Archive for the ‘Racism’ Category
14
SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has decided that the reason for their very existence, Tolerance and Equality for All, doesn’t extend to Same Couple Relationships. The amnesia of the leaders of that organization as to what they stand for, is being played out by their threats to fire a straight, African American Reverend, Eric Lee, who was public in his opposition to Prop 8. And his very public opposition just might cost him his job!
I find it amazing that the one group of people, African Americans, who have and continue to experience hate like no other group, thinks nothing of doing that to Lesbians and Gays. I understand your feelings that the Black Civil Rights movement is being overshadowed by the Gay Rights movement. And I understand that the comparison can be offensive. But the bottom line is this. Because our Black elders have failed to teach the younger generations our collective history, far too many youngsters don’t know anything more about the Civil Rights movement other than what we learned in school. And as we all know, that is minimal at best and a complete JOKE AT WORSE. And whether you like it or not, the comparisons are EXACTLY THE SAME! The same arguments that were used to try and justify not giving African Americans Civil Rights and stopping Interracial Marriage 50 years ago have been dusted off and are being used to discriminate against Same Couple Relationships. In a post I wrote on May 21, 2009, titled “Is Gay the New Black?” I listed eight different reasons why the struggles are the same. And these reasons include: education, religion, employment, housing, violence, health care, government, and marriage. Anyone with an open mind can’t deny the comparisons, PERIOD!
Slowly but surely, African Americans are alienated the very people who helped, fought, stood, and died for us to be in the position that we are in now. And our failure to say “thanks” and to return the failure won’t be forgotten nor should it be. So when the next atrocity occurs, like Hurricane Katrina, and we are shown and told EXACTLY where we stand in this country, and we run for help, we should be surprised when the Lesbian and Gay neighbors lock the door, close the curtains, and turn off the lights! Nor should we be surprised when African American Lesbian and Gays who have plenty of discretionary income to spend, stop spending it with you!
Time is going to show that opposing Same Couple Marriage was wrong. And when our children and grandchildren as us why we did it, what are you going to say that makes sense? That the bible, the same bible that STILL SAYS WE SHOULD BE SLAVES AND BE CONTENT WITH OUR LOTS IN LIFE, told us to do it? Or that an organization that fought for EQUALITY is now against it. The SCLC should be ashamed of themselves.
14
My last post titled”Blacks can’t Swim” talked about how a group of Creative Steps Day Campers from the inner city of Philadelphia, were at first allowed to swim at a private, again read “WHITE” swim club only to face racial slurs and then told they had to leave because “minorities don’t swim here.” When the incident became public, the president of the club, John Duesler, stated “there was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.” When that statement became public, the excuse became “it was a safety issue.”
There has been a update to this story. The Valley Swim Club voted “UNANIMOUSLY” to allow the Creative Steps Day Campers to come back to the club. I had to laugh out loud when I read this story because the heat is on and this is what’s called “Damage Control!”
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has stated that he finds these allegations “disturbing” and plans on launching a “full investigation.” The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which has opened an investigation, is to make a fact-finding visit to the club July 30. People have been picketing the Valley Swim Club. Could any one or all three of those reasons be why the vote to allow the Day Campers back to the club was UNANIMOUS???? Member Amy Goldman, who has been a member for two years, has stated that she hasn’t seen a “Black member this year.” Any takers that when the PHRC makes its fact finding visit on the 30th, that it will look like a revival of “The Wiz!”
Lastly, if you let me know, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that you don’t want me around, on what planet would you think I would EVER go back? If you want to apologize, fine. But 12, 13, and 14, year old African American kids, who probably saw their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents cry for the first time after seeing President Obama get elected, now know that we haven’t come as far as people want his election to indicate. And instead of these kids remembering “not in my lifetime” on November 4, 2008, as something positive, they are now hearing that again. Except this time, it’s what we expected. That racism is alive and well in America and an election did NOTHING to alleviate that FACT!!!!!
12
What began as an innocent trip to a swimming pool on a hot Monday afternoon, turned into a Civil Rights lesson, for 65 African American kids who visited a private, read white, swimming pool.
From looking at the pictures of the children from the Philadelphia Creative Step Day Camp, most of them looked to be under 12 years old. These kids were told that they could come swim at the Valley Swim Club every Monday. Upon getting into the pool, most of the white kids either got out on their own, or were pulled out of the pool by their parents. Many of the Day Campers allege to have heard racial slurs aimed their way. They were then told by the lifeguards that they had to leave the pool IMMEDIATELY because “minorities aren’t allowed to swim there.”
When the president of the Valley Swim Club, John Duesler, was contacted, his initial statement was that “there was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.” After that comment became public, Mr. Duesler and many of the parents who pulled their children from the pool are now saying that it was a “misunderstanding.” Even a child can recognize racism when he or she sees it!
By the next Friday, there was such an outrage about how these children were treated and how these white parents acted, that Mr. Duesler was compelled to speak out.
Continue reading “Blacks can’t Swim” »
01
For a few years now, the NBA has had a rule that says you have to be at least 19 years old to play in the league. That you can go to Iraq or Afghanistan and lose body parts and your LIFE, but not be allowed to run around in some shorts with some other guys in shorts has escaped a lot of people. That the rule is playing games with people’s lives also seems to be forgotten. As yet, there hasn’t been a case of someone losing their life waiting to become old enough to play in the league. But would possibly losing a parent suffice?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a basketball junkie. I will watch, play, and talk about basketball all day long. While some people watch basketball for the dunks, I’m at home calling out the defensive and offensive sets. And this goes back to the seventies. I can name every championship team, beginning in 1977 to the present. I can tell the difference between a 1-2-1 trap and a 2-3 zone. So the age limit rule kinda pissed me off. Because as a fan, I want to see the best players available. If they are over 18, they should be able to play. And to hear CLUCKS like Charles Barkley, who I like, and Shane BITCHIER who is overrated, agree with it was even more appalling. Because while Bitchier’s family might have been able to pay for his college education, people like Charles wouldn’t have been able to go to college if it weren’t for basketball. I guess Charles forgot about the money he has ADMITTED to receiving while playing at Auburn. And Shane is probably worried about some “young gun” taking his job for half the salary!
Continue reading “How old are you anyways?” »
21
Black folks, what the hell is your problem? For a race of people who have faced the worse bigotry, discrimination, and racism, in HISTORY, to turn around and do that to another group of people UNFATHOMABLE. And to hear Black people says that they resent the implication that the fight for Same Couple Marriage is a civil rights issue, makes it even worse. And to top it off, the Black church seems to be at the forefront of this “Campaign of Nonsense.” Oppression is Oppression! How hard is that to understand!
In a recent article, some Black clergymen stated their opposition to this struggle being “co-opted” by Gays and Lesbians. Yet here are some of the reasons that they used to justify their arguments. We know what we have gone through as an ethnic group, said Rev. William Gillison, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church. Bishop Michael A. Badger, pastor of Bethesda World Harvest International Church, said that he doesn’t doubt there is discrimination against gay people but that it is hardly on the order of what African-Americans have encountered and still face. If you know what discrimination feels like, how can you in good conscious turn around and do the exact same thing? Do they think their are no Lesbian and Gay parishioners in their church? Ignoring the situation is not going to go away. And just like the Civil Rights Struggle that Black folks went through, Lesbians and Gays are not going to quit. We aren’t going back in the closet, and we are not going to let you marginalize us. Hell, that sounds like a Civil Rights struggle to me. Do you really think the struggle is different? Let us count the ways.
Continue reading “Is Gay the new Black?” »
04
Lost behind all of the bullshit rhetoric about Same Sex Marriage is the fact that REAL PEOPLE and REAL PEOPLE’S LIVES and HAPPINESS are at stake. That the unfairness of it all seems to be lost when people try and defend “traditional marriage.” And what is even more galling is that other than them making these two statements “it’s against god/the bible” and “because marriage is between a man and a woman” they never put forth any other argument. Relationships whether Gay or straight are the same. The only difference is sex. Just like there are striaght marriages that have been together for 20, 30, and 40 or more years, there are Gay marriages that have been together 20, 30, and 50 years or more. The late Del Martin and her WIFE Phyllis Lyon were together over 55 years are were only able to get married during that brief period in california when Lesbian marriages were legal. Let me repeat that. They were together 55 YEARS and were only able to get married in 2008 during that brief period when Lesbian marriages were allowed in california. I would hope that even those people whose underwear get in a bunge when Same Sex Marriages are brought up would see the utter travesty in a situation like that. If you think being in a relationship with someone for 55 years is not a marriage then you don’t really know what a marriage is. And more the pity for you!
We now have another situation where the fact that Lesbians can’t get married is affecting REAL PEOPLE’S LIVES. Shirley Tan and her WIFE Jay Mercado have been together for 23 years. They have twin 12 year old sons together. Shirley is from the Phillipines and is facing deportation. She came here seeking asylum because she was shot in the head as a result of an inheritance dispute. If Jay were a man, she could have, YEARS AGO, sponsored Shirley, and she would have already become an American citizen. But because they are both women, that is not possible. How can ANYONE say this situation isn’t just WRONG????
As a heteosexual man, and maybe a woman, I can go to a website and ask for a catalog to be sent to me. In this catalog there will be young women from different continents like Africa, Russia, Asia, Europe, and South America, who are willing to marry any SLUB who will bring them to America and make them citizens. And this is COMPLETELY LEGAL! Yet two lesbians who have spent 23 years together in a loving, crying, playing, fighting, bill paying, in sickness and in health relationship, getting married is ILLEGAL. There is something very wrong with this situation. And if you can’t see how WRONG this is, ALL THE MORE PITY FOR YOU!!!
Continue reading “Because it’s just WRONG!” »
02
The officer who pointed a gun at and refused to allow Professional Football player Ryan Moats and tried to prevent his wife Tanisha from say their final goodbyes to Tanisha’s mother has resigned from the Dallas police force. He said he resigned so that the Dallas police Department, his fellow officers, and the citizens of of Dallas can “ learn from this experince, the mistakes made, and move forward.” Notice that NOWHERE in that statement did he say that HE needed to learn from this experience. Or the mistakes HE made. Or so HE could move foward.
His resignation is an easy, COWARDS way out of this mess. He should have been FIRED and it have should gone on his permanent police record so when he goes to the neighboring city and applies for a job, they know EXACTLY what kind of person, and I use that word lightly, they are dealing with!
01
Ain’t that a bitch. We finally have a First Lady that we all can be proud of, regardless of the color of your skin, and we have people verbally beating her down damn near on a daily basis. In the last week there was a NUT CASE name Tammy Bruce who called Michelle Obama “trash.” Then there was a commentator, Bert Prelutsky, on a supposed “Christian” radio station who that racism doesn’t exist in America because if it did, Oprah, Will Smith, Colin Powell, and Denzel Washington would be serving Mint Julips on the plantation. He also called Michelle a bitch! Seems like there is a segment of America who is fighting “tooth and nail” against the idea that a country that is less than 200 years past slavery is now being led my ancestors of those exact same people! Well get past it! A Black man is the leader of the free world! And his Black wife is the First Lady!!!!
The capper is that a Republican Congressman from the assbackwards state of california, Darrell Issa, is sponsoring a bill that would make it a crime for First Lady’s, read Michelle Obama, to do any “substantive work.” WOW!!!
Let’s break this down. We just got rid of the worse president probably in the history of the presidency in george w bush. (lowercase on purpose). His wife, Laura Bush, was omnipresent on TV talking about being a big brother or sister. She spoke and advocated for women’s rights both here and Internationally. Yet NO ONE said anything about what she was doing. But when Michelle, who has only been in office for a little longer than 2 months, begins to put her stamp on the First Ladyship, a bill is sponsored to have her sit her ass down. I’d hate to say this was racist, but it is beginning to smell that way!
Bottom line is this. For the first time since the 60′s, we have a President and First lady we all can identify with. Two people who, if politics were taken out of it, we could see ourselves being friends with. There is hope for this country like never before. Even with the recession. And if the saying “behind every great man, there is a great woman” is correct, the last thing we want is for Michelle to “sit down.” If Michelle can help polish our tarnished image both here and abroad, I say, “do yo thing sista!!!!!”
Issa has more things to worry about. Like a california economy that is in the tank. An unemployemnt rate that is at or near the top of the list. He also needs to remember that this issue was settled in 1993 when the role of the First Lady was clarified when Hillary Clinton took an active part of creating a Comprehensive Health Plan.
So Darrell, relax. Barack and Michelle “Got this!”
27
As I said in a previous post, cops aren’t my favorite people. And it doesn’t matter if they are gay or straight, male or female, black or white. In my almost 28 years of driving, I have been harassed, followed, and jack up by the police more times than I care to remember. And I have heard cops laughing and giggling about how they “made someone’s day” by giving them a bogus ticket. Yeah, real funny. Like I said, most of them are GANG MEMBERS with BADGES! And before anyone comments by saying “then don’t call the cops when you need help if that is the way you feel about it.” Trust me, most African Americans only call the police as a LAST RESORT because we know they are going to give a HALF-ASSED EFFORT in helping us so WHAT’S THE USE!!!!!!! But this incident has my blood boiling.
Professional Football player Ryan Moats was stopped by a cop for running a red light turning into a hospital. When he was stopped, he informed the cop that his mother-in-law was DYING and that was the reason he ran the light. Ryan’s wife, whose mother was dying, tried to explain the situation but the cop, Mr. Robert Powell, didn’t seem to care. Fearing that she wasn’t going to be able to say her final goodbye to the woman who raised her, Tamishia Moats ran into the hospital. We are all lucky that this heartless cop didn’t shoot her in the back!!!
Living in california and being a woman, and having an incident where Kara Knott was killed by a CHP, we have been told to put our flashers on if we feel nervous about the area we are being requested to stop at by the police. We were told that putting the flashers on lets the cop know that we see them. Moats’ did just that. The dashboard camera, showed just how cowardly Mr. Powell was. The more Moats tried to explain the situation, the angrier the cop became. After a heated exchange, Powell said, “Shut your mouth! You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.” Ryan was also told his car could be towed. That he could be put in handcuffs. Take someone to jail for running a red light!!! You have got to be kidding me!
Continue reading “Where is the humanity!” »
14
A few days after Barack Obama, (still sounds good doesn’t it?) was elected to the presidency, Oprah Winfrey had Will Smith on her show to hype his then new movie, “Seven Pounds.” She asked him how he felt about the elections. Smith said that he had all of his children around him and began to cry when the final numbers were tallied. At that point Oprah made a comment something to the affect “what does this mean for African America children.” And Will said “no more excuses.” At that point both Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Smith showed just how far from reality they both reside. Because one, the elections, certainly have NOTHING to do with the other, Black people’s success or lack there of! President Obama can’t stop law abiding citizens from being harassed by law enforcement and his election certainly doesn’t mean that it will end!
I have been harassed my the law enforcement agencies in San Diego, ca, more times than I care to remember. From being followed in El Cajon and La Mesa, ca, to almost having my car flip over after a tire blew out and having the Highway Patrol threaten to tow my car away because “your car is in the way.” (On the shoulder of an off ramp). None of these situations bring back fond memories, nor do they endear me to any members of law enforcement, straight or GAY! But hearing about a slick little trap in the small town of Tenaha, Texas, brought it all back for me.
Continue reading “DWB taken to a Whole New Level!” »