The Diversity Projekt
Empowerment for All People of Color
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CIR Won’t Cure Bigotry and Hate
I am getting to this rather late, but better late than never, right?
Thursday was National Constitution and Citizenship Day, a day that commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787, as well as recognizes all who, by birth or by naturalization, have become US Citizens.
Unity in Movement – Citizenship Day Mobilization 2009 hosted events throughout the day in Washington, D.C., in an effort to advocate for more responsibility and accountability among our elected officials for social change and justice.
Today also represents a moment for all of us to reflect on what being or becoming American means, as individuals and as various interwoven communities. All residents, documented or undocumented, are a part of and belong to this narrative.
I am not a citizen. I am actually not sure if I will ever be. Although my birthfather and my dad (who adopted me after marrying my mother) are natural born U.S. citizens, that status was never transferred to me. Long and complicated story aside, the simple answer is: 1) my parents never filed for me at the time of the adoption, 2) I never filed in my late teens, and 3) now I refuse to file until/unless the German government allows me to retain my German citizenship.
I constantly remind myself that I am extremely fortunate that I am able to have these choices, and that I experience little to no adverse effects sans U.S. passport. I feel extremely connected to and invested in U.S. society. I sometimes even forget that I am not a Citizen. I am one of the lucky ones. People only know that I am an immigrant because I choose to tell them my story. As in other areas of my life, I pass! Upon first glance no one assumes that I am an immigrant. No one questions my status or my right to be here, to seek secondary and post-secondary education, to acquire and maintain employment, or to purchase (and sell) a home – to live a happy, safe and full life. I am rarely told to go back to where I came from or that I am a leech on the American taxpayer.
Anti-Immigrant Protester
Unfortunately this isn’t the dominant immigrant experience, especially for immigrants of color. Various organizatons – Southern Poverty Law Center, National Council of La Raza, Immigration Equality, and others – have reported that anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise. It has been for more than a decade. It’s hard to miss, no? Just do a quick google search or check out the likes of Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck. I will spare you the long list of nativist, anti-immigrant hate mongers! Nativist voices have reached a deafening pitch in recent months, particularly as the prospect of comprehensive immigration reform. And the kicker! While CIR is necessary, vital, imperative in fact, it is not going to solve the deep-rooted ideology of hate against immigrants in this country. It’s not about being documented or undocumented. As long as people/immigrants of color are being profiled solely based on the color of their skin or their accent, the piece of paper is irrelevant in this equation.
Case in point – a recent SPLC Report, Climate of Fear: Latino Immigrants in Suffolk County, NY indicated that immigration status was completely irrelevent to those who use violent rhetoric and actions against ethnic minorities in this country. The report indicated that whether someone is Mexican, Ecuadorian, Columbian, Cuban, etc., the assumption is that every Latino is am “illegal Mexican”. CIR won’t change that attitude.
And honestly, I am not sure what will. Nativists are fueled by an irrational fear that morphs into unabashed hate. I am not sure if legislating them into being descent human beings is really a viable solution. Nevertheless, stronger hate crime legislation and passage of CIR are necessary tools of defense and justice against this undeniable culture of xenophobia.
You have No Clue!
CAUTION: This post contains graphic photos.
I have been following the health care debate, if you want to call it that, and find myself increasingly disturbed and disgusted by the lack of decorum and common sense. While I was quite amused by the ways in which the manipulative and disingenuous ways of the political and religious right were playing themselves out on the national stage, I have grown increasingly alarmed by the dangerous rhetoric that has emerged over the last few days. I would like to believe that the political elements powering this monster are unaware of the inevitable ramifications of going down this road will lead us to. However, I am jaded enough to know that they are keenly aware and even intend for such destructive outcomes. So, I am throwing my commentary into the pot!
I come from the country that actually had concentration camps and gas chambers – Arbeitsdorf, Bergen-Belsen, Berlin-Marzahn, Bretenau, Buchenwald, Dachau, Flossenbuerg, Hinzert, Kauferin/Landsberg, Langentein-Zweiberge, Malchow, Mittlebau-Dora, Neuengamme, Niederhagen, Ohrdurf, Osthofen, Ravensbrueck and Sachsenhausen.
I come from a country where more than 6 million, Jews, blacks, Roma and other ethnic groups were murdered because they looked, believed and acted differently from the desired norm. I come from a country that to this day persecutes people who are different, a country in which the NPD (Nationalist Party Germany aka Neo Nazis) continues to feel empowered to wreak havoc on religious and ethnic minorities. Why shouldn’t they? Our political leaders and law enforcement rarely feel inclined to condemn or curb their actions.
The country I came from did this:
…and this:
ohhh…and this:
Those of you who liken Obama to Hitler and compare this Administration’s attempt to provide all Americans – rich and poor, young and old, white, black, latino, asian, mixed – with access to quality health care, to the policies and “services” provided by the Nazi regime, are reckless, deplorable, and vile!
I try not to write blog posts when I am angry. Experience has taught me that it rarely ends well. But, I am angry and I am going to break this rule tonight. The escalating lunacy leaves me with few other options, at least viable ones that will allow me to sleep at night. Can we even call this insanity a debate? At first the grand standing at town hall meetings seemed predictable, silly, pathetic. It clearly smelled of the beltway machine, not grass roots mobilization. And then came the references to Nazi German, Pol Pot, Stalin and the like. If this weren’t extreme enough, these lunatics begin to show up at town halls armed with semi-automatic weapons. Has the world gone mad?
Yesterday, a woman asked Rep. Frank, a Jew, why he was supporting Obama’s Hitler-esque policies. Not like the semi-automatic fun slinging, hate speech shouting tantrums weren’t enough, but this really does go too far! You wave your bibles and guns but have no sense of decency, propriety, core values, morals, ethics,…common sense! You need to think before you allow for such stupidity to leave your mouth. At least contemplate (if not comprehend) the ramifications of your words and actions. Tens of thousands of Americans are living survivors or descendants of survivors and victims of the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge, Stalin’s Gulags. You cannot even begin to comprehend the suffering countless human beings endured under these abominable creatures.
I am most disturbed by the lack of condemnation coming from the GOP camp. Their silence, and at times approval, of these fear tactics and lies, will eventually lead to disaster. It is not a question of “if” but “when”! This will not remain an exercise in rhetoric of violence, but will eventually escalate to violent acts. When that happens, the GOP will be to blame! Get your people under control before someone gets hurt, or worse yet, is murdered.
First it’s this:
And this:
Left unchecked, it will turn into this:
and…this:
With that being said, let me tell you a bit about Nazi Germany! Obama doesn’t want to kill grandma, your second cousin twice removed or your dog named Buddy! There are no death panels, abortion mandates, or forced sterilization. I came from a country that did this, got a slap on the wrist and still, without any ramifications, still discriminates against people within its borders who look, believe and act differently from what has been put forth as authentically German.
The right would like to scare everyone into believing that the intent of the Obama Administration is to replicate this. Such notions are abominable and reprehensible! If anything, the right is using chapters out of Hitler’s book – inciting fear, condoning hate speech and violent rhetoric. It isn’t a far leap from this to committing violence against an imaginary and artificially constructed enemy! What other message can be construed from bringing an automatic weapon to President Obama’s town hall meeting?
Now, before the NRA gets bent out of shape – I grew up in a house with guns. My dad is a hunter and has a fairly extensive collection. I support the notion that law abiding citizens (without criminal records) who have a license to carry, have the right to purchase fire arms. I don’t condone their use as a symbolic threat against the President of the United States, or any other human being for that matter. There is a direct connection, in the US and in Germany, between symbolic, verbal and phychological terrorism and the actual performance of a violent act. So, don’t tell me that you are packing heat as a mere exercise of your constitutional right to do so! This is disingenuous at best!
I am going to call this for what it is – Bullshit! This is political terrorism, plain and simple!
I am about to launch a series on hate groups and activities in the US and Germany! Stay tuned, I am far from being done with this!
Swirl’s Mission – Front and Center
As many of you know, Alexis Jeffcott and I recently launched the Philadelphia Chapter of Swirl. We host a monthly Pot Luck, a time for swirlies and allies to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Several exciting events are in the works as well. We are hosting a fieldtrip to the “America I Am” Exhibit at the National Constitution Center.
Another conversation we have been having – Loving Day events. In the past, Swirl Chapters have functioned autonomously from each other and from Swirl National. We hold monthly calls to keep each other informed about local activities and idea sharing. In an effort to build our holistic capacity, we began discussing the possibility of coordinating Loving Day activities and possibly entering into collaborations with local organizations. In short, capacity building.
Loving Day is an educational community project. The name comes from Loving v. Virginia (1967), the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the United States. Loving Day celebrations commemorate the anniversary of the Loving decision every year on or around June 12th.
Mission Statement:
Loving Day’s mission is to fight prejudice through education and to build a sense of community among people who engage in meaningful interracial and intercultural relationships.
As we were pondering options, the shocking reality of Swirl’s relevance once again reared its ugly head! While creating community is of utmost importance, challenging convetional notions of race and combating prejudice, racism and bigotry is our central aim.
We have Obama as president, yet still live in an America where racism and racial violence – HATE CRIMES – run rampant! Last week, a California woman was the victim of race and bigotry because she had two children with a Black man. Swirl posted a solid public statement about this atrocity. I have posted it below.
Stay tuned for a Philadelphia Loving Day announcement!
RECENT HATE CRIME SHOULD PROMPT US TO SEE THE REALITY OF RACISM
Jen Chau, Founder and Executive Director of Swirl, Inc.
April 10, 2009Imagine swastikas and racial epithets spray-painted on your car right outside of your home. It’s scary and very upsetting.
This describes precisely the recent hate crime committed against an interracial family in Los Alamitos, Calif., two days ago (Gleeson, 2009). As frightening and disconcerting as this is, it is important that we shake off our blinders and acknowledge the reality of racism today. We can wonder how something like this would happen in a “nice” neighborhood. We may question why these things are still happening when we have an African-American president of mixed heritage. And we could ask ourselves why people still see color.
Or we can use our time instead to try to understand how racism continues to function in our lives in this country.
Many of us don’t want to admit that this overwhelming problem still exists. Many declared that racism was dead in the days after Obama’s presidential win. Though change and progress are exciting, we cannot believe that racism has completely disappeared. Sometimes it is subtle and sometimes it is dormant, but we cannot be fooled into thinking it no longer exists. The shock that some of us display when a hate crime occurs is evidence that we as a people exist in severe denial. Yes, President Obama is in the White House; and we still have a huge battle with institutional racism ahead of us (e.g. the huge achievement gap in our urban public schools hasn’t magically disappeared yet; a byproduct of institutional racism).
We must hear this terrible story and feel challenged to realistically acknowledge and think about our problems with racism on the individual, cultural and institutional level. The shock that hate crimes still happen doesn’t help us to confront the problem because we are so busy thinking about the incident as a strange occurrence or an outlier. If we believe that these types of crimes don’t happen in certain areas, we don’t feel compelled to address them. Why spend time problem-solving around oddities? However, if you look at the amount of hate crimes that we experience in a year across the country, you begin to see that strange occurrence after strange occurrence adds up to a very real pattern. In 2006, there were nearly 8,000 reported hate crimes (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2007). The truth and the reality remains that racism continues all around us, still. We need to confront this truth honestly and realistically instead of lulling ourselves into believing that racism happens in pockets and doesn’t have a real hold on us.
In this moment, let’s follow Teri Barber’s lead – if she is willing to leave her vandalized car in the street for all to see, we should be able to confront the truth of racism along with her.
References:
Federal Bureau of Investigations (2007, November 19). Hate crime in the U.S.: New stats and a continuing mission. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/hatecrime111907.html
Gleeson, G. (2009, April 8). Epithets painted on mixed-race family car. Retrieved from http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=6752164
Update: New Miss Switzerland Gets Racist Attacks
As I previously reported, there was much controversy around Whitney Toyloy winning the Miss Switzerland pageant. Several critics questioned her preparedness for the role and responsibilities under the crown due to her age. Others questioned whether a bi-racial woman could actually represent Switzerland, that she did not reflect what it meant to be Swiss.
Several news reports indicate that she has received racist attacks, but the statement from the National Swiss Party – Langenthal is particularly direct. I can translate the entire article if there is a demand for it, but I would like to draw your attention to one particular segment of the report:
Obwohl wir in der Schweiz zahlreiche Schweizerinnen mit eidgenössischen Wurzeln haben, treten Jahr für Jahr Frauen mit Migrationshintergrund an, welche dann immer die multikulturelle Schweiz repräsentieren wollen.
Although we in Switzerland have numerous Swiss women who have native roots, year after year more women with migrant backgrounds appear, who always want to represent multicultural Switzerland (emphasis added).
and further….
So haben wir auf dem ersten wie auf dem zweiten Platz je eine Person, die keine Schweizer Wurzeln hat. Und diese Personen sollen die Schweiz repräsentieren? Sie verkörpern nicht die Schweiz – sie verkörpern die Welt.”
So, we have–in first as well as in second place–a person without Swiss roots. And these individuals are supposed to represent Switzerland? They do not embody Switzerland – they embody the World.
and one more time….
Nein, sie verkörpern nur das Geschwür, welches die freie, unabhängige Eidgenossenschaft bereits am Auffressen ist.
No, they only embody the ulcer that the free, independent Confederation is already devouring.
Clearly, antiquated notions of what Europe should look like are clashing with what Europe actually DOES look like, and the “natives” are getting restless! What makes these attacks even more ridiculous is that Switzerland is composed of a plethora of cultures.
Blackface Alive & Well in Germany (and elsewhere in the world)
A Slant Truth and a post on BlackGermans recently reported on two incarnations of blackface in pop culture – one in Kansas and another in Germany. Spiegel Online recently ran an article about German Dollmaker, Marcel Offermann, and his newest creating – a blackface Barack Obama doll. This stereotypical depiction yet again illustrates the way in which mainstream German society continues to marginalize and “Other” People of Color, both in Germany and abroad. Check out the comments to the posting of this story on the Obenson Report.
In response to the criticism that the doll’s skin color is much darker then that of Obama’s, Offermann stated that the lighter skin color “didn’t look so good”. He went on to say that although the doll looks almost nothing like Obama, “The doll works more on a symbolic level.” The symbolism of what, is the million dollar question!
His ignorance and racial insensitivity speaks to how little Germany has advanced in transforming itself itno a more tolerant nation, sensitive to the cultural and ethnic diversity within its borders.
Growing up, I was constantly bombarded with images and attitudes that the presence of people like me was unwanted in Germany. Living on or near US military bases for most of my childhood, saved me from some of the harassment and prejudiced attitudes and behaviors others experienced. Nevertheless, our presence complicated the antiquated, racialized parameters of “Germanness”. Further, we stood as a constant reminder of an era in German history that would rather have been forgotten.
Not much has changed in that regard. The popularity of Offermann’s doll speaks to that reality. What HAS changed is the increased visibility of the AfroGerman community. The passion and committment of the Afro German community, as well as activists of other ethnic backgrounds in Germany, has begun to claim its space throughout Germany. Such groups and individuals as ADEFRA e.V., ISD Online, BrothersKeepers, Noah Sow, Victoria E. Robinson @ BLACKprint, Der Braune Mob, Women of the African Diaspora, the Afro Euroepean Sister’s Network, Black Women in Europe, Ika Hügel-Marshall, and Phoeniz e.V., have been at the forefront of this movement. (see Community Links for an ever expanding list of community and social justice advocacy links).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
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