Recently in Women of Color Category

I am not totally sure how to respond to this commentary on CNN about Michelle Obama's choice to stay at home during the presidency of Barack Obama. I don't want to be too hard on it, because I do think on one level highlighting that there are also women of color that stay at home and sometimes feel isolated and alienated so they should build relationships, well that is great. Having the resources to be a stay at home is even better. However, suggesting that you should stay home to do it for the betterment of the country and to uphold traditional values-well that is just not OK.

She makes an apt argument about black women taking care of wealthy white people's children.

From breast-feeding to bathing to rocking them, the women tended their owners' children, while not being allowed to lavish such attention on their own. Long after slavery was over, little changed in this dynamic.

It was common for black women to leave their own children at home to fend for themselves and go to work for low wages as domestics in the homes of well-off white families. As African-Americans have gotten more opportunities, a college degree has been a ticket to the career ladder. Period. Devoting full time to motherhood is considered a waste of education by many in the black community.

And while I think there is some cultural impetus for black women working outside the home, I think more times than not, it is class privilege that gives people the ability or idea to "stay at home."

Outside of the class assumptions behind the idea of the "stay-at-home" mom, I don't necessarily think that Michelle Obama's choice to stay home is a win for us women of color that are just looking for a role model to let us know we can stay at home nor does it disrupt the racist idea that only white women stay at home. I think it feeds into antiquated notions of motherhood that make her more palatable to a wide audience suggesting that yes, she disrupts the idea of the "normal" American by being black, but is as American as apple pie, by staying in the home.

via CNN.

(How can one track be so wrong and so right at the same time?)

In a culture where what a woman looks like counts more than what is between her ears, it does make a difference that the first lady is not white, but is black and therefore disrupts normative standards of white femininity. Last week controversy stirred due to a Salon article titled, "First lady got back," a tongue-in-cheek response to the Obama victory as not only for Obama, but for black women with an overemphasis on her "back" a subject of mass introspection academically and in popular culture as a culture signifier of black women's beauty and oft sexualization.

It emerged right before our eyes, in the midst of our growing uncertainty about everything, and we were too bogged down in the daily campaign madness to notice. The one clear predictor of success that the pundits, despite all their fancy maps, charts and holograms, missed completely? Michelle's butt.

Lord knows, it's time the butt got some respect. Ever since slavery, it's been both vilified and fetishized as the most singular of all black female features, more unsettling than dark skin and full lips, the thing that marked black women as uncouth and not quite ready for civilization (of course, it also made them mighty attractive to white men, which further stoked fears of miscegenation that lay at the heart of legal and social segregation). In modern times, the butt has demarcated class and stature among black society itself. Emphasizing it or not separates dignified black women from ho's, party girls from professionals, hip-hop from serious. (Black women are not the only ones with protruding behinds, by the way, but they're certainly considered its source. How many gluteally endowed nonblack women have been derided for having a black ass? Well, Hillary, for one.)

Yes, it is imperative to push the boundaries of our racist structures that determine what is beautiful. But something about the unapologetic "booty" gazing of this piece rubs me the wrong way. Latoya hits it saying,

Reader Virigina sent in the tip, writing:

Although Erin Kaplan does make a few decent points about how black women are viewed in this culture, most of the article just reinforces stereotypes. She is defining Michelle Obama and black women in general by their butts and hair. There are so many other traits that she could have discussed.

After reading the full piece, I'm inclined to agree. I get the semi-tongue in cheek tone of the piece, but this article just feels a bit wrong for the audience. Perhaps if it was written for a magazine like Essence or Clutch, which routinely explore the issues of black women and how a lot of our politics are wrapped up in our appearance, I would feel differently about the end result.

And goes on to say, "my problem is that articles about Michelle Obama's wardrobe, booty, and mom duties are what is fit to publish, what is seen as relevant to a mass audience." I agree with what Latoya is saying here, at no point in the Salon piece is there some reflection on the fact that an overemphasis on what first ladies look like as opposed to what they think, feel and say is problematic.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Each year I am blessed to spend it with my siblings and chosen family of friends.

Oh, and the non-stop feasting is fantabulous too (wink)!

This year, with the economy in turmoil and communities bracing for layoffs, I'm beyond thankful for all that I have...not the materials things, of which I don't have many, but the relationships and experiences that make a person whole.

I'm aware that there are many in my community who lack even that. Too often we tend to view poverty as a purely money-based thing and discuss it in terms of what a person can't afford or has had repossessed. And it is important to remember those among us who will go hungry or homeless or both...and it is so very important for us to give with the knowledge that those in need are our neighbors and friends.

But being poor often makes a person invisible. Even now, when many folks who have been getting by are getting a taste of need and hunger, features on the news focus on the newly poor and segments carefully avoid featuring the women and families who were living poverty long before the economy went o shit.

With invisibility comes loneliness and isolation...depression and desperation. As someone who regularly volunteers with women in shelters I have seen the numbness a life of want inspires in too many eyes and I have also seen the power of a simple conversation...the positive impact you can have on a person simply by asking them what their name is and how they are feeling.

This Thanksgiving I hope that y'all are able to give to a food bank or donate your time serving a meal or two, but I also encourage you to see the invisible among you.

Ask them how they are doing.

Discover the person within.

We have much to be thankful for and so very much to give.

Have a blessed holiday.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

This past Saturday I joined over 1,000 of my fellow equality activists...in the bitter cold, mind you (wince)...to protest in St. Louis the passage of Prop. 8 in California.

I had worried that the cold spell would discourage attendance...it didn't.

I also worried that the crowd wouldn't be diverse...but it was.

People often prove me wrong.

And sometimes they don't.

I am the daughter of Civil Rights activists...not famous people, but two of the many everyday Americans who volunteered and risked their lives in the struggle for the protected vote and equality. Growing up, my parents made sure that their children knew that our rights were fought for...and the how and why behind those battles.

So when Missourians voted in favor of a same-sex marriage ban in 2004, I was saddened but not discouraged.

History teaches us that Civil Rights are often won in the courts and society is slow to follow.

And when Californians voted in favor of Proposition 8, I'll admit to being surprised...but I sure as shit am not discouraged.

The night before Election Day, I watched a segment of the documentary Eyes on the Prize and saw young people, older people...women and men of every race and religion...participate in social change. And their efforts provided the fuel that led to legal changes which made it possible for me to stand before that crowd November 15, 2008 and add my voice to the chorus calling for justice.

The cold spell didn't discourage attendance.

The crowd was fired up and beautifully diverse.

And we begin again...

What is reproductive justice and why is there a session at Facing Race on it? According to EMERJ, "Reproductive Justice exists when all people have the economic, social and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our gender, bodies, and sexuality for ourselves, our families and our communities."

This panel includes some seriously bad-ass women, Rocio Cordoba and Gabriela Valle from California Latina for Reproductive Justice and Marie Nakae from Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice. are talking about the difference between a movement that is focused on choice verses one that has a justice agenda. A justice agenda takes into account the greater conditions that serve as barriers to women's control of their own bodies, sexuality and health.

Maria Nakae is talking about nail salon workers and the chemicals they are exposed to. Apparently, 11% of chemicals in beauty products are actually tested so it is a great risk to these women that are exposed to them at high rates. Furthermore, exposure to these chemicals has reproductive health hazards. To learn more about their organizing work with nail salon workers check the project POLISH.

This Veteran's Day I am remembering one of the thousands of women who served.

Pfc. LaVena Johnson was killed on July 19, 2005 in Iraq.

The cause of her death is still being questioned.

Her murder and the lack of information about it touch more than just those of us from her hometown.

As the nation pauses in remembrance this Veteran's Day let us not forget.

In our excitement over the hope inspired by our recent election...may we not lose sight of the questions still in need of answers.

And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
Aeschylus

For more information about Pfc. Johnson and the investigation into her death visit LavenaJohnson.com.

I have never worked as hard on as many campaigns as I did in this election cycle...

...and, as I type this up, my home state of Missouri has yet to call a lot of them.

Some things never change.

But others?

Oh yes, they can (wink)!

I wish my beloved Grandmother had lived long enough to witness this. Oh how I wish that she who cast her first vote with courage and under the threat of hate filled violence in Mississippi had cast a ballot yesterday.

I wish so very much that my Father, who taught me to love politics and speak truth to power, was alive to share this moment...to speculate over the cabinet...and to debate the historical and social significance of America electing our first president of color.

But history is often bitter sweet because many of those whose work made it possible are not here to harvest the fruits of their labor.

Even as I struggle to put into words the emotion of this moment it is to generations long past that I am drawn.

To the women who organized then and now...who created the techniques that were applied so brilliantly in 2008.

To the brave people who sat when told to stand...who marched when warned to stand home...that spoke when cautioned to be silent...and to those who gave their lives to the cause of social justice.

And I am humbled that I watched the history of their creation last night.

Now, we begin.

Peace was not achieved last night.

Equality does not rain down upon the land.

The mountaintop remains on the horizon...and it is up to we the people to continue the climb.

So I shall cherish this moment and rest my tired ass feet for a spell, for we have miles upon miles yet to walk...

...and the audacity of hope to empower us.

A bitch has been working on several campaigns and I am tired as hell!

I've canvassed...phone-banked...blogged...rallied...and there is still so much that needs to be done.

Pause...consider...continue.

Yep, 'tis time for a pre-election Bitchfirmation!

Ahem.

When we're called un-American for doing what this nation's founders did by calling out bullshit and questioning those elected to serve us...

When we're called socialists by people who couldn't define socialism without a Google search an the assistance of an online dictionary if their herd mentality-based lives depended on it...

When they drop dollops of hate in the comment section of my blog as if I've lived damn near 36 years...all of them black...and never been called that shit before...

When they hang up the phone, slam the door or walk away rather than listen and debate...

For all the drama that accompanies campaign volunteering and activism in general...

Go on, y'all!

Go on with your badass volunteer, activist and advocate self!

Because living your values is not copy-writed by any political party...valuing family and community is not the sole property of social conservatives...and patriotism doesn't reside exclusively within the GOP.

Be vocal...because the blood, sweat and tears of millions were shed so that we can do just that.

Be proud...because part of being patriotic is the expectation that we the people speak truth to power.

And be fierce...because all that drama and more is why they call this a struggle.

Yes, I don't know about y'all but I needed that.

And now?

Begin again...

Through EngageHer.org and documentary film Engage Her: Getting minority women to lead and vote, founder and CEO Mable Yee is working to get women to the polls -- especially women of color -- millions are registered to vote but don't cast their votes. So why do all those undecideds get so much attention?

Just 10 days to go till the big vote for the next prez. Here's Mable...

In fifteen days Americans will go to the polls and get our vote on. A bitch adores voting...the excitement, the anticipation and the satisfaction of adding my voice to the process and making my wishes known. I teach voter education classes at local women's shelters so I also get the honor of watching young women who are particularly vulnerable to legislative drama cast their first vote.

On Election Day I will drive my students to their polling place knowing that they know their rights and what they are voting for. It sounds so simple...and yet too many of us vote against something rather than for something.

I encourage all ya'll to ask yourself why you vote and what you are voting for.

Trust a bitch, the answers will guide your decisions more than you know.

What matters to you?

And let me be clear...I'm not just talking about the presidential election. On November 4th we'll be voting for a hell of a lot more than who the next president will be.

If you don't know who your state representative and senator are look their asses up! Get to know their records and their policy positions. Call the candidates up and ask questions...research ballot initiatives so that the wording is familiar rather than a surprise. If there is a proposition on the ballot take some time and find out what is being proposed and how it will impact your life.

For all the talk about elections being popularity contests, we the people are somewhat to blame. When we fail to vote from a place of knowledge...fail to challenge and question...and walk into our polling place knowing that our ass is about to wing it, we aren't doing our job.

And our job doesn't end when the polls close.

Prepare to get your oversight on post election, because we are the ones who are responsible for holding elected officials accountable.

After the Missouri primary I dropped my students off at the shelter and was about to leave when one student asked me to wait a minute so she could show me something. She rushed back to her room and returned with a legal pad in hand. I took the offered pad and looked at the neat writing that filled it from top to bottom...she had written down her choices complete with bullet points on each candidates key issues.

When I asked her why she didn't take the pad with her when she went to vote she rolled her eyes and laughed at me.

"This is for the after part, Ms. Shark-Fu!"

Fantabulous.

The vote is when our work begins...and after the election our work must continue.

We're at fifteen days and counting, y'all.

Be ready.

Some great thought on the Latin@ vote from Mamita Mala:

From the This Is What Women Want Campaign.

Cross-posted at Nuestra Vida, Nuestra Voz

Today is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.

HIV/AIDS is the third leading cause of death among Hispanic men ages 35 to 44 and the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic women in the same age group.

In honor of NLAAD, check out Ambiente, a bilingual online Latino LGBT publication.

This video keeps putting me in tears. I have to say after yesterday's tactics by the McCain/Palin campaign that were blatantly racist, I really started to think about what this election means to myself and to the people in this country that have experienced racism and never been allowed to talk about it, had the tools to deal with it and have always been told covertly and overtly that we are inferior. You never quite fit in but then you are told you are imagining it when you experience racism. It means something to us that Obama is so close to the presidency.

It is good to see some mainstream media heads actually take it there.

I love her.

via Jezebel.

A bitch got my political canvass on this weekend on behalf of a fantabulous woman running for State Rep. in Missouri.

My feet are killing me, but it was worth the pain.

Wince.

I've discussed the need for activists to get active here before. Volunteering is a great way to live your values in your community. But volunteering for a political campaign is also a rare opportunity to learn a hell of a lot about your neighbors and fellow voters.

Whilst canvassing I met a lot of folks who had not made up their mind but who had really solid questions about the policy positions of the candidate I was volunteering for. These voters wanted to know where she stood on taxes, healthcare, education and judicial reform. And they asked about her position on reproductive choice as it applies to healthcare and education.

I returned home to soak my aching feet and ponder the day and I couldn't help but compare the voters I met during a four-hour canvass with the texture and substance of the recent vice presidential debate.

Did those voters get the answers they sought from that debate?

I think not, since the debate was a festival of non-information and well rehearsed folksy sound bites.

No, I'm pretty damned sure that the voters I met...those folks who had some damn good questions and real concerns...didn't walk away from the V.P. debate with any answers.

If anything, they walked away with more questions and a lot of concerns.

Sigh.

With both presidential tickets claiming to represent average hard working Americans this bitch thinks they'd all benefit from a few weekends of house-to-house canvassing.

We average Midwestern folks aren't as simple as the Sarah Palin's of the political world like to believe.

And you're darn tootin' we deserve a serious debate on the issues...

While I recognize that Cynthia McKinney's presidential candidacy (as the third party green candidate) is not really viable, she is still a bad ass woman and politician. I think the perspective that she and Rosa Clemente bring to the campaign is important, and gives a voice to a more radical, feminist and progressive political agenda with the hopes that some of those issues can be infused into the mainstream debate. Also, a presidential ticket with two strong women of color is just another sign that things are changing in the US political landscape. So, with that said, check out this video from McKinney talking about the economic crisis.

Hey hey Missouri feminists! The fabulous Shark-Fu will be participating in an event in St.Louis tonight:

A Girl like Me: A Conversation About Race, Beauty and Self-Image

Wed., Oct. 1, 2008 (tonight!) at 6 p.m.
Missouri History Museum in Forest Park
in the AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room
Free!

Join us for a candid discussion about popular images, race and beauty. The program begins with a short documentary, A Girl like Me (7:08), created by high schooler Kiri Davis through the Reel Works Teen Filmmaking program.

Davis re-conducts the "doll test" used in the historic Brown v. Board of Education case and sheds new light on how society affects black children today.

Sounds awesome. Wish I could go!

UPDATE: For those who can't attend, you can watch the film online.

So for those of us Feministing gals (Jessica, Vanessa and myself) that went to school in that sleepy upstate town known as Albany we all have a special place in our hearts for Barbara Smith. One of my most formative feminist "click" moments was seeing Barbara Smith lecture at SUNY Albany when I was a young women's studies undergrad (11 years ago, eeeek, LOL).

If you have never heard of her, well she is an anti-racist, feminist, socialist activist and one of the framers of early identity politics. Frankly, her humility extends so far that she rarely gets the recognition she deserves. I am sure her constant calling out of white feminism for their inability to truly incorporate an analysis of race and class certainly has kept her on the sidelines as well.

I was pretty excited to see that Colorlines magazine (always on top of it) has a Q&A with her and what she has been up to, including running for public office. Check it out.

White Dude Knows Best! Above: Men who want to control the bodies of women they deem unfit mothers. Louisiana state Rep. John LaBruzzo (left) and Texas state District Judge Charlie Baird (right).

It's been quite a week for government violation of the bodily integrity of poor women and women of color. First, there was the judge in Texas who set "not having children" as a condition of a woman's parole. (I just linked in the WFR on Sunday, but Cara discussed it at length. Go read her post.)

And today, via several readers, comes the news that John LaBruzzo, a state legislator from Louisiana, wants to pay low-income women $1,000 apiece to get sterilized. Everything about this is so incredibly offensive, I don't know quite where to begin. Let's start with a quote from LaBruzzo:

"We're on a train headed to the future and there's a bridge out, " LaBruzzo said of what he suspects are dangerous demographic trends. "And nobody wants to talk about it."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Low-income women having children is a "dangerous demographic trend"?! Sounds like the recent round of racist propaganda we saw related to the "Demographic Winter" movie. (Film summary: You should be panicked because brown people are reproducing at faster rates than white people.) But LaBruzzo protests that he is not a racist -- he's a problem-solver!

LaBruzzo said other, mainstream strategies for attacking poverty, such as education reforms and programs informing people about family planning issues, have repeatedly failed to solve the problem. He said he is simply looking for new ways to address it.

"It's easy to say, 'Oh, he's a racist, ' " LaBruzzo said. "The hard part is to sit down and think of some solutions."

It's not as if this country has ever done a good job providing low-income women with the tools and information to make their own decisions. Programs that aim to do that have been consistently underfunded and poorly implemented. So no, we haven't tried all other options. And even if we had, his idea is still completely appalling.

LaBruzzo is correct that it's very easy to say he's a racist. Because, um, he's espousing a historically racist policy. What he clearly deems to be a new and creative solution has unfortunately been around a long time. Compulsory or coercive sterilizations for low-income women, disabled women, and women of color were extremely common up until the 1970s, and slightly less common but nevertheless occurring with regularity the the decades since. The paternalistic attitude that "certain women" cannot be trusted to make their own reproductive decisions is still an underlying theme of a lot of backwards legal and policy decisions. LaBruzzo and Texas judge Charlie Baird are part of this despicable tradition.

It is so interesting how many headlines are discussing the role of the "women's vote" in this election, as though it has never been a concern before that half the population has a brain, cares about politics and makes decisions that are thought out. I suppose we can thank the media obsession with identity politics throughout the coverage of this election for the constant over stimulation of how "women" are going to be voting. And be thankful that Hillary ran for office, bringing gender into politics in a new way. But it is important to remember, when the media says women, it is assuming white women as a voter bloc and their voting behavior. I have yet to see any substantial data breaking "women" down by race, class and/or sexuality. I probably haven't looked hard enough either, so please put links in comments.

My point being according to the latest poll I see (from Lifetime: Every Woman Counts) women are split McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden. The findings are intense:

In a Dramatic Reversal Since Late July, McCain/Palin Now Virtually Tied With Obama/Biden on Who Best Understands Women -

-- Governor Sarah Palin Pick: Solidifying Factor for Republican Women, Compelling to 55-64 Year-Olds and Married Moms, but Others Divided --

-- Nearly Three-Quarters of Clinton Supporters Have Gone Home to Obama, but Still 23% Said They'll Vote for McCain --

-- Majority of Women Believe Senator Clinton and Governor Palin Have Been Treated Fairly in the Media Coverage of the Race, but Two-Fifths Say Sexism Persists and Is Worse for Palin --

I think I have been in some kind of denial, but the polls are in fact scaring me. The voter bloc that I am not part of, even though I am a woman, is scaring me. I am constantly talking to my friends about the new Republican obsession with the "vagina vote" is dismissive, ignorant and untrue, but I am starting to realize there is some truth to it and I think we must take ourselves up with the task that much more about why the Palin/McCain ticket would be bad for the rights of women.

I am with Michele Obama, that I think it is the youth vote is going to be the key in this election. Potentially, us, young women, who I am finding are overwhelming going to support the Obama/Biden ticket. So now I am going to tell myself that they didn't take the Lifetime poll, which I think is pretty accurate.

Update: This poll is from last week so for a more updated look at the stats check here where Obama is up by about 5 points over McCain. Thanks to brklyngrl for the heads up.

Let's talk a bit about taking back words.

If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me about one of my nicknames this bitch would be damn near debt free (wink). I've had the nickname Shark-Fu...or some variation on that theme...since I was a wee bitch of five. And the ABB nickname was the inspiration of readers of my blog AngryBlackBitch.com. The interesting thing is that both my nickname and the name of my blog are the result of my deliberate claiming of language and words previously used against me.

Shall we?

I became the victim of a bully the first day of kindergarten and remained a steady target throughout my grade school career. There were a lot of reasons why I appealed to bullies...this bitch was one of the only students of color, my brother was well known around the neighborhood for public displays of autism and I was always good for a post ridicule cry. But when I began to experience dental drama as a result of an overcrowded mouth...well, an already miserable situation went into overdrive.

Two of my permanent teeth decided to come in where they could get in and that happened to be behind my bottom row of teeth. While my mother consulted with my dentist and the family pocketbook, my fellow students began to taunt me on the bus. When I came home...crying, of course...because I'd been called a shark my mother rolled her eyes and told me "then you need to be a shark, girl, and stop letting those fools get under your skin."

I thought about it all night and decided to give it a try. So, I spent a week researching sharks at the library and found out that they are fantabulous and fierce creatures worthy of respect not bus-based taunting. The next time a classmate called me a shark I replied with a "thank you." And damn if that didn't shut him up for a week!

The teeth eventually were pulled but I've been Shark-Fu (my sister settled on that version) ever since.

Years later I found myself gifted with a blog for my birthday and searching around unsuccessfully for a title. I thought about what I wanted to share and discuss through my blog, but that didn't inspire any title ideas. Then I thought about how people may respond to my posts and added a dash of fucking with folk's expectations and that led to the AngryBlackBitch title.

See, I realized that the women being labeled angry black bitches were pretty damned fantabulous. The label was meant to diffuse their power and shut them up...it being built on an understanding of the so-called benefits of conformity and silence that my family passed down like other families passed down good glassware.

Don't raise your voice...loud black women are threatening.

Don't use naughty language... they already think black people can't speak proper.

Don't make and maintain eye contact...you may come across as intimidating.

Try not to be so "ethnic"...you don't want to go around reminding folks through your name, accent, hair, clothing, food or music that you are different.

And, for the love of social acceptance and peace, don't get angry!

Just don't...or you'll pay a price.

Hold it in, because if you let it out they're going to you're just another...uh huh, that's right.

And then they will dismiss your point but only because you frightened them...right?

If you had only sat perfectly straight in your chair whilst wearing that acceptable outfit with oh so non-ethnic hair and spoken in low viciously proper sentences as you expressed your frustration over the wrong done to you without passion or conviction they would have listened.

Blink.

That's the pitch...trust a bitch, I've heard it my entire life...and it is, has always been and will always be bullshit.

I reject that contract even as I reclaim my anger and my bitchitude...and a bunch of naughty words that I simply adore using.

Now, I'm not saying that all y'all need to get down with it.

Some folks will never dig it and that's cool - there isn't a bitchitude mandate that I'm aware of...yet.

But for this bitch claiming and taking back language has proven to be just as empowering as embracing my inner shark...

...with the added benefit of stumping those knavish trolls who can't come up with anything else to call me in the comments.

From USCIS:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today a revised list of vaccines required for applicants seeking to adjust status to become legal permanent residents. This revision follows guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC's revised Technical Instructions to Civil Surgeons for Vaccination Requirements require the following age-appropriate additional vaccinations to adjust status to legal permanent resident:

* Rotavirus
* Hepatitis A
* Meningococcal
* Human papillomavirus
* Zoster

The requirements for these new vaccines went into effect on July 1, 2008, however CDC approved a 30-day grace period for any medical exam conducted before August 1, 2008. At that time the new vaccinations, if appropriate, must be administered in order for USCIS to approve the applicant for adjustment of status.

Now this is kind of a curve ball. Jill hit on most of the important points here, about how ANOTHER barrier to citizenship status is the last thing we need, particularly when that barrier can cost upwards of $300. People tell me that this isn't particular action isn't actually a Merck ploy to get more people to get the vaccine, but rather a Bush administration immigration barrier. Like we need another one of those. Ironic, considering that conservatives were a big part of the campaign to block the vaccine mandates last year, for mostly anti-sex reasons. I guess they don't care about these things when it comes to immigrant women.

My main problem with this is that it adds another significant financial barrier for immigrant women, since the vaccine is seriously expensive and there is little funding for it. WOC PhD talks more about the history of medical abuses against women of color and her fears about the vaccine.

Thanks to Raquel for the links

I was going to tackle the issue of reclaiming certain words, but I have something else on my mind today.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

Yesterday I had dinner with my older brother. He's autistic and aphasic and vibrant and funny. My sister and I are co-guardians, which has added dealing with the mental healthcare system to our lives. It's worth it, but it is often an emotionally draining pain in the ass.

My brother is the oldest so I have never known a day without autism in my world. Having a family member with special needs is normal for me. In fact, it is normal for a lot of American families.

Just as struggling to do right by that loved one and make sure their needs are met has become normal.

Blink.

Eight years of Republicans in control of our national checkbook has resulted in a lack of funding for domestic programs and that includes residential treatment programs, community integration programs and healthcare programs.

Yesterday I looked across the table at my brother and I was seized with a pure panic over how the hell we'd function if his funding was cut one more time...if they took away other screenings the way they took away dental coverage...if they slashed transportation the way they slashed funding for job assistance which has left him unemployed for the first time in his adult life.

When I vote I need to know that the person I'm voting for will institute the kind of change that will free up funding for the programs that make society function...education, metal health and infrastructure to name a few.

I need to know that they see a role for government not just a military role.

I do not need another self titled outsider bent on starving domestic programs to death.

I need...my family needs...a fucking human being who believes in the government they seek to lead.

This shit is personal as hell to me, because mismanagement and this government's greed-based adoration of pork has trickled down like acid into my state's budget and eaten away at so many social programs that...

...oh shit, there's that panic again.

Sigh.

Ask yourself what isn't being discussed while political pundits debate Gov. Palin's eyewear or while anchors work themselves into a frenzy over the ever changing poll numbers.

Those are the issues and concerns that this woman voter is going to take into the booth with me come November.

We are all value voters.

The problem is that many of us have become too distracted by the circus to focus on what we value most.

Alfre Woodard (left) and CCH Pounder (right)

The Oscar-nominated actress Alfre Woodard talked to Premiere magazine:

Do you think African-American women are getting better roles now? You see more African-American [women] onscreen, I guess, but it's hardly anything to crow about. It's not just African-American women -- it's Latinas, Asian-American women. The film business remains the last bastion of close-minded and uncreative behavior in terms of the way we see human beings.

So it was ironic when George Clooney name-dropped Hattie McDaniel [Gone with the Wind] in his Oscar acceptance speech for Michael Clayton.
I don't remember his speech.

He was trying to show that Hollywood has always been ahead of its time.
I don't know what he meant. No other the industry is this backwards in terms of not putting the best person for the task up to the task, rather than assuming you're a specialty act. It's, "I'm not going to let Rosalind Chao play the museum curator unless it says 'Chinese-American woman,'" and then they're going to make her say, at some point, something about some noodles. That kind of bullshit.

This reminded me of something I recently heard the actress CCH Pounder (of the tv show, "The Shield," which I've actually never seen) say on NPR's Fresh Air. She told a story of wanting to read for the part of a judge, but because it wasn't written as "black woman judge," she had to fight for the chance to even audition:

My name is Shark-Fu and I usually practice the fine art of bitchitude over at AngryBlackBitch.com.

But let me tell y'all that a bitch is thrilled to be in the land of Feministing.

Shall we?

The Vice Presidential debate is going to be in my hometown of St. Louis Missouri and this bitch has been fantasizing about it for days. Not just because of my fan-based joy of being able to watch the fantabulous Gwen Ifill moderate, but because of the opportunity I'm damn sure we're going to let pass us by as these two people sweep in and sweep out of St. Louis Missouri.

Oh, how a bitch would love to have a day with them.

Blink.

I would!

Mmmhmmm, a bitch would take Senator Biden and Governor Palin on a tour.

I'd take them to my neighborhood, where public schools leave poor children behind and middle class families struggle to send their children go to private schools. I'd walk them through the grade school up the street and around the corner to meet young people and talk to them about the fucked up tests and the flawed standards...the lack of funding for what they need and the abundance of funding for what they don't need any more of.

We'd drive to the local shelter for pregnant teens where I teach women's health and voter education classes and we'd stay for lunch. They'd meet the young woman who found out how to prevent pregnancy when she became pregnant and the pregnant fifteen year old who faces motherhood alone after being denied choice and options by law.

Of course we'd have to drop by a union hall and have coffee with workers who have seen factories close and industry flee...who have seen my state's greatest export become our people.

We'd have a meeting with local law enforcement to go over the daunting crime figures...the rise in violent crime and gun violence that too many county residents expect to see in the city and too many city residents don't expect to change anytime soon.

And then I'd sit them both down and tell them in very specific terms exactly what change means to a bitch.

Lawd knows that we'll be lucky if either one of them pause for a fundraiser...some tastefully catered affair in a "good" neighborhood attended by all the right people and blah followed by blah followed by another blah.

Sigh.

But a bitch can dream...

...and hold out hope that Ms. Ifill will toss in a few questions on behalf of the masses whilst getting her moderating on.

Via the amazing New Orleans Women's Health and Justice Initiative, affiliated with Incite! Women of Color Against Violence is an update on the work they did to ensure that their clients had the support and information they needed to evacuate safely. From Shana Griffin, the New Orleans Women's Health Clinic's Interim Director:

I just want to give everyone a quick update on our coordinated effort to reach out to all Clinic patients (which took place on Thursday, August 28th and continued on Friday, August 29th), checking-in to see if people were planning to evacuate or stay, and if they needed support developing an evacuation plan and accessing needed resources to assist with the process or info on staying safe if they chose to stay.

I'm happy to inform everyone that we made over 700 calls, with 95% of them occurring on Thursday!

We reached out to 610 patients - calling everyone, leaving messages, reaching out to their emergency contacts if we were not able to get in contact with then, and making tons of repeated calls to folks who needed greater assistance.

There are more updates after the jump, as well as a couple of extra pictures. It's amazing what these women were able to do and just further highlights the inability of our government to step in and help the people of New Orleans, even during natural disasters. It seems little has changed since Katrina three years ago. This was a particularly frightening part of the crisis for me as a Latina:

Many of the Latina women we called (most don't have papers) were very afraid, stating that they didn't have anywhere to go, and needed support evacuating (mostly informational and financial). Many asked about the safety of assisted evacuation through the city given their documentation status. We informed folks of what we were told (that screening for papers were not going to be done), but made it very clear that it was not something that we could confirm.

That the anti-immigrant climate is so powerful that this would become widespread belief is scary and unbelievably cruel.

Anyone else think it was poetic justice that this new hurricane and almost crisis in New Orleans struck during the first day of the RNC?

If you want to support the work of this amazing group of activists in NOLA, go here and donate.

If you didn't listen to WBAI's Hip-Hop Takoever-Election Style this weekend, you definitely missed out. But lucky for you, we have a segment that you can listen to right here: "Politics for Goddesses Rising: Our Relevance in Election '08."

Hosted by Feministing friend jaz and Nida Khan, the show featured Rosa Clemente, VP Presidential Running Mate of Green Party and Presidential Nominee Cynthia McKinney and Kevin Powell, who is running for a Congressional seat in Brooklyn. The show takes on how women's issues are being addressed in this election; the importance of local politics and politicians, the media's lack pundits who are women of color and more...

WBAI 99.5 FM's Hip-Hop Takeover was 17 hours of non-stop hip-hop programming - but this is definitely the hour to listen to!

INCITE! needs your support in their efforts to help low-income women of color with evacuation efforts as Hurricane Gustav approaches the Gulf Coast.

Your assistance is urgently needed to help low-income women of color and their families evacuate safely if need be, stay safe for the duration of the evacuation, and return to the city as soon as possible so as not to fall prey to the pushout that has kept so many folks from being able to return to New Orleans since Katrina. Local organizers are using whatever resources and funds at their disposal to help women and their families evacuate, bond people being held in Orleans Parish Prison out, and support those who make the choice to stay in whatever way they can.

This money will go directly to supporting the hundreds of low income women of color that are the constituency of the New Orleans Women's Health Clinic.

Once again, the particular vulnerability of low-income women of color and single female-headed households (including folks with disabilities, seniors, undocumented immigrant women, and incarcerated women) has been erased in the face of disaster and overlooked in the days leading up to the storm. With few resources, facing challenges and concerns for their families of their own, INCITE! New Orleans and WHJI have stepped in to fill the gap. Please send all your support, solidarity, sisterhood and strength their way, and join us in hoping for the safety and well-being of the people who are already suffering from Gustav in Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti, and willing the storm to subside or veer off safely before it strikes the Gulf Coast.

TO HELP: Click here to make a donation online (be sure to put "New Orleans" in the "Purpose" line). [Updated link.]

Or you can write a check directly to WHJI and send it to:
PO Box 51325
New Orleans, LA 70151

Lapriss Gilbert was forced to leave a federal building after a guard in the Social Security office told her that her "lesbian.com" shirt was offensive.

She said the guard, who works for a private company hired by the Department of Homeland Security, demanded that she leave the building or face arrest.

"As an African-American and a lesbian, I haven't been through one day without facing some sort of discrimination ... but this is just shocking," said Gilbert, 31.

A witness, Paul Dumont said, "For her to be told to leave was completely unnecessary, especially considering how peaceful and quiet she was responding the the security officers." In his statement to police Dumont noted that the guard's "loud, unreasonable, aggressive and angry approach to the situation almost caused chaos."

Via the f word.

Variety has recently released their 2008 "Women's Impact Report," which profiles influential women in movies, television, music, business and technology. Apparently there are only a handful of influential women of color...ugh.

The always fantastic National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum has a great interview series over at their blog Warrior Prose this week.

Can you name...

A 93 year-old Chinese-American revolutionary anti-racist activist and feminist?

A queer journalist and writer named one of the most influential Asian Americans of this decade?

A Seattle based activist involved in international and domestic human rights issues over the last 30 years?

A labor organizer and lawyer, accomplished nature photographer and poet, and author of several groundbreaking books?

A visionary trailblazer and founder and Executive Director of an internationally recognized human rights organization?

Five amazing women. Five must-read interviews. In a week long interview series, the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) gets up close and personal with Grace Lee Boggs, Helen Zia, Cindy Domingo, Lora Jo Foo, and Mallika Dutt, prominent women leaders who continue to define and redefine leadership and inspire us all. Check it out!

Please check out this excellent op-ed from the Sunday Times about the lack of justice for women violently sexually assaulted in indigenous communities.

Some tidbits,

ONE in three American Indian women will be raped in their lifetimes, statistics gathered by the United States Department of Justice show.

The situation is unfair to Indian victims of all crimes -- burglary, arson, assault, etc. But the problem is greatest in the realm of sexual violence because rapes and other sexual assaults on American Indian women are overwhelmingly interracial. More than 80 percent of Indian victims identify their attacker as non-Indian. (Sexual violence against white and African-American women, in contrast, is primarily intraracial.) And American Indian women who live on tribal lands are more than twice as likely to be raped or sexually assaulted as other women in the United States, Justice Department statistics show.

Rapes against American Indian women are also exceedingly violent; weapons are used at rates three times that for all other reported rapes.

They pretty much say it all.

Now that is one hell of a before and after. Apparently, beauty is synonymous with "whiter."

I just took this screenshot from The New York Times website; it leads to this story from the upcoming magazine about black politics and Obama. Noticeably absent from the picture is anyone with a vagina are any women. Lovely.

(The article isn't much better, save for one quote from Cheryl Contee of Jack and Jill Politics and a quick mention of Valerie Jarrett.)

Contributed by Adrienne Elyse Wallace

It's been about eight months since the murder of Tarika Wilson.

Reporting on her tragic murder, Christopher Maag of the New York Times wrote:

A SWAT team arrived at Ms. Wilson's rented house in the Southside neighborhood early in the evening of Jan. 4 to arrest her companion, Anthony Terry, on suspicion of drug dealing, said Greg Garlock, Lima's police chief. Officers bashed in the front door and entered with guns drawn, said neighbors who saw the raid.

Moments later, the police opened fire, killing Ms. Wilson, 26, and wounding her 14-month-old son, Sincere, Chief Garlock said. One officer involved in the raid, Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, a 31-year veteran, has been placed on paid administrative leave.

On August 4th an all-white jury acquitted Sgt. Joseph Chavalia. Chavalia's attorney said in response: "What kind of world would it be if we didn't have police officers...Joe was doing his duty."

Oh shit, I'm sorry - I didn't realize that killing a woman holding her baby was in the Lima, Ohio Police handbook. The fact that Chavalia was acquitted speaks volumes. His actions were sanctioned by the jury. The take away message is that it's okay to shoot a black woman holding her child. I mean the racism is apparent in the actions of the police officer and the media that covered the shooting but conveniently lacked follow up coverage. Why isn't this story important, why aren't people outraged? Citizens of Lima have spoken up - why aren't they receiving attention from folks outside of the black activist community? It seems the death of a black woman at the hands of a white police officer is fine, even forgettable - at least to twelve jurors and a slew of media outlets. However let me just say:

Tarika Wilson, I will not forget you.

Adrienne Elyse is a general badass who works in the anti-domestic violence movement by working for economic justice. She lives / works / loves in Massachusetts (which is now, officially for lovers).