"This aint the place where hate was invented, but I'd be damned if The States wasn't the best that did it!" Justice for Oscar Grant, we'll never forget. MOVE
Directed by The ICU
The Corner Store 360 Radio
White justice in Black robes, selling white lies into black souls,
Black man just put White House, now lights out to anyone with slight doubt...
Inhale white smoke into black lungs,
Exhale white dollars respirating factions
Strapped with black guns, backed by white collars,
attacking black scholars, in the name of white power...
and now a message from Mr. Cornell West
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food,
Poetry,
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In light of the tragedy that took place in Michigan a couple of weeks ago, there is a petition going around in hopes to bring some amount of justice to light. Please play your part!
SIGN HERE
In Detroit Michigan in the early morning hours of Monday, May 17, 2010 Detroit police in their negligence and disregard for human life murdered Aiyana Jones while filming an episode of the crime based reality tv show the first 48.
Today in Detroit Metro New and Talk there is an article which can be found at http://bit.ly/a5olla. The radio interview contained on that page of Geoffrey Fieger who is the lawyer of the Jones family speaks on how the police are attempting to cover up the truth about their actions. The main source of these actions is the tape taken by the video crew of the show The First 48. Its is the aim of this petition to raise awarness and pressure Detroit to Release the Video. Forward to everyone you know.
SIGN HERE Labels: activism, Politics
If you haven't caught any of Season 3 of The Boondocks, here's your chance to catch up. Hit the jump for Aaron McGrudger's latest creations.
Labels: Politics, The Boondocks
STOCKHOLM IN THIS BITCH....dead ass, these boys from Sweden spit better in English than 99% of your favorite rappers! Being that this whole world is about to turn RED, I'm diggin this stream of international consciousness. Be sure to check Adam Tensta next time he's in the states.... Worldwide
a piece i wrote for haiti
For only 10 cents a day you can help a child survive, or rather you can help sustain the illusion that a dime can silence the cries of a country. Caught in a bind of misery, a ball of confusion where many are forced to dine off of water and dirt. Can money heal the hurt? Can charitable funds reimburse kids with guns who have everything to die for but nothing to live. Nothing to give but statistics on lists of places where you might see flies on kids faces. Where you might just die if you hear the stories of babies being thrown away, or orphans being forced to stay outside of missionaries because there is no space for him to lay. Can you even pray? Or does capitalism not allow that provision? Perhaps Haiti remains imprisoned until we ourselves make a revision.
Seeing that 10 cents a day doesn’t make a difference, we need to make ourselves different and no longer be distant. We need to take a stand against indifference, to stop seeing Haiti as a part of the third world, and as a part of our world. Our people, our equals, our problems, our tragedy. Then maybe we can gradually work towards change. But not monetary change, it’s bigger than that. It’s bigger than infomercials, it’s bigger than 1-800 numbers, it’s bigger than Feed The Children. It’s about taking on the facts, and not lapsing into the traps of apathy. Break the bubble, shatter the mold, acknowledge the catastrophe, and do something. We owe it to ourselves. Operators are standing by…
Rev. Al Sharpton and members of his National Action Network will picket in front of The New York Post headquarters (1211 6th Ave between 47th and 48th Sts.) at noon on Thursday in protest of a cartoon in Wednesday’s edition that allegedly links President Barack Obama to the 200-pound chimp that was killed for attacking its owner’s friend this week.
The cartoon refers to Travis The Chimp, who was shot to death by Stamford, Conn. Police on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner. The cartoon, created by Sean Delonas, depicts a dead chimp and two police officers, one with a smoking gun.
“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
On Wednesday, Rev. Sharpton released a statement calling the cartoon offensive and divisive. It reads:
“The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee….”
Sharpton said:
“Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?”
The cartoonist called the controversy “absolutely friggin’ ridiculous” in a statement to CNN late Wednesday:
“Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon. It’s about the economic stimulus bill. If you’re going to make that about anybody, it would be [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, which it’s not.”
NY Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan also stood behind the cartoon:
“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”
Political Flow #1: 2008 Election = Post Racial America???
12:56 AM
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In light of a historical Presidential Inauguration that just took place, it has recently become a rather popular media trend to draw comparisons between Barack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There has been much discussion and analysis suggesting that President Obama is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream, and that his election into the White House is the ultimate culmination to the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, and thus progressing this nation into a post-racial society. Over the past couple of years, while Barack Obama was campaigning to win over the support of the masses, Americans have fallen in love with this individual for a multitude of reasons. As with any political figure, people have their own reservations as to why they support a candidate, however, it cannot be denied that throughout the 2008 presidential race, America has adopted a certain infatuation with Obama that is unparallel to anything seen before. One is therefore compelled to question the racial dynamic behind Obama’s appeal.
Tim Wise, a highly esteemed author who is most known for his analysis on race in the United States, stated in his lecture at Moravian College that there were a number of fundamental problems that Barack Obama could not address, due to the fact that it might unsettle the nerves of many people. One of the most significant reasons why Obama was able to gain the trust of many was because he chose not to delve deep into anything that would shed light on the undeniable concept of white privilege.
During his lecture, Wise referenced Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia, more commonly known as Obama’s speech on race. In this address, Barack Obama does indeed explicitly say, “…race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” He then goes on to mention that by doing so “we would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America — to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.” Obama’s address on racism was very well written, with content that included great wisdom and insight. Even with the sense of genius in his words however, he is merely scratching the surface of America’s immense problem with racism. He also implies that racism is something that affects everyone equally. While advantage does damage the collective whole to an extent, institutional oppression is felt way more by black and brown people than anyone else in America. This is something that Obama had to be careful not to fully express, for had he mentioned this, people may have categorized him as a radical.
While Obama does explicitly acknowledge that America cannot ignore the issue of race in this country, it is important for one to understand the context that he refers to. This speech was given in response to the conflict surrounding his affiliation with Reverend Jeremiah Wright who discomforted a lot of people with the statements that he made. It did make sense for Barack Obama to denounce Wright’s comments as hateful given the fact that this controversy posed a threat to his campaign; however, it would have been more truthful for Obama to delve deeper and thoroughly explain the rationale behind these statements. This was something that he could absolutely not do, because he had to be sure that his speech did not come across as “an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable.” Obama had make a clear denouncement of Wright in order not to be perceived as someone who may have a special interest for African-Americans, or some sort of hidden agenda. The fact that Obama had to even make this address for the sake of just remaining in the race shows that America is nowhere being post-racial.
Tim Wise raised the point that in Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech, there are certain parts that are often glamorized, while other significant parts are not highlighted nearly as much.
“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This is an excerpt from the speech that supports the radical side of King that Tim Wise referred to. This part of his speech aggressively blames America as the source of injustice, which is uncomfortable for people to think about. Instead, society embraces the “free at last, free at last” and the “content of their character.” While these are great excerptions from his speech, they should not be isolated from the entire message that is conveyed in King’s speech because it detracts from the authentic overall vision of King.
As Wise transitioned through his commentary on the significance of Barack Obama, he continued to speak about the concept White Privilege. One interesting point that he raises in both his lecture and his essays is the myth of racial preference benefitting minority groups in university admissions and the job market. Wise consistently disputes the idea that affirmative action leads to minority groups receiving an unfair advantage over whites by bringing up the point that just by virtue of being white, one is statistically more likely to have opportunities available that blacks do not. Wise brings up the famous case of the University of Michigan’s affirmative action lawsuit. From a white privileged point of view (which may very well be objective), it is quite possible to view Michigan’s point system as a clear inequality against white applicants. Wise explains however, that in this system, there were also points allotted to students who’s parents attended college, who were from high ranked high schools, and who were from the Upper Peninsula, a predominantly white section of Michigan. As these provisions don’t appear to have clear racial bias, with further investigation one could identify that the demographic that benefits from these point clauses are predominantly middle class white students.
In his essay, “The Real Face of Racial Preference: Whites Swim in Racial Preference,” Wise uses the metaphor of fish in water. If a fish is asked what water is, it would have a tough time giving an explanation because of the fact that it surrounds them so much that they take it for granted. This principle is also true in the case of white privilege. For the sake of expanding this metaphor, in order for address this problem the fish must be exposed to a discomforting waterless environment. Taking the fish outside of it’s comfort zone would finally allow it to truly understand the substance in society that grants it the liberty to swim around freely on a daily basis.
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