The Diversity Projekt
Empowerment for All People of Color
-
Archive of "Media" Category
Whose Curves Are You Talking About
When did Curve Mag start representing only a limited segment of lesbians/queer women? Femininity seems to be the order of the day, since it appears that the rest of the gender spectrum has been kicked to the curb. When did this happen? Have I been living under a rock? Quite likely, given my schedule as of late.
The Medic recently voiced her disgust over the recent Curve issue, but I could have never imagined how disturbing the issue was until she pulled it out of her bag last weekend. Not that the whole A-Spot article in January’s edition was pathetic enough, but March’s issue takes the cake! (Yeah, I finally learned how to use that saying!)
Now, I know that I am about to rant on a lesbian institution, but give me a minute! On to what has me grumbling! –> Page 11 – “This Is What A Lesbian Looks Like”
Interesting choice of words! I am thankful that not all lesbians look like this! While I dig femmes being represented and getting a shout out, I am baffled at how limited the reflection of queer women are in these pages. The most recent article about female Olympians took the approach of toning down their masculine edge. (link forthcoming)
I remain baffled at this overwhelming fear of anything even remotely in the butch camp. Kinda ironic given their founder and publisher, no? I am the first to applaud femme empowerment, but am also keenly aware and appreciative that lesbians and other queer-identified women come in many wonderful shapes and sizes and colors. Curve should be taking it upon itself to make policy about what a lesbian does or doesn’t, should or shouldn’t look like. Just sayin!
Does Curve really want to be the new Cosmo? If I want to read Cosmo…..I will read Cosmo. Curve was always my go-to mag for its pulse on the lesbian community. Apparently that ship has sailed.
The bottom line…I no longer feel represented in the pages of Curve! Not visually, culturally, socially, or intellectually. Not even a little bit. As a queer woman of color I feel very much invisible within the lesbian community to begin with. I expect mainstream society to balk at me, to accuse me of misleading people into assuming I am straight, to question my orientation because, according to them, I don’t fit the part. I can take that on. It barely hurts anymore. I have grown a tougher skin.
However, the sting is sharper from within our community. I know not everything is about me! I do try to tell myself that from time to time. However, I surely am not the only other queer woman of color out there who feels under-represented (or not at all) within the covers of LGBT mags. When the “best selling lesbian magazine” claims to have its finger on the pulse of the lesbian community (as if it is some monolith) and then cherry picks which narratives to reflect the lesbian experience, it makes a statement of what they view is truly reflective of the community.
Just sayin……
New Chapter for New Beginnings
A passionate advocate, a “pesky” reporter and a few blog posts, and the Bensalem Township School Board decided to “reconsider” it’s ruling to cut the New Beginnings Program at Bensalem High School. The trade off – 700 service hours in the upcoming fiscal year instead of 1000.
I learned something new today about Patti’s program. Not only are these young parents graduating from high school at phenomenal rates, but many go on to lead incredible lives. Two of her former students addressed the Board tonight – one is graduating community college and will soon enroll in a nursing program, and the other is currently working at Jefferson.
Well done! Thank you for your comments (on and off site) and your prayers!
The School Board will most likely need to re-address funding issues surrounding New Beginnings sometime during the new fiscal year. Seeking alternative funding streams is most likely going to be a necessity, since the long-term repercussions of tonight’s cut in capacity will not go unnoticed by the community in need of these services.
ACTION ITEM! Please keep your eyes open for private (or government) grants that will fund direct services and/or advocacy for teen pregnancy/parenting.
On a side note – tonight was the first time in years that I really felt a part of a community. Perhaps it was the mission-orientedness of it all. My hunch, it was the people. Several Wellians came out in solidarity and support of Patti and her kids. Some of us went to Rita’s afterwards to celebrate. Yeah, Evan – I finally had Rita’s after more than 7 years.
Top Down Problems With Top Down Solutions – Do We Ever Learn?
I am not an economist. I don’t even claim to be particularly good at crunching numbers. In fact, statistics was the only subject where I consistently earned abysmal grades. Nevertheless, I am astute enough to recognize that throwing money at poverty, particularly in a top down scheme, does not solve this problem. Remember Reagan-era TRICKLE DOWN economics? It’s like deja vu! The various bail-out strategies essentially award those individuals responsible for the financial meltdown we find ourselves in. This yet again leaves those of us who live paycheck to paycheck to either sink or swim.
While the media has focused on the scores of Americans who have or are on the verge of losing their jobs, pension plans, life’s savings and homes, there is an even bigger storm on the horizon. This financial crisis is transforming the scope and character of poverty in ways many Americans have not seen in their lifetime, certainly not those of my generation. For the most part, Millenials have lived in an environment of economic prosperity. Most of us were too young to comprehend the the economic pumps of the mid/late 1990s.
Nevertheless, recent graduated are faced with mounds of school debt and few, adequate job prospects,
The average debt of students graduating with loans in 2007 jumped to $20,098 – up from $18,976 for those graduating in the previous year, according to the Project on Student Debt, a Berkeley, Calif., advocacy group that tracks student loans.
This year’s graduating class might owe even more as they and their parents borrow more to supplement falling values in their savings plans.
Meanwhile, starting salaries for last year’s graduates haven’t kept pace, growing only 3 percent over the previous year.
While the Federal Government has attempted to reassure students and parents of the availability of credit to pay for school tuition, little effort is put forth to establish fair and reasonable repayment schemes, particularly considering the current job market.
Faces of Poverty
Poverty is an ongoing epidemic plaguing millions of Americans in rural, suburban and urban communities even prior to this economic crisis. Yet, now that an increasing number of middle class Americans are joining the roll call of homeless and welfare seekers, it is worthy of front page news.
“Why is no one helping our struggling middle class?” I have CNN running most days- background noise if you will, and this question has been posed a total of five times today alone.
Does poverty and financial strife among our mostly suburban, middle class hold more currency than the lack of housing, adequate food and nutrition, access to health care, mental health counseling, clean clothing, etc., experienced by millions of Americans prior to the present financial meltdown?
Millions of children across this country live without health care, quality education opportunities, and are forced to live in conditions comparable to those in the third world. Yet, it has taken the deterioration of the quality of life for the American middle class for the country to truly wake up.
Local and state governments have failed for decades in adequately addressing issues of adequate housing and health care services, as well as quality education for much of the nation’s working and non-working poor. These existing conditions are exacerbated by the credit and mortgage crisis, as well as an annual job loss that has far exceeded the 1 million mark. Over 4 million homeowners are behind in their mortgage payments. If conditions continue to deteriorate, over 5 million may lose their homes between 2008 an 2010. The current procedures and processes of loan modifications are fundamentally useless for those who lose jobs or have mortgages that are under water.
Rescue missions and soup kitchens across the country are bursting at their seams. Food banks are seeing record crowds and are unable to service all those coming to them for help. They are finding it more difficult to find donors due to the financial crunch. Shelters are unable to house the many families who lose their homes due to foreclosure or job loss. Families are separated as shelters dedicated to maintaining family units reach and exceed capacity.
Leslie Kaufman recently reported on the plan to reduce New York shelter capacities in all of its burroughs:
The city has a massive municipal shelter system that houses roughly 6,500 homeless individuals every night. But it also has a much more ad-hoc system for street homeless who are highly resistant to institutionalized settings.
That alternative system is composed of eight drop-in centers, which have showers and seats but no beds. From there, homeless men can find one-night beds in churches and synagogues – or, if they can show they’ve been on the street for more than nine months, they can use city-run safe-haven beds. But each night, more than 500 hundred people, on average, end up sleeping in the chairs at the drop-in centers – some by choice and some because there are not enough beds in the faith-based centers.
While we are all feeling the crunch, those of us who are employed can help in several ways that are not overly burdensome to our own wallets.
- donate unused canned goods from your cupboard to a local soup kitchen
- donate your time to a local food bank of soup kitchen. This is also a great family building activity.
- set out non-perishable food donation box at your place of employment or church (Our office allowed everyone who donated a canned good to wear jeans to work the following Friday.)
Poverty and Healthy Living
I was researching recent media coverage on obesity in poor communities (particularly among the urban poor) and the availability of healthy and nutritious food. In doing so, I once again realized media attention on domestic poverty is almost nonexistent. However, coverage of various issues relating to poverty abroad is in abundance.
Poverty in India, China, various regions in Africa, etc. are widely covered. Yet, America’s poor, whether they live in urban, rural or suburban communities, are practically forgotten.
People living in poverty are more likely to be obese, thereby making diabetes, heart disease, asthma and other such illnesses also more prevalent. These elements contribute to an overall shorter life expectancy for individuals living in poverty.
Sanjay Gupta, resident M.D. on CNN, recently hosted a segment on urban health and obesity. He highlighted the fact that many grocers refuse to open chains in poverty stricken areas. He makes the indirect link that high poverty areas are also high crime areas. The result – residents have little to no access to fresh fruits and vegetables, integral components to quality nutrition. Yet, there is a fast food chain at every restaurant. Most corner stores boast chips, cookies and regular sodas. Most of the canned goods are extremely high in sodium.
Several school districts across the country have removed vending machines and revamped their lunch menus in order to address childhood obesity. However, little headway can be made if parents are unable to provide their children with healthy and nutritious foods at home. In fact, in some instances, parents have criticized the removal of vending machines.
It will be interesting to see how the new Obama Administration tackles the national health care crisis, particularly in poverty stricken areas. Issues of nutrition and obesity directly impact the larger health care crisis and vise versa.
The World Media on U.S. Presidential Election
While many Americans are attentively tuned in to witness Obama’s first steps as President-Elect, much of the rest of the world is doing the same. Here are some of the highlights that caught my attention:
In “48 years after JFK became President…”, Bild Online draws parallels between the Obamas as the new First Family and Kennedy era. <Much of his success and popularly is reduced to pop culture attributes in this particular article – “he is cool”, “he is enchanting”….”he is from Hawaii.”
The Times of London ran “Black Pope could follow Barack Obama’s election” says US archbishop” based on comments by Daniel Gregory, Archbishop of Atlanta. Obama’s victory has been seen as not just a victory for black Americans, but a victory for all of humanity by the Roman See.
PressTV released an impressive roll call of the various World Leaders who congratulated Obama on his victory and in which South African President Kgalema Motlanthe called Obama’s presidency a coup for the entire African Diaspora.
An article in Deutsche Welle expresses Germany’s best wishes to Obama. It also indicated “Doubts of Obama’s Green Committement”. The German government hopes that the Obama administration will signal a new direction in American climate change policies, however, indicates that the climate will take a backstage to the economic crisis.
Several interesting headlines from newspapers across Germany: Neue Westfaelische Zeitung “Guten Morgen, Mr. President!”; Die Presse “Obamas Amerika”; and Die Welt “Obama Makes History” and today’s “Michelle Obama wird eine politische First Lady” (Michelle Obama will be a Political Fist lady)
2008 US Presidential Election Results LiveBlog
Join me on this historic election night for voting results coverage! I will be a panelist with the Black Women in Europe liveblog coverage from Election Day locations throughout the Philadelphia area.
I will give my take on the events and coverage from various polling locations in Philadelphia, as well as from the 5th Ward Obama Campaign Office in Chinatown and the Center City West Obama Campaign Office. I will end up at the Election Results Warch Party at Rum Bar at 20th and Walnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia. Get perspectives from sisters in various countries throughout the world on Barack Obama’s historic race for the White House.
IMPORTANT:
Please make sure that you know where your Polling Location is. This is absolutely CRITICAL!
Find out here: Committee of Seventy or call 1-866-268-8603. Polls will be open from 7 AM to 8 PM.
Also, make sure that you bring two forms of identification – one should be a UTILITY BILL and BOTH should indicate your voter registration information!
Don’t forget to bring a cup of your favorite java or tea, a snack and LOTS of patience! If you are able to, please post about your polling location experiences on Twitter!
CAIR Philly @ Villanova Don’t ‘Iraq’ Iran
I am liveblogging the “Don’t ‘Iraq’ Iran: Finding a Peaceful Resolution to the Iran Crisis” seminar co-sponsored by the Bryn Mawr Peace Coalition and Villanova University.
As the Bush Administration continually turns to military action as its fundamental tool of diplomacy, scores of Americans are coming together to discuss alternative means of cross-cultural dialogue in an effort to find more viable solutions to our world’s problems.
Join me as I liveblog the Don’t ‘Iraq’ Iran round table discussion this Thursday, October 23, from 7:30 pm EST to 9:00 pm EST.
Since the event listing is buried on the Villanova website – at the bottom of the list, just above the “Rock for Darfur concert – I am glad that I received an invitation through CAIR Philly. Otherwise I might have missed it altogether.
Since its establishment in 1994, CAIR has worked to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. Through media relations, lobbying, education and advocacy, CAIR puts forth an Islamic perspective to ensure the Muslim voice is represented. In offering this perspective, CAIR seeks to empower the American Muslim community and encourage their participation in political and social activism. (from the website)
Several local bloggers who are interested in interfaith initiatives have raised interested in joining me for the liveblog. I will provide updates as I receive confirmations. I look forward to your comments during the liveblog!
CAIR Philly Event @ Villanova – Don’t ‘Iraq’ Iran: Finding a Peaceful Resolution to the Iran Crisis
If anyone in Philadelphia is interested in attending, but does not have transportation, please let me know. I am driving and can have room for three more people in my car.
Thursday, October 23 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 1011, Bartley Hall on the Villanova campus
Crossposted from CAIR Email/Complete Event Listing on CAIR Philly Website
The Bryn Mawr Peace Coalition and Villanova University will sponsor a seminar entitled “Don’t ‘Iraq’ Iran: Finding a Peaceful Resolution to the Iran Crisis.” The event will take place on Thursday, October 23 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 1011, Bartley Hall on the Villanova campus. The event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the main Villanova parking lot on the South side of Lancaster Avenue, just across from Bartley Hall.
The seminar will consist of presentations by Gareth Porter, PhD, historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy, and Edward Martin, PhD, Iran Country Representative for the American Friends Service Committee.
A strong opponent of U.S. wars in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Gareth Porter has also written on the potential for diplomatic compromise to end or avoid wars in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Korea, Iraq and Iran. Dr. Porter taught international studies at the City College of New York and the American University before becoming independent.
Dr. Martin is former Director of the Central and Southern Asia Program for the Mennonite Central Committee and has made more than 20 trips to Iran. He was part of a 2007 delegation that met with President Ahmadinejad in Iran and he met again with the Iranian president in New York City on September 25.
While world leaders threaten a nuclear response, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world are working to implement a nonviolent resolution. Join us to learn how we can stop the Bush administration from creating yet another Iraq.
Event cosponsors include the Villanova Arab and Islamic Institute and the Villanova Peace and Justice Education Program, the Main Line Peace Network, PennAction, the Main Line Chapter of the Coalition for Peace Action, Central Baptist Church Peacemakers, the Green Party of Delaware County, Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia and the King of Prussia and Bryn Mawr Councils of MoveOn.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
Recent Comments