Hi y'all,
NPR is doing a month-long series on race, and I thought you might find this interesting. It's an examination of the development of racial consciousness in children. Check it out here. Click on "listen now" to hear the program (it's about 18 min. long).
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tick-Tock
With the semester coming to a quick close, time is of the essence. I share Dr. Young's concerns regarding the end of the semester project. We are running out of time.At this point, I think we need to hear from more members of the class on their opinions before we proceed with any other plans. I would appreciate your thoughts/concerns so that we can progress with the project, or not. Hope you are all doing well!
Medicine in Black and White
Hello All,
A student in my undergraduate seminar sent this to me with you guys in mind.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
End of the Semester Project
Hi everyone, hope you are all doing well. Seeing as the semester's end is not far off, we really should get moving on our end of the semester project. I am waiting to hear back from the assistant to the Chair in my department about reserving Clemens 120. But in the meantime, there are other things that need to be decided.
1) We need a name for our actual presentation. This will go on flyers that we will hand out to interested parties.
2) Abstracts. I have a friend who is a graphic designer, and have asked her to help us in designing a flyer for the presentation. If we were to collect the full abstracts of all of our papers and circulate them, I wonder if that would be too much. Would people actually read through all of them? What if instead we each came up with a sentence or two about our paper, and included that on the flyer? Any thoughts/suggestions?
3) People. We need to think of groups/departments/friends or family members that will be interested in attending our presentation. We should come up with a final list, so that when it comes time to circulate the flyers and/or abstracts, we are all set.
4) Food. Although I was told that food in Clemens 120 is off limits-I distinctly recall being in that room and eating. For the TA conference I had to attend, food/drink was catered by the University. Having said that, we should think about the kind of food/drink we would like to supply. I am not sure if my department has any extra funds, so this might have to be an out of pocket expense. Perhaps each of us can chip in to help defray the costs?
5) Time. We should think about a convenient time for the presentation. When should it begin? How long should each of us speak? Those sorts of things.
Any questions/comments/suggestions please share with everyone.
See you all tomorrow.
1) We need a name for our actual presentation. This will go on flyers that we will hand out to interested parties.
2) Abstracts. I have a friend who is a graphic designer, and have asked her to help us in designing a flyer for the presentation. If we were to collect the full abstracts of all of our papers and circulate them, I wonder if that would be too much. Would people actually read through all of them? What if instead we each came up with a sentence or two about our paper, and included that on the flyer? Any thoughts/suggestions?
3) People. We need to think of groups/departments/friends or family members that will be interested in attending our presentation. We should come up with a final list, so that when it comes time to circulate the flyers and/or abstracts, we are all set.
4) Food. Although I was told that food in Clemens 120 is off limits-I distinctly recall being in that room and eating. For the TA conference I had to attend, food/drink was catered by the University. Having said that, we should think about the kind of food/drink we would like to supply. I am not sure if my department has any extra funds, so this might have to be an out of pocket expense. Perhaps each of us can chip in to help defray the costs?
5) Time. We should think about a convenient time for the presentation. When should it begin? How long should each of us speak? Those sorts of things.
Any questions/comments/suggestions please share with everyone.
See you all tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Reading David Roediger's How Race Survived US History, I was reminded of a documentary that I saw about a year ago. The documentary is entitled Little RockCentral: 50 Years Later. It is a wonderful film which revisits Little Rock Central High School 50 years after the forcible integration of nine black high school students in defiance of the governor's orders not to integrate the school after Brown v. Board of Education. By looking at Little Rock Central 50 years later, the film shows the failure of policies and legislation that has intended to de-privilege whiteness as well as the inadequacies of colorblindness as a way to overcome racial problems in a nation where race has always mattered.
On a personal note, my Mother teaches in a public middle school in a rural part of North Carolina, about thirty minutes inland from Wilmington, NC. The school is a Title 1 school with students who are so poor that, living just a thirty minute drive from the beach, most have never even seen the ocean. The student body, in this school, is almost equally divided between white and black students with a small percentage of Hispanic and Native American students. After seeing Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later, I told my Mother about it. She decided to show it to her students and then she conducted a discussion with regard to the film. She said that she was amazed at the reaction from many of her students. Usually, the students are extremely difficult to manage and classtime is spent dealing with discipline problems, leaving very little time for actual teaching. But, after watching the film, she said that all of her students were animated and lively. She said that everyone was engaged in the conversation, and it was the best class that she has had since she began teaching at the school just three years prior. Many of her students expressed the fact that they loved the film and the discussion because they were allowed to discuss openly race which they can't do in their other classes where colorblindness seems to be the preferred solution to issues that arise with regard to race. While race is a major issue in the lives of these students, they are never given the opportunity nor forum in which they can discuss race and what it means to them. By no means, did the students in my Mother's class agree on issues that were raised, but they did get to talk openly about these issues and the role that race plays in their lives. So, I think that this is a realistic example of much of what we discuss in class. If you are interested in the documentary, it is an HBO film and, on the HBO website, there is a good synopsis of it.
On a personal note, my Mother teaches in a public middle school in a rural part of North Carolina, about thirty minutes inland from Wilmington, NC. The school is a Title 1 school with students who are so poor that, living just a thirty minute drive from the beach, most have never even seen the ocean. The student body, in this school, is almost equally divided between white and black students with a small percentage of Hispanic and Native American students. After seeing Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later, I told my Mother about it. She decided to show it to her students and then she conducted a discussion with regard to the film. She said that she was amazed at the reaction from many of her students. Usually, the students are extremely difficult to manage and classtime is spent dealing with discipline problems, leaving very little time for actual teaching. But, after watching the film, she said that all of her students were animated and lively. She said that everyone was engaged in the conversation, and it was the best class that she has had since she began teaching at the school just three years prior. Many of her students expressed the fact that they loved the film and the discussion because they were allowed to discuss openly race which they can't do in their other classes where colorblindness seems to be the preferred solution to issues that arise with regard to race. While race is a major issue in the lives of these students, they are never given the opportunity nor forum in which they can discuss race and what it means to them. By no means, did the students in my Mother's class agree on issues that were raised, but they did get to talk openly about these issues and the role that race plays in their lives. So, I think that this is a realistic example of much of what we discuss in class. If you are interested in the documentary, it is an HBO film and, on the HBO website, there is a good synopsis of it.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
What Is It?
The topic of race came up again in another class I'm in (19th century American cultural history) and I thought it might be relevant to post here about it.
This week we read a book called The Arts of Deception: Playing with Fraud in the Age of Barnum by James Cook. As the title suggests, PT Barnum is the main focus but the book is more about the market revolution and the middle class in the antebellum north. The book uses specific Barnum exhibits as windows into antebellum culture in New York City, and one such chapter deals with an incredible (and at the time, wildly popular) exhibit called What Is It?
The exhibit claimed that the person/creature (described by Barnum and in advertising as "the nondescript") was a potential "missing link", and left it up to the audience to make their own conclusions. Cook argues that a big part of what made Barnum so successful was that he could take anxieties and ambiguities people were feeling, meld an exhibit around them, and thus challenge people to come face to face with issues of culture, race, and the emerging capitalist order.
At face value What Is It? certainly seems to be a blatantly racist caricature, but I couldn't help wonder if that was the point. That is, since Barnum so often attempted to force the audience to consider ambiguity, was this exhibit actually meant to call into questions preconceived notions of race? I left that class not sure if Barnum was an incredible racist or a subversive, and perhaps brilliant, opponent of racial prejudice.
I'm also curious to hear what you all feel about these images (as follows), the topic as a whole, and especially the issue of race and biology. We finished class last night being asked about the culturalists and their opinion of biology in regards to race, and these exhibits might give an early historical look at how American felt on the issue. Also, bear in mind the historical context of What Is It? Two major things to consider: 1) This exhibit came out less than a year after Darwin published The Origin of Species, and 2) This is the year Abraham Lincoln was elected President.
Enough from me, here are the images. The first two are advertisements. On the left is an advertisement put out by Barnum, and on the right one from Currier and Ives.
The next two are photographs taken by Matthew Brady in the early 1860's.
Love to hear what you guys think.
This week we read a book called The Arts of Deception: Playing with Fraud in the Age of Barnum by James Cook. As the title suggests, PT Barnum is the main focus but the book is more about the market revolution and the middle class in the antebellum north. The book uses specific Barnum exhibits as windows into antebellum culture in New York City, and one such chapter deals with an incredible (and at the time, wildly popular) exhibit called What Is It?
The exhibit claimed that the person/creature (described by Barnum and in advertising as "the nondescript") was a potential "missing link", and left it up to the audience to make their own conclusions. Cook argues that a big part of what made Barnum so successful was that he could take anxieties and ambiguities people were feeling, meld an exhibit around them, and thus challenge people to come face to face with issues of culture, race, and the emerging capitalist order.
At face value What Is It? certainly seems to be a blatantly racist caricature, but I couldn't help wonder if that was the point. That is, since Barnum so often attempted to force the audience to consider ambiguity, was this exhibit actually meant to call into questions preconceived notions of race? I left that class not sure if Barnum was an incredible racist or a subversive, and perhaps brilliant, opponent of racial prejudice.
I'm also curious to hear what you all feel about these images (as follows), the topic as a whole, and especially the issue of race and biology. We finished class last night being asked about the culturalists and their opinion of biology in regards to race, and these exhibits might give an early historical look at how American felt on the issue. Also, bear in mind the historical context of What Is It? Two major things to consider: 1) This exhibit came out less than a year after Darwin published The Origin of Species, and 2) This is the year Abraham Lincoln was elected President.
Enough from me, here are the images. The first two are advertisements. On the left is an advertisement put out by Barnum, and on the right one from Currier and Ives.
The next two are photographs taken by Matthew Brady in the early 1860's.
Love to hear what you guys think.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The "N word" in yet another context
Every week, I leave campus after class, I turn on NPR--and I kid you not--there is always some discussion on race. Today, on All Things Considered, there was a brief discussion of "Urban Desi," which according to NPR "is a fast-growing style that blends South Asian pop culture and American hip-hop." For more on the broadcast, check out "Urban Desi: A Genre on the Rise." Shaman Ajmani, one of the interviewees, had the following to say about what NPR coins as the inharmonious dimension of this "cultural exchange:" "I do see some Indians over here using the N word. It's so annoying. I feel like saying, 'What're you doing, man? Don't try to be black.'"
"What're you doing, man? Don't try to be black." One of the implications here (there are many, one of which is that "being black" is unseemly or undesirable) is that the N word is a "black thing" or a "black word" (this recalls my New Orleanian grandmother who told my sister, my brother, and me as kids that we shouldn't say "booty" because it, too, was a "black word"). This, of course, complicates the debate surrounding the N word, which usually revolves around the issue of who can/cannot say it. Here, in this context, the N word is cast as the language of "the other." This "casting" is yet again problematized by the fact that whites have used (as part and parcel of their antebellum prerogatives as possessors/owners of commodified black bodies)--and continue to use--the N word. Not only is the N word, as Dr. Young said in class, the most powerful word (yes, I used the superlative), but it is also one of the most versatile words, contextually and otherwise (I had to qualify this superlative). Thus, it can be cast as "a black word," as a resistive (re)appropriation of the term, as a word of comradery (among both blacks and whites--students from my high school can testify to the latter [I might post about this later because it relates to Harris' tome of an article]), as derogatory, as racist, etc., etc. (I'm sure you could add to this list).
"What're you doing, man? Don't try to be black." One of the implications here (there are many, one of which is that "being black" is unseemly or undesirable) is that the N word is a "black thing" or a "black word" (this recalls my New Orleanian grandmother who told my sister, my brother, and me as kids that we shouldn't say "booty" because it, too, was a "black word"). This, of course, complicates the debate surrounding the N word, which usually revolves around the issue of who can/cannot say it. Here, in this context, the N word is cast as the language of "the other." This "casting" is yet again problematized by the fact that whites have used (as part and parcel of their antebellum prerogatives as possessors/owners of commodified black bodies)--and continue to use--the N word. Not only is the N word, as Dr. Young said in class, the most powerful word (yes, I used the superlative), but it is also one of the most versatile words, contextually and otherwise (I had to qualify this superlative). Thus, it can be cast as "a black word," as a resistive (re)appropriation of the term, as a word of comradery (among both blacks and whites--students from my high school can testify to the latter [I might post about this later because it relates to Harris' tome of an article]), as derogatory, as racist, etc., etc. (I'm sure you could add to this list).
Literature
Steve's post below, which includes the Tintin cartoon, triggered some memories for me. Tintin is quite popular in India, and I've read a bunch of those. (Asterix is also very popular in India, but that's besides the point). Of course, before coming to the U.S., I never really realized that there was something terribly wrong with an image like that. I guess that's the kind of ignorance that comes with inadequate high-school education and also growing up in a racially homogeneous society.
BTW, and here's where I am going with this post: this brings me to the subject of children's lit written by British authors. I guess just like cricket, children's lit is Britain's colonial "gift" to countries like India. Especially reading one author - Enid Blyton - is like a right of passage for anyone and everyone who ever attended a convent school in India. I absolutely loved her stuff when I was growing up, but looking back I can't help but see the racial and religious undertones in her work (Most of her stuff was about reforming or reformed "naughty" kids, boarding school stories (recently re-popularized in the Harry Potter series), and about magical "far away" places). Most kids in her work owned at least one golliwog, and as is sometimes with literature, it was the illustrations that were often the most telling. I post a few below:
It's actually strange now that I think about that: I was given this last book The Land of Far Beyond as a prize for some contest in high school by my school principal. (I went to a catholic school). The book that I had recd. had a different cover and there was no indication on it that it was a "re-telling of The Pilgrim's Progress." Hmmm...
BTW, and here's where I am going with this post: this brings me to the subject of children's lit written by British authors. I guess just like cricket, children's lit is Britain's colonial "gift" to countries like India. Especially reading one author - Enid Blyton - is like a right of passage for anyone and everyone who ever attended a convent school in India. I absolutely loved her stuff when I was growing up, but looking back I can't help but see the racial and religious undertones in her work (Most of her stuff was about reforming or reformed "naughty" kids, boarding school stories (recently re-popularized in the Harry Potter series), and about magical "far away" places). Most kids in her work owned at least one golliwog, and as is sometimes with literature, it was the illustrations that were often the most telling. I post a few below:
It's actually strange now that I think about that: I was given this last book The Land of Far Beyond as a prize for some contest in high school by my school principal. (I went to a catholic school). The book that I had recd. had a different cover and there was no indication on it that it was a "re-telling of The Pilgrim's Progress." Hmmm...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
"When Obama's Irish Eyes are Smiling"
I was recently browsing a website looking for a cool Obama t-shirt to purchase. I noticed at least a dozen designs all revolving around the idea of Obama being of Irish descent. If my freckles hadn't given it away-I am Irish, so I really got a kick out of these t-shirts. That same day, a friend of mine sent me this link of a man singing an Irish song about Obama-check it out, I think you will all get a kick out of it as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EADUQWKoVek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EADUQWKoVek
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Race Card...
...has been played. Not by Obama as many would have predicted, but by the Republicans.
Of course, all this is not just about race, but also about religion. I am posting below part of a blog-entry from one of my favorite blogs Sepia Mutiny that underscores this point:
"Things from the campaign trail keep getting uglier. Here is what went down at a rally in Davenport, Iowa TODAY (listen to the audio here):
The full entry and readers' comments can be found here
Of course, all this is not just about race, but also about religion. I am posting below part of a blog-entry from one of my favorite blogs Sepia Mutiny that underscores this point:
"Things from the campaign trail keep getting uglier. Here is what went down at a rally in Davenport, Iowa TODAY (listen to the audio here):
At a McCain event, as the crowd waited for McCain himself to arrive, Pastor Arnold Conrad of the Grace Evangelical Free Church of Davenport, Iowa, gave an invocation that included the following: “I would also pray, Lord, that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their god—whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah—that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day.” [Link]First of all, even the hate speech itself demonstrates gross ignorance. For goodness sake, if you are going to be a bigot at least have the courtesy to be a bigot that makes sense. “Hindu” and “Buddha” aren’t gods. Millions of people don’t worship “Hindu.” Furthermore, all three of the Abrahamic religions worship the same God, Muslims just call him Allah. Geez, can anyone just sign up to be a pastor? This was the invocation that started off the rally before McCain even arrived. I guess they wanted to get the crowd in the mood."
The full entry and readers' comments can be found here
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Roediger -- Race Will Survive the Obama Phenomenon
So I happened to be checking my gmail account and came across the heading "Race Will Survive the Obama Phenomenon." I clicked on the email and saw that David R. Roediger, my favorite scholar in the whole wide world, sent a link to his recently published essay in the _Chronicle of Higher Education_. For those interested in what Roediger has to say about Obama, this essay will suffice: It's all but a word-for-word copy of Roediger's "Afterword," which, save a brief mention of Obama on p. 196, is the only real treatment of the Democratic presidential nominee in the monograph: http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i07/07b00601.htm
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Privilege checklists
OK... I was wrong about their being a "white privilege" checklist (maybe there is one and I just haven't heard about it yet?) There is male privilege checklist and then there is also a Black male privilege checklist. Both can be found at the following websites:
The Male Privilege Checklist
The Black Male Privilege Checklist
The Male Privilege Checklist
The Black Male Privilege Checklist
Stuff _____ people like
So here are the various websites we talked about in class:
Stuff white people like
Stuff Asian people like
Stuff educated Black people like
Stuff desis/Brown people like (for those who don't know, the word "desi" means anyone of South Asian origins)
Stuff Queer people like
Stuff Jewish people like
Since I am getting tired of posting individual links, here's a website that lists all (?) stuff people like websites http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/04/08/websites-about-stuff-people-like/
I wasn't aware of so many of these being out there and didn't realize that there was "stuff desis/brown people like blog." I'll have to check that one out and post my responses...
Stuff white people like
Stuff Asian people like
Stuff educated Black people like
Stuff desis/Brown people like (for those who don't know, the word "desi" means anyone of South Asian origins)
Stuff Queer people like
Stuff Jewish people like
Since I am getting tired of posting individual links, here's a website that lists all (?) stuff people like websites http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/04/08/websites-about-stuff-people-like/
I wasn't aware of so many of these being out there and didn't realize that there was "stuff desis/brown people like blog." I'll have to check that one out and post my responses...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Colorism
The ABC News article “Colorism Shows We’re a Long Way from a Color Blind Society” shows that colorism is a major problem in Black America. I could relate to everything that was stated in this article. It also confirmed a lot of points I made in a recent debate I was involved in about Black America’s color hierarchy. An insensitive remark by my melanin deficient cousin triggered this debate. Referring to the five-plus dark-skinned people sitting in the room he entered (I was one of them), my cousin shouted: “you darkies are generating too much heat, I need to get some more light skinned people to bring down the temperature in this room.” Offended by this remark, I attempted to enlighten my cousin and everyone that was in my presence—all of them were my male cousins-- about colorism. I started my lesson with a discussion about how we perceive skin color. I informed them that more often than not, dark skinned African Americans are perceived as dim-witted, ugly, and devious, while light skinned African Americans are thought of as intelligent and beautiful. To illustrate this statement, I used Black women in the entertainment industry. The following questions were posed to them: “how many dark skinned, African American females are omnipresent in the entertainment industry? “ “… are considered beautiful? “… are given lead roles in critically acclaimed and commercially successful films?” “…are portrayed as sophisticated in films and music videos?” I asked the same questions about light skinned African American females.
“Who is the most attractive African American entertainer? Describe their physical features.”
Due to the fact that we are bombarded on daily basis with images of women in the entertainment industry, this exercise was relatively easy. Of course, their responses were not shocking: they said that Beyonce and Halle Berry are the embodiments of Black beauty. As for the omnipresent-beautiful-sophisticated-dark skinned female entertainer, they could only list what I call “exceptions to the rule” (at most two entertainers). Following this discussion, I proceeded to talk about the negative effects of colorism. I used the Brown Paper Bag Test, Blue Vein Societies—the article elaborates on Blue Vein Societies and the Brown Paper Bag Test-- and Dr. Kenneth Clark’s doll test to illustrate these effects. After stating my case about colorism, I asserted that African Americans are guilty of perpetuating colorism and therefore should work towards dismantling this form of discrimination/oppression.
Unfortunately, my family did not concur with my statements. They failed to acknowledge the culpability of Black Americans in the perpetuation of colorism. Instead of looking at the ways African Americans could suppress colorism, they argued about how white supremacy trumps colorism when it comes to major problems facing Black America. I even had one cousin accuse me of hating light skinned African Americans. Their reaction was dis-heartening. I anxiously await they day when I can engage in an intellectually stimulating conversation about colorism that will lead to healing. What are your thoughts about colorism?
Here is an excerpt from the ABC News article. Here’s the link to the full article http://abcnews.go.com/2020/GiveMeABreak/story?id=548303&page=1
Skin-Deep Discrimination
'Colorism' Shows We're a Long Way from a Color-Blind Society
March 4, 2005 —
Hollywood, Music Videos Reinforce Bias
...The Black Power movement was supposed to change those attitudes, and it did change some things. Suddenly there were some dark-skinned male stars who played the "hero" -- Richard Roundtree played "Shaft," and other stars followed, like Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, and Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx.
But the acceptance of darker skin seems to apply mostly to the macho guys. The part of the successful, educated black almost always goes to someone with lighter skin.
Actor Mel Jackson says light-skinned men like him tend to get the role of the "business executive."
Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson has noticed the difference. "I've never been offered, you know, the crackhead or the distressed mother," she said. "I play the very upscale, educated young lady," Robinson said. "I do have some peers that are a lot darker than myself. They don't get the opportunities."
Colorism is especially prevalent in music videos…"They all light skinned and they all look good," one boy said. "There's a lot of dark-skinned girls that are pretty, with long hair, bad, but they're not in the videos though, it's just the light-skinned ones that's in the videos," another added.
"The darker the woman takes on what I refer to as a "Ho" complex. She is the prostitute," said Karen a University of Maryland student. "The lighter a woman is, well, she's the goddess. She's the untouchable. She is the woman that all the men in the video aspire to have," she said.
“Who is the most attractive African American entertainer? Describe their physical features.”
Due to the fact that we are bombarded on daily basis with images of women in the entertainment industry, this exercise was relatively easy. Of course, their responses were not shocking: they said that Beyonce and Halle Berry are the embodiments of Black beauty. As for the omnipresent-beautiful-sophisticated-dark skinned female entertainer, they could only list what I call “exceptions to the rule” (at most two entertainers). Following this discussion, I proceeded to talk about the negative effects of colorism. I used the Brown Paper Bag Test, Blue Vein Societies—the article elaborates on Blue Vein Societies and the Brown Paper Bag Test-- and Dr. Kenneth Clark’s doll test to illustrate these effects. After stating my case about colorism, I asserted that African Americans are guilty of perpetuating colorism and therefore should work towards dismantling this form of discrimination/oppression.
Unfortunately, my family did not concur with my statements. They failed to acknowledge the culpability of Black Americans in the perpetuation of colorism. Instead of looking at the ways African Americans could suppress colorism, they argued about how white supremacy trumps colorism when it comes to major problems facing Black America. I even had one cousin accuse me of hating light skinned African Americans. Their reaction was dis-heartening. I anxiously await they day when I can engage in an intellectually stimulating conversation about colorism that will lead to healing. What are your thoughts about colorism?
Here is an excerpt from the ABC News article. Here’s the link to the full article http://abcnews.go.com/2020/GiveMeABreak/story?id=548303&page=1
Skin-Deep Discrimination
'Colorism' Shows We're a Long Way from a Color-Blind Society
March 4, 2005 —
Hollywood, Music Videos Reinforce Bias
...The Black Power movement was supposed to change those attitudes, and it did change some things. Suddenly there were some dark-skinned male stars who played the "hero" -- Richard Roundtree played "Shaft," and other stars followed, like Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, and Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx.
But the acceptance of darker skin seems to apply mostly to the macho guys. The part of the successful, educated black almost always goes to someone with lighter skin.
Actor Mel Jackson says light-skinned men like him tend to get the role of the "business executive."
Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson has noticed the difference. "I've never been offered, you know, the crackhead or the distressed mother," she said. "I play the very upscale, educated young lady," Robinson said. "I do have some peers that are a lot darker than myself. They don't get the opportunities."
Colorism is especially prevalent in music videos…"They all light skinned and they all look good," one boy said. "There's a lot of dark-skinned girls that are pretty, with long hair, bad, but they're not in the videos though, it's just the light-skinned ones that's in the videos," another added.
"The darker the woman takes on what I refer to as a "Ho" complex. She is the prostitute," said Karen a University of Maryland student. "The lighter a woman is, well, she's the goddess. She's the untouchable. She is the woman that all the men in the video aspire to have," she said.
The Buffalo-Tanzania Education Project
I wanted to share with all of you a wonderful project that is currently underway. The Buffalo-Tanzania Education Project (BTEP) is a community initiative supporting social and economic reform in the Mara region of Tanzania Africa through the development of schools for girls.
The Mara region of Tanzania is located in the far north of the country, on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria and the southern border of Kenya. Within this traditional agricultural culture, girls are treated as commodities, often forced to marry at 12 or 13 years of age and left to endure unspeakable abuse and hardship. Also beleaguered with HIV-AIDS, poor nutrition and sanitation, Tanzanian girls and women are left with few options for upward mobility.
Education provides a pathway to a promising future. However, within rural regions of Tanzania like Mara, few schools are available. And since schooling for girls is not valued by most of the traditional families, it is not an option for many. Through the promotion and development of schools for girls, we can begin to address the complex and multifaceted needs of this region.
Despite its challenges, the Mara region of Tanzania is rich in resources, making it uniquely suited for a comprehensive school. Key assets include
"If you educate a girl, you educate a nation"
The Mara region of Tanzania is located in the far north of the country, on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria and the southern border of Kenya. Within this traditional agricultural culture, girls are treated as commodities, often forced to marry at 12 or 13 years of age and left to endure unspeakable abuse and hardship. Also beleaguered with HIV-AIDS, poor nutrition and sanitation, Tanzanian girls and women are left with few options for upward mobility.
Education provides a pathway to a promising future. However, within rural regions of Tanzania like Mara, few schools are available. And since schooling for girls is not valued by most of the traditional families, it is not an option for many. Through the promotion and development of schools for girls, we can begin to address the complex and multifaceted needs of this region.
Despite its challenges, the Mara region of Tanzania is rich in resources, making it uniquely suited for a comprehensive school. Key assets include
- The Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa (IHSA), a community of nuns who have successfully developed and managed schools in Tanzania, are committed to developing a comprehensive school for girls in the Mara region.
- 1000 acres of land that have been given to the IHSA for the development of a comprehensive school for girls.
- Official support for external partnerships resulting in the development of schools.
Ways to get involved:
- Make a donation-every dollar helps!
- Come to a community meeting. This Friday, October 10th, there will be a meeting in the Community Room at Allen Hall (South Campus, directly across from the Tim Horton's on Main Street) at noon (please bring a lunch). At this meeting, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the project and talk to the Immaculate Heart Sisters. You can also join a committee to help plan fund raising events, or join the steering committee and help leverage resources for the Project.
- Spread the word!!! Tell your students, friends, family, and colleagues about this wonderful opportunity to change the world (literally).
At this point, the website the for BTEP is currently being created. But if you would like to get involved immediately, and cannot attend Friday's meeting, please email Mara Huber, co-founder of this project, at BTEPgirls@gmail.com. I have worked as the nanny for Mara's 4 children for over 3 years-she is a wonderful, strong woman dedicated to making this project a reality. Please get involved!!!!!
Kama Ukimwelimisha Msichana, Unaelimisha Taifa"If you educate a girl, you educate a nation"
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Race, Class and Sterilization redux
Writing in Scattered Belongings, Jayne Ifekwunigwe makes reference to the forced sterilization and abortions for German women who gave birth to 'non-Aryan' children. Readers of this blog may be interested to hear of a recent controversy sparked by Louisiana representative John LaBruzzo (R-District 81) who is proposing a bill that would pay low income women $1000 if they consent to being sterilized. You can find more on the story here.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Could Obama be the first Asian American President?
Yes, someone has actually made this argument. The article has been written by Jeff Yang and appeared a while ago in the San Francisco Chronicle. Here's the link:
Could Obama be the first Asian American president?
To be honest I am not entirely surprised or taken aback with this argument. I have found a similar tendency in South Asian American blogs to "reclaim" Obama as "one of us" based on his immigrant experience and "funny name."
Could Obama be the first Asian American president?
To be honest I am not entirely surprised or taken aback with this argument. I have found a similar tendency in South Asian American blogs to "reclaim" Obama as "one of us" based on his immigrant experience and "funny name."
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Words of Power, and the Power of Words
Hey, did you guys hear the new Kanye song?
Although I missed the MTV VMA's where Kanya debuted that song, I have been paying a bit of attention to the other great cultural barometer of our time, the UB Spectrum. Apparently there's been a bit of controversy over an opinion piece that appeared in the September 15th edition.
The piece was written by "Senior Sports Editor" Steven Marth and dealt with the N-word. The article is online and I would suggest reading it if you haven't, because the rest of this post might not make as much sense.
Before I get into the article and its implications, I should also note that if you haven't been following the Spectrum lately (and I wasn't until yesterday, luckily I found back copies strewn about the Grad lounge) there has been a pretty serious backlash directed at Mr. Marsh. The Black Student Union, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Alliance and the College Democrats have since published a response calling for his dismissal. A separate letter from the editor suggested that Marsh has been shouted at on campus and personally threatened.
A quick reading of the article begs several questions. First, why is the sports guy getting into an extremely touchy racial subject? UB Football is 2-2! We beat the spread against Missouri!
The second question I have is with his argument that a double-standard exists because the N-Word is "free speech" where derogatory terms for homosexuals or different ethnic groups are hate crimes. I'm no legal scholar (barely any kind of scholar for that matter) but I think he's wrong here. I don't believe using a derogatory term is itself a crime, and if it is, I certainly don't think it should be.
Thirdly, he argues that groups such as the Black Student Union and BET are, by their natures, propogating racism. I think he's looking at these entities the wrong way. Groups like the BSU exist not to emphasize differences but to help ensure that those differences are rendered as non-existent as possible. And as far as BET encouraging racism, I really think that's just a sophomoric argument that doesn't befit a Senior anything. Does that mean the Food Network progates obesity? Or the Do-It-Yourself Network progates splinters? Networks are allowed to cater to audiences.
So other than me thinking the Senior Sports Editor of the Spectrum is wrong and probably shouldn't have even published his opinion on the matter (and yes I recognize the irony of publishing my own opinion regarding it), what does this have to do with our class? I think its a pretty strong reminder of the power of words, and where that power comes from. Perhaps even more pressing for the historian, it reminds us that words are subject to different interpretations.
When Kanye uses the N-Word we all hear it differently, not unlike how you could read the source about Francis in The Many-Headed Hyrda differently. Context is crucial, of course, but ultimately our own cultural and itellectual experiences inform how we process a certain word. One could (and has) defined culture as the medium that gives meaning to what we experience. I think understanding the power of words is absolutely critical to any historian, but especially one studying race. What connotations did "blackymoor" have when that document was written? Was it as powerful as the N-Word is today?
So with apologies for the length of my ramble, and a sincere plea to Senior Sports Editor Steven Marth to not sue me for libel, I'll draw this to a close, and do encourage and await your comments.
Although I missed the MTV VMA's where Kanya debuted that song, I have been paying a bit of attention to the other great cultural barometer of our time, the UB Spectrum. Apparently there's been a bit of controversy over an opinion piece that appeared in the September 15th edition.
The piece was written by "Senior Sports Editor" Steven Marth and dealt with the N-word. The article is online and I would suggest reading it if you haven't, because the rest of this post might not make as much sense.
Before I get into the article and its implications, I should also note that if you haven't been following the Spectrum lately (and I wasn't until yesterday, luckily I found back copies strewn about the Grad lounge) there has been a pretty serious backlash directed at Mr. Marsh. The Black Student Union, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Alliance and the College Democrats have since published a response calling for his dismissal. A separate letter from the editor suggested that Marsh has been shouted at on campus and personally threatened.
A quick reading of the article begs several questions. First, why is the sports guy getting into an extremely touchy racial subject? UB Football is 2-2! We beat the spread against Missouri!
The second question I have is with his argument that a double-standard exists because the N-Word is "free speech" where derogatory terms for homosexuals or different ethnic groups are hate crimes. I'm no legal scholar (barely any kind of scholar for that matter) but I think he's wrong here. I don't believe using a derogatory term is itself a crime, and if it is, I certainly don't think it should be.
Thirdly, he argues that groups such as the Black Student Union and BET are, by their natures, propogating racism. I think he's looking at these entities the wrong way. Groups like the BSU exist not to emphasize differences but to help ensure that those differences are rendered as non-existent as possible. And as far as BET encouraging racism, I really think that's just a sophomoric argument that doesn't befit a Senior anything. Does that mean the Food Network progates obesity? Or the Do-It-Yourself Network progates splinters? Networks are allowed to cater to audiences.
So other than me thinking the Senior Sports Editor of the Spectrum is wrong and probably shouldn't have even published his opinion on the matter (and yes I recognize the irony of publishing my own opinion regarding it), what does this have to do with our class? I think its a pretty strong reminder of the power of words, and where that power comes from. Perhaps even more pressing for the historian, it reminds us that words are subject to different interpretations.
When Kanye uses the N-Word we all hear it differently, not unlike how you could read the source about Francis in The Many-Headed Hyrda differently. Context is crucial, of course, but ultimately our own cultural and itellectual experiences inform how we process a certain word. One could (and has) defined culture as the medium that gives meaning to what we experience. I think understanding the power of words is absolutely critical to any historian, but especially one studying race. What connotations did "blackymoor" have when that document was written? Was it as powerful as the N-Word is today?
So with apologies for the length of my ramble, and a sincere plea to Senior Sports Editor Steven Marth to not sue me for libel, I'll draw this to a close, and do encourage and await your comments.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Racial Views, White Voters
Palin's announcement as the GOP's vie-presidential nominee probably already has many Democrats losing sleep. Well, here's more cause to worry. A recent poll conducted by AP and Stanford University claims that negative racial views may steer a significant amount of the White Democratic vote away from Obama. The poll points out that "nearly 40 percent of all white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, and that includes many Democrats and independents."
Full details can be found here: Yahoo/AP Poll (Full poll results are available as a PDF on the right of the page). Here's a brief summary:
To be honest, I am not sure if there is a correlation between what White people think of Blacks in general, and whether that is going to negatively affect Obama. The reason I am hesitant to take this leap is because Obama has very carefully constructed an image of himself that resists identification with any of the negative adjectives used in the poll above. For example, not many informed White voters would agree that Obama, once a professor at Univ. of Chicago, is "lazy," un-intelligent at school, "violent" or not "smart at everyday things." Many, however, would probably call him "determined," "smart," and "hard working." It's also hard to call Obama "complaining," since he has been tooting the horn of the American Dream since day 1.
Comments? Rebuttals?
Full details can be found here: Yahoo/AP Poll (Full poll results are available as a PDF on the right of the page). Here's a brief summary:
To be honest, I am not sure if there is a correlation between what White people think of Blacks in general, and whether that is going to negatively affect Obama. The reason I am hesitant to take this leap is because Obama has very carefully constructed an image of himself that resists identification with any of the negative adjectives used in the poll above. For example, not many informed White voters would agree that Obama, once a professor at Univ. of Chicago, is "lazy," un-intelligent at school, "violent" or not "smart at everyday things." Many, however, would probably call him "determined," "smart," and "hard working." It's also hard to call Obama "complaining," since he has been tooting the horn of the American Dream since day 1.Comments? Rebuttals?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Race Propagation
Last week we briefly discussed race propagation. During this discussion, it was noted that miscegenation precluded the propagation of whiteness. Related to this discussion is an article I read on CNN.com titled "Minorities Expected to be the Majority in 2050." This article should be of interest to you all. Here is the link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/13/census.minorities/index.html?section=cnn_latest
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Golden Girls
Ok-so don't laugh, but this morning as I was watching Golden Girls (it is one of my guilty pleasures), there was an interesting scene I wanted to share with you all. The Golden Girls-Dorothy, Rose, Blanch, and Sophia-were interviewing people for a housekeeper position. After several interviews of unqualified candidates, the girls had lost all hope. And then-Margerite showed up to interview for the job. The girls were impressed with her charming personality and friendly disposition. They were sitting down in the living room (on the very uncomfortable-looking wicker furniture!), getting to know the interviewee. Blanch (the morally corrupt golden girl) asked Margerite to tell them a little something about herself. Margerite responded by saying she was hard working and friendly. The girls probed her to tell them something more about herself. Finally, Margerite decided to tell them her issue: she was black. Now obviously the golden girls could see this since they held a face-to-face interview. She followed her proclamation of her race by saying that if her being black was a problem with the girls, then she was white. While the audience laughed and clapped in the background-I couldn't help but be taken aback by this scene. First of all, Margerite shows up at the house clad in a headwrap (resembling that of Aunt Jemima), traditional African clothing, and a Jamaican accent. She shows up for a housekeeper position, and immediately brings up her race in the interview. The racial stereotypes embedded in this scene were almost too many to count. Part of me is questioning whether the writers were adding racial stereotypes in a more indirect fashion so as not to openly offend people, or bring up the touchy subject of race. Any thoughts?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Race at the Conventions
I occasionally follow this South Asian American blog on the net called Sepiamutiny. They had a very interesting post recently about the racial composition of delegates at both parties' national conventions.
According to the post:
Any thoughts about this? I think the Republicans' stance on immigration is a huge reason why so many minorities are turned off by the party. I really wish that McCain had the guts to stand behind his comprehensive immigration reform bill, but I guess he's too busy pandering to the conservative right. Can anyone think of any other reasons why minorities seem turned off by the Republicans? Plus, do you think opposition to immigration has anything to do with race?
According to the post:
While 44% of all delegates at the DNC were minorities, this was true for only 7% of RNC delegates. In fact, this was one of the whitest RNC conventions in decades, pretty much since Black Americans effectively regained the franchise:
Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago [Link]I find this, sincerely, to be very shocking. The full post can be read here: Left vs. White. (I always find the comments at the bottom extremely interesting).
Any thoughts about this? I think the Republicans' stance on immigration is a huge reason why so many minorities are turned off by the party. I really wish that McCain had the guts to stand behind his comprehensive immigration reform bill, but I guess he's too busy pandering to the conservative right. Can anyone think of any other reasons why minorities seem turned off by the Republicans? Plus, do you think opposition to immigration has anything to do with race?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Call for Manuscripts
With the encouragement of quality research presentations and possible manuscript submissions on the table, I believe this is ideal time to spread the word of another possible publication: I am currently collecting poems for an anthology of two contrasting lifestyles in America -- the simplicity of isolated rural communities; and the complexity of fast-paced multicultural urban communities. My goal is to collect enough poems to equally represent both cornerstones of American life and living. Ethnicity and race play a subtle but quite interpretive role -- the concentration of various races in any given city, and the lack of multiple races in most rural environments. Both deserve equal representation, but need not follow the "one person one vote" concept praised by Guinier. Any interests? Any questions? If so, let me know, and I'll give you the details. With a little bit of alliteration in mind, the title of the anthology will be "Concrete and Crops."
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Doll Test: Then and Now
Several of the articles that we read for this week make reference to the famous "doll test" conducted by Kenneth and Mamie Clark. The researchers found that a vast majority of the students expressed clear preferences for white dolls over black ones. The black dolls bore the weight of several negative associations in the minds of the children, while the white dolls were associated with cleanliness, kindness, and beauty. The results of that test were used, in part, to prove the damage done to African Americans by decades of racial segregation. Nearly fifty years later, a high-school student replicated the 'doll test' to quite interesting results. See the video , called 'A Girl Like Me' and tell me what you think.
A Great Curiosity
I don't know if any of you guys have ever seen this, but it came up in History 537 last week and I thought this might be an appropriate place to pass it on. It's known as the "Moss broadside" and was discovered in the commonplace book of Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia, the most prominent medical doctor of the Revolutionary period, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hopefully you can read it. If not I think I have the hard copy we looked at last week.
Just in case you want some extra reading (and who doesn't?), you can find an article on the broadside from a Yale historian here at common-place.net.
Forum on Race
Is anyone interested in organizing the end of semester forum? If so, may I help? I'd like to be involved.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
About Good Conversation and Race
Is anyone else skeptical about 'talking race'?
I just finished the Nebeker essay. At one point she promotes the need for more "constructive dialogue" concerning race and racism (pgs. 34-35). I couldn't agree more with her, but, to be quite honest, my experience with race talks is of the "combative as drunken brawlers on a Saturday night" type -- the kind that, according to Nebeker, Guinier, and Cose, dooms interracial communication. Not only have I been egged on by some drunken brawler instigating an argument; I've been one. And, rarely do I leave the talk feeling that I've experienced a "dialogue for change."
Experience tells me that talking race is REALLY touchy. But, still, I'm hopeful. Interested. Ready for the food for thought that Katie mentioned in her post. This seminar, I know, will be very different from the multicultural affairs fora in my undergraduate experience, where sparks flew. Then again, Nebeker noticed "insensitive, uninformed, [and] malicious" comments in her graduate courses...
I hope no one feels like me.
I just finished the Nebeker essay. At one point she promotes the need for more "constructive dialogue" concerning race and racism (pgs. 34-35). I couldn't agree more with her, but, to be quite honest, my experience with race talks is of the "combative as drunken brawlers on a Saturday night" type -- the kind that, according to Nebeker, Guinier, and Cose, dooms interracial communication. Not only have I been egged on by some drunken brawler instigating an argument; I've been one. And, rarely do I leave the talk feeling that I've experienced a "dialogue for change."
Experience tells me that talking race is REALLY touchy. But, still, I'm hopeful. Interested. Ready for the food for thought that Katie mentioned in her post. This seminar, I know, will be very different from the multicultural affairs fora in my undergraduate experience, where sparks flew. Then again, Nebeker noticed "insensitive, uninformed, [and] malicious" comments in her graduate courses...
I hope no one feels like me.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Breaking the Ice
Considering that I am the ultimate techno-phobe, I am shocked to see I am the first to post a blog! I do not have anything class-related to blog about, I honestly just wanted to make sure I could handle this technological task. But while I am here, I will say I am really looking forward to this semester. We all come from such different backgrounds-which will undoubtedly provide some excellent food for thought. Here's to good conversation, improved research skills, and important conclusions on race-whatever our research interests may be.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Electronic Listservs
Can we post other academia-related stuff here? I was thinking about CFPs and sharing research ideas, etc. If not, please let me know and I will delete this post.
I was thinking about Professor Young's idea of joining a listserv, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. The ones that I am currently subscribed to are WMST-L and H-WOMEN, both of which are Gender Studies related lists. I find WMST-L pretty useful since there are always some interesting discussions going on here and also several calls for papers. I've also seen a lot of people ask for research or teaching-related help on this list. And the frequent WS-related job postings that I see on here make me feel a little better about my future job prospects(!) H-WOMEN is much less active as compared to WMST-L.
The moderator of WMST-L maintains a list of some gender-related lists and here it is: http://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/forums.html (some of the links are outdated).
So... any suggestions about interesting/useful lists to join? Particularly, anyone know of a good Cultural Studies-related listserv?
I was thinking about Professor Young's idea of joining a listserv, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. The ones that I am currently subscribed to are WMST-L and H-WOMEN, both of which are Gender Studies related lists. I find WMST-L pretty useful since there are always some interesting discussions going on here and also several calls for papers. I've also seen a lot of people ask for research or teaching-related help on this list. And the frequent WS-related job postings that I see on here make me feel a little better about my future job prospects(!) H-WOMEN is much less active as compared to WMST-L.
The moderator of WMST-L maintains a list of some gender-related lists and here it is: http://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/forums.html (some of the links are outdated).
So... any suggestions about interesting/useful lists to join? Particularly, anyone know of a good Cultural Studies-related listserv?
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