pretty white girl singing

This is another personal/cryptic post: If I could find the transcript, I would post it... has anyone out there seen the Dave Chappelle segment where he says his views are so radical the only way he could get his opinions expressed on tv is to have a pretty white girl sing them? (And then for the rest of the segment, he actually hands a series of note cards to the singing white girl standing next to him) I'm not sure I want to get into the details, but if you have the means, I would highly recommend that the brothers out there get a singing white girl from time to time. It might make your life easier. I'm being serious.

brown berets

Thanks to Adisa for the heads up. This link is from the Watsonville Brown Berets. For those who don't know, in the 60s and 70s the Brown Berets were the Chicano analogue of the Black Panthers. And the Watsonville chapter is a contemporary group which was inspired by the Brown Berets of the past.

representin' the west (bank)

HindustanTimes: Arab-American rappers find new voice in political hip-hop music focuses on two of the Arab-American rappers, Omar Offendum and Ragtop of Los Angeles who are on the forefront of this trend.

Reading about them reminded me of the Suheir Hammad poem, Taxi, which starts off...

urban warrior i think we're
too used to bottled water and soft ass wipes
street soldier not gettin' taxis and little white ladies
claspin purses ain't all it's about

Hip-hop is definitely spreading and finding different things to say. You also might want to check out the Iron Sheik, a Palestinian-American rapper who I've seen in concert before. His page has song samples, lyrics, show information, and other goodies.

growing anger among blacks as latinos take over

April 7, 2006
BY ERIN TEXEIRA

NEWARK, N.J. -- The men both stood in a busy hardware store parking lot, but their lives were far apart.

On one end, Oscar Bautista of El Salvador said he had been waiting more than three hours for a job. Across the lot, Art Jackson loaded potting soil into his Dodge Durango. He complained that immigrants are making it harder for Americans to keep good jobs, especially blacks.

''You need to take care of home first,'' said Jackson, an African-American phone salesman from northern New Jersey.

Blacks and Latinos are often united on social and political issues. But they often differ when it comes to immigration.

Newcomers make black progress harder, said Wesley Crawford, who works at Source of Knowledge, a bookstore in Newark. ''It's a misconception that they're taking jobs we don't want. If you give people a good job, they will work.''

While Hispanic immigrants have protested a proposed crackdown on illegal immigration, the nation's most prominent black leaders have all been to New Orleans to try to stop the upcoming local election. Shortly after the storm, Jesse Jackson and others complained that Latino workers seemed to have more access than blacks to rebuilding jobs.

Bruce S. Gordon, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that African-American and Latino bonds are strong and that his ''spirit was there'' at the immigration marches.

Most of the immigration protests have focused on a bill passed by the U.S. House that would make illegal immigration a felony, and all but one black voting member of Congress, Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee, was against it, according to the Congressional Black Caucus.

Still, many blacks feel threatened, said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a black writer in Los Angeles.

''The civil rights leaders say we're all united, but the average person on the street is taking great offense at this group coming in and essentially taking over,'' he said.
AP

the fear of a free black intellectual

Black Electorate: WANTED: The Non-Threatening Negro – The Fear Of A Free Black Intellectual

According to The Urban League Institute’s report, "Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows" only 8 percent of the guests on the major Sunday morning talk shows over the past 18 months – or only 176 times out of more than 2,100 opportunities - were Blacks. 122 of those 176 appearances were made by Juan Williams, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice. Why is there such a limited black presence among the "talking heads"? Cedric Muhammad suggests that it is not just a matter of political bias or simple racism but something more complex.

azad slide

Following up on the issue of religion and cultural appropriation, I found a Persian livejournal blogger who wrestles with the question: How do you all feel about white American folks wanting to participate in spiritual/cultural things that are not their own?

"green is the new red"

Check out the newish blog Vegan Kid: Words in Resistance and especially check out the Carnival of Empty Cages #1 where he shows Grenada some link-love to two prior entries related to vegan/vegetarian issues. (One on Ron English, the painter who created much of the artwork shown in the film Supersize Me, and a second on Sean Muttaqi, the band Vegan Reich and the Hardline Movement).

In general, he has some interesting posts on "green" issues. And a couple of his posts give examples of how in the current political climate, green groups (environmentalist/animal-rights) are more and more under suspicion. So "first" they came after the Muslims and Arabs. "Then" they came after the pacifists and Green folks. Who is next?

conference on islamic african civilization

Saturday April 8th, 2006
12:45 pm - 10 pm
The Fourth Annual Conference on Islamic African Civilization
Public Health Auditorium, Rm. 23
(located on Fifth Ave. bet. Bouquet St. and Oakland Ave.)
University of Pittsburgh

Lectures Include (in order of schedule):
The U.S. Constitution: Reading Between the Lines
An Analysis of African Muslim Resistance to European Colonialism
The Historical Relationship between Muslim Spain and Islamic Africa
Keynote speaker: Jihad Abdul-Mumit, former Political Prisoner, Black Panther Party Member, and Black Liberation Army Member, speaking on "Self Determination"

the anti-imperialist left confronted with islam

International Viewpoint: An interview with Tariq Ali

Tariq Ali is an interesting kind of person. A secular Pakistani intellectual (so a "cultural Muslim"... as much as I dislike the term). But in a lot of ways his anti-imperialist perspective resonates very well with the interests of the Muslim world (Perhaps we could call him a "political Muslim")? In the above-mentioned interview he makes an interesting distinction between himself and someone like Hirsi Ali.

I travel a lot both in the Muslim world and in the rest of the world, but I have never yet felt threatened. Why is that? It is no doubt because people who don’t agree with me about religion know that I am an enemy of imperialism. I unceasingly criticize imperialism and all its works, more than the believers do. Whereas Hirsi Ali and people like her in the United States and in Europe make a profession out of attacking Islam. There are other important questions in the world.

Why do these people concentrate endlessly on Islam? In the way that they attack Islam, they go along with existing prejudices. And for that they are hated. There is no excuse or justification for acts of violence against these people. It is necessary to discuss with them. But these acts are a sign of despair: people are so much at the end of their tether that they have recourse to violence.

It reminds me of the distinction I made a long time ago between Irshad Manji and Me'shell Ndegeocello (Me'Shell Suihailia Bashir Shakur). All non-Muslims, (or Muslims for that matter) are not made from the same cloth.

damocles re-revisited or "gone fishing"

This post will be more on the cryptic and personal side but I still feel like "sharing". My own time under the sword will be ending soon. I think I've managed to come out a little bit wiser, with only a few nicks and scrapes for my trouble. Damocles said to himself "It is good to be the king" and thought it would be mostly fun and games. But the king knew better and realized that Damocles was his chance to go on vacation. Sometimes I've felt like Damocles. Most of the time I feel like Dionysius the king. Occasionally, I've even felt like the sword. It all depends on your point of view.

the sword of damocles
damocles revisited

immigrant rights

In the spirit of Latino/Muslim unity, Ihsan (the excellent Muslim group blog) has put together an informative and useful collection of links on the subject of Immigrant Rights

Also, on Alternet a brief piece called Viva la Immigration Debate adds a nuance of complexity to the current situation by looking at how Cesar Chavez (born a U.S. citizen) approached the issue of immigration.

white people and native religion

In her entry, Native Peoples and Cultural Genocide Brownfemipower (who almost considered dropping out of the blogosphere but has fortunately decided to grace us with her presence for a while longer) at the Woman of Color Blog looks at the relationship between the New Age movement and Native American spirituality. I'm generally sympathetic to the argument but had a different set of reactions and thoughts to some of her points. She says:

At no time did New Agers do any of the hard work of researching their own indigenous pasts to reclaim their own religious roots despite the fact that many European tribes were strongly based in earth-centered beliefs. No, New Agers went the easier route of "stealing" bits and pieces of other religions and claiming them as their own. For example, if you walk into a store catering to New Agers, you can find books and other memorabilia based in religions as far ranging as Buddhism to Taoism to the Kabbalah.

Although it's not good to appropriate any religion, the various religions that New Agers generally like to meddle with do manage to retain a large measure of control simply through their relative size. That is, a group of New Agers in Ann Arbor are not going to control how Hinduism changes or manifests itself in India. It simply isn't going to happen.

For Native peoples, however, this isn't the case. Representing only about one percent of the overall population of the United States, Native peoples are grossly outnumbered by New Agers when it comes to dealing with them on a tribe-by-tribe basis.

Firstly, I would say that some "New Age" folks, for example, followers of Asatru, Celtic Reconstructionism, or modern Druidism actually do look at spiritual paths associated with Pre-Christian Europe. So just to be fair, not all white New Agers are blatantly stealing from non-Western peoples. Some of them, really do try to stick to "their own" traditions. (But then that comes with its own problems as well. For example, some modern pagan groups have connections with white supremacists. They are pagan because they want to connect to a pre-Christian Europe "untainted" by Jewish or other influences.)

Secondly, in general, I would tend to question the implied link between ethnicity and religion. (e.g. see robert karimi) Even though it is important to avoid fanaticism, and one should cultivate a great sense of humility in terms of our own individual interpretations of texts, or our own specific understanding of the truth, nevertheless, religion still deals with matters of ultimate concern and absolute truth. (see not spiritual but religious) If Buddhism, or Islam, or Christianity are true, then they say something which is valid for all human beings; not just Asian people, or Arabs, or Africans. And similarly, if a non-Native or non-Indigenous person decides that the spiritual teachings of the the Australian Aborigines or Native Americans are meaningful for them, then I would think that people should have room to explore that possibility regardless of their background.

For me, the problem isn't in whether white people should try to practice non-Western religions. The real problem is that in general, whatever spiritual path we have chosen, we should all try to follow it thoughtfully, seriously, deeply, and self-critically. And there are obviously certain challenges, pitfalls, traps and temptations which will make it hard for anyone to follow a given path properly. The problem of white "New Agers" dabbling in non-Western cultures and co-opting them is only one temptation and one flavor of superficiality. (And someone in a different situation will face different obstacles). But I wouldn't want to rule out the possibility that a white person is capable of sincerely, thoughtfully self-critically following a non-Western path.

That said, I'm sure that Brownfemipower's criticisms apply to a large number of people in the New Age movement and I don't intend any of the above discussion to take away from that validity.

cuba & pakistan

From Left I on the News:

I've written about the 2260 health care professionals that Cuba sent to help Pakistani earthquake victims, and about how they had treated 1,043,125 patients, but even that didn't prepare me for the latest statistic: 73% of the earthquake victims who received medical care, received it from Cuban doctors and paramedics.

bottom of the cracker barrel

In her post Niggers and Spics, brownfemipower wrestles with the real-life complexities of the workplace alliances and rivalries between Mexican-Americans and African-Americans in the microcosm of the Flint Cracker Barrel.

loose change and the fall of the wtc

Last April Fool's day I wrote a piece which discussed how folks (especially Muslims) relate to certain rumors and conspiracy theories (see april fool's and the fall of granada).

Oddly enough, a few days ago a friend pointed me in the direction of Loose Change a video which discusses the idea that the US government was behind 9/11. To be honest, I'm not sure how much credence to give these sorts of theories. On the one hand, 9/11 has certainly been exploited in order to justify certain policies in the Middle East. But are the people in charge so evil that they would have deliberately and consciously planned for 9/11 to happen in the first place? See the video and judge for yourself.

talisman

by Suheir Hammad


it is written
the act of writing is
holy words are
sacred and your breath
brings out the
god in them
i write these words
quickly repeat them
softly to myself
this talisman for you
fold this prayer
around your neck fortify
your back with these
whispers
may you walk ever
loved and in love
know the sun
for warmth the moon
for direction
may these words always
remind you your breath
is sacred words
bring out the god
in you

"querido fbi"

I blogged a little bit about him when he passed, but I recently went to a spoken word performance where they showed a Puerto Rican hip-hip video about the death of Filiberto Ojeda Rios so he has been on my mind again. The song was "Querido FBI" by a group called Residente Calle 13. I've noticed that sometimes my links to YouTube don't necessarily last very long. If the video has been removed, hopefully you can also listen to the song here... or if necessary find it on the web yourself.

Washington Post: Puerto Rico Asks Congress to Lean on FBI
Miami Herald: Protests in Puerto Rico mount against FBI over tactics
Democracy Now!: FBI Assassinates Puerto Rican Nationalist Leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios

Planet Grenada:
filiberto ojeda rios
the life and death of filiberto ojeda rios

"the sleeping latino giant has finally awakened"

Immigration reform and related demonstrations around the country are the issue of the day. In Denver, Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix, and of course Los Angeles (among other places) Latinos marched in order to press for a more sensible immigration policy. Being held up for particular criticism is House Resolution 4437 (“Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005”) which would:

-Make it more difficult for legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
-Disrupt American communities and put all Americans at risk by broadening the definition of smuggling to include anyone who aids or transports an undocumented immigrant.
-Make everyone who comes to the U.S. to work subject not only to deportation but also imprisonment.
-Disrupt the U.S. economy by creating an overly broad and retroactive employment verification system without creating legal channels for needed workers to work lawfully.

It seems kind of obvious to me, but it bears saying: Immigration policy and the anti-immigrant backlash are certainly issues which both Latinos and Muslims should be concerned about. And whenever possible, they should cooperate and coordinate their efforts accordingly. For example, recently in Chicago, I.M.A.N. worked with Latino activists there and supported a march against HR 4437. Hopefully we will see more such coalitions in the future.

Alternet: Immigration Reform in Living Color
Ihasn: The giant awakens! 10,00,000 march in Los Angeles!
La Voz De Aztlan: Aztlan Arising: 700,000+ March in Los Angeles
Common Dreams: "Latino Giant" Awakens: Demonstrations Gaining Strength
Common Dreams: Wage War on Poverty, Not Immigrants
Planet Grenada: inner city muslim action network and latino activists

also:
latino and islamic groups want tancredo to quit
you say it like its a bad thing...
obama and martinez
mexico and immigration

solar eclipse today

MSNBC: Watch a total eclipse on the Web It won't be visible in North America but you can see it online.

end of empire

I vaguely remember watching the Iran-Contra hearings on tv and being vaguely impressed by Henry Hyde and then being really surprised later on when I found out he was a Republican. It makes sense though. He was raised a Democrat (Irish Catholic) has supported (and even sponsored) gun control legislation, and currently he is critical of the administration's position on the Iraq War. He may be in the GOP but that doesn't make him stupid or crazy.

"Our power, then, has the grave liability of rendering our theories about the world immune from failure. But by becoming deaf to easily discerned warning signs, we may ignore long-term costs that result from our actions and dismiss reverses that should lead to a re-examination of our goals and means." - Henry Hyde

Imperial Overreach is Accelerating the Global Decline of America by Martin Jacques.