Oh, Yes They did...

I just heard about the already infamous photo shoot of model, Lara Stone in the October issue of French Vogue. She appears in what has been dubbed by some "contemporary blackface." Blackface. There are few more starkly offensive images that evoke unsettling and enraging reactions in black people, than a white person who is painted black. I won't rehash the history of blackface here, as one of the best sources to learn about that is Spike Lee's film Bamboozled, which came out in 2000. I was not surprised at all to see that this was published in the French edition of the magazine. The American version is sufficiently trained to avoid such obvious examples of racism and like the rest of the mainstream fashion magazines, content themselves with mere tokenism.

No, I was not surprised to hear about this, and given that she was not tied up in a kerchief and peddling syrup, I was not exactly enraged either. Aritistically and from a fashion stand-point, they are beautiful pictures. What bothers me the most about this photo-shoot is the blatant decision to place a white woman, painted black, in a higher position than an actual black woman. There are several black super models who I can picture in the same poses, clothes and set, who would bring a much more layered depth and beauty to these photos. The reminder that black women still are not good enough or beautiful enough to warrant a place in these pages is sad. It is sad, because there are black women who still use lightening creams on their skin. It is sad because the black women who get the most exposure and acceptance in mainstream media are those who have features closer to their white counterparts, instead of their black ancestors.

My six year old daughter will tell you she is from Africa. She will also say she is Canadian and probably throw in a word or two about Jamaica and Trinidad. The journey and time line in her mind about her ancestry is not yet quite linear, but, she always starts with Africa. As she grows I want her to see the image of a black woman, in her original regal form, as the epitome of beauty. For her to be able to achieve that, in a world where is bombarded with images such as these will be challenging.

We need to ask ourselves why mainstream society is so content with the watered-down, pale-ass imitation of the original design?

Thanksgiving Lessons

Today was Thanksgiving and since it seems that the reason for celebrating things in the Western world often have questionable or just unknown reasons, we decided to give our children some home schooling. In trying to find an informative and accessible view of Thanksgiving by a Native North American, I came across this blog and entry: Anishinaabekwe. In it she relays the following feelings about having to perform as an "Indian" in the Thanksgiving school play:

As a young girl I had this urging in my soul to run away from that school after that day. I was hurt deep down because no one saw me that day except probably my Mother. I felt no one saw me because no one really saw, knew or spoke to a Native person in my elementary school.

My children will be in many school skits and plays through out their academic career. Some of these plays will place them in a role that makes them feel as ambiguously invisible as the author of the above blog. Black people are seen everywhere in the media, but the identity of Black people have been defined by stereotypes that have created entrenched misrepresentations of who we are in real life. So even though other students may know that my children are Black, they may not see my kids for them true selves precisely because the colour of their skin inspires superimposed ideas about who they are or what they do. Part of raising my children to be conscious and connected with their true selves will involve teaching them about these stereotypes and how they work against them in the larger community. It is not the easiest work, but it required work for raising healthy black children. In order for children to develop a strong self esteem and clear identity, they need to be taught the tools to deconstruct the imposed ideas of who they will be in this world, that are constantly placed upon them by people who choose to not really see them.

Check out the September issue of Born Black Magazine

http://www.bornblackmag.com/homepage.html

Neither the right or the authority

I picked up a copy of James Baldwin's The Devil Finds Work from a street book vendor on Commercial Drive about a month ago. I shelved it and forgot about it until about a week ago. The back cover gives a summary of how it is an essay written by Baldwin that is a look at racism in some of the classic movies. But once I started reading the book, it was much more than that and the commentary on the movies seems almost secondary to his reflections on his youth. Growing up he had a white teacher by the name of Orilla "Bill" Miller. She had first come into his life as a director of the first school play in which he performed, took a liking to him and she exposed him to some of the world outside of school. By relating to Baldwin on a human level, he saw beyond her being white, because her actions just did not seem to fit with the actions of other white people he encountered by not baffling, frightening, lying to him, beating him or pitying him. She took him to see plays, films and gave him books about the world. When he was around age ten, he was very close with this teacher. In the describing how she interacted with him, he makes this observation.

Bill could instruct me as to how poverty came about and what it meant and what it did, and, also, what it was meant to do: but she could not instruct me as to blackness, except obliquely, feeling like she neither had the right or the authority, and also knowing I was certain to find out.

This comment resonated with me, especially in the context of interracial or cross cultural adoptions. White parents cannot teach "blackness" or "chineseness" etc to their children. They can teach them about historical events that featured their cultural group, and hopefully take it a step further and teach them how these historical events still impact their lives today. Parents who take it upon themselves to learn about privilege and power imbalances, can teach their adopted children quite a bit. Parents can also expose their children to ethnic and cultural aspects such as customs, dance, music, clothes, food and all the fun things that likely initially drew the parents to the particular ethnic group from which they chose to adopt. However, parents do not have the authority or the capacity to define what it means for their child to be Black, or Chinese, or Korean... This child will grow up and these meanings will be thrust upon them no matter what they do or where they live. They will certainly find out. Having a loving, humble and safe family system to turn to in times of confusion, is the best thing parents can give their adopted children. Equipping children with accurate reference points, frameworks, and a solid foundation will allow children to grow into confident adults, who are not afraid or in denial of the race and culture that will shape their experiences in life.

Poking fun at Toronto is a Unity issue

This may or may not belong on this blog, but I am putting it here anyway. Just back from my vacation, I went to get some take-out sushi for lunch. While waiting for my order I picked up a copy of the Metro, Vancouver edition, to read. On the second page is an article about a new Coors Light billboard featured in the Okanagan, which reads "Colder Than Most People From Toronto."

After living a year in BC, this sentiment does not come as much of a surprise. What did blow me a way, was a statement made in the article itself:

Poking fun of Toronto is a unity issue that ties everyone who doesn't live there together and the strategy has been used for years.

Ummm... What?!?! The fact that someone would rationalize the collective belittling of another group of people to be a unifying strategy scares the hell out of me. The easier and more accepting it is to make fun of people because of where they're from; makes it easier and more accepting for racist, classist, sexist, and all other oppresive attitudes to prevail with impunity. For shame!

Hate Crime committed against Jay Phillips...yeah, I said it.

On July 3, 2009 in Courtenay, BC- a small town located on Vancouver Island, a black man was surrounded, physically and verbally attacked by three white men.

Click for video of attack

Apparent BC Hate Crime posted on YouTube. Three arrested after possible racially motivated attack on Vancouver Island. Racism is not an issue in Courtenay, mayor says.
Why is it so difficult for people and the media to simply name a hate crime a hate crime? Or a racist attack a racist attack. I know that police will be reluctant to call a hate crime for what it is, as it will carry more severe penalties than simple assaults. But why is the media so fearful to call things for what they are? The fear of being sued? Why, when there is video evidence of three white men attacking and a black man, is it so hard to just say "Three arrested in a racially motivated attack..." Why is it only possible? By visiting any online article about this incident or the YouTube video and looking through the comments below anyone can get concrete idea that racism and hate are very clearly key motivators behind this incident. As long as media outlets continue to remain ambiguous about racist incidents, racist people and those who fear the existence of racism will continue to have a way out. A way to wiggle out of the uncomfortable idea that disgusting, unacceptable behaviours take place every day. Canadians who profess to be surprised by acts of overt racism are the people who are not impacted by daily racism. They are only incensed when they are forced to see it on YouTube, hear about it on the news or read about it.

Perhaps one of the biggest insults in this, but by far one of the most commonplace, is the mayor of this "predominantly Caucasian" town stating, as quoted in the article that appears in the Globe and Mail

"I didn't think we had a big issue, and I still don't,” he said. “I've lived here most of my life and this is the first incident like this I can recall.”

Well Mr. Mayor, of course you do not think racism is a big issue. Of course this is the first incident you can remember. You are a white man. You are not impacted by racism until it becomes a publicity damage control incident for the city council. These are sad excuses not to consider racism an issue. Once your town is described as predominantly Caucasian, racism is a big issue.

Being Caucasian should not give anyone permission to refuse to look outside of his or her personal reality and listen to the experiences of others validate these experiences.

Phillips, who later needed two stitches, said dealing with racism is nothing new for him. He's been subjected to strange looks, rude remarks and racial slurs since pre-school.
"I was four years old. I had a female teacher and she said, 'Quiet down you little nigger,"' he recalled.

By denying that racism is an issue in his town, the mayor has denied every racist experience that Jay Philips and every other non-white person has come up against while living in the town of Courtenay. This is an example of the most insidious elements of white privilege. Deny the existence, deny the impact. They are just over sensitive, paranoid, whiny people.

Well I intend to continue whining.

Madonna's Mercy

The beautiful little girl who Madonna has adopted into the folds of her celebrity family, has the looks of a traditional African beauty. Dark skin, wide nose and lips, tight regal curls manipulated into thin neat braids and twists. This is Mercy. If we examine a bit the the reflections of the people that Mercy will be seeing around her, we will find few whose looks mirror her own. Oh there are lots of Black women in Hollywood and the music world, but when you stop to really consider there looks, you will notice what I do. Lets list a few: Halley Berry, Beyonce, Ciara, Jennifer Hudson, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Michelle Obama...all of these women clearly Black women of varying degrees of strength and talent. But the traditionally targeted African features in many of these women have been either down played, or their success in the public eye has been helped by the fact they were born with " that good hair" and the facial features that go with it.

If we were to compare Mercy's peer, Angelina's daughter Zahara , it seems to be there is no questions as to who will grow up a more confident women when it comes to self love and appreciation of the physical beauty that she holds. Zahara, looks distinctly Ethiopian, no less or more African than Mercy, but has the lighter complexion, looser curls and smaller facial features that are more accepted in North America (and almost everywhere else). Zahara's journey to self-love will be much less arduous than that of Mercy's.

If Madonna is going to do any level of correctness by this new child, she will need to not only surround this little girl with positive images of black beauty that she can see when she looks in the mirror, but teach this child as she grows how to critically examine the many overt and covert ways the very community Madonna has brought her into, will seek to destroy Mercy's self worth and how to combat this. I would be interested to see how she tries to accomplish this so that Mercy does not end up looking like this