• 18th May
    2012
  • 18
  • 24th April
    2012
  • 24
  • 24th April
    2012
  • 24
amantesuntamentes: “The U.S. locks up children at more than six times the rate of all other developed nations. The over 60,000 average daily juvenile lockups, a figure estimated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), are also disproportionately young people of color. With an average cost of $80,000 per year to lock up a child, the U.S. spends more than $5 billion annually on youth detention.” - Pete Brook, Wired.com (click through for source article) For comparison, the annual spending for k-12 education (per child) is less than $8000 (source) - it costs 10x less to educate than incarcerate. part of the problem is who is doing the educating and what they are teaching our children about themselves and each other.

amantesuntamentes:

“The U.S. locks up children at more than six times the rate of all other developed nations. The over 60,000 average daily juvenile lockups, a figure estimated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), are also disproportionately young people of color. With an average cost of $80,000 per year to lock up a child, the U.S. spends more than $5 billion annually on youth detention.” - Pete Brook, Wired.com (click through for source article)

For comparison, the annual spending for k-12 education (per child) is less than $8000 (source) - it costs 10x less to educate than incarcerate.

part of the problem is who is doing the educating and what they are teaching our children about themselves and each other.

(Source: mywritingmysociety, via hahayou)

  • 8th April
    2012
  • 08
  • 5th April
    2012
  • 05

Kevin asked Why Did I Say Brotha’s Are Constantly Under Assault? Is this a Satirical, Theoretic, or Rhetorical Question?

But…I admit I was mad every time I see a Trayvon Martin news report, or article, or water cooler discusson. I admit, when I repsonded to this question my thoughts were unedited. I admit that in order to survive as the Mother of three black son’s I have had to teach my son’s survival in America through the back of black history books, news articles of what not to become, and lay a clear road map of what they must do to be successful. I admit sadly, I have had to limit my black son’s contacts with other black males to not be victimized by the pereception of “guilt by association” and even that approach has handicapped them socially to interact and truly appreciate their like minded peers. I am not angry by the Trayvon Martin killing. I am enraged America acts like this is not their history and this child’s blood isnt on every one of our hands because we know this elephant in the room exists but we casually ignore it and wait for it to shit, and say why does it smell so stank! My heart is eternally broken for all of the black men that are in prison and are Trayvon Martin’s by their own lack of self awareness and understanding their role in America. Forgive my words below, they were off the tip top of my tongue and brain and were laced with the fire I as a black woman have to tone down inside knowing men who should support women like me are emasculated by America and further devastated by their own actions and never see the bullet from a George Zimmerman’ gun coming no more than to see the bounty on their life from the time they exit the womb and get off their mother’s cleavage.
Black men are under assault beginning in the elementary classroom. Their behaviors are always perceived as a problem, less patience exhibited with them, not enough cultural diversity training nor understanding by educators. This has them in a backwards motion early on. Parents of black males often tell them to man up, don’t cry, don’t act like a girl, from early childhood. The black male child has no one to run too. With so many growing up without fathers and everyday role models. Then as they progress into teens their size sets them back a step or two more. Who do they look threatening to? Their own likes or inner desires i.e. hair, tats, dress style could easily have them perceived as a threat to everyone and anyone even in their baby face innocence. Role models they are often lost along the way for self identity and self esteem building
The black adolescent and young teen male is most often in the position he has to prove his intent is good whether its in the classroom or life. Let me tell you. Last Saturday I took my 5 year old to a church Easter event at an all white church, it was in the newspaper I felt it was a church in the other part of town its Easter, what Christian would turn another Christian away? They were Nice Kevin. Nice. wonderful. all the kids got a swing at the Pinata. But when my 5 year old son went up to bat.. everyone in the room moved back. They gave him room as if he was Barry Bonds on steroids. It was embarrassing and sad and almost an automatic reaction that everyone in the room felt the black kid had some prowess he would wield that bat with and suddenly this pinata would burst open and candy would fly through the room. When he didn’t hit it that significantly I was embarrassed for them that they thought he had some super powers because he was a black male holding a bat. Kevin it never ends for the black man. If he makes it through an education he is often not surrounded by his peers nor supervisors will be his peers and then he is subjected to the thought he wants and can get any white women in the workplace. So he is a Playboy or Rapist. Then if he continues succeeding none of his actions can be loud toned, or angry, or upset or he will be seen as possibly violent and a thug. I.e. President Obama having to mute himself to be tolerable. The black man is under assault everyday from the time he leaves his mothers womb and cleavage. Please don’t get me started.

My sis  (via oakfool)

(via queennubian)

  • 5th April
    2012
  • 05
marshmallowmegamama: jalwhite: countrygramma: The shirt on the left belonged to a young man who walked into the CIW’s office in November, 1996. He had been picking tomatoes in a field near Immokalee when he stopped to take a drink of water. A field supervisor accosted him, shouted “Are you here to work, or to drink water?”, and launched into him, leaving him badly bruised and bloodied — and determined to find justice. The young worker walked back to Immokalee, headed straight to the CIW office, and sparked a nighttime march of nearly 500 workers on the crewleader’s house. The marchers brandished his shirt as a banner, declaring “If you beat one of us, you beat us all!”, and helped launch a movement that changed Immokalee forever. The shirt on the right belonged to a young man who walked into the CIW’s office last week. He had been working at a vegetable packing house, packing eggplants, about 10 miles from Immokalee when a supervisor approached him. According to the worker, the supervisor criticized his work, and he, thinking the criticism unjustified, answered back. A discussion ensued when, according to the worker and a witness, the supervisor hauled off and punched him in the face. Staggered, he swung back, but was knocked to the ground by the supervisor before others in the area stepped in to pull them apart. The worker was told to go home, clean up, and return the next day. Instead, he went to the CIW’s office, and filed a police report. He then went to the hospital, where he learned that the supervisor’s punch had broken his nose. Source Do you know where your produce comes from? and to show that this doesn’t just affect men, women have also held protests that center on underwear (to show how prevalent rape is in the fields) and handkerchiefs (to show how women are often forced to resist sexual violence by wearing handkerchiefs over their faces so that they are assumed to be men).

marshmallowmegamama:

jalwhite:

countrygramma:

The shirt on the left belonged to a young man who walked into the CIW’s office in November, 1996. He had been picking tomatoes in a field near Immokalee when he stopped to take a drink of water. A field supervisor accosted him, shouted “Are you here to work, or to drink water?”, and launched into him, leaving him badly bruised and bloodied — and determined to find justice. The young worker walked back to Immokalee, headed straight to the CIW office, and sparked a nighttime march of nearly 500 workers on the crewleader’s house. The marchers brandished his shirt as a banner, declaring “If you beat one of us, you beat us all!”, and helped launch a movement that changed Immokalee forever.

The shirt on the right belonged to a young man who walked into the CIW’s office last week. He had been working at a vegetable packing house, packing eggplants, about 10 miles from Immokalee when a supervisor approached him. According to the worker, the supervisor criticized his work, and he, thinking the criticism unjustified, answered back. A discussion ensued when, according to the worker and a witness, the supervisor hauled off and punched him in the face. Staggered, he swung back, but was knocked to the ground by the supervisor before others in the area stepped in to pull them apart. The worker was told to go home, clean up, and return the next day. Instead, he went to the CIW’s office, and filed a police report. He then went to the hospital, where he learned that the supervisor’s punch had broken his nose.

Source

Do you know where your produce comes from?

and to show that this doesn’t just affect men, women have also held protests that center on underwear (to show how prevalent rape is in the fields) and handkerchiefs (to show how women are often forced to resist sexual violence by wearing handkerchiefs over their faces so that they are assumed to be men).

(Source: emeraldtriangleprincess, via queennubian)

  • 5th April
    2012
  • 05
  • 5th April
    2012
  • 05
  • 5th April
    2012
  • 05
  • 5th April
    2012
  • 05