The U.S. government works with other governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations that provide protection and assistance to refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), victims of conflict, and other vulnerable migrants to address a variety of needs. These include the legal and physical protection needs of refugees as well as their basic assistance needs for water, sanitation, food, health care, shelter, education, and other services (emphasis added).

From U.S. Department of State - Diplomacy in Action

Yet, the internal displacement of indigenous communities throughout the Americas is ignored within the discussion of global displaced populations and within our own national conversation. At most it gets an awkward footnote. Nevertheless, our policies and practices, whether formal or informal, can be traced back to the first European footprints in the western hemisphere. The first formal reservations were established in Oklahoma in 1851 by way of the Indian Appropriations Act, followed by the Dawes Act of 1887 which sought to dismantel traditional communal land tenure. From that point forward in our history, legislation built upon legislation that systematically and institutionally eroded indigenous communal knowledge, rituals, language, traditions and teachings. While Howard Wheeler Act of 1934 attempted to reverse the damaging effects that privatization of land tenure had on indigenous communities throughout the United States, tribal sovereignty was continually breached by the government, particularly the US military. I still find it difficult to comprehend (well not really) that citizenship wasn’t extended to indigenous communities until the Citizenship Act of 1924 and fully implemented until 1948.

Pine Ridge “Indian” Reservation

Over the last three or four months I have come across several articles discussing the effects of the “recession” on indigenous communities throughout the United States. The story of one particular community – the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the 8th largest indigenous reservation in the United States, made me pause. The reservation spans 2,000,000 acres and more than 40,000 individuals call it home.

The families and individuals of Pine Ridge are truly living out the consequences of history in ways that are invisible to mainstream society. Pine Ridge is the poorest reservation in  the United States, as well as among the poorest communities across the country in general. With an unemployment rate on the margins of 80%, more than 49% of the community is (barely) surviving under the federal poverty line with an income of less than $10,000 per year per person. Homes are hard to come by at Pine Ridge.

Portable trailers make up the majority of dwellings at Pine Ridge, with two or more families calling each trailer home. Electricity, landlines, running water, and a working sewer system, all basic needs according to the State Department, are hard to come by.

I dare you to learn more….

What kind of legacy are we leaving?

We are leaving an active legacy, a present-day living narrative that is ignored. The United States continues to internally displace more than 600 indigenous communities – more than 2 million men, women and children – communities that suffer some of the most crippling levels of poverty due to policies and practices institutionalized in the name of manifest destiny. The impact of this is disturbing:

562 indigenous tribes recognized by the US Bureau of Indian Affairs *

4.9 million indigenous people living in the United States, more than 400,000 live on reservations *

less than 40% of 562 recognized indigenous tribes operate casinos *

tribal communities experience barriers to economic development at 4 times the rate as other minority groups, including: lack of access to capital, lack of human capital and the means to develop it, lack of effective planning, poor natural resources and control over the resources they do have, and governmental corruption. *

ratio of indigenous people living below the official poverty level to that of all people was more than 2 *

31.7% lack health insurance coverage and lack to health care access *

32% of those living on reservations live at or below the federal poverty line (that’s 1 in 3 people)  *

30% of homes on reservations are overcrowded, compared to 5.7% of homes of the general U.S. population. *

indigenous people, whether they live on reservations or not, experience the highest rates of poverty indicators compared to other Americans across the board including *:

• highest teen suicide rate 72% higher, 1.7 times the national average)
• highest teen pregnancy rate with the steepest increase in the teen birth rate of any racial or ethnic group
• highest High School drop out rate of 54%
• lowest per capita income ($13,000 versus $16,000 for blacks and $14,000 for latinos)
• highest unemployment fluctuating from 50-90% (and that is without taking the current economic situation into consideration
• 519% more likely to die of alcoholism
• 500% more likely to die of tuberculosis (a treatable disease)
• 195% more likely to die of diabetes than any other ethnic group

What’s Missing from our Thanksgiving Narrative?

Thanks-giving requires remembering. We can’t give thanks without remembering why we have the many blessings in our lives and where they came from. You can’t have one without the other. Remembering and giving thanks are  good and necessary, thins we are all called to on a daily basis. We need to live thanks-giving often and not relegate it to conveniently named holidays throughout the year.

What I am saying is that while we are engrossed in the turkey and trimmings, the parade, the game (s), the Black Friday madness, and spending time with family and friends, we need to remain cognizant of the fact that this holiday was constructed on the legacy of oppression and displacement. It requires us to look for the truth behind the story. For, we have because others do not, and that is not by accident.

I was pleasantly intrigued by a story about a mixed chick from China. Her mother is Chinese and her father is African American, who left China long before she was born.  You can find the story here!

I was just talking with a friend last night at the 2009 SwirlPhilly Happy Hour about how she plans on integrating German, Chinese and African American traditions in her quickly approaching wedding! Congrats – Kim!!!

Anyway, in the past when I have thought about China a fairly homogeneous society came to mind.  However, as in many cases, that is politically and socially constructed myth.

Looking into the archives, this story received quite a bit of traction while she was in the competition but has since died down somewhat.  I wonder if the conversation will continue in China or if it will return to “out of sight and out of mind.”

I get distracted easily – sometimes to my own peril!  Case in point – I was on the bus several days ago (weeks at this point)  trying to finish my much overdo Citizenship Day post.  Everything was hunky dory. One glance to the street and I came face to face with a big ole’ confederate flag license plate on a Ford pickup truck.

I never get used to seeing that symbol of hate, especially up north. I almost expect it when I travel to a southern state. But, in a northern state it seems out of place – at first glance anyway! Reality is that the meaning ascribed to the confederate flag has shifted from being a symbol of the antebellum south to being firmly rooted in the lexicon of iconography of racism and xenophobia that has and continues to permeate through American culture and politics. The Mason Dixon line remains an artifact in the racist history of the United States, but does little to serve as a line of demarcation. The confederate flag and all that it represents flies in all 50 states.

As a quick primer for people not in the know, a confederate flag first made its appearance in March of 1861. The confederate flag would evolve to include thirteen stars (symbolizing the 13 states that seceded from the union). Not until March 1865 did it begin to resemble the current incarnation of the confederate flag that we have come to know. During World War II, Southern soldiers began to use the Confederate “battle flag” (aka “southern cross” or “rebel flag”) as their unofficial emblem. While the official use of the confederate battle flag is quite rare, it has become fossilized as one of the primary symbols of “southern” pride. (I am not sure how much pride someone should have in racism and hate, but to each their own, right?) Apparently residents in most southern states can request a license plate tag featuring the Sons of the Confederate Veterans logo. Brilliant, no?

This brings me to my most recent Christmas experience. To say that it was interesting would be an understatement. My mom spent the holiday with my Dad in Germany. (For those of you new to my blog, my dad is in the US Army and currently stationed abroad). My sister, niece and I drove up to Georgia to spend time with some of her friends. I have never felt more out of place and uncomfortable. I spent much of the long weekend at a neighbors house or visiting friends.

Of course I was the one being inappropriate and “rude” by taking issue with being surrounded by the confederate flag – blankets, screen savers…even confederate Christmas songs. I should not have to explain to my family why I (as a mixed chick) feel uncomfortable in the presence of these images and people who wear them proudly. Sometimes I wonder if it ever crosses their mind that these images are not an appropriate symbol of southern culture – other than as a reminder that hate and bigotry are alive and well in this country, that the South’s ugly past is not behind it. Many couch the meaning of the confederate flag in the debate of states rights. “Southern states were defending their states’ right enumerated in the Constitution.” But, let’s finish that sentence, shall we?! They were defending their states right to uphold the institution of slavery – an institution that viewed and treated blacks as less than chattel!

I have been sitting on this post for far too long. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I am also not going to edit myself away. Needless to say, I don’t want to ever be put into that kind of position again, especially by family. I take as much responsibility for not advocating for myself as much as I should have. Lessons learned….

Thursday was National Constitution and Citizenship Day, a day that commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787, as well as recognizes all who, by birth or by naturalization, have become US Citizens.

Unity in Movement – Citizenship Day Mobilization 2009 hosted events throughout the day in Washington, D.C., in an effort to advocate for more responsibility and accountability among our elected officials for social change and justice.

Today also represents a moment for all of us to reflect on what being or becoming American means, as individuals and as various interwoven communities. All residents, documented or undocumented, are a part of and belong to this narrative.

I am not a citizen. I am actually not sure if I will ever be. Although my birthfather and my dad (who adopted me after marrying my mother) are natural born U.S. citizens, that status was never transferred to me. Long and complicated story aside, the simple answer is: 1) my parents never filed for me at the time of the adoption, 2) I never filed in my late teens, and 3) now I refuse to file until/unless the German government allows me to retain my German citizenship.

I constantly remind myself that I am extremely fortunate that I am able to have these choices, and that I experience little to no adverse effects sans U.S. passport. I feel extremely connected to and invested in U.S. society.  I sometimes even  forget that I am not a Citizen. I am one of the lucky ones. People only know that I am an immigrant because I choose to tell them my story. As in other areas of my life, I pass!  Upon first glance no one assumes that I am an immigrant. No one questions my status or my right to be here, to seek secondary and post-secondary education, to acquire and maintain employment, or to purchase (and sell) a home – to live a happy, safe and full life. I am rarely told to go back to where I came from or that I am a leech on the American taxpayer.

Anti-Immigrant Protester

Unfortunately this isn’t the dominant immigrant experience, especially for immigrants of color. Various organizatons – Southern Poverty Law Center, National Council of La Raza, Immigration Equality, and others – have reported that anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise. It has been for more than a decade. It’s hard to miss, no? Just do a quick google search or check out the likes of Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck. I will spare you the long list of nativist, anti-immigrant hate mongers! Nativist voices have reached a deafening pitch in recent months, particularly as the prospect of comprehensive immigration reform. And the kicker! While CIR is necessary, vital, imperative in fact, it is not going to solve the deep-rooted ideology of hate against immigrants in this country. It’s not about being documented or undocumented.  As long as people/immigrants of color are being profiled solely based on the color of their skin or their accent, the piece of paper is irrelevant in this equation.

Case in point – a recent SPLC Report, Climate of Fear: Latino Immigrants in Suffolk County, NY indicated that immigration status was completely irrelevent to those who use violent rhetoric and actions against ethnic minorities in this country. The report indicated that whether someone is Mexican, Ecuadorian, Columbian, Cuban, etc., the assumption is that every Latino is am “illegal Mexican”. CIR won’t change that attitude.

And honestly, I am not sure what will. Nativists are fueled by an irrational fear that morphs into unabashed hate. I am not sure if legislating them into being descent human beings is really a viable solution. Nevertheless, stronger hate crime legislation and passage of CIR are necessary tools of defense and justice against this undeniable culture of xenophobia.

For background on the he case, please see change.org.’s immigration issues page.

What happened to Julio and Denis was wrong – from the hate crime, to the wrongful prosecution, and to their impending deportation. Let’s not compound the wrongs these two men have and continue to face!

Sign and send this letter, urging PA Governor Rendell and DHS Secretary Napolitano do the right thing for Julio Maldonado and Denis Calderon by providing them the justice they have been denied of for the past 13 years.

Please Call DHS (let’s fill their voice mail) at 202 282 8495 and leave a message to Secretary Napolitano asking her to…. CANCEL the deportation of Julio Maldonado (A30326124) and Denis  Calderon (A37919176) IMMEDIATELY – or – at the minimum provide them with a STAY OF DEPORTATION, DEFERRED ACTION and a RELEASE UNDER AN ORDER OF SUPERVISION until their PARDON petition completes. They are innocent men, victims of hate and injustice. They deserve true AMERICAN JUSTICE.

Dave Bennion, blogger at Citizen Orange, circulated the below email to pro-migrant advocates. It captures the injustice of the situation Julio and Denis find themselves in, and why we need your help to make things right for Julio and Denis:

I’ve been in touch with the family of two men in federal custody right now standing on the brink of deportation, and it is one of the most explosive criminal/immigration cases I have ever seen. If you have a chance to read further, I would be very interested to get your thoughts about the case.

The family is working to raise awareness about the cases of Julio Maldonado and Denis Calderon, latino victims of a bias attack in Philly in 1996 who were then wrongfully convicted and now await deportation after 4 years in federal prison for “failing to cooperate in their own removal.” They are in jail now because they refused to sign the papers required to request their Peruvian travel documents so they could be deported, and for no other reason. Julio is due to be deported at the termination of his prison sentence on September 12. There is a pardon pending before Governor Rendell that would hopefully eliminate the ground for deportation.

The underlying convictions that led to final orders of removal were for attempted aggravated assault stemming from their efforts to defend themselves from an angry white mob in South Philly that shouted racial slurs at them and then physically attacked them. The convictions were twice overturned after new medical evidence emerged but due to the determination of Seth Williams (Philly’s likely next DA) to build his career on the backs of two immigrants (disturbing parallels to what we see in SF with Gavin Newsom and in Newark with Corey Booker–all three of these politicians are rising stars, darlings of the so-called progressive movement), one of whom was the head of the first Latino household in the neighborhood at that time, the vacated verdict was appealed and the men missed a filing deadline for a rehearing.

Tragically, a young white named Christian Saladino who was one of the attackers died after experiencing some sort of stroke or heart attack during the attack. Julio and Denis were acquitted of murder charges in the only jury trial to be held in the case after medical evidence showed that Saladino did not sustain any external physical injuries that could have led to his death and that he had a preexisting medical condition that could have accounted for his reaction. Several witnesses had close connections to the attackers, and favorable witnesses were intimidated through community violence the day after the attack and did not participate. They are willing to speak now.

The criminal charges for attempted aggravated assault stuck and for technical reasons, Julio and Denis missed the window for applying for the more lenient form of cancellation of removal under former section 212(c). One of Philly’s best immigration attorneys, Joe Hohenstein, appealed their immigration case to the Third Circuit but was unsuccessful. Their criminal attorneys took their habeas case to the Supreme Court and lost. I’ve been in touch with Joe and his involvement helped me know right away that this case is legit.

This case has a lot of explosive elements: bias attack against Latinos, wrongful conviction in the criminal system, and harsh immigration consequences. Denis has a USC wife and USC children. Julio lived here since age three and both men were decades-long LPRs. I instantly knew this case was different from most that come into my office. Maria, Julio and Denis’s cousin, has been fighting tirelessly against the very politically connected Seth Williams.

I think the story of these men needs to be heard, because what happened is a particularly outrageous example of what happens every day to immigrant families in Philadelphia and around the country.

Right now we’re trying to get Seth Williams to acknowledge that his actions ripped apart two families. Julio and Denis would have given up and gone to Peru 4 years ago, but they saw that it would have devastated their mothers, so they stayed these last 4 years in prison in the hope that justice might be reached.

Maneesha at Families for Freedom is now working with the family, and we are getting some traction in the blogosphere. But that alone won’t be enough. Again I would love to hear your thoughts about this case.

Miss Belgium

I don’t quite understand the world’s fascination with beauty pageants – parading human beings around like property. Nevertheless, I stumbled upon the intro to Miss Universe 2009 on Sunday night.  After a glance of Zeynep Sever, Miss Belgium and was curious to see who was representing the various other European nations present. Zeynep is originally from Turkey. She and her mother moved to Belgium when she was 12. After winning the title, she quickly found herself in the middle of a charged racial debate over whether a non-Belgian (read, not white) should be allowed to win the crown and represent Belgium at the Miss Universe or Miss World competitions. Because…well, we all know all Belgians have blond hair, blue eyes and are white, right?

Miss Switzerland

This same debate was playing itself out in other European countries. I discussed the controversy in several blog posts when Whitney Toyloy was crowned Miss Switzerland last fall. Many protestors argued that she could not adequately represent Switzerland, because she wasn’t actually Swiss.  (Age was another lesser factor compared to her ethnic makeup.)  She is of American, Chinese, Panamanian and Swiss heritage.  Some even called for pageant officials to rename the competition “Miss Multiculti” to more ‘accurately’ reflect who was wearing the crown. This rests on the assumption that to be Swiss is the white, a narrow and highly inaccurate reflection of the actual demographics of the Swiss population.

In the same month, Avalon-Chanel Weyzig, who is half Indonesian, won the Miss Netherlands competition. She received far less brumtata about her win.  The fodder took on a different dimension. A great deal of it focused on how exotic she is, that being ethnic gives her a particular edge over other contestants. One reporter went so far as to say that her look catapulted her within the top five likely contenders to win the crown. The response? Avalon received an increase in hits on a pageant betting site.

Miss Netherlands

Fast forward to December 2009 – Chloe Mortaud is crowned Miss France. She is French and African American, Creole in fact. France has crowned several black and mixed women over the last 10 years or so. Yet, there was still debate around her win. Prior winners from former French colonies. The rucus surrounding the current Miss France stems from her American roots. Race seems to be somewhat secondary, although there several off colored racial remarks posted to various list servs.

Miss France

All of this intrigues me. I am most intrigued by the comments left on various blogs and sites that announced these contest winners. Many comments are blatantly racist and xenophobic. “Why are foreigners representing [fill in the blank].” “The contest should be renamed Miss Multikulti” “Foreigners are taking over. We will be a Muslim country before you know it.” “I am not being racist….just protecting my culture.” ….and so forth!

So, is the fact that more European countries are awarding their highest pageant titles to mixedchicks a sign of  a shift in the tide? Or, is it just another way in which white Europeans are choosing to eroticize women of color?

I have been following the health care debate, if you want to call it that, and find myself increasingly disturbed and disgusted by the lack of decorum and common sense.  While I was quite amused by the ways in which the manipulative and disingenuous ways of the political and religious right were playing themselves out on the national stage, I have grown increasingly alarmed by the dangerous rhetoric that has emerged over the last few days. I would like to believe that the political elements powering this monster are unaware of the inevitable ramifications of going down this road will lead us to. However, I am jaded enough to know that they are keenly aware and even intend for such destructive outcomes. So, I am throwing my commentary into the pot!

I come from the country that actually had concentration camps and gas chambers – Arbeitsdorf, Bergen-Belsen, Berlin-Marzahn, Bretenau, Buchenwald, Dachau, Flossenbuerg, Hinzert, Kauferin/Landsberg, Langentein-Zweiberge, Malchow, Mittlebau-Dora, Neuengamme, Niederhagen, Ohrdurf, Osthofen, Ravensbrueck and Sachsenhausen.

I come from a country where more than 6 million, Jews, blacks, Roma and other ethnic groups were murdered because they looked, believed and acted differently from the desired norm. I come from a country that to this day persecutes people who are different, a country in which the NPD (Nationalist Party Germany aka Neo Nazis) continues to feel empowered to wreak havoc on religious and ethnic minorities. Why shouldn’t they? Our political leaders and law enforcement rarely feel inclined to condemn or curb their actions.

The country I came from did this:

…and this:

ohhh…and this:

Those of you who liken Obama to Hitler and compare this Administration’s attempt to provide all Americans – rich and poor, young and old, white, black, latino, asian, mixed – with access to quality health care, to the policies and “services” provided by the Nazi regime, are reckless, deplorable, and vile!

I try not to write blog posts when I am angry. Experience has taught me that it rarely ends well. But, I am angry and I am going to break this rule tonight. The escalating lunacy leaves me with few other options, at least viable ones that will allow me to sleep at night. Can we even call this insanity a debate? At first the grand standing at town hall meetings seemed predictable, silly, pathetic. It clearly smelled of the beltway machine, not grass roots mobilization.  And then came the references to Nazi German, Pol Pot, Stalin and the like. If this weren’t extreme enough, these lunatics begin to show up at town halls armed with semi-automatic weapons. Has the world gone mad?

Yesterday, a woman asked Rep. Frank, a Jew, why he was supporting Obama’s Hitler-esque policies. Not like the semi-automatic fun slinging, hate speech shouting tantrums weren’t enough, but this really does go too far! You wave your bibles and guns but have no sense of decency, propriety, core values, morals, ethics,…common sense! You need to think before you allow for such stupidity to leave your mouth. At least contemplate (if not comprehend) the ramifications of your words and actions. Tens of thousands of Americans are living survivors or descendants of survivors and victims of the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge, Stalin’s Gulags. You cannot even begin to comprehend the suffering countless human beings endured under these abominable creatures.

I am most disturbed by the lack of condemnation coming from the GOP camp.  Their silence, and at times approval, of these fear tactics and lies, will eventually lead to disaster. It is not a question of “if” but “when”! This will not remain an exercise in rhetoric of violence, but will eventually escalate to violent acts. When that happens, the GOP will be to blame! Get your people under control before someone gets hurt, or worse yet, is murdered.

First it’s this:

And this:

Left unchecked, it will turn into this:

and…this:

With that being said, let me tell you a bit about Nazi Germany! Obama doesn’t want to kill grandma, your second cousin twice removed or your dog named Buddy! There are no death panels, abortion mandates, or forced sterilization. I came  from a country that did this, got a slap on the wrist and still, without any ramifications, still discriminates against people within its borders who look, believe and act differently from what has been put forth as authentically German.

The right would like to scare everyone into believing that the intent of the Obama Administration is to replicate this.  Such notions are abominable and reprehensible! If anything, the right is using  chapters out of Hitler’s book – inciting fear, condoning hate speech and violent rhetoric. It isn’t a far leap from this to committing violence against an imaginary and artificially constructed enemy! What other message can be construed from bringing an automatic weapon to President Obama’s town hall meeting?

Now, before the NRA gets bent out of shape – I grew up in a house with guns. My dad is a hunter and has a fairly extensive collection.  I support the notion that law abiding citizens (without criminal records) who have a license to carry, have the right to purchase fire arms. I don’t condone their use as a symbolic threat against the President of the United States, or any other human being for that matter. There is a direct connection, in the US and in Germany, between symbolic, verbal and phychological terrorism and the actual performance of a violent act. So, don’t tell me that you are packing heat as a mere exercise of your constitutional right to do so! This is disingenuous at best!

I am going to call this for what it is – Bullshit!  This is political terrorism, plain and simple!

I am about to launch a series on hate groups and activities in the US and Germany! Stay tuned, I am far from being done with this!

Another conversation we have been having – Loving Day events.  In the past, Swirl Chapters have functioned autonomously from each other and from Swirl National. We hold monthly calls to keep each other informed about local activities and idea sharing. In an effort to build our holistic capacity, we began discussing the possibility of  coordinating Loving Day activities and possibly entering into collaborations with local organizations. In short, capacity building.

What is Loving Day?

Loving Day is an educational community project. The name comes from Loving v. Virginia (1967), the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the United States. Loving Day celebrations commemorate the anniversary of the Loving decision every year on or around June 12th.

Mission Statement:

Loving Day’s mission is to fight prejudice through education and to build a sense of community among people who engage in meaningful interracial and intercultural relationships.

As we were pondering options, the shocking reality of Swirl’s relevance once again reared its ugly head!  While creating community is of utmost importance, challenging convetional notions of race and combating prejudice, racism and bigotry is our central aim.

We have Obama as president, yet still live in an America where racism and racial violence – HATE CRIMES – run rampant! Last week, a California woman was the victim of race and bigotry because she had two children with a Black man. Swirl posted a solid public statement about this atrocity. I have posted it below.

Stay tuned for a Philadelphia Loving Day announcement!

RECENT HATE CRIME SHOULD PROMPT US TO SEE THE REALITY OF RACISM

Jen Chau, Founder and Executive Director of Swirl, Inc.
April 10, 2009

Imagine swastikas and racial epithets spray-painted on your car right outside of your home. It’s scary and very upsetting.

This describes precisely the recent hate crime committed against an interracial family in Los Alamitos, Calif., two days ago (Gleeson, 2009). As frightening and disconcerting as this is, it is important that we shake off our blinders and acknowledge the reality of racism today. We can wonder how something like this would happen in a “nice” neighborhood. We may question why these things are still happening when we have an African-American president of mixed heritage. And we could ask ourselves why people still see color.

Or we can use our time instead to try to understand how racism continues to function in our lives in this country.

Many of us don’t want to admit that this overwhelming problem still exists. Many declared that racism was dead in the days after Obama’s presidential win. Though change and progress are exciting, we cannot believe that racism has completely disappeared. Sometimes it is subtle and sometimes it is dormant, but we cannot be fooled into thinking it no longer exists. The shock that some of us display when a hate crime occurs is evidence that we as a people exist in severe denial. Yes, President Obama is in the White House; and we still have a huge battle with institutional racism ahead of us (e.g. the huge achievement gap in our urban public schools hasn’t magically disappeared yet; a byproduct of institutional racism).

We must hear this terrible story and feel challenged to realistically acknowledge and think about our problems with racism on the individual, cultural and institutional level. The shock that hate crimes still happen doesn’t help us to confront the problem because we are so busy thinking about the incident as a strange occurrence or an outlier. If we believe that these types of crimes don’t happen in certain areas, we don’t feel compelled to address them. Why spend time problem-solving around oddities? However, if you look at the amount of hate crimes that we experience in a year across the country, you begin to see that strange occurrence after strange occurrence adds up to a very real pattern. In 2006, there were nearly 8,000 reported hate crimes (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2007). The truth and the reality remains that racism continues all around us, still. We need to confront this truth honestly and realistically instead of lulling ourselves into believing that racism happens in pockets and doesn’t have a real hold on us.

In this moment, let’s follow Teri Barber’s lead – if she is willing to leave her vandalized car in the street for all to see, we should be able to confront the truth of racism along with her.

References:

Federal Bureau of Investigations (2007, November 19). Hate crime in the U.S.: New stats and a continuing mission. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/hatecrime111907.html

Gleeson, G. (2009, April 8). Epithets painted on mixed-race family car. Retrieved from http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=6752164

Yet, this is exactly what I did this past holiday. My reasoning is quite understandable (at least from my perspective), yet it still does not sit right with me. I chose politeness and “etiquette” over my principles, and I feel crappy about it.

I spent the Christmas holidays with my sister and her friends.  They are nice people and were a vital support system for my sister when her relationship with Christina’s father crumbled. Yet, these people are straight up rednecks – pick up truck driving, wrangler jeans wearing, confederate flag flying Rednecks!

I have a hard time biting my tongue. I slipped once or twice, especially when it came to baby daddy.  Yet, I am quite surprised that I didn’t flip on a few occasions. God knows I had every right to. I didn’t bother to tell my mother, as I knew what her response would be – I am overreacting, I am being ridiculous, I am being too sensitive.

I felt quite uncomfortable with Old Glory all around me – blankets, mini-flags and screen savers. It was all just a bit too much for this mixedchick.  I don’t even know if they realize that I am a mixedchick. Surely they had no clue that I am queer.

While I am disturbed by the circus that was Christmas, I am more appalled by my silence. I felt too uncomfortable to say anything and I felt too trapped to be able to remove myself from the situation. I did have a brief reprieve when I met my Swirlie sister and her family for brunch on Friday.

I should have said something to my sister (at least in private).  Letting her assume everything was fine may not have been the most honest approach. Yet, you live, you learn, and you move on!

Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Co-Organizer, SwirlPhilly
215.776.1172
kathrini@swirlinc.org
Jen Chau
Executive Director, Swirl Inc.
917.291.5227
jenchau@swirlinc.org
www.swirlinc.org

Swirl, Inc. Launches Chapter in the City of Brotherly Love

Swirl, Inc. has partnered with Kathrin P. Ivanovic and Alexis Jeffcoat, two emerging young non-profitleaders in Philadelphia, to launch and grow of a new, local chapter.

Philadelphia, PA, January 4, 2009 – Swirl, Inc. recently joined with Kathrin P. Ivanovic and Alexis Jeffcoat to launch its 11^th local chapter in Philadelphia, PA. Kathrin is a freelance writer who speaks regularly about cultural diversity and transnational race relations. Kathrin hosts The Diversity Projekt on diversity and currently serves as the Director of Development for the Nationalities Service Center. Alexis is a graduate student pursuing her Master of Arts in Humanities at Arcadia University. She previously managed volunteers at Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and just finished developing a volunteer program for Dress for Success Philadelphia. She has also worked on the planning committee for the Walk for Paws, a major fundraiser for the Chester County SPCA.

Philadelphia joins the SwirlFamily in 2009, during this historic time in American history. SwirlPhilly will work to build a community in Philadelphia that draws on its vibrant heritage and abundance of cultural diversity. While many individuals have called Philadelphia home for generations, Philadelphia is also home to one of the largest new-immigrant communities in the country.

Swirl has developed a two-pronged philosophy and vision focused initially on community building followed by programming focused on diversity advocacy and education. Through local community building, Swirl aims to challenge the idea that all individuals should be able to fit in one neatly packaged racial identity, label, or ethnic group.

Swirl provides space for individuals who want to explore their identity, relate to others with similar experiences, or initiate community-led projects aimed at changing the way that society understands race and identity. Local chapters ultimately focus on growing and building capacity, and expanding programming to include a broader constituency.

“While Swirl continues to recognize the importance of building communities that support mixed heritage individuals, couples, and families, we increasingly aim to collaborate with a diversity of communities. If we are going to improve the way that we deal with race and identity in this country, it is imperative that we come together. It is easy to talk about tough issues in the comfort of our own communities, but how often do we come together cross-culturally? This is what Swirl aims to do, and I am excited for this sort of space to be created in Philadelphia.” says Jen Chau, Executive Director and founder of Swirl, Inc.

Swirl, Inc. is a national multi-ethnic organization founded in 2000 that challenges society’s notions of race through community building, education, and action. Swirl is active in: Atlanta, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, NewLondon, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

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