Blind White Feminism

Mikaela says:
I've had great discussions with Marjorie and others in the past about what the most meaningful divisions among us really are. Is it race? Is it class? Is it gender?

On a macro level, it's the identity politics debate that Obama and Clinton candidacies have surfaced lately.

On a micro level, it's a debate that's been playing out in fits and starts over a people of color yoga class at Out ch'Yonda.

The hubbub began when a Saturday morning yoga class went from being open to all to being explicitly for women of color. I'm pretty sure men were "excluded," too. White women who had been going were angry, upset, and rather petulant about the switch. Other white women wrote shaming emails saying that the petulant white women should pull it together and see themselves and their privilege. Women of color deserved a space where they could be themselves without being constantly in that dichotomizing space of difference. Others took up every other position on the left's spectrum.

An article posted Friday on Alternet is also written by a white woman who takes her fellow white feminists to task for consistently refusing to acknowledge and learn from their blind spots. It made for thoughtful reading, and I'm sharing it in that spirit here. I appreciated the sense of openness to new perspectives and important issues to the layers of identity possible for women, particularly in the areas of prisons, borders, and safety.

I think this is a complicated issue, and I go back and forth from feeling to rationalizing to sensing to understanding and back again. Most of all, I value that continuous journey. So like a woman!

Still, I appreciate the moments when I'm called again to re-examine my standard operating procedure, look around to see how my perspective might differ from those I consider my allies, and consider how I might adjust strategy accordingly.

Being schooled in Race, 2008

marjorie says...

Geraldine Ferraro's comments about Barack Obama show a disturbing lack of clarity on her part about the reality of being black in America (not that I know much about it). In reaction to her, I had the interesting experience last night of a black male friend of mine who generally steadfastly maintains an apolitical stance telling me that this country never let's him forget who he his. He's a person who refuses to engage in any nerdy policy debates, and who loves nothing more than pushing me out of my serious self with a decidedly politically incorrect joke. Not to mention, he's from a military family and thinks the American flag is a beacon of freedom. I tell you these things just to get across that he's not really the type of person who's been "schooled" politically in leftist ideas. But his remarks on race and Geraldine Ferraro last night to me could have been right out of our anti-racist playbook.

I was schooled in Race on the spot, from someone who never went to any of the workshops I've been to. It was a good reminder of, well, *reality*. In a nutshell, Power and Privilege are white prerogatives in this country, and no one needs to tell him that, because he's a black man and it is simply completely obvious. So why is Ferraro trying to tell us that those two things belong to a man because he is black? Obama is right: it is absurd to suggest it given the history of this country.

I don't care how Ferraro tries to spin her comments, or even if they were indeed taken out of context. As Karlos likes to say, nothing is by chance in this campaign, and both sides jump on these opportunities. So why give such opportunities in the first place? Ferraro and Gloria Steinem need to do some soul searching. I don't really care for the "post-racial" terminology, and certainly would not be on board if the "post-gender" term also had emerged in this campaign. We clearly do not live in a world that we can typify as either. But the last thing we need to do is pit race and gender against each other, and it's horrifying that it is being done by these two bastions of the 60's feminist movement.

I also want to comment on the analysis I've seen here and there about the Mississippi results. I've heard it said that Obama only won because he got 90% of the black vote, and that this kind of support from the black community is pushing some whites to vote for Clinton. Let's be very clear: Obama got 30% of the white vote in Mississippi because the white community in Mississippi is overwhelmingly RACIST. And perhaps, just perhaps, he got 90% of the black vote because this campaign has truly galvanized some black folks for the first time in a long while, like my friend. That's a good thing.

That the analysis takes a different direction shows just how poor the national dialog about Race is in this campaign. Mississippi is arguably the most racist and reactionary state in this nation. Just like Democrats usually have to rule out certain Republican strongholds, the vast majority of us have to rule out certain enclaves of reactionaries when a candidate like Obama comes along. And it isn't a loss.

At this point, we can clearly see that Obama enjoys the support of a massive number of white voters. In other words, a decisive number of white voters in the Democratic primaries are saying they are good to go with black leadership. In terms of Race, I would say that is the salient point, and most certainly the one that is the most remarkable. That he is black does not matter. All of us, but in particular us white folks, should recognize what this represents and push back at divisive comments and actions, like those of Geraldine Ferraro, regardless of who we voted for in the primary.

Tackling the Prison Industrial Complex

marjorie says...

Every time Bill Richardson does something to tick me off, he turns around and does something that pleases me to no end. I’ve noticed this time and again. Is this why he’s so popular you think?

In this case, he’s decided to take up the issue of prison reform. I hope he means it, because this would be one of the more just acts he could undertake during his tenure as Governor. From my perspective, actually, perhaps it would be the most just outcome of his governorship. Even if his motivations are entirely different from my own.

Maybe he read the Pew Center Report on our prison population, just released last week.

The Pew Center didn’t tell us anything new, it just updated us on what has been the case for awhile: the United States houses more prisoners than any other country in the world, both per capita and in total number. And we do it in an overwhelmingly racist manner, also nothing new to point out.

In the words of Glenn Loury, “…the current American prison system, is a leviathan unmatched in human history.” When you consider the degree to which it's privatized, and the contract labor prisoners provide for some of our mega-corporations, a better description might be American gulag.

Glenn Loury wrote a piece in the Boston Review last summer that I can not recommend enough, in which he documents the punitive trend (and its link to race) that led to increasing incarceration rates in the 1990s. And while the annual incarceration numbers have declined through the 2000s, the problem is that we release people from prison at a lower rate than we lock them up, so the numbers keep climbing.

The percentage at which we imprison black men is astounding, showing more clearly than anything else the institutional racism of our society:

Black males in their late twenties incarcerated at higher rates than other groups

At midyear 2006 more black men (836,800) were in custody in State or Federal prison or local jail than white men (718,100) or Hispanic men (426,900) (table 13). Black men comprised 41% of the more than 2 million men in custody, and black men age 20 to 29 comprised 15.5% of all men in custody on June 30, 2006. Relative to their numbers in the general population, about 4.8% of all black men were in custody at midyear 2006, compared to about 0.7% of white men and 1.9% of Hispanic men. Overall, black men were incarcerated at 6.5 times the rate of white men. The incarceration rate for black men was highest among black men age 25 to 29. About 11.7% of black males in this age group were incarcerated on June 30, 2006. Across age groups black men were between 5.7 and 8.5 times more likely than white men to be incarcerated.

The New Mexico numbers, in case you were wondering, appear to mirror the national stats. But the black men are replaced by brown men in our state.

Loury makes a compelling case that our American gulag is simply the next manifestation of our long racist history as a nation, with a criminal justice approach emerging in the wake of the civil rights movement as a mechanism through which the African American community is kept in a subordinate position. When you look at the numbers, the ramifications for the greater African American community, in terms of family and social cohesion, boggle the mind.

As with most institutional injustices, the truth is often hard to discern from a mountain of data. A blog like this becomes boring because of the litany of statistics it begs for. But I'd suggest the basic demographic numbers shown so clearly in these criminal justice reports tell us all we need to know. Despite the prevalent rhetoric, our country is not color-blind, nor are we by any stretch of the imagination "post-racial."

Loury continues:

"Whatever the number, analysts of all political stripes now agree that we have long ago entered the zone of diminishing returns. The conservative scholar John DiIulio, who coined the term “super-predator” in the early 1990s, was by the end of that decade declaring in The Wall Street Journal that “Two Million Prisoners Are Enough.” But there was no political movement for getting America out of the mass-incarceration business. The throttle was stuck.”

As I said in the comment section of one of my posts last week, about 20% of those in prison are there for non-violent drug offenses. Another 20% are there for other non-violent crimes. A little over 50% seek help for drug addiction once in prison. The recidivism rate however, is incredibly high. I can’t help but wonder how different our world would be if we funneled all the money we currently spend to imprison those with health problems into rehab and health care facilities instead.

There is a nascent political movement for change (see the Sentencing Project website) and Governor Richardson's signal that he will pursue prison reform is most definitely a step further in the right direction. Let's hope his effort bears fruit.

Happy Martin Luther King Day

and MLK speaks to Love, Struggle and Resistance:

Gentrification Panel Discussion - TONIGHT

Mikaela says:
Sorry for the late notice! I just got the email myself... Wish I could go, but I made prior plans. I wanted to post it just in case someone out there would similarly hate to miss this...

If anyone goes, say hello to Claudia for me (and all m-pyre girls), would you, please???

At some point, I'd love to have a discussion about the whole White History Week thing, but that's for another day (send in your thoughts!)...

Wed., Jan. 9th at 7 pm

Gentrification: Deconstructing Entitlement - Whose Place, Whose Economy?

panel discussion staring: Claudia Isaac; Ricky Lee Allen; Aztatl; and Dr. Nword of Out ch'YondA

Is whiteness a form of property? What do you think?

Bring your comments and questions.

Part of our ongoing White History Week Jan. 4 - 13th

The full schedule is available at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~mimileland/

Out ch'Yonda

929 SW 4th

9 blocks south of Central and 5 blocks north of Cesar Chavez

in lovely ungentrified Barelas

American Justice

marjorie says...

On my final day in Texas this past Friday, this picture on the front page of the Dallas Morning News caught my eye. It shows Charles Allen Chatman right after he was exonerated in a Dallas courtroom for a rape charge that put him in prison 27 years ago. He was 20 at the time of his conviction, and now, at 47 years old, he's being set free to find his way in the world. The Dallas Morning News story tells us that he might have a learning disability because he doesn't know how to use a cell phone or computer. Well, I won't dispute that he has a learning disability, but it could be he doesn't know how to use those two items because they simply didn't exist when he entered prison in 1980. Apparently, Dallas County took a pretty rigorous approach to incarcerating people in the 1980's. And now there are some good legal eagles working to free men based on DNA evidence.

What do we owe Mr. Chatman?

Good question.

I'm sure you know what I think. We can't pay the debt we owe him, for being a society that locks people up the way we do. Would Mr. Chatman have been locked up had he been rich? No. I have good African-American friends who say that even if they really think O.J. did it, they're still glad he got off...because it showed them it was about money and not race. That it was all about the money. You can imagine the discussion that follows that assertion. The counterpoint is always that race correlates with money in this country. And its pretty clear to me that justice as defined by who is in prison is also correlated with money. So...it is about race. No, wait...let's just disagree and say that it is actually about race, period. Nonetheless, the point is a good one.

I recently had a conversation about money and justice with a friend who is studying law. He just spent a semester working at the public defenders office and was telling me a little about his work. I wanted to know how he felt about working hard to get someone off who he might suspect did commit the crime. My larger curiosity was about whether or not this was a big issue for those studying law. He pointed out to me that our legal system is founded on the notion of innocence, and that a person shouldn't have to prove they are innocent. Society should have to prove, beyond a shadow of doubt, that a person is guilty. So in this sense, a person's defense should be of primary importance. And defense attorneys should do everything they possibly can to counter any evidence or charges of guilt, regardless of what they think about the person they are defending. Theoretically, if it isn't absolutely clear then a person should be set free. Theoretically, we have great values in this way. And, he told me, given the nature of who their clientele are, one of the public defenders described his job as doing god's work. It sounds like it to me. Justice is supposed to exist outside of the money. Or so they told me in elementary school.

Prejudice for the Holidays

Mikaela says:
Turns out Thanksgiving was not the day to be armed with response to family prejudice. I should have been prepared for Christmas.

My grandfather, much as I love him, is a racist, prejudiced, elitist old coot. Old style.

He ambushed us with talk of an article that he's promised to send all of us about how "illegal aliens" are taking over our country. Using resources they have no right to. Blah blah blah.

Nevermind that a recent study found they actually do NOT use healthcare more than anyone else, and do NOT constitute the burden for tax payers that hysterics claim to justify their positions. Nevermind that they're here because big companies want and need them to be here. Nevermind that they'd HAVE healthcare and other services if they were provided them by the companies who profit from their all-but slave labor. Nevermind that our whole system supports them being here, rests on them being here, necessitates them being here.

I figured it wasn't worth getting into it with a 90+ year old man, but what I really wanted to say is ... do you blame the people who set up the system, or do you blame the victims of that system for "taking advantage" of the system you create for them? What good does it do to blame the victim?

Oh, right. That old narrative about vilifying an easily identified population for your own wrath about the way things are. Hmmm... Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

A friend gave me the recently published book, Death of Sigmund Freud, which lays out the parallel lives of Freud and Hitler starting with the time they were both in Vienna. Hitler was a frustrated art student, begging in the streets. Freud was at the height of his analytical powers. Then Hitler goes to war, becomes a decorated soldier, and comes home a hero. He starts his rise to power and institutes his backlash against Jews. Freud barely escapes with his life and his family to England. It's a great book, actually.

What I didn't know about Freud is that toward the end of his life, he tried to figure out why people gravitate toward totalitarian leaders and/or fanatical faith. He tied it to patriarchy and said we were all looking for the ultimate father-figure -- omnipotent, all-knowing, and infallible. The Germans found that in Hitler. He argues others find it in God -- whether the invisible God of the Jews, the intimate friend in Jesus, or the righteous God of Islam. He conceded that this drive toward power greater than ourselves was stronger than all the dynamics he'd started his career fixated on as the central drives in our lives -- sex and intoxication to escape the daily anxieties we all face. He figured our need to elevate powers outside ourselves beyond our own petty lives was the biggest intoxication of all.

In the persecution of the Jews, Freud saw an excuse to let the id and the superego run rampant over the ego. There was an ecstacy to the anti-semitism that took over the world (and it was the world -- Jewish refugees were refused in almost every country they sought asylum). It was condoned by the moral righteousness people worked up beyond rational arguments about the Jews.

Freud's answer -- although not his hope, since he didn't believe we could really overcome that intense desire -- was to pull back to balance the three parts of ourselves. We must work to rein in the id & superego and reinforce our egos -- our rational selves, the ones that can see pain, feel empathy, and understand our relationship to others because we have a healthy perspective about our place in the world. We belong here, with certain rights -- but so do others.

Much of Freud's work examined the dynamics of groups, how we become mobs, how charismatic leaders take over, how much of ourselves and our rationality we lose in the process.

I heard echoes of the hysteria of anti-semitism in my grandfather's speech. I saw it in the debates among frothing of Republican presidential candidates falling all over themselves to talk about how miserable they would make the lives of "illegal aliens."

In my mind, it's a bigger danger than all our talk of Islamic fundamentalism. As Freud warned, fantatism anywhere -- in Christians, Muslims, Minute Men, or otherwise -- is the same danger.

At the same time, we cannot escape the basic human instinct toward gravitating to leadership. This is why we need Democratic candidates to pick a position and stand in it -- using reason, if we're lucky -- to argue for change.

What's at stake is history. The strength of our country is our belief in reason -- trusting individuals to use reason, trust reason, protect reason. That's the basis of progressive belief, in my mind. It's the freedom to choose. It's equal protection under the law because we are all human, endowed with inalienable rights. We are creatures of free will.

We do not have to embrace hate -- in the form of strong leaders who point to scapegoats who look different from us or believe differently than we do.

My grandfather said the article claimed all democracies in the world have only lasted two centuries -- can only last two centuries before mob mentality or totalitarianism take over.

It is time to remind revisionists that not only is that a false assertion about the past -- we can choose a different future. We can start now.

Vote to Commemorate Navajo Code Talkers on Arizona's Official Quarter

Mikaela says:
I love that I got this e-mail from a former student of mine who I have no doubt will continue to do amazing things to support her community.

Your vote is needed. Stand proud and vote for QUARTER 5, "Navajo Code Talkers." There's a deadline, so HURRY! The state of Arizona's quarter will come out in the year 2008. Vote here.

It'll be about time Native Americans get recognized for something GOOD!

The Governor has the ultimate decision, but she's indicated she'll abide by the people's choice.

(Here's a hint -- the votes are among the following quarters:

• three a-political, stereotypical landscapes,
  
• one celebration of white guy explorers, or
  
• the one commemorating Native American war heroes whose language proved to be an unbreakable code that helped us win World War II (in just 4 years, by the way, something Bush can't accomplish in Iraq).

P.S. The Code Talkers are winning by a vast majority. Add your vote!

MLK, one day later

Maggie, in tribute:

"When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

The legacy of MLK

marjorie says...

I'm fortunate to be able to spend this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Memphis. Tomás and I are here as representatives of SWOP at the National Conference on Media Reform--you can see our critique of the conference itself, and a good definition of what we think an effective grassroots approach to social change is, here.

Memphis is where MLK was murdered while supporting striking sanitation workers, seen in this famous photo. That particular struggle symbolizes MLK's little celebrated linking of racial justice with worker's rights. It also symbolizes why MLK was emerging as a greater threat to the American status quo leading up to his death. He was a dynamic civil rights leader who was increasingly speaking out against the Vietnam war and for the rights of workers. In this way, he was becoming an incredibly powerful voice that connected the dots between the most profound and problematic social issues we've struggled with throughout the years, decades, and centuries. I think this is one of his greatest legacies. Real social change will not happen if we don't connect these dots, moving beyond single issue advocacy and reformist agendas that trap us in narrow disparate boxes. On that note, I hope you all pause for a moment this weekend and reflect on the Civil Rights Movement, which we commemorate with this holiday. Its a movement that benefited each and every one of us, and continues to inform our lives today.

New Orleans Violence is a Post-Katrina Endemic Problem

marjorie says...

Many of you may have read the news lately about the rash of murders in New Orleans. It has become so bad that city leaders have proposed a curfew.

Reflecting back on the Katrina catastrophe, I remember the incredible outrage and upset so many of us felt. That disaster reflected back to all of us in horrific clarity the incredible problems we have in our society dealing with structural poverty. I call it structural because that is what it is: a condition present due to the economic and political structure that orders our society. A capitalist economy demands that poor people exist. And our political system mitigates this reality enough through social programs to allow for the survival of capitalism. I believe one of the reasons so many people don't want to confront the problem of racism is that to do so clearly shows this structural problem with capitalism, because there is a clear correlation between poverty (class) and race. To truly change that requires fundamental change. Hard fundamental change.

During the Katrina weeks, there was an enormous outpouring of grief, rage, confusion, not to mention charity and support to those in need, from across the United States. And when the crisis lessened there were a lot of calls to not forget and to not abandon the poor people of New Orleans to an uncertain future, who were overwhelmingly African American. But, really, that is what happened. The media dropped it. And the planners, developers, and political bureaucrats have swooped in to change the face of the city. Some of that might be good, but plenty of it is resulting in displacement. Violence is endemic because the plight of the poor in that city has remained, their already tenuous hold on stability incredibly strained by an unresponsive monolithic government and a profit driven land development system.

The violence is so bad that it is now spilling over into the lives of those who are normally more insulated from it...that may be one reason we are all finally hearing about it. I'd like to share an email I received from a friend and co-worker, Rosina Roibal, who lived in New Orleans for five years. In her email, Rosina talks about her friend who was shot and killed last week...mentioned in this newspaper article. I hope it will personalize this issue for more m-pyre readers, and I hope that we all can take some time to communicate with our congresspeople about this issue...because its an issue that belongs to all of us. There are other ways to help as well...for one, doing fundraisers in your homes to send money to community organizing groups working on the ground in New Orleans.

But in the bigger scheme of things, we all need to really examine how our system works. The plight in New Orleans is extraordinary in some ways, but there are struggling people throughout this country, many of them homeless. That isn't because they're lazy or don't want to help themselves. Its because they live in an economic system that requires them to exist. The only solution is a social response, which means us.

Dear Friends/family,

If you don't know, I went to college in New Orleans, lived there for 5 years.

I feel that you should know what New Orleans is like, and the devastation that has resulted due to the government’s lack of action to help it. Yesterday, my friend Teresa (who lives there now) called me to say that our friend Paul and Helen were shot in their home, and Helen died. There were 6 shootings in the same day around New Orleans. Paul was the leader of our band the “Troublemakers.” They have both been extremely active in making New Orleans a better place for poor people, like Food not Bombs (bringing free food to the community), a medical clinic for poor people, animal rights work. They were anarchist, atheist, and vegan with a 2 year old daughter and a pet pig named Rosie. If you had a chance to meet them, they were the happiest most energetic fun people I’ve ever met. Helen made films. There is a protest tomorrow to end the violence.

Just one week before, I was in New Orleans staying with my friends Ben, Teresa, and Chester. One day we heard 8 gun shots two doors down. A 17 year old boy was shot and died. His aunt was shot in the head 3 weeks before. They were into crack.

There is a film by Spike Lee, called “When the Levees Broke.” You should see it when it comes out on dvd, it was on HBO, and is great. However, most people don’t realize the long lasting problems that the people of New Orleans are facing. I don’t know if people like you and me can help change things in New Orleans. Poor people in New Orleans don’t have homes, they are not being given rights, they are not allowed to move back into their past homes, which are now being turned into condominiums for the rich. They’ve lost their families and friends and jobs and belongings. They’re depressed. They get into drugs to help the pain. Crack is all they can afford. Then they crack. They shoot someone for just a little money, for something to eat or just to buy some more crack. My friends living there say it’s so bad, they have to leave, even the ones who’ve lived there their entire lives. Teachers are stuck with huge class sizes, no supplies. The poverty and violence is overwhelming. We could go on and on about the horrible conditions and issues in New Orleans, but the bottom line is that our government doesn’t care about the poor people of New Orleans or the poor people of our country or the world for that matter.

George, how many more of my friends have to be shot? How many more people in New Orleans have to live without homes or help? How many more times will you allow levees to break? How many more thousands of people and animals will you leave stuck in a disaster? George, I don’t trust you, and I hate you and your posse.

I don't know what to do and feel scared and helpless. New Orleans was already behind in terms of social justice and being progressive. I give my friends in New Orleans all of my power and know you will fight till the death.

Rosina Roibal

White Culture

Mikaela says:
I'm totally down with the latest exploration of white as a culture, not an invisible standard by which all other colors are deemed lesser.

Marjorie has often decried the lack of discussion around white culture, which could be a powerful organizing tool if taken to the suburbs and taken out of the hands of supremacists.

Cheers to Out ch'YondA for once again leading the way in celebrating all diversity and enriching our cultural discussions here in the Q.

Out ch'YondA Live ArtZ Studio Presents in December

"Stuck in Neutral": White History Weeks Out ch'YondA

Explore the unexplored territory of White identity through art, intellectualism and radical thought without trashing White folks--not even hillbillies.

White artists from the community include:

• Bryan Konefsky
• Bill Nevins
• Ourania Tserotas
• Mark LeClaire
• Peter Chase
• and more.

Together, we can bridge the historical, social and psychological gaps around Whiteness and bring this identity out of the neutral zone in current times. Events include a gallery opening, poetry, film, performance art, music, panel discussion, anti-racism workshop, food and more.

• Opening Event: Friday, December 1 @ 6.00; $5
• Poetry: Saturday, December 2 @ 8.00; $5
• Brunch & Panel: Sunday, December 3 from 11.00 am-3 pm; $10
• Gallery Opening: Friday, December 8 @ 6.00 pm
• Films: Saturday, December 9 @ 7.00 pm; $5
• Anti Racism Workshop: Thursday, December 14 @ 7.00 pm; $10
• Music: Friday, December 15 @ 8.00 pm; $10
• Closing Event: Saturday, December 16 @ 4.00 pm; $10

For more specific information, please contact us at 385-5634

Out ch'YondA Live ArtZ Studio

929 4th St. SW

9 blocks S of Central

5 blocks N of Cesar Chavez

385-5634