Archive for July, 2009
Obama Attempts to Allay Racial Debate Over Beers
8:19 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bizarro| Controversia| Massachusetts| Obama| Politics| society · Comments Off
31 Jul 2009Responding to the steady drumbeat of criticism for calling the Cambridge Police Department “stupid” for arresting Professor Henry Louis Gates for “coming home while black”, President Obama and his PR team rigged an event designed to position him as a mediator for a debate on racial differences (read racial profiling). The intimate encounter was sort of a summit — over beers — yesterday afternoon in the White House’s Rose Garden. Check out the above video.
ABC News has a good rundown of the content of that encounter, but a standout for me is this poignant statement by Gates:
Sergeant Crowley and I, through an accident of time and place, have been cast together, inextricably, as characters – as metaphors, really – in a thousand narratives about race over which he and I have absolutely no control.“
It isn’t about Crowley and Gates. It’s about how American society continues to deny that racial profiling even exists.
But back to this specific incident, Crowley doesn’t seem to have seen how profoundly wrong his actions were, that is, if we are to be guided by his statements at the Beer Summit:
Crowley was asked if the controversy was a “teachable moment” for the sergeant, as President Obama said he’d hoped this would become?He said it was.
And the lesson?
“The media can find you, no matter where you live,” he said.
Wow, glad you learned something there Sergeant Crowley!
Oye I.C.E, Enough is Enough!
7:35 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Activism| Immigration| media justice · Comments Off
31 Jul 2009The change the people in the United States were promised under the new presidential administration and his appointees has been slow in reaching some the most vulnerable, including the undocumented who despite loud “si se puedes” still live in fear in their own homes and at their jobs. For all the talk of rule of law, seems that Immigration and Customs Enforcement can’t be bothered by that little something called the Constitution.
America’s Voice has launched a petition asking the Department of Homeland Security to cut their shit (my words, not theirs).
Puerto Rican Freedom Project Fundraiser Tonite in NYC
6:39 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Activism| Arts| Culture| New York City| Puerto Rico| media justice · Comments Off
31 Jul 2009Arte es vida. Arte is a weapon in our multiple luchas.
The Puerto Rican Freedom Project 5th Fundraiser – Friday, July 31st 2009
– purpose: to put out the Freedom Album, a CD to raise funds for the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and their families (release date – September 23rd 2009)
Date: Friday, July 31st 2009
Location: The Rebel Diaz Arts Collective 478 Austin Place, 2nd floor
2 blocks away from the E. 149th stop on the 6 train
Performers: Rebel Diaz, T-Weaponz, Madd Illz, Dr. Loco, Division X, 3rd Rail, Carlos Jimenez & Mambo Quintet with DJ Samman
Time: Doors Open at 7pm
Cost: $10
For more information about the Puerto Rican Freedom Project, go to:
www.prfreedomproject.org
The event is being co-sponsored by Guerrilla Republik
Jesus on a Jueves
6:08 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Bizarro| Religion · 1 Comment
30 Jul 2009
Porque it’s hot and Mala’s tired, here’s a reminder that Jesus is always with us.
This image of Jesus that appeared in a baking tray after Oliver Bellerby of Yorkshire, England cooked a burger.
Via / Boing Boing
More Notes from Detroit : Via Hermana Resist, Have you not seen/read/been transformed by the work of my sisters?
9:00 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Detriot| Media| Women| media justice · Comments Off
30 Jul 2009
Hijas de Speak! Winter y la Mapu
Noemi “Capital 2″ shares her experience from the Women’s Equity Media Summit.
By knitting together a fabric of our many kinds of media into a warp and woofed whole we automatically strengthen the feminist public sphere. Our words will be louder, our images more brilliant, our analysis on women’s lives will deepen. All of this is to inform and encourage women in communities to tackle vital issues that will improve the conditions in their lives and for their families and communities.”
okay, what? Now I looked up woof and, keep in mind, I come from a very isolated town way down south “really really close to the border”-high school dropout- and I think in spanish sometimes and some words only come in Spanish and sometimes I can’t think straight[straight is overrated, AMC team -0 represent], but I asked folks and we couldn’t understand this. We strengthen the feminist public sphere. What about the mujeres who don’t have that aim, what does that mean? What public sphere is this? Who’s sphere, who’s public and who’s the audience?
“Our words will be louder.” Really? How much louder can I get? And how can our words get any louder if it’s all become unified into this magic tapestry? And images brilliant? Have you not seen the work of my sisters? Analysis will deepen? [this. hopefully this happened.]
All of this to inform [seriously? Are we not doing this already? Have you not seen/read/been transformed by the work of my sisters?]
…to tackle vital issues [seriously? Have you not seen/read/been transformed by the work of my sisters?]
… will improve the conditions [seriously? see above.]
All of this is to inform and encourage women in communities to tackle vital issues that will improve the conditions in their lives and for their families and communities.” Because…the mujeres…at a media summit…aren’t doing this already? Please see above.
Give Us your tired, your poor, Just Not Your Sick cuz We’ll Deport Them
7:39 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Health| Immigration| Obama · Comments Off
30 Jul 2009
Is it too radical to believe that hospitals should be like churches? That they should be safe spaces where people can get what they went their for, health care? Instead a court decision has legitimized hospitals acting as ICE agents and Homeland Security.
A hospital that sent a seriously brain injured illegal immigrant back to Guatemala – over the objections of his family and legal guardian – did not act unreasonably, a jury found Monday…
Health care and immigration experts across the country have closely watched the court case in the sleepy, coastal town of Stuart. The hospital had cared for Jimenez, who was uninsured, for three years. But it was unable to find any nursing home to take him permanently because his immigration status meant the government would not reimburse his care.
Dios Mio Madonna
12:46 pm By la Macha · Celebrities · 5 Comments
29 Jul 2009Seems to be a really slow news cycle these past few days. I’ve been surfing around all the major news sites and all I can find is grisly stories about babies being cut out of dead women and bus riding cats. Oh, and stories about Madonnas biceps. Apparently, Madonna has been spending a lot of time working out.
I don’t know ya’ll. On the one hand, I won’t deny having an immediate reaction to those pictures (ay, dios mio, Madonna, what are you doing to yourself girl?), but on the other hand, in light of the stark picture of how horribly and dehumanizing Michael Jackson was treated throughout his life time only to find out that the man was suffering from serious skin conditions, drug abuse, loneliness and god knows what else brought on by the evils of fame–I kinda feel like these pictures are exploitative. They reduce Madonna to her biceps.
And sure, Madonna is one of the biggest Latinophiles out there–but whatever may or may not be wrong with her, does she deserve to have her entire humanity reduced to the state of her arms? Does she deserve to be turned into another “wacko” so that the public can feel better about itself?
This Summer, Stay off the Tanning Beds
11:01 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Health| Women| society · 6 Comments
29 Jul 2009Summer is here and as we’re starting to don skirts and shorts, some of us (cough cough) might be a little pasty after a long, winter-like spring. And some of us (cough cough) might have briefly entertained the idea of visiting a tanning bed before showing our pale thighs on the beach. If that’s the case (and you know who you are), please take the following as yet another reason why you shouldn’t go cooking yourself in one of those things:
The ultraviolet light used in tanning beds is as carcinogenic as asbestos, arsenic, radium and cigarettes, a special committee of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded. The use of sunlamps had previously been classified only as “probably carcinogenic in humans.” Moreover, the committee concluded that all types of UV radiation induce cancer, not just the UV-B that has been implicated in the past. Some tanning salons claim to use only UV-A, which was thought to be safer, but the committee said that is not the case.
The World Health Organization also says that the risk of cancer increases up to 75% when people start using tanning beds before the age of 30.
Latinas come in all shapes and colors, some lighter than others. And society pressures all women to look perfect — tanning is part of that — but the price in this case is just too high: your health. So remember, if you get the urge to toast your nalguitas artificially, just repeat to yourself again and again: as carcinogenic as asbestos.
Via / LA Times (how apropos)
A Transgender Person is Murdered Every 3 Days in the World…Mostly in Latin America
10:36 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · GLBT| Latin America| Violence| World| crime| society · 1 Comment
29 Jul 2009
Here at VL we have covered lots of stories about violence against transgender people, and unfortunately many of these cases of violence end in death. What I didn’t know was that the rate at which transgender murders occur worldwide was so high; a recent report by non-profit organization Transgender Europe (TGEU) shows that a transgender person is killed every 3 days. And another disturbing fact is that the majority of these murders are happening in Latin America:
The cases have been reported from all six World regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The majority of cases have been reported from Latin America and North America. On these continents the majority of cases have been reported from Brazil (59) and the U.S.A. (16) for 2008 and from Brazil (23), Venezuela (20), and Guatemala (10) for the first six months of 2009. Moreover, the preliminary results show a total of 11 murdered trans people reported for Colombia followed by 5 for Honduras and 4 for Mexico and Venezuela for 2008, and 6 for Mexico and 3 for Argentina, and the Dominican Republic for the first six months of 2009.In total 91 murders of trans people were reported in 11 Latin American countries in 2008, and 73 murders of trans people in 11 Latin American countries in the first six months of 2009. The reported murders of trans people in Latin America account for 75% and 88% of the world wide reported murders of trans people in 2008 and the first six months of
2009 respectively.
The map associated with the study (image above) for 2009 to date shows the highest concentration of murders in South America, particularly in Brazil.
Spain’s Ambiente G reports on another chilling statistic: in Peru, a gay or lesbian person is killed every 5 days.
Via / Ambiente G and TGEU
The 10th New York International Latino Film Festival
9:19 am By la Macha · Arts| Immigration · 2 Comments
29 Jul 2009Via the Latin Americanist comes the news of the 10th New York International Latino Film Festival.
One of the movies being highlighted in the film festival is “The Least of These,” the story of families being incarcerated by the U.S. government in the name of “illegal immigration reform.
A clip from the movie:
I don’t know if I can watch the entire film–the little in this clip has already made my guts heave in disgust and horror. But it’s important work–and if you’re in NY, you need to get over to the festival and support it!
Hola!
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