The Emmys ironically opened with a musical number “We Solved It” to celebrate that they had solved diversity, but as the show progressed through the night, the winners seemed to be primarily white.
Blame it on the Ambien: Our problems are bigger than Roseanne
Beloved and acclaimed media company, Disney, has had its share of racially and ethnically problematic portrayals. Perhaps the most distinct manifestation can be seen in the 1941 film Dumbo. Jim Crow and his group of friends are black crows who don tattered clothing and speak with a long, southern drawl. To match the look, they are depicted as lazy, poor and uneducated, exhibiting stereotypical traits that have long plagued African Americans. Even through the doe-eyed animation, the racial stereotyping and its call to minstrelsy is …
The birds, and the bees, and the stds
Well, I am not buying it. I have reviewed my finances, weighed the options, and I am certain I cannot make the purchase. On May 7, 2018, the Los Angeles Times published a story titled, STDs in L.A. County are skyrocketing. Officials think racism and stigma may be to blame, and in the piece, Soumya Karlamangla expresses a great deal of concern for a serious issue afflicting an alarmingly high number of marginalized and underrepresented citizens. However, in the process of this noble pursuit, Karlamangla …
‘Micro Mania’: Microaggressions on center stage
In the brightly-lit theatre space of the Center for the Arts Theatre, where tall handrails and low seats jut up in a semicircle around the ground-level stage, like an ancient Greek theatre, two actors advance to the center of the stage. Their fellow cast members remain seated in chairs arranged in rows to the sides.
ICE: Inhumane, Cruel and Evil
Xenophobia and racism can be packaged as many different forms, from patriotism to police cars to borders. ICE has been at the forefront of aggressive and unwarranted raids that have torn families apart across the US. However, these mass deportations are not the beginning nor are they the end.
Political Dissident: Requiem for Erica Garner
“We fight not for glory nor for wealth nor honours; but only and alone we fight for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life.” -Bernard De Linton
Thanksgiving dismisses persistent culture of white violence
White people in America have convinced themselves that overt racism is the only kind that affects people of color. They’ve taught themselves to dismiss the culture of white supremacy that exists below the surface of racial slurs and Nazi chants. Their version of history depicts the violence of their ancestors as heroic and righteous, with monikers like “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” In 1972 when Angela Davis was interviewed while she was in prison, she was asked if she thought that violence was …
L’Oreal: Because you’re worth it (if you’re white)
We as a society have been through the abolition of slavery, the Industrial Revolution, the Women’s Rights, Civil Rights, LGBT movements and two massive World Wars that have changed the narrative of our world. Yet, as a country where we pride ourselves on our equality, democracy and human rights, we still have a major social issue with systemic racism and the media has had a big hand in perpetuating that.
13th: From slave to criminal with one amendment
Cries of shock and gasps of disbelief echoed off the walls from students who watched stock footage of a black man being pushed, kicked and beaten by a mob of white men. The voice-over of current president Donald Trump from his campaign rallies intermingled with the footage stating, “Knock the crap out of ‘em would ya? In the good old days this doesn’t happen because they used to treat them very very rough and when they protested once, you know they would not do it …
Column: Trump presidency is a call to action
I went home and cried last night. I sat on my floor and cried on my roommate’s shoulder for what I believe is going to be the loss of civil rights, basic human rights and the actual loss of lives for so many in our country.