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Archive of "Activism" Category
Philly Salsa Community United for Haiti!!
So I am sitting here in my warm apartment tonight contemplating the last time I was out dancing – Brasil’s, Cuba Libre, The Reef…anything. It has been weeks.
I am in full winter hibernation mode.
It never fails. I get this way every year after the holidays. After all of the commotion of the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, I hit a lull. I become a complete homebody.
Can I just say that the timing is bad this year. I have dance rehearsal twice a week for April’s Estilo performance. I haven’t kept to my standard weekly dance schedule since I went home to Jax for Christmas.
Salsa is my therapy. The Medic can attest to how much I wig out when I don’t get my fix. Nevertheless, the power of hibernation has won over for the last few months.
I am back into the swing of things as of tomorrow night:
- Tues, 630pm-730pm salsa
- Thurs, 630pm-930pm salsa/bachata
- Fri, 9pm Brasil’s or Cuba Libre
- Saturday, 1030am-230pm rehearsal and salsa
- Saturday, 9pm Brasil’s
- Sunday, 1-3pm dance rehearsal
Speaking of dancing….if you like salsa, bachata, merengue, etc. and want to make a difference in the lives of Hatians who have been impacted by the earthquake, check out an upcoming event at Brazil’s:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 11th
Time: 9pm-2am
Location: Brasil’s Nightclub
(112 Chestnut St. Phila., PA)
Join Us As Our Salsa Community Unites! Here’s your chance to help those affected by the recent events in Haiti, all while doing what you love to do most!DJs United: DJ Jay Rockwell, DJ La Clave, DJ Jose Rodriguez, DJ Jose Maldoado; Salsa Lesson by: Vikki Woods & “Big” George Dennis; Also Featuring Great Raffles and Special Live Performances!
All DJ’s and Instructors have donated their time for this event and 100% of the proceeds will go to the relief effort on behalf of the Salsa community.
Admission: Requested $10 donation (The beneficiary chosen is the American Red Cross). YOUR DONATION DOUBLED!!! Jones New York has generously agreed to match any donations made from our fundraiser, so whatever you can give, it will be doubled!
Jeans & Shoe Donations Needed! We will also be accepting new and gently worn jeans and shoes for the people in Haiti the night of the fundraiser.
More info on Charity Organizations and their help with Haiti:
American Red Cross
Soles4Souls
Teens For Jeans
(Aéropostale Store will donate one brand new pair of jeans for every pair of donated jeans!)
In the Lexicon of Hate
This post is long overdue. I started writing weeks ago but got distracted by work.
I get distracted easily – sometimes to my own peril! Case in point – I was on the bus several days ago (weeks at this point) trying to finish my much overdo Citizenship Day post. Everything was hunky dory. One glance to the street and I came face to face with a big ole’ confederate flag license plate on a Ford pickup truck.
I never get used to seeing that symbol of hate, especially up north. I almost expect it when I travel to a southern state. But, in a northern state it seems out of place – at first glance anyway! Reality is that the meaning ascribed to the confederate flag has shifted from being a symbol of the antebellum south to being firmly rooted in the lexicon of iconography of racism and xenophobia that has and continues to permeate through American culture and politics. The Mason Dixon line remains an artifact in the racist history of the United States, but does little to serve as a line of demarcation. The confederate flag and all that it represents flies in all 50 states.
As a quick primer for people not in the know, a confederate flag first made its appearance in March of 1861. The confederate flag would evolve to include thirteen stars (symbolizing the 13 states that seceded from the union). Not until March 1865 did it begin to resemble the current incarnation of the confederate flag that we have come to know. During World War II, Southern soldiers began to use the Confederate “battle flag” (aka “southern cross” or “rebel flag”) as their unofficial emblem. While the official use of the confederate battle flag is quite rare, it has become fossilized as one of the primary symbols of “southern” pride. (I am not sure how much pride someone should have in racism and hate, but to each their own, right?) Apparently residents in most southern states can request a license plate tag featuring the Sons of the Confederate Veterans logo. Brilliant, no?
This brings me to my most recent Christmas experience. To say that it was interesting would be an understatement. My mom spent the holiday with my Dad in Germany. (For those of you new to my blog, my dad is in the US Army and currently stationed abroad). My sister, niece and I drove up to Georgia to spend time with some of her friends. I have never felt more out of place and uncomfortable. I spent much of the long weekend at a neighbors house or visiting friends.
Of course I was the one being inappropriate and “rude” by taking issue with being surrounded by the confederate flag – blankets, screen savers…even confederate Christmas songs. I should not have to explain to my family why I (as a mixed chick) feel uncomfortable in the presence of these images and people who wear them proudly. Sometimes I wonder if it ever crosses their mind that these images are not an appropriate symbol of southern culture – other than as a reminder that hate and bigotry are alive and well in this country, that the South’s ugly past is not behind it. Many couch the meaning of the confederate flag in the debate of states rights. “Southern states were defending their states’ right enumerated in the Constitution.” But, let’s finish that sentence, shall we?! They were defending their states right to uphold the institution of slavery – an institution that viewed and treated blacks as less than chattel!
I have been sitting on this post for far too long. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I am also not going to edit myself away. Needless to say, I don’t want to ever be put into that kind of position again, especially by family. I take as much responsibility for not advocating for myself as much as I should have. Lessons learned….
Facing Deportation – Stand with Julio and Denis
I recently posted about the impending deportation of Julio Maldonado and Denis Calderon after being falsely prosecuted for defending themselves against a racially-motivated attack. I recently received the below email from Dave Bennion of Citizen Orange which he received from the families.Join me tomorrow at a community meeting and rally for Julio and Denis!
Date and Time: Sunday, October 4, 3:30 p.m.
Location: Houston Community Center, 2029 South 8th Street (8th & Snyder, South Philadelphia)I am emailing about the case of Julio Maldonado and Denis Calderon, two cousins from Peru who were attacked for racial reasons, wrongfully convicted in Philadelphia, and now stand on the brink of deportation from their U.S. citizen families. We will be holding a rally/community meeting one week from today to raise awareness about Julio and Denis’s case.
Julio finished his federal prison sentence on September 12. ICE attempted to deport him last week–we don’t know why it didn’t happen, this information came indirectly through backchannels since DHS is not telling the family much. There is currently no legal impediment to Julio’s deportation. That is why it is urgent that Governor Rendell take action on the pending pardon and that DHS exercise its discretion to stop the deportation until a decision on the pardon can be reached.
Seth Williams (Dem candidate for Philadelphia District Attorney) has still not accounted for his role in this injustice as the prosecutor on the case who ran an incomplete, biased prosecution. These are among the topics we’ll be discussing at the meeting, along with the role of Philadelphia law enforcement in breaking up immigrant families today–this was a problem in 1996 when Julio and Denis were attacked and it is even more of a problem today.
Time Running Out for Another DreamActivist!
Without substantial intervention, Jorge-Alonso Chehade will face a difficult choice Friday morning. He will either get on a plane to Peru, a country that has become foreign to him, or he will choose to remain in the US to fight for the passage of the Dream Act and other young adults like him. Alonso is a Dream Activist – one of tens of thousands of young adults who came to the US as young children who undocumented. He has been courageously fighting is deportation, and time is up Friday morning. DHS is forcing him to leave the United States, a country that has been his home for more than 8 years.
I just got home from a Dream Activist PA meeting at Temple U. More than 10 students came together to learn about the Dream Act and how they can make a difference in the lives of students like Alonso. Two Dreamers attended, as well as Reagan Cooper of PICC (Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition). This meeting served as a great initial brainstorming session on how to grow the capacity of the PA movement – how to cultivate members, forge partnerships with community organizations, and gain the support of our local representatives across the state.
For extensive coverage of Alonso’s case and other Dream Activists, check out Citizen Orange!
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