Tuesday, July 21, 2009

"Illegal Aliens"

Most of us are, with the exception of Native Americans and Africans forced into this country. Believing in the power of mixed media for education, below are two videos: "The Great Immigration Debate of 1621" and "How to Solve Illegal Immigration" found on YouTube. I am sorry to say that they are not closed captioned and therefore exclude the Deaf.

The first video takes a satirical look at colonialism and tells the story as if people indigenous to this land had the power when Europeans immigrated here. Not only do they tell the story as if Native Americans had the power but also as if the Native Americans ruled like White people do/did.

In the second video (please do not be fooled by the cartoon or the cats) a serious education is offered about what truly happens in this country regarding immigration abuse and all the ways lies are told as if they are the truth. I highly recommend any Pinky Show video.

"A lie told often enough becomes the truth." - Vladimir Lenin

submitted by Anne Phillips

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wise Words

Tim Wise, a white anti-racism activist, wrote an article that was printed in the July, 2009 issue of The Sun. It addresses the myths that racism has been dismantled because of President Barack Obama being elected into office. He speaks to the hegemony and systematic racism that is going strong regardless of a few people of color in leadership positions. He even states an interesting argument, that it is easier to become the president of the United States as an African-American man than to become a CEO of a company, due to the fact that a few white leaders will make that CEO decision and therefore perpetuate systematic racism by choosing fellow white leaders.

One quote I found useful in the article is: "One reason white Americans deny their white privilege is that most people want to believe they are living in a just society. Another is that to acknowledge the truth would call upon us to make some tough changes, and people are afraid to give up their advantage. It can also be psychologically harmful to confront the fact that one is benefitting unfairly from the system."

Tim Wise has a new book out, called Between Barack and a Hard Place: Race and Whiteness in the Age of Obama.

Submitted by Anne Phillips