Addicted to Race 89: Myanmar, Martin Luther King, and hip hop
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
Addicted to Race is New Demographic’s podcast about America’s obsession with race.
Here’s a rundown of what you’ll find in this episode:
What does the graphic nature of the Myanmar disaster coverage say about the value of yellow, brown and black lives? Why have we sanitized the memory of Martin Luther King to the point where we are shocked by a statue depicting him with his arms crossed? And lastly, does hip hop help or harm social justice?
Got feedback for us? Call 917-720-6348 or email info@addictedtorace.com.
Note from Carmen: This episode was supposed to come out the week of May 19th, but unfortunately I only got around to editing and posting it this weekend. The good news though, is that you’ll get two ATR episodes this week! Look for episode 90 this Friday.
Guest co-host R. L’Heureux Lewis, also known as Dumi Eyi di yiye (Eddie-yi-yay), is a Assistant Professor at the City College of New York – CUNY in the Department of Sociology and Black Studies Program. He researches, writes, and does activist work on schools, youth of color, and mental health. His recent blogging can be found at www.uptownnotes.com and his professional work can be found at www.professorlewis.com.
Duration – 57:45
File Size – 40.7 MB
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david wrote:
What does the Myanmar disaster tell us abotut the value of black, brown and yellow colored people”????????????
I don’t know? Why don;t you ask the leadership of that country why they let their own people starve to death and REFUSE aid from western nations?
Posted 03 Jun 2008 at 7:17 pm ¶
Kendra wrote:
@ David
I’d wager that a history of colonialist oppression at the hands of one or more western nations could be a reason. Given Myanmar’s history with the British and the Portuguese, it doesn’t surprise me. Why depend on a wolf for food when it’s just going to bite you again?
But there are probably other reasons that I’m not aware of. I don’t like the spread of military bases and other forms of colonialism much, but I’m curious to know if Myanmar was receiving aid from nations that were not western.
The leaders should not have allowed their people to starve and go without care or shelter if that was in fact the case, but that disaster was felt fully by the region and maybe the government didn’t have a decent plan of action. I’m certain they tried their best, but as we’ve seen on our TV sets, things were chaotic.
All in all, I liked this discussion. I’m wondering if I could use it for a research paper.
Posted 03 Jun 2008 at 11:01 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:
Kendra: ITA with the colonialism point, but don’t apologize (in the second definition sense) too quickly for the military junta. I’m really not certain that they “did their best.”
Buddhist monks are still distributing aid to who they can; my hunch is that they’re not picking and choosing who gets the aid, although the gov’t has already been accused of this. From what reporters have seen on the ground, and from interviews I’ve heard (through a translator, but still), tent-dwellers on the sides of roads have been told to go “back” to their villages, because the tents were “unsightly.” Coincidently, as more foreign aid workers (and reporters) are slowly allowed in. 2-3 weeks after the cyclone, the military evicted survivors from public shelters in order to hold “elections” that were on the schedule. If soldiers can get to polling places, soldiers can distribute aid -but that wasn’t their priority. And by some reports there are some dissenters within the military hierarchy – some leaders wanted to do more for the people, but the higher-ups said no.
Is there way more here than we’re hearing? Yes. But like Katrina, and even like the recent earthquake in China, the natural disaster is being made worse by human error and human lack of priorities.
Posted 04 Jun 2008 at 6:44 am ¶