They're a class act!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Saturday, February 02, 2008
The Unbearable Whiteness of Fashion
Thanks, Ann.
Each year, Black women contribute to fashion and beauty industries in the amount of 40 billion dollars. We go to malls outside our communities to buy the latest in fashion. Are we going to believe the oft-repeated lie in the fashion industry that they can't hire a Black model because we're not profitable to the world?
The fashion and beauty industries are 75 years behind when it comes to race. People of Color make up 33% of America's population. Yet the fashion industry's runway and ad campaigns remained lily-white.
What about modeling agencies? Most of the modeling agencies are located in relatively affluent white areas and often dispatch modeling scouts to mainly white shopping centers and malls instead of cities and neighborhoods of Color to recruit models. What the industry wants to project is a false lily-white image of America to the world and most people fall for it.
The faux idea that white women are the epitome of beauty, virtue, and affluence is being exported to the far corners of the earth along with hateful images of Black women. This racist/misogynistic duality of women has harmed women in America and the world. The fashion industry wants to project the image of white models so that brainwashed and gullible public buy into the peculiarly American notion of the cult of white womanhood.
This is what the industry wants and prefer and want it to continue because the industry, like everything else is soak completely in the oil of racism/classism.
Each year, Black women contribute to fashion and beauty industries in the amount of 40 billion dollars. We go to malls outside our communities to buy the latest in fashion. Are we going to believe the oft-repeated lie in the fashion industry that they can't hire a Black model because we're not profitable to the world?
The fashion and beauty industries are 75 years behind when it comes to race. People of Color make up 33% of America's population. Yet the fashion industry's runway and ad campaigns remained lily-white.
What about modeling agencies? Most of the modeling agencies are located in relatively affluent white areas and often dispatch modeling scouts to mainly white shopping centers and malls instead of cities and neighborhoods of Color to recruit models. What the industry wants to project is a false lily-white image of America to the world and most people fall for it.
The faux idea that white women are the epitome of beauty, virtue, and affluence is being exported to the far corners of the earth along with hateful images of Black women. This racist/misogynistic duality of women has harmed women in America and the world. The fashion industry wants to project the image of white models so that brainwashed and gullible public buy into the peculiarly American notion of the cult of white womanhood.
This is what the industry wants and prefer and want it to continue because the industry, like everything else is soak completely in the oil of racism/classism.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Frank On TV
Frank testifies in the Nixzmary Brown trial of ... (more)
Added: January 31, 2008
Frank testifies in the Nixzmary Brown trial of Cesar Rodriguez
Black Inventors
Today is the first day of Black History Month. For today, I'll start with Black inventors since Blacks have contributed to American science and industry since its founding. Here are several links of bios of important inventors:
Black Inventors A-Z
Famous Black Inventors
Contemporary Black Inventors
Black Inventors A-Z
Famous Black Inventors
Contemporary Black Inventors
Thursday, January 31, 2008
AIDS Created as BIO-Warfare!
AIDS Created as BIO-Warfare!: "The first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maatha of Kenya, spoke out on the AIDS virus saying it was man-made and deliberately created as a weapon of bio-warfare.
'In fact it (the HIV virus) is created by a scientist for biological warfare,” she said. 'Why has there been so much secrecy about AIDS? When you ask where did the virus come from, it raises a lot of flags. That makes me suspicious,” Maathai said.
The Kenya based East Africa Standard reported that in response to questions from Asian and European media, she said, 'I want to dedicate the prize the African woman. I want to hold and embrace her. She has suffered so much and I feel this is an honor to her.
'Although I am a biologist, I have not done any research. I may not be able to say who developed the (HIV) virus but it was meant to wipe out the Black race,' she continued.
'When she first blamed the HIV/Aids on 'some sadistic scientists, Professor Maathai kicked a storm, leaving some experts outraged and others supporting her,' the Standard reported."
'In fact it (the HIV virus) is created by a scientist for biological warfare,” she said. 'Why has there been so much secrecy about AIDS? When you ask where did the virus come from, it raises a lot of flags. That makes me suspicious,” Maathai said.
The Kenya based East Africa Standard reported that in response to questions from Asian and European media, she said, 'I want to dedicate the prize the African woman. I want to hold and embrace her. She has suffered so much and I feel this is an honor to her.
'Although I am a biologist, I have not done any research. I may not be able to say who developed the (HIV) virus but it was meant to wipe out the Black race,' she continued.
'When she first blamed the HIV/Aids on 'some sadistic scientists, Professor Maathai kicked a storm, leaving some experts outraged and others supporting her,' the Standard reported."
Is the term “Canadian” the new code word for racist references to black people? « The Frame Problem
Is the term “Canadian” the new code word for racist references to black people? « The Frame Problem
I read an interesting article in this week’s newsletter of the Clarington Durham Regional Humanists. Apparently the term “Canadian” is being used by some in the Texas court system as a safe code word for “Black people”. Apparently this usage of “Canadian” is being used a bit more broadly than just be Texan court workers, as this usage of the word is the 4th listed definition of “Canadian” on Urban Dictionary, and has received 316 thumbs up ratings versus 192 thumbs downs.
Here is the definition offered at Urban Dictionary:
Expression for black people used by whites as “code” when they want to refer to blacks in a semi-derogatory manner without being detected in a group of people
“Jeezus, look at all the Canadians out tonight.”
Tags for this definition include “spooks”, “porch monkeys”, “jigs”, and “Africans”.
Here is the post from the CDRH Humanist Hub (as linked in the newsletter):
Is term ‘Canadian’ used as racist word?
Email lands Texas district attorney in hot waterhttp://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/297666Is term ‘Canadian’ used as racist word?
Email lands Texas district attorney in hot water
Jan 26, 2008 04:30 AM
Brett Popplewell
Staff Reporter
Is “Canadian” the new black? Perhaps – that is if you’re a racist speaking in code.
I read an interesting article in this week’s newsletter of the Clarington Durham Regional Humanists. Apparently the term “Canadian” is being used by some in the Texas court system as a safe code word for “Black people”. Apparently this usage of “Canadian” is being used a bit more broadly than just be Texan court workers, as this usage of the word is the 4th listed definition of “Canadian” on Urban Dictionary, and has received 316 thumbs up ratings versus 192 thumbs downs.
Here is the definition offered at Urban Dictionary:
Expression for black people used by whites as “code” when they want to refer to blacks in a semi-derogatory manner without being detected in a group of people
“Jeezus, look at all the Canadians out tonight.”
Tags for this definition include “spooks”, “porch monkeys”, “jigs”, and “Africans”.
Here is the post from the CDRH Humanist Hub (as linked in the newsletter):
Is term ‘Canadian’ used as racist word?
Email lands Texas district attorney in hot waterhttp://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/297666Is term ‘Canadian’ used as racist word?
Email lands Texas district attorney in hot water
Jan 26, 2008 04:30 AM
Brett Popplewell
Staff Reporter
Is “Canadian” the new black? Perhaps – that is if you’re a racist speaking in code.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Political Radar: Author Toni Morrison Endorses Obama
Political Radar: Author Toni Morrison Endorses Obama: "ABC News' Rick Klein and Sunlen Miller Report: Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison -- who famously declared Bill Clinton to be the nation's 'first black president' in a 1998 essay -- today endorsed Barack Obama for president, via letter from Morrison to the Illinois senator.
In it she writes, 'this opportunity for a national evolution (even revolution) will not come again soon, and I am convinced you are the person to capture it.'
Morrison writes of her admiration for Hillary Clinton but says she 'cared little for her gender as a source of my admiration'.
'Nor do I care very much for your race[s],' Morrison continues to Obama, 'I would not support you if that was all you had to offer or because it might make me 'proud.' '"
In it she writes, 'this opportunity for a national evolution (even revolution) will not come again soon, and I am convinced you are the person to capture it.'
Morrison writes of her admiration for Hillary Clinton but says she 'cared little for her gender as a source of my admiration'.
'Nor do I care very much for your race[s],' Morrison continues to Obama, 'I would not support you if that was all you had to offer or because it might make me 'proud.' '"
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Missing Black Women Online Ad
Online ad for Missing Black Women
You can sign the petition here http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/
Please check out this new short 1 minute video asking for more attention for missing black women. Feel free to use the link provided here to get the code for the video and post it in your blog or web site. You can watch the video below:
Click here for youtube code
Ophelia Devore 1922-
Ophelia DeVore is considered by many to have been the first woman of color to become a fashion model in the United States. She was born in Edgefield, South Carolina in 1922, the daughter of parents who were of European, African-American and Native-American heritage.
As a teenager, Ophelia was sent to New York to live with relatives. While there she developed an interest in modeling. She attended the Vogue School of Modeling, an institution which excluded woman of color. The school assumed she was a white girl with a suntan. In a 2002 interivew with Kerry Burke of the Columbia News Service, she talked about how naive she had been, thinking she'd been accepted for who she was. "I didn't know they didn't know...I never pretended to be anything I wasn't. I just sold talent," she said.
After modeling for two years she no longer felt the work was challenging. Like other people of color in early 20th Century America, Ophelia DeVore had grown up watching the media's negative protrayal of them, and she wanted to do something to help change it. She and a few friends started the Grace Del Marco Modeling Agency to sell the idea of black modeling to the advertising industry. Shortly after that she began the Ophelia DeVore School of Self Development and Modeling. Thousands of upon thousands of people have benefited from these two organizations, including such big names as Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, Richard Roundtree, and Camille Cosby. Many success stories, indeed, but two of the earliest occurred in 1959 and 1960, when two of Ms DeVore's models were crowned Queen of The Cannes Film Festival.
Ms. DeVore attended New York's prestigious Hunter College High School and majored in mathematics at New York University. In addition to her modeling businesses, she was a fashion columnist for the Pittsburgh Courier. In 1970 she became the publisher of the Columbus Times, after its previous publisher, her husband, had passed away. She has served as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, has received appointments to Presidential committees and has been the recipient of hundreds of awards
More on Ophelia Devore at:
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/2484/Ophelia_DeVore_holds_a_savvy_attractiveness
Chris Matthews: Condi Rice Could Counter Obama’s “Ethnic Excitement”
Crooks and Liars » Chris Matthews: Condi Rice Could Counter Obama’s “Ethnic Excitement”: "Chris Matthews as been sticking his foot in his mouth (more so than usual) a lot this primary season and during MSNBC’s coverage of the State of the Union address tonight, he stepped in it again. Tweety made the suggestion that because Barack Obama has created an ethnic excitement in America, if he doesn’t get the nomination Condi Rice would make a great VP choice for a GOP candidate because black people might still be hopeful of putting an African American in higher government:
Matthews:”…And I have to think given the ethnic, you know, excitement - let’s call it American excitement about Barack Obama. If he doesn’t make it to the nomination a lot of people on the Republican side might say, well why don’t we try do something to offset that and take advantage of the hope of having an African American at a high level of government.”
This is wrong on so many levels, and certainly does nothing to end the media meme that race and gender are driving this primary season. Somehow, I don’t think Condi would motivate a lot of Democrats to vote for a Republican this year. He’s also echoing Robert Novak on this one too."
Matthews:”…And I have to think given the ethnic, you know, excitement - let’s call it American excitement about Barack Obama. If he doesn’t make it to the nomination a lot of people on the Republican side might say, well why don’t we try do something to offset that and take advantage of the hope of having an African American at a high level of government.”
This is wrong on so many levels, and certainly does nothing to end the media meme that race and gender are driving this primary season. Somehow, I don’t think Condi would motivate a lot of Democrats to vote for a Republican this year. He’s also echoing Robert Novak on this one too."
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