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June 12th, 2009
yeloson
 | 02:50 pm - If you didn't do it, what did you do to stop it?
(x-posted by request)
I just came across Cereta's excellent post on men and rape by way of Coffeeandink's links and post.
The first rule of abuse is that we don't name it. And when we have to deal with it, we rename it, we call it something else, point the finger at someone else, or anything else than call it what it is. The abuser renames things because it serves to hide what is being done. The abused renames things, for survival. Speaking truth has consequences. Speaking truth might mean having to admit someone you love, someone you trust, even blood relatives JUST RAPED YOU.
And those of us men who might not have committed such acts? We benefit in renaming it because we don't want to have to admit that our teachers, our fathers, our friends, our family members, have raped either.
For the rapist, it's a chain of rationalizations. About how he's not responsible, how she did this or that to make it happen, or how she didn't say no, or she didn't say no in the right way, or enough times, or a thousand other excuses that in the end, are about him getting his.
For the rest of us? The chain of rationalizations are "Well, I don't know the full story!", "Oh, she's kind of dramatic!", "Maybe they're exaggerating!" "People say a lot of things when they're angry.", "I'm sure if it was really a problem, someone would press charges!"
You know what? Fuck rapists. And fuck every goddamn man who makes excuses for it.
See, this shit happens because fuckfaces, like you, like me, like us, don't step up and stop this shit. To be sure- there's 51% of the population who suffer and have an interest in stopping it, but let's be real, we are the ones with power, and privilege and we're either raping or standing by while rape is happening. Worse yet, we're standing by silently while it's happening. We're even defending it.
Every time you do that, you're saying to your mother, sister, daughter, friends, girlfriends, cousins, teachers, students, coworkers, anyone who happens to have that other chromosome? You're saying "Hey, I'd feel -bad- if you got raped, but I wouldn't do shit about it."
Maybe that's not what you mean, but that IS what you're saying. And, because you are encouraging that environment, you're making it more likely to happen. ("I hate me some of THOSE PEOPLE, they can all hang from trees, but you, you're different, I wouldn't do that TO YOU", "Ah thanks!")
This is a rape culture.
This is the culture where we make heroes out of troops while we ignore the fact that they rape the people they're suppose to protect. They rape their fellow troops who are risking their lives to protect them. We ignore our clergy who rape our kids and fellow believers. We ignore our bosses. We ignore our activist leaders who rape the very people they're supposed to protect. We ignore our cousins, uncles, fathers, friends who do this to other people we love.
And to flip it and look at the other side? At the women? That means we ignore the fact that all these people we care about, know, and work with- we ignore that they're being raped.
What kind of fucking love is that?
Stop worrying about calling yourself a man. Try being human for once.
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May 12th, 2009
skywardprodigal
 | 10:43 am - TV: A Reason I <3 Southland (from 1x4 Sally in the Alley)
Regina King plays a cop. I think she's got a nuanced, interesting, entertaining, and pointed characterization. She figures in each episode and I adore her role. There's a critique, though, in how the strong-black-woman is played against other stereotyped ways of being a woman overall.
I think in a lot of ways, her character (Lydia), is a shout-out to all the real people that are black, living their lives, having friends, relationships, and lovers in a place that disrespects black women as a matter-of-course.
Click here for the scene of win.
( Or here where it's embedded. )
For sure, this passes the Bechdel test.
( transcript )
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April 5th, 2009
ciderpress
 | 09:47 pm - Asian Women Blog Carnival
The first edition of the Asian Women Carnival is now available to read [here].
Thank you!
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March 28th, 2009
animikwaan
 | 02:36 pm - "Go Native" Burning Man fundraiser SHUT DOWN
after the "safe space" meeting, two of five representatives of visionary village (one insisted he couldn't speak for the entire organization), were invited to a very special event at the intertribal friendship house honoring native women in the san francisco bay area ndn community.
( THEY GOT SHUT DOWN )
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March 27th, 2009
delux_vivens
 | 11:31 am
"Go Native" event in Oakland
Anybody in Oakland know anything about this?
eta: the original poster/flyer are still up here at tribe.net. There's also a post about the statement from AIM West, with plenty of "no *we'll* define whats really racist not the native community" in the comments.
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March 18th, 2009
March 17th, 2009
skywardprodigal
 | 01:27 pm - The Pursuit of Excellence v Moving Goal posts
High achieving Lori Phanachone may be expelled from school because she refuses to take the English Language Development Assessment Test. School officials claim that she has to prove that she's literate by taking and passing that test. She's got a 3.9 GPA.
Phanachone, who was born in California and lived in upstate New York before moving to Storm Lake with her family in 2006, said she has never been enrolled in any English Language Learning or English as a Second Language program.
"Someone told me I should have put English as my first language when I registered for school," Phanachone said. "But I refused. I will not deny who I am. And I will not disrespect my culture or my mother."
( full-text )
( Source )
Links
Assistant Principal Beau Ruleaux's email address is bruleaux@slcsd.org (this is the same guy who pointed out that Phanachone is 'no Rosa Parks'. If 'You're No Rosa Parks' isn't another way of saying, "Know your place you uppity little thing" I don't know what is.)
Beau Ruleaux's boss is Mike Hanna. Principal Mike Hanna's Email is
You can see the pictures and more information on Hanna and Ruleaux here.
The board of education for Storm Lake Community Schools can be reached by clicking here.
Superintendent Paul Tedesco can be reached by email or telly.
Storm Lake High School
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February 23rd, 2009
ciderpress
 | 10:44 pm - Asian Women Blog Carnival
I'm pleased to announce a call for submissions for the first Asian Women Blog Carnival as well as suggestions for themes and hosts for possible future carnivals. I hope that there will be enough interest for us to continue this, monthly or bimonthly or quarterly so please do let me know if you are interested in hosting a future Asian Women blog carnival with (or without!) a specific theme in mind. I am new to this and I expect that I will be muddling through so if you have any suggestions or advice, please drop me a line!
This carnival is intended to focus on Asian women. The definition of Asian, within the scope of this carnival, includes people from East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, North Asia, South-East Asia, Far East, Middle East, Near East and people of Asian descent living in non-Asian countries. The definition of women, within the scope of this carnival, includes transwomen and cisgendered women.
Call for Submissions
For the first edition, which I will be hosting at ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) yennenga thanks to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) delux_vivens's kind offer, there is no specific theme. I would like to highlight the diversity of Asian women and topics regarding identity in Asian majority and Asian minority cultures. Submissions can range from feminism, representation, culture, history, work, activism, beauty, health, sexuality, politics, economics, philosophy, class, education, religion, how we identify and relate to other PoC groups, personal stories etc.
Please feel free to submit your own posts or suggest good posts or links by someone else for this carnival. This carnival is not livejournal specific, please feel free to participate from other journalling sites and blogs. You may submit multiple posts. Submissions from from women and men of colour as well as allies are welcome.
All types of work, such as essays, prose, poems, personal narratives are accepted.
Deadline
Friday, 3 April 2009
Please post submissions to [this post]. If you feel more comfortable with email, please feel free to email me with your links and posts at aciderpress @ gmail.com (put Asian Women Carnival in the subject line, please!). Volunteers for Host for future editions can contact me either by commenting or emailing me at the address above.
Thank you!
(crossposted, I'm sorry if this is the millionth time you've seen this notice! :) )
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February 7th, 2009
delux_vivens
 | 06:05 pm - alrighty then.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) transgriot has a few words to say about discussing race online.
Just because POC's are bluntly expressing an opinion that happens to be diametrically opposed to yours, it doesn't make us 'angry'. If we're pissed, there will be no doubt about that because we'll definitely let you know when we are.
*grabs popcorn*
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) impressed
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January 20th, 2009
delux_vivens
 | 03:20 pm - because clearly, i'm still crazy.
Still euphoric? Still amazed? Still awash with joy and wanting to talk about it?
All right ladies, write it up and submit it for the Women of Color on Michelle Obama carnival at yennenga. You remember, that thing I was talking about two months ago? ...what? You've had plenty of time!
*innocent look*
Details here.
Deadline to be... Feb 10? I'd like to get it up for Valentine's Day.
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November 6th, 2008
bias_cut
 | 10:37 pm - Let me break it down for you.
[cross posted from my journal]
I, too, am pissed the fuck off about some of the racist bullshit (shame on you, Dan Savage) circulating around about how the record high turnout of black voters for Obama passed Prop 8 in California and how horribly homophobic they are.
But let's pretend for a moment that there were no people of color in the U.S. Let's pretend that this past Tuesday, all voters who went to the polls were white. How, then, would the election and the ballot measures have fared?
Nationally
* McCain would have won the popular vote, 55% to Obama's 43%.
* McCain would have won the following blue states with the following percentage of white votes: Florida (56%), Virginia (60%), Ohio (52%), Indiana (54%), New Mexico (56%), Nevada (53%), Pennsylvania (51%), New Jersey (50%), and Maryland (49%).
* Super blue California would have barely gone for Obama with 51% of the white vote.
* McCain would have won the election in a landslide with a total of 319 electoral votes to Obama's 219.
Arizona
The ban on gay marriage would still have passed with 55% of the vote.
Arkansas
The ban on gay couples adopting would still have passed with 58% of the vote.
California
Prop 8 would have been defeated by only a small margin of 51% to 49%.
Colorado
There is currently no exit poll data on race, but 51% of Colorado voters voted to keep Affirmative Action. According to the most recent census estimate, Colorado is 90% white, so if non-white people are 10% of Colorado's population, I can't help but believe that they didn't at the very least contribute the 1-2% necessary to tip the votes into the Yes category.
Florida
The ban on gay marriage would still have passed with 60% of the vote.
Nebraska
There is currently no exit poll data on race, but 58% of Nebraskans voted to end Affirmative Action. According to the most recent census estimate, Nebraska is 91.5% white.
Two other interesting facts that I haven't heard any of these critics mention:
* In Arkansas, 54% of black folks voted to ban gay couples from adopting versus 58% of white voters.
* In Michigan, 59% of black folks voted for stem cell research versus 51% of white voters.
Telling, isn't it?
For all of the critics who want to point fingers at the 70% of black voters in California who voted for Prop 8, I encourage you to look at this data and think hard.
The historic win for Obama that so many people, millions of white people included, are incredibly happy about? Not only did white voters play a huge role in passing some of these terrible ballot measures, but black and brown voters won Obama this goddamn election, so think for a hot minute before you try to bite the hands that fed you.
[ETA: I rechecked some of my links, and fixed the states that I had erroneously counted as McCain wins with white voters. My apologies for the error. They should be fixed now. Thanks!]
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November 5th, 2008
delux_vivens
| 08:15 am - women of color on michelle obama carnival.
Barack Obama has won the 2008 presidential election, and that means that Michelle Obama is going to be the First Lady of the United States. Michelle will be the first First Lady of African descent but she will hardly be the first Black woman who has had a place in the White House.
This Carnival is intended to focus on Michelle Obama's term in the White House and what it means to and about women of color not just in the US but globally.
In particular, after the past year's ferocious drama about 'a woman' being president, I would like to see discussion of the roles that women of color have had in in relation to the presidency-- not just Sally Hemings, but also Mary McLeod Bethune's role as a member of FDR's Negro Cabinet,-- and where Michelle fits into that continuum as we look to one day having a woman of color be the President.
All types of work are welcome-- essays, prose, poems, personal narratives.
Deadline for submissions is Nov 19 at midnight Hawaii time. Please email submissions or questions to deluxvivens@gmail.com.
The Carnival will be posted at yennenga.
Current Mood: clearly, i'm crazy
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October 31st, 2008
animikwaan
| 12:59 pm - stuff this odawa hates
i was forwarded a link to a tirade on stuff black people hate regarding black cherokees at powwows.It never fails that when I get done dancing, some fuckface gets all excited and approaches me bright-eyed and bushy tailed (if it’s a girl) or wannabe-cool and nonchalant (if it’s a guy) and tells me that they’re Cherokee as if it’s somehow special, even if it were true. YOU’RE AT A POWWOW, YOU FUCKING TARD! I’M NOT SURPRISED TO FIND INDIANS HERE! Maybe I’ll saunter over to Howard Homecoming this year and start telling all the black people I’m black. God fucking dammit.
it's interesting & misinformed at the same time. i find it confuses a hatred of culture-vulturing, or to say, a particular kind of willful ignorance that diminishes native culture that most white people with real or imagined native ancestry pull off at powwows. culture is participatory every day. not once a month during powwow. i carry my culture with me, isolated in a city, isolated from my family; but i can still pick up the phone at a hockey game and call an auntie and speak in my language to her.
so, what i find problematic in this piece, is that it doesn't address that some black folk out there have been denied tribal recognition to their roots in the cherokee nation. or, specifically, of the cherokees that were removed to oklahoma.
which got me to this second piece i've been climbing through, which is interesting & misleading in some places: the freedmen/women and the cherokee nation, part 2
Greed and love of money, and the desire to cheat black people who have been Indians all this time, out of their rightful claim to tribal membership, is the real underlying major reason why the “white” Indians have pushed the “black” Indians out of the tribe.
while most of her research is clear and concise and in the comments, she attacks the ridiculous notion that a cherokee slave is still a damn slave despite anecdotal notions that cherokees treated their chattal better. what she doesn't do, is attack the question that one source states that only 0.3% of cherokees owned slaves and sources her vivid image of slaves, in chains, on foot, behind their cherokee masters on horses in the trail of tears. it is a natural conclusion -- or is it given the seizure of all property of the cherokees in the southeast -- to think that black slaves would have been viciously removed to oklahoma, as well... but she doesn't back it up.
then there's the grouping and condemnation of all native american sovereign nations as whack for not allowing freedman tribal recognition. that is something this odawa hates. it almost seems that while she's criticizing this particualar group of cherokees for being loving their whiteness, she marginalizes native sovereignty by lumping all 500 nations north of the rio grande into one group, who are in love with their whiteness. problematic, no? then, there's the part where she supports the establishment of black towns in known historical indian territory of oklahoma as having a natural right to sovereignty because... slaves shouldn't have to live under white law, so they shouldn't have to live under cherokee law -- it doesn't really speak to whether or not they'd be squatting on say kiowa or ponca land, you know, the people that are actually indigenous to oklahoma.... well, anyway, you get my drift.
there's a lot of spite in both pieces, and one can glean some really important information from both, but not without feeling... like a punching bag. it'd be nice to actually have one source to go to for info like this.
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October 18th, 2008
delux_vivens
 | 09:12 am
just came across this short video about imagery of colonialism and african women. Please be warned that this video contains a lot of nudity and imagery which may be seriously triggering.
the background music is nina simone's see-line woman.
( Desiring Ourselves )
via blackgirlonmars
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October 17th, 2008
delux_vivens
 | 12:09 pm - more from melissa.
No one, not once, not ever even considered the possibility of talking to Melissa the Professor. Melissa is a woman. She is black, divorced, and raising a child without consistent financial support from the father. She is extremely well-educated, lives on the East Coast, and makes a good salary. Despite her education and decent income all her wealth is tied up in her home and she still worries about how to care for her aging mother whose retirement has been wiped out in the Wall Street crash this month. She will never own her own business, but during her career she will help educate thousands of political and economic leaders. She opposed the war from the start, is willing to pay higher taxes if all Americans can have health care, opposes Walmart on ethical grounds, and worries every day about the declining quality of public education.
No candidate thinks it is relevant to talk to Melissa the Professor because she lives in a safe blue state and has supported Obama from the beginning. She is not a swing voter so she is not a topic of conversation in the debates.
But it is more than that. The deeper alienation emerges from the sense that Melissa is not representative of "real Americans." Presumably real Americans don't read books or the NYTimes. They don't control their own fertility. They don't make up their minds more than 12 hours before a major national election. Real Americans don't call the plumber, they are the plumber.
Real Americans are not descended from American slaves. They are not black and their hair is not nappy.
Barack does not look into the camera and decry racism because we are not really Americans. We are not allowed to express our political needs or tell our political histories because when we do it makes other people feel uncomfortable. African Americans are still supposed to be grateful for being saved from the "savagery of Africa," civilized by the cross, offered the crumbs of capitalism, and given the chance to die for the flag. Our sacrifices and our suffering are still elective courses, not required reading. Barack does not talk to Melissa the professor because if he did he would be labeled a special interest politician, even though worrying about Joe the Plumber is somehow universal.
http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/10/john-melissa-professor-has-some.html
xposted from my lj.
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October 7th, 2008
delux_vivens
 | 11:41 am - just heard about this, passing along
November 7-9, 2008
1st Annual Gathering for Adoptees and Foster Care Alums of African Descent:
Healing Ourselves, Making Connections
Announcing the 1st annual gathering of adoptees (transracial/international and same race) and foster care alums of African descent in Oakland, California, November 7-9, 2008.
AFAAD (Adopted and Fostered Adults of the African Diaspora) was formed specifically to support adopted and fostered people, to share our common and divergent experiences around race, adoption, joy, loss, family, search and reunion, and self identity and to celebrate our unique creativity, stories and community. AFAAD’s First Annual Gathering, Healing Ourselves, Making Connections is designed with you mind.
The purpose of this historic gathering will be to make connections, network, provide healing space, and to celebrate the diversity of our amazing diaspora of transracial, international, domestic adoptees and foster care alums. AFAAD uses “Black” in the widest diasporic sense, which includes African, African American, bi-racial and multi heritage, Afroasian and Afrolatino peoples. Healing Ourselves, Making Connections is the first of its kind for Black adoptees and foster adults and we know it will make a huge contribution to the conversations about adoption, race, social welfare and African diasporic identity - not to mention just bringing all of us together in one space is going to be amazing! It is time to share our stories with one another, rather than always teaching other people. We will also take some time for the strategic planning for the long-term goals of AFAAD as a social justice and community support organization.
http://afaad.wordpress.com/1st-annual-gathering/
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October 6th, 2008
femmeflame
 | 01:02 pm - Trans Conference: Decolonizing Gender and Remaking Trans Access
cross posted to a few lists.
No idea who is central on this or how this is being organized . Just an FYI....
Sent by: CACS - Canadian Association of Cultural Studies <cacs@lists.mcgill.ca>
Date: 10/06/2008 10:12AM
Subject: [CACS] Call-Out for Trans Conference
Call-Out for Trans Conference
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Bodies of Dissent:
Decolonizing Gender and Remaking Trans Access
November 6 to 8, 2008
Peterborough, Ontario
*****************************************************
Peterborough's Trans Events Committee invites trans and gender variant communities and individuals to submit proposals for workshops, and presentations of various forms for the upcoming trans conference Bodies of Dissent: Decolonizing Gender and Remaking Trans Access (working title).
Bodies of Dissent is focused on decolonizing ourselves from the racialization and gender norms present in our society, as well as from the institutional practices of psychiatry and prison. We are calling for a rebuilding of trans access.
We are aiming to conjure discussion around experiences and issues of (but not limited to) race, health, disability, class, psychiatric institutions and prisons in relation to different trans identities.
Please send one page outlining the nature of your workshop, presentation, or creative project specifying the topic or focus, as well as any materials and/or accommodations required.
Workshops, presentations, films and creative projects will be happening during the days of the 7th and 8th. There will also be performances on the evenings of 6 to 8th. Interested performers are invited to contact us as well.
This conference is brought to you by a collaborative effort between Transmission, Trent Women's Centre, Peterborough AIDS Resource Network, Rainbow Service Organization and the Trent Queer Collective.
Deadline for submissions: Sunday, 12th October, 2008
Email: trans@trentwomenscentre.ca
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October 2nd, 2008
delux_vivens
 | 08:41 am - Here we go again.
People? This community IS CLOSED.
The userinfo says we're closed.
The "WE'RE CLOSED" sign I personally posted here just days ago says we're closed.
Closed means not open.
Closed means that if you click that little 'join this community' button not only will you not get in, you have terrible reading comprehension. Or something.
Just don't go there.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) cranky
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September 30th, 2008
delux_vivens
| 04:18 pm - jesus take the wheel.
Its fine if you didnt like Spike Lee's new WW2 movie. But honestly you are going to namecheck Audre Lorde *and* pull the "master's tools" out in the process? Canadians, I'm going to ask you to throw the clue phone because this needs to not happen again.
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2008/09/25/f-miracle-at-st-anna-review.html
Also, a large part of the Sister Outsider anthology is available at google, except for the master's house essay.
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September 29th, 2008
delux_vivens
| 12:35 pm - CLOSED.
sex_and_race is closed until some time in 2009.
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