Month: February 2014

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Who Get’s to Be A POC?: Self-Identifying & Privilege

 

“The one-drop rule was a construction of a white supremacist colonial system that depended on classifying race in order to protect its grip on power.

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I don’t actually know any “white” person who goes around saying they’re black. But I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that’s not a conversation I necessarily think we should shut down every single time. While they may not carry a “political” experience of blackness, there may be cultural, geographic even gendered, classed or religious reasons why a white person may say “hey, I’m black”.
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I think sometimes we’re too quick to say “nuh-uh, you can’t just come over here and say that. Stay in your box. You can’t understand this pain, you can’t get this identity.” And we play misery poker and shut folks down.
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I know plenty of Latin@s who are definitely “white-presenting”, but who consider themselves POCs because of language, culture, national ties etc. I also know some folks from South Asia and the Middle East (ex: Persians) who are officially considered to be “white/Caucasian” but who consider themselves POCs as a result of their identities as immigrants, as post-colonial subjects or even because of the dramatic shift in how the U.S. viewed people from South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa after 9/11. Marginalization and oppression don’t draw neat little lines and racism is often tied up with classism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia etc. etc.”

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

My highlights from a great article from one of Steven Riley’s (of Mixed Race Studies) favorite blogs, Mixed Dreams, towards a radical multiracial/ethnic movement.

 

PS: POC means Person of Color

 

@getgln

See on mixedreamers.blogspot.com

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Tavis Smiley – Week Five 2014

Tavis smiley

Edgar Barens – “Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall”

 

Twenty percent of America’s prison population is elderly. And in the next decade, nearly 100,000 inmates will die alone in their cells. One maximum security prison created a hospice program to care for dying inmates. The documentary, “Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall”, follows one inmate as he approaches his final days. The film’s director, Edgar Barens, joins us to discuss his Oscar-nominated short film.

 

 

Bill Fletcher Jr. – Traveling Through Palestine

Last month, a small delegation of African American artists traveled through Israel and Palestine to get a firsthand look at the daily lives of Palestinians. What they saw shocked and angered them, and their eyewitness accounts are sure to spark debate here as heated as any confrontation in the Middle East. Bill Fletcher Jr., senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, led the delegation and shares his perspective on the region. On the Ugly Side of the Wall By Bill Fletcher, Jr. “It felt like being in a huge prison.” That was how I responded to questions I was asked after leading a delegation of African Americans on a visit to the occupied Palestinian territories this past January. Yes, there are other ways of describing the experience. The land is beautiful; the people are generous; and with every glance, one sees reminders of a history dating back thousands of…

 

Isabel Allende – “Ripper”

Isabel Allende started her career as a prominent journalist in her native Chile. She became a political refugee after her cousin, Chilean president Salvador Allende, was overthrown and killed in a coup in 1973. As an exile in Venezuela, she reinvented herself into a human rights activist and author. More than 30 years later, she’s internationally renowned for her work. She joins us to discuss her latest book, “Ripper”.

Listen on Stitcher
Listen on Soundcloud
Listen on iTunes
Listen on PRI

 

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Racial diversity still lacking in Hollywood’s major films

 

“The numbers are troubling still in the prestigious Academy Awards. Only three black men have won awards in the Best Leading Actor category from 1958 to 2013, and only one black woman, Halle Berry in 2001 for her role in Monster’s Ball, has ever won the award for Best Leading Actress.

 

Despite the praise and success of these films, there is still a major problem in representation of black talent in Hollywood. The main issue is that they are casted for roles that are racially limiting in nature rather than what The Huffington Post’s Senior Editor Kia Makarechi calls “non-racially coded characters.” 12 Years, Fruitvale, Mandela, and The Butler demand black actors to fill in black roles.
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Community Village‘s insight:

 

The lack of racial diversity in Hollywood is more evidence of discrimination in employment, which in turn keeps those salaries out of the hands of people of color.

 

It’s 2014 now and it seems each ethnic group needs to create it’s own industry of careers in order to get full employment. But even then, it’s still the mass media and the big budget blockbusters where the bigger money is, so the discrimination and favoritism is a form of oppression.

 

@getgln

See on communityvillageus.blogspot.com

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Michael Eric Dyson, Professor of Sociology speaking at the Commonwealth Club of California 2009

 

“Michael Eric Dyson, Ph.D.; Professor of Sociology, Georgetown University; Author

Named one of the 100 most influential black Americans by Ebony magazine, Dyson touches on politics, the arts and the personal, including justice, poverty, faith and spirituality. Known as the hip-hop intellectual, he examines issues of class, race and poverty, and political strife. Join us for an enlightening discussion.

 

Moderator: Richard Thompson Ford, George E. Osborne Professor of Law, Stanford University; Author, The Race Card”

 

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

Now that Dr. Cornel West is not broadcasting weekly with Tavis Smiley, I went and found me some Dr. Michael Eric Dyson to listen to.

 

@getgln

 

See on www.youtube.com

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Taxpayers Are Spending Over $600M On Gun Violence Hospitalizations

 

“Millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on gun violence related hospitalizations across the country every year — dollars that you work hard for, dollars that shouldn’t be wasted on senseless violence.”

 
See on www.fortrayvon.org

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Making history: After three-year legal battle, first undocumented immigrant lawyer is sworn in

On Saturday, February 1, 2014, Sergio García was sworn in as the first undocumented immigrant lawyer. An important moment in history. Watch the moving video:

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

JewishNewsOne, no human is illegal. Drop the i-word.

 

See on ppclc.wordpress.com

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Janet Mock: I was born a baby, not a boy – CNN.com Video

Janet Mock explains why she was upset with her previous interview with Piers Morgan.

 

Community Village‘s insight:

 

Get it right Piers Morgan. Respect trans identity.

 

Respect for Janet Mock! Nice nice fighter!

See on www.cnn.com