Feminism :: Racial Politics
Many factors divide us as human beings. Gender is just one of them. Race is another. It's about different levels of oppression. Those of us who are female and of race other than white, perhaps feel doubly oppressed. Do we have to exist within this paradigm? Why do we let others define us in terms that are foreign to us? This concept of "other" is subjective - other in relation to the self. Everything is other to everything else. If we choose to make an issue of it, it dominates our thoughts, actions and lives. However, if we choose to embrace otherness, we would have a more peaceful and loving world.
Silent Beats
Directed by Jon M. Chu, a student at USC, this short film won the Princess Grace Award. It stars a young black man, an Asian cashier, an white old lady shopper. Their pre-conceptions of each other play out at the store where the young biked to buy some water, bandages, and an apple. Their interactions were affected by their assumptions about each other. The atmosphere is tense as they become hyper aware of each other. It is an interesting study of race relations.
Apology to My Unborn by Bassey Ikpi
Bassey Ikpi, from Brooklyn, wrote the poem for her son. She performs it in front of an audience at a Def Poetry Jam during which she was 7 months pregnant. She talks about her hopes, freedom, dreams for her unborn. She wants her baby to be nothing like her. She apologizes to her unborn child for bringing him into an imperfect, unkind world.
Tammy Bruce: On Being Ostracized
Tammy Bruce, contributing editor to frontpagemag.com, talks about being ostracized by the feminist establishment and NOW for she saw OJ Simpson as simply a man who killed a woman, rather than focus on the racial politics. She remembers feeling isolated from her family, mentor, and people she trusts.