IBARW 2009 Links:

[unusualmusic_lj_archive]

Simply put: Nyota Uhura is not a white girl.

While women of color are not necessarily embroiled in an entirely different feminist struggle than white women, they sure as fuck are not in the same place. (emphasis mine)

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Uhura being single in TOS was not empowering.

She was single because the male leads were all white and as a black woman she was less of a person than them, she was less of a person than a white woman, and the fact that this serendipitously ended up meaning that she didn't have to spend all of her time mooning pathetically after dismissive men does not make that any more acceptable.

She got to sit in the back and rarely do anything and have her sexuality ignored not because they respected her so much as a colleague and a person, but because she was not a full, real human being and when you're not a full, real human being the idea that actual people would ever desire you or romance you or love you is ridiculous. You are invisible.MORE

[IBARW] Announcement and Ecumenical responses to the Northern Territory (Austrailia) Intervention Basically the Australian gov't is fucking with the Aborigines "for their own good".

Prior to the 2007 Election, the Howard Government began an "intervention" into Indigenous Communities in the Northern Territory. It was supposedly in response to levels of child abuse found in some communities, but used a "one size fits all" approach, and implemented draconian measures such as income "quarantining", getting rid of the permit system in NE Arnhemland, and other bizarre actions that would not be accepted by any other segment of the Australian community without utter uproar and outrage.

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Anyway: a joint NATSIEC/NATSICA (Indigenous ecumenical bodies originating in the mainstream and evangelical churches respectively) forum earlier this year released this statement. An excerpt:

We believe that Aboriginal Peoples have not been listened to and our stories have
not been heard. The Intervention was implemented without consultation with
Aboriginal Peoples and Government continues to fail to listen with respect and in a
manner which is culturally appropriate.

MORE

For the White Person who wants to be my friend

Pat Parker

The first thing you do is to forget that i'm Black.
Second, you must never forget that i'm Black. MORE


Cages, Vick and Cherry

I remember, as do most people, a couple of years ago when Michael Vick was sentenced to prison. I also remember that a lot of the talk about him revolved around him being a brute (beast/monster/animal/Black) who gained pleasure from torturing dogs. The nail in the coffin for Vick was of course his abuse (murder/torture) of animals that Good people cuddled with, instead of the numerous animals that most of americans are cool with killing for pleasure (meat tasting so good and all). It was, of course, many of my fellow herbivores who went nuts with the racialized and brutal imagery. MORE

International Blog Against Racism Week - Indigenous Small Presses

the Australian Productivity Commission has just released a report on the parallel importation of books. Basically this is a proposal to cut import costs on books, which will probably lower the price of books and almost certainly knock some small presses out of business in Australia. Which would include the small Indigenous presses. I have written to the Government asking that they take the likely impact on small presses into account. Closing small Indigenous presses would mean fewer great books like Sally Morgan’s *My Place* (Fremantle Arts Press, 1987). It would mean losing great books to educate kids about Australia’s indigenous culture like *Aussie Toddlers Can* (Magabala, 2006).* It would mean losing a record of Australian experience, like Yami Lester’s autobiography (IAD Press, 1993). If not for books like *Yami* how would people know about the experiences of Western Desert people exposed to nuclear testing at Maralinga?MORE

Looking for my particular brand of Unicorn

There are talented actors of Persian or Middle Eastern descent in America. They would really like to play roles that do not involve terrorism. Us Middle Eastern people would like to see them play roles that do not involve terrorism. Why? Because media representation of our people fucking matters. It matters to our own perception of ourselves, and it matters to the world's perception of us. The news is bad enough with portraying all Middle Eastern people as some bloc of terrorists, potential terrorists, and oppressed people what need saving by white people. For once, we'd like to see Middle Eastern people living the same stories on the big screen that the white people get to live. And failing that, we would fucking like to see Middle Eastern people playing the roles actually based on our cultures and peoples.MORE