The Washington Post piece about racism on the campaign trail highlights examples of anti-black sentiment experienced by Obama volunteers - incidents that have gone largely unnoticed and/or unackowledged by both the campaign and the mainstream media.
While this culture of omission doesn’t surprise me in a social climate that has chosen to downplay our nation’s racial wounds rather than heal them, it is funny that America has been lulled into believing that racism no longer exists - overt or structural (despite constant reminders like the Jena Six, the rampant rise of hate crimes, the racial unrest in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict, the disparity in the war on drugs and the countless examples of unabashed racism that arise is discussions of America’s broken immigration system.)
The real take-away from this story is not that campaign staff are subjected to experiences that the candidate himself may be distanced from. It's the duh-connect-the-dots point that if a rockstar presidential candidate is the object of this sort of racism, imagine what the regular people of color that live in and around these communities must experience on a daily basis.
Three police officers that shot and killed 23 year old Sean Bell in 2006 were acquitted today of all charges. Bell, who was unarmed, was shot in a barrage of 50 bullets by plainclothes officers that witnesses say did not identify themselves.
Needless to say, this case carries with it several similarities to the 1991 beating of Rodney King, that make it not only reminiscent of the case, but that much more egregious, infuriating, and disheartening in 2008.
The AP put out a story this morning about “Big Black Dog Syndrome” – the trend of people fearing big black dogs, no matter how nice they are. I read it and was completely offended. Okay, so not offended in the what-it-says-offends-me kind of way. But offended in that uncomfortable-because-this-sounds-too-similar-to-something-else- that-offends-me kind of way. Read More »
I don't really like Star Jones. But however little I like Star, I like Bill O'Reilly MUCH less. Read her open letter response to Bill O’Reilly's use of the phrase "lynching party" when speaking of Michelle Obama.
As passé as racially charged remarks from white, male, media personalities has become (Michael Richards, Don Imus, Dog the Bounty Hunter), the phenomenon never ceases to amaze me.
And despite protests, boycotts, community outrage, and the occasional open letter, these commentators, like the bobble head game at Chuck E Cheese, keep popping up…again….and again.
As if we aren't being bombarded with enough images of America's homeowners suffering from the mortage foreclosure crisis, today's news seems to have found the most compelling:
Michael's Jackson's Neverland ranch, the creepy children's playland that we all know and love, is in danger of foreclosure and could soon be hitting an auction block near you.
“Excuse me, do you mind if we share a cab?” The gentleman that I was shouting to stood about 5’6’’. His companion, a thin woman just slightly shorter, was bundling up to protect herself from the strong San Francisco Bay wind. I was doing the same. “Uh, sure. Uh, where are you headed? We’re going to Union Square” he replied, the “uh’s” used for language guides though his thick accent. I told him the name of our hotel, a mere 2 minutes from Union Square. “Then of course! Let’s go together!” he said. The friendliness in his voice was oddly un-American, giving away his foreign lineage more than his accent. No stranger in D.C. has never welcomed me so warmly into a cab in my life. Read More »
Time magazine's piece on the youth vote got many things right. It highlighted the organizing strategies and tactics used in recent months to engage young voters. It accurately captured the sense of expectation and excitement that has been aroused by the candidates (and according to the piece, one candidate in particular) by merely paying attention to young voters in a way that few have before. Unfortunately, it also got several things wrong. Read More »
No, I’m not talking about the children killed in the 1963 Birmingham bombing, or the Spike Lee movie by the same name. I’m talking about the four girls found dead in their SE, Washington DC home last week. The story has gained international coverage, rare for any story dealing with abused lower income children of color.
So today is Dr. King’s bday. <silence and crickets chirping> Not hearing much about it this year? Sure, there are prayer breakfasts and other events taking place on Monday throughout the country, and many folks are donating their obligatory $5 to the national monument fund (me included), but it seems like some folks have run out of things to say. Is it weird that in a post- Jena six, Don Imus world, we’ve gotten so sick of talking about race that we’re also sick of discussing the solution-oriented leaders whose lives offer clear, simple, and so often forgotten remedies to the problem of the color line (and the class line)?
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