the ugliness of beauty pagents

Latin@rebels: When You Are Not Latin@ Enough: The Sad Case of Jakiyah McKoy, Little Miss Hispanic Delaware

HuffPost: Miss America 2014 Win Prompts Racist Twitter Backlash, Followed By (Some) Twitter Apologies 

It is surprising to me how ugly and political beauty pageants seem to be getting lately. First Nina Davuluri becomes the first Miss America of Indian descent (prompting a confused and ignorant racist backlash). And then Jakiyah McKoy wins Little Miss Hispanic Delaware, only to have her crown stripped from her because 1) some racist Hispanics don't believe a black little girl can represent "latin beauty" and 2) she apparently wasn't able to produce proof of her Dominican grandmother. For me, Jakiyah's situation cuts a little closer to home since I could totally imagine crap like that happening to some of my younger relatives. I also find it especially ironic that the issue should ostensibly turn on the identity of the grandmother (see y tu abuela donde esta? and y tu abuela, a’onde esta?) 

black star, crescent moon

New book to add to the reading list:
Open Veins: Black Star, Crescent Moon

 

bobby mcferrin & aziza mustafa zadeh

For some reason I thought I had posted this a long time ago but apparently not... it is a thoroughly "Grenada-esque" clip of Bobby McFerrin, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh singing Carmen.

 

latin cypher

Latin Cypher: 20 Spanish-Language MCs Everyone Should Hear Words By Isabela Raygoza

captain american in a turban

Salon: Captain America in a Turban

qahera

I just found this tumblr with the comic adventures of Qahera, a sword-wielding, hijab-wearing, salty-mouthed, Egyptian super-heroine. There are only a few pages posted (with versions in English and Arabic) but I look forward to seeing what develops. Check it out.

latino muslims are growing in numbers in usa

muslim latinos: a new hybrid identity

Notes from the Social Field: Muslim Latinos: a new hybrid identity

no más, por favor: stereotypes of latina muslims

This is an old article but somehow I missed it. It is a nice reflection from Racialicious on the ways in which the media chooses to cover Latina Muslims (who would have thought there would be enough of a presence to generate a stereotype?) 

Racialicious: No Más, Por Favor: Stereotypes of Latina Muslims

latino muslims carving a new american identity

Arab News: Latino Muslims carving a new American identity

first native american hafiz of quran: tzotzil mayan from chiapas

Latinomuslim.org: First Native American Hafiz of Qur’an: Tzotzil Mayan from Chiapas, Mexico

say hello to the first latina american hafitha and she's still in her teens

Latinomuslim.org: Say Hello to the First Latina American Hafitha and she’s still in her teens

it's a small world after all...

black-arab solidarity: what could it mean? by liz derias
 The Palestinian struggle is a black struggle by Susan Abulhawa
The Subjects of American Empire Are Joining in Solidarity by Kevin Zeese & Margaret Flowers

yasiin bey (aka mos def) demonstrates guantanamo bay force-feeding standard operating procedure

Yasiin Bey appears in a video launched recently demonstrating the Standard Operating Procedure for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay. Made by human rights charity Reprieve and Bafta-award winning director Asif Kapadia, the film shows US actor and rapper formerly known as Mos Def experiencing the procedure.

20 ramadan memes

 

20 Memes to Get You Through Ramadan This Year

"somebody's watching me"

On the serious tip, I definitely think that "America the Beautiful" would make a much better national anthem than the "Star Spangled Banner". But this is starting to be a rising contender.

"oh say can they see..."

The piece is called "Surveilance 2010" by the artist Will Varner

race in cuba: the eternal black problem

Race in Cuba: The Eternal 'Black Problem' When it comes to race, Cuba is far from the utopia that black intellectuals like to think it is. As part of The Root's series exploring the island's color complex, Cuba's best-known novelist weighs in.

the afro-iranian community

The Afro-Iranian Community: Beyond Haji Firuz Blackface, the Slave Trade & Bandari Music at the Ajam Media Collective takes an interesting look at a little-known branch of the Black diaspora. (I think the only other time I've heard more than a passing comment about black Iranians was in the context of discussing the slaves belonging to the founders of the Babi and Bahai faiths.)

was tamerlan tsarnaev a “devout” muslim?

Religion Dispatches: Was Tamerlan Tsarnaev a “Devout” Muslim? by Sarah Posner