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By Julia Brucculieri
The Difference Between Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation Is Tricky. As Fordham University law Professor Susan Scafidi told Jezebel in 2012, appropriation is “most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.” To expand on Scafidi’s point, look at Kim Kardashian’s recent “Bo Derek braids” controversy. Kardashian, who is inarguably privileged, posted an image of herself wearing cornrows, crediting Derek as her inspiration. But cornrows, a hairstyle very much associated with black culture, have a complicated history that goes back
In addition, the NFIB says business owners can deduct up to 20 percent of claimable income. According to the NFIM, taxpayers will not have to file deductions to claim the deduction, “and may simultaneously claim this deduction and the standard deduction.”
further than Derek. As Manigault-Bryant pointed out, Kardashian wearing braids “becomes a kind of symbol of beauty in some ways.” But black students have been punished for wearing similar hairstyles. That double standard, she said, “complicates the idea of appropriation. “Derek responded to the controversy by arguing that cornrows “are just a hairstyle” (which, again, isn’t true for many people) that she wore for a movie, the 1979 film “10.” However, Derek also acknowledged on Twitter that she’d copied the hairstyle “from Ann-Margret’s backup singer from her Vegas Show. “And we all copied Queen Nefretari. I hope Her Royal Highness is flattered,” she wrote. (Derek’s mother was a makeup and hair artist for Ann-Margret, the Swedish actress, when Derek was young. People magazine notes that “Derek might be referring to the Egyptian Queen Ahmose-Nefretari, sometimes known as Ahmose-Nefertari, who was buried with braids.”) That acknowledgement by Derek, Manigault-Bryant explained, is “a critical piece” of information when it comes to appreciation vs. appropriation. At the same time, Derek was late to acknowledge her inspirations ― not unlike Murad, who cited “the Sioux, the Navajos, [and] the Iroquois” in a statement after his fashion show had already happened. Read Entire Story www.sdmonitornews.com
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California: At the Forefront of Common-Sense Gun Reform VOICE S.E. Williams/Contributor As this year’s legislative session came to a close last week, California representatives weighed in on common sense gun reform with the passage of two measures, SB1100 and SB1177, which raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 and expanded prohibitions on the purchase of more than one firearm a month, respectively. On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 people and wounded an additional 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The perpetrator was 19-years old at the time of the incident, and he used assault rifles. Following the incident Florida passed legislation to increase the minimum age for buying rifles to 21 years. The National Rifle Association challenged the law and filed a lawsuit in the United States District court for the Northern District of Florida alleging that the ban on gun sales to people under 21 years-of-age was unconstitutional because it violated their rights under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, because 18-year-olds are classified as adults.
The San Diego Monitor 4 “Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say, ‘we are not afraid,’ and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.” -President Barack Obama
It will be interesting to see whether the NRA prevails on this issue because the U.S. Supreme Court has previously let stand the federal law that prevents people under 21 from buying handguns. Across the country since 2009, eleven mass shootings have been committed by men aged 21 and younger. California’s SB1100 received strong support from California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The organization shared its belief, the provision made sense because those under 21 years-of-age are disproportionally linked to crime. The organization noted, “In 2015, 23.4 percent of those arrested for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in the U.S. were under 21 and 26.5 percent of those arrested for ‘weapons carrying, possession, etc.’ were under age 21.” Young people between the ages of 18 and 20 are only four percent of the population, but according to the Brady
organization, they commit 17 percent of gun-related homicides. Adding in part, “. . . maturity, impulsive or reckless behavior and responsibility vary greatly among 18 to 20-yearolds.” It further noted how this is recognized in other areas as well stressing, “Those under age 21 cannot buy alcohol, rent a car, or purchase a handgun, and the same age restriction should apply to long guns.” It is also important to keep in mind that in addition to the devastation that results from mass shootings, firearm violence is among the leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults. Also, suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24—51 percent those who committed suicide used a firearm. A study of handgun sales in California by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that suicide was the leading cause of death for handgun purchasers in the year following a gun purchase. In the first week after purchase, the study showed the firearm suicide rate among purchasers was 57 times higher than that of the general population. Last week, state legislators passed SB1100, and in the process agreed to change existing California law in this regard. This bill now prohibits the sale or transfer of “any firearm” [not just handguns] by a licensed dealer, to any person under 21 years of age. Read entire story www.sdmonitornewscom
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The Mis-Eulogy of Aretha Franklin: A True Five-Star Queen of Soul
I have known the Rev. Jasper Williams for a long time and respect him as an individual. I wonder, however, if he understood the meaning of “eulogy” in the wake of the unfortunate sermon he delivered at Aretha Franklin’s funeral in Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple last week. I attended the funeral for eight hours, and I joined Miss Franklin’s family in condemning Rev. Williams’ decision to use a critical moment in history to espouse personal political views rather than to righteously honor The Queen of Soul’s life and legacy. In his supposed eulogy, the Rev. Williams repeated the false narrative that black women are incapable of raising boys into men. He then echoed President Trump in suggesting black-on-black crime in cities like Chicago is the main issue – neglecting to address systemic injustices inflicted on African American communities. The Rev. Williams doesn’t just need to study history. He needs to read, and re-reread, first the story of Jesus’ death on the cross. Apparently, Jesus’s father was not at the cross when the Christian savior died on the cross. There were only women and John’s beloved disciple whom Jesus said, “Son behold thy mother; mother behold my Son.” From that moment on John became a surrogate to Jesus family, and that family produced James, who became the leader of church at Jerusalem. Moreover, Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver, Jesse Lewis Jackson and yours truly, did not have a constant father image
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present. But these iconic men still achieved. In the next instance William Golding’s Lord of the Flies – a book about young civilized British schoolchildren who survive a plane crash on an uninhabited island. The children gradually devolve into a devastatingly low level of humanity as they attempt to form a new society on the island, and that scenario does much to explain what is going on in the more violent areas of Chicago. After the first and second world wars, resources were scarce and African Americans migrated in droves to cities like Chicago for work, particularly in the defense industry during WWII. After the second war ended and factories closed, families in African American communities were left jobless in areas that lacked quality education, adequate housing, and so forth. Like the British schoolboys, they were left stranded on an island without human necessities and a culture of violence emerged. Last Friday in her eulogy Aretha Franklin should have been recognized, not only for her voice, but for her not giving up on our marginalized communities. If I had delivered the eulogy, I would have called her a Five-Star Queen of Soul, and then explained why. Her eulogy would have told her story, about how her passion for education along with her
The San Diego Monitor father, the late Rev. C.L. Franklin; who also had a “milliondollar voice.” Aretha was a high school dropout, but she was a strong supporter of education, regularly assisting organizations like the United Negro College Fund. So, she was an enlightened woman who had respect for education. That’s the first star for the “Five –Star Queen of Soul.” Queen of Soul “Yes, who’s compelling music soul was carried throughout the generations. She was also an encourager. She lived to encourage others, and to help others. From the time she sang at her father’s church, she also alongside her father fed people in need. She never stopped helping people at the church through donations and other support, becoming an inspiration to the community. NBA legend Isaiah Thomas said he got to know Aretha Franklin when he was a bad boy in the league. “I got here to Detroit, Aretha sat me down, her and Mayor Coleman Young, and they kept asking me what are you going to do? What are you going to say about Detroit?” Thomas said in his more accurate form of eulogy to the Queen. “And they taught me about Detroit. And they gave me the courage to speak about race, and class and gender while I was a champion.” Read more on www.sdmonitornews.com
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Heroes are Heroes When it Counts McCain Leaves Mixed Legacy Among Some Black Californians, His Vote on Healthcare May Change Their View. By Manny Otiko | California Black Media The news is currently filled with stories about the life of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona.) McCain was involved with several major events of the last 50 years, such as the Vietnam War, where he was a POW, and his 2008 presidential campaign, which he lost to the first black president, Barack Obama. However, some Facebook posts by black people are questioning the adulation being heaped on McCain. One read "Name one thing John McCain did for black people?" Another post said, "Just trying to figure out what was his major contribution to the black community?"
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While McCain had a mixed record on racial issues such as not initially supporting the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, supporters and news reports have been sharing a rare moment during a campaign event when McCain defended then-candidate Obama from a racist voter at a Minnesota town hall who had heard “he was an Arab.� McCain grabbed the microphone from her and said. "No, ma'am, he's a decent family man and citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what the campaign's all about. He's not an Arab." McCain and former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) were also among the first legislators to call for an official pardon for former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, who was arrested for dating white women. (Trump eventually pardoned him.) And McCain later admitted that he was wrong on the MLK vote. During his political career, McCain developed a reputation as a maverick, because he did not always follow party-line votes. According to the National Journal, McCain's voting record was 60 percent conservative and 40 percent liberal. However, McCain's maverick streak saved health care for millions of Americans. President Donald Trump made it his mission to repeal Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Health Care Act also known as Obamacare.