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Posts Tagged ‘Netroots nation’

Netroots Nation : Invisibility and Identity in Progressive Spaces Part 2 (Immigration)

23 Aug 2009

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It’s been a week since I left Pittsburgh, pero drama from NN09, a mounting stack of bills, and la vida have prevented me from writing out this second part in a more timely manner.

The Movement is in the Messenging?
As I mentioned before, I was able to attend Netroots Nation gracias to a scholarship from America’s Voice because of my history of writing on immigration. Understandably, this was a decision that wasn’t popular with everyone since I am constantly pushing back on the beltway and their “progressive” supporters. Pero that is what I consider my job to be. I am not beholden to anyone except myself and my community which is why I think it’s really important to look at how the issue of immigration and the parties that claim to represent the issue in the real world and blogosphere are represented, specifically in the Netroots Nation ‘09 context.

NOI Summit Part II : The Art of Talking Past and Walking Over Immigration

14 Aug 2009

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A disturbing trend that I saw layed out at the NOI Summit and throughout various spaces here at Netroots Nation, is how blogging/pushing for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is being framed.

For us Latino bloggers who write about immigration as a part of our lives, not as a public policy issue, we do not have the luxury of waiting for there to be a CIR bill to pick apart pedazo por pedazo. At the NOI Summit it was asked of the “immigration bloggers”, how can white mainstream progressive bloggers write about CIR in a way that engages their readership and pushes for action. The way the question is presented puts immigration not as an issue of people’s daily lives, and in some cases deaths, pero rather as a way to define who are acceptable political targets on Capital Hill. Cuz for real, my vecinos in Corona, Queens, aren’t thinking about Congressman Schumer with his talk of illegals as their champion. They don’t want to be Luis Ramirez.
Read more…

NOI Summit Part I : The Art of Coming to the Table

9:37 am By Maegan La Mala · Blogs| Internet| Netroots Nation| Pittsburgh| media justice · 3 Comments

13 Aug 2009

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Gracias a America’s Voice I am in Pittsburgh for the Netroots Nation conference. After a almost full day here I have many thoughts on Netroots Nation and the role of independent activist bloggers within the wider blogosphere or netroots, if you will. Pero even before that, I was invited to be part of a summit hosted by the New Organizing Institute . The summit specifically joined LGBT and immigrant bloggers to sit at the mesa. The conversation included some people whom I consider not just co-luchadrores pero amigos as well.

The conversation was centered on how we can cross support each others’ efforts especially in the context of marriage equity and comprehensive immigration reform. Unfortunately, especially in the mainstream progressive blogosphere, these issues are still viewd as mutually exclusive, as if there are no gay undocumented families. DreamActivist talks on this intersectionality specifically.

What was more interesting for me personally, given my 16 year history of activism on various levels and in various mediums, was an issue of language if you will. Semantics. Word choice. It’s a theme that has reared its head here in Pittsburgh a few times. For example, is calling a legislator pushing for a specific legislation to be passed the moves of an organizer? Is that the activist thing to do? Is a desire to work with the Hill activist? What about this huge move towards list building as a strategy? Can activist bloggers also be wed to mainstream orgs and maintain legitimacy? Can you be both outsider and insider?

La Mala is an Immigration Scholar and is Going to Netroots Nation to Prove It

6:52 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Netroots Nation| Pittsburgh · Comments Off

11 Aug 2009

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National blogger conferences are always funny things to me.
I’ve been blogging for many years and not to give myself too many props, pero I was one of the earlier radical women of color blogging on personal issues as political issues and then branched out.
I have been fortunate enough to link my blogging to my history of activism and even to my poetic artistry.
And yet, for multiple reasons, I am not funded and most of what I do is a hustle inside of a hustle out of love for justice.
This means that national conferences that talk about how to talk about the issues and strategies and probably most importantly,
are places to network and share info, even conference held by orgs claiming to rep my interests, are out of my reach. I’m a single mami who makes justice centered media in various forms.

Pero this week I will be attending Netroots Nation this week gracias to a scholarship from America’s Voice that is bringing me and other pro-migrant bloggers to Pittsburgh.

I’m grateful and looking forward to this opportunity to share ideas, experiences and strategies.

PS: The scholarship covers my travel and my hotel. If you would like to donate to feed the Rican blogger click below. Gracias!

Netroots Nation Blogger Panel Online!

11:58 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Blogs| Events| Internet| Politics| Texas · Comments Off

21 Jul 2008

For many of us independent Latino bloggers, going to Netroots Nation wasn’t an option for financial reasons. While I take issue with a conference that claims to be changing the face of progressive politics while pricing independent political bloggers out, the fact remains that conversations happen in these spaces that we need to be a part of.

XicanoPwr, via Matt Ortega, posted a video recording of the “Our ‘Dos Centavos’: Strategies For Latino Bloggers.” panel. The panel tackled issues of importance to the Latino blogomundo including why we blog, the issues we blog about, and our (in)visibility.

Leah Lakshmi: Thank you, beautiful culo-kicker. I miss you. We miss you. xoxox [...]

Link Cariño | Hissip: [...] Who’s your mama? [...] [...]

la Macha: I agree totally with you bubbles. [...]

Bubbles: Re: "Many women have mental, emotional instabilities which cause them to end up in abusive relations [...]

la Macha: and whaaaa? women who have mental health issues are suddenly to blame for getting beaten? [...]

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