Defending the First Amendment…For Everyone

IMUS: So, I watched the basketball game last night between — a little bit of Rutgers and Tennessee, the women’s final.

ROSENBERG: Yeah, Tennessee won last night — seventh championship for [Tennessee coach] Pat Summitt, I-Man. They beat Rutgers by 13 points.

IMUS: That’s some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and –

McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.

IMUS: That’s some nappy-headed hos there…

Within a week of these comments we Rutgers students flooded from buses toward a normally peaceful grassy knoll.   We stood in a massive semi-circle hoisting homemade signs in the air.  We raised our voices and pumped our fists in unison -protesting against racism and sexism.

A panel of speakers delivered impassioned speeches urging the student body to reject not only Imus’ statements, but all forms of racism and sexism in society.  Their words spread through the crowd like a strong breeze through a forest, lifting the heads and spirits of those that had been weighed down by Imus’ invective.

Tables lined the perimeter armed with the names, numbers, and addresses of the advertising companies that endorsed Imus.

We called.  We wrote.  We signed.  We made them accountable.

This controlled chaos, this organized moment of anarchy, was what I had waited for my entire college career.  Students, faculty, and administration of all genders, races, and ages joined together to fight this injustice.  Finally something mattered enough for us to shrug off the stereotypical apathy said to plague my generation – to gather together and make ourselves heard.

And heard we were.  Within the next week several of Imus’ advertising sponsors pulled their support from the on-air personality, fearing that too much of their core audience would link them to his deplorable remarks.  Following the televised protest he was suspended from the radio station, slapped with a lawsuit, and eventually forced to make an apology to the women’s basketball team.

During the months that this situation unfolded the words of passionate students, sympathetic editorials, and neutral news analysts flooded the Rutgers community. The First Amendment was under attack. Why was the government tolerating racist and sexist ideas?  Why couldn’t freedom of speech apply to just the “good” ideas?  Why couldn’t anyone just shut this guy up?

Let’s face it, the First Amendment is a dangerous and antagonistic concept.  It makes space for all ideas regardless of whether they are rooted in truth or falsehood.  Anyone with eyes, a mouth, or hands can announce their opinions to the world (much like this column) and very little recourse can be taken against them.  Or can it?  Despite the overwhelming desire to just shut a person up, it remains true that mere words – facts, information, debate – have more impact than a roll of duct tape ever will.

It is the protection of the right to express these ideas that improves the cultural conversation about the social politics of race, sex, religion, gender, tradition, and life.  So as frustrating and antagonistic and dangerous as it may seem, this amendment affords us the right to turn instances like the Imus debacle into teachable moments. Just as Imus was protected in expressing his prejudice, we were protected in rising up against it.

As a free and progressive society it is essential that we give all ideas, no matter how base or inflammatory, the opportunity to be expressed and challenged.  The amendment helps us question our core beliefs, search for our own definable truth, as well as dispel myths by seeking out the facts.  Unfortunately this process includes wading through the bigotry and prejudice of people like Don Imus.   Nevertheless you’ll also find that it provides you with rational thought, enlightenment, and intellect-based support for your thoughts.

The First Amendment may seem like a nuisance or a cheap soapbox for any “shock jock” looking for attention, but upon closer inspection you’ll see that it is so much more than that.  It’s a vehicle for enlightenment, a sound stage for justice, and often a creator of communities.

Racists React to Obama Victory

[Disclaimer:  This article was e-mailed to me in the hopes that we remember that although we have come a long way there is still a long way to go.  Hopefully the deplorable acts of a few will not spoil the progressive acts of the many]

By David Knowles
Nov 13th 2008 9:40AM

It should come as absolutely no surprise that, despite the historic election of the first African American president of the United States, the scourge of racism has not been magically wiped away from every nook and cranny of the country. Just dip your toes into the comment section of this, or any other blog that deals with politics and you’ll encounter plenty of it. Despite that regrettable fact, for those who lived through or have studied the milestones marking the advancement of blacks throughout our nation’s history, the seeming lack of racially-motivated clashes has been a noteworthy marker of how far we have come.

That said, just as many of us can feel proud of a country so enlightened that its majority can elect a minority to the highest office of the land, we must not shy away from the uncomfortable fact that a significant number of Americans dislike Obama based, first and foremost, on the color of his skin. By the way, that’s not the same as claiming that if you criticize Obama you are, by definition, a racist. I’m talking about that proud band of citizenry who’ll tell you openly of their disdain and fear of darker skin tones.

Now that the rush of excitement is starting to wane, a spate of media stories is shedding light on those people who wish history had not been made, would never be made, when it comes to black equality. So then, via Editor & Publisher, here’s a rogues round-up. An up-to-the-minute cataloging of that which we all know is out there, alive and well.

1. Yesterday, Tommy Christopher detailed the story of a bus load of Idaho elementary school tots chanting “Assassinate Obama! Assassinate Obama!”

2. In a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a high school teacher’s aide berated a bi-racial 16-year-old Obama supporter, with the following predictions:

“…[the aide] said that Obama was going to be shot and killed,” Mara Gilligan told KDKA News. ” And that our flag is going to be the KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken] flag and that the new national anthem will be ‘Moving On Up’–and that all my daughter’s beliefs were wrong and her children’s lives were going to be ruined because Obama was elected.”

3. The Associated Press reports several cars in Long Island, New York, vandalized with anti-Obama messages, including promises to kill the president-elect.

4. At North Carolina State University, four students face expulsion for spay painting the phrases, “Let’s shoot that (N-word) in the head” and “Hang Obama by a noose.”

5. In Texas, Baylor University students awoke the morning after Obama’s victory to find a noose hanging from a tree in front of Morrison Hall.

6. In Maine, several black figures were found hanging from nooses on Mount Desert Island the day after Obama won.

7. California vandals went on a spray painting binge in Torrance, targeting cars with Obama bumper stickers. On one house the words “Go Back to Africa” were inscribed.

8. Of course, we all know of the Tennessee skinhead plot to kill random African Americans, and, with a wing and a prayer, Obama himself.

9. In Pennsylvania’s Apolacon Township, situated in an area known for KKK activity, an interracial couple looked out their front window to find the remnants of a burned cross.

10. Two men in the ironically named Friendsville, Pennsylvania were arrested for “racial intimidation and trespassing.”

These are but ten incidents. Thankfully, none resulted in physical violence.

NAACP 4th Annual Conference on Criminal Justice

Empowerment and enlightenment were the consistent themes of the NAACP’s 4th Annual Conference on Criminal Justice at York College on Saturday October 25th.

The conference workshops focused on community action and response to the conditions that incarceration creates for society as a whole. Wanda Best DeVeaux, committee chairperson for the prison project, has been heading these conferences in hopes that residents and community activists will have an impact on state legislation.

Read more…

Words, Words, Words!!

Words are one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. They are the making and unmaking of nations, the triumph and downfall of communities, and the cure as well as the disease of the human condition. Individuals have died, ascended to power, been imprisoned, and lived all by words and, more often than not, words alone. Since the naming of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee, race has received a center stage platform for discussion. Unfortunately it seems that all anyone wants to talk about is the fact that it’s a problem. The next step however is taking responsibility, holding each other accountable, and truly thinking about the deconstruction of race as a way of life.

Recently the controversy on The View over the use of the n-word sparked a small skirmish of newsroom activity. For me, however it sparked yet another “head-in-my-hands-moment”. What was supposed to be a short segment on a mid-day talk show turned into a dialogue about race for the nation. It is extremely rare that women are seen speaking intensely about race, this conversation is usually reserved for panels of men scowling at rap videos on massive projector screens. This unexpected and heated debate unearthed a lot of confusion, misinformation, and perception than anyone really expected. Each side held valid points

• Children should not be taught hate-speech
• Everyone should be taught comprehensive history
• Cultural sensitivity needs to be apart of the societal conversation

No matter where you lie on the issue, it is more important to remember that one does not speak for all. This was a conversation between a handful of individuals and was the opening act to a fashion show. Not all of any kind of people uniformly think the same thing. That’s what makes debates like this so complex with shades of understanding that take so much more than the roughly 7 minutes The View spent on it. It would be irresponsible to take to heart everything heard on that episode.

Maybe you should go have your own conversation about race with your friends, your family, neighbors, coworkers, and most importantly yourself. Trust me, it makes the fashion show after a hell of a lot more interesting.

The Hidden Face of HIV/AIDS

The face of HIV/AIDS has continuously changed since it’s emergence in the early 1980’s. At first it was seen strictly as a young white gay male disease, however the epidemic has had an overwhelmingly large effect on every other racial, orientation, gender, and age group. Thus spawning several efforts by government agencies to decrease HIV infection as well as improve maintenance once individuals contract the disease.

National days for HIV testing bring this sensitive topic to light from within the communities and provides them with a chance to educate themselves.

One group that, in Hyacinth AIDS Foundation Health Educator Mark Cruz’s opinion, is left under-served by these tactics are Asian-Americans. In his interview he sites a combination of stigma, language, communication, and education as barriers to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Asian community.

Over the Rainbow

This month “The Advocate” Magazine celebrated their 40th year anniversary by showcasing 40 of the LGBTQ community’s most influential individuals.

“When we asked you to sift through a list of 100 notable politicians, artists, activists, and thinkers to choose 40 of your favorite gay heroes, we knew it wouldn’t be easy. Our criteria: A hero had to be entirely out. And more than just being supremely talented or superbly competent, he or she had to have contributed significantly to our LGBT lives. Yet, even with the limits, picking just 40 hardly seemed possible. Bravo, Advocate readers. Here are your best and brightest.” – The Advocate September 2007

At first glance the list seems extremely comprehensive. There are contemporary heroes as well as those who laid the foundation for their success. The rainbow parade of artists, poets, politicians, soldiers, and renaissance men and women that have positively impacted the community literally brim at the pages. It inspires, it gives hope, however it also raises questions.

Out of the 40 heroes that “The Advocate” recognized only 16 were women and a staggering 3 were people of color. It has been a long struggle for the LGBTQ community to break out of the young, white, male stereotype and according to this list they have a long way to go. Of course one cannot re-write history, those who made the list have certainly gone above and beyond the call of societal duty to secure fair visibility and treatment of the LGBTQ community.

However it seems strange that the rainbow coalition seems to be missing a few colors. The only people of color are Audrey Lorde, Pedro Zamora, and Bayard Rustin. These individuals have brought issues of the LGBTQ community of color to light and influenced the further acceptance of both communities. But assuredly there are several others that have done their part to pave the way. Individuals such as Andrew Jolivette, Parinya “Nong Toom” Charoenphol, or Laura Aguilar seem to have gone unnoticed along with a whole host of others that deserve the same amount of recognition.

So the questions must be asked: Who were the other 60 people that “The Advocate” provided? Who were picking the 40 that made the list?

Kudos to “The Advocate” for recognizing these influential figures. The fact that Ellen DeGeneres was their number one pick speaks volumes about how much the social norms have changed for the better. However hopefully next time they’ll delve a little deeper and educate their readers at the same time.

The Thin Red Line

Recently the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network premiered a short animated music video entitled “Read A Book” on their top 10 countdown show “106 & Park”. Within the roughly timed out two minutes and fifty seconds that this existed on the network BET managed to further drag their reputation as a credible source for Black entertainment through the mud yet again. The reinforcement of the stereotypes of Black men as totally irresponsible and women as solely sexual objects paired with the consistent use of the N-word left viewers with an unsettling feeling of anger, confusion, and overall disbelief.

According to a Fox News story in a press release, the network praises the video’s positive message: ” ‘Read A Book’ uses an irresistible beat on which to place the catchy, overly repeated lyrics. But instead of exhorting the listener to dance as much of current hip-hop does, he takes the opportunity to suggest ways through which people can better their lives.”

A BET spokeswoman goes on to say in the release: “This video a great example of how the best animation can convey complex messages with great clarity and humor.”

Several bloggers and news organizations have commented already. Some call this comedic satire with strong secondary messages that the Black community can learn from and laugh at, while others call it culturally insensitive to the Black community. On one hand the piece is packed with positive messages such as the importance of responsible parenting, conscious financial decisions, proper hygiene, and education. These things are all essential to the forward movement of Black America to equitable equality in this modern democratic society. And yes the instrumentals are catchy, especially coupled with the high quality animation. One is almost inclined to label this benign.

However as it is with most things it is not what you say but how you say it. All of these messages could have been conveyed without the condescending tone and total disregard for the intelligence of Black America. This type of presentation is counterproductive to its own cause by contributing to the reinforcement of and (in some instances) creation of stereotypes about Black Americans. The fact that the video displays books literally being forced down the throats of Black people assumes an inherent resistance of Black people to educate themselves. It appears that this assumption has seeped into the psyches of programmers at BET, thus allowing “Read A Book” to be approved and aired on one of the most popularly rated shows on the network. This speaks volumes about several issues facing Black America today but here are the most apparent:

1) Being represented by a national television network that sorely underestimates the intelligence and interests of its intended audience. So much so that it reportedly received a “Thumbs Down” award from the National Association of Black Journalists at its annual convention.

2) Battling internalized racism as a matter of public discourse on a seemingly disjointed one-way communication system. (Note: Internalized racism occurs when an oppressed group comes to use against itself the methods of the oppressor.)

3) Deciding whether or not this piece is harmless satire, strictly humor, or a personal attack while being viewed on a public stage. Laughing off such a blatant challenge to the character of Black America could prove dangerous and leave the door open for more severe forms of “criticism”.

4) The N-word. Having this racial slur, said by anyone (inside or outside of the community) in a piece about improving the status of Black people in America or anyone else is unfathomable.

5) Gendered race relations. The fact that women in this piece are present solely as booty-shaking billboards for the “importance of education” is truly disturbing. Considering that women in all social movements have proven to be the soul and the background of the majority of these operations it is interesting that they are relegated to such a role here.

There are several ways to educate and inform, to provoke thought and action, as well as entertain. Unfortunately BET decided to go the way of unintelligent stereotypical animation…one would ponder if this will ever not be the norm.