-
Thx HighJive! “From Idol to CBS’ Survivor to The CW’s America’s Next Top Model, reality offers viewers a level of onscreen diversity that remains unmatched on the scripted side.”
-
Thx Wendi! “When the Rev. Dennis Meredith of Tabernacle Baptist Church here began preaching acceptance of gay men and lesbians a few years ago, he attracted some gay people who were on the brink of suicide and some who had left the Baptist faith of their
-
Thx Jen! “Ask Marilyn Begay why the Navajo-immersion school where she is a 5th grade teacher has fared well in meeting student-achievement goals under the No Child Left Behind Act, and she’ll say it’s because the school integrates Navajo language and
-
“I share ebog’s fear of losing focus, of becoming a “lightweight anti-racist”, of getting too comfortable with ritualized media floggings to give proper attention to the deep structural issues of housing and employment and the court-prison system and impe
-
“Serena Williams says a heckler bothered her throughout her match Monday at the Sony Ericsson Open, making at least one racist remark before he was finally ejected. “The guy said, ‘Hit the net like any Negro would.’ I was shocked,” Williams said.”
-
“One South Bronx, NYC educator has now been banned from a high school because he aided students protesting random searches by school safety officers who are actually part of the NYC police department.”
-
” Natalie Moore and Natalie Hopkinson discuss their book Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation.”
-
This is pretty cool. Hat tip to AAM and thx to Mireille! Penn “will teach two undergraduate courses which won’t be Bake 101 and Mix 101. His classes are tentatively titled, “Images of Asian Americans in the Media” and “Contemporary American Teen F
-
Thx Latoya! “mainstream labels are encouraging white artists who do soul music to be able to sing about love while they are encouraging black artists to sing about anything but love.”
-
Hat tip to Oh Word. “So (insert drumroll) without further ado…I present the “what the fuck is he?” Rapper Race Chart!!!”
-
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING the story of Ken Burns’ and his omission of Latinos from his newest documentary on WWII, The War—here is a call to action sent out today from Gus Chavez:
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Brad wrote:
My comment regards the South Bronx teacher who was banned for protesting security measures taken at his school. I would like to hear what Mr. Lopez would have done to protect his school from violence. I always love how some activists put on their theatrics for the cameras and yet never come up with a solution for violence in the schools. Maybe it would been a better idea for Mr. Lopez to encourage his students to work with the NYPD on how to be less intrusive yet still be able to adequately protect students instead working against the police and endangering students. His type of activism is counter-productive and it causes an unnecesary rift between the police and community.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 10:25 am ¶
Bianca Reagan wrote:
re: “Diversity Rewrites Prime-time Script”
Scripted series demand talent from actors, whereas nonscripted programs often hinge more on personality from cast members. And when acting talent is removed from the casting mix, “you have the entire U.S. population to choose from,” said Peter Golden, evp of talent and casting at CBS.
What exactly are Frutkin and Golden saying? That “ethnic” people don’t have talent, but they do have personality? And how do they explain the almost exclusively white casts on nonscripted shows The Bachelor and Maui Fever? What a crock.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 11:57 am ¶
S wrote:
Black Pastors –
That is such a sticky subject. As a Christian pastor you are supposed to teach the bible and everything it says to do and not do. So, if they stop teaching that homosexuallity is wrong, are they gonna stop teaching that fornication is wrong? Murder? Theft? Where do you draw the line? Who says that accepting gays and lesb’s as PEOPLE is the same as accepting their actions?
And when are we gonna get over this Black Homophobia news, as if black people have been the only ones to bash gays. Usually when someone is beaten for being gay, the perp isn’t usually black. You can disagree with what someone does and still respect and get along with them. Period.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 12:56 pm ¶
S wrote:
Serena –
51 years old?! That man was 51 years old? That is embarrassing that someone that “mature” would pay $ to display such childishness to someone he does not know. Come and watch the match or stay your no-life havin’ tail at home!
I mean, really, how much energy do people have to CONTINUALLY nag people about their race? If you get a life, you would not be so concerned about other races, and about how you can spend your precious time offending them. When you have goals & dreams, when you HAVE A LIFE, you don’t spend your free time hurting and bothering others.
People crack me up on how intent and passionate they are at keeping this racist BS going. Let go, racists. Find a different hobby.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 1:04 pm ¶
bertie wrote:
Re: Black pastors
I really do not see how the race anlge makes this story any different from if the congregation is predominantly white, latino, asian or all the above. The injection of race just seems to be a way to get more milaeage out of an old story.
And I agree with S–I’m tired of the constant media story of blacks somehow being more homophobic than the rest of the U.S. I think the media likes to hype this up to portray blacks as hypocrites–wanting equal treatment based on race while being bigots based on sexual orientation.
As usual, the media seems to allow “progressive” whites to distance themselves from the James Dobsons, Pat Robinsons of the world, but black s tend to get lumped in with the opinions of a few. I will credit the article with at least demonstrating that their is a diversity of opinion on homosexuality with in the black community.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 1:57 pm ¶
Sewere wrote:
S said,
As much as I agree with you about the racial angle of the media’s portrayal of homosexuality in black churches, I have to say I am somewhat disturbed by your lumping homosexuality with murder and stealing… Even if the bible labels homosexuality a sin (and it should be noted that this very issue is still being contested by biblical scholars and leaders), I fail to see how and why you would compare homosexuality to murder and theft (i.e. outside of the discourse of homophobia that is being used by certain religious christianity), especially since no such comparison is made in the bible.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 4:36 pm ¶
eric daniels wrote:
I read the ‘Two Black Girls” article and I am going to say something that will piss off black women, white men and black record excecutives. The Jewish – American -led music industry as it is presently consititued is about marketing Black American artists (particularly male ones) as sexual deviants for fun, profit and sterotype with black particpation. My question has been where are the modern black bands like Sly and the Family Stone, War or Prince and the Revolution. Hip- Hop, poverty, and lack of music schools can’t explain all that away. Black artists in previous generations had the same problem but they transcended that to create works of art. It was a concerted effort by record execs to promote rappers and singers and now mainstream black music has stagnated in America.
I made an asertion on the site Afro- Punk that the Brits have caught us in making compelling “mainstream R&B” and taking our classic sounds and making them relevant in 2007. When I said the best singer in mainstream Black- based music is Amy Winehouse because she writes her own music, her songs are personal and topical and she has a hand in her musical vision. All I heard was ’she’s a drunk’ and she can’t compare to Badu, Scott, etc.. etc. or we sill rule !! I told them look at a Ciarra or Beyonce video on BET and can you tell me that they can compete with Winehouse as far as soul and talent.
And does everyone want to know who is the greatest deterent to taking black american”mainstream” music back from from the ‘Coons’ and lousy singers.. Black Folks themselves from the black A&R executive folks in the car ‘bumping’ that latest Puffy ‘remix , and Video Hoes showing their wares on BET, MTV etc… Hip- Hop created the greatest problem because black record execs thought Hip- Hop was a fad and would go away like Rubix Cubes and Parachute Pants and ignored it until white kids started buying Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince albums .
When Hip- Hop blew up in 1988, a lot of black music execs were kicked to the curb by major record labels and has continued to this day. they did learn a lesson don’t ignore the streets, and now instead of taking a risk on a black band (white a&r people get more rope to fail) or singer that will not go 2X platinum on the first album they go for the tried and true.
Get the ‘hot producer’ who is “mentoring” an act signs them to his or her boutique label pair them with an established star the song blows up and the exec keep his or her job, party status at “Justins” and entre at all the black functions as an “A&R” guy
or until the label no longer needs do-nothing black record execs and conslidates the black music department. Liz Phair and Loudon Wainright have never sold 2 million albums together, but they are given the opprounity to grow as artists which is not given to our black counterparts. It’s either sell 2 million or we will get someone who can.
W.E.B. Dubois said, when the race gets tired of being pushed around in this case shoody entertainment and sterotypes that degrades our legacy, they will get rid of it in mass. From this day forward, Black people looking for creativity and will have to go the indy route because blacks in the biz are bought and sold. A Prince, George Clinton, Marvin Gaye or Sly and the Family Stone could not be signed today because like L.A. Reid once put it, ‘You’re talented and all that, but can I sell you to the public”
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 6:34 pm ¶
kim wrote:
bertie: “…the media likes to hype this up to portray blacks as hypocrites…”
Only if one were to equate, and declare as accepted among Blacks the equation, that racial prejudice and discrimination is tantamount to sexual preference discrimination.
You will find the polls split on that one.
Yes, the race angle here makes no difference as I can see, either, though I must say, I am not from a culture of White religious communities, or White cultural practices. I have no idea if gays have openly, and under the policy of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ operated and been celebrated up through the ranks in the White church (or, to say it so it makes even a little sense, in churches with predominantly White congregants).
In Black churches, Black Protestant churches anyway, the gay have prospered and not been run away from stepping up onto the hallowed pulpit, even when women were not allowed to wear pants into the sanctuary.
Marrying gays in the church, as it is in strict conflict with the tenets of the main book the church uses to form its ideas of practice, worship and spiritual ‘rightness,’ can only fall outside of the church’s fundamental practices and mission.
Loving the gay churchmember, but not constantly preaching to one’s own revisionistic sense of the mission of the Christian church in being steward to its lambs, is following the first mission and mandate of the church.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 10:05 pm ¶
Colin wrote:
How is caring for people in a committed loving relationship counter to a mission for equality and inclusivity? I understand that the black and gay experiences are not the same, but I beseech my fellow brothers and sisters to think about it this way if you haven’t already:
-Many gay men and lesbians are black, and they get discriminated against by white America even more than many of us because of it
-AIDS is especially troublesome in the black community and perceptions that black gay men are passing it on to the rest of the community may lead to reprisals and further discrimination against black gay men
-Black people, even if you somehow assume no black people are gay, still have similar current-day experiences with gay men and lesbians. In both cases, they are a mocked and for the most part people both exploit the prejudices against these groups for political and monetary gain, without fail. In both cases, internalized hatred is rampant, and attempts at breaking that internalized hatred are seen as flamboyant or “tacky” or “ghetto” or “flaming”, basically overly showy and boastful and they are further mocked. Both are still fighting for rights, though the magnitude of their struggles is quite different, and so I feel they should work together.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 5:13 am ¶
kim wrote:
Colin,
Whose mission for equality and inclusivity?
The church has no such mission.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 10:24 am ¶
bertie wrote:
Kim–I don’t think that most blacks equate race discrimination with sexual orientation discrimination. I honeslty believe many blacks are hostile to such comparisons–especially since there is no “in the closet” or “don’t ask don’t tell” equivalents available to most blacks allowing them to escape prejudice and discrimination.
But I do think media stories portraying blacks as being anti another group–whether it’s a racial minority, ethnic group, nationality, orientation, etc. have an undercurrent of “gotcha” in them–ie…you blacks are just as prejudiced as the rest of us, so stop whining.”
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 11:10 am ¶
Colin wrote:
Kim: I guess you’re right. I associate such values with the historical morality of the actions of black churches in fighting racism and bigotry, but few religious organizations with large populations (1000s in the congregation) really advocate such values, do they?
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 12:02 pm ¶
Colin wrote:
More aptly put, I should’ve said I made an association between the morality of actions by black religious leaders, but I guess I was ignoring much of the actual week-to-week churches in America and focusing on the touted bigwigs in error. The only major progressive black church I see now is the PNBC.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 12:13 pm ¶
Versai wrote:
Bertie: “I honeslty believe many blacks are hostile to such comparisons–especially since there is no “in the closet” or “don’t ask don’t tell” equivalents available to most blacks allowing them to escape prejudice and discrimination. ”
Black people (at least older ones) are familiar with the idea of passing (black people with light enough skintones opting to pretend to be white to escape the racism/burdens/etc of being black). While the option to pass may not be available to most black people, it does not keep them from having an opinon on it. It is generally accepted that racial passing is not a good thing. Yes, you may reaped the financial/class benefit of not “being black” but you lose your soul–and always live with the horror of possibly being found out.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 1:43 pm ¶
kim wrote:
Two things:
bertie and colin: I loved your follow-up comments, as we stayed on-topic, and didn’t start getting personal. I am not actually an advocate of religion in any form, and so am not saying push gays out of the church, and definitely not saying discriminate against persons who love differently than one might do oneself. Cool.
Vandia: ‘It is generally accepted that racial passing is not a good thing.’ Do you find that to be the case among those on the cusp of middle age, and not born, say, post-1977?
I ask because of comments made to me by the most disappointing, ignorant and self-hating Black neighbors I have ever had in affluent Cincinnati suburbs. The idea that my children might ‘pass’ animated and enlivened their contact and considerations of my kids. My mouth agape the first time it happened, I am still reeling, years later, from the shock of having ‘good Christian’ Black folk (scripture quoting, Sunday School teaching, Wednesday Bible meeting having, Older couple mentoring Black folk) make the most anachronistic and appalling comments, which showed that for them, as opposed to , say, you and me, passing was still a psychological option.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 3:40 pm ¶
kim wrote:
Sewere:
About twenty years ago, I found such a comparison falling out of my mouth, though I had intended to word a benign ‘let them be,’ statement, ‘live and let live.’
I have not forgotten the pang I felt as those words came out of my mouth, words which did not buttress my beliefs of the open community, but unwittingly belied and undermined such beliefs. And even while making the statement, could_not_stop.
I have not forgotten what I felt (and feel) was the hallmark moment of a quiet separation between me and the first person other than my mother who ever told me I was beautiful, someone with whom I am bridging time and distance after having gone our separate ways.
Just wanted to say: yes to your comments.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 3:46 pm ¶
eric daniels wrote:
I am not going to buy the religon arugment between blacks and gays . There are gay people in our lives whether they be in the church, schools, or family members and friends. Nobody in this conversation is talking about the 5,000 pound pink elephant in the room, Anti black behavoir amongs white gays and lesbians whether it would be through gentifcation of fomerly black neighborhoods, or black children dealing with hositle gay white males teaching young black children mixed that with Black American moral conservatism then you will have a lethal combination.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 4:38 pm ¶
kim wrote:
eric: that elephant is not in the room at this time, i believe.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 6:04 pm ¶
Kirshan wrote:
Me being African American, I definitely can say that the race angle in regards to the black church accepting gays story is valid.
However, I never thought that angle came across as saying African Americans are more homophobic than others.
What makes the black angle of this story relevant is how many in the black community choose to IGNORE the subject of gays and also HIV/AIDS.
Ignoring these two issues have devastating effects. For example, ignoring HIV/AIDS in the black community allows the myth to persist that the disease is a gay disease.
Not all racial groups have the same issues that are the result of racism because not every race experience is exactly the same.
So I do not think it is right to totally discount the race issue when it comes to this subject.
http://www.blackinthecity.net
http://www.raceandpolitics.com
Posted 30 Mar 2007 at 11:42 am ¶
s wrote:
Sewere –
My point was, how can we expect people to justify one thing that the bible says is wrong, over other things. Hint: ” Where do you draw the line?” YOU took it the wrong way. Period.
Posted 04 Apr 2007 at 8:12 am ¶