• Tulsa World: YWCA initiative takes aim at racism
  "With "Stand Against Racism," the organization joins 68 other YWCAs across the country to raise awareness that racism still exists. It was created after a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center showed a 54 percent increase in hate groups operating in the country.

  The report listed "immigration fears, a failing economy and the successful campaign of President Obama" as factors that fueled the increase."

  (tags: via:carleandria racism activism)
• Occupation! exhibit highlights racism at SF businesses | San Francisco Bay Guardian
  "The Main Library exhibit “Occupation! Economic Justice as a Civil Right in San Francisco, 1963-64” retraces a struggle for economic justice that was specific to the city by the Bay, where thousands of African-Americans had moved to during World War II to work on the shipyards. When the war effort wound down, they were the first to be fired. Only direct actions—sit-ins, sleep-ins, and shop-ins—were able to shake the status quo: they led to more than 260 employment agreements for minority workers. There’s only a few days left to discover this important yet underrepresented piece of SF history: the display ends on March 27."
  (tags: via:carleandria museum history discrimination segregation workplace)
• Cuban protesters punched, dragged – Cuba – MiamiHerald.com
  "Cuban security forces and pro-government civilians violently broke up another protest march Wednesday by Ladies in White — female relatives of political prisoners — and dragged them away in buses.

  Ladies in White members in Havana said they were punched, pinched, scratched and had their hair pulled by the security agents and civilians, who also made rude gestures and swore at them."

  (tags: via:carleandria cuba politics activist protests)
• 3 Charged With Stealing $1.75 Million From Immigrants – NYTimes.com
  "Three members of a family in Richmond Hill, Queens, have been indicted on charges that they stole $1.75 million from 19 fellow West Indian immigrants by falsely promising to help them obtain green cards and bargain deals on federally seized property in New York City and Florida, the Queens district attorney announced on Thursday. "
  (tags: via:carleandria immigration fraud)
• Jeff Sheng’s Photos of Gay Military Personnel – NYTimes.com
  "Mr. Sheng, a photographer, had finished the first phase of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a series of portraits of gay men and lesbians serving in the military, all of them in uniform and with their faces obscured in some way — by a hand, a door frame or by darkness. Some subjects turn their backs to the camera. In one image an airman who takes the pseudonym Jess sits on a hotel bed leaning forward. One elbow rests on his knee, his hand cupping his face to shield it from the camera. The portrait is pervaded by a sense of loneliness and isolation."
  (tags: via:Elton DADT GLTBQ military policy)
• Black and Hispanics Against Worker Exploitation
  "The zero-sum argument that pits black Americans against undocumented workers is a false premise.

  At the heart of this specious challenge to fairness for all U.S. workers is the idea that blacks resent undocumented Latino immigrants for taking away jobs that would rightfully belong to them. Restrictionist opponents to immigration reform seize on this line of attack and exploit it to drive a wedge between the two racial and ethnic communities.

  It's not working."

  (tags: immigration race racerelations)

Race and Sexuality: A Discussion with Latoya Peterson (DC)

Tuesday, March 23 2010
Time: 7 pm to 9 pm
Location: Georgetown University, White Gravenor 201A.
Co-Sponsored by: The LGBTQ Resource Center, Lecture Fund, GU Women of Color, GUMBO, SCU

This event is free and open to the public. Latoya will discuss the similarities, challenges, and parallels between organizing around race and organizing around sexuality and gender identity.

From Land Sovereignty to Reproductive Justice Freedom Fighting: Blazing the Indigenous Feminist Trail (Toronto)

March 25, 7-9pm / 252 Bloor St. W, Rm 2-212, Toronto Canada / Free, wheelchair accessible

Moderated by Jessica Yee!

“Indigenous Feminism” has been taken up as more than just a “theory” by Indigenous academics and activists throughout Turtle Island and beyond. But still many people reject the term. What does “Indigenous Feminism” constitute? Is it just about women? Isn’t feminism a “white-woman’s” thing? Isn’t land really the only issue?

A powerhouse evening featuring two incredible women who have shaped and continue to blaze the Indigenous feminist trail, and who will never be defined solely by one theory.

Continue Reading »

by Latoya Peterson

Please note, this is part three of a multi-part series on the Lifting As We Climb: Women of Color and Wealth report released by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Please carefully read part one and review our comment moderation policy before participating in the comments.

Heaping trays of Indian food were laid out on the long table. A large, happy crowd gathered in clusters, piling food onto their white Chinet plates. Men made jokes about one another’s love handles and spare tires – things women would never say to one another despite thinking them. Walter handed her a thick paper plate before taking his own. “Get what you like, but we gotta head back soon. Okay?” He spoke to her affectionately, as if she were a little kid.

The food made her mouth water. All around, people spooned food onto their plates, grabbing pieces of warm naan bread. There were pans of bread everywhere. The trays emptied gradually. The group dispersed.

Kevin and Hugh had already returned to the desk. Casey had managed to grab a cocktail-size Samosa and a scoop of biriyani but had hesitated to fill her plate during an interview. Walter’s plate was crammed with a taste of everything.

“Gosh. Girls eat so little,” Walter said with wonder in his voice.

“It happened so fast,” she remarked, her free hand resting at her side.

Walter swept his right arms to the ceiling, gesturing like a ringleader, and said “It’s free food for millionaires.” Continue Reading »

by Latoya Peterson

On Sunday, March 21, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in a march for Immigration Reform.

The organizers over at NAKASEC (National Korean American Service and Education Consortium) penned a few pieces in honor of the march as a call to action.

—

Korean Americans March for America
By Minsuk Kim, Korean Resource Center Youth Organizer

Immigration stories are a cornerstone of America’s historical narrative. From grade school we learn of the Pilgrims’ trans-Atlantic journey to flee religious persecution and of “a mighty woman with a torch” who greeted European immigrants by the millions to Ellis Island. In these stories, tolerance and generosity are singularly American virtues that confer our country’s greatness.

Unfortunately, incomplete immigration stories linger in the present day, obstructed by opposition from a loud and persistent few. As a result, 11.8 million undocumented immigrants live in America’s shadows – they struggle to finance their educations as students, are exploited as workers, and are encumbered by an ever-present fear of deportation as families.

In a recent Huffington Post article, Will Perez wrote that immigration reform “is of particular concern to Latinos, since 75% of undocumented immigrants are from Latin America.” However, the problems engendered by our immigration system affect a vastly diverse immigrant population. It is estimated that 10 percent of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are undocumented, and among the AAPI groups, Korean Americans are affected at the greatest rate, at 15 percent. Continue Reading »

By Guest Contributor CVT, originally published at Choptensils

I’m mixed. Chinese mother, white father. I don’t particularly look like either of them (nor do I look definitively “Chinese” or “white”). Ethnically-ambiguous mixed kid. In a country (U.S.) that likes to think of “race” as an either/or thing (and usually just “black” and “white”). Hmmm.Now there are a lot of ways I could have handled this growing up. Being the smart-ass that I am, I chose to make a game of it. I now know that it is a game that many other mixed folks have played, as well (probably since the dawn of racial categorization), but here I’d like to introduce it to those who have yet to play: The “What are You?” Game.

This game has its origins in the common way in which people across this country try to figure the race of ethnically-ambiguous “others” such as myself: by asking the oh-so-polite question, “What are you?” (*1)

As a kid, when I was first asked this (probably long before my first conscious memories), it was up to me to figure out the true meaning behind it; because (most of the time) the asker was fully aware of my species and gender, and they had no interest in my religion, position on the football team, or any other possible answer to this question other than my racial background. But why did they ask it like that?

Okay. For those of you non-ethnically-ambiguous folks out there, just try to imagine, for a moment, how you might start to react to this question when asked regularly over the course of your life:

You’re a child and – over and over – people come to you (adults, children, teachers, whomever) and ask you what you are, with no context clues suggesting that you are playing “let’s pretend.” It’s not Halloween. You’re not wearing an elaborate costume. No, they are honestly questioning your identity in a way that so thoroughly strips you of pride, humanity, and belonging – and doing so as if it’s just a matter of course, and fully acceptable to do.

They are not asking about who you are – your interests, what you do, the important people in your life. They are simply asking you what you are, and in such a self-entitled manner that turning you into a thing like that comes with the expectation that you’ll give them the answer they want without any negative reactions.

Imagine what that does to a kid’s sense of identity, their self-esteem. Imagine the message it sends them about their place in the world. It’s no wonder that the majority of mixed folks I have known have – at some point – considered themselves isolated and without community. Continue Reading »

• Latin female artist draws criticism for Times Square mural : Single Women Rule
  "Whether we want to admit it or not, the heart of this controversy lies in the aspects of urban culture that Maldonado’s mural highlights – big, gold, doorknocker earrings, belly button rings, nameplate finger-rings, stiletto boots, hi-top sneakers, short skirts, tight pants, long, colorful, fake fingernails, and dyed hair. [...]

  Is it possible that we suffer a secret shame induced by our short-skirt, fake-nail, breasts coming out with the belly fat hanging over, Doobie-rocking gals? By the hood chicks? The ghetto-style supergirls, proud to be themselves and will punch you in the eye if you suggest otherwise? I would say yes. And when that shame is magnified, by say 92 feet, our first reaction is to cry, “Take it down! I can’t stand to see.” Or maybe, “Take it down so the good white folks don’t see our shame.”"

• U.S. History Textbooks Could Soon Be Flavored Heavily with Texas Conservatism | Yahoo! News
  "The revised standards have far-reaching implications because Texas is a huge market leader in the school-textbook industry. The enormous print run for Texas textbooks leaves most districts in other states adopting the same course materials, so that the Texas School Board effectively spells out requirements for 80 percent of the nation’s textbook market. That means, for insta"nce, that schools in left-leaning states like Oregon and Vermont could soon be teaching from textbooks that are short on references to Ted Kennedy but long on references to conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.
  (tags: via:molecularshyness texas school curriculum textbooks)
• "You Win When They Call You A Bitch" | Poise.cc
  "So when you’re called a bitch, instead of letting the argument get derailed, recognize that you’ve outsmarted them. Reply with ' win! You aren’t smart enough to continue the conversation, so thanks for ending it.' Once they bust out the ad hominem attack. The personal attack that has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation at hand, the conversation is over. And you win, cause they don’t know how to continue."
  (tags: via:jasmine blogging conduct trolls women online)
• Guest Blogger: Jennifer Nez Denetdale on Indigenous Feminisms | First Peoples
  "Today, Native nations are exploring their status as sovereign entities. Oftentimes I’m asked, 'Well, do you have the recipe for a decolonized utopia? What are you offering in place of the entities we live within today?' There are visions of a post-nation, before we are witness to the ravages of the establishment of a foreign government form on our own lives and our organizations.  Foremost, we must have an imagination. We must remember that at one time our ancestors lived in freedom and under political, economic and social entities of their choosing.  Critical Indigenous feminist theorizing can help us imagine the possibilities for a future founded upon our cherished beliefs and philosophies, for they served our grandmothers and grandfathers well."
  (tags: via:robschmidt indigenous feminism)
• Senate Bill Would Reduce Sentencing Disparities in Crack, Powder Cocaine Cases | washingtonpost.com
  "The compromise would reduce the sentencing disparity to 18 to 1 for people caught with crack cocaine vs. those who carry the drug in powdered form. The current ratio has rested since 1986 at 100 to 1, disproportionately hurting African Americans, who are convicted of crack possession at far greater numbers."
  (tags: via:robschmidt drugpolicy race criminaljustice)
• If I Had All the Money in The World, I’d Remake BETTER LUCK TOMORROW with White People | You Offend Me You Offend My Family
  But Better Luck Tomorrow could have also easily been a different movie altogether. Justin was originally offered the money to make his film by investors if he could do just one little thing…change the characters from Asian American to Caucasian. He obviously refused, but perhaps in an alternate universe, that world’s Justin Lin was so sick and tired of eating ramen three meals a day and carrying a six-figure credit card debt that he decided to accept the offer.
  (tags: via: jasmine asian asianamerican white film)
• Disney Restyles 'Rapunzel' to Appeal to Boys | latimes.com
  "Disney is wringing the pink out of its princess movies.
  "After the less-than-fairy-tale results for its most recent animated release, 'The Princess and the Frog,' executives at the Burbank studio believe they know why the acclaimed movie came up short at the box office.
  "Brace yourself: Boys didn't want to see a movie with 'princess' in the title."
  (tags: via:robschmidt animation genderstereotypes)
• Alice in Wonderland – Heroine Content
  "Another point against the movie; there are absolutely no characters of color in the entire film, either in Real World England or in Wonderland. Considering it is Victorian England and at an upper-class event, the lack of diversity is understandable. But Wonderland is an imaginary world populated by fantastical creatures and characters of all shapes, sizes, and colors. They've got singing flowers and mice with swords, but not a single POC? That's what I call a race-fail."
  (tags: hollywood movies films race)
• My Face Is On Fire: Joint Statement by a Group of Abolitionist Vegan Feminists for International Women's Day
  As abolitionist vegans and feminists, we oppose the use of sexist tactics in the animal advocacy movement. Ethical animal rights veganism is part of the logical conclusion of opposition to the exploitation of all sentient beings — both human animals and non-human animals. Opposing speciesism is incompatible with engaging in sexism or any other form of discrimination, such as racism, heterosexism, classism, and other forms of oppression.
  (tags: via:vegansofcolor activism race veganism feminism)

By Special Correspondent Jessica Yee

Last night on American Idol, Ke$ha belted out a performance, and was joined by 3OH!3 who sing a tune in her popular song “Tik Tok”, only to re-appear on stage with a full headdress (and war paint, I guess?) on.

I think she just might be channeling the appropriation spirit of Juliette Lewis I wrote about a while back. What say you?

by Latoya Peterson

Please note, this is part three of a multi-part series on the Lifting As We Climb: Women of Color and Wealth report released by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Please carefully read part one and review our comment moderation policy before participating in the comments.

I’m fightin for strength, in the street grindin for cents/
I know I’m ahead of my time but I’m behind on my rent/
Askin Kanye for money just to pay on my gas bill/
He asked me for it back, nigga brush up on your math skills/
Nothin plus zip equals zero; he couldn’t relate/
That nigga ain’t been broke since “H to the Izzo”

–Rhymefest, “Devil’s Pie“

For many of us who grow up lower middle class or in poverty, the issues began before we were born. Parents struggling to make ends meet rarely find that things get easier once a child arrives – in general, already strained resources are required to stretch even further. Economically devastated parents generally do not have the resources to pass on to their children – indeed, the children may be asked to help participate in taking care of the bills, or once another income is flowing, provide funds to take care of other members of the family.

Looking at the chart above, single black and latina female households are hit the hardest by these disparities – but what does it really mean when a household has zero or negative wealth? How does it impact a child’s upbringing and future? Continue Reading »

by Latoya Peterson

Erica Kennedy and Marisol LeBron called our attention to controversy over a new mural in New York.

According to My Fox New York, opponents of the work claim that the mural (prominently placed on 42nd street) draws on negative images of black and Latina women:

The mural was recently put up on 42nd Street. It depicts black and Latina women with long fingernails and little clothing. The mural and its creator — a 26-year-old artist — are facing fierce criticism.

“Why are they not standing here with briefcases and cell phones or even communicating with people to show the professionalism of black and Latino women?” says Anthony Herbert, a community advocate. [...]

However, Sofia Maldonado, the artist, explains that all her work is informed by a certain aesthetic: “The young artist, Sofia Maldonado, a Latina woman herself, says she’s bringing to Times Square a community of women representative of Harlem, Brooklyn, and other boroughs. And with it, a side of New York most tourists don’t see.”
Continue Reading »

by Latoya Peterson

Here are the slides to our presentation, with a few quick notes added. Check back in about three hours, and we will have the video of the session and the Q & A available (just as soon as it finishes loading.)

Some things to remember: We found ourselves with about four hours of material that needed to be shrunk into forty minutes – so a lot of things we wanted to discuss (the Jade Raymond situation, recruitment and outreach from the gaming industry, how different races/ethnicity are represented in games) hit the cutting room floor. In one of the segments, I refer to a fifty page paper I’m holding on to – that paper covers those topics more in depth, and I will publish it here after I revise it some more.

(Special thanks to Naomi and N’Gai for agreeing to be on the panel, everyone who showed up, those who weren’t there but tweeted and retweeted the findings, and Allison Bland for volunteering to tape this!)

Social Justice and Video Games – Part 1 from Latoya Peterson on Vimeo.

By Guest Contributor Michael Le from Racebending

Racialicious’ Note: Racebending is a site that was set up in response to the whitewashed casting of The Last Airbender. Racebending has since extended its reach to discuss the poor representation of people of colour in film and tv in general.

In case you missed the headline yesterday, Facebook has banned the Racebending.com group, implying we were “hateful, threatening, or obscene.”

The response from the community has been overwhelming and we are extremely grateful to all of you who spoke out in solidarity with the cause. Strong voices of dissent emerged, led by respected names in the Asian American community such as Asian Pop writer Jeff Yang, comic artist Tak Toyoshima, and Oiyan Poon of APAs for Progress.

We are still trying to contact Facebook for an explanation. In the meantime, we encourage our members to join our Facebook page or follow our Twitter for the latest.

Hopefully we’ll be able to open a dialogue with Facebook soon on this subject. It did get us wondering, however: what does it take to get your group banned? What – besides open discussion of racial issues in American media – does Facebook consider “hateful, threatening, or obscene”?

As it turns out, we beat out some stiff competition for the ban. A few minutes’ searching Facebook groups turned up quite a lot of material. We were very surprised that these groups satisfy Facebook’s “Terms of Service” and merit continued broadcasting on the social networking site. Given that these groups are thriving under Facebook’s policies, getting banned is almost an accomplishment.

Let’s take a look.

Facebook Asks Why Can’t Asians Drive?

First up, this group is a “Just for Fun” example of blatant racism, with slurs against the mentally handicapped thrown in for good measure. The ensemble is completed with the use of stereotypical “ching chong” font.

Continue Reading »

By Guest Contributor Jamilah King, originally posted at RaceWire

As the immigration reform debate heats up on Capitol Hill, right wing opponents are uping the ante with sensationalist and factually inaccurate claims. The latest? Immigration increases the country’s ecological footprint.

This latest claim came as part of a new report released by Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR), an alleged front group for uber conservative Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):

Mass immigration is increasing America’s Ecological Footprint (EF), pushing our country deeper into ecological deficit. Approaching 310 million, U.S. population currently exceeds the carrying capacity of our land and resource base. Nevertheless, high immigration levels exacerbate these trends by pushing our population to ever more precarious heights, preventing U.S. population stabilization, forcing annual growth rates to more than three million net new residents, and driving our numbers to a projected 440 million by 2050.

Read the rest.

They’re wrong, of course. As Walter Ewing points out, there’s no one-to-one relationship between population size and pollution. In fact, newly arrived immigrants are probably among the most ecologically friendly folks around. They’re more likely to use public transportation and less likely to waste food.

But consider this the latest round in green xenophobia.

Photo credit: Southern Poverty Law Center.

• Facebook feds go undercover: Document shows federal agents dipping quietly into social media
  U.S. law enforcement agents are following the rest of the Internet world into popular social-networking services, going undercover with false online profiles to communicate with suspects and gather private information, according to an internal Justice Department document that offers a tantalizing glimpse of issues related to privacy and crime-fighting.
  (tags: via:carleandria facebook bigbrotheriswatchingyou)
• Activists tell Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno a new birth certificate …
  A new birth certificate law in Puerto Rico creates serious problems for more than 1 million U.S. mainland residents born on the island who now face unjust difficulties if their documents are considered invalid, a civil rights and Latino advocacy group said Thursday.
  (tags: via:carleandria puertorico identitydocuments legislation)
• A Novelist's Biracial Struggle – Page 1 – The Daily Beast
  The engaging, 40-year-old writer has no trouble recalling the rejections [of her debut novel] or her reaction to them even though they are now behind her: “Everyone kept saying my book was not marketable—there was no way they could sell this thing. They said the main character was not universal enough—no one can relate to her situation. I took these ‘no’s as an inspiration—can I write this story better? But I never listened to those who said the story was not universal.” Durrow’s stubbornness has now paid off in sweet poetic justice. Her powerful little novel, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, is getting the sort of serious book-industry buzz and media attention that is generated by only a few debuts every season.
  (tags: via:leighanne books mixedrace heididurrow)
• Aboriginal Peoples, Muslims Face Discrimination Most: Poll | CBC News
  "One in three Canadians believe that Aboriginal Peoples and Muslims are the frequent targets of discrimination, a CBC-commissioned poll suggests.
  "About 28 per cent of the 2,000 surveyed by pollster Environics Research Group in February and March also said Pakistanis/East Indians often suffer from intolerance, while 20 per cent said blacks regularly faced it."
  (tags: via:robschmidt discrimination muslim aboriginal Canada)
• CDC Says Genital Herpes Is Still a 'Serious Health Threat' | CNN.com
  For African-Americans, the prevalence of infection was 39.2 percent — more than three times that of whites, at 12.3 percent. Black women are most affected by the disease, with an infection rate of 48 percent.
  Fenton said the high rates of herpes among African-Americans is most likely contributing to the high rate of HIV in that community. In fact, statistics show that people with herpes are two to three times more likely to get HIV if exposed.
  (tags: via:molecularshyness std hiv africanamerican)
• 'Jihad Jane' Accused in Plot to Kill Cartoonist | CBC News
  "The self-dubbed 'Jihad Jane' who thought her blond, all-American profile would help mask her plan to kill a Swedish cartoonist is a rare case of a U.S. woman inciting foreign terrorism and shows the latest evolution of the global threat, authorities say."
  (tags: via:restructure whiteprivilege whitewomen)
• History of Black BDSM | Dark Connections (NSFW)
  "It wasn't until bondage magazines became popular in the 1970s that we began to often see women of color engaged in acts of BDSM. Previously detective magazines, which were published as early as the 1930's, had covertly provided a way of publishing bondage imagery but they rarely featured models of color. Although these images largely objectified and over-sexualized Black women, bondage pictorials did create a successful niche in the industry and for many people of color these magazines were their first exposure to BDSM."
  (tags: via:ptupper bdsm sexualidentity sexuality blacks film photography)
• D.C. handing out 500,000 female condoms to fight HIV
  On a Saturday at the Lamar Edward Salon, a small cluster of women watch a demonstration of a new product. Their giggles turn into growing interest. They learn the city is handing out free samples, but it's not shampoo or makeup products. Instead, the women can leave the salon with free female condoms tucked into their purses. Co-owner Gerald Armstrong said his salon is a perfect place for a frank discussion about safe sex.
  (tags: via:carleandria sexedinsalons femalecondoms reproductivehealth)
• Reviving the Exotic to Critique Exoticism
  Lalla Essaydi: Les Femmes du Maroc,” an exhibition at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, draws attention to one of the most interesting if puzzling developments in contemporary art: a revival of exotic, often historical imagery of people from faraway places in the name of a critique of exoticism. Ms. Essaydi is a Moroccan-born, New York-based photographer who has risen to prominence for her beautiful, striking imagery dealing with the role of women in Islamic societies. But much like Shirin Neshat, Shahzia Sikander and other successful expatriate female artists from Muslim nations, she trades in stereotypes, reflecting back at us our own misconceptions and prejudices.
  (tags: via:carleandria art exoticisation deconstructingtheexotic muslimahs)

by Latoya Peterson

Me, N’Gai Croal, and Naomi Clark are all in full effect at SXSW – and we are so excited to present the panel on Social Justice and Video Games. If you are at SXSW, we’re on level 3, room 6AB, at 3:30 PM CT.

If you are NOT at SXSW, we are going to do our best to stream the coverage for you. Naomi’s laptop just crashed, so I am not sure what we will have. The hashtag for our session is #gamingjustice – you can follow the tweets. I also brought a video camera, and we will be posting the slides from the presentation soon.

By Guest Contributors Madhuri Mohindar and Ishita Srivastava, originally published at Restore Fairness

It’s the first time that 1 in every 100 adult Americans is in prison, proof of an exploding prison system that our country can ill afford and a movement away from rehabilitation programs. Even more disturbing are the racial disparities within the prison system. More than 60% of people in prison are racial and ethnic minorities which means that 1 in every 36 Hispanic adults and 1 in every 15 black adults are in prison. How did this all happen? A change in laws and policies over the past decade have convicted more offenders, including non violent offenders, and put them away for increasingly lengthy sentences. For many, it is a system that is not providing the same returns in public safety in relation to this growth, and a rapid movement to change unfair laws has seen growing progress.

The 1980’s saw the “War on Drugs” launched in a big way. It was also the time for many federal policies that disadvantaged communities of color. One example: sentences for crack cocaine offenses (the kind found in poor Black communities) that were treated a 100 times more severely than powder cocaine offenses (the kind that dominates White communities). According to the Drug Policy Alliance Network,

Reform advocates say no other single federal policy is more responsible for gross racial disparities in the federal criminal justice system than the crack/powder sentencing disparity. Even though two-thirds of crack cocaine users are white, more than 80 percent of those convicted in federal court for crack cocaine offenses are African American.

The differences in sentencing were based on a myth that crack cocaine was more dangerous than powder cocaine and that it was instantly addictive and caused violent behavior, all of which has been disproved. What it’s actually led to is a costly system that focuses on low-level offenders and users instead of dealers and suppliers, imprisoning addicts that could benefit from rehabilitation programs. One analysis by Senator Richard Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois, estimates that an increased focus on community programs and an end to the sentencing disparity could lead to a savings of half-a-billion dollars in prison costs.

With mounting pressure on Congress to do away with legislation that has devastated communities, we are at an opportune moment to instill justice back into the system. While The House Judiciary Committee has already passed a bill that ends the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, the Senate Judiciary Committee will likely vote on a bill soon. Some Senators want to reduce the sentencing disparity instead of eliminating it but this watered-down compromise will do little to restore fairness. Let the Senators hear your voice.