Uptown Notes

So annually the nation decides to celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior (well everywhere except Utah where it’s also Human Rights Day) but you get the idea. I was unfortunately under the weather for this year’s MLK celebration at U of M so I didn’t see much besides a doctor… who wasn’t Dr. King. Despite my sickness, I thought about 2005 when I did a poem for an open mic that SMES-G (Society for Minority Engineering Students- Graduate Component)held to honor Dr. King’s legacy. The poem is really long and is linked here. I may even podcast it, if I decide to explore that technology. I rarely do spoken word stuff anymore, so it was a nice release for some of my creative side (as if writing a dissertation isn’t creative ;)

On Sunday night, the Boondocks had a fresh episode called Return of the King. The plot essentially has Dr. King returning to the current day after being awoken from a coma. In my opinion it was masterfully done for 4 reasons.

1) I think McGruder and company really captured the tensions between the commodification of MLK and his dream and the contemporary political environment. He would quickly be lambasted as un-American and touted onto ever political talk show to get insulted perpetually. The catch line of “I really should have had approval over this …” is hilarious for two reasons to me. The image of Dr. King has two extremes, one which is completely over used and misused without consideration and the virtual death grip that a few individuals/organizations hold on texts and audio rights to Martin’s speeches. Either way, I’m sure he would be completely disappointed by the current state of his archival legacy.

2) Uncle Rukus’ contempt for MLK and civil rights. It’s easy to forget that not all Black folks believed in the CRM. Besides reading, I also asked my grandfather about this a couple of years ago (he was in Selma at the time of the modern CRM) and he verified fear of change and the fear of loss were powerful polarizers in the community.

3)The potential role of the media in social movement formation. Cuba Gooding Jr. as MLK, Spike Lee pissed he didn’t get tapped to direct the bio pic… accurate. The “urban” promotions firm that was hired, was right on point. That’s all I got to say about that.

4) King’s speech at the end of the episode. So this obviously the most controversial part to many. But I think it all hatches back to McGruder’s Diabolical Plot. The N-word is likely here to stay. It’s hard to reckon with, but McGruder did a great job of King using it to grab attention, to define, and collapse it in the same moment. A number of folks have commented that they didn’t think Black folks would react that way to the speech. My response: Hell, this episode was based on a dream. Can we continue suspension of disbelief till the end of the darn episode?

My only beef … why did Martin Luther King look so much like Ward Connerly?

Overall, I thought the episode should have elicited a range of emotions, which I believe it did. I really am glad to see that the Boondocks has “come around.” I’m still trying to remember if Boondocks was originally slated for a 10 episode season or a 15 episode season. I would be overjoyed it were designed for 10 episodes, that way we would have closed season one on this high note, well a boy can dream, can’t he?

Here at U of M, Michael Eric Dyson was the speaker at the Ross School of Business. 1) I didn’t really care to see him speak, seen him before, not thinking I’m going to be amazed. 2) He spoke at the B school… are you serious? 3) I know he got PAID for speaking there on MLK day – take em’ to the cleaners! Here is a webcast of it if you wanted to check it.

And only because I think they should be mentioned, here are two pieces that should get you thinking about the current state of Michigan and King’s Legacy. First, an article from the Metrotimes (yeah I know, that’s the paper you look at for concerts, not social commentary) and then a piece by Brian Dickerson which is a blueprint… for failure.

Oh, and guest contributors are on the way… be on the look out.

I have a confession
I’ve gone back and forth
Forth and back
About this cat called Martin
I’d be lying if I told you if I said,
“His dream was my dream”
You’d be lying to me if you said,
“His dream was your dream”
You’d be lying if you said
you know Martin, you know Malcolm,
you know Shirley, you know Fannie Lou,
because I know,
you know,
what I know
and we know…. What they told to us!!!
See I’m sick of paper cuts
That I developed as I turned thru the pages of history
Trying to solve the eternal mystery of … his dream
I remember being the dream
I remember being the dreamer,
The smart black boy,
the most likely to succeed,
the articulate one,
the one who was making something out of himself while his peers chiefed blunts and swallowed crooked I coolers
congratulated by old black folks,
smiled at by young whites,
a foreigner in my own hood
I was the living set aside program,
so was that his dream???
Probably not, But today I have a dream
That’s right nearly 40 years later, I have a dream
I have a dream that we gathered on that Washington mall
I have a dream that he walked up on that stage
I have a dream that he grabbed that microphone and bellowed out from the bottom of his soul….
Shit, I don’t think ya’ll ain’t even ready for that yet
Let’s just talk about dreams
As a child I dreamed… I dreamed simple dreams, ice cream dreams
You know it, say it with me
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
But even today’s children’s dreams and screams for ice cream aren’t the same
No more running to the ice cream truck to get bomb pops, cookie sandwiches and sticky fingers
The damage of a dream deferred has already occurred
WAKE YOU ASS UP PEOPLE
Because when today’s kids go to the ice cream truck
They get philly blunts or better yet loosey cigarettes
Simply put, life’s simple pleasures are no longer simple
When I marinate on that, I begin to think I didn’t get his dream
Now don’t get me wrong
Martin was a visionary, a giant among dwarfs
But what I realized form my worm’s eye view is that when a man is head and shoulders about his peers
To those of trapped on the ground floor, his vision will never become clear
So I’m gonna ask for your patience,
I believe the only way to deal with a giant is to bring him down to our size
So as I collide with an icon whatever I get right is the will of God
And what ever I get wrong is all my own
With all necessary disclaimers, and words of caution for the weak minded and weak stomachs out of the way, I can ignore the historical revisionists and blamers
So we can talk about Martin and dreams, his dream, your dream, my dream, our dream
At its core, Martin’s dream was simple
He fought against three things: racism, poverty, and violence
A three headed monster that, today, is as pervasive as conservatives talking about self-reliance
It was the fuel to the fire of King’s defiance…
Now that we are getting on the same page about him, let me tell you about my dream
I have a dream that we gathered on that Washington mall
I have a dream that he walked up on that stage
I have a dream that he grabbed that microphone and bellowed out from the bottom of his soul…. You know, you ain’t right!
Yeah, that’s right, because nearly overnight it transformed from a dream to a nightmare
When city streets named for the man are the most violent of all places,
I remember, we didn’t get the dream
When Martin is spoken of without mention of Malcolm,
I realize, we didn’t get the dream
When Martin is spoken of as a religious leader rather than a leader of all,
I realize, we didn’t get the dream
Somewhere between hallmark holidays and black history month,
we created a mountain out of a man who wanted us to get to the mountain top
even if it wasn’t with him
we grabbed our best and brightest and prepared them to get us there
he’d tell us that was error number one
error number two would be changing his words to suit you
so when we hear gay rights aren’t civil rights from the like of Jesse,
Martin would bark from the podium, Damn right, in fact they are human rights
Civil rights went out with boycotts in Montgomery,
When Martin left us he had grown, he was concerned with the acknowledgement of global humanity
He was taught non-violence by a queer black man not Ghandi
See Martin saw beyond the obvious while we seek the obvious
Maybe that is why from the stage to Condoleeza and Colin Powell he would say this
There is no crime in progress for the black race,
But sitting silently and allowing others to control you
Is worse than being in blackface
Face the facts, times have changed
But our struggle has not
After September 11th the US began a conquest-slash-war in Iraq
Nearly the same stuff was happening when Martin got shot
On that hotel balcony we watched our dreams drip, dry and evaporate
Before our own eyes,
Martin would tell us he watched our confusion as we rioted from DC to every inner-city
But in my dream Martin would put us back on track
He’d make sure that we never moved to the suburbs
That we never gave up on unions, never turned our back on the rest of the globe
and continued the fights against racism, poverty, and violence
but now we commemorate his life with moments of silence
silence is the last thing Martin would have called for
In my dream Martin would give us the words of Audre Lorde,
“Your silence will not protect you.”
He’d remind us that violence against women is still violence,
He’d remind us that self hate is still violence
And that waiting for someone else to do it
Is both suicide and homicide in the same violent breath…
Martin from that podium would tell us his truths
So that we would struggle with ours more noblely
He’d tell us about the infidelity, the plagiarism, and his struggles with God
He’d tell us what it feels like to have the world turn their back on you
He’d tell us that we were just like him, just with more opportunity
See I’ve walked the clay hills of Georgia where Martin learned
I’ve walked the Edmond Pettus bridge where Martin marched
The difference between him and me is that I walked and forgot to bring others with me
That’s right, I have a confession, I struggle with Martin
Not because of his ideology, not because of integration, not because of his voice
But because of the work he never stopped doing
The work that we have yet to fully begin
From that podium I know Martin would open his mouth to smile at the appointment of Obama Barack
And remind him that he is still Black, and that whether he’s ready for the history books or not, the world is watching with a target on his back
See Martin saw color, don’t be confused
He advocated for affirmative action, fair housing, peace demonstrations
And all those “liberal” lunancies that happen on the Diag
You know the ones you shuffle by quickly gripping your bookbags
Yeah, Martin saw you and me do it and he would call us out,
Correction, he would call us to task
Martin didn’t indict,
he indicated we need to do more with what we have
see if we are waiting for the next civil rights movement
we’ll be in this same place next year, well dressed, educated
and I guarantee he would shed a tear
at the joy of our progress and the failings of our regress
I’m damn sick of Martin being the Negro lochness
talked about, but never known
larger than life…
not in my dream, not in his dream, and no longer in your dreams
because Martin is here
the time has arrived
there will be no more dress rehearsals
because I heard the end of his speech that they forgot to broadcast
the one that wasn’t mentioned in grade school history class
the one that slipped by historians and black intellectuals
In my dream, this is how he closed the evening
when the alarms of poverty, violence, and racism awake us in 2005
it is time for doing
there will be no more time for dreaming.

My little hiatus on the East was nice to have, but now it’s back to the grind. Well kinda, I guess if I’m posting to my blog life is not too hectic! Regardless (not irregardless- which I really hate to hear), there have been a couple things of note that should be talked about mainly Coca-Cola, environmental justice, the ballot initiative, and the MLK symposium. Now that you’ve read my customary intro, vamonos!

Over the winter break, U of M announced that it has suspended its contract with Coca-Cola effective 1/1/06. This is pretty great news on the social justice front. Good work by the Coke Coalition that has been working on this for a long time. We’ll see who C-C responds when its all said and done.

The Healthy Environment, Vibrant Communities- Campaign for State Action on Environmental Justice has been hard at work developing a statewide executive order on environmental justice. Now you can help them gather steam. Just click here and send an e-postcard to Gov. Granholm demonstrating your support. Wow, research, policy, and activism from the comfort of your keypad ;)

So the “Michigan Civil Rights initiative” also known as the “California Initiative” has been on the radar of a lot of people over break. The state board of canvassers has repeatedly not placed the ballot initiative on the Nov 2006 ballot. Though it is unclear what, if anything, will appear on the ballot, there is new proposed language. Since issues of language, by in large, what the actual wording is very important. Cases from California to Colorado have demonstrated that words matter. The proposed language includes both the terms affirmative action and preferences. My gut reaction is that the language provides a lot more clarity than the previous versions which were “tailored” to cling to CRA language. Yes, I am critical of the CRAs wording and the ways in which discrimination and anti-discrimination have been constructed (just give Critical Race Theory for further explanation- happy reading!). I’ll keep ya’ll posted.

Soon MLK day will be upon us and the inevitable attempt of conservatives to co-opt Dr. King’s voice and messages will occur. The schools 19th annual MLK symposium is here. I haven’t figured out where I’ll be yet, but I’ll be around ;)

So I have been meaning to post, but there has been too much on my plate as of late. Though my posting hasn’t been happening, the world has continued moving. Well kinda, the TWU helped put NY on hault for a minute. But due to public pressure we all gotta make like Tribe Called Quest and keep it moving. So let’s get to it.

Last time I checked in we were all watching the Daily to see what their response would be to the controversy surrounding Michelle Bien’s cartoon. Word is that Bien has left the Daily staff, but I haven’t found verification of this on their site and her cartoon ran as recently as last week. The editor published his view on the situation. Nothing I didn’t expect. He strategically attempts to rely on the first ammendment. No one attempted to curtail free speech, but people did ask the Daily to be cognizant of the effects that their materials could and do have. There is no need to “force” the Daily staff to all support affirmative action, but their writers, artists, and editors should be able to justify their decisions and deal with their repurcussions.

Speaking of changing times, Pesnick makes sure to refer everyone to his Multicultural Commission.

In February, I formed a commission of editors and writers on the Daily’s staff to examine the work environment at the paper and the perceptions members of multicultural communities have of the Daily.

Their findings are here. Once again, I’m underwhelmed. I don’t think they’re off-base, I just don’t think we learn anything really new. I do have some questions about the Daily Commission though:
1) Is a commission of staff reporters the best assessment of the Daily?
2) Why was the commission’s identity not easily available to the public?
3) What type of influence or power does this commission have on the Daily?
As a policy wonk these are the kind of questions that continue to swirl in my head.

After the commission’s report, there was another cartoon run that raised some issues. The “Legacy Bitches” cartoon was, I am told, supposed to be a pro-affirmative action cartoon that attacked the concept of legacy. Instead of commenting on the cartoon, I’d rather comment on the political landscape. Isn’t it odd that right on the heels of a controversy that the Daily editorials staff chose to publish such an … ambiguous cartoon? Maybe it’s just me…

Aight, well that is enough of the Daily for this post. Be on the look out for my in-depth commentary on the Daily boycott of a couple of years ago and other folks thoughts on the Daily situation.

The Governator did not grant Stan Tookie Williams clemency. In the wake of his execution I learned a lot of folks that I knew were behind him. Maybe too many of us were silent. Maybe it’s naïve to believe that the “corrections” system believes in correcting behaviors, attitudes, or ideologies of Black men.

And as I close this post, someone sent me a link to this video… hilarious! Clearly finals drove people insane here. Over the next couple of days I’ll be trying to get some rest and relaxation back East, so whatever happens in Michigan … can stay in Michigan. If I get bored I’ll post my annual Best of BAM. Catch you on the flip.

Today in a fit of procrastination and contemplation I realized that I need help with this website. For the past year www.blackatmichigan.com has been reduced to the BlackBlog. It’s time for a change

I am looking for someone who is a “design wizard” or at least a “design apprentice”, lol, I’m funny. I have some site ideas but have neither the time nor dedication to carry them through. If you’re out there and interested in contributing to this virtual endeavor contact me at blackatmichigan@hotmail.com. When we talk, we can discuss your “handsome reward.”

Also, I’ve been kicking around for some time the idea of adding another blogger/columnist, I’m not 100 percent sure on this one, but still interested in finding out if there are folks interested in contributing. Once again, drop me an email.

ANOTHER DAILY BOYCOTT??? Not likely. But that’s not what the Daily’s article title would lead you to believe, “NAACP considers boycotting.” The article then goes on to state,

“Fair [2nd Vice President] would not comment on whether the group is considering a boycott or what other actions NAACP will take against the Daily.”

Now that’s funny, so I may not have my PhD yet, but I can read decently well. The reason this is so interesting to me is that if Fair gave the reporter no indication of action then the title could have been “NAACP considers joining Daily staff in response to cartoon” or how about “NAACP has concerns about Daily’s treatment of minorities” or “NAACP plans to host carnival on diag.” Anyone of these titles is possible but instead boycott is used.

Why does this matter, you ask? And you should. Because the past Daily Boycott left a bitter taste in a lot of people’s mouths. The boycott was poorly planned and executed, but I think it did have some positive results (if you want more commentary on what the boycotts did in my eyes, I’ll post it later). Since its planning and execution failed a couple of years ago, people are apprehensive to endorse another boycott. So how do you address concerns of a group critiquing you while delegitmizing their claim? Give them a headline with a strong amount of stigma attached. So throughout the day, numerous students will glance the cover of the Daily as they usually do and think, “Oh no, another boycott, I’m against that” and continue on with their day. Consider me a conspiracy theorist or a political strategist, but do send congrats to the Daily, even Sun-tzu would be proud.

I’ve also recently been visiting the Daily editor’s Blog. Jason has been posting about the Daily’s plan of redress, another smart move. But he recently decided to change the dates on which his response to the controversy would come. I hope he doesn’t already have his response ready, that would mean he wasn’t considering everyone’s voices. On his blog he also mentions the Multicultural Commission, I ask him a bunch of questions about it in the comments section of his post and get some answers . We will see if the commission has any leverage to create change at the Daily (more on that later).

I’m saying all this so that readers realize that strategy is important in any disagreement. Diplomacy wins many battles. Even Michelle Bien the author of the original comic has joined the “can’t we all just get along” parade. But change is a slow process. As NAACP and other bodies respond to the concerns of the Daily, I wonder how it will be portrayed. Most people get there image of a thing through second and third hand information, not primary participation. This information forms opinions and determines next moves.

And while we were all sleeping, the Michigan Supreme court recently issued an important decision on jury pools. The MSC suggests that jury selection should not consider race, sex, religion or nationality. The idea, again, is one of colorblindness, though the problem is that many groups are under-represented when a “jury of peers” is composed. What do you think of the ruling?

So of course I’m a huge fan of the Michigan Daily. Of course they publish really accurate and insightful pieces. Of course I’m lying. The cartoon to the right was published on Wednesday. Nice job Michelle Bean!

There is a nice letter to the editor by Lisa Bakale-Wise that breaks down why the cartoon is ridiculous and inaccurate.

There is a cartoon to the editor response from Meisha Jihan Williams in Thursday’s paper. It’s pretty funny, I hope you all can see the image cause the Daily digital image was too pixelated to post.

Hey, where is that multicultural comission when you need them? Oh, here’s the answer… kinda.

Hampton University is really in the spotlight these days among progressive communities. I definitely do not think the students should be expelled, but I would not be suprised if they were. Its hard for many people, particularly those who did not attend HBCUs,to understand and deal with that fact most HBCUs have conservative administrations while their student bodies are generally progressive. And I do not mean conservative administrations in the sense that we usually talk about at U of M, trust me, ya’ll don’t know conservativism. I’ve always understood HBCUs conservativism as closely tied to their financial donations. Since HBCUs are so financially strapped they have little choice but to present themselves as traditional and attempt to keep their institutions running. It will be interesting to see how Hampton responds to pressure from progressive communities in the long run. Part of the advantage of the internet is quick communication, so many more people found out about this incident than other similar incidents that I heard about in the past. I’ll keep you posted.

Update: The seven students were not expelled, but 5 of them will do some form of community service.

Save Tookie! In a couple of days the Governator will hear the appeal for clemency in Stan “Tookie” Williams’ case. Tookie co-founded the Crips and is serving a life sentence with a death penalty. His prior appeals have failed, the most recent attempt at appeal based evidence issues was denied by the California Supreme Court. This appeal however is based on his work as anti-gang, anti-violence advocate. I think the case is important because it speaks to the idea of reform within prison and whether America is interested in seeing people reformed, I’m not too hopeful for the outcome.

Okay, you must forgive me for posting twice in a row on TV. I had no intention to post on the Real World Austin, honestly it’s a pretty bad show. I watched early episodes and then found more valuable things to do with my time. However, this week I found myself “tuned into the 10 spot.” This week’s episode was divided between two people’s woes: Nehemiah and Wes. This week’s episode starts with Wes receiving a call that Nehemiah is in the county jail. Turns out that Nehemiah got in a fight outside of a local bar. He was placed in jail with a 3000 dollar bond. It’s not abnormal for the Austin Real Worlders to get into fights or get thrown in jail, but apparently Nehemiah’s fight and jailing get the episode’s attention.(Note that Nehemiah gets a lot of attention because episode 22 is named Nehemiah’s actin’ up… bad Negro, bad!). When confronted with the issue of getting Nehemiah out of jail Johanna lamentably repeats that it’s a shame that Nehemiah’s in jail because he’s so poor and he, nor his family has any money! Eventually, Danny negotiates with the Production company to take the bail money out of Nehemiah’s pay check (you did know that they got paid to be on this show, right?).

While Nehemiah sits in jail, Rachel reminds the group that they have a deadline on their documentary and Nehemiah is not there to do the documentary. This entire f***ing season they have been begging/demanding that Nehemiah take the lead (which really means do all the work) on a documentary on a local music festival. So what is the cast to do? Their pet Negro is jailed and they only have a few days before their deadline. The helpless cast sits and attempts to work on the documentary, but they can’t possibly pick all that cotton themselves…oops I mean they can’t possibly complete the editing without him. As they sit in a state of paralysis, Wes notes (paraphrasing) “Well he just spent the night in jail, so he’ll probably want to take a nap and then work on the documentary.” Are you kidding me!?! Danny returns from the jail having bailed Nehemiah out but he doesn’t have his Negro in tow. As the cast watches Danny walk in alone they ask, “Where is Negr…. Nehemiah?” Alas, he won’t be released for another couple of hours.

As Nehemiah returns to the house Wes, clearly part of the moral majority, in a paternal manner asks Nehemiah about what he did and advises him not to hide anything (thanks Dad). Wes then tells Nehemiah how much jail time he could be facing and that he needs to be careful about his actions. Nehemiah is a big boy and goes and apologizes to the White bar owner that he “assaulted” with a big non-threatening sheepish grin on. Lesson learned. If that wasn’t enough, throughout the episode there are interjections of cast members in the confessional explaining how Nehemiah needs to watch himself when he’s drunk and this should be a lesson. After all none of them have been drunk and in altercations, put in jail, or belligerent… not so fast! As Nehemiah returns to his quarters he settles in to work all night, the rest of the house goes out drinking.

Wes comes back drunk and does some “drunken” walking and smashing of the house. He knocks down a closet door, throws a canister of coffee at his housemates, and ends up slapping Rachel a fellow housemate. But of course, he’s “too drunk” to remember any of it. See, Rachel flicked off Nehemiah, and Wes ran to the aid of his Negro. The result is an off camera smack that Rachel forgives Wes for because she’s too tired to deal with it. Alas, the episode draws to a close with Nehemiah having learned his lesson, worked overtime on the documentary, and Wes having slapped a castmate. Thank God their pet Negro learned to behave.

My goodness, that episode was disgusting. If you happen to see it on, watch it! It’s amazing. And I guess it would be good for me to relate this to Michigan, ready…. apparently a future home of the Real World may be Royal Oak. Well maybe while they are in the treelined suburbs they can avoid all those misbehaved Detroiters.

I have a ritual nearly every morning. Every morning I wake up and open my browser to the Boondocks comic. I love this comic. I even buy the books that he puts out on this comic. I have waited for years, literally, to experience the Boondocks Cartoon. Now that I’ve watched the cartoon twice, I have really mixed feelings. One possible reason is that I am a Boondocksphile (made that one up). I read the comic day in and day out, read interviews by McGruder, and all but have tattooed Huey on my arm (aight, I’m really not THAT into the comic but you know what I mean). So when I finally heard Cartoon Network picked up the show, I patiently waited. Maybe I’m too close to it to appreciate artistic variation. I think the cartoon is funny, not as funny as it could be, but definitely enjoyable. Most of the laughs come in a “comic strip” form (short jokes or running gags)which is true to the comic. The one thing that has concerned me and many who watched and are discussing the show is the use of “the n-word.”

McGruder decided to use it because its part of Black culture and he himself sometimes uses it. I was kind of dismayed the first week, but now I feel like I understand. No, I don’t think that “the n-word” (gotta put in quotes because now apparently it is a phrase)is appropriate or that he’s doing it from an empowering standpoint. I think he’s doing it to really piss people off. Who you ask? Everyone!

It seems McGruder has taken a different route with the show than he did with the comic strip. I think that the n-word is so over used in the show that most people who watch it, those who are pro and anti-n-word, would feel unsettled by it and question its role. I figure Aaron is SO smart, that he is taking a uniquely critical approach. He’s challenging progressives to grapple with its presence in our speech, while also challenging folks who do use it to question it’s frequency and utility.

Here’s another possible theory and possibly further evidence that Aaron McGruder is being critical in an avant-guard way. Ceasar is absent. Ceaser is normally the dude that balances Huey, he’s not gonna show up for the whole year. Instead, McGruder has Uncle Ruckus in every episode (thus far). Unless you really stalk the Boondocks, you were like, who is that crazy looking dude, but he has appeared in the comic before. In the comic, he is just as loathing of Black folks and ridiculous, just less ever-present. Ruckus shows us a part of the Black community that is self-hating. Ruckus’ off the wall antics are a heavy satire, but would get any viewer who knows a Ruckus or is a Ruckus to think twice about their commentary on Black folks and their commentaries on White folks.

Aight, this post was supposed to be really short, but I kinda feel like I may be “on to something” with the Boondocks cartoon. I guess time will be the test.

Over the past couple of weeks, the announcement of an all women of color casting call for the Vagina Monologues production this year on campus has raised quite a controversy. This year’s director Lauren Whitehead issued a call via email that has gotten several people’s underwear in a knot. *I can’t find the original email right now, but when I do, I’ll post it.*

Yesterday, Emily Squires, former Vagina Monologues director, weighed in with a nice viewpoint on the issue.

Today, the Daily published a viewpoint by 6 men entitled: In Dissent: V is for Racism.

While I applaud these guys for doing a little bit of research, they should really read more carefully. If you go page 23 of the Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence,and Consequences of Violence Against Women report, you find this note of caution when comparing simply Whites and women of color in general.

These findings underscore the need for specificity
when comparing victimization rates among
women and men of different racial backgrounds.
As results from the survey show, combining data
on all types of minorities may diminish differences
that exist between whites and nonwhites
and at the same time obscure very large differences
in prevalence rates among women and
men of specific racial backgrounds.

If you read the reports’ full findings, you did find differences in rates of domestic violence, particularly rape, depedent upon the comparision group. I understand that they are attempting to respond directly to Whitehead’s assertion, but in their response, they should tell the whole story. Not to mention, there is the strong possibility that there are differences in rates of reporting that underestimate the rates of DV in communities of color.

I am in full support of a woman of color cast for the Vagina Monologues. While I’m not sure you’re suprised, this is likely different than the position a number of my Black male collegues will likely take, but then again, that is why we need a production like this. I do think that domestic violence is a serious concern among all communities and particularly communities of color. While some may feel excluded by this production, the potential it has to draw in new communities of folks to become concerned with violence against women is even greater in my opinion. If nothing else, seeing your sister, mother, girlfriend, wife, or friend reflected in these women of color could have a profound impact on the future of DV in communities of color. While there are many complex issues in DV and resolving it, I do believe this production does open a “can of worms” that needs to be addressed. One Tamara Williams is enough.