Uptown Notes

“History is not a procession of illustrious people. It’s about what happens to a people. Millions of anonymous people is [...]

Note: This is a Partner Post to Haiti in Context: Voices. Please check out both. They represent some of the [...]

I write this post with a heavy heart for the people of Haiti and its Diaspora. As you likely well know by now Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital was hit with a 7.0 earthquake and many sizable aftershocks. Given that Haiti is the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere, the consequences of this “natural disaster” are far beyond what many of us can conceive. I see this as a time for us to join in support in spiritual, emotional, physical and economic ways. I’ve outlined some ways for you to help us do this.

Over the weekend I reluctantly listened to the news as they discussed Somali Pirates and the container ship Maersk Alabama. Yesterday’s decision by the US Navy seals to kills three Pirates further saddened me. While I’ve heard people quickly jump behind the American crew and ship, most of this has occurredwithout context. This isn’t to suggest that if you read these links, watch these videos, etc. that you will or should support the Pirates, but I am pretty sure it will help you better generally understand some of the dynamics that the Somali people live under.

Today, Pintando Postales opens at the Brooklyn College library and it is a rare opportunity to hear and see the world through children’s eyes in New York City and Santiago de Cuba! The work is a multi-year project executed by Katie Yamasaki, but more importantly it lifts the voices and worlds of school-aged children between New York City and Santiago de Cuba in correspondence.

First, let me say that I pay little attention to the Pope or his statements. I spent eight years of my life in catholic school ignoring Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI has joined that club. In a recent visit to Africa, Pope Benedict exclaimed, “You can’t resolve it with the distribution of condoms,” the pope told reporters aboard the plane heading to Yaoundé. “On the contrary, it increases the problem.” Now let me explain why this is wrong!!!!

Today CCNY will feature a lecture by Kwame Appiah on “Race and Genomics” as well as host a stop on the “Live from Death Row” tour. Great chance to think about race theoretically and practically.

On November 10th, Miriam Makeba b.k.a. Mama Africa transitioned to the ancestral realm. She was a powerful voice both musically and politically. Her work on Black Liberation in her native South Africa and globally beautifully demonstrated the richness and importance of Pan-Africanism and African Aesthetics. May her life in the ancestral realm be blessed for her work on this planet has blessed us all.

So I was in Montreal this past week for the Association of Black Sociologists and the American Sociological Association meetings. [...]

Whenever I lecture of race and ethnicity envitably I get questions about racism around the world. I always hesitate to [...]