Friday Music, Musings, and Annoucements
by Latoya Peterson
Happy Friday y’all!
There’s a blackout in downtown DC today, so I am heading into the office late. Nice intro to the weekend, though it cost me some money. A lot has been going on in DC, and I saw a couple things – the anti-suicide posters on the Metro, the “safety” zoning plans – pop up in the blogosphere. I’ll talk about that later though.
Announcements
I did not receive any announcements this week. So, floor is open to the readers.
Music
Blue Six – All I Need
Musings
Some scattered things I’m thinking about:
* I need to declare email bankruptcy. I have not a hope of getting through this inbox.
* I really want to write about comics. I picked up a mainstream American comic after years of non-involvement yesterday and immediately found myself sucked back into my fan girl roots. It also made me think about heroines and villainesses. And critiquing the comic industry. I wonder if the top people in comics understand that we want inclusion, but that inclusion doesn’t mean scrapping everything and starting over. I wonder if they, like the head honchos in gaming, seem to fail to understand that women aren’t going to get into something due to targeted marketing – there has to be a compelling character or plot. And I wonder why we can create these largely complicated multifaceted characters but still be unequipped to deal with matters of race and gender.
* I really should get to a post primary run down, but I frankly don’t have the strength. Ditto with the Sex and the City post. And the same with the Fast Company article “China Invades Africa.” But I have to do it, so next week is going to be interesting.
*It occurs to me that I should at some point explain the “why” in hip-hop feminism, specifically discussing misogyny and gender roles and economics. And why “woman of color” means different things to different people. And why I don’t spend a lot of time denouncing the sexism of certain men of color. And the cost of identifying as a feminist. I feel like that needs to be discussed as well.
Anything on your mind?
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
wendi muse wrote:
sex and the city…well covered by this blogger for the nytimes. and though i take issue with some of the usual racism vs. sexism critique, i thought her analysis on SATC was right on the money. the movie depressed me, and while it’s supposed to be viewed as a fairy tale for adults, it reminded me that in a world that still sees women as martini guzzling shopping addicts who can pick an outfit with better skill than they can pick a decent mate, nothing is happy ever after.
http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/woman-in-charge-women-who-charge/
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 10:49 am ¶
cosmicsistren wrote:
I know this has nothing to do racial matters at all but Incognito has a new album coming out on June 24th. Their new single is “I’ve been waiting”. I can’t get enough of this song.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 2:25 pm ¶
Slush wrote:
They cancelled the neighborhood safety zones today, after six or seven people were shot in other parts of the city in one night.
Go figure.
The whole business makes me lose a lot of faith in city government.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 2:40 pm ¶
Joanna wrote:
An announcement:
On Thursday, June 26 in NYC, Upwardly Global and Idealist.org are looking for nonprofit professionals to volunteer at a networking practice event.
For more info, see http://www.idealist.org/en/volunteeropportunity/149578-83
Upwardly Global (http://www.upglo.org) is a U.S.-based nonprofit with a two-pronged mission: to increase economic opportunities for low-income and underemployed, yet high potential skilled and educated immigrants, refugees, asylees; and to increase immigrant inclusion in the labor market and workforce. Idealist.org is partnering with Upwardly Global to help these jobseekers successfully make an entrance into the nonprofit world by hosting a Nonprofit Networking Practice session.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 2:40 pm ¶
Renee wrote:
Black women have always been the second choice. We have never been considered leaders and innovators. In this this post I focus on how they now seek to use Cynthia Mckinney to advance their political objectives. As long as Hilliary was running she was not considered a female candidate or a reasonable option, but now that HRC is out of the running it seems quite fine to fall back on a woman of color.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 3:43 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
I have a couple offerings for the group:
This one is my take on the recent $225 million lawsuit filed by a black female NASCAR employee charging racial and gender discrimination in the workplace. As we hail Danica Patrick for being a “woman” in the field, we ignore how they treat women of color and men of color.
Check it out: http://knockthehustleblog.typepad.com/hustleknockin/2008/06/discrimination.html
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 4:58 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
Got one more for you: this one on barack, hillary and why being a white male hurt John Edwards.
http://knockthehustleblog.typepad.com/hustleknockin/2008/06/was-john-edward.html
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 5:17 pm ¶
Black Canseco wrote:
Here’s a cool piece from Tim Wise on the hypocrisy of those claiming to jump ship to McCain just because Hilary lost.
Black writers have written about this for a couple years now, but I guess the message more relevant than who the messenger is.
“ATTENTION Hilary Supporters, Your Whiteness is Showing.”
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=15116190&blogID=404841003&Mytoken=9F4D73D2-7088-4D15-8492A9D4F0B750F73634525
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 5:24 pm ¶
Radfem wrote:
Thanks for the links.
When my city got a gang injunction in one neighborhood which it called a “safety zone”, shootings actually went up and the graffitti was much more confrontational and threatening. It doesn’t really address the situation. It was a political move so the Latino D.A. could prove he was tough on Latinos by the time he runs for the State AG spot in several years. The only gangs targeted by that office with injunctions are Latino gangs.
I think a lot of policing like check points and gang injunctions is politics. And that’s frustrating for neighborhoods where people can’t leave their houses b/c of shootings.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 5:38 pm ¶
Persia wrote:
Renee’s link isn’t working: It’s a good post.
LaToya, the Comics Journal did a major issue– it’s probably four or five years back now– focusing on The Problem of Women and Mainstream Comics. IIRC it was pretty good, might be worth digging up.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 8:19 pm ¶
Joan Flores wrote:
R. Kelly was acquited.
Posted 13 Jun 2008 at 9:34 pm ¶
Renee wrote:
THanks Persia..
Posted 14 Jun 2008 at 12:00 am ¶
Keren wrote:
Have you seen this?
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/06/sasha-and-malia-racismsexism-watch.html
It’s part of their series ‘Obama racism watch,’ they also have a ‘Hilary Sexism watch.’
Posted 14 Jun 2008 at 6:11 am ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:
“R. Kelly was acquitted.”
::throws the glass punch bowl on the floor::
DAMN! Damn! DAMN! Damn! DAMN!
::wails::
Posted 14 Jun 2008 at 8:43 am ¶
deb wrote:
WNYC Radio’s Soundcheck did a segment yesterday on “Black Rockers Making Inroads.” It discusses the emergence of black musicians in genres dominated by white musicians. Vernon Reid, music critic Jim Farber, and singer Daniela Cotton are the guests. Unfortunately, the segment cuts off during Cotton’s interiew.
Posted 14 Jun 2008 at 9:45 am ¶