http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1954643,00.html

 

Camera's are advancing at an alarming rate, adding options like being able to notice if someone had blinked during the photo. Nikon is one of these companies to add this option to their camera. The only problem with this, it cannot detect the Asian eye. Many companies are set around creating products for the caucasian consumer, but being that Nikon is a Japanese company you would think that they may have thought about the shape of an Asian eye? While they may not have set out trying to be racist in this endeavor there still seems to be a problem here. As our technology advances, are our minorities going to be left out of the benefits?

 

A parliamentary panel that wants Muslim women to stop veiling their faces recommended Tuesday that France ban such garb in public facilities, including hospitals and mass transit, and a leading panel member said he foresees such an interdiction by the end of 2010.

http://scpr.org/news/2010/01/26/french-report-wants-limits-muslim-face-veil/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29

And you thought your neighbor was upset when he found out the courthouse downtown WASN'T going to put up a Nativity scene this Christmas?  Try this on for size:  You know that tradition your people have had for centuries that is simply a choice of clothing?  Yeah, you're going to have to stop that now. 
     While the article linked above explains that the purported motive behind this move to ban the face coverings is driven by issues of gender equality, what happens when cultural traditions are jeopardized by those claiming to be "helping" ?  Tell you what, if they try to take away my "Noah's Ark" T-shirt and my gold cross necklace, I'm gonna lose it!

Joni Hersch, a Professor of Law and Economics at Vanderbilt University, has researched the relationship between physical characteristics of legal immigrants, such as their skin color and their height, and their economic outcomes. She has found that skin color is related to wages: immigrants with a lighter skin color earn higher wages than immigrants with a darker skin color, regardless of other characteristics such as their country of origin and their education. She suggests that this is caused by discrimination arising from the biases that influence employers' decisions within the US labor market.   

Her publications on that topic can be found here:

http://law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/faculty-personal-sites/joni-hersch/publications/index.aspx

 

 

 

This is one of the kings of comedy talking about different racial issues. He is displaying some of the issues going on in the news that have to deal with racism. Do you believe what he is saying is offensive besides all of the cursing? and what is your opinion about how comedians use different racial issues?

I think my next post will be in regards to the actual test, but I stumbled upon this 2005 article in the Washington Post first.  It is surprisingly long, but starts out talking about the Harvard study that I think some one referenced in class the other day.  It is a very simple way of determining bias in people - and most people are bias! 

Can any one find this test?

Here's the article.  It's a very interesting read.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/01/23/AR2005040314622.html?nav=emailpage

Let me know what your thoughts are on it. 
Are there flaws with the test? 
Should it be done with black faces and positive words first, then flip flop to white faces and positive words? 
Would this even make a difference?

Since 1970, there have been seven times as many married biracial couples.  By 2050, minorities will make up the majority - a projected 53 percent - of our countries population (U.S. Census Bureau).   The article I read in a magazine was titled "This is What Love Looks Like Now."  The main focus of the article is interracial dating/marriage.  They interviewed three different couples as they talked about their personal situations with being in an interracial relationship their experiences family, friends, and strangers. 

There have been many high profile interracial celebrities couples (Seal and Heidi Klum),  we now have a biracial president, and news articles talking about a Louisiana Justice of the Peace, who wouldn't marry an interracial couple because he had thought that their kids would have problems and their futures will be too difficult. 

The first interracial couple they talked to was Colleen (a white woman) and Anthony (a black man).  Anthony said that he had been in an interracial relationship when he was in high school, but back then race wasn't much of a concern but as he grew older he became more aware and cautious of his races and other people's reactions to race.  Both Colleen and Anthony were nervous about telling their families, they had said that their immediate families told them to be careful but accepted the relationship and supported it.  Once the families became comfortable, Anthony said that Colleen's dad started asking more questions like "is it appropriate to say African-American or Negro?"  That was the first time race really came into the situation for them.  They also become comfortable with each other by asking questions about the stereotypes of the other's culture.  They said they have dealt with a lot of stares and comments from the public, and that they get annoyed with always having to defend themselves, but that's just some things they are forced put up with being together.  And that love is all that matters.

The second couple interviewed was Claudia (Hispanic woman) and Jeff (Black man).  They commented saying their relationship was a lot easier since they had both been minorities so they relate to each other and experiences.  They both grew up in Washington D.C., a diverse town, so it seemed more accepted.  They had really positive experiences, and they are open with each other about learning and asking questions about each other's cultures as well.  This couple gets a lot of comments about how cute their kids will be, by older generations, they are happy that even when most of these people were raised in a time were interracial dating was just unheard of, they are positive toward them.

The last couple was Demetria (Black woman) and Joshua (white man).  They said that interracial dating was never an issue for either of them.  They had both experienced other family members who dated out of their race, which made it easier for them.  Joshua was raised not to judge based on race.  They tease each other about certain "white people" things and "black people" things that the other one does.  The couple travels a lot, they said that's when they get the most stares, is when they are overseas, and they have noticed fewer comments about biracial people, and interracial couples since Obama was elected into office. 

This article was mainly about experiences on these three different couples.  I haven't come across a lot of discussion about interracial couples in the media and having them talk about their negative and positive experiences.  This wasn't an article meant to point fingers at the wrongs and rights of discrimination, prejudice, or stereotyping, but just a look at the people who are living with these experiences.  I thought it was encouraging that there is now a more positive look into topics that were once "taboo." 

Do you guys think the world changing and becoming more accepting or less accepting? What is/isn't helping people change their attitudes about interracial dating? How would your parents/family feel about you being in an interracial relationship?

I came across this article while checking out msnbc.com:

http://www.thegrio.com/2010/01/does-race-play-a-role-in-the-way-we-tip.php

This article deals with stereotypes and judgments about people in short interactions, namely in restaurant situations. At the end of the article, there is a quote that I found interesting. Basically, the person was saying no matter how you tip, you won't change the person's opinion if they already had made a judgment about you. This comment made me think about what we discussed in class. Stereotype categories are very rigid, and positive contact doesn't change the stereotype because the person will just move this particular person into a different category. So, the person would maybe just move from the "them" category to the "us" category, depending on the contact and the situation.

In this situation, I think the interaction would be too short for any real meaningful contact to be established. What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtqqMchhUkw&feature=related

This is one of the classic skits from "The Chappelle Show". This skit is pretty funny coming from a comedian like Dave Chappelle, but can you imagine how reactions would change if it were somebody like Jeff Foxworthy or Dane Cook that had written this? Take note of the different stereotypes that pop up in the dialog of this video.

http://comedians.jokes.com/dat-phan/videos/dat-phan---asian-stereotypes

This is a clip of Dat Phan talking about Asian stereotypes.  He only goes over a couple but they are very funny.  One of the stereotypes that is mentioned is that Asians are good at math.  I know that this is the American stereotype, but it isn't true everywhere.  In Canada there is a generally negative stereotype of Asians.  What other positive stereotypes do we have in this country that are different elsewhere?

A lot of events I can think of fall into the other impact project categories (art exhibit, program for school children, etc)...but there are likely great ideas for events that don't fall easily into one of the other categories. So here is the spot for those :)

Given that we did not have time to discuss this in seminar, please post your thoughts, comments, questions, confusions, insights, analyses, etc, regardint this chapter as a comment to this post.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/01/20/2010-01-20_full_frontal_sexism.html

The newly elected Massachusetts Senator, Scott Brown posed nude in Cosmopolitan many years ago. Would a female candidate have the same chance in running for office if they had posed nude in the same way (artfully covering the naughtier body parts)? Why aren't people making a bigger deal over this scandalous centerfold? Why is it that when running for public office attractiveness (or lack there of) is a huge issue for women candidates while it makes little difference for a male candidate?  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPYyOtO-fQE&feature=related

Another powerful scene from the great debaters, watch and see what do you feel? What emotions are triggered?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRuNcGDPzA8&feature=related

This scene from the Great Debaters is very powerful as it talks about education and how some minorities feel in the past, and in now present day.

Most Hispanic/ Latino families are a tight net family, not wanting their child to leave home. I can recall when I was leaving San Antonio to come to UNI, I distinctly  remember my fathers words, just before I got into the U-haul truck to drive away.   "Your making a mistake, your going to a white state that doesn't care about you because the color of your skin." My response was "If I don't try, or if I don't take this opportunity how will I ever know, that I can accomplish a goal in obtaining an education, unlike yourself!" 

For most of you who do read you my be thinking what and asshole, how can he  talk to his father like that. I believe that we should honor our mother and fathers as it say's in the 10 commandments, but you have to look at the big picture. Most parent are supportive of there children, giving them encouragement, and praise and the blessing to do what they feel is right, but I come from a family that really never showed that. I can say in a way that I had to raise myself; from the age of 14, I started working to help in supporting the family (two siblings, and my single father.)  Both of my parents did not have the education in which they should have had (mom dropping out in the 8th grade, and my dad in the 4th grade.) There belief is that a man should work to support a family. The reality of it a parent should be the parent and learn responsibility, and a child needs to be a child to learn and develop.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ8npzELNmQ&feature=related

The G-20 was established in 1999, in the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, to bring together major advanced and emerging economies to stabilize the global financial market. Since its inception, the G-20 has held annual Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meetings and discussed measures to promote the financial stability of the world and to achieve a sustainable economic growth and development.

To tackle the financial and economic crisis that spread across the globe in 2008, the G-20 members were called upon to further strengthen international cooperation. Accordingly, the G-20 Summits have been held in Washington in 2008, and in London and Pittsburgh in 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIVgMvuCM_k&feature=PlayList&p=A9A0505376CBCE35&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5

20/20 experiment; the are two groups of actors (White/ Black) vandalizing and trying to break into a car in a suburban neighbor hood. Why did? or, Why did not? both groups get treated the same way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-q4MDQ0cDI&feature=PlayList&p=8406DD0DD7A8D8AC&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

During the 2008 elections for the first time in history people were torn between voting for a black or white candidate running for office. Obama, Clinton, McCain were running for  the Presidency of the United States. The ideology is based on power which in the history of the United States we have only had "White" presidents.  

While the 2008 Presidential election was being televised, I watched it along with other students in Maucker Union hosted by the Black Males Leaders Union.  I can clearly recall the joy, the cheers, and the tears as President Obama  named was called out as the elected winner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv_ac-op8IA
Comedian Michael Richards (Kramer) goes on a racist rant. When it is it to much, when someone crosses the line, while telling a joke. It is okay for someone in your race to say a racial joke when it is you own ethnicity? What if it is someone from another ethnicity unlike your own?

I found this article in response to Harry Reid's racial comment about Obama's political success. Though this is an old story, this article was interesting because it talks about a study conducted by Joe Faegin on several college campuses asking students to record racial events they encountered over the course of a day. I was surprised when I read that 9,000 accounts occurred with a sample size of only 626.

I came across this article this morning and was astounded. Although there has been racist and discriminatory remarks from both political parties, this one takes the cake:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35067031/ns/politics-more_politics/?gt1=43001

 

Some highlights of what he said:

"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that."

This goes back to what Kim was saying in class last week. A lot of racism and discrimination is preceeded by or tied in with poverty. Unfortunately, a disproportionate amount of minorites fall in this category.

So my question is: Do people dicriminate against others more so because of there SES or because of their race? Is one a stronger influence than the other?  

This is an article about an Australian KFC commercial that was recently pulled because of accusations of racial stereotyping. Apparently, the ad didn't cause much buzz until it ended up on the internet and people in the U.S. watched it, which I found kind of interesting. What do you think? Should it have been pulled of the airwaves?

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/01/kfc-australia-pulls-fried-chicken-ad-called-racial-sterotyping/1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdbGnJ52fjc

 

The link above is to a clip of Gabriel Iglesias doing a part of his stand-up. In the clip he talks about giving a "racist" gift basket to his black friend anonymously. The racist things in the gift basket are things that would supposedly be items that a black person would enjoy. Gabriel himself is latino and makes a joke at the end about how if his black friend would have given him a pinata stuffed with burritos and tacos he would have thanked him for it.
This situation turned out to be a funny one for both of them, but I wonder if there would have been a different interaction between them if Gabriel had been white. If Gabriel would have been black would this have not been as funny as just been more of an acceptable joke between them? I also want to ask....what type of items would you put in a white person's basket?

Develop and implement an intervention designed to lessen stereotyping, prejudice, violence, or discrimination. Your intervention can be geared to students (k-12 or college), administrators, local government, community, or ?

http://www.solvingdisparities.org/toolsresources/sysreview

Conduct a study on a topic relevant to the course. This will require a proposal and IRB approval (if using human subjects), implementation of the project, writing up the results and presenting/using the data in a way that makes an impact!

http://www.uni.edu/osp/irb-forms

What kind of art could you make for social change? How can art prompt civil dialogue? Make some art that makes people think! Performance, photography, sculpture, painting, etc, etc.

http://www.intermediaarts.org/about/

 

Protest and civil disobedience are two wasy to highlight issues that may not be receiving attention. What type of protest or civil disobedience could you plan? What would its goals be? What positive outcomes could result from it? Negative outcomes?

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083182_protest-using-civil-disobedience.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_disobedience

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protest

Everyday Democracy is an organization that provides resources and ideas for creating change within communities. There are a lot of good ideas on this site. What kind of change could you take on?

http://www.everyday-democracy.org/

This is just a youtube video about a racist family that was on the Tyra Banks show, and how these parents are teaching their children to hate other races and are having them actively participating in racist rituals.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHyejLRIXhE&feature=PlayList&p=1395F00D884CA3DA&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=23 

http://www.newschief.com/article/20091206/NEWS/912065006?Title=Ethnic-jokes-poke-fun-at-stereotypes

"There are many jokes around dealing with one's ethnicity. Some are unkind and deal with stereotypical attitudes. There are so many around that one can find enough that are not really offensive, and just deal with customs and attitudes or values of the particular group."

What do you call a black guy who flies a plane?

A pilot.

 

So what's this joke getting at? Is it funny? Offensive? Why?

Chris Rock covers many topics relevant to our class in this 1996 monologue. Couldn't find a video clip, but here's the transcript. If you know Chris Rock you can 'hear' his voice clearly!

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/96/96emono.phtml

What are your opinions on this teacher using this derogatory name with the student?

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/21/muslims-face-more-bias-in_n_431004.html

"Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they have little or no knowledge of Islam. Still, a majority dislike the faith."

Sorry all, I couldn't help but think of this clip from "Anchorman", though many of our peers may not have much more insight into the meaning of "diversity" than Ron Burgundy himself....

This is not a news headline from the past. This is from 2010. A white's only league, where people of color and anyone not born in the U.S. is not allowed to play.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/20/whites-only-basketball-le_n_429281.html

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2010/01/19/nba_563760.shtml

 

I wouldn't consider myself an avid Onion reader, but I do peruse their site from time to time.  I just found this article on racism and thought I should give it a read.  There isn't too much about it that is super insightful (mostly because it's an article on The Onion, and that's not the point) but the underlying idea of racism as a disease that is trying to be treated like a disease is an interesting one.  IF you're looking for a bit of a chuckle, and appreciate sarcasm as I do, check it out! (off the record, that sounded like a line from Reading Rainbow)

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/anti_racism_laws_mutate_racism

http://www.aclu.org/

"The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country."

This site has great information and also includes a Key Issues page, where you can find information about specific areas that the ACLU is involved with.

Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemala's second Nobel Prize winner, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her human rights work, especially on behalf of Indigenous peoples in Guatemala.  As a Maya Quiché woman, her work in a fragmented society recovering from a 36-year long civil war has not been easy. Nevertheless, since 1992 she has continued her work both in Guatemala and abroad. In 2005, she filed a lawsuit against five people who shouted racist comments at her during a public hearing, which resulted in the first discrimination trial ever held in Guatemala. She won the case, and this helped to divulge the relatively new Law against Discrimination that was approved in the country in 2002.

A biography of Rigoberta Menchú can be found here:

http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/contemporary-08.html

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122772814

This is a link to an NPR story about a state order to allow two formerly banned Muslim scholars back into the United States.  The two were denied visas by the Bush administration after speaking out against the war in Iraq.  This is a step toward less government backed discrimination.

Here is a link to a show titled "Border Wars" on the National Geographic Channel:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/border-wars/all/Overview?source=banner_house_118

As you may have already guessed by the title, Border Wars is about what goes on along the 2,000 mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. Most of you are from the Midwest so this show is a good way to gain a better understanding of what it is like to live on the border, what Border Patrol agents go through on a daily basis, as well as the various reasons/motivations thousands of impoverished men and women have to immigrate into this country particularly through extremely harsh weather and terrain. I think this show will be an eye opener to those of you who are unfamiliar with what goes on in the south.

http://www.innocenceproject.org/

I know this is delving into my psych and law roots a little bit, but this is the link to the Innocence Project's website. The Innocence Project is an organization devoted to exonerating the wrongly convicted through the use of DNA evidence or identifying flaws in the judicial system. Many of those who have been exonerated were put in prison in the first place because of faulty eyewitness testimony. This is relevant to us because a lot of these eyewitness ids were made by a person of a different race than the wrongly accused. We will inevitably be discussing the cross-race effect in this class, so I thought this website would help provide some evidence of how much of an issue the CRE is. There are a lot of interesting stories on here, and they have also recently updated the site with some of their greatest accomplishments of the decade.  

http://kdictionaries.com/kdn/kdn14/kdn1402-etymolog-fag.pdf

http://www.albatrus.org/english/lien_of_oz/homosexuality/homosexuality_is_gay.htm

 

The first link above gives a description and background on the origin of the word "fag" describing it's first definition as a "bundle of firewood". The term did not chance into a description for homosexuals until the 1920's.
The second link describes the term gay and it's path to becoming a descriptive word for homosexuales. Like fag, it started out as a completely different term as it is now, and has not had the longest history for it's current usage.

Language has evolved and taken long strides throughout history, morphing as the times change. Language continues to be a powerful force for defining groups and specific people's. It is interesting to see where language comes from and where it originates.
With these types of things in mind I am still curious as to who decided to use these words originially to describe homosexuals.....and who carried them on with repeated usage. Can a person really make up a word and run with it to turn it into a phenomenon? I children's book from when I was little tried to use this concept by describing a pen as a "frindle" to see if people would start using the word..

Do you think this was from one person who decided to change the word's meaning, or a group of people?

I came across this video of a social experiment in a retail store: 

Track the legal proceedings regarding gay marriage in California.

http://prop8trialtracker.com/

The Campus Violence Prevention Project in collaboration with Women's and Gender Studies and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is seeking proposals for the Violence Prevention and Intervention Curriculum Institute to be held in conjunction with the Dalai Lama May, 2010 visit.  Information and the application form can be found at http://www.uni.edu/vpaa/documents/VPICI.callforproposals.doc.  Materials should be submitted to the CSBS Dean's Office (0403) by Noon on Friday, February 19.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG-eT4oK9lU    
Dead President   "we want freedom"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFeHK_uNwgY&feature=related

Immotal Technique  "the poverty philosophy"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZIzD0ZfTFg     
Eminem   "white america"

Music is a form of expression, which one can express emotions. With that in mind, I listed three different artists and songs that touch on different types of subjects such as stereotyping, racism. What do you think the music is trying to say? What emotions does it bring out when you hear it?

While checking on cnn.com for the latest news, I stumbled across this opinion article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/15/navarrette.obama.race/index.html

Basically, Obama has been criticized by some for not being a leader when it comes to race relations. The author brings up some interesting points, which got me thinking about the job of the President.

Should we lay this responsibility on Obama's shoulders, along with all the other issues this country is currently facing (the economy, etc.)? Is it his duty to open up a dialogue about race relations? I completely agree that race relations need to be a focus for our country. However, I am curious as to what other people think Obama's role should be.

We give a lot of power to words. While it's important to understand and learn about the cultural importance, the origin of the words, and the way the words we use for category membership can harm others, it can also be helpful to take a bit of that power back by discussing the words, their power, and their meanings in a safe and controlled setting. This activity strives to do that. Preface the activity (if your course so far has not prompted this discussion) that discussing the words is not the same as using them against others, and that what 'happens in class/seminar/group stays in class/seminar/group' because necessarily people will be expressing personal feelings, beliefs and experiences.

Best in a small (under 15) group.

Ask aloud to have group members generate general categories. Write these on the board/elmo/powerpoint. If they need prompting, start with "Religion." Ensure that the following categories ulitimately make it onto the board: religion, race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, appearance, age, nationality, political orientation. This portion of the activity might generate discussion and clarification on the difference between race and ethnicity, which of these categories are protected under the law, etc.

Next, ask aloud for the subcategories relevant to each category. These may vary somewhat depending on the knowledge, life experience, and overall composition of your group. This portion of the activity might generate discussion on why certain subcategories came to mind sooner than others, which labels are in current use/politically correct (e.g., Native American Indian, vs Indian), etc. Below are some examples.

Religion: Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Lutheran, Buddhist, etc, etc.

Race/Ethnicity: African American, Asian, Caucasian, etc, etc.

Gender: Male, Female, Trans

Appearance: Weight, attractiveness, health

Next, have group members take out a piece of paper and write all the slang words they can think of that represent the categories listed.

Collect the papers. Shuffle them up a bit if necessary to ensure some level of confidentiality. No names on papers!  Next, start writing the words under or by each of the category labels listed. Put check or hash marks for duplicates. Say them aloud as you write them. If you don't know the meaning of a word, ask "Does anybody know what this means? You don't have to answer if you don't want to"). Usually more than one person knows, and enlightens you.

Now that all the words are on the board. Have a discussion about what you see. Some questions to get things going are:

Are there any patterns you notice in the words up here?

Why do you think some categories have more slang than others?

Are all these labels derogatory?

Are some of these labels time or place sensitive?

Are any of these words particularly offensive? Why?

Are any of these words not really that offensive (to you)? Why?

What stereotypes do these words tap into?

Are there any words that are acceptable for ingroup members to use but not outgroup members? Why?

How did some of these words come about? What is their origin?

Which of these words have been reclaimed by the groups to whom they were used against? Are they more positive now? Who can use them?

and on and on....

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.eeoc.gov/

"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to discriminate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit"

http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html

http://www.jigsaw.org/

"Welcome to the official web site of the
jigsaw classroom, a cooperative learning technique that reduces racial conflict among school children, promotes better learning, improves student motivation, and increases enjoyment of the learning experience. The jigsaw technique was first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. Since then, hundreds of schools have used the jigsaw classroom with great success. The jigsaw approach is considered to be a particularly valuable tool in averting tragic events such as the Columbine massacre."

http://www.splcenter.org/

"The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Today, SPLC is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups."

This site is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that monitors and legal fights hate crime.

http://www.tolerance.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxniiAG67hA

This is the last part of King's timeless Mountaintop speech-- the final words Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed before his death the following day. On this MLK holiday, it is important to reflect upon just what the King legacy is, how far we have come with regard to racial justice in this country, and what distance must we still travel to fulfill King's vision of the promised land. 

So how should you go about finding information to post on the blog? Well first, think about where you get your information about the world, and what kind of information you typically seek out. Are you a political junky? Do you prefer entertainment news? Do you read mostly websites? Listen to talk radio? Read magazines or newspapers? Do you watch television news programs? Or do you prefer cable tv programming? Whatever the source, even if it is a hard copy newspaper or a network television show, they will almost always have an internet component to refer to. So the next time you hear, read, or see something that you think relates to the class, find that information on the internet and post it!

Now the above strategy is a great one if you already are tapped into some news sources, but you may not hear, read or see something related to the course as often as you would like or need. So then you have to seek out some information. You can seek out information in one of three ways:

1) Increase your exposure to information about the world by starting to read, listen, or watch more and different programming/sources than you currently do.

2) Google. (www.google.com)  Learn to google effectively, and using the variety of options to make your searches better (good key words, using the image, news, or google scholar tabs).

3) Stumble Upon. (www.stumbleupon.com) Stumble is a website where you designate your interests, and when you click on the stumble button, it will pull up a website related to those interests that it thinks you'll like. If you do, click thumbs up, if it's not quite right, click thumbs down. It will become better at finding sites the more you use it.

Have a favorite source of information you want to share with others? Post it here as a comment.

Happy surfing, and posting!

Theatre Cedar Rapids is putting on a production of the Laramie Project.

Who's up for going? I might be able to get us some funding to cover tix.

http://www.theatrecr.org/season.php?show=The_Laramie_Project

If you are available, you should attend all or a portion of this town hall meeting. Make sure to blog about it when you are done!

http://www.uni.edu/diversity/

UPDATE:

 

http://www.lambdalegal.org/

Lambda Legal is the oldest national organization pursuing high-impact litigation, public education and advocacy on behalf of equality and civil rights for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV. 

In some fields, women use initials on their resumes so potential employers can't tell immediately that they are women. Some African Americans are "whitening" their resumes in these difficult economic times to avoid (or postpone until later in the hiring process) race-based decisions.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122416323

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121163120

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/10/avatar-critics-see-racist-theme_n_418155.html

Near the end of the hit film "Avatar," the villain snarls at the hero, "How does it feel to betray your own race?" Both men are white - although the hero is inhabiting a blue-skinned, 9-foot-tall, long-tailed alien.

Strange as it may seem for a film that pits greedy, immoral humans against noble denizens of a faraway moon, "Avatar" is being criticized by a small but vocal group of people who allege it contains racist themes - the white hero once again saving the primitive natives.

Harry Reid used the word "Negro" in reference to Obama during the compaign. What's wrong with that? Everything? Nothing? Keli Goff documents her opinion on this matter in her blog (see link and intro paragraph immediately below). I've also included links to others' views on this situation, as well as Keli's interview on NPR.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/harry-reids-negro-problem_b_417870.html

As every person who does not live under a rock now knows, according to the new book Game Change, during the 2008 election the Senate majority leader described then candidate Obama as potentially electable as a "light-skinned" African American who lacked a "Negro dialect" except for when he wanted to portray one. To his credit, Harry Reid did not do what many a politician in his position might have. He didn't deny saying it. He gets some points for that, although not too many.

 Keli on NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122450102

Other blogs on this topic:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-grenell/reid-race-and-the-party-b_b_418772.html

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/profiling-is-back_b_418715.html

Airport profiling is back, with a vengeance.