Rachel Dolezal Isn’t the Most Important Race Story in Spokane.
But she does seem to be an unraveling puzzle that continues to elicit curiosity, outrage, and comment. From Mia McKenzie’s discussion of Blackness and Blackface, to Kai M Green’s willingness to give Rachel a little more benefit of the doubt in discussing the similarities of race and gender constructs, to Lisa Marie Rollins’ explanation of what transracial actually means, plenty has been said already.… Read more
We want to share thoughts and resources regarding the Darren Wilson Indictment released tonight. If you haven’t heard yet, the grand jury concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to indict police officer Darren Wilson of a crime.
Here is a brief FAQ on what that means. If you are interested in plugging into actions, please check out this tumblr page from the Ferguson National Response Network and the Ferguson Action page that share very comprehensive listings of planned actions around the country.… Read more
Columbus Day, a time to stay home from work and nationally celebrate denial of genocide, theft, slavery and colonization. The foundations of this country.
This summer the term “Columbusing” took hold, to name the phenomenon of “discovering things for white people.”
The time-old “art of discovering something that is not new” and appropriating it.… Read more
They’re ba-ack! (shudder) With Halloween quickly approaching, and costume shops like Spirit Halloween opening their doors, many of us are cringing at the thought of another Halloween full of racism, sexism, heterosexism and the full range of offensive apparel we annually witness.
In response, we offer up a toolkit to those who wish to be a part of resisting the dominant paradigms that plague this season.… Read more
While the “social media moment” may have passed, the Zimmerman verdict represents just one of countless examples in an on-going pattern of unrecognized white privilege lending justification to violence against black men. The need remains to continue the conversation about this case, particularly with respect to this pattern. One element of the pattern that is specific to white women is our stereotyped role as virtuous victims who need protection from “bad guys.” Looking at the Zimmerman trial with an eye to this narrative reveals how the verdict was shaped by the white female judge’s decision to frame the case in terms of Zimmerman’s fear, the white female jurors’ description of their key decision as a response to fear, and the significance of the white female neighbor in justifying that fear.… Read more
As we collectively mourn for Trayvon Martin and feel outrage for him, his family and all people who live in fear of a criminal (in)justice system which is designed to entrap and persecute them or their loved ones, we must reflect on the dynamics of racism and fear in our culture that not only allowed, but encouraged, Travon’s murder.… Read more
Waves of criticism and commentary rippled out from Sport Illustrated’s recent Swimsuit Issue, with their “it’s a small world, it’s a small bikini” theme. A friend and colleague of ours, Charles Modiano, creator of POPSpot (Power, Oppression & Privilege in Sport) provides the phenomenal service of dissecting racist and sexist dynamics and representations in the sports world.… Read more
We are re-posting this excellent, thought-provoking piece by Sayantani DasGupta, “Your Women Are Oppressed but Ours Are Awesome”: How Nicolas Kristoff and Half the Sky Use Women Against Each Other, originally from the blog Racialicious, as it lucidly articulates a number of themes that are key to the White Noise Collective’s analysis.… Read more
Halloween continues to haunt, as this recently circulated photo of a “Mexican-themed” Penn State sorority party made national headlines, sparking familiar outrage, calls for the university to take action, and a student group march.
While stereotypical representations occur throughout the year, on Halloween these masks, not of ghosts and monsters, but of people and cultures, rear with a truly scary mass acceptability.… Read more
A Youtube tsunami of sh*t all kinds of people say (and birds and wookies and beyond) has been flooding the internet. Ranging from hilarious, brilliant and edgy to somewhat tired at this point, this formula has been a tremendously generative capsule to fill and spread, making us crack up by hearing things we’ve heard so many times with new ears, giving the familiar an anthropological twist. … Read more
This is a timeline we use in White Noise workshops to help make visible dominant representations of white women that have historically served to reinforce, normalize and naturalize forms of racist violence and patriarchal oppression. How do these narratives of white female sexuality and identity (re)appear in the present? How do they continue to live in our imaginations, bodies, dreams, media, collective consciousness, politics?… Read more
In Orange County, California, it may have become a crime to be a Muslim and an activist.
On February 8, 2010, eleven Muslim students on the University of California at Irvine campus disrupted a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. in protest of his refusal to acknowledge Israel’s war crimes and violations of humanitarian law in the Gaza strip.… Read more