What Tami SaidWhat Tami SaidOne black woman's sometimes surprising musings on race, sexism, politics and pop culture. Articles
Al Sharpton, NAACP choose violent rapists over victimized woman, child
2008-03-12 00:30:00 A woman and her son are assaulted in a government-subsidized hell in West Palm Beach, Fla., where poor folks are left to rot. Ten teenage boys rape the woman and beat her 12-year-old boy for three hours. They force their victims to lie naked in a tub together, make the woman perform oral sex on her child. Afterwards, they burn the mother's skin and blind the son with cleaning solution. In an act of monstrous arrogance, one perpetrator takes a cell phone picture of his handiwork; another leaves behind a used condom.No one in community hears anything or sees anything. The victims walk to the hospital, in the dark, on their own.If you called yourself a community leader, if you ran a national civil rights organization, if you claimed to devote yourself to the downtrodden, if you were, say, Al Sharpton and the West Palm Beach chapter of the NAACP, who in this sordid story would you offer succor to? You have two guesses and the first one is wrong.Several of my blogsisters have been cover... More About: Woman , Child , Choose
Tell the DNC what you think of the Clinton campaign's racist antics
2008-03-11 22:00:00 Mailing Address:Democratic National Committee430 S. Capitol St. SEWashington, DC 20003Main Phone Number:202-863-8000e-Mail:http://www.demo crats.org/contact.html More About: Hillary Clinton , Clinton , Racist , Antics
Ferraro: Black men are so lucky!
2008-03-11 11:09:00 Did you catch the latest head-scratching race quote from a Clinton surrogate? Geraldine Ferraro offered:If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept. SOURCENow all my black male readers should thank Ms. Ferraro for this tip. I mean as you have gone about your life, working hard, you may have been stopped for driving while black or maybe passed over for a promotion or a job because of your skin color. You may look around at your office or, say, the United States Senate and notice a dearth of black men at the top. Women like Ms. Ferraro may quicken their steps and clutch their purses when you walk by, even when you're in your best business suit. Salesfolk at tony department stores may follow you around like a common thief, even though you make enough money to pay the security stalker's salary twice over. You may... More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Black , Lucky
Obama: Don't fall for the okey-doke
2008-03-10 20:20:00 Hell yeah! More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Obama , Fall
What's in a name?
2008-03-10 18:39:00 Take a man--a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, a community organizer, a university lecturer, a civil rights attorney, a state senator and a United States Senator. The man wants to be president. As voters, we'll need to examine his platform and his past, but his basic bio doesn't seem so scary. In fact, on paper, this man would seem to be a promising candidate, not a potential catalyst for international ruin.What's to be afraid of? A name. Barack Hussein Obama. For some, a name too different, too frightening, too, well, non-Anglo. A year ago, if you had told me that a given NAME would be considered adequate criteria for judging presidential worthiness by some people, I would have called you crazy. But then, it never ceases to amaze me what a very visible and vocal minority of Americans find to be scared about--and these folks are always scared.Take Iowa Republican congressman Steve King. The Associated Press reports:An Iowa Republican congressman said Friday...
Women's History Month blog carnival
2008-03-10 12:09:00 Talking bout my generationby Pioneer Valley WomanI have been thinking about "my generation" lately, in the words of the Who song by that same title, a song which was popular in 1965, as I've been thinking about differences between the Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, and those of my generation, Generation X, born between the late 1960s and 1970s. How have I been affected by the generations of my parents and the Boomers?I'm part of the early Generation X cohort, born in the late 1960s. Although some Boomers are the parents of people my age, for me, the Boomers were the older cousins I looked up to, who had the cool music I listened to when I was a weird, geeky, old soul in the body of a junior high girl who looked older, like a teenager.So when my friends were all into the latest fashions and music of rap, etc., my conservative parents of the "silent generation" born between 1925 and 1945, kept me away from that. They were the sober, serious parents, English-speaking immig... More About: History , Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival , Month
Women's History Month blog carnival
2008-03-08 23:11:00 Visit Women's Space and read the latest submission, a poem entitled "Hagar and Sarah" by Jennifer Wildflower. More About: History , Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival , Month
Because female genital mutilation is funny
2008-03-08 14:15:00 I have always been on the fence about Jezebel, the female-focused entry into the Gawker Media family of Web sites, described as:...celebrity, fashion, and sex without the airbrushing. The witty, informative tone draws a readership that is intelligent and sophisticated, but still willing to get down and dirty. Jezebel does what those women?s monthlies only wish they could. SOURCEThe site makes grrrl power, big tent noises, but always seems more invested in bringing the outre, hipster snark.A recent Jezebel recap of America's Next Top Model that recounted an argument involving Fatima, a Somali-born contestant who is a victim of female genital mutilation, struck me as beyond the pale. Fatima's opponent made the utterly ridiculous statement, "You take it in the back, because you're black." (I know. I know.) Jezebel agreed that the statement was racist and stupid, but added:(Especially because Fatima probably takes it in the back because the front is sewn up. Awww snap! Sorry, that wa... More About: Funny , Female , Female Genital Mutilation , Mutilation
Sixteen maneuvers to avoid really dealing with racism
2008-03-08 00:10:00 Love this list over on Feministe. Holly, the poster, writes:I found this list in an old e-mail, and thought it might come in handy for recognizing some common tactics of resistance against discussions of racism, against acknowledging that racism exists as a systemic injustice that we?re all complicit in to some degree, against owning up to anything. Apparently this list ? which I adapted slightly into quotations with names ? was originally developed by some anti-racist education organization, but I don?t know which one. (If you do, tell me!) The tactics include:The Remove the Right To Be Angry?You?re too sensitive? if you weren?t so aggressive, vocal, hostile, angry, or upset, people would listen to you and you wouldn?t get in trouble!?The Utopian Eye-Gouger?I?m colorblind, personally? why can?t we all just ignore race, it?s not like it?s even real? it?s not like I tangibly benefit from being white every day or anything! Can?t we all just get along??The Bending Over Backwards ?You p... More About: Racism , Avoid
"Sumpin' Turrible" indeed
2008-03-07 13:19:00 Dear God!The segment above appeared on Saturday Night Live this weekend. Now, I enjoy edgy comedy, but this, this is not funny. This is a truckload of tired and hurtful stereotypes about black women trotted out for laughs by a black man. Apparently, Kenan Thompson and Ellen Page agree that black women are fat, sassy, ugly, ignorant, hypersexual, uncouth, have "funny" names, and apparently when given the opportunity to "mammy" impressionable young, white women, bad influences.I could say more, but Wendi Muse at Racialicious has already said it better than I can. Click here.
I'm sorry. I was wrong.
2008-03-07 02:20:00 I am a thinker and a reasoner. I wish I was more passionate, but alas I have this mind that has to weigh things, turn them over, research and then come to a conclusion. And I am reticent by nature, no firebrand. Other more radical folks are quick to the barricades. I get there eventually, usually once my head catches up with my heart. This morning, I wrote a post pledging allegiance to the Democratic Party, because I felt that it represents my liberal values more closely than the Republican Party. I said that despite my anger at Hillary Clinton, despite her flagrant use of racism, distortions and fear mongering, I would have no choice but to vote for her should she win the Democratic nomination. After all, cozying up to people you don't like (a la McCain and Bush) is part of the political game. It is how people in power get things done. And God help us if another Republican gets into office. I take it back. I was wrong. I will not ever cast a vote for Hillary Clinton. And if she ... More About: Wrong
Everything I need to know about politics I learned from George Bush and Joh
2008-03-06 01:31:00 Why are these men hugging?I mean it is rumored that President George Bush and John McCain loathe each other. Despite McCain's recent pandering to conservatives, he was a vocal critic of many of Bush's policies. And then, there is South Carolina. In an article in The Boston Globe, Richard H. Davis, McCain's 2000 campaign manager explains:In South Carolina, Bush Republicans were facing an opponent who was popular for his straight talk and Vietnam war record. They knew that if McCain won in South Carolina, he would likely win the nomination. With few substantive differences between Bush and McCain, the campaign was bound to turn personal. The situation was ripe for a smear.It didn't take much research to turn up a seemingly innocuous fact about the McCains: John and his wife, Cindy, have an adopted daughter named Bridget. Cindy found Bridget at Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh, brought her to the United States for medical treatment, and the family ultimately adopted her. B... More About: Politics , George Bush , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton
Women's History Month blog carnival
2008-03-05 21:48:00 Working Together While Apartby Jennifer of Mixed Race AmericaConventional wisdom often says that people get more conservative as they get older. But as I find myself in my late 30s, I have to say that I have moved more and more to the left of center, or perhaps more towards a liberal-progressive politics than I had started with in high school or college.In fact, it was graduate school in Boston that seemed to reallly help me turn the corner. For the first time I found myself away from the West Coast of sunny California and in an urban metropolis where showing up to a graduate seminar in shorts and a t-shirt with white keds marked one as very "unhip, uncool, not-from-here."Two experiences in graduate school have shaped my desire to work with all women (all people really, because lets face it, we need male allies too), but especially women of color, towards social justice issues. The first was my first day in a mixed undergraduate/grad seminar on Feminist Theory. I had taken Women's ... More About: History , Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival , Month
Wednesday morning (election) hangover
2008-03-05 13:21:00 Some folks say this marathon of a primary season is good for democracy; I say it is bad for my nerves. I stayed up last last night, glued to CNN, watching the nail biting results in Ohio and Texas. My thoughts:Hillary Clinton won Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island, making her the night's comeback kid. I have said many times before that I think Clinton is a smart and capable politician. I think Barack Obama would make a better president, but when this election season began I could have been just as happy with Clinton as the Democratic choice. I don't feel that way anymore. I don't respect the Clinton campaign.I don't respect the sly race-baiting. I don't respect the way the campaign has painted Obama as the unqualified, free-ride having, "affirmative action" candidate. I don't respect the leaking of that photo of Obama in Somali dress, nor do I respect Clinton's mealy-mouthed response to 60 Minutes's question about whether her opponent is indeed a Muslim. I don't respect Clinton'... More About: Election , Morning , Hangover , Wednesday
Talk is cheap. Take action for Women's History Month
2008-03-04 22:28:00 It shouldn't take media coverage of Hillary Clinton's campaign for women to know that sexism is alive and kicking. This Women's History Month is certainly a time to look back on how far women have come and to discuss where we stand today, but navel gazing isn't going to help us achieve the equality we seek. Here are two opportunities for women and the men who love them to take action to help women's equality:Sign Jasmyne Cannick's online petition to Ban Shirley Q. Liquor: http://jasmynecannick.typepad.com/jasmyne cannickcom/2008/02/online-petition.htmlSh irley Q. Liquor is the latest demeaning caricature of a black woman, conceived by a man as "comedy" for the masses. Liquor was created by Charles Knipp, a white man who wears black face and an afro wig when in character. Liquor is popular among gay, white men.Knipp's best known character is Shirley Q. Liquor, "the Queen of Ignunce," who is based on his experiences with and interpretation of black southern women. Knipp performs ... More About: Action , Talk , Cheap
Women's History Month blog carnival
2008-03-04 22:14:00 New post up at Women's Space:The gulf of privilege is a huge issue for those of us who work on racism and sexism issues. I work with homeless adults, so my nose is rubbed in my privilege relative to my clients on nearly a daily basis. Following is a simple list of the privileges I have as a white, middle class, college educated, heterosexual, able-bodied woman relative to my clients. There are lots of intersectionalities here. In some cases, my clients (especially my male clients) have privilege relative to me. But in nearly every case, there are privileges I have through my skin color, social class, sexual orientation,able-bodiedness, or education level that they don't. I'm not going to break them down by "category" of privilege while listing them. I'll let you all do it.--excerpt from a post by Maureen O'DanuWe have room for more submissions! If you missed the deadline or are inspired by the words of another contributor, send your essay, poem, artwork, video, etc. to cher... More About: History , Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival , Month
Glamour's mea culpa
2008-03-03 23:30:00 Remember last year when Glamour editor, Ashley Baker, told a room full of female attorneys from Cleary Gottlieb that natural black hair was a definite don't.American Lawyer reported on the incident in its August issue:First slide up: an African American woman sporting an Afro. A real no-no, announced the 'Glamour' editor to the 40 or so lawyers in the room. As for dreadlocks: How truly dreadful! The style maven said it was 'shocking' that some people still think it 'appropriate' to wear those hairstyles at the office. 'No offense,' she sniffed, but those 'political' hairstyles really have to go.Glamour was flooded with angry e-mails from sisters who are a-okay with their natural tresses, and mocked on sites like Jezebel where female readers were appalled (but maybe not surprised) that a women's magazine would castigate women for finding beauty in their natural selves.Glamour axed the editor and promised to hold a roundtable to discuss the incendiary issue of black women ...
Women's History Month Blog Carnival: Come Together
2008-03-03 17:25:00 written by Brittany Shoot, originally posted at http://www.brittanyshoot.com/ As an abuse survivor with a father who cheated on my mother, I?m not set up in life to trust men easily. I spent the last several years in intense feminist psychotherapy to finally own the demons of my past, and I?ve come through some incredible personal grief. In the end, I emerged ready to try my hand at love again, and I was lucky enough that it found me.My closest friends have been wildly supportive, knowing the hurdles I have faced, and many fewer have acted in spiteful, jealous ways. I speak to almost no one about the negative reactions I?ve tolerated because they?ve been so painful and incomprehensible to me. Mostly, bitter feedback comes from those who don?t know me very well. They don?t know that my partner and I have spent countless hours deciding how to maintain independence while trusting and relying on one another. They don?t know how much I?ve personally navigated to be able to trust him, to ... More About: History , Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival , Month
Good links
2008-03-02 15:36:00 Browsing the Web this morning, I ran across several interesting things. Thought I would share:In "Judge him by his laws," Washington Post writer Charles Peters looks at Barack Obama's oft-overlooked experience as a legislator.Rebecca Walker, author and daughter of Alice Walker, looks at "Feminist Infighting" on Huffington Post. In other posts on the topic, Women's Media Center reprints a call for unity from prominent feminists including Gloria Steinem and Dr. Johnetta Cole, and Rachel's Tavern asks about racial double standards.Mes Deaux Cents takes her readers down memory lane with some favorite TV theme songs.Black Women Vote has an update on efforts to raise funds to relocate Citoya Greenwood and her child. Greenwood is a student, community activist and resident of Dunbar Village, the site of the barbaric 2007 assault on a mother and child.The New York Times reports on voters disenfranchised in Alabama.Media Matters for America calls out Pat Buchanan for his assertion that onl... More About: Links , Good
Women's History Month blog carnival: Welcome!
2008-03-01 15:49:00 Update: Comments have been enabled on this post.written by Heart of Women's SpaceWelcome to the Women's History Month blog carnival: Come Together: Healing Tensions Among Women Working for Equality! I am proud and excited to be hosting this carnival together with Tami of What Tami Said. I was thrilled when she had this idea and invited me to join her in seeing what we might be able to do together.I "met" Tami when I linked to her in a blog post I wrote a while ago about Carol Moseley-Braun's 2004 campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. I had been a committed supporter of Moseley-Braun and had kept her campaign photo on the front page of my website for months after she had withdrawn from the race. I refused to accept her decision to withdraw; she was the only candidate who appealed to me or whom I felt I could trust. I knew other white feminists who had felt the same way and who had also supported her in various ways. I knew Gloria Steinem had played a central r... More About: Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival
Obama should reject Farrakhan, but...
2008-02-29 15:40:00 I am no Louis Farrakhan supporter. Yes, I understand that he and his church have done much for the black community. But he is a hatemonger. He is the man who said: "White people are potential humans - they haven't evolved yet." Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2000 "It seems like being gay or whatever sin you wish to be a part of is okay ... but I have the duty to lift that gay person up to the standard to ask if they want to live the life that God wants them to or live the lifestyle that they want to live." Boston speech, August 1997 "The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get the Third Reich on the road." Saviours' Day speech, Chicago, February 1998 Abhorrent. Yet, here's the thing, it is not just Muslim hatemongers who should be loudly denounced by presidential candidates and all of us. Where... More About: Obama
Lies, damned lies...and scientific studies
2008-02-28 12:58:00 If ya'll are regular readers of Mes Deaux Cents (and you should be), you know my blogsister often gives the stink eye (or, rather a critical eye) to studies that paint a hopeless picture about black America. Well, if you didn't already know that you are a smart cookie, MDC, here's some vindication.In "Mad Science: Deconstructing Bunk Reporting in Five Easy Steps," an article in the latest issue of Bitch magazine, writer Beth Skwarecki takes on news reports about scientific studies whose findings seem just a little too confirming of stereotypes.Some misleading stories come from bad science, where the study authors' conclusions aren't supported by their own data. Others are well-conducted studies whose conclusions mutate upon contact with the mainstream media. Newspapers and websites are prone to playing fast and loose with their reports on studies, often neglecting to reveal salient facts about a study's sample group of methodology.The fact is that science articles aren't desi... More About: Studies , Lies
Is the 2008 presidential election bad for feminism?
2008-02-27 18:52:00 I hear you out there--wondering if I'm crazy.How can having a smart and accomplished woman a hair's breadth away from the Democratic nomination be bad for feminism? How can having America's ingrained gender prejudices dragged into the light be bad for feminism? I'll tell you how:The 2008 presidential election could be bad for feminism because as it has put a capable woman in the national spotlight and uncovered gender bias, it has also revealed and given voice to the prejudices of mainstream feminism. And those prejudices are alienating women who passionately want equality.I firmly believe that marginalized groups--women, people of color, GLBT folks, immigrants, etc.--ought to have uncommon empathy for each other and should work together towards the common goal of equality. That's why I am saddened when I hear some of my black sisters and brothers spouting homophobic rhetoric, and equally distressed when I see how some in the white gay community have embraced the patently offen... More About: Presidential , Feminism , Election
I'm completely taken with Torchwood
2008-02-26 20:45:00 Wow! Three posts in one day. This is a personal record.Why does the U.K. always get the best TV shows? Smart. Funny. Forward-thinking. Maybe I'm just a starry-eyed American, infatuated with exotic offerings from across the pond. Maybe British TV is chock full-o-crap like "According to Jim."At any rate, I've found a new guilty pleasure on BBC America. It's called Torchwood and it is a spin-off of the Dr. Who series. Now, I'm not a big fan of sci fi, though I have fond memories of watching Dr. Who on PBS when I was a kid, and I had to watch the series when Christopher Eccleston resurrected the doctor a couple years back. But this show is so different from anything I've encountered that I am mesmerized.The series is set in Cardiff and follows the Welsh branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use (its origins are outlined in the Doctor Who episode "Tooth and Claw"). To...
Tick...Tock...
2008-02-26 13:06:00 Get your submissions in for Come Together: Healing Tensions among Women Working for Equality, a Women's History Month blog carnival. The deadline is Feb. 28. Details here. Don't miss an opportunity to share your voice and promote your work.Image courtesy of adraskoy on Flickr More About: Tick Tock , Tick
Don't put all your hope in one basket
2008-02-24 21:02:00 Based on his platform and his record, I believe Barack Obama is what America needs now. If you, like too many folks, are unaware of Obama?s platform and record, I suggest you download the candidate's Blueprint for Change for a start. I also recommend that you read the excellent overviews of Obama?s accomplishments found at Jack and Jill Politics, Media Matters for America and Daily Kos. There is no doubt in my mind that Obama is a hard-working public advocate and one that is able to work well with the other side to execute a progressive agenda. (See his work with Republican Sens. Lugar and Coburn.)In addition to a strong platform and background, there is something about Barry. It's not just that he is a powerful orator. He is definitely that. Maybe he has just chosen the right message at the right time. Maybe he's just got hella charisma. But something has people of all ages, all social strata, all colors and both political parties standing together behind issues that I think are... More About: Basket , Hope
Get your read on
2008-02-24 18:39:00 I am disheartened, but not surprised, by the report on reading, released in November by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The study, To Read or Not to Read, says:The story the data tell is simple, consistent, and alarming. Although therehas been measurable progress in recent years in reading ability at theelementary school level, all progress appears to halt as children enter theirteenage years. There is a general decline in reading among teenage and adultAmericans. Most alarming, both reading ability and the habit of regularreading have greatly declined among college graduates. These negative trendshave more than literary importance. As this report makes clear, the declineshave demonstrable social, economic, cultural, and civic implications.How does one summarize this disturbing story? As Americans, especiallyyounger Americans, read less, they read less well. Because they read lesswell, they have lower levels of academic achievement. (The shameful fact thatnearly one-third...
Heavy
2008-02-23 15:45:00 Today I feel heavy,fat with responsibility.Work expectations,family relations,financial obligations--weights on my chest.I can't breathe.I remember when I was lighter,how eager I was to "grow up."I had no idea it would feel soheavy.Today is a difficult day. A blue, poetry day. I've never written a poem before, so this is probably crap. Nevertheless... More About: Heavy
We are the change we've been waiting for
More articles from this author:2008-02-22 13:29:00 I love this! Powerful! More About: Barack Obama , Change , Waiting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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