Featured Post: communities

We haven’t always been abolitionists

Some lessons from the Mark Wahlberg campaign as we embracing our transformation towards abolition.

By sumi dutta, Laura Li, & Turner Willman

  • A group of South Asian American protestors outside, smiling, holding signs with messages like 'Tone down police aggression' and It could be my grandpa! (sad smiley face)'

    Towards a Selfish Solidarity: Building Deep Investment in the Movement for Black Lives

    ideas • Apr 28, 2016 • By Sasha W.

    The need for a deep and selfish solidarity of South Asians with #BlackLivesMatter became nationally visible last year. Sureshbhai Patel, an Indian man visiting America to care for his grandson, was mistaken for “a skinny Black man” by a neighbor who called the cops. When the cops could not communicate with him, because Mr. Patel does not speak English, one officer brutally slammed Mr. Patel into the ground, leaving him partially paralyzed. The police were called on Mr. Patel because he was mistaken for “a skinny Black man;” he was brutalized, beaten to the point of literal paralysis but not killed, because he was understood to be Indian and immigrant. Read More

  • Block letters on a black background: 'Fighting for the future of our youth should UNITE us. It's time to show REAL LEADERSHIP. Support Affirmative Action. Support Equal Opportunity.'

    Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Community Organizations Stand Up for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education

    communities • May 10, 2015 • By Juliet Shen

    Those who are truly committed to equal educational opportunity should demonstrate real leadership and reinvest in higher education throughout the nation to expand access, affordability, equity, and student success. Decades of disinvestment in higher education across the country have made college less accessible for all students, especially students of color. We call for unity in standing up for the future of our youth and realizing the promise of equal opportunity for all in the United States. Read More

  • Celebrity chef Eddie Huang, wearing a New York Knicks hat, camo jacket, and hoodie, stands in front of a graffiti-covered wall.

    'Got U Boo' and Other Things to Leave in High School

    identities • May 5, 2015 • By Jason Fong

    Eddie Huang’s tweets show that he believes himself to be above anyone who dares challenge him and denigrates their opinions by implying that they are trying to ride on his coattails. It’s convenient for him to attack anyone who dares challenge his position as someone seeking attention or wanting to date him because this can also be a deterrent against other critics. And with this line of 'reasoning,' he can deflect attention from his poor communication skills and onto the person trying to ask an honest question. Read More

  • Tina Fey, in a sleeveless white top and black skirt, and Amy Poehler, in a purple dress and blue necklace, grimace awkwardly as they stand on either side of Margaret Cho, dressed in a faux North Korean military uniform, wearing white pancake face makeup, leering into a microphone.

    The Meemao Monster

    culture • Jan 11, 2015 • By Kao Kalia Yang

    My daughter pointed to the television set. She was fascinated by Margaret Cho. Maybe she recognized someone that looked a little like her mother? Maybe she recognized someone that sounded a little like her mother when my Hmong accent grew thick? My daughter turned to me. She pointed back at the television. She said, “Meemao”…monster. Read More

  • Mark Wahlberg, clean shaven and wearing a suit and tie, smiles as he is lit from the front against a black background. The photograph is of his shoulders and head, and he is in 3/4 profile.

    8 Things Mark Wahlberg Can Do To Atone For His Crimes

    culture • Dec 7, 2014 • By Cayden Mak

    I’ve read a lot of feedback over the past couple of days about our petition to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to reject Mark Wahlberg’s pardon request. The most interesting feedback was the thought-provoking stuff: specifically, let’s assume, for sake of argument, that Wahlberg has changed in the past 25 years. If that’s true, what could Wahlberg do to earn our trust, blessing, and goodwill? Read More

  • A drawing with the headline 'Black & Brown Lives Matter' features Michael Brown in the center. Clockwise, from the right, an immigration detention center; an ICE officer with a shotgun; a line of migrants in chains; and a police officer with a drawn pistol pointing at a Black man on his knees.

    A Week of Queer South Asian Rage

    communities • Nov 30, 2014 • By QSANN, the Queer South Asian National Network

    We live in a nation that doesn’t value our lives. President Barack Obama insists that we live in a “nation of laws.” He’s right; we do. We live in a nation of laws where we, as people of color, as immigrants, are less than human. We are denied the right to be with our families, to feel safe in public space, to be American, to live. We are a nation of laws that do not protect us. We are a nation of laws designed to keep us out, to keep us scared, and to keep us running. Read More

  • On a black background, a quote from Lesley McSpadden & Michael Brown, Sr.'s press release: 'We ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.

    #BlackLivesMatter: No Indictment, No Justice

    communities • Nov 24, 2014 • By C.M. Samala

    Despite incredible public outcry and over 100 consecutive days of peaceful protests in Ferguson, Missouri, no charges were brought up against an officer of the law for shooting and killing an unarmed person. Demonstrations expressing frustration, anger, disappointment, and sadness over this decision popped up all over the country last night. Our justice system, yet again, has failed Black America. It has failed America, period. Read More

  • The cover of Jeff Chang's 2014 book, 'Who We Be,' with the autho's name at the top, citing him as 'American Book Award-winning Author of 'Can't Stop Won't Stop'. The title is in big white block letters in the center. At the bottom, the subtitle 'The Colorization of America' is in red and pink.

    We Read: 'Who We Be' by Jeff Chang

    ideas • Oct 20, 2014 • By Cayden Mak

    People in my internet circles have been talking a lot lately about what white people think. Whether it's the Whiteness Project, the new video interview series from Whitney Dow, or Bill O'Reilly, who adamantly refuses to acknowledge that white privilege is even a thing, it seems like we're constantly critiquing, agonizing over, and scoffing at what white people think when it comes to race. For many young people of color, it's so readily apparent that they're wrong, even as people of all races are quick to claim a colorblind, colormute stance. Yet I'm pressed to find as much discussion about why these came to be dominant ideas about race and power. Read More