Race, Class, and Gender

"The defamation suit my rapist has filed against me claims “assumption of risk” as part..."

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:49:00 -0700

“

The defamation suit my rapist has filed against me claims “assumption of risk” as part of his defense. I can state unequivocally that I never assumed that, by attending the University of Southern California, I was risking becoming a rape victim.

By letting my boyfriend drink a glass of water and take some aspirin after a party, I never assumed I had let a rapist into my apartment. How could I have been expected to assume this? Because I am a woman? Is that what it boils down to? Because I possess a vagina, I must understand that my mere existence evinces a daily risk of victimization and theft of personhood?

Fuck that noise. It’s time to stand up, step forward, and stop the rape.

”

-

After Being Failed by My College’s Administration, I Posted My Rapist’s Name and Photo on the Internet, by Tucker Reed

To read the full article, visit:

http://www.xojane.com/issues/tucker-reed-outs-rapist-at-usc

Sweden’s Real Size Mannequins Go Viral

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:02:07 -0700

Sweden’s Real Size Mannequins Go Viral

Photo

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 19:29:59 -0700

"Dear Taylor Swift, When your entire self-cultivated, public identity is that of a naive, boy-crazy,..."

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:26:32 -0800

“

Dear Taylor Swift,

When your entire self-cultivated, public identity is that of a naive, boy-crazy, over-grown adolescent in constant search of validation and self-worth from the boys you date and pine for, and when every song you write and every interview you give only functions to reenforce this identity, and when YOU as a young, conventionally attractive, wealthy, white woman, are a part of the demographic of women who have most benefited from the Women’s Movement, generations before you, and when YOU, as a privileged, white woman who has also found professional success, have been afforded a platform that allows you to help shape the hearts and minds of millions of young women who look up to you, and YOU choose to cultivate and reenforce the aforementioned identity and image—then heffer, YOU calling Tina Fey sexist for jokingly advising you to take a break from boy-chasing and childish pining and whining, and ‘find yourself’, is preposterous. And you are an insult to the women who have come before you. And your entire self-created image is sexist.

And your stupidity angers me enough to write a letter. You should consider a career in politics.

Bam.

K-Thanks.

Best,

Fatma

”

- My Open Letter to Taylor Swift

"While we’ve all come up internalizing racism, since it’s all around us, only one group of people..."

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:13:10 -0800

“While we’ve all come up internalizing racism, since it’s all around us, only one group of people actually benefits from its existence. Not every white person is a racist, but the genius of racism is that you don’t have to participate to enjoy the spoils. If you’re white, you can be completely oblivious, passively accepting the status quo, and reap the rewards.”

- Mychal Denzel Smith, from his essay White People Have to Give Up Racism, published in The Nation.

"I felt powerless in that image. I didn’t feel powerful. It ate every other part of my..."

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:35:11 -0800

“I felt powerless in that image. I didn’t feel powerful. It ate every other part of my personality, not for me but for how people saw me, because there was nothing else to see or know. That devalued me. Because I wasn’t anything. I was an image. I was a picture. I was a pose.”

- Megan Fox, on being objectified as a Hollywood ‘sex symbol’

“Eliaichi Kimaro is a mixed-race, first-generation...

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:07:08 -0800

“Eliaichi Kimaro is a mixed-race, first-generation American with a Tanzanian father and Korean mother. When her retired father moves back to Tanzania, Eliaichi begins a project that evocatively examines the intricate fabric of multiracial identity, and grapples with the complex ties that children have to the cultures of their parents.

Kimaro decides to document her father’s path back to his family and Chagga culture. In the process, she struggles with her own relationship to Tanzania, and learns more about the heritage that she took for granted as a child. Yet as she talks to more family members, especially her aunts, she uncovers a cycle of violence that resonates with her work and life in the United States. When Kimaro speaks with her parents about the oppression her aunts face, she faces a jarring disconnect between immigrant generations on questions of patriarchy and violence.

‘One reason this film works,’ notes Tikkun Magazine, ‘is that Kimaro situates her own personal family history within a social, historical, and political context of African decolonization, transnational relations, race, class, and gender politics.’ With poignant personal reflection and an engaging visual style, A Lot Like You draws the viewer into a journey that is filled with rich, multifaceted stories and history.

‘A moving personal essay on family and diversity’ (Seattle Weekly), the film raises questions about the cultures we inherit and the cultures we choose to pass down, and reveals how simply bearing witness to another’s truth telling can break silences that have lasted lifetimes.”

Watch the full film on Black Public Media:

http://blackpublicmedia.org/alotlikeyou/

Sexualizing A Victim; Telling Her Life In Terms Of Salacious Details

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:07:25 -0700

Sexualizing A Victim; Telling Her Life In Terms Of Salacious Details

"This, however, creates a chain of denial—many feminists who focus on reproductive rights do..."

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:04:12 -0700

“This, however, creates a chain of denial—many feminists who focus on reproductive rights do not value the contributions of sex workers to their movement, and many sex worker rights advocates who focus on bodily autonomy do not value the particular issues faced by people who do sex work because of coercion or dire economic circumstances.”

- Envision a Sex Worker Movement Sans Feminism, by Audacia Ray

“First we oppress them, then we get mad if they say...

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:31:51 -0700

“First we oppress them, then we get mad if they say they’re oppressed and then when they say they were a part of American history, we deny them.”

Georgetown sociologist Michael Eric Dyson, on denying the histories of people of color, in American public schools.

Once a week on “Family Day”, malls in Qatar are only...

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:53:08 -0700

Once a week on “Family Day”, malls in Qatar are only open to certain people. Undercover Jim heads to Villagio in Doha to investigate.

"And let’s be honest, these types of buffoonish “brownface” stereotypes would not..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:33:26 -0700

“And let’s be honest, these types of buffoonish “brownface” stereotypes would not be permitted if it were any other minority group. What would the reaction be if a white actor in blackface mocked African-American culture? Or if an actor of Arab heritage pitched a movie about the leader of a fictitious Jewish state in which he would portray the Jewish leader and showcase the worst stereotypes of Jews? Is there any chance that film would get the green light from a Hollywood studio?”

- Comedian Dean Obeidallah, on Sasha Baron Cohen’s “The Dictator”

L.A. Artist Plants Cardboard Cutouts of Migrant Workers Around...

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:36:19 -0700

L.A. Artist Plants Cardboard Cutouts of Migrant Workers Around Beverly Hills. Nobody Notices.

"Modeling is a lot like having a fight. Once you’re about to start fighting you just got your..."

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:53:34 -0700

“Modeling is a lot like having a fight. Once you’re about to start fighting you just got your skills. I guess it’s like riding a bike, right? That’s the better analogy. It’s like riding a bike.”

- Drita D’Avanzo, “Mob Wives”

Shit Men Say to Men Who Harass Women

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:00:18 -0700

Shit Men Say to Men Who Harass Women

"Free speech as a legal concept only guarantees you the right to speak. It doesn’t guarantee you the..."

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:52:45 -0700

“Free speech as a legal concept only guarantees you the right to speak. It doesn’t guarantee you the right to be heard, it doesn’t guarantee you the right to be agreed with, it certainly doesn’t guarantee you the right for your speech to not be challenged by someone else’s speech, and most importantly of all, it doesn’t mean you can’t suffer consequences if and when your free speech is used to cause harm to someone. Which is exactly what sexual harassment, racial slurs, and verbal bigotry are. That’s not censorship. That’s fairness.”

- “Not Okay”: MovieBob on Sexism and Harassment in Nerd Culture.

“A look at street harassment through the stories of Woman of...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:09:23 -0700

“A look at street harassment through the stories of Woman of Color and their strategies for self defense and self determination. Made by Inés Ixierda, a member of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project.”

Women of Color Against Violence.

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:07:27 -0700

Women of Color Against Violence.

"As the articles in both my anthologies illustrate, existing legal paradigms under U.S., foreign, and..."

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:05:30 -0700

“As the articles in both my anthologies illustrate, existing legal paradigms under U.S., foreign, and international law have permitted women of color to fall through the cracks—becoming literally and figuratively voiceless and invisible. This volume attempts to not only identify and theorize about those cracks in the legal regime, but to formulate relevant solutions as well. Sometimes a little mortar will suffice, while in other instances an entire wall of a legal edifice must come down.”

- Adrien Wing, Global Critical Race Feminism

Arizona Woman Seeks Something Susanne Eman is a...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:56:00 -0700

Arizona Woman Seeks Something

Susanne Eman is a thirty-three-year-old mother of two from Casa Grande, Arizona. She is attempting to become the largest human being ever, with her target weight being more than 1,600 pounds. She currently weighs over 750 pounds, and has recently become engaged to a chef, Parker Clack.

I was struck by her story. I can and have drawn a million conclusions about her state of mind, her past, her future, and the people in her life, which are all swimming around in my brain at the moment. I ache for a way to explore what this article evokes within me that doesn’t rob this person of her individuality and humanity, and turn her into an example for a larger discussion about our nation and our culture’s incredibly unhealthy relationships with food and our own bodies (not to mention our obsession with falsely constructed beauty ideals and celebrity).

But I can’t find a way to have that larger conversation, which is what I really want to do, without judgment, and without losing sight of the fact that I don’t know Susanne Eman. I have a basic understanding of nutrition and body health, and the psychological implications of eating disorders. But I am not a doctor. All I can say with certainty is that I have a great deal of compassion for Susanne Eman. I’m grateful to have read a part of her story, and can only wish her all the best.