Much buzz lately on what defines an “ally.” Below are my thoughts after reading “Accomplices Not Allies” which is posted on Indigenous Action Media. Just read the article Accomplices Not Allies on the ally-industrial complex. I’m with the writer—but for probably different reasons. “Ally” has been imbued with so much …
by Chad Bolla There has been much publicity lately around Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carrillo and his awful behavior as a public servant in Sonoma County. The talk ranges from ridicule to empathy—some calling for his resignation and jail time while a few have demonstrated compassion for his situation and …
I wrote the letter below in support of the middle school students holding a demonstration at their school on April 23, the 6 month anniversary of their school mate Andy Lopez’s killing by a Sonoma county sheriff. It appeared in the Press Democrat on April 24 and at 9:30 AM …
by “Z” Yesterday I received an email from Justice for Andy Lopez coalition regarding the suspension of 24 Cook Junior High School Students in Santa Rosa for participation in a demonstration for the 6 month anniversary of the murder of Andy Lopez. The facts as stated were as follows: Students …
by Judy Helfand I teach a course on American Cultures at a community college where the topic last week was socioeconomic class. Through various experiential activities followed by presentations of graphs and statistics, we’d explored the latest information on distribution of income and wealth across America. All of it rather …
African Americans comprise only 12.6% of the population yet they are 37.1% of the prison inmates. This infographic illustrates why their is such a big difference– because at every turn in the criminal justice system, African-Americans are treated harsher than white people. This website post is the best we’ve ever …
A reader brought a provocative post on white supremacist media campaigns to our attention–“White Victim on Parade” by Mike King, an Assistant Professor at SUNY-Oneonta. The seriousness of the misinformation being circulated is demonstrated by the assertion that “60% of working–class white Americans feel that racial discrimination against whites is …
We recently received a letter from one of our readers that we wanted to share with a wider audience. The email letter is posted below. Dear Blog Editor, I believe capital punishment is one of the critical social justice issues of our country, and is, in many ways, the sharp …
On Monday, February 17, 2014 (Presidents’ Day), uniformed security guards at Simon’s Santa Rosa Plaza impeded our first amendment rights to free and unfettered speech, as well as racially targeted and harassed Latino patrons. It all happened in the upstairs food court at the mall. Earlier in the afternoon, many …
When people organize to challenge the oppressive (and often racialized) dynamics in their community, they frequently neglect to consider how those dynamics find their ways into the organizing itself. We do not come together in a vacuum. What happens “out there” also happens, albeit in different and perhaps more subtle …