Make Room For Love

"There are those among us who are blessed with the power to save what is loved by another, but powerless to use this blessing for love themselves." - Anais Nin

Robert Jones on 'Is Gay The New Black?'

"As a man who is both black and gay, I can tell you, with all certainty, that gay is NOT the new black. If it was, racism would be a suitable word to describe the discrimination I face as a gay man and homophobia would be a suitable word to describe the discrimination I face as a black man.

If gay is the new black, what does that mean for gay black folk: that we're DOUBLE black? If gay is the new black, does that mean racism is over? If gay is the new black, does that mean gay folk have to sit in the back of the bus, drink from a separate water fountain, or be forced to pick cotton? If gay is the new black, does that mean white women will grab their purses whenever a gay man walks into an elevator? If gay is the new black, whenever a white person does something criminal, will they now say "A gay man did it!" and the whole nation will participate in the hunt for the fictitious gay man? If gay is the new black, will the NYPD now Stop-and-Frisk a disproportionate amount of gay people? If gay is the new black, will the prison industrial complex now focus its efforts on capturing, imprisoning, disenfranchising and exploiting gay people? If gay is the new black, is the United States now going to go around the world bombing countries with primarily queer populations?

This is not to say that there aren't any similarities between the practice of racism and the practice of homophobia. There are also similarities between an apple and an orange, but we don't say, "Orange is the new apple" because, well, that would be factually incorrect and it would give you the wrong impression of what both an apple and an orange are. And that is PRECISELY what we do when we refer to gay as the new black: we give the wrong impression of what both racism and homophobia are. A circle is not the new square. A cat is not the new dog. A fish is not the now fowl.

Find another slogan, please." --Robert Jones (@SonofBaldwin)

Studs Terkel Interviews James Baldwin in 1961

Quote of the Day

"My biggest challenge isn't someone else. It is the voice inside that yells, "Can't" and "Not good enough." But I don't listen; I just push harder. And then I hear the voice whisper, "Can" and "You are more than enough." And then I discover that the person I thought I was is no match for the person I really am." ~ Sharon Feanny and D.L. Carpenter

Conversations: From Survival to Pleasure

DePaul University's Annual LGBTQA Month is almost here (May 2012). Here is the promotional flier for the annual film series we're calling, "Conversations: From Survival to Pleasure."

The line-up includes, "A Litany for Survival: The Life & Work of Audre Lorde", "I Am The Queen", "Difficult Love", film shorts, "50Faggots" and "Even Though I Walk Through", "Weekend" and "Pariah." Patrik-Ian Polk will be screening his latest film, "The Skinny," on May 23rd. It's sure to be an exciting time!

Chester French & Eating the Other

"For white boys to openly discuss their desire for colored girls (or boys) publicly announces their break with a white supremacist past that would have such desirearticulated only as taboo, as secret, as shame. They see their willingness to openly name their desire for the Other as affirmation of cultural plurality (its impact onsexual preference and choice). Unlike racist white men who historically violated the bodies of black women/women of color to assert their position as colonizer/conqueror, these young men see themselves as non-racists, who choose to transgress racial boundaries within the sexual realm not to dominate the Other, but rather so that they can be acted upon, so that they can be changed utterly. Not at all attuned to those aspects of their sexual fantasies that irrevocably link them to collective white racist domination, they believe their desire for contact represents a progressive change in white attitudes towards non-whites. They do not see themselves as perpetuating racism." - bell hooks, "Eating the Other"

Loyalty

"It is not enough to tell us that one was a brilliant poet, scientist, educator, or rebel. Whom did he love? It makes a difference. I can’t become a whole man simply on what is fed to me: watered down versions of black life in America. I need the ass-splitting truth to be told, so I will have something pure to emulate, a reason to remain loyal." -- Essex Hemphill

Unequal Opportunity Race

Here is an incredible video Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw shared at the White Privilege Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This helps explain the ways in which structural barriers and oppression have created the contemporary climate we live in. It helps unpack the lies of "post-racial America."Thank you to  Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw for thinking this up and the African American Policy Forum for creating and fostering such brilliance.

Feeling Intimacy: Reflections on Queer Friendship

Once upon a time, I had a friendship that felt safe. In my mind, my relationship to this person didn't have to be based upon agreement (and it wasn't) but I assumed it was at least strongly rooted in support. But just like most stories that begin "once upon a time", it was a fairy tale. By that I mean, what I thought to be true wasn't really the case at all.

This particular queer-friendship (friendship among LGBTQ-identified individuals) was full of what would eventually feel like disdain and contempt. Time and time again disagreements would take place until eventually, the final disagreement. The final disagreement conveyed that all of the other disagreements had never been resolved, at least in the mind of one of the parties involved. Even though the final disagreement appeared to be over something petty, the emotions and ideas behind that conversation were far too potent. One thing I had to learn was that if individuals don't know how to love themselves, they are not in a place to love or support anyone else. The dissolution of this friendship took its toll on me, as letting go of any years-long relationship does.

I found myself retreating from friendships. I found myself not feeling safe to be vulnerable, not sharing myself or views with others close to me because I wasn't willing to keep fighting in what should have been intimate spaces. It took hearing something from an incredible friend to restore faith. She said something along the lines of, "You cannot stop believing in yourself because other people aren't ready to hear what you have to say."

I had internalized some of the impact from that queer-friendship. I had begun to second guess my views, my choice of words, myself. I had to be reminded that while my views may be limited they are not uninformed. Luckily, I met an amazing group of women who helped me find a supportive, intellectual space where I could share myself, my ideas and feelings in a space that was actually supportive. It wasn't always about affirmations; sometimes it was about criticisms. But even today, the friendships are rooted in support and I am grateful.

However, there was still a piece of me that felt unfulfilled. I didn't feel an intimate connection with any of my queer brothers and I had to hold myself accountable for my own participation in maintaining that. I had found a space of love with some of my queer guy friends but they lived in different parts of the country. A real-time manifestation of friendship with other guys had not only become queer to me, it was starting to feel foreign. The internalization of my pain had turned into fear. My fears were being hurt again, having to witness the internalized pain of another, doing the work that is support, etc.

As I began unpacking where I was emotionally, I began investing stories and feelings into one of my guy friends. Like me, he appeared to be guarded and reserved when it came to sharing himself so I felt safe to share. Much of our friendship and interactions were based on sarcasm and shade. I am learning that sometimes it is not about how it looks but how it feels. Beyond the sarcasm and shade, I think we both know we can find support in one another.

Even in spite of our jokes, I found we were both sharing pieces of ourselves with each other that were vulnerable; pieces that we might not tell anyone else. It felt safe. It felt nice.

When I talked to one of my gal pals about it, she said, "You're feeling intimacy." Just hearing her say that made sense to me. We're so conditioned to seek intimacy in romantic relationships that we forget to seek it in friendships where it is equally important. Intimacy can be an act but it also evokes a feeling.

As I continue my commitment to healing, I will work towards sharing more with others. Vulnerability is key to the work I am doing. I am grateful to all of my friends, especially my queer brother who allows me the space to re-fuel hope. Despite all of his external projections of cynicism, the space he has helped create inspires me.

I look forward to all of the future moments to feel intimacy.

Angela Davis at WPC13

Is It The State of Racism or the Racism of the States?

"The Negro wants and needs something to be proud of. The Negro youth and moderate must be made to understand that if they succumb to revolutionary teachings they would be dead revolutionaries. It is now better to be a sports hero, a well paid professional athlete or entertainer, a regularly paid white or blue collar worker, a peaceful human being with a family or a person who at least had been accepted than a Negro who had gotten even with the establishment by burning it down but who along with this, burned down his own home and gained for him and all his people the hatred and distrust of whites for years to come..." - J. Edgar Hoover in a 1968 COINTELPRO brief

This idle threat highlights the longstanding racism of the state, where a once powerful man seeks to threaten and patrol Black folks. His quote not only threatens Black youth, by suggesting if they are revolutionary they will be killed, but also pigeon-holes their potential into avenues that we see are still socially acceptable for Black folks to occupy (sports, entertainment, etc). He does not suggest the Black doctor, lawyer, CEO or other "safe" options should be paved out. Instead, we see the narrowed ignorance of a queer man who sought to continue the surveillance of Black communities. We must continue to interrogate the role the state plays in endorsing and promoting racism, especially as we continue to deal with the J. Edgar Hoover and George Zimmerman's of the world. Thank you to Bryant Smith for his workshop on white privilege in Hip-Hop and for including this quote.

Keep On Movin' - Soul II Soul

Thank you for the inspiration (as always) Dr. Black...

Never Give Up

#reminders

Trayvon Martin

Last night, I found myself starring at a bag of Skittles as I searched for a late-night snack at 7-11. Today, I feel heaviness. #MillionHoodies #solidarity

The Browning and Yellowing of Whiteness

By Tamara Nopper

A Review of Who is White?: Latinos, Asians, and the New Black/Nonblack Divide by George Yancey (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003).

In 1903 the ever-forward looking W.E.B. DuBois declared, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” A century later, the relevance of DuBois’ observation is being contested by those preoccupied with the increasing ethnic and cultural diversification of the US. Many argue that DuBois’ centralization of the boundary between the entangled black and white worlds is outdated, going so far as to propose that we now have “colorlines.” Such gestures are more than semantic and instead imply that blackness as the definitive social boundary for US race relations is either less pronounced or completely erased by the significant presence of nonblack racial minorities such as Latino/as and Asian Americans.

This is precisely why George Yancey’s book Who is White?: Latinos, Asians, and the New Black/Nonblack Divide is such a necessary read. Yancey, a sociologist at the University of North Texas, provides compelling evidence that supports the (unstated) hypothesis that the color line of the twentieth century will remain firmly entrenched in the twenty-first. Using as his point of departure the popular projection that whites will soon be a minority group, Yancey opens his book by arguing that whites will remain the majority despite the growing populations of Latino/as and Asian Americans. How can the increase of Latino/as and Asian Americans enforce, rather than disrupt, the color line? Simple. By 2050, according to Yancey, most Latino/as and Asian Americans will be white.

For those who consider race to be a biological fact rather than a social and political one, Yancey’s projection is sure to raise eyebrows. Yet his argument is grounded in an understanding of how whiteness, like any racial category, is socially and politically defined yet enacted in real and meaningful ways. Whiteness is also fluid and maintains itself when threatened by incorporating previously excluded groups. In the chapter “How to be White,” Yancey covers ground commonly discussed by practitioners of what is becoming institutionalized as “whiteness studies,” including the racialized discrimination and nativism that different European ethnic groups faced before they eventually became socially accepted by Anglos and then later by a more expansive pan-European race simply known as “white.”

Since it is generally argued that these ethnic groups were able to assimilate into whiteness because they had similar phenotypes and could trace their roots to Europe – a point Yancey acknowledges – what makes Who is White? so provocative is its author suggests that European phenotype or ancestry will no longer be prerequisites for becoming white. While the US Census Bureau treats Latino/as as an “ethnic group” of sorts by emphasizing Latin American origin, many are socially read as “brown.” Most Asian Americans are markedly non-European in phenotype and ancestry. Nevertheless, Yancey argues that while they may experience patterns of discrimination and racism from whites, both Latino/as and Asian Americans are following the same pattern of assimilation as Europeans did before them.

Grounding his study within the framework of noted sociologist Milton Gordon, whose work on assimilation emphasized social acceptance by the majority and identification with it from the minority, Yancey provides compelling evidence indicating that Latino/as and Asian Americans are well on their way to becoming white. In the chapter “They are Okay – Just Keep Them Away from Me,” the author analyzes survey data on racial groups’ social attitudes regarding who they approve as potential neighbors as well as marriage partners for their children.

Contrary to the popular image of blacks as racially restrictive, Yancey discovers that black respondents are the most open to all other races. Yet despite being the most receptive to other groups, blacks in general are rejected by all nonblack groups – whites, Latino/as and Asian Americans. While some assume that whites will be closed off to anyone not white, Yancey’s research show that white respondents are more accepting of Latino/as and Asian Americans than they are of blacks. In turn, Latino/a and Asian American respondents are fairly receptive to one another as well as whites. Overall, Yancey’s findings reveal that whites, Latino/as and Asian Americans do not tend to reject one another as possible neighbors or their kids’ spouses, but all three groups show a general resistance to blacks in these social roles.

That all three nonblack groups were found to be more accepting of one another in a way that they were not of blacks suggests that assimilation may be less about desiring whiteness as it is avoiding blackness. Yancey concludes, “The rejection of African Americans, rather than the acceptance of European Americans, is the best explanation of social distance in the United States.”

This assessment will surely be criticized for being “pro assimilationist,” a response Yancey anticipates: “It is debatable whether assimilation is a desirable goal for racial minority groups. I do not take a position either way. However, understanding the ability of a given minority group to assimilate is necessary for determining the degree of acceptance experienced by that minority group.”

Another criticism of Yancey’s work may come from those who argue that Latino/as and Asian Americans are different from whites based upon cultural norms. Such proponents may think that Yancey’s emphasis on majority acceptance gives “whites too much power” by ignoring Latino/as’ and Asian Americans’ distinct cultures or worldviews. Yet Yancey shows that despite their supposed cultural differences from the white majority, Latino/as and Asians Americans do not necessarily reject dominant culture and ideology when it comes to racial politics.

For example, Yancey shows that, for the most part, Latino/as and Asian Americans express dimensions of what he labels a white racial identity, which, according to the sociologist, emphasizes individualism, color-blindness or an aversion to dealing with race, and a belief in European cultural normativity. Analyzing survey data measuring respondents’ opinions of “racialized” issues such as affirmative action, prison spending, welfare, and talking about race, Yancey determines that, even when controlling for social and demographic characteristics, “there was no situation where the nonblack minority groups differed significantly in a direction opposite from that by which European Americans differed from African Americans.” In other words, black respondents were the only group to demonstrate a “distinct” worldview – due, according to Yancey, from experiencing an intense amount of social alienation. Conversely, Latino/a and Asian American respondents did not significantly distinguish their opinions from those held by white respondents. This finding suggests that despite their current status as non-whites, Latino/as and Asian Americans are more apt to hold a white world view than a black one.

Overall, while some will surely dismiss Who is White? as “academic” – a practice many activists and even academics engage in when confronted with political conclusions that make them uncomfortable – Yancey’s research is extremely relevant for contemporary racial politics. Most importantly, Yancey’s findings hint at possible inadequacies of current approaches to “multiracial” America, most of which emphasize a white/non-white paradigm that minimizes or outright dismisses the reality of antiblack racism as the structuring and generative ideology of US race relations and social inequality.

Thus, Who is White? is more than a rich sociological study; it also serves as a blueprint for the political possibilities that lie before us if left unaddressed. In the final chapter, Yancey leaves us with a concluding remark that will hopefully be appreciated for its DuBoisian approach, which is one that challenges today’s activists and intellectuals to not only deal with the past and present, but also with the very real possibilities of America’s racial future:

“Previous research on majority group domination tends to be built upon either the concept that white supremacy is, or was, the dominant ideology among majority group members, or the concept that dominant group members utilize notions of color blindness to protect their racial position of privilege. Both concepts lead to an understanding of an American racial hierarchy formed by a white/nonwhite dichotomy. In such a system all non-European groups face social rejection and theoretically all non-European groups deserve an equal amount of academic attention – even if they have not been receiving it. Yet given the merging of non-black racial minorities into the dominant culture, this white/nonwhite dichotomy is losing relevance. A black/nonblack dichotomy produces more understanding about contemporary race relations. It suggests that the informal rejection of African Americans, rather than a tendency by the majority to oppress all minority groups in a roughly equal manner, is the linchpin to the American contemporary racial hierarchy.”

Tamara K. Nopper is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Temple University in Philadelphia. She is currently working on her dissertation which explores the different sources of capital and resources available to Korean immigrants to open, run and expand small businesses in the US. Contact her at tnopper@yahoo.com.