongues Untied.” Dargan explores the contemporary face of voguing; the power behind identity and self-expression, the connection between safe spaces and the true robustness of spirit that comes to these young men with the beat of every up tempo mix they vogue to. In “Tongues Untied: Still In Vogue” we explore current young African American gay youth and their passions and personal struggles in society similar to Riggs original intention in his 1989 documentary.

By Guest Contributor Naima-Ramos Chapman, cross-posted from Colorlines

In their new music video for “New York is Killing Me,” Gil Scott-Heron and director Chris Cunningham turn popular characterizations of the Big Apple completely on their heads. The video, which was presented at the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan last week, has one simple message: it can be a cold, brutal place. But as a legendary artist, Heron’s bitter break up letter with the city has prompted some of hip-hop’s leading players to openly challenge its evils.

In this case, it’s a matter of cleverly mixed mediums that get the message across. Heron’s raspy vocals blend well with Cunningham’s visuals of alternating shots of the city, all in constant, dizzying motion. Subway tunnels, bridges, extreme aerial long shots of the city cloaked in darkness create a menacing mood for viewers. They easily conjure up feelings of destitution and grittiness for a city that over the past twenty years has become largely represented as the entertainment capital of the world.

When I first heard the track, I immediately thought of all the other highly-touted New York anthems. There’s Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and the recent Jay-Z-Alicia Keys collaboration “Empire State of Mind.” Those types of love letters contrast sharply with Heron’s gritty city journal. This is not a song about a glitz and glam New York whose “streets will inspire you.” According to Heron, it’s a lonely, cold, and bare city. For a die-hard New Yorker like myself, the song is a hard pill to swallow but once it goes down, it’s difficult not to sober up and realize how much this city’s inhabitants are hurting.

Continue Reading »

Hosted by Arturo R. García

Never let it be said that the Roundtable is above a mission of mercy. And as this episode proves, Undercovers is definitely in need of … something.

About the only cool thing in “Devices” was seeing Philippe Brenninkmeyer – aka the swinging German husband from Super Troopers – play the bad guy. I’d put up a link to one of his scenes here, but, uh, you’re better off looking it up after you leave work today. Trust me.

Otherwise, the episode was so repetitive it’s become even more annoying: the Blooms are still having the “Wow, it’s so weird teaming up with the partner I’m schtupping!” talks. At least there was finally the beginning of some sort of bigger plot movement, with a more serious, more suspicious-acting Leo Nash getting in the way of the team.

But, with the show still fighting unbearable ratings issues, we’ve decided to perform a public service  – and try to preserve our sanity – by offering tips to the creative team on how to fix up each of the show’s primary characters before it’s too late.

Continue Reading »

• Is Reality TV a Revolution for Race or the New Minstrel | Colorlines
  “'When Yul went on that show, he said he wanted to win to show that Asian Americans can be on television and can be successful and he did it. It was really impressive,' says Phil Yu, the voice behind the Angry Asian Man blog. Yu says he had a similar feeling of excitement about the majority-Asian American dance crews who have been champions on 'America’s Next Best Dance Crew.'

  “'On that show, it is definitely cool to be Asian American. I don’t know how many shows you can say that about,' Yu says.

  "Media buzz about an upcoming reality show staring a Korean-American cast that will mirror 'The Jersey Shore' has also caught Yu’s attention. 'I’m not going to lie, I’m looking forward to seeing it. It’s another example of Asian Americans getting the chance to be part of mainstream media’s flavor of the moment.' For a community too often fighting the 'model minority' stereotype, it’s the inverted pride of being considered human enough to be screwed up."

  (tags: via:cocacy realitytv race representations)
• Minorities Get Less Treatment for Their Pain | msnbc.com
  "Blacks and Hispanics are more likely than whites to deal with untreated pain and less likely to get adequate care for it, studies show. And minority patients who don't get proper pain treatment early on are likely to suffer depression and post-traumatic stress disorder down the road, says Dr. Carmen Green, a pain specialist and professor of anesthesiology at the University of Michigan."
  (tags: via:robschmidt healthdisparity race)
• The Mean Girls of Morehouse | VIBE
  Aye, the transmisogyny…. –AP

  “'Morehouse wasn’t ready for me,' says Diamond, who has the word 'unbreakable' tattooed on his collarbone and the acronym C.R.E.A.M ('Cash Rules Everything Around Me' coined by rap group Wu Tang Clan) wrapped around his right wrist. 'I’m about freedom of expression. I’m about being whomever you truly are inside. I came to Morehouse because of all the historical leaders that attended and impacted the world so heavily. You know, I really wanted to follow in their footsteps. I don’t think Morehouse believes that someone like me—someone who wears heels and dresses—can uphold that reputation. But they’re wrong.'

  “'We respect the identity and choices of all young men at Morehouse,' Dr. Bynum said via email. 'However, the Morehouse leadership development model sets a certain standard of how we expect young men to dress, and this attire does not fit within the model. Our proper attire policy expresses that standard.'”

  (tags: via:april atlanta transmisogyny queerphobia androgyny morehousecollege hbcu)
• Eminem Says Misogynist Allegations is Because He’s White | Clutch Magazine
  "[W]hen anti-bullying advocate and journalist Anderson Cooper questioned the controversial rapper about his misogynist and homophobic lyrics, Eminem gave a rather shocking reply to the question stating he was “attacked” on his violent lyricism towards women and the LGBT community because he’s a White rapper.

  The 37 year-old Detroit emcee says, “I didn’t invent saying offensive things,” and suggested Black rappers aren’t singled out the way he has been.

  “I felt like I was being singled out, and I felt like, is it the color of my skin?” The rapper continues, “There’s certain rappers that do and say the same things that I’m saying, and I don’t see no one saying anything about that.”

  (tags: race whiteness privilege hiphop misogyny rap)

By Guest Contributor Jenn, cross-posted from Reappropriate

I haven’t seen The Social Network — nor do I really plan to see it anytime soon. I mean, how much do I care about rich White guys battling other rich White guys to be the richest White guys out there?

But, out there on the blogosphere, there’s been some vague excitement about the return of Brenda Song, freshly grown-up from her Disney Channel days. She is shown prominently in The Social Network‘s trailer, and there was some early speculation that Song would make for an interesting supporting character against the backdrop of Jessie Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake making billions of dollars with some simple databasing and a lot of drunken debauchery.

Turns out all of that hope was for naught: despite Aaron Sorkin’s normally brilliant writing of strong female characters (to wit, C.J. Cregg of West Wing), Brenda Song’s Christy in The Social Network is only the most visible of a long litany of hypersexualized, dehumanized female props that exist merely for the sexual gratification of the movie’s White male main characters.

Continue Reading »

By Guest Contributors Madhuri Mohindar and Ishita Srivastava, cross-posted from Restore Fairness

“I’ve seen a lot in my life but to be degraded… not just stripped of my clothes, being stripped of my dignity, was what I had a problem with.”

Kurdish American Karwan Abdul Kader was stopped and stripped by local law enforcement for no reason other than driving around in the wrong neighborhood. This is one among many stories featured in a powerful new documentary “Face The Truth: Racial Profiling Across America”, produced by Breakthrough’s Restore Fairness campaign and the Rights Working Group, showcasing the devastating impact of racial profiling on communities around our country, including the African American, Latino, Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities.

Face the Truth: Racial Profiling Across America from Breakthrough on Vimeo.

Continue Reading »

• EXCLUSIVE A Palestinian Midwife Who Defies the Odds – WMC Blog
  “Before the Intifada, it wasn’t a matter of accessibility,” explains Feeza Shraim, now 50. “Women just felt more comfortable with another woman delivering. But after the Intifada, it was about accessibility and I began helping all kinds of women when it was too hard for them to reach a hospital.”

  Conducting her work by word-of-mouth, Shraim would go to each woman’s house armed with her own equipment, and later—when violence subsided a bit—she set up a room in her own home with an oxygen tank, disposable tools and medical kits. It wasn’t long before this midwife and caretaker opened up her very own clinic in a city with daily births numbering in the hundreds."

  (tags: politics palestine midwife)
• Malta Guards Europe's Gates against African Immigrants | latimes.com
  "In July, Malta was criticized after 27 of 55 people rescued during a joint operation were returned to Libya. The Maltese government maintains that the 27 people 'volunteered' to be sent back, a claim the UNHCR spokesperson in Rome called 'not credible and scarcely realistic.' In retaliation, Libya shut down the UNHCR office, further limiting the agency's ability to assist asylum seekers. The immigrant influx poses a challenge for Malta, an island nation of 400,000. At the peak of migration in 2008, 84 boats carrying 2,775 people landed here or were brought in after rescue. Despite Malta's unique blend of Arab, Italian and British influence, it remained relatively insular until it joined the European Union in 2004, which coincided with an increase in the number of asylum seekers from Africa after outbreaks of violence in Somalia, Eritrea and the Sudan."
  (tags: via:carleandria malta europe immigration)
• More Black People Jailed in England and Wales Proportionally than in US
  "Lyon said that although there had been 'numerous efforts to address racism in the prison system … we have yet to get a better relationship between justice authorities and black communities. Instead we have ended up with mistrust breeding mistrust.' Evidence of this damaged relationship can be found in the commission's report. On the streets, black people were subjected to what the report describes as an "excess" of 145,000 stop and searches in 2008. It notes that black people constitute less than 3% of the population, yet made up 15% of people stopped by police."
  (tags: via:carleandria uk prison race)
• Dating White or Dating Right? : Ms Magazine Blog
  "Finally, Williams is clearly wrong on two accounts: 1) Black women don’t need to be convinced to give “vanilla a chance.” Black women can date anyone of any race. Black women who want to stay down for their brothers should be respected for their choice. For those who want to date outside of their race, why is white the only acceptable alternative? I suppose other men of color fail to measure up to her almighty white standards as well. 2) There aren’t eight reasons why black women should date outside of their race. There’s only one: common interest. A date is not a lifelong commitment. If you have something in common, no mater what color he is, go out, have a great time, learn something about yourself and someone else in the process. It might be the best way to eradicate these heinous essentialized notions. One date at a time."
  (tags: interracialrelationships dating racism)
• K’Naan and Nas: Two Ways to “Manage” a Music Career | Fast Company
  "With all do respect to you all, Nas is NOBODY's slave. This is not the 1800's, respect me and I will respect you.

  I won't even tap dance around in an email, I will get right into it. People connect to the Artist @ the end of the day, they don't connect with the executives. Honestly, nobody even cares what label puts out a great record, they care about who recorded it. Yet time and time again its the executives who always stand in the way of a creative artist's dream and aspirations. You don't help draw the truth from my deepest and most inner soul, you don’t even do a great job @ selling it. The #1 problem with DEF JAM is pretty simple and obvious, the executives think they are the stars. You aren't…. not even close. As a matter of fact, you wish you were, but it didn't work out so you took a desk job. To the consumer, I COME FIRST. Stop trying to deprive them! I have a fan base that dies for my music and a RAP label that doesn't understand RAP. Pretty fucked up situation."

  (tags: hiphop celebrities music rap)
• A Hip-Hop Professional Offers Advice To Women And Rappers : The Record : NPR
  "Why is it important to encourage women to be involved in hip-hop in particular?

  One because it's still a very male-dominated business. But I've seen a lot of women be successful in the genre. Look at Queen Latifah, look at MC Lyte, look at Mona Scott, who managed Missy Elliot. There are so many women on a professional level, as well as those that were able to break through on the creative side. We're out there, we're making strides and it's important for us to know that we can as women succeed in hip-hop.

  There are so many women … that are in various positions out there other than being in the video or is a singer or rapper. "

  (tags: hiphop gender workplace)