This Week in Whiteness

This Week in Whiteness April 29 (The tumblr edition)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:54:17 -0400

This week in whiteness, we’re focusing on some of the news circulating around on tumblr. I would also like to encourage any of you who do see news to submit the posts or articles.

CeCe McDonald’s case WILL proceed to trial. Interestingly enough, the prosecutor is still reluctant to drop charges for her, in cases where they might have already dropped them for a white person in similar circumstances. Shock.

New homeowners met with gun-wielding neighbors

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. —

A Newton County family says what should have been one of their happiest nights turned into a nightmare.

They said neighbors threatened them with guns and called the sheriff’s office as they changed the locks on their new home

The Kalonji family was ecstatic when their son just closed on a foreclosed home that the whole family was moving into.

The realtor told the family after the closing they should head over to their new home and change the lock.

“Somebody come over with the light and the gun,” Jean Kalonji said.

Jean and his wife, Angelica, said a man and what appeared to be his son, confronted them with guns in their hands.

“He say to put the hands up and get out from the house otherwise he would shoot us,” Jean Kalonji said.

“I get up my hands up, they put by the wall,” Angelcia Kalonji said.

The neighbors with the guns apparently thought the Kalonjis were breaking into the home, didn’t believe they owned it and called the Newton County Sheriff’s Office after threatening with the guns.

The Kahlonjis didn’t have the closing paperwork with them. Deputies arrested the couple, charging them with loitering and prowling.

The realtor said deputies should never have arrested the two.

Full story and video can be found here.

Racist responses to the Swedish cake cutting mess? Surely you jest!

Sadly, no. This was seen floating around tumblr.

Blackface, offensive body stereotypes… where’s the bingo card?

This is just part of an ongoing problem where white culture still seems to think that they are perfectly entitled to our cultures and our bodies and do with them whatever they see fit.

MoveOn petition for Jasmine Thar

Dear MoveOn member,

On December 23, 2011, my goddaughter, Jasmine Thar, a 16-year-old African American, was shot and killed while in my mother’s front yard in Chadbourn, North Carolina.

When the shot rang out, Jasmine was preparing for a routine shopping trip and doing what most teens do—texting. Two others, my niece and myself, were also injured in the shooting.

The 23-year-old Caucasian male who fired the fatal shot from the house across the street was taken in for questioning,but he has not been charged with a crime of any kind.

Because he claims it was an accident, the police let him go—despite the fact that he admits he fired the shot and police found a Confederate flag and Nazi literature in his home.

The message being sent is that you can shoot and kill someone like Jasmine and get away with it by simply claiming it was an accident. That can’t be the world we live in.

That’s why we created a petition on SignOn.org to District Attorney Jon David, Attorney General Roy Cooper, and Assistant District Attorney Chris Gentry. The petition says:

We demand justice for Jasmine Thar, who was shot and killed. Three months after the shooting we still have no answers. We urge you to sign this petition to demand a lawful, thorough, and unprejudiced investigation from the SBI and sound judicial decisions from Columbus County District Attorney Jon David and ADA Chris Gentry.

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=274217&id=39852-9173195-bfuEy%3Dx&t=3

Thank you.

–Treka McMillian

I would encourage all of you to sign the petition and boost the word, to help bring Jasmine and her family justice.

Elderly Woman Who Locked Abusive Cop in Basement Wins Settlement From Police

Venus Green, who was 87 when she was handcuffed, roughed up and injured by police, will receive $95,000 as part of a settlement with Baltimore City. The city chose to settle the case instead of taking a chance in front of a jury.

“We thought we would have a difficult time in front of a city jury, or any jury,” Baltimore City solicitor George Nilson said.

Green was so put out by what police officers did, the city said she locked one of them in her basement.

“I was treated like a criminal,” said Green, a retired educator who’s now 90.

In July 2009, Green’s grandson, Tallie, was shot and wounded. Tallie said he was shot at a convenience store, but police insisted it happened inside Green’s house and that the shooter was either Tallie or Green.

“Police kept questioning him. They wouldn’t let the ambulance attendant treat him,” Green said. “So, I got up and said, ‘Sir, would you please let the attendants treat him? He’s in pain,’” Green said.

Green said the officer said to her, “Oh, you did it, come on, let’s go inside. I’ll prove where that blood is. You did it.”

Police wanted to go the basement, where Tallie lived, but Green refused on the basis that the police did not have a warrant.

“I said, ‘No, you don’t have a warrant. You don’t go down in my house like that. He wasn’t shot in here.’” Green said the officer replied, “I’m going to find that gun. I’m going to prove that you did it.”

For the full story, including video, click here

Canadian judge calls residential schools a form of genocide

The chairman of Canada’s truth and reconciliation commission says removing more than 100,000 aboriginal children from their homes and placing them in residential schools was an act of genocide.

Justice Murray Sinclair says the United Nations defines genocide to include the removal of children based on race, then placing them with another race to indoctrinate them. He says Canada has been careful to ensure its residential school policy was not “caught up” in the UN’s definition.

“That’s why the minister of Indian affairs can say this was not an act of genocide,” Sinclair told students at the University of Manitoba Friday. “But the reality is that to take children away and to place them with another group in society for the purpose of racial indoctrination was — and is — an act of genocide and it occurs all around the world.”

About 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children were forced to attend the government schools over much of the last century. The last school closed outside Regina in 1996.

The $60-million truth and reconciliation commission is part of a landmark compensation deal between the federal government, the Crown and residential school survivors. It is about halfway through its mandate and has visited about 500 communities, where it has heard graphic details of rampant sexual and physical abuse.

The commission has taken 25,000 statements from survivors so far and has heard from about 100 people who worked in the schools, Sinclair said.

Their legacy has left an indelible impact on Canadian society, he added. The commission has heard stories of survivors continuing the cycle of abuse with their own children.

Even those who worked at the schools are not immune. Many of them were victims, too, and suffer lingering guilt and shame.

“We’ve had teachers come forward to us and spoken to the commission … about how they so hated the experience of teaching in a residential school that they quickly left,” Sinclair said. “They never put the fact that they worked at a residential school on their resume and they always kept that fact hidden from everybody, even from their own families.”

Just as children of school survivors suffer with their parents’ pain, so, too, do children of those who worked in the schools, Sinclair said. Children of staff members also attended the schools and still grapple with what they saw and experienced there. Some watched their parents become deeply depressed later in life as they came to realize what they had been a part of.

“In many ways, they also feel victimized by having been in residential schools. There is a great mixture of experiences here.”

The commission is expected to release an interim report shortly about what it’s heard so far. But even halfway through its mandate, Sinclair said, it’s clear work will take much longer to complete.

There are between 200 million and 300 million government documents on residential schools policy and about 20 million photographs. The commission has only managed to copy about 14,000 photos for the record, he said.

Canada will have to work hard to undo the damage done by the schools long after the commission has finished its work, Sinclair suggested. Generations of children — both aboriginal and non-aboriginal — have been brought up on a curriculum that dismissed aboriginal culture and history as worthless and inferior.

Another consequence is that there is a spiritual void in many aboriginal communities, Sinclair added. Churches that once had strong congregations in aboriginal communities have moved out and elders who could pass on traditional spiritual teachings are no longer living.

“It took 130 years to create this problem. It’s probably going to take us 130 years to undo it.”

To read more, click here

Remember how so many whites immediately fell back to the story about a young white teen who was set on fire by two black teens? Remember how many public figures were spouting that off?

Guess what?

ST. JOSEPH, MO (KCTV/AP) -

A 17-year-old St. Joseph boy is accused of setting another teen on fire.

Joseph Gardner is charged with first-degree assault. The charges stem from an incident April 19.

The Andrew County Sheriff says Gardner poured gasoline on a 13-year-old, set him on fire, and threatened to kill him and his family if he told anyone what happened.

According to a probable cause statement, Gardner is accused of threatening to murder the child and his family if he told anyone and that after igniting the child, Gardner stood there and laughed.

The victim is at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, KS, with first- and second-degree burns to his face, right arm and in his nose and throat.

Gardner was being held Tuesday on $150,000 bond.

And Gardner? He’s white.

Guess who hasn’t printed any clarifications?

That will round up this week. As always, stay vigilant and stay safe.

This Week in Whiteness April 22 (The tumblr edition)

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:53:24 -0400

And here’s the tumblr addition. What qualifies a piece for the tumblr addition is the fact that the story has not been widely reported in the mass media. It might be a tumblr movement, reported from a few smaller websites or a petition. But, for whatever reason, these stories have not been given their due by mainstream media.

Starting off this edition is the updated information on CeCe McDonald.

CeCe McDonald’s trial is set to begin April 30. For those unaware, here’s some background.

CeCe, an African-American, trans woman was attacked on June 5, 2011, by a group of two women and one man, both white, at night. While defending herself in the melee, one of the attackers died and CeCe was seriously injured. McDonald, 23, was arrested and has been held in jail ever since, to be charged with second-degree murder. It’s not a secret that PoC face harsher punishment than their white counterparts, but our transgender brothers and sisters are especially vulnerable to law enforcement, especially in cases like this when self-defense might be, or is their only chance of survival. Click the link below for more information, in addition to ways you can help.

Fighting for her life: Transgender woman charged with murder

Miami-Dade Fire Department Captain posts racially charged statements referring to Trayvon Martin case on Facebook

He is now claiming he should not be held to censure since he said it on his Facebook account. Legal experts disagree. The Fire Department has stated that they are investigating this matter. Click below for the full story.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/16/florida-fire-captain-trayvon-died-because-of-shtbag-welfare-dependent-parents/

Immigrants met with lethal force by US Agents

Univision has further publicized as PBS segment detailing eight deaths of immigrants directly from brutal force used by US Agents.

The segment looks into the use of excessive force by border patrol, particularly in the death of Anastasio Hernández-Rojas, an undocumented immigrant who was apprehended while trying to cross the border near San Diego, Calif., in 2010.

Hernández-Rojas died after he was tased by agents who claimed he became “combative”, but new eye-witness videos uncovered by PBS tell a different story. The videos show Hernández laying passively on the ground, screaming for help while surrounded by over a dozen agents.

A petition by Presente.org, a Latino advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., is asking the Justice Department to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death Hernandez-Rojas. So far, more than 16,500 individuals have signed.

Info on the PBS Segment

Girls whitewashes Brooklyn, Lena Dunham says it was an accident and Lesley Arfin lets her racism fly

The new HBO series, Girls, premiered last Sunday to be met with criticism. The show, created and starring Lena Dunham, has been lauded as a voice of a generation. The only problem is that it’s a very small sub-sect of that generation, led entirely by overly-privileged, petulant, annoying white girls. When critics pointed this out, Dunham claimed it was an accident, and said she would try to fix it in season two.

Going a step further, one of the show writers, Lesley Arfin, jumped in.

Arfin, in particular, has a very problematic history with PoC, and has made comments equating Obama in the White House to taking a shit in the toilet.

The coup de grace though, was the following nugget that was dug out of her skeleton crammed closet.

“Nigger” is a great word. It just packs so much punch. The two g’s next to each other are like literal two G’s, broin’ out, tough as nails, them against the world. It gives me chills that a word can hold so much power, it really makes me feel like I chose the right profession.

For an article detailing the issues with Girls and Lesley Arfin, click the link below.

A Girls Writer’s Ironic Racism and other ‘White People Problems’

NO SHIT SHERLOCK

Recent studies determined that all-white juries are more likely to convict black defendants.

In other news, the ocean is wet.

Britain Destroyed Records of Colonial Crimes

“Thousands of documents detailing some of the most shameful acts and crimes committed during the final years of the British empire were systematically destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of post-independence governments, an official review has concluded.

Those papers that survived the purge were flown discreetly to Britain where they were hidden for 50 years in a secret Foreign Office archive, beyond the reach of historians and members of the public, and in breach of legal obligations for them to be transferred into the public domain.

The archive came to light last year when a group of Kenyans detained and allegedly tortured during the Mau Mau rebellion won the right to sue the British government. The Foreign Office promised to release the 8,800 files from 37 former colonies held at the highly-secure government communications centre at Hanslope Park in Buckinghamshire.”

Shocking. Absolutely shocking. The Raw Story for the rest of the story.

Republicans Obstruct Violence Against Women Act

Because, you know, they’re kind of on a roll this year with regards to women. An excerpt:

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is, in normal times, an uncontroversial bipartisan law that was originally passed by President Bill Clinton in 1994. The law was intended to buttress protections within the law for women affected by violence by stiffening sentences for perpetrators and enabling access by women to civil proceedings, even when prosecutors decline to pursue criminal charges. According to the Wall Street Journal, VAWA is encountering resistance for the first time since its inception.Republicans are obstructing the law’s renewal on the basis that it now includes language protecting Native Americans, immigrants and LGBT Americans.

For the full story, click the following link.

Republicans obstruct Violence Against Women Act over LGBT, immigrant protections

People continue to respond to black males as a perceived threat. And follow it up by shooting.

Reported on by GlobalGrind, here is an excerpt about the shooting death of unarmed, 20-year-old, Bo Morrison.

GlobalGrind is deeply concerned about the death of 20 year old, Bo Morrison in the early hours of March 3rd in the small Wisconsin town of Slinger (population 3910). Protected under the “Castle Doctrine, ” an outshoot of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, Bo’s killer, Adam Kind is a free man.

For the full story, click the following link. Be warned, the comments are disgusting.

MURDERED! Another Unarmed Black Man Gunned Down

Oglala Sioux Tribe Demands Justice for Appalling Number of Unsolved Reservation Murders - ICTMN.com

Going along with the above article, in other news on how the US government is still screwing over Native populations, Navajo and Hopi communites are also protesting an new bill that threatens the tribes’ soveriegnty regarding their ability to maintain a safe and sufficient future water supply.

The bill, Navajo-Hopi Little Colorado River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2012, has been supported, thus far, by Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly. Many Navajo and Hopi citizens remain concerned about the far-reaching effects the bill could have.

Erny Zah, Shelly’s spokesman, expressed dismay at the volatile nature of last week’s protest.

“This isn’t about opinions,” he said. “We’re talking basic fundamental principals of Navajo teaching. There’s a fundamental respect that’s taught to us. That day showed that either we’re forgetting about who we are, or we just ignored who we are.”

Ed Becenti, a Navajo grassroots organizer and one of the protestors who was in Tuba City that day, disagrees with Zah’s assessment. Shelly is selling out his people by giving away their water, he said – he’s brought the derision on himself. As for the settlement the president is backing, Becenti is horrified: “This is almost like genocide,” he said. “We’re being manipulated into our own extinction. The other parties are hurting for water and they’re doing whatever they can to get to what we have left.”

For the full article, click the link below

Little Colorado Water Rights Bill Met With Protests From Navajo and Hopi Communities - ICTMN.com

Men of Color, Women of Color and transgender women receive less pay

Equal Pay Day was on April 17. As a reflection, let’s remember that while many hold the average pay rates of men and women to what white men and woman receive, this is not the case across the board. PoC, especially WoC receive much less than the white average. Also feeling the hit are transgender women, some of them being docked in pay after transitioning even. Transgender women of color are especially vulnerable.

We cannot forget economic equality for all of us.

Glenn Beck tries to spin an eight-year-old Barack Obama eating dog meat to an equivalent of the Romney’s cruel treatment of tying their dog to the roof of their vehicle

Conveniently ignores any culture that is not WASP, and the fact that eating dog meat would prove that he was not Muslim.

Raise your hands again if you’re surprised by his levels of fail.

COACHELLA

We’re at the end! Only a little more to go!

For this last part, I want to open it up to you, readers. Many stories and photos are coming out of Coachella showing white revelers in various stages of cultural appropriation.

Here’s a chance to let loose and tell everyone how you really feel.

Sick of hipsters and indie music snobs in war bonnets? Troubled by the Tupac hologram performance for a crowd of mostly white concert-goers’ entertainment?

Tell us!

This Week in Whiteness April 20 (The mass media edition)

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:10:04 -0400

This Week in Whiteness

This is my first post on here, so bear with me while I work through the growing pains. Feedback is always appreciated.

Kicking off this week in whiteness is the story now heard round the world. If you’ve been unconnected this week, here’s a rundown. The Culture Minister, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, of Sweden attended an event to “raise awareness” on female genital mutilation. Slightly problematic, but mostly like that Kony 2012 BS, right?

Until we get to the part where the main attraction is a giant, racist caricature cake of the Hottentot Venus, Sarah Baartman.

It goes downhill rapidly. This cake, apparently the brainchild of artist and provocateur Makode Aj Linde, was interactive with Linde, a black man, serving as the head and screaming every time the cake was cut. Pictures and video show the white audience laughing and smiling as they cut into the cake, with Liljeroth slicing off the genitalia. Also in photo is Liljeroth feeding a smiling Linde a piece of the cake.

Let’s process this. A man, who has also been shown in other photos to culturally appropriate oppressed indigenous peoples, decided to do a piece to “speak” for women about female genital mutilation, also completely inserting Western cultural values in over the cultures of the places where this takes happens. Now, I will be the first to demand that every woman have the right to decline female circumcision and I passionately believe that it should NEVER be forced on a woman. But that doesn’t give anyone else the right to decide either way for them.

Linde also commented that Liljeroth whispered to him that “things will be better for you after this.”

Hmmm.

American Man Seeks Asylum in Sweden

In other Swedish news, an American, soon-to-be-expatriate if he has his way, man is seeking political asylum in Sweden after accusing the United States of torture and detainment overseas. Yonas Fikre, 33, of Portland, OR says that he was held for over three months in a Dubai detention center in 2011. Furthermore, he has been placed on the no-fly list, barring him access to any flight back to the United States.

Fikre’s lawyer says that this is being used, not because Fikre is a threat to passengers, but as a coercion tool.

And here’s a big shock, Fikre is also a Muslim and a PoC. Raise your hands if you’re surprised. Click the link below for the full story.

American seeks political asylum in Sweden, alleging torture, FBI coercion

In American News…

GOP Senate candidate John Raese (WV) compared a county smoking ban with the Holocaust. Yes, you read that correctly.

Raese, claimed the smoking ban was the equivalent of Hitler forcing Jews to wear the Star of David. “But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke-free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Okay?” he said. “Remember Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.”

He also calls former president, Franklin D. Roosevelt “General Roosevelt” and “Fidel Roosevelt”. This is the same man who wanted to spend $20 billion to put “1000 laser systems” in the sky to protect the US from a rogue missile attack. Click the link below for the full story and video.

John Raese Equates Smoking Ban to Hitler Policy

Back to cases of Islamophobia, former IHOP workers are suing IHOP and the franchise owners, Anthraper Investments, claiming wrongful termination, in addition to harassment based on their religion and nationality.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled recently that there is reasonable cause to suspect that at least two of the workers were harassed and then fired because of their nationality.

And example of the harassment? Emails from their managers every year telling them to “lay low” on Sept. 11. Click the link below for the full story.

IHOP Allegedly Told Muslims Workers to ‘Lay Low’ every September 11

Ted Nugent threatens President Barack Obama

Romney supporter Ted Nugent is now in hot water over comments he made earlier in the week regarding President Barack Obama. Now under investigation by the Secret Service, Nugent is trying to soft-pedal his threatening comments of “If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will be either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” He also said that fellow GOP voters needed to ride into November and chop Democrat’s heads off. You stay classy, Ted. Click the link below for the full article and clip.

Quote of the Day: Ted Nugent threatens Barack Obama

I will be doing a separate post for news that has been circulated on tumblr. Mainly because long post is long, and this is news that deserves just as much attention, even if it hasn’t been giving it’s due time in mass media. This will be up tomorrow.

Topics covered in Tumblr edition include:

CeCe McDonald
Immigrant beatings involving US Agents
Bo Morrison
Lesley Arfin and Girls
White dude trying to make a thing of an eight-year-old Obama eating dog meat
No Shit Sherlock: Study finds all-white juries more likely to convict black defendants
Navajo and Hopi communites protest water bill
The Wage Gap and White Privilege + Trans-Misogyny
Oglala Sioux tribe demands justice for unsolved reservation murders
Britain destroyed records of colonial crimes
Coachella: Hipsters run rampant with appropriation and the problematic aspects of Tupac’s performance.

Okay then

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:43:17 -0400

We’ll be back up and running this weekend. Please note that I am NOT the old admin. If you send me messages and I don’t remember conversations we’ve had, chances are it’s because we’ve never had them. No hard feelings.

I’ll usually have the weekly round up published on Saturday, so if you happen to see something of note, you have until Saturday morning, central standard time, to shoot it my way.

I look forward to talking with all of you, be it questions, comments, submissions or concerns. If it’s of a private matter, please send it to my other tumblr: http://bbanzaiz.tumblr.com/

Advice/suggestions/volunteers?

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:07:28 -0400

stfuconfederates:

A couple of weeks ago, the blogger that ran thisweekinwhiteness deleted her main account and left me the keys to TWIW. I’m just sort of sitting on it right now while trying to find somebody who is interested in/is qualified/has the time to run it. If anybody has any ideas for me, please let me know.

If you don’t already know what the blog does, it was compiling weekly posts from stories of racism on Tumblr or in the news. The lady who was running it is an excellent writer and did a great job, but decided to leave Tumblr, and I’d really like to find somebody to take over this blog.

I wanted to do it without having to publicly advertise it but nobody I’ve talked to has had the time/interest to run it, but I don’t want it to just sit there if it can be used to help people. So any suggestions or volunteers are welcome.

Thank you! -Austin

Sunday's Post is Up!

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:59:05 -0400

Check it out here.

Sunday's Post is Up!

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:56:31 -0400

Check it out here.

Sunday's Post is Up!

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:16:21 -0400

Check it out here.

THIS WEEK IN WHITENESS: Shaken Bottles (1-04-12)

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:13:04 -0400

1 April, 2012

Although gags abound in celebration of April Fool’s day, the compilation of headlines today are no laughing matter.

Before we start, we’d like to highlight a headline from last week:

Last week in whiteness, Canada’s Supreme Court took a surprising but excellent turn for the better when it solidified legislation that would work in favor of indigenous Canadian Indians facing convictions. Judge Louis LeBel was quoted as saying:

“When sentencing an aboriginal offender, courts must take judicial notice of such matters as the history of colonialism, displacement, and residential schools and how that history continues to translate into lower educational attainment, lower incomes, higher unemployment, higher rates of substance abuse and suicide, and, of course, higher levels of incarceration for aboriginal peoples,” he said.

For more, check out the report at the Globe and Mail. Thank you to BiscuitMunroe for forwarding the info!

And now for this week’s news:

Rick Santorum and the Government Negotiator

During a recorded event in Janesville, Wisconsin, presidential hopeful Rick Santorum stopped himself from calling President Barack Obama a “nigger” during his speech, which is available here. “It has been suggested he was trying to say “-nik”, as in peacenik or beatnik,” the Guardian’s Paul Harris writes. “That is possible. Or perhaps, it was some non-specific verbal tic: a random vowel-consonent flub.”

Here, Santorum has previous form. In Iowa, he stumbled when discussing conservative opposition to welfare programmes:

“I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.”

In the face of later outrage at singling out black Americans, he insisted that he had not said “black”, but instead vocalised “bleugh”, as his mind became confused over his own train of thought. Full article available here.

We at This Week in Whiteness have always believed that Santorum’s rather frothy brand of racism would eventually slip out in a blatant way.

Smear Campaign Against Trayvon Martin Continues

To add to the many problematic elements surrounding the open case of Trayvon Martin, the Sanford Police Department released video footage from George Zimmerman’s visit to the police station shortly after murdering Trayvon Martin. While Zimmerman’s lawyer claimed that Martin had broken Zimmerman’s nose, the footage shows that Zimmerman was not bloodied, nor showed any signs of injury. ABC reported gaining access to the footage on Wednesday.

There is, unfortunately, more. A white supremacist recently hacked into Trayvon Martin’s email and social media accounts in an attempt to prove that Trayvon Martin was a thug, and was seen gloating about doing so on 4Chan. Gawker’s Adrian Chen reports:

A screenshot of Trayvon’s Gmail inbox our source provided us is heartbreaking. Martin apparently used his Gmail account for his college search, and it’s filled with emails about upcoming SAT tests and scholarship applications. (“Trayvon, now is the best time to take the SATs!”) One email included the results of a career aptitude test, our source said. It “talked about his interest in aeronautics and stuff.”

The Huffington Post has more details available here.

Update: Chicago Residents Demand Justice for Rekia Boyd

On Tuesday, Chicago residents held a rally demanding justice for Rekia Boyd, the young woman who was killed by an off-duty cop while socializing with friends near Douglas Park. The Black Youth Project reports:

Around 1 am last Wednesday, an off-duty officer approached a group of people in his car and asked that they quiet down. One of the individuals, 39 year-old Anthony Cross, approached the officer. Thinking he was holding a gun, the officer open-fired, striking Cross in the hand and (inadvertently) RekiaBoyd in the head. Rekia died later that afternoon. Full article available here.

About 200 protesters gathered in front of the officer’s home. For footage, visit The Huffington Post’s recap of the event.

Liar, Liar, Comic on Fire

Amid a flurry of criticisms,the University of Texas (Austin)’s school newspaper pulled an incendiary comic that suggested murdered teenager Trayvon Martin’s innocence was a lie. The image, drawn by now former employee Stephanie Eisner, appeared in theTexan’s Opinion section on Tuesday. By Wednesday evening, the newspaper issued multiple statements, including one from the cartoonist herself:

“I apologize for what was in hindsight an ambiguous cartoon related to the Trayvon Martin shooting. I intended to contribute thoughtful commentary on the media coverage of the incident, however this goal fell flat. I would like to make it explicitly clear that I am not a racist, and that I am personally appalled by the killing of Trayvon Martin. I regret any pain the wording or message of my cartoon may have caused.”

The cartoon and several updates are available here at The Daily Post.

Black Parents Murdered For Asking Man Not to Shoot

Raeford, NC resident John Oliver Hill, Jr. was shooting his gun outside and near the home of Thalia Rebecca Mook and Tommy Brown this past weekend. Brown had been outside with his and Mook’s children when Brown asked Hill to stop firing his gun, expressing concern for the children in the area. Hill responded by shooting Brown in the head, then Thalia Mook when she came outside. Their three children were present for the shooting. Extra details are available at ABC.

Black College Student Killed By Cops

In yet another case of “we thought his wallet was a gun,” young college student Kendrec McDade was killed by police officers after Pasadena, CA resident Oscar Carillo called 911 reporting being robbed at gunpoint by two Black teens. The police stated that they were set in looking for someone with McDade’s description and, after cornering him, shot him multiple times from their patrol vehicle as he reached for his waistband. He was unarmed, and no stolen goods were in his possession. For more info on the case, check out this article at the Pasadena Star News.

White Woman Stands Her Ground, Attacks Black Teenager

We will offer two accounts of what happened without comment:

Here is a citizen reporter’s account; here is the report that we managed to find on MSNBC.

We at This Week in Whiteness want to take a moment to reflect upon whiteness and the concept of belonging. All of these events have occurred because a person of color was somewhere they didn’t “belong,” even in their own neighborhoods. While history books will help one conclude that people are willing to defend their spaces to the death - of themselves, but preferably others - what does that say about white spaces in the 21st century? And what happens when white spaces expand to include almost ever pocket of the country?

The answer is that we have an open season on people of color - and while POC have always been under attack, those who aim and fire feel significantly more comfortable acting violently in broad daylight. Trayvon Martin’s death has triggered the shaking of a bottle of emotions. What will become of us, then, when the cork pops from the pressure?

Stay Vigilant,

This Week in Whiteness

Wondering where this week's post is?

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:31:20 -0400

This week has seen quite a few inter-connected events. See how at 10pm EST when we summarize what’s happened this week!

Missed Yesterday's Post?

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:05:29 -0400

Check it out here!

THIS WEEK IN WHITENESS: Through the Looking Glass (25-03-12)

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:36:24 -0400

25 March, 2012

Whiteness and white supremacy are a constant threat to the lives of people of color. This week’s major US headlines - some of which may not actually reach mainstream news broadcasts - may seem like life on the opposite side of the looking glass. But what we see, while seemingly bizarre, is our society’s own reflection.

The following events are not isolated incidents, but threads of a common fabric that muffles people of color.

Occupy Black Movements

Thousands of people gathered in NYC’s Union Square on Wednesday for the Million Hoodie March, in which participants came together to mourn and demand justice for Trayvon Martin. After Trayvon’s parents addressed the crowd, the march began. However, Occupy Wall Street, which advertised the event in-house, ended up detracting from the movement. Elon James White, who hosts radio show Blacking it Up and the This Week in Blackness series (to which we are unrelated), reports at NewsOne:

With chants of “We are the 99%” and signage to that effect as well, I was a little thrown off. I thought the purpose of this march was to bring awareness to the death of a young boy. Soon after the march started confusion was all around. Which way were we marching? Who was leading the charge? After we walked a few blocks members of the Occupy section of the march started running down the street knocking down trash cans…At various points in the march, as organizers tried to make statements, they were drowned out by Occupiers chanting whatever they saw fit at the time. Full article here.

White is not the only one to have written this sort of account: many who witnessed Occupiers behaving badly expressed frustration at the confusion created. While Occupiers say that theirs is a mixed group of people from all walks of life, witnesses say that those who really distracted from the march were white. However, we express relief that while some Occupiers attempted to struggle with NYPD via upturning trash cans and screaming “Fuck the Police,” the police did not break up the march or confuse Occupiers with those who wanted to mourn Trayvon’s death. It is worth noting that the NYPD has a high-tension relationship with Black communities especially because of their profiling, and any attempt to rouse them during a non-violent march would have been both insensitive and in poor taste.

Justice for Shaima Alwadi

32-year-old Iraqi American Shaima Alawadi died in the hospital on Saturday, three days after being found beaten into unconsciousness in her California home. Her 17-year-old daughter, Fatima Al-Himidi, found the unconscious mother of five in their dining room with the note “go back to your country, you terrorist.” The Huffington Post quotes one of the investigators, Lt. Mark Colt, as saying the following:

“A hate crime is one of the possibilities, and we will be looking at that…We don’t want to focus on only one issue and miss something else.” Full article here.

The note found with Shaima Alawadi was one of two, the first being sent earlier in the month. The young woman and her husband decided to move to California from Michigan, and had only been in their El Cajon home for a few weeks. The Al-Himidi-Alawadi family learned that Ms. Alawadi was brain-dead shortly upon hospital arrival.

The Facebook page One Million Hijabs for Shaima Alawadi has slightly over 1,500 “likes,” but that number is sure to grow as news of Ms. Alawadi’s death spreads. While we cannot locate any demonstrations at present, we will publish further details as they are made available.

Follow Trains More Offensive Than Racial Slurs

Tumblr Staff continues to keep the torch of fail brightly burning as they make updates to the Terms of Service agreement and Community Guidelines. While they say:

Malicious Bigotry. Don’t actively promote violence or extreme hatred against individuals or groups, on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation. While we firmly believe that the best response to hateful speech is not censorship but more speech, we will take down malicious bigotry, as defined here.

We all know that the real action’s here:

If we conclude you are violating these policies, you may receive a notice via email. If you don’t explain or correct your behavior, your account may be suspended and/or your IP address may be blocked. We do our best to ensure fair outcomes, but in all cases we reserve the right to suspend accounts or remove content, without notice, for any reason, but particularly to protect our services, infrastructure, users, or community. We reserve the right to enforce, or not enforce, these policies in our sole discretion, and these policies don’t create a duty or contractual obligation for us to act in any particular manner.

This wouldn’t be problematic if harassment of members of marginalized communities were not routinely ignored. While we won’t link to it here, it has been confirmed that Tumblr Staff uses the same cookie-cutter reply when POC report malicious users for harassment, no matter the case. This also applies to disabled communities on Tumblr and gender and sexual minorities; Sophie M. Herold, the person who has been outing LGBTQIA to bigoted Christian organizations, wasn’t taken down until mass outrage on Tumblr.

Please check out and signal-boost the blog POC Harassed, a steady-building archive of harassment folks have been receiving on a weekly basis.

We are looking for non-US headlines to discuss! If you’re aware of any, please forward a link to an article or drop a suggestion here. If you’d like to join This Week in Whiteness, please leave us a message!

Stay Vigilant,

This Week in Whiteness

Missed Yesterday's Post?

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:08:43 -0400

Missed Yesterday's Post?:

Edits:

Trayvon Martin’s name was spelled “Treyvon Martin.”
The San Diego PD’s official report did not contain a mention of Jason Russell’s public masturbation or vandalism - those two events are public hearsay, and therefore “allegedy” has gone before mention of either.

Any other errors? Let us know via Ask-Box.

Missed Yesterday's Post?

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:47:35 -0400

Check it out here.

Update to Today's Post: Jason Russell allegedly masturbated and vandalized cars, although public nudity and other behavior are confirmable.

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:15:20 -0400

Jason Russell wasn't masturbating or vandalizing though; the police said that wasn't true and he's not facing any charges (which he would otherwise), plus he's currently on forced psychiatric hold. Not that that excuses the Kony 2012 debacle but I think it's wrong to spread misinformation.

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:09:15 -0400

The posts written under This Week in Whiteness would never be written in a way that intentionally misinforms its subscribers.

Although this Sunday’s post already notes that Russell isn’t facing charges, I will definitely add “alleged” (as indicated here and here) and make a note of his current location.

-A.

George Zimmerman gone into hiding

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:47:54 -0400

jhameia:

Just had this pointed out to me, it’s barely mentioned in the articles I’ve been reblogging. From the Miami Herald article:

[Zimmerman] has cooperated with the investigation and never retained an attorney, Lee said. His phone numbers are disconnected and no one answered the door at his home or his parents’ home. His in-laws shooed a reporter away. After death threats and an avalanche of hate mail, Lee said Zimmerman went into hiding. Local station WFTV Channel 9 reported that he showed up with a truck last week and moved out.

THE CHILDKILLER HAS GONE INTO HIDING.

Just ONE line from the Orlando Sentinel:

Attempts by The Miami Herald to reach him have been unsuccessful — a telephone number listed to him has been disconnected — and it was unclear Sunday whether he had retained an attorney.

Phone lines cut. HE MOVED OUT. HE CANNOT BE CONTACTED.

Have I been under a rock this past week that I didn’t notice anything? Or is my Google-fu working and there is just no news on how Zimmerman has gone into hiding? Or is this just not important?

THIS WEEK IN WHITENESS: Say it Loud, We're White and We're Proud! (18-03-12)

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:11:00 -0400

18 March, 2012

Folks, this week has been an overflowing fountain of whiteness. Does your cup runneth over? If not, here’s a run-down of some of the larger headlines this week.

We’ll start with one of the more grave events:

ICE Intimidates Woman into Death

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is a force of terror for people of color, regardless of their immigration status. Known to rip families apart, ICE has a penchant for ganging up on Latin@ sin papeles (without documents), or immigrants without documentation. This week, Miss Erica Delgado of Wyoming lit her home on fire, killing herself and her daughter Miriam, a week after receiving an early-morning visit from five ICE agents and two sheriff’s deputies.They informed her that she was expected to show up in court before an immigration judge, a hearing that would have been the beginning of expulsion proceedings.

According to Alternet, Delgado should not have been approached: ICE is not supposed to prosecute and expel survivors of domestic violence, and Miss Delgado was one such individual. She had made a life for herself and her daughter (who is a US citizen) after her abusive husband relocated to Chihuahua, Mexico. Alternet also adds:

Delgado was one of 35 current and former Little America employees—11 of whom were approached, all of them Latino—on the ICE list for the Cheyenne enforcement action on January 24. Full Alternet article here.

Although ICE had received the order from Washington to focus on high-risk criminals due to a limited budget, ICE has a history of going after those who do not present a security risk, such as those entering the country looking for work and a safe place for their families. However, the current US administrative program, ironically-named Secure Communities, is responsible for the disproportionate deportation of Latin@s, regardless of family status or absence of criminal record.

Southern Miss’ Slam-Dunk Racism

Although racism is certainly not fun and games, it will interrupt your attempts to have either. The University of Southern Mississippi’s marching band chanted “where’s your green card?” while player Angel Rodriguez took a free throw during the Southern Miss v. Kansas State basketball game. According to NPR, Southern Miss quickly reacted as Buzzfeed’s video hit the web. “We deeply regret the remarks made by a few students at today’s game,” Martha Saunders, the school’s president said in a statement. “The words of these individuals do not represent the sentiments of our pep band, athletic department or university. We apologize to Mr. Rodriguez and will take quick and appropriate disciplinary action against the students involved in this isolated incident.” We at This Week in Whiteness think that such an accountability-free, PR-induced apology would come from a sore loser, after all: NPR reported that Kansas State beat Southern Miss, with Rodgriguez scoring 13 points with 4 assists.

Sanford PD Continues to Keep it Classy

Amid the demands for justice for slain Black teenager Trayvon Martin, the Sanford Police Department finally released the painful 911 call in which Martin’s screams were heard before George Zimmerman pulled the trigger. Meanwhile, sources have indicated that Zimmerman has targeted young Black men repeatedly in the past, and whose favorite number to call was 911. When asked to comment, Sanford police chief Bill Lee said:

We are taking a beating over this. This is all very unsettling. I’m sure if George Zimmerman had the opportunity to relive Sunday, Feb. 26, he’d probably do things differently. I’m sure Trayvon would, too.

I’m so sorry everyone, but I’m going to break composure for a second:

This investigation is a disgrace, from the 911 call to the police chief. Regardless of how professional 911 operators are supposed to be, hearing that phone call was one of the most painful things I’ve ever listened to. The mild irritation in the caller’s voice and the slow, unhurried way in which the 911 operator took the caller’s information were crushing. It seemed as if a young Black man being attacked on their front lawn was an inconvenience, not an injustice. Combined with that reporter’s “chicken” comment, I cannot simply contain my anger any more.

“I’m sure Trayvon [would do things differently], too.” If he was alive.

This goes beyond being tone-deaf, beyond being insensitive or a little bit biased. THIS IS RACISM. THIS, RIGHT NOW, IS RACISM. Can we all agree on that now? Because Zimmerman STILL HASN’T BEEN ARRESTED. This man, who has a penchant for targeting young Black men, is walking free and the POLICE DEPARTMENT is apologizing FOR HIM. Meanwhile, Martin’s death hasn’t become a national outrage, probably because no one’s made a 30-minute video about what happened, but more likely because of RACISM. When will enough be enough? Can we go out in the streets and protest now? Can we? Because I assure you it’s going to get worse. Where are the 50,000 Tumblr notes on THAT?

And now with the rest of this Sunday’s post.

Things White People Do: Create Political Messes in African Nations

This section is going to address white North American activists from both Invisible Children and Save Darfur.

US celebrity George Clooney was arrested this week during a protest at the Sudanese Embassy, in response to President al-Bashir expelling all foreign aid workers from the country. This expulsion took place after Clooney and other non-Sudanese activists began demanding that al-Bashir be sent to ICC (International Criminal Court). Clooney appeared on talk shows all this morning. The NY Daily News reports:

I think I actually have a lot more influence on [Sudanese border politics and violence] here,” Clooney told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“No super PAC has given me money…There is no outside influence for me. I can actually have an opinion and it may not fit what the UN wants and it may not fit what other people want, and I can say this I think is right, and stand by it. I don’t have to check in to make sure and I don’t have to compromise.” Full article here.

But Clooney is not the only famous white North American do-gooder to be in the news for interfering with politics in African countries. Invisible Children continues to remain in the news-loop as more details on their affiliates are exposed, such as their funding from anti-queer, creationist Christian conservatives and their link to rabidly anti-queer Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa. According to Right Wing Watch:

Ssempa, a longtime anti-gay activist, is the chairman of the National Taskforce against Homosexuality in Uganda and a major proponent of legislation that calls for the execution of gays and lesbians who are found “guilty” of having homosexual sex. Full article here.

[Edit: Russell was “allegedly” vandalizing cars and making sexual gestures] Meanwhile, the primary face of Invisible Children, Jason Russell, was detained and placed on psychiatric hold this week after allegedly masturbating, vandalizing cars and making a public scene while in various states of undress while allegedly under the influence of a substance. Invisible Children responded with an official statement:

Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time.

We agree that coming under fire for one’s imperialist, whitewashed and truth-twisting propaganda is pretty darn tough to handle, especially when the organization is unused to being held accountable and ESPECIALLY when Ugandans, other Africans and many others come out in full force against your film. We also agree that the shame of passionately promoting the diplomatic strategy of one’s 5-year old son is also quite tough to bear in public, and so wish Jason Russell a speedy recovery.

Police have not charged Russell for his bizarre activities.

We’re always open to user-submitted topics! If you’d like for us to discuss an event, leave a message or send us an article! If you’d like to join the This Week in Whiteness crew, let us know!

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This Week in Whiteness

We're still accepting topics for tomorrow's post!

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:55:04 -0400

Submit here! Or here. And perhaps here, as well!

Step Forward!

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:43:04 -0400

barefootwarriorqueen:

When I say “I want to see who’s really got us in this Struggle,” I mean who’s willing to sit down at the table with us as we plan our rallies? Who is willing to stand in protest lines with us, get knocked down and knocked out and pepper sprayed with us? Who’s willing to get arrested with us, get tested with us, get TWISTED with us? Because getting justice for Treyvon Martin is going to require the twisting of the arms of the law, twisting our society until it screams for mercy, upturning every street light until the darkness they’ve feared finally engulfs them. Every street light! Snuffed out like Treyvon Martin’s life, without hesitation, without fear. Who is willing to shed blood and tears and sweat with us? Who is willing to turn dreams into slogans and screams with us? Who is willing to yell with us until their throats go raw, who is willing to throw their arms into the air until their fists turn into balls of fire, burning down the walls of injustice?

Who among you is willing? I dare you to step forward.

This Week in Whiteness

This Week in Whiteness April 29 (The tumblr edition)

This Week in Whiteness April 22 (The tumblr edition)

This Week in Whiteness April 20 (The mass media edition)

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THIS WEEK IN WHITENESS: Shaken Bottles (1-04-12)

Wondering where this week's post is?

Missed Yesterday's Post?

THIS WEEK IN WHITENESS: Through the Looking Glass (25-03-12)

Missed Yesterday's Post?

Missed Yesterday's Post?

Update to Today's Post: Jason Russell *allegedly* masturbated and vandalized cars, although public nudity and other behavior are confirmable.

Jason Russell wasn't masturbating or vandalizing though; the police said that wasn't true and he's not facing any charges (which he would otherwise), plus he's currently on forced psychiatric hold. Not that that excuses the Kony 2012 debacle but I think it's wrong to spread misinformation.

George Zimmerman gone into hiding

THIS WEEK IN WHITENESS: Say it Loud, We're White and We're Proud! (18-03-12)

We're still accepting topics for tomorrow's post!

Step Forward!

Update to Today's Post: Jason Russell allegedly masturbated and vandalized cars, although public nudity and other behavior are confirmable.