August 28, 1963

Full text:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

August 28, 1955

Emmett Till was just fourteen.

You can read the killers’ confession in the Look magazine interview, which can be found online somewhere. If you have the stomach.

‘We are human’

I saw this sign at a protest recently and nearly cried:  We are human.

Because I remember the first time I really thought about this phrase.  It was at a workers’ strike.  The employees were African American.  Their “allies” were mostly young white people.  And one white woman’s rallying cry was “These people are human too!”

I think I probably heard this expression previously and just couldn’t articulate its utter wrongness. My understanding was jolted into consciousness by that white woman’s face. 

I need this.

Of course, I guess I’d have to buy a phone.

Thanks to Undead Astronauts.

Public love

Just some public love for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, as well as the other groups behind the Coalition of New York Neighbors for American Values:

Auburn Theological Seminary, Brooklyn for Peace, Citizen Action of New York, Common Cause/New York, Community Voices Heard, Convergence of Cultures/NY, Council on American-Islamic Relations-NY, Demos, Downtown Independent Democrats, Good Jobs New York, Greater NYC for Change, Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition, Interfaith Center of New York, Islamic Mission of America inc., Jews for Racial and Economic Justice [JFREJ], Judson Memorial Church, Lower Manhattan Democrats (LMD), Manhattan Young Democrats, Middle East Crisis Response (MECR), Muslim Consultative Network, Muslim Public Affairs Council -NYC, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Theological Seminary, New York City New Sanctuary Movement, Pax Christi Metro New York, The Dialogue Project, The New York City Chapter of Humanist Party, The Shalom Center, Woodstock International and Talat Hamdani, Mother of Mohammad Salman Hamdani NYPD Cadet, EMT< WTC II, Hester Eisenstein, Sociology, Queens College and the Graduate Center *, Jennifer Baumgardner, Co-Owner, Soapbox Inc.*, Serene Jones, President, Union Theological Seminary* , Rev. Charles H. Straut, Jr., DMin, Consultant in Ministry, New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church*, Dr. Diane Steinman, Co-Chair, New York State Interfaith Network for Immigration Reform*, Luis Barrios, Ph.D., BCFE, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice- Department of Latin American & Latina/o Studies*, Peter Marcuse, Professor emeritus of Urban Planning, Columbia University*, Rev. Freeman Palmer, Metro Association Minister, United Church of Christ, New York Conference*, Rev Dr Rita M Root, Interim Conference Minister, New York Conference, United Church of Christ*, Rev. Dr. Robert L. Brashear, Pastor, West-Park Presbyterian Church*, Tarak Kauff , Veterans For Peace, MECR, Editor Woodstock International newspaper*

*Organization listed by the coalition for identification purposes only.

Feed reader

Several people have asked why the feed reader isn’t working. I am sorry to say that I do not know. We haven’t made any changes around here.

Hopefully somebody on the internets can suggest a fix.

Dear whomever

If you would only acknowledge my superior rightness most of the time, things would go much smoother.

Dear attorney,

I appreciate that you thought something I wrote approximately five years ago about citizenship merited a broader audience.  However, I noticed your name was the only one on the byline.  You are worse than many college students when it comes to plagiarism.  At least they usually try to rearrange the words.  You, on the other hand, lifted entire paragraphs and mixed them with your own shitty sentences.

It would be nice if I knew who provided you with my writing, so I could go break their knees.  Thank you.

Oh internets

Saw a bumper sticker that read “Don’t shoot” in all capital letters with an African American male face on the left.  Anybody know what that’s about?

The guy driving was black.  He smiled and waved.  We have the same make, model and color of car.

It is 2010, isn’t it?

I never feel very sure.

Because apparently some nursing homes have been allowing patients to dictate the race of their caregivers.  And now a federal ruling has stated this violates civil rights.

So it isn’t just the random hotel or hospital administrator who believes accommodating racism is okay.  Because the nursing assistant had to take this to court.  Which suggests there was no action taken when she said, “Hey, this is racist.”

The article also quotes a university professor who talks as if racism is something of the past, stirred up again in old people because of dementia.  But theoretically nursing home administrators aren’t suffering from dementia.  Just one of the costs of racism.

So sue me

I have a love-hate relationship with Jackie Chan.  Here’s an article about his commercial endorsements and the “Jackie Chan Curse.”