BlackAmazon & Brownfemipower

From BlackAmazon

Congratulations.

I quit.

I’m done. My blog will go live again when I’m compiling stuff for  my time to apply to gradschool but  I am done for now.

I want to say that this is permaent or that this is just a small break but no , this is teh beginning of a death knell.

 Continue reading at Problem Chylde

 

I have to admit I’m not very active in the blogsphere, for a number of reasons. It takes me forever to write something, I get lost in what’s going on at home and work, and my debating skills are a work in progress. Plus I still feel like I don’t know enough, like I’m always trying to catch up. But there are women (people) who, unlike me, have spent long hours engaging with the community, speaking to issues most of us ignore and opening themselves up to critique and personal attacks for what they believe in. BlackAmazon and Brownfemipower have always been two of those people. While we’re on the subject of defending people’s character and careers, it deserves mentioning that besides being amazing bloggers, they are genuinely good people. This is important and it often gets lost in the debate raging around issues.

Whether you’ve disagreed with them in that past, taken issue with some of their ideas and opinions, or just outright refused to dialogue with them, doesn’t erase the fact that they always remained willing to give.

We’ve arrived at a point where two important, prominent leaders - not only of the women of color community, but the feminist community in general - feel they are better off shutting down. I’m not sure who wins from this, but certainly not us - not any of us (although I don’t begrudge them their right to do what they think is best).

So please don’t come to this blog looking for my resume, or to ask me what I’ve written and where you can find my contributions. I am merely one of many addessing these issues. Instead, ask me to help you find the women who taught and never asked for anything in return; the women who wrote/worked for me even when I couldn’t see it, and gave when it was easier to take.

BlackAmazon and BrownfemiPower, thank you - and thanks are not anywhere near enough!

Read:

Mamita Mala

Angry Black Woman

Thanks Elaine, for helping me retrieve this post.

Sean Bell Case

 

Please visit Diary of an Anxious Black Woman for an update, I can hardly speak right now.

Update from Mamita Mala:

SATURDAY 4/26:
9:00am
Rally at Rev Sharpton’s House of Justice
106 W. 145th Street, near Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.

12:00pm
Harlem Revolutionary Club at 125 & Frederick Douglas Blvd. or in in Queens at Sutphin Blvd/Archer Ave. stop on E, J, Z trains.  Call 212-691-3345

Notes on teaching racism (teleconference)

Tonight Las Comardes held a teleconference to discuss “when and how children should be taught about racism.”

The conference featured the authors of the book That’s Not Fair!: Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice /¡No es Justo!:La Lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la Justicia
(Wings Press, 2008. Illustrated by Terry Ybañez) and focused on the issues it raised:

This is the first book ever published about the significant Latina civil rights leader (Emma Tenayuca) from the 1930s, who at the tender age of 22, organized twelve thousand pecan shellers in a strike that was to become the first successful action in the Mexican American struggle for political and economic justice. Aimed at readers 6 and up, That’s Not Fair is the April 2008 national Las Comadres Book Selection.

Notes

I came in on the call a little late, therefore my notes are 10 minutes into the conversation. Also, these are not direct quotes, but my best attempt at paraphrasing:

Author Carmen Tafolla/ Sharyll Tenayuca (not sure): When you ask children about the election, do they feel Latinos or women can be president, they are very attuned to what’s going on around them. You get answers like: no, because women are weaker, or it’s illegal for Latinos to be president.

Dr. Rebecca Bigler, UT Professor of Psychology, mentions how white parents are usually very reluctant to talk to their children about racism and racial injustice.

Interviewer Adriana Dominguez asks how we can best introduce the topic of racism and social inequalities to children?

Bigler: We don’t have quite enough research to know. What we do know is you start by introducing topics slowly, without violence, so they aren’t as troubling. Start with cases like Emma’s (good evidence of important change and good outcomes), in a fair and compassionate way, that teaches children about history and also gives them hope.

Bigler: Research shows children do have an awareness for justice at an early age, and you need to be encouraging them to develop attitudes towards social justice. Encourage love of reading, writing and courageousness.

Dominguez: How is the book received among Latino/a families as well as non -Latino/a families?

Tafolla: Very well, with Latino/a children there is a little extra excitement. They ask, “she (Emma Tenayuca) really existed, this is really her picture on the back of the book?”

Bigler: White children who heard the story about racial discrimination often demonstrated a level of guilt; they felt bad about their privileged status. Because of this, I have received hate mail asking, “how dare you make children feel bad about their privilege”

But feeling racial guilt wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. What we found was the initial guilt lead to them feeling connected (to some degree), and toward caring about social justice. Some of the stories might be sad and troubling for children, but what we need to learn is how can we tell these stories in a way where we have good outcomes, and make them feel like there is hope.

Dominquez: What would you like Emma’s legacy to be?

Tafolla: Everyone can make a difference in this world. That’s very reflective of Emma’s voice. Make use of everyone who wants to help. “You can make a difference in your world”

Bigler: Emma’s story shows that heroes are people who see, acknowledge and fight social justice, and those heroes come in all shapes and sizes and genders. It shows that children can be on the look-out for social injustice, and when they see it, they can name it and fight it.

Announcement: The full teleconference will be available on the website in a couple of weeks.

Las Comadres is also starting a book club, which should begin sometime in May. Learning through reading, and practicing what we learn. Hasta luego!

Side Note from Las Comadres:

We ask that you purchase a book and give it to an elementary school of your choice.

In Austin you may purchase the book at the Resistancia Book Store. If you purchase at Resistancia you can give the book in memory of Raul Salinas, our activist compadre who recently passed, and whose life was devoted to issues of justice and fairness.

Resistancia Book Store
1801-A South First St.
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 416-8885
Email: revolu@swbell.net 

Please support La Casa Azul Bookstore

 

Attention book lovers:
Join us on Thursday April 24th in El Barrio for the launch of La Casa Azul Bookstore’s website.

Event information:
Website Launch Party

Thursday April 24th
6pm - 8pm

Net Plaza
206 E. 116th St.
(near 3rd Ave)
El Barrio, NY 10029

The online store will be set up to allow for national orders and shipping within the continental Unites States.

La Casa Azul Bookstore - Mission:
Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s house, La Casa Azul Bookstore is a place of knowledge, art, creativity and culture. Our mission is to provide the community with contemporary bilingual literature, featuring works by Latino authors.

–
La Casa Azul Bookstore
El Barrio, NY

MYSPACE
lacasaazulbookstore@gmail.com 

Teleconference on teaching racism

Queridas comadres…it’s TELECONFERENCE TIME!

We ask that you consider purchasing the children’s book we selected for April and donating it to an elementary school in your area. In celebration of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)on April 30, we are combining an interview with authors of a children’s bilingual book on activism with a university professor studying when and how children should be taught about racism. This is a different format just for the month of April. In May we’ll be starting our partnership with the American Association of Publishers and Borders, Inc. Reading With Las Comadres where we interview Latina authors about their newly published book and their work.

*

TELECONFERENCE DATE AND TIMES:
DATE: April 24, 2008 / duration approximately 1 hour
TIME: 5:00 PM PST
6:00 PM MST
7:00 PM CST
8:00 PM EST

*

Call in number (long distance charges will apply)
1-712-432-2323 / Access Code: 162718#

That’s Not Fair! / ¡No Es Justo!
by Carmen Tafolla and Sharyll Teneyuca

Illustrated by Terry Ybáñez, Spanish translation by
Carmen Tafolla, Translation editors: Celina Marroquín and Amalia Mondríguez, Ph.D.

http://www.wingspress.com/book.cfm?book_ID=26

*

THE STORY
In the 1920s and 1930s, the pecan shellers of San Antonio, Texas, were some of the lowest-paid workers in the nation. They were all Mexican-Americans, who had fled the revolution in their home country. Pecan shellers worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for as little as six cents a pound. In addition, they had to work in dusty, closed rooms. This made many of them ill. And then, in 1938, their wages were cut in half. They needed someone to be a voice for them, someone both brave and caring. They needed a hero. A young woman, barely twenty-one, answered their call. Her name was Emma.

But Emma Tenayuca was not born a hero of the poor. That’s Not Fair! / ¡No Es Justo! tells how the seeds of Emma’s awareness and activism were sown when she was very young. This story of courage and compassion shows how each of us, no matter how young, can help to make the world more fair for everyone.

*

SOME PERTINENT RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC

White Children More Positive Toward Blacks After Learning About Racism, Study Shows

Challenging the idea that racism education could be harmful to students, a new study from The University of Texas at Austin found the results of learning about historical racism are primarily positive. The study appears in the November/December issue of the journal Child Development.

“There is considerable debate about when and how children should be taught about racism,” says Bigler, director of the university’s Gender and Racial Attitudes Lab. “But little research has examined
elementary-school-aged children’s cognitive and emotional reactions to such lessons.”

TELECONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

Carmen Tafolla is one of the most anthologized of all Latina writers with work for both adults and children appearing in more than two hundred anthologies. With work translated into Spanish, German, and Bengali, Tafolla has been published in a great variety of genres. Carmen Tafolla has also published five adult poetry books, seven children’s television screenplays, and numerous short stories and articles.

Sharyll Tenayuca is an attorney in San Antonio and the niece of Emma Tenayuca.

UT Professor of Psychology Dr. Rebecca Bigler, director of the University of Texas at Austin , Gender and Racial Attitudes Lab

Interviewed by: Adriana Dominguez is the Executive Editor who manages the children’s division of HarperCollins’ Latino imprint, Rayo. Before joining Harper, she was Críticas magazine’s Children’s Review Editor. She has many years of publishing experience in the children’s market, and has worked for most major publishers: WEBSITE

Pay equity

 

On average, women working full-time, year-round earn only 77% of men’s earnings as a whole. And for women of color the problem is even bigger. African American women earn only 68% and Latinas just 57% of the average earnings of all males.

Worse, a poll from the AAUW Educational Foundation reports that 29% of people questioned think that young women aren’t promoted because employers assume that they will leave their jobs if they have children.

Find out what you can do to support pay equity at www.aauw.org/payequity

 

From BrownFemiPower:

 

 Some context.

I wrote what I wrote in response to all those feminists who, during the Full Frontal Feminism blow up, kept insisting over and over again that if “WOC” want book deals, they should “go get it them themselves.” That publishers weren’t skimming through the blogosphere looking for just anybody who’s a good writer. That you had to work for a book deal—you had to fight for it, show a little initiative, stop complaining, just do it. JUST. DO. IT.

As if there were no such thing as racism—as if there was no such thing as racism that is alive and well and present in the most cellular of spaces. As if simply opening a proposal and viewing the odd name at the top of the proposal doesn’t influence how the person reading that name will understand the rest of the proposal.

I wrote what I wrote to all those people, to all those feminists, who insist that short of refusing publication (and what good is that?) there is little to nothing feminists can do to stand in solidarity with other feminists who are not as privileged as they are…

Continue reading

 

The ideas of others are not resources to be plundered. They should be shared, and in the sharing we must give credit where it is due. It’s how we recognize the worth and humanity of others, and ourselves.

 

*Also read: Team Rainbow and PhysioProf (thanks to magniloquence for the links) and The Curvature

 

Invincible

 

Check-out Detroit local Invincbile’s new CD, ShapeShifters

“Anonymous” Identified

Many of you are familiar with the conflict that has arisen in recent weeks between Seal Press and women of color bloggers, Black Amazon in particular, after she wrote “Fuck Seal Press” in one of her posts. Given that this has been completely misconstrued, and Black Amazon has (honorably) refused to reveal the story that was the catalyst for her comment, it is important for me to come out as the friend Black Amazon was ultimately speaking to on that blog.

 

An informal meeting with an editor from Seal Press at the WAM conference regarding the proposal for my anthology left me feeling frustrated and deflated. I was not seeking or particularly interested in having them publish the anthology, but merely hoping for advice on my book proposal. The editor, while impressed with the format of the proposal, advised me that anthologies don’t sell, and I should get someone like Gloria Steinem or Katha Pollitt to contribute, even though, as she said, I wouldn’t be able to get access to them. I was struck by the fact that she did not suggest I contact Daisy Hernandez, bell hooks, Andrea Smith, or Alice Walker. I might not have access to them either, of course, but given the intent of the anthology is to highlight the voices of people of diverse backgrounds, especially those we’ve not heard from in other works, I found her comments discouraging.

 

Afterwards, I had a private conversation about the meeting with a small group of friends, including Black Amazon, in hopes they could help me work through this. They did.

 

After the conference, Black Amazon posted a blog, toward the end of which she wrote “Fuck Seal Press” as a message to me, as a show of friendship and support. It was not a call for attention, or as bait for Seal Press. In response, I posted the following: “Seal Press has NOTHING on women of color.” This comment was in response to BA’s message of support, and not – as many mistakenly assumed – that Seal Press does not publish women of color. Still, as the comment thread on the post shows, this is the direction the conflict took, and not without justification.

 

No one (especially Black Amazon) could have expected the backlash that came from this, or that Seal Press would ever find their way over to her blog, let alone respond.

 

Since then, many people have been hurt by this, especially Black Amazon. For that, and to her, I apologize. She is someone who truly understands sisterhood, and the invectives hurled at her are unfounded and unfair.

 

It is important to point out the reason I have largely kept silent about this. I felt a responsibility to the 50-plus contributors to my project; they do not deserve to be dragged into something they had no part in or any control over. I refrained from entering the debate for their sake.

 

My initial reaction was to make a call to Seal Press. Black Amazon advised against it, as she did not want me to risk the project. That is not the reaction of an “angry, snarky, WOC,” as she has been called, but of a friend and a sister. Besides, by that time the debate had evolved into the question of women of color, respect (or the lack thereof) for their work, and the general inability/fear of many white feminists to engage women of color.

 

To be clear, I am under no illusion that Seal Press has any responsibility to me, or to any woman of color. They can publish what they want, and ultimately will publish what they think will sell. If women of color are not part of that equation, or can be only under certain conditions, that is completely up to them.

 

Despite the risk to those associated with the anthology, it is more important to me that I set the record straight and assume responsibility for a conversation that started with me, and, I can only hope, will end here with me.

 

This is not Black Amazon’s burden to shoulder, and it is not fair that I remain anonymous while she takes the heat. Black Amazon acted out of friendship and sisterhood. In the end, that’s what all of us want. In a life without books, press, or fame – which is life most of the time – it’s our friends that hold us up. That’s what she did for me, and I’m eternally thankful for it.

 

 

Adele

  

Brownfemipower

 Picture of La Mujer Construye (Women Who Build) 

 

How long shall they kill our (leaders)

While we stand aside and look?

Some say it’s just a part of it:

We’ve got to fulfill de book…

Redemption Song, Bob Marley 

 

 

Brownfemipower, thank you for leading the way!

 

~Amor y luz en su viaje

 

 P.S. - Thank you, Aaminah, for being the love we want to see

Weekend Break

 I’m taking a weekend break to get some work done.

I want to concentrate on writing a recap on the Sex Trafficking Conference, which was a full weekend with many important lessons and painful realities.

I will be attending Race Sex Power: New Movements in Black and Latina/o Sexualities and Labor Notes: Rebuilding Labor’s Power and I want to be fully present for them.

I also want to read the two Hermana, Resist zines Noemi gifted me and take them in silently.

Lastly, I’m planning a nice long conversation with my brilliant niece. And there’s nothing I anticipate more!

Have a great weekend!

Michigan causes and events

 

 FUNDRAISER To benefit Critical Moment!

Saturday April 19th 

8pm @ Trumbull Plex, 4210 Trumbull 

Art/Craft Fair
mini journals / pins / prints / paintings / soap

Movie: “Showdown in Motown” A documentary on the 1997 newspaper strike of over 2,000 Detroit News and Free Press workers.

Music: wood stove living room folk Jeff Jablonski, Blair, Sneaky and the Rat

 _______________________________________________________________

 

 

 _________________________________________________________________

 

For Immediate Release

 

Contact:  Jerry Goldberg, 313-319-0870

 

Activists step up Fight for a Moratorium to Stop Foreclosures  

 

Important upcoming events:

 

Friday - April 11

Press conference where State Senator Hansen Clarke will announce the introduction of a bill into the Michigan State Legislature for a 2-year Moratorium on Foreclosures in Michigan.

Friday, April 11, 2008

10:30 a.m.

Michigan Legal Services Office

220 Bagley (near Grand River)Suite 900

Detroit

 

Response to WAM! comment

Jill: I’m answering your very long comment with an even longer comment.

 

Let me clarify that I don’t speak for all people of color. Others have said things similar to what I’m saying (and much better = BFP) while others will disagree. I want to maintain a vibe of being inclusive, while recognizing the irony that at times white feminists are neither inclusive nor welcoming.

 

I appreciate your willingness to put yourself out there, your curiosity, and understanding that some things we say might cause others to be defensive. Please know that I read your comment and responded in that same spirit. I tried not to take anything you wrote personally, and hope you do the same. I’ll go through your points by number, as you did.

 

1. I don’t particularly like labels either, but identifying the obvious, such as being a woman of color or white feminist should not be dismissed as “labeling.” I would like nothing more than to see women of all backgrounds represented and respected as equals. But that’s simply not the reality – race and class are very real divisions, and they are divisions that white feminists leading the movement have helped maintain and perpetuate. For that reason, it is ultimately their responsibility to bridge those divides. Again, I’d like to ditch the labels too, but this is the reality, and it’s not of my making. The solution is not to use labels less or more, but to address the underlying issues.

 

If we are going to “galvanize the dormant,” as you wrote, then we must start by openly and honestly discussing our differences (including culture and societal norms), even when it’s uncomfortable. I have to be able to point out a glaringly obvious fact without it being considered counterproductive.

 

I understand the importance for people to feel safe and comfortable in order to participate. Yet, I’ve rarely been afforded the same privilege. I’d love to ask media outlets, organizations, elected officials and corporations to develop new approaches to include me as a leader, and create new languages and systems that are not hostile to my community and environment. But I don’t have that privilege or that power, and anyway I’m not going to beg anyone to include me. Instead, I’m working on building our own institutions. Some people do have that privilege and power, however. Jill, I encourage you to examine what kind of power you have, and challenge you to use that power to start the conversation, to propose a new dialogue; to create a diverse panel, group, or media alternative and invite me (and others) to lead it with you. Make WOC/POC, transgender, queer, disabled, immigrant, fat, and gay communities the basis of your programming. Do the research, listen, and learn!

 

2. I think we all come to feminism in our own way, and like most of us, I was new to the feminist movement at one time. I also never had women’s studies courses, nor a firm grasp of politics or history for that matter, but I also didn’t have the luxury of a “good” education (I say luxury because U.S. education is clearly designed and structured for the wealthy). 

 

I didn’t always know how to express this, and felt that I lacked the necessary understanding of the issues – beyond my own experiences – to stand up. I too fell into the trap of wanting others to teach me, but getting involved required me to do some serious research (which still continues) and be involved in communities (Helen, tiona, Michelle, Serenity, etc.) I was unfamiliar  with. In other words, the change had to first come from me! I couldn’t approach people in different communities and demand they make me feel comfortable, or insist they not use language I didn’t understand. Being an advocate for and a participant in a movement requires looking beyond your own small box (that includes me).

 

To be honest, I’m surprised you’ve never thought about this before, and apparently you never had to. It’s a fair question to ask how you missed the issues that WOC/POC have to face and battle, being as involved as you are. I would suggest that you missed it because you can miss it – you have the privilege of not having to pay attention.

 

I’m not interested in making you feel guilty. That does nothing beyond damaging potential alliances. But if I’m being asked to teach, we have to start from the point of admitting privilege. This is not the same thing as admitting guilt, although many confuse the two. We have to identify it, accept it, and use it to improve our own lives as well as the lives of others. For example, I have certain privileges my grandmother, my aunts, and a large portion of my community lack. Why would I pretend it doesn’t exist? What does that accomplish other than exacerbating my own ignorance?

 

3. I understand that different people came to WAM for different reasons, and I’ve read many pieces reflecting this diversity. I don’t deny anyone their rights to come with their own interests and perspectives, but that will never stop me from saying what I think, nor are they the reasons I wrote the WAM! recap.

 

4. I think it’s terrific that you want to learn from different people and push yourself. I’m not sure what you mean by “too strong an identity in any one direction could diminish my attraction to WAM.” First, I never suggested pushing WAM in one direction. My hope was that a conference like WAM might be more inclusive, more democratic, and more respectful of diversity. Second, as long as there isn’t a sign up that says “No ______ allowed!” what is stopping you from going in? Why do we assume that a panel with “women of color” in the title is only for women of color? If I’m waiting for someone to make me feel comfortable, I’ll never leave my small world. Hence, my participation in the WAM! Conference.

 

You were drawn to WAM! in part because of its media aspect. As people in media, we have a responsibility to look beyond so-called acceptable discourse and principles and tell the stories of the marginalized and dispossessed, to report on atrocities and wars, and give voice to the misunderstood and underrepresented - especially when it’s right in front of us.

 

Being a WOC isn’t a label for me, it is a mark of pride, something to be shared. I refuse to substitute that richness for the ease of a 15-second sound bite, or as a sacrifice for a movement that speaks of support yet asks me to tone it down. Or for people who say they want to come together if only I didn’t make them feel bad or uncomfortable. Jill, when you spoke with me did you feel uncomfortable? Was I unapproachable, did you feel you had to censor yourself? I hope the answer is no, but you have to understand that I (and others like me) have been made to feel exactly like this, now and historically, and are expected to just deal with it for the sake of the “movement.”

 

We have a tendency to critique countries with severe inequalities in class, gender, or wealth. But when those critiques are directed at us, when they come too close to the privileges we enjoy, we protest. “Stop being so angry,” we say. “It’s counterproductive.”

 

It’s ironic - the feminist movement has a history of making people uncomfortable, of pushing the limits, of heated debate and incensed discourse. We dissected and fought against male privilege. Why should we ignore white female privilege? Why is it different now that the tables are turned? Why was it acceptable for women to be confrontational and hold people accountable for their treatment of women, but it is unacceptable for me (and others) to confront white women and hold them accountable for their treatment of WOC/POC?

 

You felt comfortable coming to this blog and engaging in dialogue, I invite you to do so more often, and I also invite your peers and community. I hope you will go further and take the initiative—as I and many women of color have done with white feminists—to learn my language, engage my community and come to “our” conferences/workshops/panels (Allied Media Conference). If you can do that, I’ll meet you half way.

 

•  Read: Rebecca Walker’s Feminist Infighting

 

Alice Walker on Obama

Lest We Forget: An open letter to my sisters who are brave.

I am a supporter of Obama because I believe he is the right person to lead the country at this time. He offers a rare opportunity for the country and the world to start over, and to do better.   It is a deep sadness to me that many of my feminist white women friends cannot see him.  Cannot see what he carries in his being.  Cannot hear the fresh choices toward Movement he offers. That they can believe that millions of Americans –black,  white, yellow, red and brown - choose Obama over Clinton only because he is a man, and black, feels tragic to me.

When I have supported white people, men and women, it was because I thought them the best possible people to do whatever the job required.  Nothing else would have occurred to me. If Obama were in any sense mediocre, he would be forgotten by now. He is, in fact, a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like King was and like Mandela is. We look at him, as we looked at them, and are glad to be of our species. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change America must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves…

 

WAM! Recap - finally!

 

By now you’ve probably read enough WAM! recaps in the past week, and might not be interested in another. But I want to write about it, so …

I heard about WAM! through the blogosphere. I was drawn to the conference, as I said in my interview with Jill Zimon, because of the diversity of presentations and workshops, and because a number of women I met last year at the Allied Media Conference were presenting.

 

When I arrived, I felt somewhat alienated and alone, which I chalked up to my not knowing many of the attendees. Yet the first invitation I received was a text message from Nadia of No Snow Here, hoping I’d arrived and inviting me to join them (WOC) at the conference. Although I don’t know them as well as they know each other, nor for as long, they welcomed me instantly and warmly. 

 

I assumed, or hoped, that the rest of the attendees at the conference would welcome everyone in the same spirit. That same day, however, I was proven wrong. At a conference as large as this, I didn’t expect everyone would take the time to introduce themselves and make themselves available to everyone else - the conference was only so long, after all - but I sensed a clear distinction between women of color and white feminists in their interaction with others. As the conference moved from the networking event to the reception and keynote speaker Helen Thomas, the divide grew more stark, with WOC sitting together in a sea of white feminists. That was unfortunately a mark of how the rest of the weekend evolved.

 

I attended several workshops, including “Here We Go Again: Bad Stories About Women that Never Die,” “Raising Women’s Voices/Building Women’s Power: Collaborative Approaches to Strategic Communications for Social Justice,” and the film “Silent Choices” on reproductive rights. While these were informative, two presentations stuck with me more than others: “Immigration in the U.S.: The Women’s Rights Crisis Feminists Aren’t Talking About” and “We B(e)lo(n)g: Womyn of Color and Online Feminism.” The panel on immigration was exceptional because finally someone was talking about the New Bedford Raids in MA, where police apprehended 361 people, mostly immigrant women who suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their captors. The presentation highlighted the cruelty of immigration enforcement directed towards human beings regarded as defenseless and invisible; it focused on an inhumanity that is rarely discussed, and the need for action. At one point during the film clip about the raid I became so distraught at watching these women suffer - women who could be my mother, my grandmother, or my sister - I had to leave the room so I could break down in private. I knew my tears were a poor excuse for action, but I was simply overcome with emotion.

 

The panel “”We B(e)lo(n)g: Womyn of Color and Online Feminism” was by far the high point of the conference. It began with introductions, a short film clip by Sudy on WOC in the blogosphere, and then each panelist read a “wish” poem she’d written. Rather than sit at the tables in the front, they instead came to the side of the room with the attendees, and asked each of us to give our wish. They did not talk at us, but with us; it created a safe, loving space for everyone. My wish was that there would be a space like this wherever I went.  

 

The panel on immigration was a mixed group, although I wondered if the title had contained the phrase “women of color” and all the panelists were WOC would the participation have been as diverse - especially since “We B(e)lo(n)g” was almost completely WOC. A lot of white feminists seemed to regard presentations or workshops about women of color as exclusive to women of color, and wanted to “respect” that space. They might have considered taking part, but apparently didn’t want to intrude. This assumption has now become the escape route for white feminists to not participate, to not open themselves up to be in a new and potentially uncomfortable space. Not one person did what any normal human being would do, ask “May I participate, or is this only for women of color?” Therein lies the real problem. My roommate (Metha) at the conference, and Black Amazon’s Wifey, both white women, joined us everywhere we went, including the Queer Women of Color and Friends reception/party. They didn’t assume they couldn’t take part; they just came along. If you don’t make it a big deal, then it isn’t!

 

Metha says she trying to envision ways in which WAM!, or other conferences, could better create spaces for dialogue with people from different backgrounds. Along with a panel on women of color, for example, have a panel of women from a wide range of backgrounds to discuss and debate the same issue, but from a variety of perspectives.

 

The rest of the conference felt like us trying to hold onto the love we created in the “We B(e)lo(n)g” workshop, instead of being able to share it with everyone outside. The divide was still there. I got the distinct impression that we had been given permission to participate in a small way, but not as equals, not as leaders of the same movement.

 

I’m not the first person to say this, and since the conference there has been an outpouring of reaction as a result. Some have dismissed our reactions as negative or angry; suggesting if we aren’t part of the solution (as they define it) then we’re part of the problem. Sounds like Bush: “Yer either with us or agin’ us!”

But isn’t that what the feminist movement was supposed to be about? Standing up for your rights, for equality, using that anger as a force for change? If we are now only defining that as reactions of women of color, as abnormal or damaging, then the feminist movement has ceased to exist, or can no longer define itself in the terms it once could. If women of color (POC) are the only people willing to express our anger and act on it, then it’s with us that you will find real change!

 

For a much more profound and detailed critique on the feminist divide, read Jessica Hoffman’s OpEd: On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists (AlterNet, April 4, 200  

*Correction: Jill from Feministe did make a point of asking if the We B(e)lo(n)g session was for WOC only.

Time to blog? Not yet

 I left one conference (WAM!), sped home for a quick hubby sighting, and got on a plane the next day headed for Texas to attend and present at the Sex Trafficking Conference.

I’m disappointed I haven’t been able to write about the amazing (and not so amazing) experience I had in Boston, and how two sessions (We B(e)lo(n)g: Womyn of Color and Online Feminism and Immigration in the U.S.: The Women’s Rights Crisis Feminists Aren’t Talking About) were life-changing.

When I return this weekend, I’ll write a full recap on both conferences. Right now I’m just so happy to be in Texas (Texas? Yes, Texas - The Valley!), and wish I’d visited much sooner. Everyone from the conference organizer to the gas station clerk has welcomed me as if this was home. I’m able to speak Spanish everywhere I go, which is a tremedous luxury, and most of all I wish I brought my passport - the Mexican border is 10 minutes from my hotel. Scream!

In the meantime, visit No Snow Here, La Chola, A Womyn’s Ecdysis, Black Amazon and Viva La Feminista for the WAM! scoop.

And watch Sudy’s flick:

If you’re interested, I was asked to take part in a live panel discussion on Blog Talk Radio. I have to admit I was a little nervous, I’m still not used to being asked to participate in discussions or having people ask for my opinion. So excuse the stuttering, but enjoy the amazing women who engaged in the conversation.

Sidenote: I mentioned on the program that I thought Catherine MacKinnon was the white feminist who stood in solidarity with Andrea Smith; that was incorrect, it was Sherrie Tucker.

The live discussion concludes the Women’s History Month blog carnival, hosted by What Tami Said and Women’s Space. Heart and Tami were joined by Karla Mantilla, Adele Nieves and Shecodes for a great discussion of feminism and its intersection with race and other issues.

Lastly, check out why Brownfemipower made me cry.