A friend and comrade just shared a slew of articles that challenge Liberal ally politics. I pass them on to you as tools for reflection and guides for how to act as an accomplice.
Month: March 2016
The Problem with “Privilege”
The Problem with Privilege
by Andrea Smith
For a much longer and detailed version, see my essay in the book Geographies of Privilege
In my experience working with a multitude of anti-racist organizing projects over the years, I frequently found myself participating in various workshops in which participants were asked to reflect on their gender/race/sexuality/class/etc. privilege. These workshops had a bit of a self-help orientation to them: “I am so and so, and I have x privilege.” It was never quite clear what the point of these confessions were. It was not as if other participants did not know the confessor in question had her/his proclaimed privilege. It did not appear that these individual confessions actually led to any political projects to dismantle the structures of domination that enabled their privilege. Rather, the confessions became the political project themselves. The benefits of these confessions seemed to be ephemeral. For…
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Fundraiser for “Blackdom”
In February we talked about the documentary, “Blackdom.” Filmmaker Vince McDaniel is creating a feature film documentary about the New Mexico town. There is currently a GoFundMe campaign to support this project. You can learn more by visiting the film’s Facebook page and you can read our earlier post here.
If you would like to show support for the creation of this film, there will be a fundraiser with special guest, actor Bokeem Woodbine. Details here.
Our tale “BLACKDOM” is about a black college-educated school teacher in the South tired of witnessing the daily degradation of his people. Feeling powerless to do anything about it, he begins to encourage African-Americans to report and challenge abuses in the Jim Crow-era South. After being run out of town by the KKK , he journeys to the New Mexico territory and establishes an all black town which flourishes during the turn of the 19th century. True New Mexico history!
When: Saturday, March 26, 2016 from 6 – 9pm
Where: Vernon’s Speakeasy, 6845 Los Ranchos Rd NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM, United States
Get in Touch: 505-341-0831 or Blackdom89@gmail.com
On the Revocation of White Privilege in North Korea
The blog, The Kinfolk Kollective, just published a great post about Otto Warmbier’s arrest and sentencing in North Korea. Please show some love and read the entire piece on her blog. But, here’s a snippet:
“Grieving the White Void”
Abe Lateiner wrote a piece shared on Medium.com, “Grieving the White Void.”
He talks about his experience with race and privilege throughout his life, how White supremacy negatively impacts ALL people, how he came to see his personal stake in ending White supremacy as a White person (and it’s not White guilt…White guilt is a step in the process, but it’s not the end-game), and how we must learn to grieve what has happened and live with integrity. He gives examples of what we can all do to end White supremacy.
“Blood and Betrayal in the Southwest”
From NPR’s Latino USA: “The Southwest was once a part of Mexico, but that doesn’t mean that Mexicans have always felt welcome there. Land disputes led to segregation, discrimination and even state-sanctioned violence. Latino USA looks into the history of resistance leaders like Juan Cortina and Reies López Tijerina, the dark side of the Texas Rangers and school segregation in an episode dedicated to the often untold history of blood and betrayal in the Southwest.”
The featured image on the Soundcloud link is Texas Rangers mounted on horses in 1915. (PHOTO by Robert Ruynon from the Robert Runyon Photograph Collection, courtesy of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History)
Insightful piece by Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell wrote an amazing op-ed for Utne Reader, which you can read in its entirety here. It is a lengthy piece, by most internet-article standards, and requires time for reflection and consideration, but which I highly recommend you read.
Divide & Conquor
Tim Wise talks about how the elite has historically used racism to divide and conquer.
It’s dangerous being black at a Trump rally
On March 9, two men went to a Trump rally in Fayetteville, NC as a social experiment. Once there, Ronnie Rouse and Rakeem Jones learned that being black at a Trump rally can be dangerous.
“The Color of Fear” by Lee Mun Wah
The Color of Fear is an insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent. In a series of intelligent, emotional and dramatic confrontations the men reveal the pain and scars that racism has caused them. What emerges is a deeper sense of understanding and trust. This is the dialogue most of us fear, but hope will happen sometime in our lifetime.
United Against Racism - New Mexico 