Comments on: Prop 8, the Left coast and Lefty Politics

By: Ashwini

Ashwini — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:44:24 +0000

Yes!! I was waiting for you to write about this! Here's my two cents: Although I am saddened and angered by the “blaming” of the African American community in particular for the passage of Prop 8, I do think that in light of California's history especially, there is some sort of vital connection that is just not being made in communities of color. POC in Cali have been screwed over by ballot initiatives literally for decades, as you pointed out in the post. Is it that folks have some sort of amnesia about all of these heartbreaking defeats in the past? Or is it that community organizations at all levels–religious, political, neighborhood, cultural–are failing to get the message across to our folks? We need to hold the leaders and leadership in POC communities across Cali accountable for failing to do the outreach and education work, to spread the word that these propositions are a bad way of creating policy and beyond that, have a history of trying to limit “minorities'” human rights. I'm not shocked that it passed, but I am somewhat shocked that the very people who were victims of hateful ballot initiatives in the past are willing to put that on another group of people just trying to live their lives.

By: Ashwini

Ashwini — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:44:00 +0000

Yes!! I was waiting for you to write about this! Here’s my two cents: Although I am saddened and angered by the “blaming” of the African American community in particular for the passage of Prop 8, I do think that in light of California’s history especially, there is some sort of vital connection that is just not being made in communities of color. POC in Cali have been screwed over by ballot initiatives literally for decades, as you pointed out in the post. Is it that folks have some sort of amnesia about all of these heartbreaking defeats in the past? Or is it that community organizations at all levels–religious, political, neighborhood, cultural–are failing to get the message across to our folks? We need to hold the leaders and leadership in POC communities across Cali accountable for failing to do the outreach and education work, to spread the word that these propositions are a bad way of creating policy and beyond that, have a history of trying to limit “minorities'” human rights. I’m not shocked that it passed, but I am somewhat shocked that the very people who were victims of hateful ballot initiatives in the past are willing to put that on another group of people just trying to live their lives.

By: Ashwini

Ashwini — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:44:24 +0000