Everybody's Protest Politics... Are Boring As F*ck

The "protest" novel, so far from being disturbing, is an accepted and comforting aspect of the American scene, ramifying that framework we believe to be so necessary. Whatever unsettling questions are raised are evanescent, titillating; remote, for this has nothing to do with us at all, it is safely ensconced in the social arena, where, indeed, it has nothing to do with anyone.

- James Baldwin from Notes Of A Native Son

Why do we need a permit from the police to protest the latest incidence of police brutality? Why did the press event that took weeks of planning and turning out people get only four lines on the last page of the local paper? Why do radical individuals or groups invest so much in campaigns pushing for liberal change? Or why the majority of nonprofits are funded by foundations with names like Rockefeller, Annenberg, Ford, Walton, Gates - the same rich white oligarchical "titans of industry" that they supposedly organize against?

The revolution will not be televised. It will not come with slogans and propaganda. People will not march down the street. And it is not coming through the ballot box or electoral college.

The current model of community organizing has run on the same treadmill for the past 30 years - and it's going nowhere. Over those 30 years, the racial wealth gap has grown exponentially, wars of aggression continue, and climate change brings increasingly devastating disasters. People are losing their homes and jobs; leaders are being jailed, co-opted, and assassinated; the roots of imperialism have grown so deep and so intertwined that people can no longer imagine a different kind of world.

Press conferences and protests are played out – Rupert Murdoch does not care about your two-hour police-controlled civil disobedience protest in the lobby of his London office (he was in Miami). Your politics are boring.

Community-based organizations still follow the Saul Alinsky-model of organizing to "building power strategically". Readily accepting and working with the system. Working with an electoral campaign or drafting legislation with the hopes that bank/government/whatever-the-fuck accountability will bring about some real change this time around. Your politics are boring.

Organizers and activists are forced to aim for reform or short-term gains. To "save" a closing school - what about the public school system that is systematically failing poor students of color? Or to publicly shame a corrupt politician - what about the structure of electoral politics that allow organized money to push broad-scale political agendas? To put out fires but never to disarm the arsons. Your politics are boring.

(editor’s note: this is not to say short-term gains are not important - they are because oppressed people are forced to operate on survival mode directly because of structural conditions of concentrated power and wealth.)

It’s easy to point at problems. Most folks could wax about all the fuckery in the world. And many do, regularly. To criticize safely from the sidelines. But what does all of your analysis and critique build towards? Your politics are boring.

The difficult part is creating solutions, viable alternatives, liberated and liberative spaces. Solutions that provide for basic needs and rights – food, shelter, education, work, dignity – apart from the system. And in the process, (re)cultivating (re)creating and (re)building community. Models of such structures exist all about us, we just have to look for them.

The Zapatistas have liberated the state in Chiapas.

The Black Panther Party created the Free Breakfast For Children program.

Freedom schools have educated students all over the country for the past 50 years.

* * * * *

It's abundantly clear to me now that truly liberative organizing comes from the ability to bring folks together to build their own means of sustenance. The same old protest politics are going nowhere. The revolution we dream of is in our hands - it is our responsibility to create the world we need.

When there is no need for "the man" or the state; when we can disengage from capitalism or existing systems of oppression and domination; when we no longer need the system to take care of our needs; when we are no longer cogs in the matrix. Only then are we free, self-determined and autonomous.

Whether it means alternative food systems, collective housing, worker-owned cooperatives, freedom schools... the revolution of daily values and the building blocks of community. To hold our glass up to theirs rather than just merely call their glass dirty. This is the means by which we liberate ourselves and each other.

What Would Frederick Douglass Say

“At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.”

– Frederick Douglass, July 4, 1852.

Obituaries: Gil Scott-Heron and Geronimo Pratt

The force of personality of Gil Scott-Heron and Geronimo Pratt are unique and irreplaceable. I'm saddened by the loss of their beautiful spirits. But am inspired to carry on their truth, their light and their strength. Rest in love, peace and power to two titans of our time..

Gil Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 - May 27, 2011)

Elmer "Geronimo ji-Jaga" Pratt (September 13, 1947 - June 2, 2011)

* * * * *

The love that once was born can not die

For it has become part of us, of our life,

Woven into the very texture of our being.

Each of us would wish to leave some part of ourselves,

So here and now we bear witness to the one we knew in life,

Who now in death bequeaths a subtle part, precious and beloved,

Which will be with us in truth and beauty,

In dignity and courage and love

To the end of our days.

- Algernon Black

Know Hope

"Take these broken sounds and mend them into minor symphonies. And this will be the soundtrack to our times. In these busted surroundings and these vacant spaces will transform into telescopes through which we can see both the elsewhere and the anywhere."

- Know Hope

On Love and Light

A Return to Love

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of god.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of god that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

bell hooks on Education

"Educators who have dared to study, and learn, [and practice] new ways of thinking and teaching so that the work we do does not reinforce systems of domination, of imperialism, racism, sexism or class elitism have created a pedagogy of hope."

Os Cangaceiros on Spectacle

"If we sack the banks, it's because we have recognized money as the central cause of all our unhappiness.

If we smash the windows it's not because life is dear, but because commodities prevent us from living at all costs.

If we break the machines it is not because of a wish to protect work, but to attack the slavery of salary.

If we attack police it's not to get them out of out neighborhoods, but to get them out of our lives.

The Spectacle wished to make us appear dreadful.

We intend to be much worse."

weekly links (april 24th edition)

Why A Michigan High School is Ground Zero for US Politics (MSNBC & BAMN)

Call to Save Our Schools (Dissident Voice)

Good Education is a Right, Not a Crime (The Root)

California Schools Move Towards LGBTQ History Lessons (RaceWire)

Three Hip Hop Scholars Talk About Combatting Homophobia (RaceWire)

The Class Dynamics of Asian America (Monthly Review)

US Racial and Economic Inequality Visualized (RaceWire)

Noam Chomsky: Is the World Too Big To Fail? (Common Dreams)

Robert Scheer: The New Corporate World Order (TruthDig)

Why The West Wants the Fall of Gaddafi (Dissident Voice)

Revenge of the Nerds: (Not So) New Representations of Asian Male Sexuality (Racialicious)

Mumia Abu-Jamal: On Reading Franz Fanon (I Am Not A Rapper)

Blaxpoitation's Baadassss History (The Root)

".. And Roses Too," or The Case for Public Arts Funding (Rebel Frequencies)

Slideshow: Crazy Stuff That Has Happened on 4/20 (GOOD)

George Takei Protests Akira Whitewashing (Racialicious)

Bruce Lee Art Made From MetroCards (Angry Asian Man)

The KO Hip Hop Cello-Beatbox Experience (YouTube)

J Dilla: A Documentary of Greatness (tonefresh)

Coachella Roundup: Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Kanye, Cee-Lo & more (OkayPlayer)

Mos Def "Umi Says" Live with The Robert Glasper Experiment, Lupe Fiasco & Kanye West (The Smoking Section)

Why Catherine Ferguson Academy Matters To Everyone

In effort to save the school from closing, students and faculty at Catherine Ferguson Academy organized a sit-in and occupied the school for several hours. Police assaulted and arrested a number of the protestors.

Catherine Ferguson Academy is the only public school in Detroit that serves pregnant teens and teen moms. The specialized school boasts a 90% graduation rate and 100% graduate college acceptance rate - the school requires college acceptance as a requirement for graduation. The benchmark of a "good school" should be its ability to prepare its students for college and careers.

Young mothers in low-income communities of color are among the most marginalized, most overlooked, most abandoned by the system. Catherine Ferguson Academy is one of a few schools in the country designed to meet the needs of young mothers - offering support programs, childcare and parenting classes. The fact that it is the only school in Detroit with these necessary programs and supports is sobering. And that it is slated to close is more than unjust - it's social exclusion.

The bigger picture is that school functions as a socializing and learning space for young people to learn skills and tools that will prepare them for the world. In addition to creating a supportive academic and social space, Catherine Ferguson Academy also runs a successful urban farm, which was featured in the documentary "Grown in Detroit." The urban farming movement has created viable alternative economies in Detroit, New Orleans, the Bronx and other areas hit by abandonment and urban decay.

It's obvious but needs to be said: the school is academically excelling, providing necessary services, building sustainable economy in Detroit.. and it's being closed.

Organizers at Catherine Ferguson Academy posted the following demands:

• No school closings
• Keep all Detroit schools public - no more charters or privatization
• Reinstate all programs and services that have been eliminated, including art & music as well as counselors & social workers
• Student control of curriculum and school character to assure that every Detroit school provides equal, quality education for all
• No discipline or retaliation against any of the participants in the occupation

"I'm fighting because I believe in our school." - Ashley Matthews, 17

Rachel Maddow feature on the struggle of students at Catherine Ferguson Academy:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

* * * * *

No Child Left Behind has systematically dehumanized the education system - reducing students to faceless statistics, restricting teachers to standardized curriculum, and assessing schools on test scores and graduation rates. Thus anesthetizing students, stifling teaching and learning, and suppressing future generations. Core curriculum is prioritized at the expense the arts, music programs, and resources for student health and wellness programs. It has paved way for mass school closings, the spread of charters and the wholesale privatization of education.

It's time we elevate education to a human rights issue. The state of public education effects us all - it's no overstatement that our future depends on our ability to educate our children. The stakes are too damn high. The students at Catherine Ferguson Academy seem to understand that better than anybody.

Related: support organizing efforts at Catherine Ferguson Academy here

On Masculinity and Homophobia, Part 2: A Refection on Sports and What "Soft" Means

Kobe Bryant was caught on camera repeatedly calling referee Bernie Adams a "faggot" in a nationally televised game earlier this week. This incident opened up a whole can of worms: is there a culture of hyper-masculinity and homophobia in sports? (definitely) Are there closeted gay players currently? (probably) Is fining an athlete for his hateful outburst the solution? (obviously not)

After the NBA fined him $100,000, Kobe released the following "i'm sorry that you misunderstood my words"-type non-apology:

"What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone."

So Kobe didn't mean to imply that Bernie Adams was in fact gay. He wasn't hypothesizing about Adams' sexuality or ridiculing the gay and lesbian community at large. He was just angry. And in the heat of a moment, calling someone a "faggot" is pretty much the same as calling them an "asshole" right?

Wrong.

Wrong because the f-word is more than just a word - it carries a sentiment of hatred and oppression. it has a history of violence and abuse. And people have been beaten and killed over the word. The sentiment has led to exclusionary legislation like Don't Ask Don't Tell and California's Proposition 8. On the flipside, it has also inspired the powerful legacy of Harvey Milk and the fearless dignity that emerged during the Stonewall Riots (more on that below). Most significantly, it's shaped LGBTQ communities of color, like the Combahee River Collective, to provide visions for collective liberation and solidarity.

Jay Smooth on "Christopher Street Boys":

All too often in sports, homophobic slurs are thrown around to challenge an opponent's strength and manhood. "Gay" and "faggot" is immediately linked to "weak" and "soft." Calling someone "gay" is in essence an assertion of male dominance - like saying "I'm more manly than you." under these toxic conditions, the result of the game is only the means to an end. The ends is physical, emotional and psychological domination over an opponent or challenger. Just like in war - boys killing other boys to prove their manhood.

When a singular vision of masculinity is assumed in sports. A strange sense of athletic exceptionalism emerges - a blend of "god-given ability", hard work, and traditional patriarchal roles (alpha, warrior, breadwinner, father, stud). Anyone that does not measure up to that particular (and arbitrary) standard is viewed as weak, soft and less of a man. Especially in the homoerotic context of sport, the socially-constructed standard of manhood is both contradictory and destructive.

Personally, the most interesting aspect of sport is the raw humanity: cheering for the underdog, last-minute upsets, the growth of an athlete, striving for limits, breaking records. And little by little, that humanity is being stripped away. With each steroid scandal, each hometown hero that abandons their fans, each corporate sponsorship and each athlete living above the law, I lose that sense of connection. Kobe made a mistake and said some hurtful stuff. but rather than reacting, let's get to the source of the pain. Let's transform the culture that has allowed such language to be carelessly thrown around. Let's cherish our athletes for being imperfect, vulnerable, human. Let's view sports as friendly competition rather than aggressive domination. And let's exchange a handshake or hug afterwards.

Related: a beautiful show of solidarity between fans and players in Brazil in support of a gay team member.

weekly links (april 17th edition)

artwork by: Banksy

Grace Lee Boggs on Detroit and "The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century" (Democracy Now)

Chris Hedges: Why The US Is Destroying Its Education System (TruthDig)

Maryland Passes Its DREAM Act (RaceWire)

Twenty-Two Senators Ask Obama to Stop Deporting DREAMers (RaceWire)

Feeding the World: It's Not About Quantity (Common Dreams)

If Congress Looked Like Us (Sociological Images)

DC Mayor Vince Gray Arrested in Budget Battle Protest (RaceWire)

Dissecting Laissez-Faire Theory (Dissident Voice)

Egypt Dissolves Former Ruling Party (Al Jazeera English)

On DJ Mister Cee, Malcolm X and Online Homophobia (RaceWire)

Pushing Back Against Homophobia in Sports (Sociological Images)

Hear This: Les Nubians, Ambrose Akinmusire, Pharoahe Monch (The Root)

De La Soul's 3 Feet High And Rising Inducted in the Library of Congress (The Smoking Section)

Radiohead: The King of Limbs Bonus Tracks (Pigeons & Planes)

On Masculinity and Homophobia, Part 1: A Reflection on Hip Hop, Malcolm and More

Homophobia and transphobia was at the forefront of much public discussion this week: legendary DJ Mister Cee was arrested for allegedly having sex with a transwoman. And in Manning Marable's new biography of Malcolm X, the author hints that Malcolm was in a homosexual relationship.

This allegation is especially significant when thinking about all that Malcolm represents. Ossie Davis eulogizes Malcolm as "our manhood. our living Black manhood.. our own Black shining prince." Malcolm represented a specific paradigm of Black masculinity for those who know what it is to struggle.

Early hip hop groups have run with this renewed sense of what it is to be a Black man in amerika: powerful, aggressive, lawless, threatening to the white establishment. This NWA identity (and a few others) was deeply ingrained in the public consciousness of mainstream amerika until Barack Obama flipped the script - making it cool for Black men strive for lifestyles previously reserved for white folk and Uncle Toms.

As usual, reader comments are the real story in the reaction to the Mister Cee and Malcolm X. Many (if not most) comments were rooted in conservative and oppressive views of gender and sexuality. Reader comments either protected their martyr or ridiculed anyone who could possibly have sex with a trans person. Either way, publicly revealing much discomfort with challenging traditional views of gender and sexuality. (A new biography claiming Mahatma Gandhi was in a homosexual relationship evoked similar responses.)

Kanye West once profoundly stated that "being gay" is the opposite of "being hip hop." He points to hip hop being a hyper-masculine culture - where in violence and misogyny are normalized. In this culture, challenging one's "manhood" is a diss. And accusing someone of being gay is the ultimate form of disrespect. So the hip hop community's response to Mister Cee's arrest sadly should not be surprising.

Jay Smooth on The Gay Hip Hop Book:

While rap music is notorious for misogyny and homophobia, it is a symptom of a much larger problem. Several archetypes have emerged for men in hip hop: the drug dealer, the pimp, the gangster.. hardly uplifting or positive. The deeper truth is that little space is made for Black men who fall somewhere between Barack Obama and 50 Cent - a dichotomy the Baracka Flocka Flames video satirically points at.

The more we are able to deconstruct what it is to be "a man", the closer we are towards ending homophobia and misogyny. In the context of hip hop, that means defying the paradigms of manhood in the culture. That means men must redefine themselves internally and in relation to others. Men must be comfortable being their human selves, rather than playing a character. They must stop asserting violence to signify power and women to signify virility. And they must must must stop with the "no homo" and "pause" stuff.

Stunning Collaboration: Yo-Yo Ma & Lil Buck

weekly links (april 10th edition)

Stop Waiting For a Savior (NY Times)

On Teachers Calling Kids "Future Criminals" and the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Racialicious)

The Price of Choosing Jails Over Schools (The Root)

How the Racial Wealth Gap Hurts Children of Color (The Root)

The Link Between War and Big Finance (truthout)

Bolivia Enshrines Natural World's Rights with Equal Status for Mother Earth (UK Guardian)

Tony Porter: A Call to Men (TED Video)

On Diddy, Blockbuster and A Thing Called Karma (The Smoking Section)

"Don't Stop" and The State of the Supergroup (Passion of the Weiss)

Madlib's Trash is Another Man's Treasure (LA Weekly)

Janelle Monáe on Music and Being The Other (Racialicious)

Pedro Noguera (on the importance of education)

"Despite all the ways recent educational reforms have taken the soul out of education--overemphasizing testing, underemphasizing learning, treating teachers like technicians rather than creative professionals, humiliating schools rather than providing them with support--the fact remains that through education, we have the power to inspire the innate ability in all human beings to dream and create."

On Rebellion and Revolution

The Egyptian people are back in the streets, chanting "Tantawi is Mubarak and Mubarak is Tantawi", and resuming their struggle for democracy and just society. Egypt continues to be a shining example of the people making government and civil society work for them. The intentional movement-building during their uprising - between students, labor, religious institutions, even. elements of the police and military. They inspired people all over the world by coming together and forcing Hosni Mubarak out. Much love and respect to the people of Tunisia too.

Mow Egyptian protestors face a military dictatorship that promises open elections but flexes their muscles to repress and silence. The Egyptian military forcefully removed protestors from Tahrir Square a couple days ago, killing at least one and injuring 70 more. Heads high in the face of state violence, the people are still there. Regime change is a gigantic first step. but the path is long and regime change is no revolution - revolution takes time and intention. economic, political, civil and social structures need to be reimagined and rebuilt. But although installing a new model for society will be a learning process, the Egyptian people appear to be ready to get their hands dirty in the rebuilding of their nation.

The people in Egypt are conscious that their struggle is not limited to them. But that they are connected to liberation struggles throughout history and all over the world. below, an Egyptian protestor gives a nod of solidarity to Wisconsin workers.

Similarly, chancellor of education Cathie Black resigned/was fired thursday, after embarrassingly low approval ratings in her 3rd month on the job. Despite her blatant lack of qualifications, this was not about Cathie Black. After 9 years of mayoral control over public education, New Yorkers are fed up. Public schools in low-income communities of color are chronically underfunded and over-policed - standardized tests, teachers restricted by curriculum, overcrowded classrooms, outdated and too few books, and metal detectors haven't left with Ms Black.

Many tough questions remain for us who are committed to education reform: what lessons did the higher ups at the department of education learn? How can we most effectively position ourselves? What kind of education do we hope for our children and what systems do we need to put in place to realize those hopes? And how much are we willing to struggle to build these new systems?

If community control was restored to public education, we would be have space to create the curricula and programs we need. If students, teachers and schools were free from standardized tests, we would be well on the way to inspiring and nurturing teaching and learning. If funding was equitable, we would be equipped to address the causes of low attendance and high drop-out rates. We need to realize that education reform isn't happening on by school, school district or even by borough basis. We need to organize across neighborhoods and across issues to challenge power at its source. And we need to have a shared vision for our schools and our education system.

I close by saying this:

Fight The Power 2011

Chuck D, ?uestlove and Black Thought with the "sound of the funky drummer." This shit right here gives me goosebumps.

weekly links (april 3rd edition)

The Straight Dope: Bill Moyers Interviews David Simon (Guernica Mag)

The US-Euro War on Libya: Official Lies and Misconceptions of Critics (Dissident Voice)

Phllly's Got Love for Students, Too (RaceWire)

Monopoly Was Created to Teach Capitalism (Capitalism Is Over If You Want It)

The Collapse of Globalization (TruthDig)

Cesar Chavez and Migrant Farmworker Rights (Sociological Images)

Garden As If Your Life Depended On It, Because It Will (Dissident Voice)

More Black Men Imprisoned Right Now Than Enslaved in 1850 (The Root)

Where The Wu-Tang Clan Meets Jazz (A Blog Supreme/NPR Jazz)

On Japan, Disaster and Humanity

.. by working on my/your/ourself.

I've spent a lot of time in the past month folks' reactions to the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. The on the ground footage of the 9.0 earthquake and the tsunami washing away entire towns and cities was terrifying. and while some of the responses have been infuriating, most have been uplifting and inspiring.

I was especially wary after how people treated each other after Hurricane Katrina stirred so much bitterness. But stories of people in Japan opening up their homes to the homeless, sharing what little food they have with the hungry, and holding their heads high with dignity have moved me. and led me to some conclusions.

At the core of any sort of progress, there has to be the intention to stretch our ability to see the humanity in each other. In order for us all to sustainably co-exist on/with this planet, we need to shift from self to common-interest. and more important than measurable social gain is sense of community.

In the following video, Grace Lee Boggs speaks on the fact that "we need a very different philosophy on what it means to be a human being. and we have a tremendous opportunity to advance our evolution to a higher stage."

Iersonally, i'm still wrapping my head around what (r)evolutionary politics look like. and at this point, i'm not fucking with ideology. I'm just trying to build on basic values i believe in: compassion, community, self-determination, dignity, equality, kindness, spirituality, and creative expression. and living those values, rather than spouting them out.

* more info on how to support Japanese relief efforts.

James Baldwin (on being educated)

"The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated."

reimagining the education paradigm

for a long time, i'd casually dismiss schools as "more concerned with indoctrination than education." but after spending a little time with bronx high school students, i quickly realized that we are at a critical point in education right now. and the stakes are very high.

i've been grappling with what a "good education" could be. i have some thoughts on cultures, values and skills important to pass along to our next generation. and i'm exploring programs, resources and curricula to meet those needs. so solutions and alternatives are at the front of my mind whenever a critiques of standardized tests, No Child Left Behind, the school-to-prison pipeline, teachers unions or charter schools pop up. over time, i hope to sharpen those arguments and visions through this blog.

in the meantime, this RSA Animate video is one of the more provocative and original critiques of education i've seen.

Greetings and Thanks For Stopping By

Allow me to introduce myself..

My name is Shaun. I'm an Asian-american who is from many places and now lives in Brooklyn. Ieducate and organize young people in the bronx. i'm a book nerd, a hip hop nerd, and likely many more forms of nerd. I'm into spirituality but am not religion. I like politics but not government. I believe in self-determination, equality, and reparations. I love people and all things that bind people together - music, food, art, philosophy, sports, movies, dialogue, sex, chess..

Words you may see a lot on this blog are: identity, education, culture, roots, hip hop, society, r/evolution and freedom. If that's your shit too, please stick around, even (and especially) if you strongly disagree. I started this blog with the one intention of opening up discussion. so "say it wit ya chest" but keep it civil if you like, dislike, or just want to discuss anything further.

Peace and blessings.