Uptown Notes

One of my favorite portions of Assata are the verses interspersed. In honor of our great freedom fighter Assata Shakur [...]

We remain in a moment where people are beginning to realize that the election of Barack Obama does not mean a Black political agenda, one in which race is central, will continue to be pushed into the public sphere. So the question becomes, who advances the concerns of the faces at the bottom of the well?

I spend most days in the classroom teaching on issues of race, social class, mobility and opportunity. The discussions I have always intrigue me, particularly because most of my students are people of color from working class backgrounds. After listening and reading, I’m beginning to think the belief that anything is possible, clouds us from seeing what is probable. I say this not to be a pessimist, rather because I wonder what the line between naivete and willful denial of reality is. And if there are or what are the consequences for this thinning line for our people.

Last weekend, at the Malcolm X Grassroots Unity Brunch one of the topics covered was violence against LGBTQ people of color. I think it was Kenyon Farrow who mentioned the suicides of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover and Jaheem Herrera who are both Black boys who recently committed suicide because of peer bullying and hatred. Jewel Woods, of the Renaissance Male Project, writes a clear indictment of the ways that our schools allow torture and why boys of color are particularly at risk. What can we do to prevent torture in our schools and ensure a safe and whole development for all our children.

This Sunday’s Unity Brunch of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and The Women of Color Caucus will present a Film Screening and Panel discussion of the film No! The Rape Documentary. Guaranteed to be a powerful, insightful and uplifting. Come on out!

In the Welsh-Asante Aesthic model there is no form without function. In the production of SOARS, by A Long Walk Home you have a powerful art form that is not only stunning but begins the work of healing. Read more about it here.

On April 11th, V Day will be celebrated in Harlem with performances of the Vagina Monologues at 6 and 8pm at the Maysles Institute. The recent headlines have put domestic violence, sex and race on the national radar, though most of the conversations have been too shallow and misdirected for my liking (that’s for a different post). The Vagina Monologues is a uniquely powerful performance and movement to not only stop violence against women but also resurrect love for womanhood in a world where misogyny is the norm. Please SUPPORT!!!!

I was so moved by the trailer to Social Contracts by Laura Rahman that I had to post it and write a post. An insightful clip of documentary dealing with issues of sexual violence in the Black community.

A Re-Post Jewel Woods’ article on Sarah Palin and Men’s votes from Alternet.org.

This is a repost of a powerful piece on Rihanna, Chris Brown, and Domestic Violence in the Black community. Taken from South Side Scholar.