Racism
Supreme Court Rejects Mumia Abu-Jamal Re-Trial
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Mumbia Abu-Jamal’s request for a new trial in the case of the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Michael Faulkner. In the time I have lived in Philadelphia, I have witnessed numerous protests for and in opposition to the various appeals filed by Abu-Jamal’s legal representatives. However, I claim ignorance on [...]
Changing European Demographics Reflected in Miss Switzerland Pageant
The recent controversy surrounding the crowning of the new Miss Switzerland, Whitney Toyloy, made its way into the Swiss Tagesanzeige. Many respondents to the article voiced concern about Ms. Toyloy’s age influencing her ability to balance title year responsibilities and maintaining her school obligations. Meanwhile, other respondents questioned whether she could adequately represent Switzerland, as [...]
Blackface Alive & Well in Germany (and elsewhere in the world)
A Slant Truth and a post on BlackGermans recently reported on two incarnations of blackface in pop culture – one in Kansas and another in Germany. Spiegel Online recently ran an article about German Dollmaker, Marcel Offermann, and his newest creating – a blackface Barack Obama doll. This stereotypical depiction yet again illustrates the way [...]
Berlin, Germany: Muslims to Meet Gays and Lesbians in Day of Understanding
On October 3, more than a thousand Mosques across Germany will open their doors to non-Muslims in an effort to promote diversity, cultural dialogue and understanding. Since its launch in 1997, it remains the only initiative of its kind, and hundreds of mosques and Islamic associations have joined this initiative since its inception. The primary [...]
2007 Article in SPIEGEL Re: Occupation Children
Children of the Enemy By Mary Wiltenburg and Marc Widmann In the decade after World War II, more than 100,000 babies were born to unwed German mothers and Allied soldier fathers. Most of the men left Europe without ever meeting their children. Now, many “occupation babies” are scrambling to find their fathers before it’s too [...]
SISTERS – Gender Riots and some musing….
My Papa is the best! I asked him a few weeks ago to pick up the new CD from SISTERS called Gender Riots. While it was not out yet, the man stood in line on the day of its release and procured a copy for me; he sent it off a day later. I am [...]
