News from Louisiana about how some of the local boys responded to this week’s protests.
But there aren’t race problems there; it’s just the big, bad media and those awful folks on the internet riling people up. At least that’s what Tio Tomás had to say about it . . . he seemed to have a lot of compassion for the poor little white boy who was attacked . . . I almost puked when he made a statement about how it can really hurt when someone is stepping on your face with their sneaker . . .
It made me sad to read one blogger’s commentary on this past Thursday’s Jena protests, wondering where all of the white folks were. I was unable to go because of work and financial constraints, but I try to tell myself I would have been there if I could. I am not sure I can call myself a white anti-racist if I’m not willing to stand with my brothers and sisters of color when they are being treated wrongly. Sure, I wore my t-shirt on Thursday, and printed a few pages of flyers, but because I was at a work conference, I was timid and reluctant to hand out even the few flyers I printed.
What is it going to take before I’m willing to give more than lip service to all of this? What will it take before I’m willing to stand with people of color to fight this insiduous evil?
anyway, here’s the update letter I received yesterday. (below the fold) If you want to receive Jena 6 updates, visit www.colorofchange.org for subscription information.
I realize that some people may roll their eyes when they hear that name, which I think is unfortunate, because I think he is a wise man who needs to be heard*. (He may seem “extreme” to some, but would you want the media twisting YOUR words?)
And he really caught my attention last week with something he said on TV. The clip below is part of what he was talking about, but the piece that really caught my attention unfortunately isn’t included on the YouTube clip shown here. He said something along the lines of “There is a Jena in every town across America.” (I don’t have his exact words, but you can read this, or listen to this, if you want to know more.)
This statement took my breath away. I know that my own city has Jena-esque incarceration rates that disproportionately affect people of color . . . and I know that something needs to be done, but I am not even sure where to start . . . but, to paraphrase another wise Reverend, we (still) can’t wait.
So where do we go from here?
(*it doesn’t hurt that he says “JeH-na” (rhymes with “henna”) rather than “JEAN-a” (rhymes with hyena)–even though I know that the latter is probably the correct pronunciation, I am just happy that he pronounces it like the New Yorker that he is . . . )
(Ah, yes, I am quoting Meet Me in St. Louis, which has always been one of my favorite movies, only now it’s ruined because I found out more than I wanted to know about the actual history of the World’s Fair of 1904 . . . but I digress.)
I discovered Carmen Van Kerckhove and her wonderful blogs not too long ago. Imagine my surprise when I saw that she had been a guest on Grand Rapids’ own Radio in Black and White . . . which I had heard of, but haven’t listened to until now . . . although I need to start tuning in . . .
anyway, you should listen too. You can hear the interview directly on Carmen’s blog by clicking the arrow at the bottom of this post . . . it will take about 35 minutes to listen to the part that includes her, but it’s totally worth it, especially towards the end when she starts talking about Africa . . .
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