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Open Letter to Katy Perry

Dear Katy Perry:

Please stop “liberating” yourself in that White Imperialist sort of a way that relies on the subjugation of women who look like me.

I’m sorry you have had to achieve stardom in a context that only allows you to be a “virgin” or a “whore” but I really wish you wouldn’t also be a raging racist. Maybe you and Miley can start a reading group or something, or just redistribute your millions of dollars in profits to actual women of color and their communities, say, in Haiti or the Philippines, instead of just borrowing elements … Read more “Open Letter to Katy Perry”

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Exporting the American Dream: Thoughts on “Free” Trade Agreements

Education. More sophisticated work. Higher pay. This is the development formula Mexico has been seeking for decades….Here, in a mostly poor state long known as one of the country’s main sources of illegal immigrants to the United States, a new Mexico has begun to emerge. Dozens of foreign companies are investing, filling in new industrial parks along the highways. Middle-class housing is popping up in former watermelon fields…signaling a growing confidence in Mexico’s economic future and what many see as the imported meritocracy of international business. In a country where connections and corruption are still common tools of enrichment, many … Read more “Exporting the American Dream: Thoughts on “Free” Trade Agreements”

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Repost: We All Live on Food Stamps

During our vacation, we thought it would be a good time to revisit some previous posts. This one on SNAP seems sadly current again as millions of Americans are suffering from cuts to this critical program.

First published June, 2013

The Farm Bill is dead for now, in part over right wing demands to cut food stamps. This post was written last year but it timely now. We all live on food stamps.

About 45 million people in the U.S. receive food stamps. That’s about 14 percent of the American population. For 6 million Americans, food stamps constitutes their only … Read more “Repost: We All Live on Food Stamps”

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Gotta love Portland!

and this from Angry Asian Man…

 

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Vacation!

Okay, not exactly. But after nearly two years of blogging, I am taking time off. I’ll be spending the next ten weeks (until mid-January-ish) cobbling together a manuscript for a book that sums up a good deal of what I’ve learned through writing and posting on Race Files.

That means there won’t be much in the way of new content from me. Instead, I’m unplugging, rejuvenating, reading, writing (long form this time), and reflecting off line. But, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any new content on Race Files. In fact, there’s a lot we’ll be re-posting and new content … Read more “Vacation!”

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Sirius XM: Does that Umbrella Come with a Pink Slip for Babchik?

“I want to buy an umbrella [that comes] with an Asian girl…In my experience, girls who stand next to me longer than 20 seconds get a creampie.” Mike Babchik, Host of “Man Banter” on SiriusXM to an Asian American woman at Comic Con, October 2013

You may have heard about the racist misogynist Mike Babchik who sexually harassed at least one Asian American attendee at Comic Con this month, right here in my hometown of New York City. Mike Babchik is a creep. But we’re all familiar with creeps like him. All you have to do is walk outside or … Read more “Sirius XM: Does that Umbrella Come with a Pink Slip for Babchik?”

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Alan Grayson is Wrong About the Tea Parties…Sort of

The dust up created by Florida Congressman Alan Grayson’s recent fundraising appeal featuring a burning cross as the “T” in “Tea Party” is making the talking heads at Fox absolutely gleeful. After all, it’s providing them with the perfect foil against which to present themselves as champions of racial sensitivity.

Megyn Kelly of Fox’s Kelly File had this to say in an interview with former Congressman, Alan West (because some of their best friends are Black),

You know, there are certain things you don’t touch in American politics, you don’t mess around with. And you know, this referring, equating somebody … Read more “Alan Grayson is Wrong About the Tea Parties…Sort of”

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Guest Bloggers

Racism With a Twist: The Trademark Struggle Facing Asian American Band, The Slants

Four years ago, my band’s attorney suggested that we get a trademark on our band’s name. It’s pretty standard for bands to do – trademarks ensure that others don’t use the name, causing confusion in the marketplace. The job of the Trademark Office is to regulate the intellectual properties of businesses and artists. I never imagined that this relatively simple process would become a battle lasting four years and counting.

I started an all-Asian American dance rock band to empower people of color, celebrate our respective heritages, and of course, have an outlet for our artistic expression. Our band name

… Read more “Racism With a Twist: The Trademark Struggle Facing Asian American Band, The Slants”
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The Solitary Confinement of Herman Wallace

Earlier this month, Transformation: Where Love Meets Justice, a digital publication of openDemocracy, published an article I wrote about the solitary confinement of Herman Wallace, one of the Angola 3, held in solitary confinement for more than 40 years for allegedly murdering a prison guard at the Angola Prison.

No physical evidence ties Mr. Wallace to the murder. The testimony of the only witness in the case has long been discredited. Mr. Wallace and the other two men accused of the crime claim that they were framed in retaliation for forming a chapter of the Black Panther Party … Read more “The Solitary Confinement of Herman Wallace”

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The Power of Thinking Small

 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

– Margaret Mead

This quote is often repeated in order to remind us that, in the midst of an apathetic majority, a small minority of people can make big changes. Even major social movements begin with small acts like lunch counter sit-ins, or consciousness-raising groups for battered women held in living rooms and over kitchen tables.

The antics of the Tea Party Caucus of Congress serves as a good, contemporary reminder of the power of relatively … Read more “The Power of Thinking Small”